American Government unit 4

Traditionally, the Federal Government has borrowed money in order to

- make up for the deficit. -finance large-scale projects. -meet the costs of crises.

Which of the following arguments did Jackson use to defend the spoils system?

-. A large number of citizens should have the privilege of serving in government office. - Any person of normal intelligence is fit to hold any government position. - All government officials should belong to the party elected by the people.

Direct popular election is unlikely to be adopted because

-. a constitutional amendment would be required. -. a truly national campaign would cost even more than the present system. -. small States oppose direct election.

One reason that independent regulatory agencies are not subject to presidential control is that their members

-. are appointed to staggered terms. -. must consist of a nearly equal number of Democrats and Republicans. -. are appointed for long terms.

The domestic effect of the Vietnam War was that

-. many American families lost loved ones. -. billions of dollars were spent on the war instead of on domestic affairs -. many Americans lost faith in the nation's political system. Feedback

proposals for reforming the primary system? (3)

-Hold a single national primary in all States on the same day -Hold regional primaries at two or three week intervals. -Let voters' expressed preferences for candidate be binding on delegates

When deciding how a President should be elected, the Framers considered all of the following plans

-election by Congress -electoral college -popular election

The _______ separated presidential and vice presidential elections.

12th amendent

The first executive departments were created by

CONGRESS

People vote for the president and Vice President

Direct popular election

More than half the employees of executive departments are political appointees. T/F

FALSE

The first African American Cabinet head was appointed in the 19th century, shortly after the Civil War. T/F

FALSE

All U.S. Presidents have taken a broad view of their powers. T/F

False

A system that would weight the current winner -take-all system in favor of the winner of the popular vote

National bonus plan

Before 1804, each _____ cast two votes for President.

Presidential Elector

A system in which each presidential candidate would receive the same share of a states electoral vote that he or she win in the popular vote

Proportional plan

negotiated by the president and must be approved by a two thirds vote of the senate

TREATY

Executive departments are each headed by a member of the President's Cabinet. T/F

TRUE

Many subunits of executive departments are organized geographically and their employees work outside of Washington, D.C. T/F

TRUE

The Senate can reject the President's appointment of a Cabinet member. T/F

TRUE

the civil service hiring practices

The assassination of Garfield dramatically increased the support for reforms in this.

Most of the rules governing the national convetions of the two major political parties are set by

The parties themselves

Today each state presidential electors are chose by

The political parties

which of the following is NOT a defect in the electoral college system

The result is usually not known for weeks or months after the popular vote

Those who are concerned about deficit financing by the government argue mainly that current policies

Those who are concerned about deficit financing by the government argue mainly that current policies

Which of the following is NOT a constitutional limitation on Congress's power to tax?

a. Congress cannot impose regressive taxes

Which of the following best describes the relationship between Presidents and their Cabinets throughout American history?

a. Some Presidents have relied heavily on the advice of their Cabinets while other Presidents have tended to ignore their advice.

The two main jobs of the heads of executive departments are to serve as

a. advisor to the President and overseer of the department

Under the Hatch Act of 1939, federal workers were

a. forbidden to engage in partisan political activity.

The President does NOT have the power to

a. make someone accept a pardon.

Under the Pendleton Act,

a. merit became the basis of all civil service jobs.

a general pardon

amnesty

a "pocket veto" is used only

at the end of a congressional session

An example of a line agency is the

b. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Office of Personnel Management and the Civil Rights Commission are examples of

b. agencies that were given independent status in order to protect them from political influence

A governmental organization given the title of corporation or authority is usually an agency that

b. conducts business-like activities.

The term department is reserved for government agencies that

b. have Cabinet rank

The Federal Government gets the bulk of its annual revenues from

b. individual income taxes.

Which of the following is NOT one of the principles upon which all bureaucracies are organized?

b. merit system

What is the most important objective of American foreign policy?

b. to protect the security of the United States Correct

The Merit Systems Protection Board is ___, consisting of members of both parties.

bipartisan

the most recent presidents to have used military force were

bush and Clinton

The newest Cabinet department is the

c. Homeland Security

Which of the following statements about the Cabinet is FALSE?

c. The Constitution provides a brief outline of the Cabinet's purpose

The decisions made by independent regulatory commissions with quasi-judicial powers

c. can be appealed to the U.S. courts of appeals.

Under Humphrey's Executor v. United States, the President

c. cannot remove a member of an independent agency except on the grounds of incompetence or malfeasance.

What was George Washington's advice on foreign policy?

c. do not form permanent alliances with other nations Correct

The United States Postal Service is an example of aNo

c. government corporation.

The Office of Management and Budget performs all of the following tasks EXCEPT

c. helps President prepare executive orders.

If a President does not agree with a federal law, he or she

c. must carry it out, but has some leeway in how strongly he or she enforces it.

Support for reforms in civil service hiring practices increased dramatically as a result of

c. the assassination of Garfield

as commander in chief the president may do what 3 things

call up and command the state militias use the united states army to control domestic uprisings commit American troops abroad for up to 60 days without the consent of congress

The powerful White House Office is headed by the

chief of staff

The ___ is the group of public employees who perform the administrative work of the government

civil services

a reduction in the severity of a sentence or a fine imposed by the court

commutation

All government borrowing must be authorized by

congress

Most of the Framers were opposed to the proposal that the President be selected by ______.

congress

The independent agencies were created by

congress

congress has delegated a great deal of authority to the president because

congress has time to provide only general outlines for public policy

The ___ gives the President the power to appoint ambassadors.

constitution

The President's ordinance power comes from

constitution and congress

tax on imports

custom duty

What is a good explanation of the policy of deterrence?

d. A strong military is most effective if it does not have to be used. Correct

An example of a staff agency is the

d. White House Office.

The three members of the Council on Environmental Quality are

d. appointed by the President with Senate approval

In Clinton v. New York City the Supreme Court struck down the President's

d. authority to use the line-item veto

The rule of senatorial courtesy means that

d. before removing an official who serves in a State, the President must gain the approval of both senators from that State.

At lower and middle levels, the federal pay scale is ___ private industry, but at higher levels, it ___.

d. comparable to, is significantly lower

The Federal Government is able to borrow money at lower interest rates than private borrowers because

d. it is considered the safest possible investment. Correct

Most of the Framers opposed choosing the President by popular vote because they

did not think voters in such a large country would be able to learn enough about the candidates to make an informed decision.

System in which presidential electors would be chosen by each of a states congressional districts

district plan

Which of the following is NOT one of the social programs for which the Federal Government collects monies from most workers and employers?

education Fund

Mass of people who cast votes in an election

electorate

___ are indirect taxes.

excise taxes

does not require senate approval

executive agreement

A presidential directive, called aNo ___, has the force of law

executive order

Because the Constitution limits the amount of money the Federal Government can borrow, the public debt is as high as it will ever be. t/f

false

Both parties have the same number of delegates to their conventions. (T or F)

false

Domestic affairs include all matters taking place inside and outside the country's borders t/f

false

In its early stages, industrialization weakened the power of the presidency. T/F

false

Most party conventions today involve a big floor fight to select their candidates for President and Vice President (T or F)

false

The Department of Commerce performs federal borrowing by issuing securities. t/f

false

The Framers carefully laid out the organization of Cabinet departments. T/F

false

The cold war was a war of much military action. t/f

false

The keynote address is often the most controversial part of the convention (T or F)

false

The policy of deliberately avoiding involvement with other countries is known as détente.

false

The public debt decreased between 1981 and 1985. t/f

false

some presidents have gotten around the senates refusal to ratify a treaty by

getting congress to pass a joint resolution that does the same thing

Many claim the advantage of ____ is their flexibility or freedom from the control of regular departmental organization.

government corporations

accusations that the nation has an imperial presidency have been made because some presidents

have taken strong action without consulting congress

when president Nixon accepted the pardon extended by president ford, it was understood that

he was admitting guilty

if there is a tie in the electoral vote for president

house of reps chooses among the top THREE candidates

The 10 ____ operate largely outside presidential control.

indecent regulatory commission

The Civil Rights Commission and the Peace Corps are both ____.

independent executive agencies

Both of the major parties apportion delegates to each State based on

its electoral votes and its recored in recent elections.

the purpose of the war powers resolution of 1973 was to

limit the presidents powers to make war

the power to cancel specific dollar amounts in spending bills

line item veto

as American society has become more complex the American people have

looked to the federal government and to the president for leadership

In a State's presidential primary, voters

may either choose delegates or express a preference for a candidate.

The President must take the ___ on the day he takes office

oath of office

Of the federal civilian employees, the President appoints

only a handful

legal forgiveness of a crime

pardon

The "Spoils System" is a later version of Thomas Jefferson's idea of

patronage

taxes automatically withheld by employers

payroll tax

a foreign diplomat posted in the united states who is recalled by the president

persona non grata

in 1800, presidential electors were chosen by their _____.

political party

In the election of 1800, the newly formed political parties nominated not only _______, but _________, who were pledged to vote for their party's ticket.

presidential and vice-presidential candidates, presidential electors

take based on ability to pay

progressive tax

Both bonds and T-bills are essentially

promissory note

The goal of proportional representation has been to

promote greater grass roots involvement in the convention process.

The SEC exhibits its ____ powers when it decides disputes.

quasi-judaical

The power to establish rules and regulations makes some independent agencies _______.

quasi-legislative

the presidents power to give or withhold diplomatic recognition of a new government is a powerful weapon

recognition

List of those applicants who are qualified for government employment.

register

taz levied a flat rate

regressive tax

a postponement of the execution of a sentence imposed by a court

reprieve

The ___ must confirm most of the President's appointments.

senate

From the 1820s to the 1880s, the ___ was the standard way of choosing federal employees.

spoil system

The National Security Council is aNo

staff agency

The ___ has ruled that the President's ordinance power may be limited. Answer 2

supreme court

declaration of taxable income along with deductions and exemptions

tax return

If the presidential vote in the electoral college results in a tie,

the House of Representatives votes to decide.

in times of national emergency

the powers of the presidency are strengthened

The election of 1800 resulted in

tie between Jefferson and Burr.

At the Philadelphia Convention, some of the Framers argued that the President should be subordinate to Congress.

true

Bureaucracies are, by definition, not privately owned. T/F

true

Collective security became an important principle of American foreign policy after World War II.

true

Deterrence is the policy of making the country strong enough to discourage attacks from its enemies. t/f

true

Nearly all of the federal bureaucracy is in the executive branch T/F

true

One reason that presidential power has grown is the President's ability to command the attention of the mass media. T/F

true

The Council of Economic Advisers is the largest agency in the Executive Office.

true

The Executive Office of the President is an umbrella agency made up of offices staffed by the President's closest advisors and assistants. t/f

true

The Federal Government makes a profit from the minting of coins. t/f

true

The Truman Doctrine was a policy of containment of communism. t/f

true

The caucus-convention is the oldest method for picking delegates to the national convention. (T or F)

true

The federal budget keeps track of spending and receipts occurring in the current year. t/f

true

The fiscal year runs from October 1 through September 30. t/f

true

The main purpose of the federal bureaucracy is to carry out the policies of the President and Congress. T/F

true

The scope of a President's power depends largely on the views of the President. T/F

true

The winner-take-all primary is not common today. (T or F)

true

There is little uniformity in the use of terms describing units within the T/F

true

When income is higher than spending there is a surplus. t/f

true

what is an example of the presidents ability to check the power of congress

veto

placed strict limits on the presidents powers a s a commander in chief

war powers resolution

major criticism of the proportional plan is that it would

weaken the two party system

Which office serves as the "nerve center" of the executive branch?

white house office

the most extreme action a president can take against a county in the area of diplomacy is to

withdraw recognition of the legal existence of the country

What world event put a complete end to American policies of isolationism?

ww1