Deck 14: The Presidency the Presidency

Question 1

 The text cites the 1948 Marshall Plan and the Tax Reform Act of 1986 to illustrate that 

A) unified governments rarely accomplish anything of note. 
B) a divided government never could have produced them. 
C) both were produced by a unified government. 
D) one was produced by a unified government, and one was produced by a divided government. 
E) both were produced by divided governments.

Answer 1

E

Question 2

 Unified government is 

A) the lack of checks and balances between the presidency and Congress. 
B) no guarantee that the president will get legislation passed. 
C) a myth. 
D) essential to the preservation and maintenance of American democracy. 
E) None of these are correct.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

 The personality of which president began to alter the relationship between the president and Congress and the nature of presidential leadership? 

A) Andrew Jackson 
B) Ulysses S. Grant 
C) Richard Nixon 
D) Jimmy Carter 
E) William Henry Harrison

Answer 3

A

Question 4

 Customarily,the members of the president's cabinet are 

A) close friends. 
B) campaign aides. 
C) representatives of important constituencies. 
D) experts on various policy issues. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 5

 George Washington limited himself to two terms,and no president served more until 

A) Ulysses S. Grant. 
B) Woodrow Wilson. 
C) Franklin Roosevelt. 
D) Grover Cleveland. 
E) Theodore Roosevelt.

Question 6

 A study of important laws enacted between 1946 and 1990 found that  

A) governments that seem divided are often unified, and vice versa. 
B) approximately half were passed by a divided government. 
C) a notable majority were passed by a unified government. 
D) a notable majority were passed by a divided government. 
E) the personality of the president is far more significant than the makeup of Congress in passing legislation.

Question 7

 The House of Representatives has selected the president 

A) in 2000 and 1888. 
B) in 1800 and 1824. 
C) in 1860 and 1888. 
D) in 1800 and 1860. 
E) in 2000 and 1824.

Question 8

 The Framers of the Constitution generally expected that the __________ would ultimately decide the winner of most presidential elections. 

A) electoral college 
B) congressional delegations 
C) Senate 
D) House 
E) Supreme Court

Question 9

 When the Constitutional Convention met in 1787,most state governors 

A) weren't powerful but could serve long terms. 
B) were powerful but could only serve for one year. 
C) were popularly elected by the people. 
D) could serve long terms and had a lot of power. 
E) weren't powerful and couldn't serve long terms.

Question 10

 The Senate's responsibility to advise the president ended during the presidency of 

A) George Washington. 
B) John Adams. 
C) Thomas Jefferson. 
D) John Quincy Adams. 
E) James Monroe.

Question 11

 Which elastic phrase has become a significant source of presidential power? 

A) "With the advice and consent of the Senate" 
B) "With all deliberate speed" 
C) The "full faith and credit" clause 
D) The "necessary and proper" clause 
E) "Take care that the laws be faithfully executed"

Question 12

 The Constitution requires that the president be at least __________ years old. 

A) 30 
B) 35 
C) 40 
D) 45 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 13

 At the Constitutional Convention,the most frequent concern regarding the presidency focused on 

A) reelection. 
B) the veto power. 
C) the pardon power. 
D) appointment powers. 
E) nominations.

Question 14

 At the Constitutional Convention of 1787,James Wilson's suggestion that the president be elected by the people 

A) initially received almost no support. 
B) matched what almost all of the Framers believed; he was merely the first person to say it. 
C) was immediately ratified 
D) was debated by those feared giving George Washington too much power. 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 15

 During the early years of the Republic,this department,under the direction of Alexander Hamilton,was "the principal federal office." 

A) War Department 
B) State Department 
C) Treasury Department 
D) Interior Department 
E) Navy Department

Question 16

 The popularly elected president is 

A) an American invention. 
B) common in European democracies. 
C) a key feature of parliamentarian systems. 
D) a powerful figure in the Japanese government. 
E) the same as a prime minister.

Question 17

 Presidents are now limited to two terms by the 

A) Fourteenth Amendment. 
B) Sixteenth Amendment. 
C) Nineteenth Amendment. 
D) Twenty-first Amendment. 
E) Twenty-second Amendment.

Question 18

 The first plan suggested at the Constitutional Convention called for the president to be chosen by 

A) state legislatures. 
B) the Supreme Court. 
C) popular election. 
D) the electoral college. 
E) Congress.

Question 19

 Barack Obama was 

A) the only president to be elected directly from the U.S. House of Representatives. 
B) the only president to be elected directly from the U.S. Senate. 
C) like many modern presidents a former governor. 
D) the only modern president to be elected directly from a state legislative body. 
E) the third president to be elected directly from the U.S. Senate.

Question 20

 An obvious and important difference between a president and a prime minister is that the latter always has 

A) interest group support. 
B) support in the cabinet. 
C) support in the military. 
D) majority support in parliament. 
E) executive powers.

Question 21

 The text suggests that the abolition of the electoral college might lead to 

A) less partisanship. 
B) an increase in political action committee (PAC) spending. 
C) the formation of third parties. 
D) a more ideological electorate. 
E) a decrease in political participation.

Question 22

 If the president does not sign a bill within 10 days and Congress has adjourned within that time,then the bill will not become law.This process is known as the __________ veto. 

A) pocket 
B) line-item 
C) presidential 
D) bully pulpit 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 23

 More than twenty-five hundred presidential vetoes have been made since 1789.Congress has overridden approximately what percentage of these? 

A) 4 percent 
B) 25 percent 
C) 38 percent 
D) 45 percent 
E) 86 percent

Question 24

 In his first term in office,Barack Obama vetoed 

A) only two bills. 
B) numerous pieces of legislation. 
C) two major bills and a large number of minor ones. 
D) zero bills. 
E) only five bills.

Question 25

 In __________ instances,candidates have won the electoral vote without winning a majority of the popular vote. 

A) two 
B) three 
C) five 
D) ten 
E) twelve

Question 26

 Abraham Lincoln __________ without prior congressional approval. 

A) raised an army 
B) spent money 
C) blockaded Southern ports 
D) suspended the right of habeas corpus 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 27

 In order to win the presidency today,a candidate must win __________ electoral votes. 

A) 538 
B) 438 
C) 300 
D) 270 
E) 100

Question 28

 According to presidential scholar Richard Neustadt,the president's most important audience is 

A) heads of state from around the world. 
B) fellow politicians in Washington, D.C. 
C) party activists. 
D) the public. 
E) officeholders outside of D.C.

Question 29

 Since 1934,in every off-year election but three,the president's party 

A) has lost seats in one or both houses of Congress. 
B) has changed its policy position significantly. 
C) has won seats in one or both houses of Congress. 
D) has decreased its support for the president's agenda. 
E) has increased its support for the president's agenda.

Question 30

 According to public opinion research,the president's use of the "bully pulpit" tends to 

A) change opinion throughout the public. 
B) bolster existing public views. 
C) influence foreign opinion about America. 
D) help the president "go public." 
E) None of these are correct.

Question 31

 Andrew Jackson established the precedent that a president's veto can be used 

A) only on constitutional grounds. 
B) without first having a law declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. 
C) even when Congress is still in session. 
D) on policy grounds even when a bill may appear to be constitutional. 
E) without the advice and consent of the Senate.

Question 32

 When the president uses the prestige and visibility of the office to guide or mobilize the American people,we say that he or she is using the 

A) executive prerogative. 
B) inside-outside strategy. 
C) regal approach. 
D) grassroots podium. 
E) bully pulpit.

Question 33

 How successful presidents are with legislation in Congress is difficult to gauge because presidents 

A) never reveal their position on noncontroversial bills. 
B) can keep their victory score high by not taking a position on any controversial measure. 
C) do not have the power to veto bills passed by Congress. 
D) do not have the ability to show their approval or disapproval, since they must not sign bills before they can become law. 
E) can never overcome the influence of interest-group money on congressional votes.

Question 34

 The last time a candidate won a majority of the electoral college without winning the popular vote was 

A) 2016. 
B) 2000. 
C) 1888. 
D) 1824. 
E) 1800.

Question 35

 From the time of winning office to the time of leaving it,the popularity of most recent presidents 

A) decreased steadily. 
B) decreased except at election time. 
C) increased steadily. 
D) increased except at election time. 
E) revealed no systematic trends.

Question 36

 The modern presidency,characterized by the presence of a great deal of power even in the absence of a large personality or a national crisis,came into being with the presidency of 

A) Grover Cleveland. 
B) Franklin Roosevelt. 
C) Woodrow Wilson. 
D) Theodore Roosevelt. 
E) William Taft.

Question 37

 A bill is passed to the president for action while Congress is still in session.After ten days the president has still not approved it.What happens to the bill? 

A) It is returned to Congress. 
B) It is vetoed. 
C) It becomes law. 
D) Nothing; the president has thirty days to act on a bill. 
E) Nothing; the president has ninety days to act on a bill.

Question 38

 Presidents must rely heavily on the power of persuasion because they have 

A) limited staffs. 
B) to face inordinate resistance from within their own parties. 
C) to spend their entire first terms campaigning for reelection. 
D) vague constitutional powers and a lack of ensured legislative majorities. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 39

 This president was very successful at getting legislation through Congress during the "honeymoon" days of his presidency. 

A) Harry Truman 
B) Franklin Roosevelt 
C) Richard Nixon 
D) Barack Obama 
E) Bill Clinton

Question 40

 Which president was one of the first to argue for a presidential legislative program? 

A) Grover Cleveland 
B) Richard Nixon 
C) Lyndon Johnson 
D) Franklin Roosevelt 
E) Woodrow Wilson

Question 41

 Polls are significant for their ability to not only pick a policy,but also 

A) the policies to sacrifice to bring it about. 
B) how quickly to bring it before Congress. 
C) how much money to budget for it. 
D) the agency that will carry it out. 
E) the language used to explain it.

Question 42

 The rule of propinquity states that 

A) power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. 
B) power is shared most evenly when leadership is weakest. 
C) power is wielded by the people who are in the room when a decision is made. 
D) power is greatest when legitimacy is strongest. 
E) power is rarely distinguishable from wealth and fame.

Question 43

 Which of the following statements about a president's serving more than two terms is correct? 

A) It has been done by only one president. 
B) It is neither prohibited nor encouraged by the U.S. Constitution. 
C) The amendment banning it failed in 1951. 
D) The tradition was established under the Articles of Confederation and maintained by George Washington. 
E) All of these are correct.

Question 44

 In this method of White House staff organization,used by Carter,cabinet secretaries and assistants reported directly to the president. 

A) Ad hoc structure 
B) Pyramid structure 
C) Circular structure 
D) Tubular structure 
E) Intuitive structure

Question 45

 If the president should die in office,the vice president is next in line.When there is no vice president,the next successor in line is the 

A) Secretary of State 
B) Secretary of the Interior 
C) Speaker of the House 
D) Secretary of Defense 
E) Senate president

Question 46

 If a president has a particular attitude about how a piece of legislation might be implemented,he or she might issue a(n) 

A) signing statement. 
B) veto. 
C) legislative veto. 
D) line-item veto. 
E) amending motion.

Question 47

 The last president who never used public polls was 

A) Calvin Coolidge. 
B) Dwight Eisenhower. 
C) Harry Truman. 
D) Herbert Hoover. 
E) William Taft.

Question 48

 In a(n)__________ structure,subordinates report to the president through a clear chain of command headed by a chief of staff. 

A) linear 
B) intuitive 
C) ad hoc 
D) circular 
E) pyramid

Question 49

 Today,senior White House staff members are drawn from the ranks of 

A) the president's campaign staff. 
B) Ivy league colleges and universities. 
C) the nation's top law schools. 
D) Congress. 
E) the Department of Justice.

Question 50

 The position of "acting president" was created by 

A) an act of Congress. 
B) executive reorganization. 
C) the Twenty-fifth Amendment. 
D) the original U.S. Constitution. 
E) an executive order.

Question 51

 Almost every president since Hoover has tried to 

A) increase the size of the federal government. 
B) decrease the size of the military. 
C) decrease the size of the federal government. 
D) reorganize the executive branch. 
E) increase the size of the press corps.

Question 52

 This method of staff organization poses the risk of isolating or misinforming the president. 

A) Intuitive 
B) Pyramid 
C) Circular 
D) Ad hoc 
E) Linear

Question 53

 President Reagan's approach to his program was to 

A) have a policy on almost everything. 
B) rely heavily on his predecessor's program. 
C) concentrate on only a few issues at a time. 
D) rely on his cabinet. 
E) rely on congressional leaders.

Question 54

 Before 1824,this cabinet position was regarded as a stepping stone to the presidency. 

A) Vice President 
B) Secretary of State 
C) Secretary of War 
D) Secretary of the Treasury 
E) Governor

Question 55

 This important agency in the Executive Office of the President studies the organization and operations of the executive branch,devises plans for reorganizing various departments and agencies,develops ways of getting better information about government programs,and reviews proposals that cabinet departments want included in the president's legislative program. 

A) Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) 
B) Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
C) Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) 
D) Government Accountability Office (GAO) 
E) Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (OUSTR)

Question 56

 A trend in recent cabinet appointments has been to 

A) include those with independent followings. 
B) appoint both Democrats and Republicans. 
C) include those without political followings. 
D) appoint party leaders and workers. 
E) appoint former judges and lawyers.

Question 57

 Richard Neustadt used the label in and outers for 

A) Congressmen who inconsistently supported the president. 
B) members of the cabinet who resigned before the end of the term. 
C) presidential staff members without experience in government. 
D) persons who alternated between government and private-sector jobs. 
E) bureaucrats who changed party identification with some frequency.

Question 58

 The cabinet officers are the heads of 

A) the major executive departments. 
B) the major governmental commissions. 
C) the major governmental agencies. 
D) independent agencies and commissions. 
E) the minor governmental agencies.

Question 59

 This method of staff organization causes confusion and conflict among cabinet secretaries and assistants. 

A) Intuitive 
B) Pyramidal 
C) Circular 
D) Ad hoc 
E) Linear

Question 60

 United States v.Nixon held that there is 

A) no executive privilege. 
B) absolute presidential immunity from judicial process. 
C) no unqualified presidential privilege of immunity from judicial process. 
D) real but limited presidential immunity from judicial process. 
E) no presidential immunity for matters that are civil in nature.

Question 61

 Scholarly research suggests that divided government reduces the likelihood that important legislation will be passed. 

Question 62

 The Constitution states that only the secretary of state can receive ambassadors. 

Question 63

 A president's popularity has no effect on how much of his program is passed by Congress. 

Question 64

 The Supreme Court has not ruled on the constitutional significance of signing statements. 

Question 65

 The circular method of organizing the White House staff has the virtue of giving the president a great deal of information. 

Question 66

 Most of the Framers believed that few candidates would ever be able to attain a majority in the electoral college. 

Question 67

 If the House of Representatives impeaches the president,the president is automatically removed. 

Question 68

 The District of Columbia receives three electoral votes even though it has no representatives in Congress. 

Question 69

 Americans say they don't like divided government. 

Question 70

 Congress cannot almost ever override a veto. 

Question 71

 If a prime minister's party loses its majority in parliament,then somebody else becomes the prime minister. 

Question 72

 Most democracies do not have a popularly elected president. 

Question 73

 The American public tends to think,albeit wrongly,of the presidency as the first branch of government. 

Question 74

 The delegates at the Constitutional Convention knew it was very likely that George Washington would be the nation's first president. 

Question 75

 Like most governors,the president has the line-item veto. 

Question 76

 An individual born in Canada who moves to the United States at the age of three months cannot ever become the president. 

Question 77

 American presidents are less likely to be outsiders to national politics than are the chief executives of other democracies. 

Question 78

 Abraham Lincoln received less than 40 percent of the popular vote in the election of 1860. 

Question 79

 True unified government is achieved only when the same ideological wing of the same party is in control of both the presidency and Congress. 

Question 80

 The greatest source of presidential power is found in politics and public opinion.