Deck 13: The Presidency

Question 1

In undertaking the campaign against the Taliban in 2001, George W. Bush

A) sought and received a declaration of war from Congress.
B) sought but failed to receive a declaration of war from Congress.
C) sought and received congressional authorization for the bombing but not a declaration of war.
D) took action without approval from Congress.
E) launched military operations only after Congress passed a formal declaration of war that legally required the president to attack Afghanistan.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The power to receive ambassadors is an example of

A) an expressed power.
B) a delegated power.
C) executive privilege.
D) an executive agreement.
E) an executive order.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What did the framers mean to accomplish by indirect election of the president?

A) to make a more independent and powerful chief executive
B) to bind the president to the will of the people
C) to make the president responsible to state and national legislatures
D) to create an imperial presidency to counter the power of Congress
E) to increase the strength and influence of political parties

Answer 3

C

Question 4

When North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950,

A) Congress declared war before President Truman could formally request it.
B) Truman asked for a declaration of war and received one.
C) Truman asked for a declaration of war and was rebuffed.
D) Truman sent American troops to Korea without asking for a declaration of war.
E) Truman did not immediately send American troops to Korea because the Supreme Court ruled that it would be an unconstitutional use of presidential power.

Question 5

The president's expressed powers include all of the following except

A) military.
B) partisan.
C) judicial.
D) diplomatic.
E) executive.

Question 6

When Congress delegates power to the executive branch, it

A) substantially reduces the power of the federal government compared to state governments.
B) has no impact on the importance of the presidency at all.
C) violates the Constitution by violating the separation of powers.
D) substantially reduces the importance of the presidency.
E) substantially enhances the importance of the presidency.

Question 7

The turning point in American politics toward a president-centered government came about during the administration of

A) Andrew Jackson.
B) Abraham Lincoln.
C) Franklin Roosevelt.
D) Richard Nixon.
E) Ronald Reagan.

Question 8

Which of the following attributes did the framers intend for the office of the president to possess?

A) popularity
B) energy
C) extensive flexibility
D) unrestrained power
E) integrity

Question 9

The office of the presidency was established by ______ of the Constitution.

A) Article I
B) Article II
C) Article III
D) Article IV
E) Article V

Question 10

The ______ asserted that the president could send American troops into action abroad only in the event of a declaration of war or other statutory authorization by Congress, or if American troops were attacked or directly endangered.

A) War Powers Resolution of 1973
B) National Security Act of 1947
C) Neutrality Act of 1937
D) Boland Amendment of 1982
E) Arms Control Export Act of 1976

Question 11

The goal of the War Powers Resolution was to

A) compel a congressional declaration of war for every large-scale military operation.
B) limit the ability of Congress to cut off funding for troops when the president sends them overseas without congressional approval.
C) limit the power of the president to commit American troops to military action without authorization from Congress.
D) end the Vietnam War.
E) give the president more freedom in determining when and where to deploy American military forces.

Question 12

______ powers are specifically established by the language of the Constitution.

A) Expressed
B) Delegated
C) Implied
D) Suspected
E) Inherent

Question 13

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

A) The War Powers Act has been fully observed by every president who has deployed the military overseas since Gerald Ford.
B) Recent presidents have refrained from asking Congress to declare war and have, instead, frequently deployed the military without congressional authorization.
C) Recent presidents have asked Congress to declare war many times and have never deployed the military without congressional authorization.
D) Congress passed the War Powers Resolution in order to give the president more control over the military.
E) As a result of the War Powers Resolution, Congress now has more control over the military than the president does.

Question 14

In the early 1800s, the system of nominating presidential candidates that left the candidates beholden to their party's leaders in Congress was called

A) the King Caucus.
B) party primaries.
C) congressional nominations.
D) presidential gerrymandering.
E) the spoils system.

Question 15

The president must share foreign policy powers with the

A) Joint Chiefs of Staff.
B) Congress.
C) states.
D) vice president.
E) Department of Defense.

Question 16

The rise of national conventions to nominate the president led to the empowerment of what group?

A) Congress
B) state party leaders
C) the voters
D) the candidates
E) interest groups

Question 17

When the president infers powers from the "rights, duties, and obligations" of the presidency, these are called

A) delegated powers.
B) necessary and proper powers.
C) inherent powers.
D) war powers.
E) expressed powers.

Question 18

The president's delegated powers come from

A) the Constitution.
B) Congress.
C) the states.
D) the president's party.
E) the Supreme Court.

Question 19

The rise of the national convention was important because it

A) placed the power of selecting presidential candidates entirely in the hands of federal judges.
B) placed the power of selecting presidential candidates entirely in the hands of congressional leaders.
C) gave the presidency a mass popular base that would eventually support and demand increased presidential power.
D) took away the presidency's mass popular base and made the president a much weaker political actor.
E) eliminated the need for a presidential candidate to win the support of his party.

Question 20

The power to declare war is given to ______ under the Constitution.

A) the president
B) the Senate
C) both houses of Congress
D) the Senate, with the approval of the president
E) the Department of Defense

Question 21

The State of the Union address is

A) required by a law passed by Congress in 1802 and renewed ever since.
B) requested by the president, and comity demands that his request is always accepted.
C) based on tradition but was discontinued during the Great Depression and World War II.
D) mandated by the Constitution.
E) requested by the media and nearly always agreed to by the president and Congress.

Question 22

Executive agreements differ from formal treaties in that they

A) have been ruled unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.
B) must be approved by the U.S. Supreme Court but not by Congress.
C) do not have to be approved by the Senate.
D) do not have to be approved by the House.
E) are generally formulated at meetings of the United Nations.

Question 23

Which statement concerning executive agreements between the president and foreign nations is incorrect?

A) During the 1960s, Congress discovered that several presidents had made agreements with foreign nations without informing Congress.
B) The courts have held that executive agreements have the force of law.
C) Congress passed a law requiring the White House to provide a list of every executive agreement signed by the president.
D) Presidents have always fully complied with Congress's reporting requirement.
E) One way for presidents to avoid complying with Congress's reporting requirement is to call executive agreements alternative names, such as "national security memorandum."

Question 24

When Dwight Eisenhower sent federal troops into Little Rock High School in 1957, it demonstrated that

A) the president may make unilateral use of the emergency powers to protect states against domestic disorder.
B) the president requires the federal court's approval before using troops in domestic disturbances.
C) the use of the president's emergency powers against domestic disorder necessitates a request by the governor of the affected state.
D) the president needs congressional authorization to use troops in both domestic and international situations.
E) the president can only use troops in domestic situations when the health and safety of children under the age of 18 is threatened.

Question 25

The Environmental Protection Agency was created in 1970 by

A) an executive order.
B) congressional legislation.
C) a treaty with Canada and Mexico.
D) executive privilege.
E) a Supreme Court decision.

Question 26

The president's power to set the debate concerning public policy in Congress is called a(n)

A) executive mandate.
B) executive privilege.
C) legislative initiative.
D) executive order.
E) presidential prerogative.

Question 27

Richard Nixon claimed ______ when he refused to turn over secret White House tapes to congressional investigators.

A) presidential immunity
B) expressed powers
C) executive privilege
D) delegated authority
E) the Fifth Amendment

Question 28

Which of the following statements about the presidential veto is most accurate?

A) Presidents have used the veto only twice in American history.
B) Use of the veto has remained constant across presidential administrations, and vetoes are frequently overridden.
C) Use of the veto varies considerably across presidential administrations, and vetoes are seldom overridden.
D) Use of the veto has remained constant across presidential administrations, and vetoes are frequently overridden.
E) Use of the veto has remained constant across presidential administrations, and vetoes are seldom overridden.

Question 29

Which of the following has caused an increase in the president's delegated powers?

A) recent constitutional amendments broadening the president's powers
B) the increasing scope and complexity of legislation
C) the War Powers Resolution
D) the shift toward a more bipartisan political environment in Congress
E) a series of Supreme Court decisions that have reinterpreted Article II of the Constitution

Question 30

An executive order is

A) a rule or regulation issued unilaterally by the president, with the status of a law.
B) an emergency decree that is law only for the duration of a crisis or pending congressional approval.
C) a demand to Congress that it vote on a particular piece of legislation.
D) any act of the executive branch that does not have to be made public.
E) a decree issued by the president that requires the federal courts to hear a particular case regarding the Constitution.

Question 31

Which of the following statements about the military sources of domestic power is most accurate?

A) The president is obligated to deploy national troops every time the state legislature or governor requests them.
B) The president may not deploy troops in a state or city without a specific request from the state legislature or the governor.
C) The president is not allowed to deploy military forces within the United States under any circumstance.
D) Military emergencies, such as World War I, World War II, and September 11, have typically led to an expansion of the domestic powers of the executive branch.
E) Military emergencies, such as World War I, World War II, and September 11, have typically led to a decrease in the domestic powers of the executive branch.

Question 32

Which of the following statements about Congress and the executive branch is most accurate?

A) The Constitution explicitly prohibits Congress from providing specific guidelines to executive agencies for implementing laws.
B) Starting around the time of the New Deal, Congress has tended to draft legislation that offers very specific guidelines for implementation by the executive.
C) Congress has never given executive agencies broad mandates and has always drafted legislation that offers very specific guidelines for implementation by the executive.
D) Starting around the time of the New Deal, Congress has tended to give executive agencies broad mandates and to draft legislation that offers few clear guidelines for implementation by the executive.
E) Throughout all of American history, Congress has tended to give executive agencies broad mandates and to draft legislation that offers few clear guidelines for implementation by the executive.

Question 33

Why is the president's State of the Union address important?

A) It is often the only time that members of Congress get to question the president directly.
B) It is an opportunity for the president to set the legislative agenda by initiating proposals and directing public attention to the executive's goals.
C) It is an opportunity for the president to highlight the positive actions of the previous year.
D) It is the only time the president is constitutionally allowed to address Congress.
E) It determines the exact budget for the upcoming year.

Question 34

Which executive agency has the least discretion, as a result of very detailed congressional legislation?

A) the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
B) the Environmental Protection Agency
C) the Internal Revenue Service
D) the Department of Homeland Security
E) the White House staff

Question 35

Which of the following statements about presidential pardons is false?

A) George Washington declared amnesty to all Americans who fought for the British during the War for Independence.
B) Andrew Johnson declared amnesty to all Confederate soldiers.
C) Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon for crimes he may have committed.
D) Jimmy Carter declared amnesty for all draft evaders during the Vietnam War.
E) The presidential power to grant pardons involves power over all individuals who may be a threat to the security of the United States.

Question 36

In United States v. Nixon, the Supreme Court

A) impeached Nixon.
B) allowed Nixon to withhold secret tapes from Congress.
C) required Nixon to turn over secret tapes to Congress.
D) reinstated the independent prosecutor fired by Nixon.
E) ruled that Nixon must resign from office in order to avoid criminal charges.

Question 37

Why was George Washington's reception of Edmond Genet as ambassador of France during the French Revolution so significant?

A) It demonstrated that the United States could use diplomacy to stay out of European conflicts.
B) It reflected the authority of the president to officially recognize specific regimes as the sovereign power of a nation when there is doubt as to who rules.
C) It was the first time any nation had recognized the United States as independent.
D) It prevented the economic embargo of American goods by the king of France.
E) It ensured that France would be America's ally in any foreign conflict.

Question 38

Federal executive agencies do each of the following in implementing legislation except

A) follow specific guidelines and standards established by Congress.
B) interpret the intent of Congress.
C) promulgate rules based on the legislation.
D) seek advisory opinions from the federal courts as to the constitutionality of the rules.
E) issue orders to groups and individuals designed to impel conformity with the law.

Question 39

In order to get around the need for Senate approval of treaties, many contemporary presidents have made use of ______ in foreign affairs.

A) diplomacy
B) international protocols
C) executive immunity
D) executive agreements
E) bypass agreements

Question 40

What is required for Congress to override a presidential veto?

A) a majority of both houses of Congress
B) two-thirds of both houses of Congress
C) three-fourths of both houses of Congress
D) a unanimous vote of both houses of Congress
E) A president's veto cannot be overridden unless it concerns the budget, in which case it requires a three-fourths of both houses.

Question 41

Congress's tendency in recent years to give executive agencies fewer clear guidelines for implementing laws is the result of

A) the greater scope and complexity of the tasks that American government has undertaken.
B) the reduced scope and complexity of the tasks that American government has undertaken.
C) frequent requests made by state governments to transfer more power to the executive branch.
D) numerous initiatives passed by voters that require less legislative specificity.
E) a series of Supreme Court decisions that ruled executive mandates were unconstitutional.

Question 42

After the president and vice president, which office is next in the line of succession?

A) Speaker of the House
B) Senate majority leader
C) Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
D) secretary of state
E) attorney general

Question 43

The ______ is the informal designation for the heads of the major federal government departments.

A) White House staff
B) Committee of Staff
C) presidential advisory committee
D) Cabinet
E) Executive Office of the President

Question 44

The National Security Council is composed of all of the following except the

A) vice president.
B) Speaker of the House.
C) secretary of defense.
D) president.
E) secretary of state.

Question 45

A significant initiative set forth by Lyndon Johnson was

A) the New Deal.
B) the war on terrorism.
C) Prohibition.
D) the Great Society.
E) the Great Leap Forward.

Question 46

An informal group of advisers to the president is often called the

A) Kitchen Cabinet.
B) plumbers.
C) round table.
D) colloquium.
E) good ole boys (despite the fact that many women have entered these ranks).

Question 47

As a means of managing the gigantic executive branch, presidents have increasingly come to rely upon the

A) Cabinet.
B) Executive Office of the President.
C) Kitchen Cabinet.
D) White House staff.
E) the Speaker of the House.

Question 48

The president's groups of advisers and analysts are collectively called the

A) Cabinet.
B) Kitchen Cabinet.
C) White House staff.
D) Executive Council of Advisers.
E) Department of State.

Question 49

The Office of Management and Budget and the Council of Economic Advisers are both parts of

A) the Cabinet.
B) the White House staff.
C) the Office of the Vice President.
D) the Executive Office of the President.
E) the Department of the Interior.

Question 50

The first lady is an important resource for the president in his capacity as

A) head of government.
B) head of state.
C) commander in chief.
D) legislative initiator.
E) chief diplomat.

Question 51

According to the text, what are the three most common ways for a president to expand his base of power?

A) party support, popular mobilization, and administrative control
B) congressional mandate, judicial appointments, and constitutional amendments
C) referendums, initiatives, and litigation
D) fund-raising, advertising, and logrolling
E) gerrymandering, appropriations, and oversight of state governments

Question 52

Which statement about the Cabinet is incorrect?

A) The Cabinet has no legal status under the Constitution.
B) The Cabinet does not make decisions collectively.
C) The Cabinet does not meet as a group, except during the State of the Union address.
D) The Senate must approve the president's choice of cabinet secretaries.
E) Cabinet members are not responsible to the Senate or Congress at large.

Question 53

Which first lady was the first to seek and win public office on her own?

A) Dolley Madison
B) Eleanor Roosevelt
C) Betty Ford
D) Hillary Clinton
E) Laura Bush

Question 54

What is the primary constitutional task of the vice president, besides succeeding the president in case of death, resignation, or incapacitation?

A) to serve as Speaker of the House of Representatives
B) to cast tie-breaking votes in the Senate
C) to act as a chief admiral of the U.S. Navy
D) to represent the president overseas
E) to run the day-to-day operations of the Executive Office of the President

Question 55

When are the president's partisan ties most important?

A) in winning support from public opinion
B) in raising campaign funds
C) in dealing with Congress on legislative matters
D) in making executive appointments
E) in negotiating treaties and executive agreements

Question 56

The Executive Office of the President (EOP) was established under

A) George Washington in 1790.
B) Andrew Jackson in 1829.
C) Franklin Roosevelt in 1939.
D) Lyndon Johnson in 1965.
E) Bill Clinton in 1993.

Question 57

The Office of Management and Budget is important because

A) it has the power to veto any legislation passed by Congress that negatively impacts the federal budget.
B) the Constitution requires that the president receive its approval for every administrative rule change he proposes and for every tax increase he suggests.
C) it is granted the authority under the Constitution to pass the federal budget.
D) its personnel are an integral part of virtually every conceivable presidential responsibility, such as overseeing regulatory proposals, reporting on agency activities, and preparing the national budget.
E) its staff constantly analyzes the economy and economic trends in order to give the president the ability to anticipate events rather than reacting to them.

Question 58

The main political value of the vice president is to

A) bring the president votes in the election from a group or region that would not otherwise be a likely source of support.
B) draw negative attention away from the president during times of crisis.
C) give the president an institutional link to Congress.
D) act as the political party's chief fundraiser.
E) promote bipartisanship with members of the opposing political party.

Question 59

The president has the power to appoint which of the following positions?

A) state governors who resign before their term has expired
B) all state Supreme Court justices
C) cabinet secretaries
D) members of the House of Representatives who resign before their term has expired
E) the Speaker of the House

Question 60

The formal group of presidential foreign policy advisers, established in 1947, is called the

A) State Department.
B) National Security Council.
C) Joint Chiefs of Staff.
D) Council on Foreign Relations.
E) War Council.

Question 61

A signing statement is a(n)

A) announcement the president makes about his interpretation of a congressional enactment he is signing into law.
B) announcement made by a presidential candidate when formally accepting his or her party's nomination.
C) announcement made by the president and the leader of a foreign country immediately following an executive agreement.
D) announcement the president is required to make any time he issues an executive order.
E) decree issued by Congress that demands the president sign a congressional enactment into law immediately.

Question 62

Which of the following statements about signing statements is most accurate?

A) The Constitution requires that the president explain his interpretation of every law he signs by issuing a signing statement.
B) Although signing statements were commonly used prior to 1900, no modern president has issued them when signing a piece of legislation into law.
C) Signing statements never instruct executive agencies whether to implement sections of a new law and never interpret ambiguous provisions of the law.
D) While presidents have made signing statements throughout American history, they have only recently been recorded and made part of the official legislative record.
E) Signing statements were invented during the Reagan administration as a way for the president to circumvent the federal court system.

Question 63

Which of the following tactics did Franklin Roosevelt not use to forge a link between the executive office and the public?

A) going on speaking trips around the nation
B) delivering radio-broadcast fireside chats
C) holding biweekly press conferences with reporters
D) designating the first White House press secretary
E) running extensive national television advertising campaigns

Question 64

The expansion of the Executive Office of the President, the development of regulatory review, and the use of executive orders have been important because they

A) are deeply unpopular with the public and have led to the declining trust in American government.
B) make it very difficult for challengers to defeat incumbent presidents in elections.
C) have given presidents substantial capacity to achieve significant policy results despite congressional opposition to their legislative agendas.
D) have dramatically limited the power of the president and made it easier for Congress to dominate the American political system.
E) have rendered the judiciary essentially irrelevant in the American political system.

Question 65

Contemporary presidents frequently use popular mobilization and executive administration to achieve their goals because

A) these strategies give the president the opportunity to work directly with members of Congress from both political parties.
B) these strategies almost never fail to produce the exact outcome the president wants.
C) America's system of separated powers makes party support an unreliable presidential tool.
D) the Constitution gives the president almost no other way to pursue political change.
E) the Supreme Court has ruled that presidents are no longer allowed to draft legislation and work directly with members of Congress to pass it.

Question 66

The decline of voting and political participation by Americans has which of the following effects?

A) It increases the powers of both the Congress and the president.
B) It weakens the power of both the president and Congress.
C) It enhances the power of the president while weakening Congress.
D) It increases the powers of Congress while weakening the president.
E) It increases the powers of state governments and weakens the federal government.

Question 67

When the White House directs administrative agencies to promulgate specific rules and regulations, this is called

A) regulatory review.
B) administrative oversight.
C) delegation.
D) an executive agreement.
E) a mandate.

Question 68

Which of the following derives its greatest source of influence from the support of civil society?

A) the president
B) Congress
C) the judiciary
D) the bureaucracy
E) state governments

Question 69

Which president began the era of greater presidential control over the budgeting process?

A) Woodrow Wilson
B) Franklin Roosevelt
C) Lyndon Johnson
D) Richard Nixon
E) Ronald Reagan

Question 70

Which of the following statements best describes the number of significant executive orders between 1960 and 1995?

A) The number of significant executive orders has decreased dramatically between 1960 and 1995.
B) The number of significant executive orders has increased dramatically between 1960 and 1995.
C) The number of significant executive orders increased from 1960 to 1980 but then decreased from 1980 to 1995.
D) The number of significant executive orders decreased from 1960 to 1980 but then increased from 1980 to 1995.
E) The number of significant executive orders remained the same between 1960 and 1995.

Question 71

Which of the following statements about signing statements is false?

A) Presidents have made signing statements throughout American history.
B) Ronald Reagan's attorney general, Edwin Meese, is credited with transforming the signing statement into a routine tool of presidential direct action.
C) George W. Bush issued hundreds of signing statements during his time in office.
D) Ever since Thomas Jefferson's presidency, all presidential signing statements have been recorded and added to the official legislative record.
E) Recent presidents have used signing statements in an attempt to negate congressional actions to which they objected.

Question 72

According to political scientist Terry Moe, why does Congress suffer from a collective-action problem in the face of presidential power?

A) Individual members of Congress are more concerned with the substantive impact of presidential action on their constituents rather than the general implications of presidential powers.
B) The House and the Senate must work in tandem but constantly find any unity impossible.
C) The Constitution gives the president the ability to resist any congressional oversight not supported by two-thirds of members.
D) Members of Congress are often uninformed about the actions of the president.
E) The size and diversity of Congress make cooperation difficult.

Question 73

According to separation of powers expert Louis Fisher, the powers of Congress have declined dramatically in which of the following areas?

A) national defense and the federal budget
B) the federal budget and intelligence management
C) law enforcement and oversight
D) national defense and environmental protection
E) health care and education

Question 74

What is the general tendency of a president's popularity?

A) Presidents usually begin with moderate ratings that move drastically up or down, depending on their success.
B) Presidents usually start out popular and decline over the next four years.
C) Presidents usually maintain the public approval ratings they had when entering office, unless there is an economic recession or international crisis.
D) Presidents usually begin very unpopular and increase their popularity significantly as their term in office continues.
E) No pattern has been discerned in presidential approval ratings.

Question 75

The technique of popular mobilization dates back to the presidency of

A) Thomas Jefferson.
B) Ulysses Grant.
C) Theodore Roosevelt.
D) Franklin Roosevelt.
E) Andrew Johnson.

Question 76

Which statement concerning the White House Communications Office is incorrect?

A) It was an innovation by Bill Clinton.
B) It has become an important institution within the Executive Office of the President.
C) It allows the president to avoid giving information to the public.
D) It is designed to deflect criticism of the president.
E) It develops and implements a coordinated communications strategy.

Question 77

Why was it considered shocking when, after the Civil War, Andrew Johnson made a series of speeches seeking public support for his Reconstruction policies?

A) Johnson traveled with his own press secretary, the first time a president had used public relations officials.
B) During the nineteenth century, it was seen as undignified for a president to campaign on his own behalf.
C) Johnson did not speak to the general public, but instead spoke only to handpicked audiences where he knew he would be favorably received.
D) Johnson's speeches were delivered only in the former Confederate states and ignored the North, where he most needed support.
E) Johnson's speeches were the first to encourage women and African Americans to become active in politics.

Question 78

Which of the following actions was not the result of an executive order?

A) the Louisiana Purchase
B) the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II
C) entrance into the United Nations
D) the annexation of Texas
E) the desegregation of the military

Question 79

What happened when Harry Truman seized control of the nation's steel mills during the Korean War?

A) His action was upheld by the Supreme Court as a constitutional exercise of war powers.
B) Congress passed a bill shortly afterward that retroactively approved the steel mill seizures.
C) The Supreme Court declared his actions without basis in law or the Constitution.
D) The steel mills quickly capitulated to Truman's wartime demands, and the issue passed without further resolution.
E) Congress immediately passed a bill that legally prohibited the president from seizing the mills, and Truman quickly rescinded his executive order.

Question 80

The Constitution's framers believed that Congress's greatest prerogative would be its

A) war powers.
B) power of the purse.
C) oversight of the other two branches.
D) impeachment powers.
E) power of advice and consent.