Deck 12: The Presidency: Leading the Nation

Question 1

The presidency is an

A)extraordinarily strong office with sufficient powers to enable the president to control national policy under virtually all circumstances.
B)inherently weak office,in that presidents have almost no capacity to influence the major directions of national policy.
C)office in which power is conditional,depending on whether the political support that gives force to presidential leadership exists or can be developed.
D)office where power depends almost entirely on its occupant;strong leaders are always successful presidents,and weak ones never succeed.
E)office where power is fairly constant,regardless of the occupant or the circumstances.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What did the Supreme Court rule about executive agreements in 1937?

A)They are legally binding in the same way that treaties are.
B)They can only be issued in matters of national security.
C)They will only be binding if reviewed and approved by both houses of Congress.
D)They can only be made with the approval of a president's entire cabinet.
E)They were ruled unconstitutional and are no longer used by the executive.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following did the framers want from a president?

A)national leadership
B)administration of the laws
C)statesmanship in foreign affairs
D)command of the military
E)All of these answers are correct.

Answer 3

E

Question 4

In early 2014,President Obama's approval rating was about __ percent,while shortly after he entered office,it had been about __ percent.

A)40;70
B)50;60
C)60;70
D)70;50
E)80;60

Question 5

The primary election as a means of choosing presidential nominees

A)was introduced during the Jacksonian era.
B)is used in Europe as well as in the United States.
C)has been used more extensively in recent decades.
D)is designed to strengthen the political parties.
E)was introduced during the Cleveland era.

Question 6

After which presidential election year did the Democrats force major changes in the presidential nominating process?

A)1948
B)1960
C)1968
D)1984
E)1992

Question 7

What aspect of presidential election did Andrew Jackson try but fail to achieve?

A)elimination of the Electoral College
B)elimination of candidate selection by primary
C)elimination of the unit rule
D)the equalization of Electoral College votes,eliminating population as a factor
E)an increase in the number of presidential candidates per party

Question 8

The president's constitutional roles,such as chief executive and commander in chief,

A)are based on very precise constitutional grants of power.
B)are rooted in tradition only;they have no basis in the language of the Constitution.
C)are not subject to check by Congress.
D)have expanded in practice to be more powerful than the writers of the Constitution intended.
E)are absolute powers under the Constitution.

Question 9

The use of the primary system to select delegates to the presidential nominating convention began in

A)the early 1800s during the presidency of Thomas Jefferson.
B)the 1830s during the presidency of Andrew Jackson.
C)the early 1900s during the Progressive era.
D)the 1930s during the presidency of Franklin Roosevelt.
E)the 1970s in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and student protests.

Question 10

The Whig theory holds that the presidency

A)is a shared office where the president and the cabinet are equally powerful.
B)is a limited office whose occupant is confined to the exercise of expressly granted constitutional powers.
C)is the office most representative of the people.
D)should provide strong leadership in the area of foreign policy but not in domestic policy.
E)is subordinate to the Supreme Court.

Question 11

A president's accomplishments have largely depended on

A)the margin of victory in the presidential campaign.
B)whether circumstances favor strong presidential leadership.
C)the president's ability to come up with good ideas.
D)the president's skill at balancing the demands of competing groups.
E)mid-term elections.

Question 12

The president's role in foreign policy increased largely because

A)Congress proved so inept in foreign affairs that the American people demanded a change.
B)America became more of a world power.
C)of the need to coordinate national economic policy and foreign policy,a task to which the presidency was well suited.
D)of the desire of U.S.business to expand into Latin America and Asia,which required executive action at the highest level.
E)of attitudes held by the American public.

Question 13

What did Alexander Hamilton argue about war in Federalist No.69?

A)Congress is the only body with enough deliberative powers to be able to justly declare war.
B)War under any circumstances is unjust,even in self-defense.
C)A president should be allowed to declare war,because only the executive can react quickly enough.
D)A surprise attack on the United States is the only justification for war by presidential action.
E)Building a strong military for engagement in foreign wars would be a key ingredient to establishing executive authority.

Question 14

Which of the following is a reason that the nation did not routinely need a strong president during most of the nineteenth century?

A)the small policymaking role of the federal government
B)the sectional nature of the nation's major issues
C)the U.S.government's small role in world affairs
D)all of these factors: the small policymaking role of the federal government;the sectional nature of the nation's major issues;and the U.S.government's small role in world affairs
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 15

The invisible primary

A)takes place in the year prior to a presidential election.
B)is typically won by the person who is either the most liberal or the most conservative.
C)takes place in the Republican Party,but not the Democratic Party.
D)takes place in the Democratic Party,but not the Republican Party.
E)is another term for the presidential caucuses.

Question 16

Candidate strategy in the early presidential nominating contests is designed chiefly to gain

A)momentum.
B)the support of the party's organizational leaders.
C)the support of the party's congressional leaders.
D)the endorsement of the mass media.
E)the support of partisan rivals.

Question 17

Under which president did the Electoral College selection process change to a popular vote?

A)George Washington
B)Thomas Jefferson
C)James Madison
D)Andrew Jackson
E)Martin Van Buren

Question 18

Congress has formally declared war ________ times in U.S.history.

A)2
B)5
C)55
D)200
E)6,500

Question 19

How did Theodore Roosevelt change the conception of the presidency?

A)He altered the stewardship theory to reduce the power of the presidency while remaining an activist president.
B)He sought to act only within the confines of expressly-granted constitutional authority.
C)He rejected the idea of the "strong presidency."
D)He cast aside the stewardship theory in favor of the Whig theory.
E)He cast aside the Whig theory in favor of the stewardship theory.

Question 20

The presidency was created by Article ________ of the U.S.Constitution.

A)I
B)II
C)III
D)IV
E)VII

Question 21

This state typically holds the first presidential primary:

A)Vermont.
B)New Hampshire.
C)New York.
D)California.
E)Florida.

Question 22

How many Electoral College votes are needed to secure victory for a presidential candidate?

A)51
B)218
C)270
D)321
E)430

Question 23

States that apply the unit rule

A)grant all their electoral votes as a unit to the candidate who wins the state's popular vote.
B)hold a single primary for presidential candidates from each major party.
C)use the caucus instead of the primary for presidential candidate selection.
D)do not use the Electoral College system.
E)are not considered to be states in which there is a competitive race between candidates.

Question 24

Which one of the following did NOT serve as a state governor prior to being president?

A)Ronald Reagan
B)Bill Clinton
C)John Kennedy
D)George W.Bush
E)Jimmy Carter

Question 25

Which of the following states gives one Electoral College vote to the winner of each congressional district and two Electoral College votes to the statewide winner?

A)Texas
B)Maine
C)New York
D)New Hampshire
E)Iowa

Question 26

The U.S.House of Representatives last decided the outcome of a presidential election in ________.

A)1928
B)1892
C)1856
D)1824
E)1800

Question 27

Which of the following states is MOST likely to vote Republican in the next presidential election?

A)Pennsylvania
B)New York
C)Vermont
D)Colorado
E)Texas

Question 28

This state typically holds the first presidential caucus:

A)Kansas.
B)Minnesota.
C)Iowa.
D)Nevada.
E)Nebraska.

Question 29

Which of the following states is MOST likely to vote Democratic in the next presidential election?

A)Washington
B)North Carolina
C)Montana
D)Ohio
E)Indiana

Question 30

Which of the following is a formal constitutional requirement for becoming president?

A)must be at least 40 years of age
B)must be a resident in the United States for at least 10 years
C)must be a natural-born citizen
D)must be a white male
E)must be a Protestant

Question 31

What is the total number of votes in the Electoral College?

A)100
B)435
C)538
D)765
E)1,024

Question 32

Whereas today candidates rely on the media,previously they based their campaigns on the

A)work of grass-roots organizers.
B)party organizations.
C)mass mailing of campaign literature.
D)staging of personal appearances.
E)efforts of friendly civilian and corporate group efforts.

Question 33

Which of the following is true of the vice presidency?

A)Presidents in the nineteenth century paid more attention to their vice presidents and granted them more authority.
B)The Constitution assigns no executive authority to the vice president.
C)Jimmy Carter reduced the power of the vice presidency by removing the vice president's office from the White House.
D)The constitutional powers of the vice presidency have been increased by Congress twice during U.S.history.
E)Daniel Webster and Henry Clay accepted nominations to the vice presidency as stepping stones to the presidency.

Question 34

In 2012,Mitt Romney selected ____________ as his vice presidential running mate.

A)Sarah Palin
B)Dick Cheney
C)John Roberts
D)Paul Ryan
E)John Boehner

Question 35

Through the 2012 presidential election,the most money ever spent to win a party's nomination for president was by this candidate:

A)Hillary Clinton in 2008.
B)George W.Bush in 2000.
C)Mitt Romney in 2012.
D)Barack Obama in 2008.
E)Mitt Romney in 2008.

Question 36

The only two states that are exceptions to the unit rule are

A)Michigan and Montana.
B)New Hampshire and Vermont.
C)Maine and Nebraska.
D)Georgia and Louisiana.
E)Rhode Island and Oregon.

Question 37

According to the U.S.Constitution,if no one candidate receives a majority vote of the Electoral College,who chooses the president?

A)the U.S.Senate
B)the U.S.House of Representatives
C)both the Senate and House in joint session
D)the Supreme Court
E)the people,in a runoff election

Question 38

The selection of the vice presidential nominee at the national convention is based on the

A)results of the primaries and caucuses;the candidate who places second in these contests is nominated as the running mate of the candidate who finishes first.
B)convention delegates' judgment as to the candidate who would make the best vice president.
C)results of public opinion polls taken just before the convention begins.
D)presidential nominee's choice of a running mate.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 39

Over the last 80 years,the most successful third party or independent presidential candidate has been

A)Henry Wallace in 1948.
B)George Wallace in 1968.
C)Ralph Nader in 2004.
D)John Anderson in 1980.
E)Ross Perot in 1992.

Question 40

Which of the following states is MOST likely to be a battleground state in the next presidential election?

A)North Dakota
B)New York
C)Alabama
D)Colorado
E)California

Question 41

How many presidents have been impeached in U.S.history?

A)0
B)1
C)2
D)3
E)4

Question 42

If the U.S.House of Representatives chooses to impeach a president,who conducts the trial?

A)the U.S.Supreme Court
B)the U.S.House of Representatives
C)the U.S.Senate
D)the Federal Bureau of Investigation
E)the Department of Justice

Question 43

Which of the following is true of the president's veto power?

A)Presidents are limited in their use of the veto on legislation directly affecting national security or economic policy.
B)The threat of a veto has never proven to be enough to make Congress bend to the president's demands.
C)Congress can usually muster the two-thirds majority in each chamber required to override a presidential veto.
D)The veto is as much a sign of presidential weakness as of strength,because it arises when Congress refuses to accept the president's ideas.
E)President George W.Bush used the veto less and less during the course of his presidency so as not to cause his popularity to fall.

Question 44

What is the MOST important factor that determines whether or not a president will get what he wants from Congress?

A)the partisan makeup of Congress
B)how often the president threatens to veto bills
C)whether or not the president has ever served in Congress
D)the president's ability to do personal favors for members of Congress
E)whether a president is serving a first term or a second term

Question 45

The forced removal of a president from office through impeachment and conviction requires action by the

A)House of Representatives only.
B)Senate only.
C)House and Senate in a joint session.
D)House and Senate in separate proceedings.
E)Supreme Court in a judicial proceeding.

Question 46

Because of the circumstances of the country,this president was able to accomplish more in the first few months of his presidency than any other president:

A)Ronald Reagan.
B)Dwight Eisenhower.
C)Richard Nixon.
D)Barack Obama.
E)Franklin Roosevelt.

Question 47

The honeymoon period occurs during

A)a president's second term only.
B)the first part of a president's term.
C)the period of a president's term immediately following a successful foreign policy initiative.
D)the period of a president's term immediately following a successful domestic policy initiative.
E)the State of the Union address.

Question 48

The president is able to appoint about _____ people to top positions in the administration.

A)250
B)800
C)2,000
D)8,000
E)24,000

Question 49

Political scientist Richard Neustadt argues that the most important presidential power is the power to

A)threaten.
B)persuade.
C)veto.
D)make war.
E)appoint Supreme Court justices.

Question 50

This president narrowly survived an impeachment conviction:

A)Andrew Johnson.
B)John Quincy Adams.
C)Theodore Roosevelt.
D)Warren Harding.
E)Calvin Coolidge.

Question 51

Which of the following is a provision of the War Powers Act?

A)It prohibits the president from sending troops into combat.
B)It requires hostilities to end within sixty days unless Congress extends the period.
C)It requires Congress to consult with the president whenever feasible before passing measures that will restrict president-ordered military action.
D)It requires the president to inform Congress within one month of the reason for the military action.
E)It removes from Congress the power to restrict the timing or size of president-initiated military actions.

Question 52

The Executive Office of the President (EOP)was created in ________.

A)1789
B)1804
C)1865
D)1888
E)1939

Question 53

A president's policy initiatives are significantly more successful when the president

A)has the strong support of the American people.
B)is a former member of Congress.
C)is on good terms with other world leaders.
D)is in office when the economy goes bad,which creates a demand for stronger leadership.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 54

The presidential advisory unit that,as a whole,has declined significantly as an advisory resource for the president in the twentieth century is the

A)National Economic Council.
B)Office of Management and Budget.
C)White House Office.
D)National Security Council.
E)Cabinet (as a whole).

Question 55

Political scientist Aaron Wildavsky's "two presidencies" thesis holds that a president is likely to be most successful with Congress on policy initiatives involving

A)social welfare policy.
B)foreign policy.
C)tax policy.
D)economic policy.
E)environmental policy.

Question 56

A president is likely to propose the most new programs

A)during his or her first year in office.
B)after reelection to a second term.
C)immediately after Congress enacts a major presidential initiative.
D)when international conditions are stable.
E)during his or her last year in office.

Question 57

The president is LEAST likely to get his way with

A)the courts.
B)the bureaucracy.
C)the Executive Office of the President.
D)Congress.
E)his or her chief of staff.

Question 58

Why did President Obama sign the 2014 farm bill?

A)He wanted the support of farm states for his reelection bid.
B)It was almost exactly the bill he wanted.
C)It was close to the bill he wanted,with a few exceptions.
D)He recognized he had no chance of getting a better farm bill.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 59

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

A)Office of Management and Budget
B)National Economic Council
C)National Security Council
D)Office of Legislative Affairs
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 60

The War Powers Act was enacted in order to

A)guide the military in its use of force in field situations where it is impractical to seek direction from the president.
B)allow the president more leeway in committing U.S.troops to combat.
C)define the relationship between the United States and its allies.
D)limit the president's war-making power.
E)weaken Congress in foreign policy matters.

Question 61

How does the unit rule work in the Electoral College? How does this effect a candidate's choice of which states to concentrate on in a campaign?

Question 62

In the modern era,the equivalent practice of using the presidency as a bully pulpit (Theodore Roosevelt)could best be summed up in the phrase,"________."

A)going public
B)spin control
C)air wars
D)lobbying the bureaucracy
E)manipulating the media

Question 63

Identify the four systems of presidential selection that the United States has had during its history.What has been the overriding reason for the changes that have taken place?

Question 64

Which of the following describes what political scientist Hugh Heclo calls "the illusion of presidential government"?

A)the inability of the president to influence the legislative priorities of Congress,even though the party in power pays lip-service to the president's agenda
B)the presidential image-building through public relations that contributes to the idea that the president is in charge of the national government
C)the belief by the public that Congress should follow the presidential agenda,regardless of whether or not the majority part is the same party of the president
D)the image-building that the president's foreign policy strength lends to the rest of his agenda
E)the image strength lent by the sheer size of the executive establishment,even though the president has little direct control over most of it
Essay Questions

Question 65

Discuss the relationship of presidential power to public support for the president,and explain why this relationship is both an asset and a liability for the president.

Question 66

________ was known as the "Great Communicator."

A)Ronald Reagan
B)George H.W.Bush
C)Jimmy Carter
D)Lyndon Johnson
E)George W.Bush

Question 67

Which president was helped by a strong economy during his reelection bid?

A)Jimmy Carter
B)Gerald Ford
C)Bill Clinton
D)George H.W.Bush
E)Barack Obama

Question 68

Explain the difference between the Whig theory of the presidency and the stewardship theory.Which is the norm today?

Question 69

Discuss the relationship between the president and Congress.Why does the president need congressional support? What conditions affect the success of the president with Congress?

Question 70

Discuss the circumstances that contribute to the success or failure of presidential influence on national policy.