Deck 13: The Presidency

Question 1

Which of the following constitutional powers or duties does the president not have?

A)To declare war
B)To report on the state of the nation
C)To head the nation's armed forces
D)To veto legislation passed by Congress
E)To give an annual state of the union address

Answer 1

A

Question 2

According to the Constitution,who or what decides what constitutes an offense serious enough to merit impeachment and removal of a president from office?

A)Congress
B)The chief justice
C)The Supreme Court
D)State legislatures
E)The cabinet

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following presidential actions does not require Senate ratification or confirmation?

A)The president negotiates an arms control treaty with North Korea.
B)The president negotiates an executive agreement with Japan to increase agricultural imports to that country.
C)The president appoints an ambassador to Brazil.
D)The president appoints a new chief justice.
E)The president appoints a new secretary of state.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following events was not part of the Watergate scandal?

A)Several men were arrested for breaking into the Democratic National Committee's headquarters in the Watergate office complex in Washington,D.C.
B)President Nixon and his aides conspired to conceal the fact that the burglars were employees of the Committee to Reelect the President.
C)President Nixon resigned after he was impeached by the House of Representatives but before the Senate could conduct a trial.
D)President Nixon appointed Gerald R.Ford vice president under the provisions of the Twenty-fifth Amendment.Ford became president when Nixon left office before the end of his second term.
E)President Ford subsequently pardoned Nixon of any criminal offenses he may have committed during the Watergate affair.

Question 5

Which of the following is not a member of the White House staff?

A)The president's press secretary
B)The counselor to the president
C)The national security advisor
D)The attorney general
E)The chief of staff

Question 6

What type of presidential appointment does not require Senate confirmation?

A)Appointment of an ambassador
B)Appointment of a member of the White House staff
C)Appointment of a justice to the Supreme Court
D)Appointment of a new cabinet secretary to fill a vacancy
E)Appointment of a new attorney general

Question 7

Should the president die or resign and the vice president become president,what then happens to the vacant office of the vice president?

A)Nothing.It remains vacant until the next presidential election.
B)The Speaker of the House moves up to become vice president.
C)The president appoints a new vice president subject to congressional confirmation.
D)A special election is held to fill the vacancy.
E)The chief justice of the Supreme Court becomes vice president.

Question 8

Suppose the president suffers a serious illness and is unable to fulfill the duties of the office.What happens then?

A)Either the president or the vice president and cabinet together declare the president disabled,and the vice president becomes acting president.
B)The president's spouse becomes acting president.
C)Congress appoints an acting president to serve until the president is able to resume the duties of office.
D)The Constitution makes no provision for such an event.
E)The Senate appoints a temporary president.

Question 9

As commander in chief,the president may take all of the following actions EXCEPT

A)replace the American military commander in Europe.
B)order an air strike against suspected terrorists in the Middle East.
C)declare war.
D)order the invasion of enemy territory during time of war.
E)fire all army generals.

Question 10

Which of the following individuals is constitutionally qualified to serve as president?

A)A 30-year-old construction worker born in Chicago
B)A 50-year-old musician who immigrated to the United States 25 years ago from her native Austria and became an American citizen in 1987
C)A 42-year-old engineer who immigrated to the United States from East Germany in 1989 and hopes eventually to become an American citizen
D)A 40-year-old school teacher born in Ft.Worth,Texas
E)A 60-year-old man born in Mexico

Question 11

Who of the following presidents was impeached?

A)Richard Nixon
B)Bill Clinton
C)Warren Harding
D)Ronald Reagan
E)Andrew Jackson

Question 12

The Constitution assigns which of the following powers to the vice president?

A)To be second in command of the nation's armed forces
B)To negotiate executive agreements on behalf of the president
C)To serve as the president's emissary to foreign governments
D)To preside over the Senate
E)To be commander in chief of U.S.forces abroad

Question 13

Should the president die or resign,which of the following is the correct order of succession?

A)Vice president,Speaker of the House,president pro tempore of the Senate
B)Vice president,secretary of state,Speaker of the House
C)Vice president,Speaker of the House,secretary of state
D)Vice president,Speaker of the House,Senate Majority Leader
E)Vice president,president pro tempore of the Senate,Speaker of the House

Question 14

In the original Constitution,what was the president's term of office?

A)The president was limited to two four-year terms.
B)The president was limited to three four-year terms.
C)The president was limited to one six-year term.
D)The Constitution placed no limit on the number of terms a president could serve.
E)The president was limited to two six-year terms.

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT one of the president's legislative powers?

A)The State of the Union address,which voices the president's agenda
B)The presidential signing statement
C)The veto
D)The executive order
E)The pocket veto

Question 16

Who is the top commander of America's armed forces?

A)The head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
B)Congress
C)The president
D)The secretary of defense
E)The vice president

Question 17

Which of the following is not part of the process of impeachment and removal?

A)The House votes to impeach the president by majority vote.
B)The Senate tries the president on charges of impeachment brought by the House.
C)The chief justice presides over the trial in the Senate.
D)The justices of the Supreme Court must vote to remove the president by a two-thirds margin.
E)The Senate decides whether or not to remove an impeached president.

Question 18

Who of the following presidents died in office?

A)Richard Nixon
B)Andrew Johnson
C)Thomas Jefferson
D)John Kennedy
E)George Washington

Question 19

Which of the following is

A)The president has no judicial powers.
B)Presidents can issue pardons,but not reprieves.
C)The president nominates all federal judges.
D)Supreme Court justices are not nominated by presidents.
E)The U.S.Senate rarely confirms presidential judicial appointments.

Question 20

Which of the following most accurately describes the process of impeachment and removal?

A)The House votes to impeach by majority vote,while the Senate votes to remove by majority vote.
B)The House and Senate must both vote to impeach by majority vote,while the Supreme Court makes the decision on removal.
C)The House votes to impeach by majority vote,while the Senate votes to remove by a two-thirds vote.
D)The Senate votes to impeach by a two-thirds vote,while the House votes for removal by a majority vote.
E)The House votes unanimously to impeach,while the Senate votes for removal by a two-thirds vote.

Question 21

Which of the following is not usually a period of strength in a presidency?

A)The honeymoon period
B)During the rally effect
C)After the immediate impact of a crisis is over
D)Immediately after election
E)When the economy is good

Question 22

A recess appointment allows the president to

A)appoint foreign heads of state to Congress.
B)give his power as commander in chief to the vice president.
C)bypass the Senate when enacting a treaty.
D)fill a vacancy with a temporary appointment while the Senate is not is session.
E)permanently fill a position without Senate approval.

Question 23

Which of the following is part of the Executive Office of the President?

A)The Office of Management and Budget
B)The attorney general
C)The commandant of the Marine Corps
D)The secretary of state
E)The Environmental Protection Agency

Question 24

The president can use executive orders to force Congress to pass legislation.

Question 25

How did the Twenty-fifth Amendment which was ratified in 1967)affect the process of presidential succession?

Question 26

President George W.Bush was extremely cautious in his use of inherent presidential
powers.

Question 27

Which of the following is not one of the unilateral "power tools" used by the American president?

A)Signing statements
B)Executive agreements
C)Judicial appointments
D)Recess appointments
E)Executive orders

Question 28

Which of the following can be determined from the graph on page 264?

A)George W.Bush did not benefit from the rally effect.
B)George W.Bush experienced a steady rise in approval ratings.
C)The strength of feeling of those polled grew during Bush's presidency.
D)Bush's critics were less numerous later in his presidency.
E)The September 11 crisis damaged Bush's approval ratings.

Question 29

The president does not have the power to grant pardons.

Question 30

The National Security Council is an agency of the legislative branch of government.

Question 31

Only two presidents,Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon,have been subjected to impeachment proceedings.

Question 32

Executive agreements differ from treaties in that they do not require the ratification of the U.S.Senate.

Question 33

What procedure does the Constitution have for removing a president from office during the course of a four-year term? Describe the steps in the process.

Question 34

According to James David Barber's classification,Ronald Reagan was passive-negative.

Question 35

Vice presidents were far weaker in the 1800s than they are currently.

Question 36

The Office of Management and Budget assists the president in preparing the annual budget that is submitted to Congress.

Question 37

In the short run,a president's popularity increases after an international crisis.

Question 38

How and why has the office of vice president gained in importance over the last century?

Question 39

Briefly explain how treaties and executive agreements differ from one another.

Question 40

The president has the authority to direct the actions of the U.S.military.

Question 41

Explain the War Powers Act.What was it designed to do?

Question 42

The White House staff is indispensable to the modern president,but it can also get the president into trouble.Write an essay in which you examine the role of the White House staff in the modern presidency.Begin your essay by describing the White House staff.Then,explain how it serves the president.Finally,discuss some of the problems the staff can create for the chief executive.

Question 43

What is the president's honeymoon period and what is its significance?

Question 44

Using Barber's classification of presidential character,come up with four presidents that illustrate Barber's categorization.Having done so,how compelling is this classification scheme? What other approach or what other criteria do you think would be more valid?

Question 45

Civilian supremacy of the armed forces is a key principle of America's Constitution.Write an essay on this concept in which you consider the following questions: What is the constitutional basis for this principle? Why do many Americans consider civilian supremacy an important part of the American form of government?

Question 46

Briefly describe what Richard Neustadt means by the "power to persuade," giving at least one example.

Question 47

What is the White House staff? What criteria does the president consider in selecting staff members?

Question 48

Briefly describe the decision-making style of one of the following presidents: Jimmy Carter,Ronald Reagan,George H.W.Bush,Bill Clinton,or George W.Bush.Use examples to support your points.

Question 49

The Constitution gives the president sufficient legislative authority to participate in the legislative process but not enough legislative tools to dictate policy.Write an essay in which you identify the powers the Constitution gives the president to influence legislative policymaking,and evaluate their relative value to a president attempting to influence legislative policymaking.You should consider whether a president's influence on Congress depends on constitutional powers,contextual factors,political skills,or some combination of all three.

Question 50

Why does a president's popularity generally rise during times of international crisis?

Question 51

Popular support is a key ingredient of presidential success.Write an essay in which you describe the relationship between presidential popularity and policymaking influence,and discuss the factors influencing a president's standing in the polls.