2.2 The Presidency

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? a. The president may have objections to provisions of a bill but does not want to risk Congress overriding a veto. b. Congress has severely curtailed the power of the president to withhold funds for bills that have been adopted. c. The Supreme Court is hesitant to acknowledge the president's power to veto legislation. d. The president wants to ensure executive agencies do not spend the money appropriated by Congress.

a. The president may have objections to provisions of a bill but does not want to risk Congress overriding a veto.

In The Federalist 70, Alexander Hamilton states that "energy in the executive is a leading character in the definition of good government." In this statement, Hamilton is arguing in favor of the need for a. a single executive who can respond quickly to crises. b. a president who has a good understanding of public policy. c. an electoral college in the selection of the president. d. a president who is youthful and assertive.

a. a single executive who can respond quickly to crises.

Congress enacted the presidential line-item veto primarily in order to a. control local pork-barrel projects b. prevent defense overruns c. limit welfare payments to unwed mothers d. increase payments to foreign countries for development aid

a. control local pork-barrel projects

Executive agreements have been cited as evidence that a. modern presidents often try to avoid legislative checks and balances on their authority. b. the executive branch has become too large and bureaucratic. c. presidents have less power in handling foreign policy than in handling domestic policy. d. interest groups have too much power in the contemporary governmental system.

a. modern presidents often try to avoid legislative checks and balances on their authority.

Which of the following correctly identifies an implication of the line graph? a. Presidents are far more likely to make changes to the bureaucracy at the end of a second term than at the beginning of a first term. b. 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. c. The Supreme Court is more likely to rule on an important case at the beginning of a first term than at the end of a second term. d. Presidents are more likely to send troops into conflict at the end of a second term than at the beginning of a first term.

b. 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.

Which of the following describes the president's Cabinet? a. It consists of career civil servants with decades of experience in government service. b. Its members have varying levels of influence on presidential decisions. c. Its members hold office for fixed terms that coincide with the president's. d. Its members must be selected from among current or former members of Congress.

b. Its members have varying levels of influence on presidential decisions.

Which of the following statements reflects a pattern in the line graph? a. Nixon had the highest approval ratings of any president in the graph. b. Most presidents exit office with lower approval ratings than when they entered office. c. Most presidents begin their term with approval ratings lower than 50%. d. Eisenhower had the lowest approval ratings of any president in the graph.

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

All of the following statements about presidential vetoes are correct EXCEPT a. Historically, fewer than 10 percent of vetoes have been overridden by Congress. b. Pocket vetoes can be overridden by Congress. c. A veto may be overridden by a two-thirds vote in each house of Congress. d. On occasion, the mere threat of a veto is sufficient to prevent a vote on a bill.

b. Pocket vetoes can be overridden by Congress.

But I do promise this: We are going to assemble the best thought and the broadest knowledge from all over the world to find those answers for America. I intend to establish working groups to prepare a series of White House conferences and meetings . . . on the quality of education, and on other emerging challenges. And from these meetings and from this inspiration and from these studies we will begin to set our course toward the Great Society. The solution to these problems does not rest on a massive program in Washington, nor can it rely solely on the strained resources of local authority. They require us to create new concepts of cooperation, a creative federalism, between the National Capital and the leaders of local communities. President Lyndon B. Johnson, May 22, 1964 Which of the following explains President Johnson's motivation for the speech in relation to his role as the head of the executive branch? a. President Johnson believes that Congress will soon pass a bill on education reform, and he would like to be able to claim credit for it. b. President Johnson is seeking to use the bully pulpit as a means of promoting his agenda on public education. c. President Johnson is expecting the Supreme Court to soon rule on the constitutionality of a law passed by the previous administration. d. President Johnson is issuing an executive order calling on local governments to increase training for teachers and address poverty among students.

b. President Johnson is seeking to use the bully pulpit as a means of promoting his agenda on public education.

Which of the following may the president do to limit the Supreme Court's power? a. Fire and replace justices b. Refuse to enforce a ruling by the Court c. Adopt new constitutional amendments d. Veto parts of the Court's decisions

b. Refuse to enforce a ruling by the Court

Which of the following statements is most accurately supported by the data in the table? a. President Clinton greatly reduced the use of presidential signing statements compared with his predecessors. b. While President George W. Bush issued fewer signing statements than President Clinton, his included more objections than President Clinton's. c. President Clinton's brief access to the power of the line-item veto allowed him to issue fewer signing statements that raised concerns about legislation. d. President George W. Bush was forced to issue more signing statements as a direct result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

b. While President George W. Bush issued fewer signing statements than President Clinton, his included more objections than President Clinton's.

The president is most likely to use an executive order to make important policy when a. Congress is dominated by the president's party. b. a compromise cannot be reached with Congress. c. the Supreme Court is divided along ideological lines. d. a negotiation with foreign heads of state reaches an impasse.

b. a compromise cannot be reached with Congress.

The primary function of the White House staff is to a. initiate policy b. advise the president c. represent the bureaucratic agencies d. provide information to the Office of Management and Budget

b. advise the president

The president's role as chief diplomat is derived from a. informal powers b. delegated powers c. concurrent powers d. reserved powers

b. delegated powers

Which of the following statements describes a difficulty presidents face in the policy implementation process? a. Members of the bureaucracy often lack the expertise to carry out the president's preferred policies. b. Members of the president's Cabinet can be removed at any time by Congress. c. Because of civil service laws, it is not easy for the president to remove professional bureaucrats when they disagree with the president's agenda. d. Congress generally gives specific details about how the laws they pass will be executed by members of the professional bureaucracy.

c. Because of civil service laws, it is not easy for the president to remove professional bureaucrats when they disagree with the president's agenda.

(A) Vetoing legislation to prevent a bill from becoming law (Formal Power) | Using a pocket veto to prevent a bill from becoming law (Informal Power) (B) Using the bully pulpit to influence public opinion (Formal Power) | Appointing ambassadors and receiving diplomats from other nations (Informal Power) (C) Acting as commander in chief of the military (Formal Power) | Signing executive agreements with foreign nations (Informal Power) (D) Using the power of the purse to support government programs (Formal Power) | Using signing statements to shape legislation (Informal Power) Which of the following accurately compares the formal and informal powers of the president? a. A b. B c. C d. D

c. C

Which of the following is an example of presidential use of informal powers? a. President Ronald Reagan nominating Sandra Day O'Connor to the United States Supreme Court b. President John F. Kennedy negotiating the Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty with theSoviet Union c. President Bill Clinton advocating for public policy reform on his Health Security Express bus d. President George W. Bush deploying United States troops to Iraq

c. President Bill Clinton advocating for public policy reform on his Health Security Express bus

The War Powers Resolution does which of the following? a. Gives the president the power to declare war b. Requires that Congress report to the president before it cuts military appropriations c. Requires that the president notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops d. Allows the National Security Council to conduct military operations if the president is incapacitated

c. Requires that the president notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops

Which of the following is the primary reason for the tensions that exist between the legislative and executive branches of the federal government? a. Each branch sets and approves the other's budget. b. The branches are staffed with many of the same people. c. The branches have different constituencies with different interests. d. The branches are responsible for the selection of Cabinet-level officials.

c. The branches have different constituencies with different interests.

Which of the following is an example of checks and balances in action in the United States government? a. The House and Senate cannot agree on the same version of a bill to send to the president. b. The president issues an executive order that freezes federal government hiring. c. The president vetoes a bill passed by Congress. d. The voters reject the status quo and elect all new members of Congress.

c. The president vetoes a bill passed by Congress.

The Senate must confirm all of the following presidential appointments EXCEPT a. United States attorneys. b. United States Supreme Court justices. c. White House staff. d. heads of executive agencies.

c. White House staff.

The constitutional powers of the president include all of the following EXCEPT a. acting as head of military. b. vetoing legislation. c. declaring war. d. granting pardons.

c. declaring war.

To influence policy making by the federal courts, the president may do all of the following EXCEPT a. take partisanship into account in making judicial appointments. b. take political ideology into account in making judicial appointments. c. fire and replace federal judges. d. make public statements about issues that might appear before the courts.

c. fire and replace federal judges.

The government depicted above is best described by which of the following terms? a. Nonpartisan government b. Unicameral government c. Unitary government d. Divided government

d. Divided government

Generally, when is a president more likely to get congressional approval of proposed policies? a. After midterm congressional elections b. When public opinion is sharply divided over policies c. In social policy areas rather than in economic policy areas d. In foreign affairs rather than in domestic affairs

d. In foreign affairs rather than in domestic affairs

Which of the following situations best illustrates the meaning of divided government in the United States political system? a. The majority of Supreme Court justices are from one party, but the president is from another. b. The majority of governors are from one party, but the president is from another. c. The president and a majority of members of Congress are from one party, but the majority of governors are from another. d. The majority of senators and the majority of representatives are from one party, but the president is from another.

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

Which of the following is an example of how separation of powers creates friction between the executive and legislative branches in the policy-making process? a. The electoral college vote ends with no candidate receiving a majority of the votes, and the House of Representatives is delegated the task of selecting the next president. b. The Senate votes to impeach a sitting president for high crimes and misdemeanors. c. The secretary of state is dispatched along with a delegation of senators to negotiate a treaty with a foreign government. d. The president threatens to issue an executive order for stricter gun control if Congress continues to refuse to take action.

d. The president threatens to issue an executive order for stricter gun control if Congress continues to refuse to take action.

Congress adopted the War Powers Resolution to a. give the president additional powers in case of military emergencies. b. delineate a clear chain of command in the event of nuclear war. c. criticize the president for declaring war without authorization from Congress. d. limit the president's authority to commit troops overseas.

d. limit the president's authority to commit troops overseas.

The primary purpose of the North American Free Trade Agreement is to a. strengthen the mutual defense agreements between the countries of western Europe. b. set up a mutual defense agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada. c. encourage trade between the United States and the countries of western Europe. d. reduce trade barriers between the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

d. reduce trade barriers between the United States, Mexico, and Canada.