Unit 2 Exam: Interactions Among The Branches

A presidential veto may be overidden with

A 2/3 vote in both chambers of Congress

Which of the following accurately describes the presidents lawful use of the War Powers Act?

A president can use military abroad in combat as long as Congress is informed within 48 hours.

In November 2014, President Obama announced an expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program through executive order...

A reluctant bureaucracy can hinder a president's agenda

Which of the following did Alexander Hamilton advocate for in Federalist No.70?

A strong, energetic executive

Which of the following is an accurate conclusion based on the trends in the chart and your knowledge of presidential appointments?

Ambassador appointments are the most contentious appointments because of the delicate nature of diplomacy

Review the comparison of the two SCOTUS cases

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

Which of the following is true according to the diagram?

Both chambers make use of a system of majority and minority whips

When the Supreme Court votes to hear a case, they issue a writ of _____ to the lower court where the case was last heard.

Certiorari

Which statement is true of the House of Representatives?

Members are elected every two years and apportioned to states based on population

Which of the following statements reflects a pattern in the line graph?

Most presidents exit office with lower approval ratings than when they entered office.

Which of the following situations best illustrates the meaning of divided government in the United States political system?

The majority of senators and the majority of representatives are from one party, but the president is from another.

Which of the following constitutional providing broadened the power of Congress?

The necessary and proper clause

Based on your knowledge and the diagram, which of the following is true regarding the leadership structure of Congress?

The role of the minority leader in both the HOR and the Senate is to coordinate a strategy for the minority party

Which of the following is NOT a way in which the powers of the executive branch are balanced by the legislative branch?

The senate may use the filibuster to block an executive order issued by the president

The Constitution gives _____ the power to draw Congressional district lines for redistricting after the Census

The states

In crafting the executive branch, what was the motive behind the decisions of the Constitutions Framers (shapes/creates plan)?

To create a leader with enough authority to protect the nation from domestic and foreign threats, but not so strong that he or she would jeopardize liberty

What was the purpose of the Hatch Act?

To prohibit federal employees from engaging in partisan political activity

At which step in the lawmaking process in Congress are bills most likely to meet their demise?

Upon referral to a committee or a subcommittee

Which of the following statements is most accurately supported by the data in the table?

While president George W. Bush issued fewer signing statements than president Clinton, his include more objections than president Clinton's

Modified the Electoral College vote for president. The President and VP are chosen by separate ballots in the Electoral College, which allowed the candidates to run on the same ticket and be elected together.

12th Amendment

This amendment gave people the right to vote for their senators instead of the state legislatures.

17th Amendment

This is referred to as the "Lame Duck Amendment". It shortened the period between the general election and when a new term began. It set the date for the presidential inauguration on January 20th and Congress as January 3rd.

20th Amendment

No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, or serve more than 10 years in office.

22nd Amendment

It clarifies that the vice president becomes president if the president dies, resigns, or is removed from office, and establishes how a vacancy in the office of the vice president can be filled.

25th Amendment

Prohibits any law that increases or decreases the salary of members of Congress from taking effect until after the next election of the House of Representatives has occurred.

27th Amendment

____ law governs relations between individuals and defines their legal rights

Civil

Which correctly matches the Role of President and the power or ability within that role?

Commander in chief; Issue executive orders, utilize executive privilege, and create signing statements

Describes an opinion written by a judge that is in agreement with the majority opinion, but with different legal reasoning.

Concurring

Which of the following correctly identifies an implication of the line graph?

Congress is more likely to act on a president's policy proposal at the beginning of a first term than at the end of a second term.

On the lowest tier of the federal judiciary are the ____

District courts

How do some members of Congress justify the practice of earmarking federal funds?

Earmarks are a legitimate way to give taxpayers a fair return on their taxes

Which of the following accurately compares the formal and informal powers of the president?

Formal: Acting as commander in chief of the military Informal: Signing executive agreements with foreign nations

Which of the following actions can the president take without congressional approval?

Grant reprieves and pardons

Bureaucratic rule-making is best defined as

Guidelines issued by government agencies, which provide specific details about how a policy will be implemented

Which of the following is the correct pairing of procedures or rules of each house of the legislative branch?

HOR: Has a Rules Committee that decides how long debate will be on most bills Senate: Has use of the filibuster and cloture, which can help the minority to defeat a bill

Members of the United States House of Representatives Committee on Veterans Affairs are concerned about the quality of services at hospitals run by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Which of the following is an action the committee can take to address the problem?

Holding a hearing and subpoenaing high-level officials in the Department of Veterans Affairs to testify

Which of the following is a function of departments and agencies within the federal bureaucracy?

Implementing public policies

Which of the following statements is most consistent with Alexander Hamilton's argument in Federalist No. 78?

In order to preserve a truly Constitutional system, the Courts must be able to reject actions of Congress that do not meet its standard

Which of the following best explains the principle of stare dicisis?

It encourages judges to follow precedent when deciding cases

The map shows the outline of a congressional district. Which of the following statements best explains the motivation behind the way in which it is drawn?

It has likely been drawn to pack together voters who are registered with the same party

Which of the following statements is true regarding the Court's decision in Marbury v. Madison (1803)?

It overturned part of an act of congress

Judicial Activism v. Judicial Restraint

Judicial Activism: Is practiced when courts when courts overrule legislative acts or shape policy Judicial Restraint: Is exercised when courts refrain from interfering with policies created by elected bodies

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of original and appellate jurisdiction?

Original: Right to hear a case for the first time, cases involving 2 or more states Appellate: Cases from lower courts, most SC cases are heard through appellate jurisdiction

Which of the following situations is an example of the president using the bully pulpit as a tool for agenda setting?

President Reagan delivering a televised address urging a reduction in federal taxes

Which of the following data is reflected in the chart above?

Presidents tends to nominate judges that are aligned with their own political affiliation

Which of the following is the most certain way to override a Supreme Court decision?

Proposing and ratifying a constitutional amendment that counters the decision

Which of the following is an example of the MEDIA acting as an informal check on the president?

Reporter's Woodward and Bernstein expose the watergate cover up which ultimately led to Nixon's resignation

Which of the following is an accurate comparison regarding membership in the Senate and US House of Representatives?

Senate: Members elected by voters of an entire state HOR: Members elected by voters of a particular district based upon population

Nominations to the Supreme Court must be approved by a

Simple majority in the Senate only

Which of the following accurately describes the data in these graphs?

The Burger Court struck down a greater number of precedents annually than the Rehnquist Court did.

Which of the following is true about the impeachment process?

The House can impeach a president and the Senate can remove a president on conviction of bribery or other high crimes and misdemeanors.

Appointments to the federal judiciary are often contentious for which of the following reasons?

The House of Representatives can undermine presidential authority by overriding judicial appointments

Which of the following accurately describes the information presented in the pie chart?

The United States Postal Service has the largest number of employees within the federal bureaucracy

The selection of employees for government agencies on the basis of competence, with no consideration of an individuals political stance and/or power, is called the ____ and was established by the Pendleton Act of 1883

The patronage/spoils system