Political Science 8

1. To pass his legislative agenda a president must __________ members of Congress to get them to support his proposals.

Intimidate

Bribe

Persuade

Punish

Threaten

2. Presidents are limited to two full terms in office by

An act of Congress.

A Supreme Court decision that interpreted Article II of the Constitution.

Constitutional amendment.

An executive order issued by President Harry Truman. an executive order issued by President Harry Truman.

An executive order issued by President Harry Truman. an executive order issued by President Harry Truman. custom

3. The _________ is dated from the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Decrease in the president’s responsibility for economic prosperity

Rise of public expectations of the president

Growth of power in state governments

Rise of corruption in the presidency

Lowering of public demands on presidents

4. According to the textbook, presidents have difficulty surviving two terms in office and maintaining their popularity because

Presidents have too little power to meet public expectations.

Of partisan political bickering.

Of congressional ineptitude.

Voter turnout is low.

The electoral system favors inexperienced presidential candidates.

5. Inherent powers are the

Presidential powers not explicitly stated in the Constitution.

Powers granted to Congress by the necessary and proper clause.

Unwritten abilities of judges to issue contempt citations and bench warrants.

Constitutional responsibilities of the cabinet members.

Congressional powers to control the legislative process

6. The president's cabinet is composed of the

Joint Chiefs of Staff and state-level policy advisors.

Appointees heading each major department in the executive branch.

President's party leadership

Chairs of the congressional standing committees.

Chief justice and several congressional leaders.

7. The official constitutional grounds for presidential impeachment are

Treason, abuse of power, and contempt of Congress.

Not explicitly spelled out in the document.

Bribery, incompetence, and contempt of Congress

Treason, bribery, and other high crimes and misdemeanors.

All crimes, regardless of their severity.

8. Many observers have concluded that impeachment is not an effective check on presidents because

Presidents are never likely to commit an impeachable offense.

The Supreme Court would probably overturn a president’s conviction.

Members of Congress will not use the process.

It is too easy for presidents to rally public opinion against the process.

9. Pacts made by the president with another head of state that do not require Senate approval are called

International memos of understanding.

Executive orders.

Executive agreements.

Treaties.

Interstate protocols

10. In the United States, treaties are negotiated by the president and require

Review by the Supreme Court before they can be implemented

Three-quarters approval from the cabinet prior to their submission to Congress.

Two-thirds approval from the Senate.

Two-thirds approval from Congress.

No endorsement from any other government agency.

11. The president's authority over foreign and defense policy comes from all of the following except

His power to declare war.

His power to conclude executive agreements.

His power to recognize ambassadors from other nations.

His power as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

His power to negotiate treaties.

12. Among the president's legislative powers are all of the following EXCEPT

The State of the Union address.

The line-item veto.

Executive orders.

The vice president’s role as presiding officer of the Senate.

The presidential veto.

13. President Obama initially tried a ___________ approach to get his healthcare bill passed.

Divided government

Partisan

Inherent

Bipartisan

None of the above

14. In most advanced industrial democracies the role of head of government

Is performed by the prime minister.

Is performed by the president.

Is united with the role of head of state.

Has been eliminated.

Is shared among a set of executive-branch officials.

15. The Supreme Court has ruled that the president has

Fewer inherent powers in foreign policy than in domestic policy

More inherent powers in foreign policy than in domestic policy.

The same amount of inherent power in foreign policy as in domestic policy.

No inherent powers in domestic policy but some in foreign policy.

No inherent powers.

16. Alexander Hamilton's principal argument about the presidency in Federalist No. 70 is that it

Must have a vice president who would be ready to take over in case the president dies.

Should allow the president to act as the civilian head of the military.

Should be vigorous, single-member, and unencumbered by a cabinet.

Must be selected by the "best citizens" of the Electoral College.

Should possess the pardoning power because most state governors have that ability.

17. The Iran-Contra controversy did not lead to the impeachment of President Reagan because

No laws were broken.

The public concluded it was a necessary act of foreign policy.

He had left office before Iran-Contra was discovered.

. the Republicans controlled Congress and refused to impeach the president.

He claimed he knew nothing about Iran-Contra and no evidence was found to contradict him.

18. All of the following statements concerning the president's veto power are true EXCEPT

Presidents have had the line item veto since 1995.

Congress is generally unsuccessful at overturning presidential vetoes.

George W. Bush was the third president not to veto a bill in his first term

Presidents use the veto more frequently when their party does not control Congress.

The threat of a veto is a powerful tool in presidential negotiations with Congress.

19. If there is a disagreement as to how whether the president is disabled and should turn his duties over to the vice president, the issue is resolved by

Agreement between the president and vice president.

A ruling of the Supreme Court.

A vote of the cabinet.

The rules of succession as established by act of Congress.

The Twenty-fifth Amendment to the Constitution.

20. The response of the president to what event led to Americans' belief that government should play a much more active role in helping solve problems beyond their control?

The Civil War

World War II

The September 11 attacks

The civil rights movement

The Great Depression The Great Depression The Great Depression

21. According to the textbook, President Bush's use of signing statements

Helped to clarify for executive agencies how they are to implement laws.

Was a strictly ceremonial act with no significance.

Threatened the system of separation of powers.

Created agreements between presidents and the heads of foreign governments.

22. The responsibilities of the solicitor general include all of the following except

Serving as head of the Department of Justice.

Representing the government before the Supreme Court.

Filing amicus curiae briefs with the Supreme Court.

Serving as a bridge between the judiciary and the executive.

Deciding which cases to file with the Supreme Court for the government.

23. Activist nineteenth century presidents tended to claim that they were exercising

Inherent powers of the executive implied in the Constitution.

Superior wisdom.

The will of the people.

Powers granted to them explicitly in the Constitution.

Emergency powers granted by Congress.

24. All of the following statements concerning the president's judicial power are true EXCEPT

He can have a tremendous long-term impact on the judiciary.

His power is very weak in the short run.

Senior senators of the president’s party have a great deal of power over all of his judicial appointments.

The pardon power is a check on the judiciary.

Presidents can try to influence the judiciary by having the solicitor general argue cases before the court.

25. Presidents have been able to ignore the restrictions on their ability to go to war contained in the War Powers Act because

Congress has simply chosen to ignore the act.

Congress fears the ability of a president to use the military to enforce his decisions.

They have gone to war when public opinion backed them.

The provisions of the act are very vague and make it easy to ignore.