Deck 6: The Presidency

Question 1

In the modern era, Congress can still issue extensive rules for executive agencies to follow, as it did in earlier times.Since the New Deal era of Franklin D.Roosevelt and growth of the federal government, however, it has been more likely to give the executive branch broad grants of authority to carry out policy goals.Although Congress has usually given these delegated powers to specific agencies, presidents have:

A) often unconstitutionally usurped these powers, with congressional acquiescence.
B) successfully taken these powers from agencies through signing statements.
C) successfully stripped these powers from agencies through use of the line-item veto.
D) found ways to take quite a few of these powers for themselves.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which term describes an understanding between the president and another country that has the force of a treaty but does not require a two-thirds vote of approval by the Senate?

A) Bilateral agreement
B) Executive agreement
C) International accord
D) Foreign trade agreement

Answer 2

B

Question 3

How can a presidential veto be overridden?

A) By a two-thirds majority vote in either the House or the Senate
B) By a simple majority vote in both the House and Senate
C) By a two-thirds majority vote in both the House and Senate
D) By majority votes in three-fourths of state legislatures

Answer 3

C

Question 4

With the Electoral College, the Constitution's framers wanted to create a presidency that would be more responsible to _____________________ than the people.

A) state and local legislators
B) political parties
C) battleground states, or states where the presidential votes are likely to be close,
D) national elites

Question 5

The American president exercises a measure of judicial authority through his or her power to:

A) offer paroles and probations.
B) give atonements and expiations.
C) grant reprieves, pardons, and amnesties.
D) mandate subpoenas, writs of habeas corpus, and warrants of indemnity.

Question 6

Presidents appoint all federal judges-from the federal district level to the appeals courts to the Supreme Court:

A) with the advice and consent of Congress.
B) with the advice and consent of the Senate.
C) with a two-thirds vote in each house of Congress.
D) unilaterally, with input and advice from judicial leaders and members of Congress.

Question 7

When presidents have claimed the power to take an action not enumerated in the Constitution, as Lincoln did when suspending the writ of habeas corpus during the Civil War or Truman did in sending American military forces into the Korean conflict, they have been more likely to do so by claiming that these actions are justified by the president's inherent powers, as stemming from:

A) the president's elastic, or necessary and proper, powers.
B) the Constitution's admonition to the president to "take care that the laws be faithfully executed."
C) "the rights, duties and obligations of the presidency," demanding or allowing extraordinary measures in national defense, war, or emergencies.
D) a series of early Supreme Court rulings that dealt with the president's executive power, suggesting that it was a broad grant of power.

Question 8

When the president takes no action on a bill for over 10 days, and Congress is not in session, what happens to the bill?

A) It dies, through what is called a presidential "pocket veto."
B) It survives, and Congress censures the president for inaction.
C) It dies, via what is called a "line-item veto."
D) The president may declare the bill invalid via executive order.

Question 9

Two recent presidents exercised unilateral power in America's Gulf Coast region.First, President George W.Bush sent military units there in 2005 in response to Hurricane Katrina and associated flooding in Louisiana, Mississippi, and parts of neighboring states.A few years later, President Obama sent Coast Guard staff and teams to the same region, in response to the Deepwater Horizon explosion and oil spill.What allowed them to do this?

A) Responding to requests from state governors
B) Declaring states of emergency in the affected region
C) Various Supreme Court rulings about emergencies and executive power
D) Through congressional acquiescence

Question 10

Which of the following was true of the line-item veto power, as approved by Congress in the mid-1990s, while Bill Clinton was president?

A) The Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution did not authorize the line-item veto.
B) Clinton vetoed the line-item veto bill, and Congress failed to override his decision.
C) Clinton made egregious use of the line-item veto, leading an opposing Republican Congress to soon strip him of this power.
D) George W.Bush rarely used the line-item veto, and Obama opposed it, leading Congress to finally get rid of it.

Question 11

Presidential powers that the Constitution explicitly grants are called __________.

A) executive powers
B) enumerated powers
C) inherent powers
D) expressed powers

Question 12

In 1793, President George Washington received Edmond Genet as an emissary of the French government, then in the midst of a revolution, he gave a tacit recognition to that country's new and controversial regime.In so doing, he transformed the Constitution's executive power to "receive Ambassadors and other public Ministers" into a power to:

A) recognize other countries; that is, the power to review the claims of any new ruling groups of foreign lands, and commit to working out agreements and treaties with them.
B) conduct diplomatic relations; that is, the power to develop agreements or treaties with them.
C) undertake covert operations against foreign heads of state, by supporting revolutionary or insurgent forces fighting against them.
D) carry out commitments already made in treaties or to address relatively minor matters.

Question 13

When the Obama administration refused to comply with a congressional subpoena for documents related to Operation Fast and Furious, a Justice Department program created to combat drug trafficking, it did so by citing executive privilege.In so doing, he was following the example of many past presidents, especially those serving after Richard Nixon, because:

A) presidents have hinted that their successors could pardon them for any crimes they may have committed while in office.
B) presidents have noted that the State of the Union gives them the power to more properly address congressional concerns, at least once a year.
C) the Supreme Court recognized, in a case involving Nixon's Watergate tapes, the validity of executive privilege.
D) the Supreme Court decided, during the Nixon era, that presidents had the absolute power to keep any other branches from demanding its communications records.

Question 14

When the president takes no action on a bill for over 10 days, and Congress is in session, what happens to the bill?

A) It dies, since the president has vetoed it in effect.
B) It passes, only without express presidential approval via a signature.
C) The bill passes after the executive and Congress iron out differences over the legislation.
D) It survives, but Congress must reconsider it in the context of presidential statements on the legislation.

Question 15

Congress's ______________, passed in the early 1970s in the wake of the Vietnam conflict, declared that the president can send troops into action abroad only by authorization of Congress, or if U.S.troops are already under attack or seriously threatened.

A) War Powers Resolution Act
B) War Power Limitation Act
C) Escalation Avoidance Act of 1973
D) War Power-Sharing Agreement

Question 16

Who has the highest military authority in the United States, with control of the entire military establishment?

A) The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
B) the White House's national security adviser
C) The secretary of defense
D) The president, as commander in chief

Question 17

The Constitution grants the power to declare war to:

A) the president.
B) Congress.
C) the secretary of defense.
D) the director of homeland security.

Question 18

When President Trump called on Congress to repeal or replace the Affordable Care Act (popularly known as Obamacare) during his first year in office, he was exercising _____________, despite a lack of success.In so doing, he echoed President Obama, who did the same in setting goals for and working with members of Congress on health-care reform during his first year.

A) executive ordering
B) presidential mandate
C) an electoral mandate
D) legislative initiative

Question 19

Although the veto is one of the president's most formidable powers, recent presidents have rarely used it.This is likely because:

A) the minimal use reflects the presidential turn toward the use of management tools, rather than legislative tools, in getting things done.
B) the mere threat of a veto is often enough to make legislators alter a bill's content.
C) members of Congress have, in more politically polarized times, engaged in obstructionist behavior, leading executives to propose fewer policies.
D) one party almost always controls both chambers of Congress and the presidency, so vetoes are rarely necessary.

Question 20

Could an American president decide, unilaterally, to recognize a breakaway or secessionist country's legitimacy by receiving its emissaries, even if the country it broke off from objected?

A) Yes, since as head of state, presidents may receive foreign ambassadors and ministers
B) Yes, since presidents would be able to do so through executive orders to the State Department
C) No, since Congress must formally recognize foreign states before presidents may meet with their foreign representatives
D) It depends on whether the Supreme Court insists on having a say in the situation.

Question 21

The American political system first began a dramatic turning away from congressional-centered government and toward presidential-centered government with:

A) Abraham Lincoln's sweeping embrace of emergency powers during Civil War.
B) the presidency of Woodrow Wilson, who led the nation during World War I.
C) the first 100 days of President Franklin D.Roosevelt's presidency and the adoption of his New Deal programs, created in response to the Great Depression.
D) President Franklin D.Roosevelt's unprecedented rapid mobilization of forces and his leadership during World War II.

Question 22

A set of permanent executive branch agencies, such as the Office of Management and Budget and the National Security Council, that perform defined management tasks for the president and compose a major part of what is called the "institutional presidency," is officially known as the:

A) cabinet.
B) White House.
C) Directorate of Executive Affairs.
D) Executive Office of the President.

Question 23

How could President Franklin D.Roosevelt be said to have helped strengthen and set the tone for the modern presidency through his holding of biweekly press conferences, and his skillful use of radio in "fireside chats," despite the fact that such tactics might not work today now that American media audiences are vastly more fragmented, with many more avenues of communications available?

A) The "fireside chats" made presidents a central figure in American life, in a way not previously seen.
B) Americans came to expect presidents to solve economic problems and empathize with citizen concerns, thus taking power away from Congress.
C) Every president since has sought to craft a successful public relations strategy as a means of increasing public appeal and power, whether through radio, television, or the Internet.
D) Because popular support has been a firm foundation for presidential power

Question 24

When President George W.Bush relied too heavily on his staff for information about weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in Iraq, which led him to erroneous conclusions, his reliance exemplified the trade-off between:

A) reliance on the in-house expertise of White House staff and the need to access independent outside opinion.
B) deference given to an array of independent expert analysis, and the need to exercise due diligence.
C) protecting national security and protecting human rights.
D) the pressures of public opinion and the president's personal opinion.

Question 25

What is the term for a tool presidents can and often do wield that can have the broader effect of legislation, although it is first and foremost a management tool, the power virtually any CEO has to make "company policy"?

A) Executive order
B) Presidential command
C) Presidential mandate
D) Executive law

Question 26

The tweets, freewheeling political rally speeches, and calls to live cable television news that marked the first year of the Trump administration were, despite their unusual nature, still in keeping with a presidential means of exercising influence known as:

A) entering the arena.
B) propagandizing.
C) going over Congress's head.
D) going public.

Question 27

In late 2002, overwhelming majorities of the House and Senate voted to give President George W.Bush complete discretion as to whether, when, and how to attack Iraq, despite the fact that:

A) a declaration of war would have been necessary to attack Iraq under international law.
B) presidential legal advisers suggested that the president needed no such authorization.
C) the president did not press Congress for such authorization.
D) most polls showed that Americans saw no need for Bush to request such authorization.

Question 28

How has the rapid technological change, and the ease with which media can be created and spread, changed the practice of presidential public appeals?

A) It has increased the likelihood that citizens will be exposed to presidential messages.
B) Evidence clearly shows that it has increased the likelihood that presidents will, in coming years, only appeal to their bases of support through social media.
C) It has led to an increasing fragmentation of a mass media audience into small subgroups, making it more difficult for a president to reach all citizens.
D) It has made presidents more likely to appear on the most widely popular Internet media news and entertainment sites than on broadcast television.

Question 29

The annual State of the Union address has, over the past few decades, become a storied tradition in American political life.For most of the first century after the Constitution's adoption, however, presidents only wrote an annual report, which was read to Congress.That changed, however, when:

A) the unusually charismatic and media-savvy President Theodore Roosevelt delivered the address in person to attract wide-circulation newspaper attention.
B) the popularity of television grew, beginning in the 1950s and extending through the early 1960s.
C) President Franklin D.Roosevelt used the annual address to propose new policies and specific actions in Congress.
D) the Supreme Court ordered presidents-starting with Woodrow Wilson in 1913-to follow the Constitution and give an in-person State of the Union report to Congress.

Question 30

The clear intent of the framers of the Constitution was for Congress to have:

A) judicial dominance.
B) legislative supremacy.
C) legislative and executive cooperation and compromise, in all matters.
D) an imperial presidency.

Question 31

Most historians agree that the American presidency was a weak institution until the early twentieth century, with the strong presidencies of Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln being exceptions that proved the rule.Why was this the case?

A) The individuals elected to presidential office were unskilled and not capable of attaining greatness.
B) While most policy action took place at the state level during the era, Jackson and Lincoln exercised strength at the national level by using their power in momentous ways.
C) Jackson and Lincoln were presidents during times of great turning points in American history, while others deferred to Congress during more quiet times.
D) Presidents were so busy managing the federal bureaucracy that they had no time to invest in legislative policymaking or party politics.

Question 32

The traditional but informal designation for the heads of all the major departments of the federal government in the United States is the:

A) cabinet.
B) executive service.
C) advisory staff.
D) White House executive council.

Question 33

Why might a president's attempt to win bipartisan support for legislation backfire, even when such an attempt could go over well with the public?

A) No presidential action has won bipartisan support or praise in recent years, due to intense partisan polarization.
B) The attempt may lead to more public bickering in Congress as the parties hash out differences and make compromises.
C) Party loyalty and discipline can suffer-something a president may regret later when seeking support from his or her own party.
D) Many political analysts suggest that the increasing numbers of people who call themselves independent still favor presidents who value party loyalty.

Question 34

Presidents have found the regulatory review process useful as a means of gaining power over domestic policy influence because:

A) the ability to strike down or alter a regulation gives their executive orders real teeth.
B) they can, in effect, rewrite congressional law through this process and the use of executive orders.
C) congressional law is often notable more for laying out broad goals than listing details, thus giving administrative agencies leeway in working out how to meet the goals.
D) public appeals and executive orders can only take a president so far.

Question 35

Recent presidents, beginning with Reagan, have used something called "signing statements" to expand presidential power.What has been notable about the expansion in the use of these statements?

A) Presidents have used them to reinterpret and sometimes nullify congressional law.
B) They have given executive agencies clear legal, or constitutional, permission to ignore congressional oversight.
C) Presidents have used them less as a way of negating congressional action, than clarifying congressional intent, after consultation with key lawmakers.
D) These have repeatedly excused illegal and unethical practices, including torture of foreign detainees in anti-terrorism activities.

Question 36

Which of the following tasks does the text indicate as an important purpose of the White House staff?

A) Battles the media, while fighting investigations by special counsel
B) Enhances communication with constituents and the media
C) Provides information and acts as a management tool
D) Provides training experiences for future congressional candidates and brainstorms for ways to spin news events to make them favorable to the president

Question 37

Why can presidents not rely on their own parties as a reliable tool in policymaking, even if they are still valuable?

A) Presidents do not control members of their own party in Congress.To the contrary, members of Congress have considerable autonomy.
B) Members of Congress generally believe that their electoral prospects are unrelated to presidential success or popularity.
C) Congressional leaders often try to sabotage their own party's presidents so they can defeat them in the next presidential primary contest.
D) The parties are unpopular with the public at large, with increasing numbers of voters describing themselves as independents.

Question 38

One of the most important agencies to presidents has been the agency, which oversees preparation of the national budget, involves itself in the president's legislative proposals, and writes relevant policy reports for the executive.

A) National Security Council
B) Congressional Budget Office
C) Council of Economic Advisers
D) Office of Management and Budget

Question 39

When Donald Trump chose Mike Pence as his vice presidential running mate to offset his lack of government experience, he exemplified how many nominees have handled such picks, in that the former Indiana governor:

A) exemplified the vice presidential pick as electoral asset, boosting Trump's appeal among social conservatives and to voters in the Midwest.
B) clearly balanced the ticket age-wise, given that Pence was 12 years younger than the 70-year-old Trump.
C) had an administrative background, as a past Indiana governor, that would serve the ticket well, since vice presidents have increasingly handled more management duties.
D) was chosen because of his experience in working with lawmakers, something Trump would need to help get legislation through Congress.

Question 40

Despite their popularity over the past few decades, presidential media strategies and public appeals regarding their policy programs have rarely been consistently effective, mainly because:

A) most Americans are well-informed enough about public policy presidential appeals convey no new information.
B) policies backed by the executive almost inevitably fall short of voter expectations, leading to declines in presidential approval ratings, even if they may bounce back later.
C) when presidents have high public support, they tend to be unwilling to spend their political capital on potentially controversial programs.
D) with the media's intense focus on presidents, it is inevitable that people will get tired of seeing them and hearing about them over time; familiarity breeds contempt.

Question 41

The Constitution suggests that, as a courtesy, presidents should wait on a state legislature (or governor when the legislature is not in session) to request federal troops before sending them into a state to provide public order.

Question 42

In the 1830s, this practice was seen by supporters as a victory for democracy against congressional elites and a way to strengthen the presidency:

A) Andrew Jackson's campaign promise to "make the states great again"
B) The redevelopment of a two-party system, after a long era of one-party dominance
C) The national convention system for nominating presidential candidates
D) Andrew Jackson's use of the veto as a tool of policymaking

Question 43

In 1998, the Supreme Court upheld the president's authority to exercise the line-item veto.

Question 44

American citizens vote directly for the president.

Question 45

Congress intentionally sends some bills to the president knowing that they are certain to be vetoed.

Question 46

Many of the powers exercised by the president and the executive branch are not found in the Constitution.

Question 47

An announcement made by presidents about how they will interpret or enact a congressional bill is known as:

A) executive review.
B) a line-item veto.
C) a presidential directive.
D) a signing statement.

Question 48

When the Supreme Court declared that President Nixon had to follow congressional demands to turn over secretly recorded White House tapes about the Watergate scandal, it might have seemed like a major loss for the White House.The president resigned shortly after the ruling was handed down, after all. While it was a loss for the Nixon White House, the Court's ruling was favorable over the long term for the presidency as an institution because the Court:

A) established that presidents could secretly record conversations in all executive offices, without the knowledge of others involved, including foreign dignitaries.
B) recognized as valid the idea that presidents could invoke "executive privilege" in refusing to turn over to Congress conversations with advisers.
C) recognized that presidents could constitutionally refuse to accede to congressional demands to turn over documents and conversations related to national security, if not domestic affairs.
D) asserted that it could allow a limited invocation of executive privilege, even in situations involving alleged illegal presidential behavior, to block congressional access to presidential documents.

Question 49

The president may, without a specific state request, deploy troops into a state if necessary to maintain an essential national service during an emergency, enforce a federal judicial order, or protect federally guaranteed civil rights.

Question 50

A president uses the veto as a means to bargain with Congress.

Question 51

If the president vetoes a bill,

A) the bill cannot be reintroduced for two years.
B) the president can take favored parts and enact them through an executive order anyway.
C) the veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both the House and Senate.
D) the veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in either the House or Senate.

Question 52

In most cases, Congress delegates power to bureaucratic agencies in the executive branch rather than directly to the president.

Question 53

The power to confirm the appointment of all principal executive officers makes the Speaker of the House the true chief executive officer (CEO) of the United States.

Question 54

The veto power makes the president the most important single legislative leader.

Question 55

Delegated powers are those powers that are specifically granted to the president in the text of the Constitution.

Question 56

The U.S.Constitution gives the president several explicit powers independent of Congress.

Question 57

The president plays little role in the legislative process.

Question 58

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the highest military authority in the United States.

Question 59

Congress has tended to give executive agencies broad mandates and draft legislation that offers few clear standards to guide executive implementation.

Question 60

If a president does not sign a bill within five days, it automatically becomes law.

Question 61

Presidents have increasingly preferred using the cabinet as their means of managing the gigantic executive branch.

Question 62

Presidents have generally ignored the War Powers Resolution, claiming inherent executive power to defend the nation.

Question 63

When President Truman ordered the desegregation of the armed services, he cited his constitutional powers as commander in chief.

Question 64

Presidents may pardon or commute the sentences of people found guilty of crimes under American state laws.

Question 65

The signing statement is an important tool the president can use to force Congress to consider a piece of legislation the president wants to introduce.

Question 66

In the United States today, Congress continues to be the constitutional source of policy.

Question 67

Even when the president's party is in the minority in Congress, it is a tremendous asset to the achievement of his or her legislative program.

Question 68

A political strategy whereby the president makes the case to the people of the country that a certain policy needs to be enacted is known as "going public."

Question 69

Presidents can use executive orders to create shifts in domestic or foreign public policy whenever they please, without congressional authorization.

Question 70

Throughout the twentieth century, presidents made increasingly frequent use of the executive order to accomplish their policy goals.

Question 71

The presidential cabinet is a collective body that meets regularly to make important policy decisions jointly as a group.

Question 72

Voter turnout in presidential elections barely reaches the 60 percent mark, but hardly a third of those eligible participate in off-year congressional races.

Question 73

Under Article II of the U.S.Constitution, presidents may refuse to carry out federal law, as long as signing statements assert a clear rationale for such refusal.

Question 74

The wars fought by America in Vietnam, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq were all fought without declarations of war.

Question 75

From 2009 to 2017, President Barack Obama used his veto power only a dozen times, less than any other post-Civil War, two-term president besides George W.Bush, because he worked with a cooperative and politically friendly Congress for most of his eight years in office.

Question 76

During the nineteenth century, it was considered rather inappropriate for presidents to engage in personal campaigning on their own behalf or in support of programs and policies.

Question 77

Most historians agree that after Thomas Jefferson and until the beginning of the twentieth century, Jackson and Lincoln were the exceptions to a succession of weak presidents.

Question 78

The Constitution deems the president's appointment power absolute and, as such, not subject to congressional consultation.

Question 79

Presidents typically gain more political support the longer they are in office.

Question 80

Presidential power is typically only temporarily strengthened during national emergencies.