AP Gov Book Unit Four Quiz

Which of the following is a check of the courts' power of judicial review?

A constitutional amendment may be passed

Which of the following BEST describes the influence of a political party holding a majority in either house of Congress?

All standing committees are chaired by senior members of the majority party

Which of the following most accurately describes a common type of relationship that an agency head might have with members of Congress?

An agency head has frequent contact with the members of Congress who serve on the committees that typically fund and shape legislation for his or her agency

A representative who wants to ensure that projects for his district are properly funded would seek membership on the

Appropriations Committee

Which of the following does NOT accurately describe the relationship between a president and the cabinet?

Cabinet members are required to implement the president's policy decisions

Which of the following staff agencies proposed by the executive branch provides members of Congress with advice on the economic effects and probable cost of policies?

Congressional Budget Office

The president's attorney general oversees the

Department of Justice

The Supreme Court decision that ensures that all defendants are provided with an attorney is

Gideon v Wainwright

The political activities of federal civilian employees are regulated by the

Hatch Act

Which factors are important in influencing the Supreme Court to grant a writ of certiorari? I. The legal question has been decided differently by two lower courts. II. A lower court decision conflicts with an existing Supreme Court ruling. III. The issue could have significance beyond the two parties in the case. IV. The case represents a political question.

I, II, and III only

Which of the following are Constitutional qualifications for the presidency? I. No president could have held a commission in the U.S. military. II. No one born in another country may be president. III. The president must have lived in the United States for at least 14 years.

II and III only

Which of the following powers is a special power granted by the Constitution to the House of Representatives?

In the impeachment process, the House conducts impeachment hearings to convict or acquit a federal official

Which of the following is most often cited as a strength of the legislative process in the U.S.?

It allows for input from many people

Which of the following statements reflect the impact of the 27th Amendment on the federal government?

It prohibits members of Congress to pass a raise in pay on the current Congress; it may only apply to the incoming members

Which of the following is an example of a federal independent agency?

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Which of the following best describes the influence of partisanship on presidential appointments to federal judgeships?

Partisanship is a major consideration for presidential appointments since the majority of them are from the same political party

The late nineteenth century federal law that started as transfer of federal jobs from the patronage to the merit system was the

Pendleton Act

The "rule of four" refers to the number of

Supreme Court justices needed to approve the review of a case

Which of the following is an example of a government corporation?

Tennessee Valley Authority

Which of the following is the most important step in the confirmation process to investigate a prospective judicial appointment?

The Senate Judiciary Committee interviews and confirms recommendations during the public hearing process

All of the following accurately describe the organization of the House and Senate EXCEPT:

The Senate has a Rules Committee; the House does not

All of the following describe a check on the power of the judiciary EXCEPT:

The Senate may rescind their confirmation of a federal judge within a year of the appointment

Which of the following best expresses the role of the judiciary as described in the Constitution?

The courts should act as an arbiter between two disputing parties in order to solve issues

Decisions under the Roberts Court are BEST characterized by which of the following?

The decisions have been close, in many cases with a 5-4 majority

Which of the following most accurately compares the majority leader in the House of Representatives to the majority leader in the Senate?

The majority leader is usually not the most powerful leader in the House; in the Senate, the majority leader has the top leadership post

Which of the following is the best definition of judicial review?

The power of federal courts to rule on the constitutionality of laws

Which of the following situations is an exclusive power the president has over the bureaucracy?

The president hires most agency heads

According to the Twenty-fifth Amendment, what process is followed for filling a vacancy in the presidency?

The vice president becomes president and appoint a new vice president, who takes office after confirmation of a majority of both houses of Congress

Which of the following situations created a controversy regarding the electoral college in the presidential election of 2000?

The winner of electoral college was not the same candidate that won the popular vote

Which of the following is a current restriction that the Hatch Act places on federal employees?

They may not run for political office

An executive agreement with a foreign head of state is different from a treaty in that

a treaty must be ratified by the Senate

The primary purpose of the national census every ten years is to

accommodate population shifts in redistricting for representation to the House of Representatives

If it became apparent that the number of justices on the Supreme Court needed to be adjusted this must by done by a(n)

act of Congress

Congressional caucuses

actively support their issue or special interest

Which of the following public employees relies most heavily on discretionary authority for his or her power?

an agency head

The 25th Amendment protects the public from the actions of an incapacitated president by

an agreement between the vice president and a majority of Cabinet members that the president is disabled

The Supreme Court hears most cases as a result of

appellate jurisdiction

The president may exercise authority over the executive branch agencies in all of the following ways EXCEPT:

appointing federal court justices to investigate alleged wrongdoing of an agency

Which of the following powers does the president share with Congress as a whole?

approving legislation

A law that imposes a punishment on a person or group without a trial is a

bill of attainder

If one or more justices of the Supreme Court agree with the majority opinion but for different reasons, those justices will issue a(n)

concurring opinion

Senatorial courtesy is the presidential practice of

consulting the state senators before appointing federal judges for district courts

In the United Sates political system the iron triangle

describes the close relationship between the bureaucracy, Congress and interest groups

The purpose of the "litmus test" as applied to judicial nominees is to

determine the views of nominees on an important issue

Moving the responsibility of federal programs to the states is known as

devolution

Which of the following is a method used in the House to force a committee to send a bill to the full House of Representatives?

discharge petition

Most federal cases begin in

district courts

The United States has a court system at both the federal and state level which is known as a

dual court system

Congress oversees the agencies in the executive branch in all of the following ways EXCEPT:

firing agency heads, cabinet secretaries, and White House staff

Which of the following is NOT a power Congress has to control the bureaucracy?

firing the heads of agencies

The franking privilege allows members of Congress to have

free mailings to constituents

In which of the following settings is a bill the most likely to be changed/rewritten?

in sub-committee

The three points of the iron triangle are

interest groups, congressional subcommittees, bureaucrats

The power of the speaker of the House

is dependent upon support and unity of his/her party

A presidential veto of a legislative bill

is rarely overridden by Congress

A pocket veto is a technique that allows the president to

kill legislation presented to him within ten days of the adjournment of Congress

Which of the following is NOT an example of checks and balances of Congress over the executive?

limitation of the president's powers under executive privilege

If one congressional district in a state has three times the population of another district in the state, the problem is referred to as

malapportionment

When a court orders a government official to either complete or stop a certain action it is exercising an order of

mandamus

All of the following are expressed presidential powers in the Constitution EXCEPT:

may issue executive orders

Which of the following is a largely ceremonial position in the Senate?

president pro tempore

Signing statements have been used by presidents to

provide an interpretation of the law to guide agencies in enacting the law

Which of the following types of committees is permanently set up to consider legislation within a particular area?

standing committees

Most public hearings held by Congress to research and gain information regarding possible legislation are conducted by

sub-committees

Presidential claims to executive privilege are based on

the Constitutional principle of separation of powers

The U.S. president currently does not have the line-item veto because

the Supreme Court ruled the line-item veto unconstitutional

Which of the following government officials are appointed by the president, but do NOT need to be confirmed by the Senate?

the White House Staff

A closed rule for debate on the floor of the House of Representatives would mean that

the bill has strict time limits for debate

Munn v Illinois is a case that established the principle of

the right for government to regulate business

Historically, vice presidents have been chosen for the party presidential ticket primarily based on

their ability to help the ticket in terms of experience, ideology, or geography

Which of the following is the main reason the framers created a bicameral legislature?

to decentralize power to prevent abuse by elites

Which of the following powers does the Constitution prevent Congress from exercising?

to pass laws known as bills of attainder

Which of the following is a Constitutional duty of the vice president?

to preside over the Senate

In the Senate a vote of cloture is sought in which of the following circumstances?

to prevent a filibuster

Which of the following is the primary responsibility of Federal District Courts?

to serve as courts of original jurisdiction in federal cases