Deck 10: The President

Question 1

The number of political appointments available to the president

A)is constrained by the civil service system.
B)puts the president in charge of deciding which individuals will occupy more than 50,000 jobs in government.
C)allows the president to appoint a majority of the civilian appointments in the bureaucracy.
D)is confined mainly to the military.
E)has been dramatically limited by the use of the constitutional amendment process.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Presidents and Vice Presidents are elected

A)by the House of Representatives.
B)by the Senate.
C)by the Supreme Court.
D)directly, through popular vote.
E)indirectly, through the electoral college.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

All of the following Presidents won a presidential election despite winning less than 50 percent of the popular vote EXCEPT

A)Abraham Lincoln.
B)John Kennedy.
C)Richard Nixon.
D)Bill Clinton.
E)Barack Obama.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which of the following is true?

A)The religious faith of most all presidents have been of the Protestant tradition.
B)Five presidents have been Roman Catholics.
C)No presidents have been Roman Catholics.
D)One president has been an avowed atheist.
E)The religious faith of most all presidents have been of the Protestant tradition, and no presidents have been Roman Catholics.

Question 5

If the United States cuts back on imports from foreign countries, the most likely result would be

A)a return to the U.S.of high-paying manufacturing jobs.
B)foreign countries cutting imports from the U.S.
C)foreign countries giving in to U.S.economic demands.
D)massive job growth in the U.S., as the country begins to make what it used to import.
E)massive economic growth.

Question 6

As chief executive, the president is constitutionally bound to

A)enforce laws, treaties, and court orders.
B)submit a balanced budget to Congress.
C)inform Congress prior to any military action.
D)oversee actions of state governments.
E)honor pronouncements of previous presidents.

Question 7

As commander in chief, the president is

A)only a symbolic leader of the military.
B)the ultimate decision maker in military matters.
C)allowed to make military decisions, but only with the approval of the joint chiefs of staff.
D)not responsible for military decisions.
E)obligated to sit on the Board of Regents for the military, naval, and air force academies.

Question 8

Treaties are subject to _________ before becoming legally binding.

A)judicial review in the Supreme Court
B)ratification by a majority of the states
C)ratification by a majority of both houses of Congress
D)ratification by a two-thirds majority of the Senate
E)ratification by a majority of the states, and ratification by a majority of both houses of Congress.

Question 9

The ____________ Amendment to the Constitution requires the president and vice president to be chosen separately by the electoral college.

A)Ninth
B)Tenth
C)Twelfth
D)Twenty-Fourth
E)Twenty-Fifth

Question 10

In most democratic governments, the head of state is

A)the chief executive officer of the nation.
B)an office without any significant duties.
C)the prime minister.
D)someone other than the chief executive.
E)the chief justice or other top judicial official.

Question 11

As chief diplomat, the president

A)is responsible for selecting judges to federal courts.
B)is responsible for all actions within the executive branch.
C)selects leaders of his or her party in Congress.
D)negotiates treaties, recognizes foreign governments, and makes executive agreements.
E)ratifies treaties.

Question 12

A President can issue a pardon in which of the following circumstances?

A)For all offenses against the United States, including cases of impeachment.
B)For all offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.
C)For all offenses against the United States or any state.
D)For all offenses against the United States, any state, or any locality.
E)For all offenses against a state, but only after that state's governor has refused to grant a pardon.

Question 13

The Constitution states that the required minimum age for the presidency is

A)twenty-five years.
B)thirty years.
C)thirty-five years.
D)forty years.
E)forty-five years.

Question 14

Which of the following individuals is constitutionally qualified to become President?

A)George, 40 years old, who was born in Florida but who spent his entire life living in Cuba.
B)John, 32 years old, who was born to American parents on a military base in Germany.
C)Abigail, 61 years old, who is British by birth but attained legal U.S.citizenship through naturalization.
D)James, 37 years old, who was born in Texas to parents from Mexico.
E)Alexander, 57 years old, who doesn't hold U.S.citizenship but lives in the U.S.legally as a resident alien.

Question 15

Supreme Court rulings appear to confirm that

A)that most treaties can be nullified by the states.
B)that only Congress can withdraw the United States from a treaty.
C)a President can enact a treaty without the support of the Senate.
D)a President can enact a treaty with the support of the House of Representatives.
E)a President can unilaterally withdraw the United States from a treaty.

Question 16

Which of the following best describes the people who have been elected president?

A)older and from western states
B)primarily Catholics and Jews
C)military commanders from the South
D)white, male Protestants
E)California natives

Question 17

When no presidential candidate receives a majority of the electoral vote, the

A)current president serves two more years and another general election is held.
B)candidate who receives a plurality of the popular vote is elected.
C)electors cast a second ballot to determine who will be elected.
D)election is decided in the House of Representatives.
E)election is decided in the House of Representatives, where the candidate who receives a plurality of the popular vote is required to be elected.

Question 18

The president, in the capacity as head of state, is responsible for

A)determining the countries for which the United States will have diplomatic relations.
B)engaging in activities that are largely symbolic or ceremonial in nature.
C)conducting the foreign policy of the country.
D)leading the legislative process by submitting legislation.
E)administering the laws.

Question 19

The granting of release from punishment for a crime is called a(n)

A)reprieve.
B)congressional sanction.
C)pardon.
D)executive privilege.
E)impeachment.

Question 20

A constitutional amendment to clarify the way votes are cast in the electoral college was necessary because

A)there was no way to tell which votes were for president and which were for vice president.
B)there was a tie in the electoral votes in the election of 1800.
C)large states did not have fair representation in the electoral college.
D)in three elections no candidate received a majority of votes for the president.
E)there was a tie in the electoral votes in the election of 1800, and there was no way to tell which votes were for president and which were for vice president.

Question 21

Executive orders

A)are merely opinions and have no force.
B)are part of a president's executive power.
C)have only been in effect since 1992.
D)are part of a president's judicial power.
E)are part of a president's legislative power.

Question 22

Presidential powers expressly given to the president by the Constitution are

A)constitutional powers.
B)statutory powers.
C)established powers.
D)inherent powers.
E)emergency powers.

Question 23

Executive agreements are

A)not valid in foreign policy matters unless approved by the Senate.
B)agreements between the president and a head of foreign government that do not have to be approved by the Senate.
C)an unconstitutional expansion of the power of the president.
D)binding upon future presidents.
E)used to achieve trivial matters, since the most significant issues must be addressed by the Senate.

Question 24

Rewarding faithful party workers with government employment is called

A)nepotism.
B)pork barrel employment.
C)executive perks.
D)patronage.
E)civil service.

Question 25

The following two presidents are the only ones in American history to have actually been impeached:

A)Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton
B)Richard Nixon and Franklin Roosevelt
C)Andrew Johnson and William McKinley
D)Thomas Jefferson and Martin Van Buren
E)Andrew Johnson and Jimmy Carter

Question 26

Which of the following statements about the president's veto power is most accurate?

A)The president's veto is final and gives him or her complete control over legislation.
B)Because vetoes are usually overridden, the power has become unimportant.
C)The threat of a veto gives the president significant influence over Congress and legislation.
D)The veto has been used by Congress to stop the president from signing legislation.
E)Because vetoes are rarely overridden, the power has become unimportant.

Question 27

Executive privilege

A)involves the ability of the president and executive branch officials to withhold certain information from Congress and the courts.
B)means that members of the executive branch cannot be prosecuted for official acts.
C)is the concept that has been applied to the president's use of the pocket veto.
D)allows the president discretion in making political appointments.
E)was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1974.

Question 28

Executive privilege was limited by the Supreme Court as a consequence of

A)the Sedition Act.
B)World War II.
C)Watergate.
D)the Clinton sex scandal.
E)the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Question 29

A pocket veto

A)can be used by a president only once during a term in office, although the veto can be used twice if the president serves two terms.
B)can only be used when Congress adjourns for the session within ten days of the bill being submitted to the president.
C)means that the legislation cannot be reintroduced in the next Congress.
D)was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1936.
E)is a veto in which the president does not send a veto message back to Congress.

Question 30

Presidential powers derived from the Constitution stating that "the executive power shall be vested in a President" are

A)constitutional powers.
B)statutory powers.
C)expressed powers.
D)inherent powers.
E)emergency powers.

Question 31

All of the following about bills becoming law EXCEPT

A)a bill signed by the President becomes law.
B)a bill becomes law after ten working days, even if the President doesn't sign it.
C)a bill vetoed by the President and not acted on again by Congress does not become law.
D)a bill vetoed by the President can be overridden by a three-quarters majority in both houses of Congress, thus becoming law.
E)a bill sent to the President with less than ten working days before Congress adjourns fails to become law if the President doesn't sign it.

Question 32

Presidential popularity

A)is irrelevant to bureaucrats.
B)has stayed within a small range since Gallup began measuring it.
C)is of little concern to second-term presidents.
D)is required before a president may claim executive privilege.
E)is an important resource for presidents to use to persuade Congress to pass legislation.

Question 33

Informal advisors to the president are called

A)FOP, or Friends of the President.
B)the kitchen cabinet.
C)the Executive Counsel.
D)the cabinet.
E)the brain trust.

Question 34

President Lincoln's suspension of civil liberties at the beginning of the Civil War and the calling into service of the state militias in order to preserve the Union are examples of the use of

A)emergency powers.
B)constitutional powers.
C)statutory powers.
D)expressed powers.
E)executive powers.

Question 35

"Going public"

A)means that presidents take their case to the public to persuade members of Congress to support their agenda.
B)was rarely used by presidents in the 1800s.
C)allows a president to explain complicated or controversial topics to voters directly.
D)forces Congress to support presidential priorities.
E)means that presidents take their case to the public to persuade members of Congress to support their agenda, was rarely used by presidents in the 1800s, and allows a president to explain complicated or controversial topics to voters directly.

Question 36

In the history of the United States, no president has ever

A)been impeached and acquitted.
B)died while in office.
C)been impeached and convicted.
D)resigned.
E)been impeached.

Question 37

A president's cabinet usually includes all of the following individuals EXCEPT

A)the Vice President.
B)the Secretary of Defense.
C)the Attorney General.
D)the Speaker of the House.
E)the Secretary of State.

Question 38

The impeachment process begins with charges in ________ and concludes with a trial in ________.

A)the House of Representatives; the Senate
B)the Senate; the House of Representatives
C)both houses of Congress; the Supreme Court
D)the Supreme Court; the Senate
E)the Supreme Court; the House of Representatives

Question 39

A written declaration that a president may make when signing a bill into law is known as a(n)

A)executive order.
B)executive agreement.
C)executive privilege.
D)signing statement.
E)signing declaration.

Question 40

When the president receives a bill

A)he or she can do nothing and in ten days the bill becomes a law without his or her signature.
B)it automatically becomes a law.
C)the bill goes back to Congress to make sure it is good enough to become a law.
D)he or she can sign it and it will become law.
E)he or she can do nothing and in ten days the bill becomes a law without his or her signature, or he or she can sign it and it will become law.

Question 41

If the office of vice president becomes vacant

A)it remains unfilled until the next election, and the Speaker of the House becomes president if the president dies.
B)the president nominates a replacement who must be approved by both chambers of Congress.
C)the president names a replacement that is not subject to congressional approval.
D)the president nominates a replacement who must be approved by the Senate.
E)the secretary of state becomes vice president.

Question 42

All of the following are true of the president's cabinet EXCEPT

A)they include fourteen department secretaries, plus the attorney general.
B)they can be replaced with a kitchen cabinet.
C)they are heads of executive departments.
D)it is thoroughly detailed in the Constitution as to what the cabinet should do.
E)the cabinet is an advisory group selected by the president to aid in making decisions.

Question 43

A president's consultations with the cabinet are

A)required by federal law.
B)required by the Constitution.
C)funneled through the vice president, as demanded by the Constitution.
D)entirely at the discretion of the president.
E)required by the Constitution, and must be funneled through the Supreme Court.

Question 44

The White House Office, the National Security Council, and the Office of Management and Budget are all part of

A)the kitchen cabinet.
B)the cabinet.
C)the Executive Office of the President.
D)the Council of Presidential Advisors.
E)the system of checks on executive power.

Question 45

​According to the ___________, the Speaker of the House of Representatives assumes the presidency when both the presidency and vice presidency are vacant.

A)Second Article of the Constitution
B)​Presidential Succession Act of 1947
C)​Congressional Joint Resolution on Presidential Succession
D)​Twelfth Amendment
E)​Twenty-Fifth Amendment

Question 46

The Executive Office of the President

A)assists the president in carrying our major duties.
B)is an advisory group made up of the heads of the fifteen major government departments.
C)is overseen by the White House Chief of Staff.
D)helps the president manage the media.
E)tends to a president's personal political needs.

Question 47

According to the Twenty-Fifth Amendment, if a president's ability to discharge his or her normal functions is in question and he or she is unable to communicate

A)the Supreme Court is empowered to select a physician to certify whether or not the president is able to perform the functions of his or her office.
B)the Speaker of the House becomes acting president until the matter is resolved.
C)a majority of the cabinet, including the vice president, can declare the president incapable.
D)the president must be permanently removed from office.
E)the vice president has the exclusive power to determine the president's capability.

Question 48

The members of the cabinet

A)are friends of the president that he or she invites to conferences on specific issues.
B)are expressly identified in the Constitution.
C)are all department secretaries who oversee administrative functions for the president.
D)may include the vice president and other advisors if the president chooses to include them.
E)are limited to one presidential term and then leave government service.

Question 49

The Twenty-Fifth Amendment

A)was first used when President Ford appointed Nelson Rockefeller as vice president.
B)has never been used.
C)was a result of the long illness of President Carter.
D)is only used when the Constitution explicitly says that it is applicable.
E)was used by President Nixon when he appointed Ford as vice president.

Question 50

The Office of Management and Budget

A)is now called the Bureau of the Budget.
B)clearly affects the greater scope of the federal budget.
C)publishes the budgets prepared by Congress.
D)helps the president prepare the annual budget.
E)is currently in the Department of the Treasury.

Question 51

The office that includes most of the key personal and political advisers to the president is the

A)Council of Economic Advisers.
B)cabinet.
C)Executive Presidential Office.
D)White House Office.
E)Domestic Policy Council.

Question 52

A vice presidential pick can be said to strengthen the ticket in all of the following circumstances EXCEPT

A)bringing foreign policy expertise to a less experienced presidential candidate.
B)bringing ideological credentials to a ticket in which the presidential nominee has been less ideologically pure.
C)bringing conventional, establishment credentials to balance an insurgent presidential candidate.
D)bringing an appeal to independent voters, for a presidential candidate who does well inside his/her political party.
E)being a major and powerful influence to the Senate, by casting votes on every issue.​

Question 53

The person who directs the White House Office and advises the president is

A)the vice president.
B)the head of office.
C)the chief of staff.
D)the senior member of Congress form the president's party.
E)the Secretary of the Interior.

Question 54

Staff members in the Executive Office of the President who oversee a particular policy area are commonly referred to as

A)emperors.
B)czars.
C)dictators.
D)autocrats.
E)aristocrats.

Question 55

​After the vice president, next in the line of succession is _____________, followed by _____________.

A)​the Speaker of the House; the secretary of state
B)​the secretary of state; the Speaker of the House
C)​the Speaker of the House; the president pro tempore of the Senate
D)​the president pro tempore of the Senate; the Speaker of the House
E)​the secretary of state; the president pro tempore of the Senate

Question 56

The __________ Amendment to the Constitution established procedures for filling presidential and vice-presidential vacancies and makes provisions for presidential incapacity.

A)Eleventh
B)Fourteenth
C)Nineteenth
D)Twenth-First
E)​Twenty-Fifth

Question 57

A vice president may become president in all of the following circumstances EXCEPT

A)by winning a presidential election.
B)because the president dies in office.
C)because the president resigns from office.
D)because the Congress appoints the vice president to the office.
E)because a president is impeached and convicted.

Question 58

In general, ______________ have relied heavily on the advice of the cabinet.

A)both the House and Senate
B)few presidents
C)many presidents
D)nearly all presidents
E)nearly all presidents, as well as the House and Senate.

Question 59

The National Security Council is a link between

A)Congress and the president.
B)leaders of foreign governments and the president.
C)the Security and Exchange Commission and the president.
D)key foreign and military advisors and the president.
E)state governments and the president.

Question 60

The Constitution gives the vice president

A)the job of presiding over the Senate and voting in case of a tie.
B)many responsibilities independent of presidential authority.
C)the job of chief of staff to the president.
D)the right to use the veto if he or she has the approval of the president.
E)the job of presiding over the Senate and voting in case of a tie, and the right to use the veto if he or she has the approval of the president.

Question 61

Analyze the president's functions as party chief and superpolitician.

Question 62

Contrast the importance of the cabinet and the Executive Office of the President.

Question 63

Discuss the issue of what it means to be a "natural-born citizen" and how this affects the politics of the presidency.

Question 64

Discuss the characteristics commonly shared by U.S. presidents, and discuss the prospects for deviation from the norm.

Question 65

Detail the reasons and ways in which a vice president may assume the presidency, without actually winning election to that office.​

Question 66

Describe the difference between the president's role as chief diplomat and head of state. Provide examples to support your argument.

Question 67

Explain the concept of executive privilege and how it has been used by the presidents.

Question 68

Once Congress has passed a bill and sent it to the President, explain the possible outcomes for that bill. Be sure to discuss the role of both presidential powers and the timing of the legislation.

Question 69

Describe the evolution of the president's wartime powers, providing examples from various military activities through American history.

Question 70

Explain executive orders, detailing their sources and powers, and contrast this idea with that of signing statements.