Deck 7: The Presidency

Question 1

Which examines the cost implications of a proposed bill?

A) secretary of the treasury
B) Office of Management and Budget
C) secretary of commerce
D) chief of staff

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which presidential power is checked by required approval of the Senate with a two-thirds vote?

A) extending diplomatic recognition to foreign governments
B) terminating relations with other nations
C) negotiating treaties with other nations
D) negotiating executive agreements with foreign heads of state

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Historically,vice presidential candidates have been chosen to __________.

A) help set the president's agenda
B) mentor the president
C) balance the presidential ticket
D) ensure that the president's party will have a good chance of winning the next presidential election

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is a constitutional power that the president shares with the Senate?

A) making treaties
B) declaring war
C) granting pardons
D) receiving foreign ambassadors

Question 5

Which of the following citizens would be ineligible to become president?

A) a natural-born citizen
B) someone who is thirty-seven years old
C) someone who has lived in the United States for twenty years
D) someone who has already been elected president twice

Question 6

Which institutional resource is closest and most loyal to the president?

A) Executive Office of the President
B) White House staff
C) armed forces
D) National Security Council

Question 7

Presidents often use __________ to sidestep the constitutional "advice and consent" of the Senate that is required for formal ratification of treaties.

A) pocket vetoes
B) executive privilege
C) executive agreements
D) signing statements

Question 8

Whom did the Framers expect to be the first president of the United States?

A) Benjamin Franklin
B) George Washington
C) John Adams
D) Thomas Jefferson

Question 9

Congress can remove a president through __________.

A) veto
B) executive privilege
C) a House impeachment vote
D) a Senate impeachment trial

Question 10

In what sense is the veto a "qualified negative" power?

A) The veto has a negative effect on the ability of Congress to conduct its business as qualified by the Constitution.
B) Congress can negate the president's legislative agenda by refusing to qualify his or her proposals as ripe for consideration, something that is akin to a legislative veto.
C) The president can veto negative or harmful legislation before it qualifies for review by the Supreme Court.
D) The president can negate legislation passed by Congress, but this power is qualified by Congress's ability to override the president's veto.

Question 11

Who is the first modern president by virtue of taking on a major role in the decision-making process?

A) Franklin D. Roosevelt
B) Herbert Hoover
C) Ronald Reagan
D) Woodrow Wilson

Question 12

Which first lady acted as a surrogate for her partially paralyzed husband?

A) Abigail Adams
B) Edith Bolling Galt Wilson
C) Eleanor Roosevelt
D) Nancy Davis Reagan

Question 13

What position did John Adams describe as being "the most insignificant office that was the invention of man…or his imagination conceived"?

A) president
B) vice president
C) secretary of state
D) Speaker of the House

Question 14

Which best describes a president's constitutional duty to Congress?

A) The president must give Congress an occasional update on the state of the union.
B) The president must have at least one Cabinet member of the opposing party.
C) The president must maintain party support in Congress.
D) The president must inform Congress of the reasoning behind a veto.

Question 15

Which of the following did the president justify by claiming that he was exercising an inherent presidential power,despite the fact that it is not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution?

A) the Louisiana Purchase
B) the State of the Union Address
C) the Wars Powers Resolution
D) declarations of war against Germany and Japan during World War II

Question 16

What does the Twenty-Second Amendment do?

A) requires that presidents be natural-born citizens
B) limits the president's terms of office
C) requires the president to be a resident of the United States
D) requires the president to be at least thirty-five years old

Question 17

What did Benjamin Franklin think had to be included in the Constitution?

A) a resolution to limit the president's power to send troops into battle
B) a process for dealing with a vacancy in the office of the president
C) a process for impeaching and removing the president
D) a process for the people to directly elect the president

Question 18

What is executive privilege?

A) the ability of the president to refuse to spend money appropriated by Congress
B) the ability of the president to veto programmatic requests in a bill
C) the power of the president to declare war or initiate a police action
D) the implied power of the president to keep communications confidential

Question 19

What has to happen in Congress in order for the president to be impeached and removed from office?

A) The House must impeach the president by a simple majority; the Supreme Court must convict with a two-thirds vote.
B) The Senate must impeach the president by a simple majority; the House must convict with a two-thirds vote.
C) The House must impeach the president by a simple majority; the Senate must convict with a two-thirds majority.
D) The Supreme Court must impeach the president with a simple majority; the chief justice presides over a Senate trial that must convict with a two-thirds majority.

Question 20

Who breaks a tie in the Senate?

A) president of the United States
B) vice president of the United States
C) Speaker of the House
D) Senate majority leader

Question 21

How did Lincoln defend his decision to order a blockade of southern ports without the approval of Congress?

A) He claimed to have received approval from the Supreme Court.
B) He claimed that the Constitution explicitly conferred upon him the power to do whatever he thought best in any situation.
C) He claimed that his actions were consistent with his power to veto congressional actions or inactions.
D) He claimed that the inherent powers of his office allowed him to circumvent the Constitution in a time of war or national crisis.

Question 22

What was the turning point that gave rise to the modern presidency?

A) the social strife arising from the civil rights movement
B) the economic and social turmoil of the Great Depression
C) the demands of managing a modern army during World War I
D) the rapid contraction of government following the conclusion of World War II

Question 23

In which way do modern presidents differ from the original intentions of the Framers of the Constitution?

A) Modern presidents are considerably less democratic than the Framers originally intended.
B) Modern presidents have considerably less power as leaders of their political parties than the Framers originally intended.
C) Modern presidents are much more influential in the legislative process than the Framers originally intended.
D) Modern presidents are more subservient to the will of Congress than the Framers originally intended.

Question 24

Which of the following leadership abilities is the most critical to presidential success?

A) the ability to be subservient
B) the willingness to be patient
C) the power to persuade
D) the ability to make mistakes gracefully

Question 25

How is a vice presidential vacancy filled?

A) The Cabinet nominates a new vice president who must then be approved by Congress.
B) The president appoints a new vice president who assumes office immediately.
C) The president appoints a new vice president who must then be approved by Congress.
D) The Senate appoints a new vice president who must then be approved by the president.

Question 26

What distinguishes modern presidents from early presidents?

A) Modern presidents are much more liberal than early presidents.
B) Modern presidents are much less active in the formulation of policy than early presidents.
C) Modern presidents must make do with many fewer staffers than did early presidents.
D) Modern presidents are much less likely to engage in international conflicts than early presidents.

Question 27

Which of the following statements provides the best characterization of the members of the White House staff?

A) The White House staff is a loose collection of bureaucrats who are loyal to executive agencies.
B) The White House staff is composed of individuals personally and politically close to the president chosen specifically to serve the president's needs.
C) The White House staff is composed of policy specialists who have little personal loyalty to the president.
D) The White House staff is the link between executive agencies in the bureaucracy and Congress.

Question 28

Which of the following accurately describes George Washington's presidency?

A) His ambitions greatly expanded the power of the presidency to influence domestic policies.
B) He took every opportunity to establish the primacy of the national government.
C) He established the precedent that the president would take the lead over Congress in influencing the national agenda.
D) His actions firmly established the president as the chief driver of the economy.

Question 29

What strategy was on display when President Obama visited several college campuses urging students to pressure lawmakers not to increase interest rates on student loans?

A) twisting arms
B) executive privilege
C) going public
D) rally-round-the-flag

Question 30

Which presidential power gives the president the ability to shape policy by helping to determine who executes laws passed by Congress?

A) appointment
B) veto
C) pardon
D) impeachment

Question 31

Which of the following is one way in which the White House staff differs from the president's Cabinet?

A) The White House staff is not subject to Senate confirmation.
B) The Cabinet is more loyal to the president than is the White House staff.
C) The Cabinet works more closely with the president than does the White House staff.
D) The White House staff must perform their job duties in accordance with congressional legislation, while the Cabinet has no such restraints.

Question 32

Who established the precedent that the president would play a prominent role in foreign affairs?

A) George Washington
B) Andrew Jackson
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) Abraham Lincoln

Question 33

Why did Mitt Romney choose Rep.Paul Ryan as his vice presidential running mate in 2012?

A) Ryan was more appealing to older voters.
B) Ryan balanced Romney's lack of business experience.
C) Ryan was more appealing to social conservatives.
D) Ryan was more appealing to urban working mothers.

Question 34

What is the role of the National Security Council?

A) to advise the president on military affairs and foreign policy
B) to keep the president and first family secure
C) to administer the armed forces
D) to provide the president with national security policy advice from the opposing party's perspective

Question 35

Presidents with high levels of __________ are more powerful leaders.

A) public approval
B) executive privilege
C) debts and deficits
D) campaign spending

Question 36

Which statement accurately describes Barack Obama's veto history?

A) Obama has issued very few vetoes and has not had any vetoes overridden.
B) Obama has issued very few vetoes, but all of them have been overridden.
C) When compared with other presidents, Obama is close to the fiftieth percentile in terms of presidential vetoes and veto overrides.
D) Obama has issued more vetoes than most other presidents and several of them have been overridden.

Question 37

Under President Obama,there are about 500 members of the __________ who serve as close,personal advisers to the president and are not subject to Senate confirmation.

A) White House staff
B) Executive Office of the President
C) Cabinet
D) Council of Presidential Advisors

Question 38

Which of the following is a presidential advisory group whose members are confirmed by the Senate and that helps the president make decisions and execute laws?

A) the White House staff
B) the presidential library
C) the chiefs of staff
D) the Cabinet

Question 39

What distinguishes the modern presidency from the institution originally envisioned by the Framers of the Constitution?

A) The modern presidency is much more powerful than the Framers intended.
B) The modern presidency is less involved in the development of foreign policy than the Framers intended.
C) Modern presidents exhibit a greater level of deference to Congress in budgetary matters than the Framers intended.
D) Modern presidents are more cautious in advocating for their legislative agendas than the Framers intended.

Question 40

Which word best describes the constitutional provisions relating to the powers of the president?

A) exact
B) static
C) deferential
D) vague

Question 41

The president is not allowed to encourage specific members of Congress to vote for or against a particular bill.

Question 42

A president can influence policy by issuing a signing statement in which he or she claims that part of the just-signed law is unconstitutional and will not be implemented as Congress intends.

Question 43

The idea that the president may be advised by executive branch officials in confidence without the advice becoming public is called __________.

Question 44

Why did Congress enact the War Powers Resolution?

A) to expand the powers of the president in the conduct of war
B) to make Congress the sole actor in the conduct of war
C) to limit the powers of the president in the conduct of war
D) to empower the president to act unilaterally when American troops are in harm's way

Question 45

What might a president do to indicate his or her belief that a portion of the legislation just signed into law is unconstitutional and that he or she intends to disregard it or implement it in some way other than Congress intends?

A) "go public" with the allegation
B) claim executive privilege
C) issue a signing statement
D) make an executive agreement

Question 46

President Gerald R.Ford pardoned President Richard M.Nixon.

Question 47

Joan O'Leary wants to run for president.She is a natural-born citizen of the United States.She is 45 years old.She has been a resident of the United States for 10 years.Therefore,she meets the requirements to become president.

Question 48

Which of the following are least common?

A) vetoes issues by Republican presidents
B) vetoes issued by Democratic presidents
C) pocket vetoes
D) veto overrides

Question 49

Congress has the sole authority to declare war.

Question 50

Historically,most presidents begin their terms in office with higher approval ratings and tend to lose popularity over time.

Question 51

The Twenty-Fifth Amendment was enacted in order to clear up uncertainties over the constitutional provisions surrounding __________.

A) presidential powers to conduct war
B) presidential and vice presidential succession
C) the president's powers to negotiate treaties
D) the Electoral College

Question 52

The vice presidency has become more powerful in recent years.

Question 53

The president may grant pardons to anyone convicted of a federal crime for any reason (except in cases of impeachment,which cannot be pardoned).

Question 54

The Constitution lays out the president's power in great detail.

Question 55

Presidents tend to have higher approval ratings at the beginning of their term.

Question 56

Most presidential vetoes are overridden.

Question 57

If Barack Obama wants to disapprove individual items within a spending bill rather than the bill in its entirety,he can use the line-item veto.

Question 58

The Framers included a two-term limit to the presidency in the Constitution.

Question 59

The members of the Cabinet are appointed by the president and approved by the Senate.

Question 60

Effective presidents must master the power of persuasion.

Question 61

As a result of the __________ scandal,Richard Nixon resigned to avoid impeachment and a Senate trial.

Question 62

What factors contribute to the president's public approval? How do presidential approval ratings vary during a president's tenure and what explains this variation? What else can impact approval ratings?

Question 63

How has the role of the vice president changed over time?

Question 64

What situations was the Twenty-Fifth Amendment enacted to address? Why was this amendment enacted?

Question 65

According to the Twenty-Fifth Amendment,if a vacancy occurs in the office of the vice president,the __________ appoints a new vice president,subject to approval of both houses of Congress.

Question 66

The __________ is the authority of the president to reject bills passed by Congress.

Question 67

Congress enacted the __________ in 1973 after it became frustrated that the president had misled the public about the Vietnam War.

Question 68

Appearances by the president on shows such as The Daily Show are examples of a president __________.

Question 69

What is the role of executive agreements in foreign policy? When are they used?

Question 70

The president would seek economic forecasts from the __________ in order to help the administration figure out the president's budget proposal.

Question 71

Describe the informal powers of the president.

Question 72

The __________ is an advisory group composed of the heads of the fifteen executive departments to help the president make decisions and execute laws.They are chosen by presidents and confirmed by the Senate.

Question 73

According to the Constitution,__________ should be reserved for "treason,bribery,and other high crimes and misdemeanors," not for political conflicts.

Question 74

Explain how presidents can check judicial power.

Question 75

What is the president's power to convene Congress? Why might this be more significant in the early years of the nation?

Question 76

Which president began the modern presidency by elevating presidential decision making above congressional decision making? Explain how this change came about.

Question 77

What is a veto? Why is it considered to be a "qualified negative" power? How often are vetoes issued and how often are they overridden?

Question 78

In order to avoid going to the Senate for approval,recent presidents have started to rely more heavily on __________ rather than treaties.

Question 79

The __________ is a loyal presidential assistant who oversees the administration and acts as a gatekeeper to the president.

Question 80

Describe the role of the president as commander in chief.Include what limitations the president has in this role.