Unit 2 MCQ Test
Which of the following scenarios is an example of the trustee model of representation?
A member of Congress votes to close a popular tax loophole based on the belief that the money would be better spent paying down the national debt.
In Federalist 70, Alexander Hamilton states that "energy in the executive is a leading character in the definition of a good government." In this statement, Hamilton is arguing in favor for the need for
A single executive who can response quickly to crisis.
Based on the data, which of the following is the most likely consequence for the legislative process in Congress?
An increase in gridlock and failure to compromise on legislation
Which of the following describes the origin of the United States court system presented in the diagram?
Article III of the Constitution established a Supreme Court, while other federal courts were established by Congress. (WRONG)
Lobbyists from the Airlines for America, an advocacy group that represents commercial airlines, work with members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and officials from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to discuss a new policy that addresses issues of airline safety. This scenario best illustrates
B- an iron triangle
Congress passes a law requiring that all public accommodations provide access for people with disabilities. The United States Supreme Court rules that the law does not apply to the airline industry. Which of the following is the best way for congress to provide people with disabilities access to the airline industry in light of the court's ruling?
C- Pass a new law that specifies that the airline must provide access for people with disabilities.
Which of the following statements best explains the diagram?
Cases arising at both the state and federal level may be appealed to the United States Supreme Court.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of checks on the legislative branch and checks on the executive branch?
Check on Legislative Branch: The president may veto bills passed by Congress. Check on Executive Branch: The Senate must confirm judicial nominees.
(Paragraph written by Arthur M Schlesinger, Jr., The Imperial Presidency, 1973) Based on the passage above ,which of the following constitutional provisions would the author most likely identify as a solution to the problem of the imperial presidency?
Congress insisting that it declare war prior to the use of international force
On February 9, 2016, President Barack Obama released his budget proposal for the 2017 fiscal year. Facing a Republican Congress, many declared the plan "dead on arrival." Among the cited issues was Obama's request for $582.7 billion in discretionary spending for defense, which many Republicans believed was not enough. Which of the following most accurately explains the interaction between the president and the Congress regarding the defense budget?
Congress passes a budget for the entire federal government, including defense, but it must consider the president's proposal because the president may veto the bill.
Which of the following is an example of Congress using its implied powers?
Congress passing occupational safety regulations for the private sector
Which of the following accurately compares the powers of Congress and the president?
Congress: Budgetary Policy President: Cabinet appointments
A member of Congress votes in favor of a bill as a result of receiving many letters of support for the bill from constituents. Which form of democratic representation best describes this voting decision?
Delegate
After extensive polling, a member of the House of Representatives learns that her constituents favor universal background checks for all gun purchases. Based on their information, the representative votes in favor of background checks in a criminal justice bill, although she personally opposes the provision. In doing so, she is acting as a
Delegate
Which of the following is the most accurate comparison of the processes that generally facilitate gridlock and those that facilitate governmental action?
Facilitates Gridlock: Gerrymandering Facilitates Action: Partisanship (WRONG)
Which of the following accurately compares the formal and informal powers of the president?
Formal Power: Acting as commander in chief of the military Informal Power: Signing executive agreements with foreign nations
Which of the following is an accurate description of the powers of the House of Representatives and the Senate?
House of Representatives: Initiates all revenue bills. Senate: Confirms presidential appointments
Which of the following scenarios illustrates Washington's concerns?
Ideological divisions within Congress can lead to partisan gridlock.
In The Federalist 78, Alexander Hamilton argued that the federal judiciary "is beyond comparison the weakest of the three departments of power." Which of the following statements represents a reason he gave for this argument?
It must depend on the executive for enforcement of its decisions.
On July 9, 2018, after the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy, President Trump, a Republican, nominated Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Many Democrats in the Senate feared that the appointment of Kavanaugh would swing the Court in a more ideologically conservative direction and attempted to block his nomination. After a heated Senate confirmation hearing, Kavanaugh was eventually confirmed by a 50-48 vote in the Senate. The scenario best highlights which of the following statements about court appointees? Life tenure for appointed justices increases the stakes in the confirmation process for nominees to the Supreme Court.
Life tenure for appointed justices increases the stakes in the confirmation process for nominees to the Supreme Court.
"If, therefore, the legislature pass any laws, inconsistent with the sense the judges put upon the constitution, they will declare it void; and therefore in this respect their power is superior to that of the legislature." Which of the following cases is most related to the quote?
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
The Web site healthcare.gov was launched on October 1, 2013, to help citizens purchase health insurance for themselves in accordance with the Affordable Care Act. Within two hours of launch the site crashed. Once it was restored, problems continued, leading to difficulty for users. The following year, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius was called to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee to discuss the issue. The committee held this hearing as part of which of the following functions?
Oversight
Which of the following explains President Johnson's motivation for the speech in relation to his role as the head of the executive branch?
President Johnson is seeking to use the bully pulpit as a means of promoting his agenda on public education.
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
The data in the table illustrate which of the following about United States constitutional government?
Presidential foreign policy can be checked through the legislative power of Congress
A new president has been elected after running on a campaign of lowering taxes and reducing spending on discretionary programs but now must work with Congress to ensure legislation passes which achieves those goals. Which of the leaders in the diagram plays the most crucial role in shaping the legislation that the president wants passed?
Speaker of the House
Which of the following is an example of the executive branch implementing a public policy passed by Congress?
The Department of Health and Human Services determines eligibility requirements for government assistance
Which of the following is likely to occur as a result of new legislation regarding automobile safety?
The Department of Transportation will be given discretionary authority to create auto regulations.
A person claiming that the House can pass legislation with a simple majority, but the Senate is unlikely to pass legislation unless a bill has the support of a 60-vote super majority is most likely to cite which of the following institutional differences as the cause of this trend?
The House has strict limits on debate, while the Senate allows unlimited debate.
Which of the following factors most likely led to shifts in Supreme Court decision making over time?
The ideological composition of the justices on the Supreme Court shifted to become less liberal over time.
Which of the following statements is correct based on the bar chart?
The more consistently liberal a person is, the more that person is likely to believe that the Supreme Court should base its rulings on what the Constitution means in current times.
Which of the following clauses serves as the constitutional basis for the federal Real ID Act of 2005, a law that established uniform standards for state-issued identification cards and provided regulation of a state function?
The necessary and proper clause
Based on the data in the chart, which of the following is true?
The percentage of liberal decisions made by the Supreme Court on civil rights and civil liberties cases decreased between 1964 and 1996.
(Paragraph written by Arthur M Schlesinger, Jr., The Imperial Presidency, 1973) Which of the following statements is a correct implication of the author's argument?
The perception of multiple crises has led to the growth of an executive branch that is undermining the separation of powers in the government.
Which of the following scenarios best demonstrates a president avoiding a check from the judicial branch?
The president claims that certain detainees are enemy combatants and thus do not possess the same constitutional protections that the Supreme Court has upheld for the interrogation of criminal suspects.
(Paragraph written by Arthur M Schlesinger, Jr., The Imperial Presidency, 1973) Which of the following situations best reflects the author's concern about an "imperial" presidency?
The president issuing an increasing number of executive agreements
(Table about president and term, signing statements issued, and objections to legislation within the signing statement) Which of the following represents a reason that a president might use a signing statement to express displeasure with a bill as opposed to issuing a veto?
The president may have objections to provisions of a bill but does not want to risk Congress overriding a veto.
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 House of Representatives and the Senate is to coordinate a strategy for the minority party.
During his confirmation hearing, Chief Justice John Roberts stated that Roe v. Wade (1973) "is the settled law of the land." This statement suggests that in a case that challenges the constitutionality of legislation restricting privacy and reproductive rights, which of the following should be a key factor in the court's ruling?
The secretary of defense being called to testify before a congressional committee
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a formal check on the power of the bureaucracy?
The secretary of defense being called to testify before a congressional committee
"How Senators Voted on Tom Price for Health and Human Services Secretary, 2017." Which statement best explains the information in the graphic?
The secretary was confirmed by a party-line vote
(Table about president and term, signing statements issued, and objections to legislation within the signing statement) 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 included more objections than President Clinton's.
(Paragraph written by Arthur M Schlesinger, Jr., The Imperial Presidency, 1973) Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the text by Schlesinger and The Federalist 70 ?
While Schlesinger views centralization of power in the presidency as dangerous, The Federalist 70 views it as vital to the presidency's effectiveness.
In 2012, after negotiations on a bill in Congress failed, President Obama issued an executive order that protected from deportation individuals illegally brought to the United States as children by their parents.The president took this action because
disagreement between congressional leaders and the president on the issue meant that a compromise on a bill was not likely
The data illustrate that most conservatives believe that the United States Constitution
outlines a framework for government that the Supreme Court should apply strictly regardless of the political or personal preferences of judges