Deck 12: The Presidency

Question 1

Which presidential power is checked by required approval of the Senate with a two-thirds vote?

A)extending diplomatic recognition to foreign governments
B)terminating relations with other nations
C)negotiating treaties with other nations
D)negotiating executive agreements with foreign heads of state -Consider This: Executive agreements are presidential tools that do not require the consent or approval of any other body; it is the more formal process that involves both the president and the Senate.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Questions 6 and 7 refer to the following graph.
Presidential Approval Source: George C.Edwards III,Presidential Approval (Baltimore,MD: Johns Hopkins
University Press,1990); updated by the authors.
Based on the graph,which of the following statements about presidential approval is accurate?

A)George W.Bush maintained a high approval rating throughout his presidency.-Consider This: George W.Bush saw his numbers ebb and flow over his eight year term.There was little consistency about them.
B)Bill Clinton's approval rating was well over 90 percent during his first term.
C)Barack Obama's approval rating was lower in 2012 than when he took office.
D)Ronald Reagan's approval rating was never higher than 50 percent.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What does the Twenty-second Amendment do?

A)requires that presidents be natural-born citizens -Consider This: While this a requirement to be president,it was originally placed in the Constitution and did not require an amendment.
B)limits the president's terms of office
C)requires the president to be a resident of the United States
D)requires the president to be at least 35 years old

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Questions 15 and 16 refer to the image. Credit: Scott J.Applewhite/AP Images
How does the photo illustrate a "rally event" as it relates to public approval of the president?

A)George H.W.Bush's popularity soared after the Gulf War.-Consider This: If Bush had successfully won reelection,this would have been a rallying event.Unfortunately for Bush,he lost.
B)The army backed George W.Bush's military plans.
C)George W.Bush's popularity surged after initial success in Afghanistan.
D)George W.Bush convinced Americans to support TARP.

Question 5

Questions 15 and 16 refer to the image. Credit: Scott J.Applewhite/AP Images
How might rally events affect presidential politics?

A)Rally events lead to drops in presidential approval ratings,making passage of their agendas more difficult.
B)Rally events cause a long-term increase in presidential approval ratings,practically guaranteeing reelection.-Consider This: Rally events can help a president's approval ratings,but it is not guaranteed to cause a long-term increase.In fact,most tend to produce short-term bounces.
C)Rally events make presidents more politically cautious.
D)Rally events tend to temporarily increase presidential approval ratings,providing presidents with a window of opportunity to press their agenda.

Question 6

Should we increase the President's legislative powers? SOURCE: Harold W.Stanley and Richard G Niemi,Vital Statistics on American Politics,2015
2016 (Los Angeles: CQ Press,2015),252-254.
NOTE: Win-rate percentages based on the number of congressional votes supporting the
president divided by the total number of votes on which the president took a position.

-Why do presidents try to gain support for their initiatives instead of simply enacting their policy priorities outright?

A)because Congress cannot debate legislation without approval from the president
B)because the Constitution does not give the president any powers to influence public policy -Consider This: While the president may not be able to directly create legislation due to shared powers,he does have substantial opportunity to influence public policy through other means.
C)because the Constitution establishes a system of shared powers
D)because the president has diminishing power over the course of his or her administration

Question 7

Presidential Approval Source: George C.Edwards III,Presidential Approval (Baltimore,MD: Johns Hopkins
University Press,1990); updated by the authors.

-Which of the following statements about approval ratings is most accurate?

A)High approval ratings lead many to assume that presidents are more effective leaders.
B)Low approval ratings lead to more claims of executive privilege.
C)A growing national deficit often leads to increased approval ratings.
D)Low approval ratings help other candidates in the same party.-Consider This: The president's coattails can benefit candidates from his party,but his party tends to lose congressional seats in midterm elections.

Question 8

Who breaks a tie in the Senate?

A)president of the United States -Consider This: The Founders believed in separation of powers; as a result,the president cannot directly participate in the formal legislative process.
B)vice president of the United States
C)Speaker of the House
D)Senate majority leader

Question 9

How can Congress remove a president?

A)a veto
B)an executive order
C)a House impeachment vote -Consider This: The House portion of the impeachment process only determines if another body of Congress will have the opportunity to consider removing the president from office.
D)a Senate impeachment trial

Question 10

-Which of the following would have had to happen for Nixon to be impeached,rather than resign?

A)The House must impeach the president by a simple majority; the Supreme Court must convict with a two-thirds vote.
B)The Senate must impeach the president by a simple majority; the House must convict with a two-thirds vote.-Consider This: The impeachment process actually begins in the House of Representatives before advancing to the Senate.
C)The House must impeach the president by a simple majority; the Senate must convict with a two-thirds majority.
D)The Supreme Court must impeach the president with a simple majority; the chief justice presides over a Senate trial that must convict with a two-thirds majority.

Question 11

Which presidential role includes the State of the Union address?

A)head of state -Consider This: While the president may touch on foreign relations during this address,it is geared more toward framing the president's policy agenda (both foreign and domestic)for the coming year.
B)commander in chief
C)chief executive
D)chief legislator

Question 12

Why have vice presidential candidates historically been chosen?

A)help set the president's agenda
B)mentor the president
C)placate a symbolic constituency
D)ensure that the president's party will have a good chance of winning the next presidential election -Consider This: While there is something to be said for grooming vice presidents to be president,the selection of a vice presidential candidate typically serves a more immediate need.

Question 13

Credit: Carter Archives/ZUMA Press,Inc./Alamy Stock Photo

-Which presidential power did Carter employ in negotiating the Camp David Accords?

A)chief diplomat
B)commander in chief -Consider This: Commander in chief refers more to the president's leadership in wartime than brokering peace between two other nations.
C)war powers
D)diplomatic envoys

Question 14

Which of the following is most likely to constitute an impeachable offense?

A)a president playing a game of poker in the White House
B)a president supporting an unpopular policy -Consider This: While such an action may not gain a president much support,it is not serious enough to justify impeachment proceedings.
C)a president's decision to invade a country solely to increase his or her public support
D)a president's strategy of encouraging interest groups to pressure Congress to pass a bill

Question 15

Which institutional resource is closest and most loyal to the president?

A)Executive Office of the President (EOP)-Consider This: While the EOP plays a pivotal role in assisting the president,the individuals in these offices are more bureaucratic than personally loyal to any individual president.
B)White House staff
C)armed forces
D)National Security Council

Question 16

What was intended to give Congress a greater voice in the decision to introduce American troops into hostilities?

A)the Twenty-second Amendment
B)executive privilege -Consider This: Executive privilege actually works to assist the president in keeping information from being shared with Congress-or anyone else-under certain circumstances.
C)the legislative veto
D)the War Powers Resolution

Question 17

Questions 10 and 11 refer to the following graph.
Should we increase the President's legislative powers? SOURCE: Harold W.Stanley and Richard G Niemi,Vital Statistics on American Politics,2015
2016 (Los Angeles: CQ Press,2015),252-254.
NOTE: Win-rate percentages based on the number of congressional votes supporting the
president divided by the total number of votes on which the president took a position.
Based on the graph,which of the following is true of presidents' "win rate" in Congress?

A)Congress tends to agree with the president more than it disagrees.
B)Presidents' "win rates" tend to be higher at the start of their terms.
C)Democratic presidents are more legislatively successful than Republicans.
D)Congress fails to check the president's power in most situations.-Consider This: Congress frequently defeats bills that the president supports,acting as a firm check on presidential power.

Question 18

Questions 8 and 9 refer to the following image. Credit: Carter Archives/ZUMA Press,Inc./Alamy Stock Photo
Which of the following might the president use in foreign matters in his role as chief diplomat?

A)pocket vetoes
B)executive privilege
C)executive agreements
D)signing statements -Consider This: Signing statements allow a president to influence the bureaucratic implementation of passed laws.They do not relate to agreements with foreign governments.

Question 19

Which citizen is ineligible to become president?

A)a natural-born citizen
B)someone who is 37 years old -Consider This: The Constitution only specifies an individual must be older than 35 to serve as president.
C)someone who has lived in the United States for 20 years
D)someone who has already been elected president twice

Question 20

How did the expectations for the vice presidency change starting with Walter Mondale?

A)Presidents are more likely to use their vice presidents as close policy advisers.
B)Vice presidents started to preside over the Senate.-Consider This: Constitutionally,the vice president is to preside over the Senate.Not since very near the Founding has this power been taken seriously,however.
C)Presidents are more likely to select ideologically moderate vice presidents to expand their electoral appeal.
D)Vice presidents started taking the lead in the budgeting process.

Question 21

Which of the following statements provides the best characterization of the members of the White House staff?

A)The White House staff is a loose collection of bureaucrats who are loyal to executive agencies.
B)The White House staff is composed of advisers who do whatever is in the best interest of the president.
C)The White House staff is composed of policy specialists who have little personal loyalty to the president.-Consider This: The White House staff is best known for its staff's personal loyalty to the president who appointed them to work in the White House.
D)The White House staff is the link between executive agencies in the bureaucracy and Congress.

Question 22

What is the primary purpose of the Council of Economic Advisers?

A)to advise the president on economic policy
B)to assess budget proposals for Congress -Consider This: While the CEA may discuss budget issues with the president,they serve a larger role of examining the economy as a whole.
C)to enact the president's budget
D)to suggest programs that should be scaled back or curtailed because they use tax dollars inefficiently

Question 23

When might citizens be particularly concerned about an expansion of presidential power?

A)in times of relative peace and prosperity
B)in times of economic crisis -- Consider This: Whenever crisis arises,citizens tend to become on-edge.A crisis,however,is not the time when citizens need to be most worried about president's expanding power since sometimes that's an ideal way to tackle an issue.
C)during presidential election years
D)when they oppose the president's agenda

Question 24

What is the role of the National Security Council?

A)to link the president's foreign and military policy advisers
B)to keep the president and first family secure
C)to administer the armed forces
D)to provide the president with national security policy advice from the opposing party's perspective -Consider This: The NSC does provide policy advice,but their advice is not designed to be partisan in any way.

Question 25

Which statement about the news is generally true?

A)The news is often framed in themes that simplify the issues and provide continuity from story to story.
B)There is a focus on the positive when covering the president and a focus on the negative when covering Congress and the Supreme Court.
C)The broadcast media relies solely on facts and avoids speculation,even if it means sitting on a major story until the information can be verified.
D)Cable news programs present in-depth coverage of political events from a balanced ideological perspective so as to attract the most viewers.-Consider This: Most cable news programs are criticized due to a lack of in-depth coverage and an increasing emphasis on ideologically-driven programming.

Question 26

Which is one reason why the power and responsibility of the presidency has increased?

A)The presidents' use of the line-item veto has increased their power over the Congress.
B)The budgets for government agencies have decreased,leaving more responsibility to the president.
C)Modern presidents have to exercise powers as commander in chief,while earlier presidents did not.-Consider This: While the role of commander in chief has changed with time,even our earliest presidents had to contest with the challenges posed by being a military leader.
D)The United States has increased its prominence on the world stage.

Question 27

In which way do modern presidents differ from the original intentions of the Framers?

A)Modern presidents are considerably less democratic than the Framers originally intended.
B)Modern presidents have considerably less power as leaders of their political parties than the Framers originally intended.-Consider This: The Framers were not concerned with political parties in this way.President Washington even warned of their corrupting influence during his farewell address.
C)Modern presidents are much more influential in the legislative process than the Framers originally intended.
D)Modern presidents are more subservient to the will of Congress than the Framers originally intended.

Question 28

Which of the following is a group of 15 presidential advisers that is too large,diverse,and concerned with individual fiefdoms to effectively serve as a collective board of directors,leaving ultimate decision-making authority with the president?

A)the White House staff
B)the Executive Office of the President
C)the chiefs of staff -Consider This: The chiefs of staff focus on military issues rather than broader policy issues.
D)the cabinet

Question 29

Which describes something that Barack Obama did that caused his critics to charge that he has become too powerful?

A)He established the Department of Homeland Security.-Consider This: Although this does involve the expansion of government,it was actually done by George W.Bush.
B)He proposed reforming Social Security and immigration policy.
C)He used drones to kill terrorist suspects,some of whom were American citizens.
D)He used his veto power more than any other president.

Question 30

Which of the following reviews potential legislative proposals suggested by executive agencies and assesses their budgetary implications?

A)secretary of the treasury -Consider This: The secretary of the treasury deals with economic issues,but this individual is not involved in legislative proposals from a budgetary perspective.
B)Office of Management and Budget
C)secretary of commerce
D)chief of staff

Question 31

The Twenty-fifth Amendment was enacted in order to clear up uncertainties over the constitutional provisions surrounding __________.

A)presidential powers to conduct war
B)presidential and vice-presidential succession and disability
C)the president's powers to negotiate treaties
D)the Electoral College -Consider This: The Twenty-fifth Amendment did not touch on the Electoral College,although it does focus on both the president and vice president.

Question 32

Which of the following is a collection of executive branch officials who assist the president,but who also fulfill duties required by law and are therefore limited in the extent of their loyalty to the president?

A)the White House staff -Consider This: The White House staff serves to assist the president on less formal areas than those required by law.These workers tend to be more personally loyal to the president.
B)the Executive Office of the President
C)the chiefs of staff
D)the Court of Executive Assistants

Question 33

Why does the perception of an electoral mandate matter in presidential politics?

A)It helps to increase the president's legislative acumen.
B)It makes it harder for presidents to get their legislative agenda enacted by Congress.
C)It offers legitimacy and credibility to a recently elected president's proposals.
D)It enables the president to manage the bureaucracy.-Consider This: Mandates assist the president in demonstrating credibility during the legislative process; they do not typically influence implementation of passed laws.

Question 34

American presidents have a variety of backgrounds.Who was the only political scientist to become president?
G)Harding

A)Woodrow Wilson
B)Warren
C)Thomas Jefferson -Consider This: While Jefferson was an admirer of political philosophers,he was not a formally trained academic in the discipline.
D)John Kennedy

Question 35

The president's chief of staff and press secretary are members of which group?

A)White House staff
B)Office of Administration
C)the cabinet
D)Executive Office of the President -Consider This: While these positions serve important roles,they do not fall into the Executive Office of the President and are more personally loyal to the president.

Question 36

What is the perception that the voters strongly support the president and his or her policies?

A)electoral mandate
B)approval rating -Consider This: While approval ratings can demonstrate support,the act of actually voting sends an even stronger indication.
C)executive order
D)executive agreement

Question 37

In which capacity have recent vice presidents been particularly influential in American politics?

A)as an adviser in the policymaking process
B)as a leader of the cabinet
C)as a lead negotiator for executive agreements
D)as presiding officer of the Senate -Consider This: While the vice president holds this role,it has not proven to be influential in numerous decades.

Question 38

How has the office of vice president changed over the years?

A)The vice president is no longer trusted as he once was.
B)The vice president recently has been locked out of the policymaking process.
C)The vice president has been more involved in the policymaking process in recent years than in the past.
D)The vice presidency has become a prerequisite for the presidency.-Consider This: Recent elections have suggested clearly that one must not be the vice president before being deemed prepared to be president.