Deck 9: The Presidency

Question 1

In 1973, congress passed the War Powers Act to

A) restrict the ability of federal government to mandate a military draft.
B) restrict the abilities of the President to obtain funding for any conflict.
C) to restrict the war making powers of the President.
D) force the President to use economic sanctions.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

When a president signs a bill into law he often includes a signing statement, which

A) explains his reasons for vetoing the bill.
B) explains his denial of congressional authority.
C) explains his understanding of the law.
D) explains his plans to pay for the law.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The approval ratings of President ___________ fell faster in his first year than any president since Truman.

A) George W. Bush
B) Barack Obama
C) Jimmy Carter
D) Richard Nixon

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following conflicts was not a formally declared war?

A) The Vietnam War
B) The Korean War
C) The Gulf War
D) All of the above

Question 5

According to the War Powers Resolution, the President can only deploy troops for ________ days without Congressional approval.

A) 180
B) 90
C) 60
D) 120

Question 6

What was the response of President Nixon to the War Powers Act?

A) He vetoed the Act.
B) He assured his full compliance with the Act.
C) He subsequently launched an invasion of Cambodia.
D) He sought a court challenge to the Act.

Question 7

During his impeachment proceedings, changes in approval ratings for President Clinton were ____________.

A) minimal -- because there was no change.
B) as expected -- his approval rating dropped dramatically.
C) significant -- his approval rating went up dramatically.
D) not tracked during the trial.

Question 8

Presidents can help a bill through Congress by

A) issuing members of Congress invitations to White House events.
B) campaigning and fundraising for the Congress member.
C) helping them obtain "pork" for their districts.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 9

The president presents programs to Congress through various presidential messages, including

A) the annual State of the Union.
B) news conferences.
C) Presidential addresses.
D) All of the above

Question 10

A classic illustration of the _______________role of the president came on September 11, 2001, when President George W. Bush spoke to the nation.

A) Physiological
B) Psychological
C) pathological
D) homeopathic

Question 11

The majority of presidents in the United States are from the _______________ party.

A) Democratic
B) Whig
C) Republican
D) Federalist

Question 12

When President Obama committed U. S. forces to assisting the overthrow of Dictator Muammar Qaddafi, it demonstrated again

A) how weak the War Powers Act has become as a constraint on Presidential powers.
B) how Congress is reluctant to invoke the War Powers Act.
C) how willing most modern Presidents are to use military force.
D) All of the above

Question 13

The president of the United States has two primary jobs: head of government and

A) chief of the army.
B) chief of state.
C) chief of federal bureaucracy.
D) chief of all states.

Question 14

For the elites, the president's function is to

A) propose policy initiatives.
B) mobilize influence within the system.
C) supervise the management of the government and the economy.
D) all of the above are true.

Question 15

Since 1789, U.S. forces have participated in military actions overseas on more than 200 occasions, but Congress declared war only _____ times.

A) 5
B) 25
C) 32
D) 47

Question 16

Which president was featured in an issue of the comic book, The Amazing Spider-Man?

A) Bill Clinton
B) George W. Bush
C) Barack Obama
D) Ronald Reagan

Question 17

Which is a psychological function of the presidency?

A) Cognitive
B) Emotional
C) Symbolic - unity and national symbol
D) All of the above

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of Congress' power to constrain the president as leader of the executive branch?

A) The power of the purse
B) The power to abolish executive department
C) The power to deny appointments
D) All of the above.

Question 19

The president's function for the masses is to

A) provide a vicarious means of taking political action.
B) direct legislation and control Congress.
C) protect and stabilize the nation.
D) provide economic protection to all citizens.

Question 20

The presidency's real power is

A) dependent on formal authority granted by the Constitution.
B) closely tied to its authority as commander-in-chief.
C) the power to persuade others in the political system.
D) based on the ability to control the economy.

Question 21

Who was the only president to maintain high approval ratings during any war or conflict?

A) John F. Kennedy
B) Franklin D. Roosevelt
C) George W. Bush
D) Harry Truman

Question 22

President __________ issued the greatest number of vetoes.

A) George W. Bush
B) Harry Truman
C) Franklin D. Roosevelt
D) Dwight Eisenhower

Question 23

The executive orders concerning ______________were repeatedly passed and then overturned when a new president came to office.

A) closing Guantanamo Bay
B) stem cell research
C) abortion
D) healthcare

Question 24

The line-item veto power for the president

A) was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
B) allowed the president to veto some provisions of the bill and accept others
C) was a power given to the president by Congress.
D) all of the above

Question 25

Barack Obama's first year saw ______________increase to over 10 percent, which weighed heavily on the decline in his approval ratings.

Question 26

Formal powers of the president include all of the following:

A) supervision of the executive branch.
B) exercising war powers.
C) approving the budget.
D) all of the above

Question 27

In American history, ______ presidents have been impeached.

A) 2
B) 3
C) 5
D) 7

Question 28

The Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act

A) sets up a single payer national health care system - such as that in Canada.
B) was found unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
C) required states to provide government healthcare.
D) requires all individuals to purchase health insurance.

Question 29

Al Qaeda leader Anwar Alwaki, who was born in the United States

A) was killed by a US Navy SEAL Team in Pakistan.
B) was poisoned by the CIA in Somalia.
C) is still at-large on the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan .
D) was killed in a drone attack in Yemen.

Question 30

Historically, _____________ of all presidential vetoes have been sustained.

A) 25 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 75 percent
D) 96 percent

Question 31

The Supreme Court has held that the president has "absolute immunity" from

A) lawsuits brought by states.
B) civil suits arising out of official duties.
C) Congressional investigations and hearings
D) Subpoenas from other government agencies.

Question 32

The only U.S. president ever to resign from office was

A) Bill Clinton
B) Lyndon B. Johnson
C) Andrew Johnson
D) Richard Nixon

Question 33

The president, as ____________________, functions as the symbolic representative of the nation.

Question 34

The experience of the last three presidents shows it is easier for the president to "get things done" when

A) Congress is controlled by democrats.
B) Congress is controlled by republicans.
C) Congress is controlled by the president's party.
D) there is divided government.

Question 35

The biggest disappointment for the Obama administration has been

A) the war on terrorism.
B) the increase in illegal immigrants.
C) the high levels of unemployment.
D) the economy.

Question 36

The president's real power depends not on formal authority but on the ability to ____________________.

Question 37

After _____________________, President George W. Bush saw presidential approval ratings at an all-time high.

Question 38

Presidents Reagan and Obama consistently bypassed Congress by obtaining _______________.

Question 39

According to the text, no other vice president has ever achieved the degree of power and influence enjoyed by

A) George H.W. Bush
B) Joe Biden
C) Dick Cheney
D) Al Gore

Question 40

George W. Bush's 2007 strategy for winning in Iraq was

A) called "shock and awe."
B) to deploy a "surge."
C) called "hearts and minds."
D) called "cut and run."

Question 41

_________________ gives the president the role of chief legislator, or the ability to initiate and lobby for legislation

Question 42

To override a veto, Congress must have a ____________________ vote in both houses - the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Question 43

The greatest, but least used, power the president has in the legislative process is the ________________.

Question 44

The masses view the private morality of a president as a sign of his trustworthiness as public official.

Question 45

The power of ____________________ allows the president to grant legitimacy or withhold it from regimes around the world, such as the case of the dictatorship in Cuba.

Question 46

Decisive military action increases presidential support from both the elites and the masses.

Question 47

The president is the ____________________ of the world's largest bureaucracy, with 2.6 million people working under him/her.

Question 48

_____________________ went against his own campaign position and chose to use signing statements once elected president.

Question 49

Barack Obama asserted the right to kill American citizens anywhere overseas without due process if they are deemed part of a __________________group fighting the United States.

Question 50

Among President George W. Bush's policy achievements was the passage of the ____________________, which redefined and strengthened the federal government's role in education.

Question 51

The idea that internal executive branch communications are not for public or congressional scrutiny is called ____________________

Question 52

The Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act requires all individuals to ________________.

Question 53

The role of ____________________ gives the president principle responsibility for foreign policy.

Question 54

President Clinton was impeached based on the crime of _____________________.

Question 55

The expectations of a president far exceed the president's power to meet them.

Question 56

People are prepared to support a president who is willing to do something, whether or not it's a good idea.

Question 57

President ________________ issued an executive order that was later found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court because it allowed the government to seize private industries.

Question 58

Congress's attempt to limit the military authority of the president in 1973 was the __________________.

Question 59

Responsibility for initiating public policy falls principally on the president.

Question 60

Through several extensions of the PATRIOT Act that were due to expire, federal surveillance powers have been _____________, despite the violation of civil liberties.

Question 61

Executive orders have legal force and can only be overturned by a decision of the Supreme Court or an act of Congress.

Question 62

Congressional restraint on the executive branch includes the ability to establish or abolish executive departments and regulate their operations.

Question 63

Justice Samuel Alito was the federal court judge that allowed all presidents to issue signing statements.

Question 64

Explain the major policy initiatives during President Barack Obama's presidency - both domestic and foreign policy. In your opinion, which policy initiatives have had the greatest impact on American society?

Question 65

How does control of Congress by the same or opposite party to the president impact presidential "box scores," or their ability to get legislation passed?

Question 66

Presidential approval ratings vary over time. Discuss the changes in presidential approval - use examples where appropriate.

Question 67

In essence, President Obama did not tell the complete truth when he stated that people who already had healthcare would not see any changes or lose their doctors.

Question 68

Roughly 50% of the bills considered by Congress originate in the executive branch.

Question 69

President Nixon refused to resign his office despite the Watergate Scandal.

Question 70

All presidents since the 1980s have been frequent users of signing statements.

Question 71

President Bush included the right to launch preemptive attacks on terrorists as part of his role in the "war on terrorism."

Question 72

President George H.W. Bush ordered troops to liberate Kuwait from Saddam Hussein without the approval of Congress.

Question 73

Discuss the president's legislative powers - focus on the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches.

Question 74

The President has the sole power to declare war.

Question 75

The role of the Vice President has continued to expand due to his/her role as a central decision-maker in the executive branch.

Question 76

Discuss the George W. Bush presidency in regards to his policy initiatives - include both domestic and foreign policy. In your opinion, which area has had the greatest influence on the United States both at home and abroad?

Question 77

Presidents are expected to be the chief lobbyists to help their bills through the legislative process.

Question 78

President Bush's Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) essentially resulted in the "nationalization" of a number of banks.

Question 79

In 1965, Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981, using the Taft-Hartley Act to seize privately owned corporations.

Question 80

The United States has only declared war five times in its history.