Khan Academy AP Gov Interactions Among Branches of Government Unit Test

Growth of mandatory spending in the federal budget Which of the following programs would fall under the discretionary spending portion of the pie chart?

Defense spending

In 1963, Congress passed the Clean Air Act, which sets limits on air pollution on a national level. In response, the Environmental Protection Agency set standards to limit the carbon dioxide emissions from new power plants in the United States. The action taken by the Environmental Protection Agency is an example of which of the following?

A directive from a bureaucratic agency establishing requirements on how actors in their jurisdiction can operate

Which of the following statements explains how an executive order can cause conflict between the president and Congress?

An executive order enhances the power of the president because it creates laws without congressional approval

Which of the following presidential actions is an example of court-curbing?

Appointing justices that shift the ideological balance of the Supreme Court

Boris Rasin, "Axe or Scalpel" political cartoon, Flickr creative commons Which of the following statements is most consistent with the cartoon's message?

As entitlement costs grow, discretionary spending has to decrease unless tax revenues increase or Congress permits the budget deficit to increase

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the two court cases?

Baker v. Carr (1961): Decided that federal courts could intervene and decide redistricting cases Shaw v. Reno (1993): Decided that redistricting plans based on race must be held to a strict standard of scrutiny

Which of the following statements describes a way for the executive branch to limit the Supreme Court's power?

By appointing new Supreme Court Justices

Appointments to the president's cabinet are sometimes contentious for which of the following reasons?

Cabinet-level officials are responsible for implementing the law created by Congress, while still advocating for the president's agenda

Which of the following constitutional provisions gives Congress the power to change the Supreme court's appellate jurisdiction?

Exceptions clause in Article III

Members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure are concerned about a rise in the number of accidents on national highways. Which of the following is an action the committee can take to address this problem?

Holding a hearing and subpoenaing the testimony of high-level officials of the Department of Transportation

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the Senate and House of Representatives?

House of Representatives: Designed to represent the population Senate: Designed to represent states equally

Precedent-changing Supreme Court decisions (1953-1985) Which of the following statements best describes the information in the infographic above?

In general, the Warren Court changed precedents to be more liberal and the Burger Court altered precedents to be more conservative

The House Committee on Veteran Affairs, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) work together to achieve policies that benefit veterans. This is an example of which of the following?

Iron Triangles

Which of the following statements best explains the difference between iron triangles and issue networks?

Issue networks are more likely to focus on a single issue, whereas iron triangles focus on a policy area

Precedent-changing Supreme Court decisions (1953-1985) Based on the information in the infographic, which of the following statements accurately describes the effect Burger court had on existing precedents?

It made slightly more conservative changes to precedent than liberal changes

Which of the following statements best explains how stare decisis influences Supreme Court justices?

It makes justices more likely to defer to previous Supreme Court decisions

At his first State of the Union, President Jason Mendoza uses the platform to inform the American public and the other branches of government of his policy goals for the first year of his presidency. His policy goals include supporting the buffalo wing industry and making Blake Bortles the king of Florida. The president's agenda-setting power can have which of the following effects on bureaucratic agencies?

It pushes bureaucratic agencies to execute the follow through on the president's policy goals

"That unity is conducive to energy will not be disputed. Decision, activity, secrecy, and despatch will generally characterize the proceedings of one man in a much more eminent degree than the proceedings of any greater number; and in proportion as the number is increased, these qualities will be diminished..." -Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 70 "The Executive Department Further Considered," 1788 Which of the following scenarios would be considered an example of how unity is conducive to energy in the executive branch, as defined by the author of the passage?

John F. Kennedy's secret negotiations ending the Cuban Missile Crisis

In United States v. Nixon (1974), the Supreme Court ruled that President Nixon was not exempt from a court order that required him to release White House tapes. It upheld the right of the Court to "say what the law is," as Chief Justice Warren Burger wrote in the Court's majority opinion. Which prior Supreme Court case could be cited as a precedent for the majority decision in United States v. Nixon (1974)?

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Use the passage below to answer the following question. "That unity is conducive to energy will not be disputed. Decision, activity, secrecy, and despatch will generally characterize the proceedings of one man in a much more eminent degree than the proceedings of any greater number; and in proportion as the number is increased, these qualities will be diminished..." -Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 70 "The Executive Department Further Considered," 1788

One Person should run the executive branch because they will be able to act swiftly, decisively, and discreetly, which is necessary for the presidency

In 2010,the Supreme Court issued a controversial decision that struck down a federal law banning corporations and unions from donating to federal elections. Which of the following steps may Congress take to limit the Supreme Court's power?

Pass legislation changing the Court's appellate jurisdiction

A Supreme court precedent approving mandatory busing of students to ensure greater racial integration in public school throughout the South could be viewed as interfering with state powers under the Constitution, and as creating law rather than interpreting it. Which of the following could Congress do to limit the Supreme Court's power in response?

Pass legislation changing the Court's jurisdiction

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the expressed powers of the president and the powers of Congress?

Presidential Powers: Presenting the State of the Union Congressional Powers: Impeaching officials

Examine the graph and answer the question below. Average State of the Union address length, by president Which of the following is an accurate conclusion based on a comparison of the trends in the line graph and your knowledge of presidential communication strategies?

Presidents have increased the length of their State of the Union messages to make the most of the opportunity to influence the electorate directly

Read the Passage below and answer the following question. Chris Wallace: "Mr. Trump, you're pro-life. But I want to ask you specifically: Do you want the court, including the justices that you will name, to overturn Roe v. Wade, which includes -- in fact, states -- a woman's right to abortion?" Donald Trump: "Well, if that would happen, because I am pro-life, and I will be appointing pro-life judges, I would think that that will go back to the individual states. Trump: "Well, if we put another two or perhaps three justices on, that's really what's going to be -- that will happen. And that'll happen automatically, in my opinion, because I am putting pro-life justices on the court. I will say this: It will go back to the states, and the states will then make a determination." -Presidential candidate Donald Trump, Final Presidential Debate, 2016 Based on his statement in the passage, which of the following policy goals does Trump want to promote through ideological appointments to the Supreme Court?

Reversing the precedent that the right of privacy extends to a woman's decision to have an abortion

"The defeat of Robert Bork's 1987 Supreme Court nomination was a watershed event that unleashed what Stephen Carter has called 'the confirmation mess.' there was no question that Bork was a highly qualified nominee. He was rejected not because of any lack of qualification, or any impropriety, but because of his stated judicial philosophy: how he would vote as a judge." -John Maltese, "Anatomy of a Confirmation Mess: Recent Trends in the Federal Judicial Selection Process," 2004 Which of the following statements best summarizes the author's argument?

Robert Bork failed confirmation as a supreme court justice despite facing criticism for his ideological leanings

Which of the following describes the role of the House Rules Committee?

Schedules and manages the flow of legislation on the floor

Use the excerpt to answer the question below. "Lifetime appointments and the new, highly ideological stakes provided senators ample incentives to use holds and silent filibusters to prevent a majority of their colleagues from acting on judicial nominations, both to block those with different ideologies and to keep slots vacant until the presidency moves into their party's hands. Along the way, judicial confirmations have become increasingly politicized, and delays in confirming appellate judges have led to increased vacancy rates that have produced longer case-processing times and growing caseloads per judge on federal dockets." -Mann, Thomas E. and Norman J. Ornstein, It's Even Worse than it Looks, 2012

Senate confirmation serves as a check on appointment powers

Percent watching or listening to Bush post-9/11 speech on terrorism Which of the following statements is reflected in the date in the table above?

Technology such as broadcast media gives the president an avenue to rapidly respond to a majority of American citizens about political issues

"The distinction between a government with limited and unlimited powers is abolished, if those limits do not confine the persons on whom they are imposed, and if acts prohibited and acts allowed, are of equal obligation. It is a proposition too plain to be contested, that the constitution controls any legislative act repugnant to ti; or, that the legislature may alter the constitution by an ordinary act. Between these alternatives there is no middle ground. The constitution is either a superior, paramount law, unchangeable by ordinary means, or it is on a level with ordinary legislative acts, and, like other acts, is alterable when the legislature shall please to alter it."

The Constitution is above ordinary laws

Which of the following is likely to occur immediately as a result of new legislation regarding transition programs for veterans of the Afghanistan War?

The Department of Veterans Affairs will use its authority to decide how to implement the law effectively

Ohio has 16 representatives in the House of Representatives, but only two representatives in the Senate. Which of the following statements best explains the reason for this difference in representation?

The House represents states according to the size of their population, while the Senate represents the states equally

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a formal check on the federal bureaucracy?

The Senate Committee on the Budget proposes reducing the amount of money the Environmental Protection Agency gets for the 2021 fiscal year when setting the annual budget

Which of the following describes a difficulty the judicial branch faces in the policy implementation process?

The Supreme Court must rely on the other branches of government to enforce its rulings

Which of the following scenarios would most likely be considered judicial restraint?

The Supreme Court refuses to hear a case because the justices believe the issue should be solved by the legislative branch

"Anti-Third Term Principle," by Clifford K. Berryman, 1912. The cartoon depicts Theodore Roosevelt, left, and George Washington, right. Which of the following Constitutional Amendments is most relevant to the topic of the cartoon?

The Twenty-second Amendment

"In addition to educating the country, [President Barack Obama's] goal is to frame the political debate and set an agenda that the next Democratic presidential nominee can run on next year-an agenda that Obama hopes will put opposition Republicans at a big disadvantage. Obama has been getting lots of attention for bypassing the Republican-controlled Congress and using his unilateral powers, such as executive orders, to get his way. but his power to persuade is another vital weapon in the president's arsenal, since he can command media and public attention almost whenever he wants." -Kenneth T. Walsh, U.S. News & World Report, 2015 The strategy described in the passage above is an example of which of the following?

The bully pulpit

Which of the following statements best explains a limit to the Court's powers over the bureaucratic agencies?

The bureaucracy can ignore or refuse to implement the court rulings

"That unity is conducive to energy will not be disputed. Decision, activity, secrecy, and despatch will generally characterize the proceedings of one man in a much more eminent degree than the proceedings of any greater number; and in proportion as the number is increased, these qualities will be diminished..." -Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 70 "The Executive Department Further Considered," 1788 Which of the following is a consequence of the ideas set forth by the author of this passage?

The establishment of the president as Commander in Chief of the military

Examine the graphs and answer the question below. Presidential approval rating over time, based on sample responses to the question "Do you approve or disapprove of the way [the president] is handling his job as president?" Which of the following is an accurate conclusion based on a comparison of the trends in the line graph?

The increased speed of communication has led to more rapid changes in public perception of the president

Examine the cartoon and answer the question below. Political cartoon depicting Andrew Jackson, who championed granting offices to party supporters, riding a pig. Which of the following best describes the message in the political cartoon?

The patronage system leads to corruption

Senator Leslie Knope plans to vote in favor of two major bills. The first bill is about buying some land in Indiana and turning it into a national park. The second bill will ban any fast food restaurant from serving a 128-ounce soft drink, 21,000 constituents have called her asking her to vote against the second bill, but no constituents have called her about the national park bill. Senator Knope decides to vote in favor of the first bill, but listens to her constituents and votes against the second bill. Which model of representation do her actions embody?

The politico model

The Republican Party in the House of Representatives has recently proposed a new tax bill that would cut corporate taxes for the top 1% of Americans. Representatives Ron Swanson, a libertarian, has decided to vote for the bill even though a recent poll of his district shows that 56% of his constituents do not support the new tax bill. Which model of representation do his actions embody?

The trustee model

Appointments to the White House staff are often uncontested for which of the following reasons?

These appointments do not require Senate confirmation

*Barack Obama's tweet* Which of the following explains how President Obama is using social media to affect policy in the example above?

To inform American citizens of his policy goals

The Federal Election Commission enforces federal election laws. However. they have not filled an open position in over four years, preventing the commission from enforcing laws. In response, the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration calls a hearing and subpoenas the members of the Federal Election Committee to testify. Which of the following best explains the reason the Senate committee called this hearing?

To investigate why the FEC is not enforcing laws and hold the bureaucracy accountable

In which of the following scenarios is the president most likely to use the veto to limit the power of Congress?

When the opposing party holds a majority in Congress

Congress passes a law reducing the amount of violence that children can be exposed to on television. Which of the following actions can the Federal Elections Communications Commission (FCC) take to implement this measure?

Write guidelines about how much violence can be depicted during times children are like to be watching TV

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the enumerated and implied powers of Congress?

Enumerated power: Coining money Implied power: Maintaining a national bank

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the enumerated and implied powers of Congress?

Enumerated power: Establishing post offices Implied power: Banning the mailing of dry ice

Which of the following statements best explains an advantage the majority party in House of Representatives has in lawmaking?

It can assign bills to committees

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the two court cases?

Marbury v. Madison (1803): Decided that the Supreme Court can declare a law unconstitutional Shaw v. Reno (1993): Decided that redistricting plans based on race must be held to a high standard of scrutiny

Which of the following actions can states take to limit the Supreme Court's power?

Refuse to implement and enforce a ruling by the Court

A president believes the Court has overstepped its constitutional authority by requiring state legislatures to redraw congressional districts to address partisan gerrymandering. Which of the following could the president do to limit the Supreme Court's power in response?

Refuse to implement the decision

"The president may be convinced that a piece of legislation is unwise. But his judgment as to its un-wisdom is not a legal reason for his declining to execute it. (It may be a reason to veto it, and one of the objections to signing statements is that they are vetoes not subject to override.) And the president may have a definite view as to what the legislation means, and that view might include conclusions as to its constitutionality, but his is not the view that counts. He may be the commander in chief, but he is not the interpreter in chief." -Stanley Fish, "Who's afraid of Presidential Signing Statements?" Which of the following statements best summarizes Fish's argument?

Signing statements go beyond the president's expressed constitutional powers

Congress is most likely to use a court-curbing measure, like changing the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, when:

The American public does not support the Supreme court's decision

In 1971, President Nixon signed the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) into law. It required candidates for federal office to disclose who contributed to their campaigns and how much. Congress put the Federal Election Commission in charge of implementing the law. Which of the following likely occurred first after Congress gave the Federal Election Commission discretionary authority over the law?

The Federal Election Commission enforced the law by creating a series of rules for candidates

Bureaucratic rulemaking is best defined as which of the following?

The power to make legally binding standards that all persons under the agency's authority must follow

"In addition to educating the country, [President Barack Obama's] goal is to frame the political debate and set an agenda that the next Democratic presidential nominee can run on next year-an agenda that Obama hopes will put opposition Republicans at a big disadvantage. Obama has been getting lots of attention for bypassing the Republican-controlled Congress and using his unilateral powers, such as executive orders, to get his way. but his power to persuade is another vital weapon in the president's arsenal, since he can command media and public attention almost whenever he wants." -Kenneth T. Walsh, U.S. News & World Report, 2015 Which of the following statements best summarizes the author's argument?

The president's ability to command media attention gives him an advantage in shaping the national policy agenda

"Today, liberals and conservatives alike blithely rely on the Court to settle society's toughest issues-at the expense of the two branches of government that are designed to be democratic. The corrosive result is twofold: an arrogant Court and an enfeebled Congress that rarely is willing to tackle the toughest issues. Each feeds on the other. The justices often step in because they believe the members of Congress-elected by the people though they may be-act like fools or, like cowards, fail to act. Happy to stay off the battlefield, Congress seldom raises a peep, other than to crowd the camera during occasional Senate confirmation hearings on a new justice. The result is dwindling public faith in both institutions." -Source: David A. Kaplan, The Most Dangerous Branch: Inside the Supreme Court in the Age of Trump, 2019 Based on the text, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?

By issuing unpopular decisions, the Supreme Court invites challenges to its's legitimacy from the American public

Compliance monitoring has which of the following effects on the bureaucracy?

It challenges bureaucratic agencies' ability to implement a policy that matches the president's goals

Which statement accurately summarizes the impact of the Shaw v. Reno (1993) decision?

It created a strict standard of scrutiny when creating new legislative districts, ruling that race cannot be the predominant factor

Congress passed a law ordering the Department of Agriculture to create a National School Lunch Program that provides nutritionally-balanced meals to all students for free. President Stanley Hudson attached a statement when signing the bill into law, stating that his administration should include soft pretzels in their nutritionally-balanced meal plans. Which of the following statements best explains how a signing statement affects the Department of Agriculture's implementation of the policy?

It guides the rules and regulations that the Department of Agriculture issues to implement policy, especially when the law is ambiguous.

Which of the following statements best explains the impact the necessary and proper clause has had on congressional power.

It has broadened the power of Congress to enact legislation addressing a wide range of economic, environmental, and social issues

Which of the following best describes one limitation that Congress when attempting to monitor the bureaucracy directly by calling oversight hearings?

Oversight hearings take a lot of time and resources to be effective and Congress is too small to monitor all administrative actions directly.

In 1895, the Supreme Court heard a case about the Income Tax Act of 1894. The Court held that the act was unconstitutional and the federal government did not have the power to tax personal income. Which of the following is an action Congress could have taken to check the Supreme Court's power?

Proposing a constitutional amendment

Which of the following is example of how the president can use informal powers to limit a bureaucratic agency's focus when implementing a policy?

The president attaches a signing statement to a law explaining how their administration should implement it.

Which of the following scenarios is an example of how the president can hold a bureaucratic agency accountable?

The president issued an executive order to split the Department of Veterans Affairs into two agencies after the organization failed to meet policy goals

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the two court cases?

Baker v. Carr (1961): Led to the "one person, one-vote" judicial doctrine Shaw v. Reno (1993): Prohibited oddly-shaped majority-minority districts

How do the different chamber sizes in the House of Representatives and the Senate influences the formality of debate in each chamber?

Because there are more members in the House of Representatives, there is a more formal process for debate

Congress member Chidi Anagonye has proposed an Agriculture Appropriations bill that would fund important agricultural food programs food services. While the bill was in committee, Congress member Eleanor Shellstrop added an amendment to the bill that would send $250,000 to her district in Arizona for an Arizona Fried Shrimp Institute. She says she will only vote for the bill if it includes the funds for her district. This is an example of which of the following?

Pork barrel legislation

Which of the following scenarios would be considered a constitutional use of executive power?

The president confers diplomatic recognition on the new nation of South Sudan