posi exam 2 review
Which of these communication strategies have presidents used to promote their agenda to the general public? Multiple select question.
"fireside chats" on the radio televised press conferences posts on social media
Political scientist Richard Neustadt contended that an effective president is successful in using ______.
"the power to persuade"
In order to be a member of the House of Representatives, a person must be Blank______ years of age.
25
If the president chooses to veto a bill, Blank______.
Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber
Match two types of actions presidents can take on their own with their descriptions.
Executive order matches Choice A directive that implements or interprets a law passed by Congress. Executive agreement matches Choice Formal agreements made with foreign nations that are legally binding.
national election singular authority
He claimed he lacked the constitutional authority to take strong action.
What is the danger of modern presidents' relentless pursuit of public support?
It can lead them to pursue policies with immediate advantages rather than long-term benefits.
Which of the following statements about the War Powers Act are true?
It requires the president to inform Congress within forty-eight hours of the reasons for military action.
The president who redefined the role of the vice president was Blank______.
Jimmy Carter
How many justices sit on the Supreme Court?
Nine justices
If the Rules Committee places a "closed rule" on a piece of legislation, Blank______ amendments are permitted.
No
The Executive Office of the President includes which of the following components?
Office of Management and Budget White House Office National Security Council National Economic Council
Which of the following describe the irony of the presidency?
Presidents get too much credit when things go right. Presidents get too much blame when things go poorly.
Who was the only U.S. president to resign from office?
Richard Nixon
Which of the following statements about the vice president of the United States are true?
The vice president holds a separate elective office from that of the president. The vice president is assigned different roles by the president. The vice president typically forms part of the presidential team.
Polls indicate that voters' opinions of Donald Trump's performance had what effect in the 2018 midterms?
Those who were discontented with Trump helped Democrats retake control of the House.
After Vietnam, Congress sought to limit the ability of presidents to commit the United States to war by passing the Blank______.
War Powers Act
Which of the following circumstances help to create a powerful president?
a decisive election victory a major national problem
In his role as chief diplomat, the president Blank______.
appoints ambassadors negotiates treaties with other nations
Which of the following is not a direct power of the committee chair? Multiple choice question.
changes party affiliation at will
The president shapes and administers the nation's foreign policy while acting in the role of Blank______.
chief diplomat
As Blank______, the president is the supreme military commander of the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard.
commander in chief
Which institution has the power to formally declare war?
congress
Each of the 50 states structures and maintains its own Blank______.
court system
Through the use of administrative powers, the president can Blank______. Multiple choice question.
decide how laws will be implemented
A key to understanding the power of the presidency is a recognition that presidential power Blank______. Multiple choice question.
depends on the occupant of the office
The duties of each vice president are Blank______.
determined by the particular president with whom he or she serves
Which of these presidential appointees are the most difficult for the president to control?
directors of federal departments and agencies
The scenario in which the president belongs to one political party while the opposition party has majority control of at least one chamber of Congress is known as Blank______.
divided government
Since the Truman administration, the number of bureaucratic agencies has more than Blank______.
doubled
In 2020, when President Trump directed the production of ventilators and other medical supplies in response to the COVID-19 crisis, he did so by issuing an ______.
executive order
True or false: Less than 4 percent of presidential nominees to the Supreme Court have been rejected by the Senate on grounds of judicial qualification, legal views, personal ethics, or partisanship.
false
The ability to command attention via the bully pulpit serves primarily to Blank______.
focus the public and media on issues the president cares about
In general, presidents have more power to act on their own in which policy area?
foreign policy
The president performs all of the following except Blank______.
having the final say in interpreting the U.S. Constitution
When a committee or subcommittee holds a(n) ---- they are trying to gather information about a proposed bill.
hearing
Since the 1790s, the power of the presidency has evolved owing to the Blank______.
increased involvement of the presidency in a range of policy areas
Presidents can influence the courts by Blank______.
influencing the cases that come before courts choosing how much to enforce court decisions
Judicial review is a term that refers to the power the Supreme Court has to ______. Multiple choice question.
invalidate a law or action on constitutional grounds
Alexander Hamilton said that the power of the Supreme Court rested on the power of Blank______.
judgment—the reasonableness and fairness of its actions
When a bill falls into the area in which a committee is authorized to act, that committee is said to have Blank______.
jurisdiction
Which function is the main responsibility of Congress, to which all other functions of Congress are related?
lawmaking
An example of Congress's Blank______ occurs when Congress passes legislation that creates incentives for the development of alternative energy sources.
lawmaking function
President Ronald Reagan was viewed as ______.
less powerful than jimmy Carter
More than half of post-World War II presidents have left office with an approval rating of Blank______.
less than 50 percent
The framers of the Constitution granted Congress the power to Blank______, the greatest of all powers of government.
make laws
In Insecure Majorities, Frances Lee noted that, in the currently closely matched parties, members of Congress are engaged in "______" rather than "governing."
messaging
Which two features of the presidency have enabled presidents to claim leadership on national policy?
national election singular authority
Which of the following correctly describes the executive authority that the Constitution assigns the vice president?
no executive authority
A Supreme Court Blank______ explains the justices' legal basis for their decision.
opinion
Ensuring that laws are being administered by the executive branch in the way intended by Congress is an important function of Congress and is known as
oversight
Which function describes the process by which the legislature checks on the executive branch to make sure it is carrying out the laws in the way Congress intended?
oversight
Which of the following are the functions of Congress? (Choose every correct answer.)
oversight lawmaking representation
The partisan divide in Congress has grown in recent years, to the point where each party has a high level of Blank______, which is when party members band together on legislation and oppose the other party.
party unity
The blurring of the line between campaigning and governing has come to be known as the. ----
permanent campaign
The increase in party polarization in Congress has led to increased ______.
policy deadlock
In his book Electing Justices, Richard Davis likens Supreme Court appointments in the era of party polarization to ______.
political campaigns
When foreign countries look to the United States for leadership, they direct their attention to the Blank______.
president
Most of America's recent wars have been waged on the basis of a Blank______.
presidential directive
Under the common law tradition, judges should base their decisions on Blank______.
previous judicial rulings
The minority party's committee and subcommittee leaders are its. ---- members
ranking
Which cabinet member can be described as a close advisor to the president in most administrations?
secretary of state
Choosing committee chairs based on which member has the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee is an example of the ---- system
seniority
Presidents might not succeed in achieving certain goals if Congress does not provide the necessary funding for them. This illustrates the government's ______.
separation of powers
Members of Congress cannot claim to be the leader of the United States because they Blank______.
share power with other members of Congress are elected from different areas and not nationally
Which of the following terms describes a permanent committee in Congress that has a defined legislative jurisdiction?
standing committee
The "federal court myth" is the inaccurate belief that Blank______.
state courts play a role subordinate to federal courts
Incumbents have ______ over challengers.
substantial advantages
The American common law evolved from which legal system? Multiple choice question.
the British system
During which of these major events was there an enormous expansion of presidential authority?
the Great Depression
Which of the following is the part of the Executive Office of the President that consists of the president's closest direct personal advisers?
the White House office
What usually is the best indicator of how individual Supreme Court justices will vote in cases where the Court issues a divided decision?
the justices' political backgrounds
The president's cabinet consists of Blank______.
the leaders of the top executive departments
The importance of an advertising style of governing emerged when candidates began to build their campaigns around which three of the following?
the media rallies polling
Andrew Jackson was the first president to forcefully assert the idea that Blank______.
the president rather than Congress should take the lead on national policy issues
To what does political scientist Hugh Heclo's term the illusion of presidential government refer?
the public's belief that the president actually runs the entire government in the United States
The next step for a federal case on appeal from a U.S. district court is that it travels to Blank______.
the us appeal
Presidents are likely to be successful and powerful if Blank______.
they face special circumstances that call for their leadership
True or false: Studies by political scientists have shown that Supreme Court justices tend to vote according to their political attitudes.
true
Compared with their percentage of the overall population of the United States, women and minorities are Blank______ in Congress.
underepresenteunderrepresentedd
According to the doctrine of judicial activism, judges should
use the law in ways that expand the protection of basic rights, such as liberty and equality.
According to political scientist Richard Neustadt, a sign of presidential weakness is the ______.
veto
Positive aspects of party polarization include the fact that ______.
voters can more clearly see and understand party differences
In terms of their careers, most members of Congress Blank______.
want to stay in Congress and put themselves in position for reelection
When is congressional oversight exercised vigorously?
when members are annoyed with an agency when members are intending to modify an agency program
Presidents typically nominate people to lower-court judgeships Blank______.
who are members of their political party
Under which of the following presidents did the greatest expansion of presidential authority take place?
Franklin Roosevelt
Why is blatant partisanship not really a factor in lower-court decisions?
Judges value their independence as officers of a separate branch of the government. Most lower-court cases are clear-cut, with little leeway in judges' interpretation of the law.
Which of the following are true concerning women and minorities who run for congressional office? (Choose every correct answer.) Multiple select question.
Women and minorities are less likely to run for Congress than white males. There are more women than there are minorities in Congress.
The Supreme Court, recognizing public opinion in the Brown v. Board of Education case, required local school systems to Blank______.
desegregate "with all deliberate speed" instead of immediately
Elections held two years after presidential elections are called Blank______ elections.
midterms
Which of the following are duties of the Secretary of State?
participating in international conferences providing advice to the president on foreign policy overseeing the diplomatic corps protecting U.S. citizens abroad
Ironically, when are most presidents most powerful?
the first month in office
Which of the following are considered criteria that the average American uses to evaluate presidential leadership? Multiple select question.
whether the president prioritizes many of the same issues that concern much of the public whether the president is a strong leader unafraid to exercise power and to communicate a vision for the nation
Among presidents remembered for rising to challenges (benefiting from circumstance) while in office are Blank______.
Franklin Roosevelt Lyndon Johnson Ronald Reagan
Which of the following descriptions of the U.S. presidency are true?
The formal powers of the presidency are modest. The degree of leadership the president can exert largely depends on circumstances. It operates in a system of divided powers.
Which of the following oversight tools help Congress to ensure that the executive branch is administering the laws properly? (Choose every correct answer.)
congressional hearings budgetary appropriations
Compared to the powers of the presidency that George Washington assumed in 1789, the powers of the presidency that Joe Biden assumed in 2021 are Blank______.
considerably more powerful
Among the reasons that presidents are less powerful than many Americans assume is that they ______.
face uncontrollable circumstances that can hurt their ability to lead ultimately derive their power from the American public itself
True or false: The president's ability to command attention via the bully pulpit guarantees that the desired policy objectives will be achieved.
false
True or false: Today, nearly every foreign policy initiative originates with Congress.
false
Hearings are an effective way for committees to Blank______.
gather information
The beginning of a new presidential administration, which is often characterized by higher levels of public approval, is known as a Blank______.
honeymoon period
Which chamber of Congress can vote to impeach the president?
house of representatives
The scenario in which the president belongs to the same political party that controls the House and Senate is called Blank______.
unified government
In the large majority of cases, the winner of a congressional campaign is the Blank______.
incumbent
One reason standing committees are powerful is that by law they have Blank______.
jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area
The party that controls the rules and has the most powerful leadership position in the House is the ----- party
majority
Compared with Republican presidents, Democratic presidents have appointed Blank______ to the federal bench.
more women and minorities
The type of state law that involves such issues as business disputes or divorces is known as ______.
civil law
Appellate courts review which aspect of lower court decisions?
how a lower court applied the law
The Speaker of the House has the right to do which of the following? (Choose every correct answer.)
speak first during House debate on legislation choose who may speak on the House floor select the chairperson of the House Rules Committee
The most powerful leader in the House of Representatives is the Blank______
speaker of the house
A permanent committee in Congress is known as a(n) ---- committee
standing
Recent Supreme Court appointees have come overwhelmingly from what background?
the appellate courts
To whom or what does the president typically delegate the task of identifying nominees to lower-court positions?
the deputy attorney general
Which of the following are limits on judicial power?
the facts of the case the law itself
Members of the House of Representatives typically serve on Blank______ committees, while members of the Senate serve on Blank______.
2 and 4
A limit of Blank______ exists for how long a Republican member can chair a particular committee.
6 years
The Constitution establishes the Supreme Court. Which entity is empowered by the Constitution to establish the lower federal courts?
congress
Which interest group regularly files cases seeking to protect individual rights?
ACLU
Every bill must be approved by both the House and the Senate in ---- form before it can be sent to the president.
Blank 1: identical, same, like, or exact
True or false: The Constitution requires that federal judges be citizens and at least thirty years old.
False
Overall, what effect has the exercise of judicial review had on the balance of power between levels of government and the branches of government in the United States?
It has increased the power of the courts by creating new powers. It has increased the power of the federal government.
What is the purpose of the writ of certiorari?
It is an order from a higher court for a lower court to submit a record of a case to the higher court.
Which two of the following are aspects of the dual nature of Congress? Multiple select question.
Its members have a duty to serve people in their states or individual districts. It has the responsibility to make laws for the country as a whole.
What shift brought the president to a more central role in the legislative process?
National and international forces combined to place greater policy demands on the federal government.
Which of the following describes the power of Congress relative to the other branches of government?
No executive agency or lower court can exist without congressional authorization.
Which of the following statements concerning the political orientation of Supreme Court justices is correct?
Republican appointees are more likely than Democratic appointees to side with law enforcement officials instead of with the criminally accused.
Which of the following statements accurately describes the challenge faced by the judiciary in interpreting the Constitution?
The Constitution is silent concerning the approach that judges should take in deciding cases where the law is not completely clear.
Why is it impossible to firmly settle the argument over judicial restraint and activism?
The Constitution offers no specific method of decision making.
How does public opinion affect Supreme Court decisions?
The Court takes public opinion into account so as not to create outright defiance of its decisions. The Supreme Court is less responsive to public opinion than elected government officials are.
What unique and vital power does the chief justice enjoy once the Supreme Court has reached a decision in a case?
The chief justice chooses who writes the Court's opinion, provided the chief justice is a member of the majority.
Which of the following is not part of the Missouri Plan for selecting state-level judges?
The political parties nominate judicial candidates to run for office.
Which of the following statements about midterm elections are generally true?
The president's party usually loses seats. Voter turnout is lower than for presidential elections. There is less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election.
Which statement is true regarding decisions made by the federal courts of appeals?
The vast majority of their decisions are final, in that the Supreme Court accepts only a small fraction of appeals.
Why do justices write concurring opinions?
They agree with the Court's decision but disagree with some of the legal arguments made by the justices in the majority.
Which of the following correctly describes how committees and subcommittees serve to decentralize power in Congress?
They allow more members to hold leadership positions.
Which of the following statements about federal judges are true?
They are appointed by the president, subject to confirmation by the Senate. The only way to remove them is through impeachment. They serve until they die or retire voluntarily.
Which of the following statements correctly describe U.S. district courts?
They are the chief trial courts of the federal court system. , They are the only federal courts where cases are decided by a jury.
Which of the following is true of bills that emerge from committee with the full support of the committee members?
They are typically passed by an overwhelming majority.
Interest groups that rely on a judicial strategy to advance their cause are careful in which of the following ways?
They choose courts with judges who are likely to be sympathetic. They choose cases that have a chance of success.
The theories of judicial restraint and judicial activism differ in what way?
They differ in how much their adherents believe judges should follow precedent and defer to elected officials.
What holds party lawmakers together?
They have far more in common with each other than they do with lawmakers of the other party.
Amicus curiae briefs have what impact on the American legal system?
They help the court to understand how interested parties feel about the case in question.
Following oral argument, the Supreme Court justices meet in complete privacy and secrecy to discuss and vote on the case. This meeting of the justices is called Blank______.
a judicial conference
Supreme Court chief justice John Marshall used the Court to strengthen the judiciary and made legal decisions not explicitly discussed by the Constitution. These actions demonstrated Marshall's use of judicial ______.
activism
If congressional representatives find themselves having to choose between angering voters and donors or angering party leadership by refusing to go along with a vote, which will they likely choose?
angering leadership by voting the way their donors and voters want them to
The Supreme Court has which of the following?
appellate jurisdiction, original jurisdiction
According to Alexander Hamilton's argument in Federalist No. 78, the best way to ensure that the federal courts exercise their power reasonably and fairly is to Blank______.
appoint federal judges for life
The Constitution specifies that all federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, shall be Blank______.
appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate
Why is the Rules Committee considered one of the most important committees in the House? Multiple choice question.
because it decides the length of debate that will occur on a bill and whether amendments will be allowed
Why are future Supreme Court nominees unlikely to be rejected by the Senate?
because the use of the filibuster has been abolished for Supreme Court nominations
Which of the following strongly and positively affects a congressional candidate's ability win an election?
being an incumbent
a ---- is a proposed legislative act that if passed by both chambers of Congress and signed by the president becomes law.
bill
Supreme Court nominations in recent years have been Blank______ in the Senate.
bitterly contested
To plan strategy and resolve policy issues, party members in Congress typically meet behind closed doors in a session called a party
caucus
Which of the following are activities that typically take place in a party caucus? Multiple select question.
developing issues resolving policy differences
Identify the checks on judicial power that are available to Congress.
exercising its authority to confirm Supreme Court justices rewriting legislation it feels the judiciary has misinterpreted
The ______ of a case refer(s) to the circumstances of a legal dispute or offense.
facts
The relevant circumstances of a legal dispute or offense are known as ______.
facts
True or false: The Supreme Court's decision gives the legal basis for the Court's ruling.
false
True or false: The line between proper and improper judicial decision-making is very clear.
false
If the majority of the members of the House of Representatives are Republican, then every committee and subcommittee in the House will Blank______.
have a majority of Republican members
Which of the following are issued by the Supreme Court after hearing a case?
one or more opinions a decision
a ----- rule allows members to propose amendments that are relevant to any section of the bill.
open
A vote where most members of one political party vote one way while most members of the other party vote the other way is categorized as a Blank______ vote.
party unit
When the justices meet following oral arguments in a case, why are the proceedings secret?
to allow the justices to speak freely , to give the justices the opportunity to change their minds
True or false: After clearing the committee stage, floor debate on a bill is usually led by the majority party's leadership in the House.
true
When does a bill become a law?
when the president signs it congress overrides with a presidential veto
When four Supreme Court justices agree to request a record of the case from a lower court, the court issues a Blank______.
writ of certiorari