AP GOV EXECUTIVE BRANCH

Which of the following stages comes first in the policy-making process? A Agenda setting B Legitimation C Program evaluation D Policy formulation E Implementation

Agenda setting

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of checks on the legislative branch and checks on the executive branch? A Check on Legislative Branch- The president may veto bills passed by Congress. Check on Executive Branch- The Senate must confirm judicial nominees. B Check on Legislative Branch- The president has the power to fund wars. Check on Executive branch- The House of Representatives can pass articles of impeachment. C Check on Legislative Branch- The Supreme Court has the power of judicial review. Check on Executive branch- Congress can remove members of the president's cabinet. D Check on Legislative Branch- States may nullify federal laws that violate state constitutions. Check on Executive Branch- The Supreme Court can declare presidential actions unconstitutional if a case arises.

Check on Legislative Branch- The president may veto bills passed by Congress. Check on Executive Branch- The Senate must confirm judicial nominees.

The President can do which of the following without seeking the consent of either the House or the Senate? A Ratify a treaty. B Appoint ambassadors. C Appoint district court judges. D Deploy troops. E Declare war.

Deploy troops.

Generally, when is a president more likely to get congressional approval of proposed policies? A After midterm congressional elections B In the second term rather than in the first C When public opinion is sharply divided over policies D In social policy areas rather than in economic policy areas E In foreign affairs rather than in domestic affairs

In foreign affairs rather than in domestic affairs

Which of the following is true of an executive agreement made between a United States President and another head of state? A It does not require Senate approval, but may require congressional allocation of funds for implementation. B It does not require congressional funding because the President can use the power of the purse to raise implementation funds. C It has more legal force than a treaty. D It is binding on all succeeding Presidents and Congresses. E It has been used extensively to end armed conflicts.

It does not require Senate approval, but may require congressional allocation of funds for implementation.

Which of the following is true about the pocket veto? A It is used to strike down a provision of a bill that the President finds disagreeable. B It may be overridden by a two-thirds vote in Congress. C It occurs when the President takes no action on a bill for ten days during which Congress is adjourned. D It is used when the President expects to reach a compromise with Congress about how a bill should be modified. E It is used when both houses of Congress pass separate versions of the same bill.

It occurs when the President takes no action on a bill for ten days during which Congress is adjourned.

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.

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

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. E Each branch has the constitutional power to levy taxes.

The branches have different constituencies with different interests.

To be sure, the President's control over foreign affairs had been growing since the Theodore Roosevelt administration [1901-1909]. . . . [President Roosevelt's] acquisition of the Panama Canal Zone preceded Woodrow Wilson's decision to enter World War I, which was a prelude to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's management of the run-up to the victorious American effort in World War II. In the 1950s, Harry S. Truman's response to the Soviet threat included the decision to fight in Korea without a Congressional declaration of war, and Dwight Eisenhower used the Central Intelligence Agency and brinkmanship to contain Communism. Nineteenth-century presidents had had to contend with Congressional influences in foreign affairs, and particularly with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But by the early 1960s, the president had become the undisputed architect of U.S. foreign policy. One reason for this was the emergence of the United States as a great power with global obligations. Neither Wilson nor FDR could have imagined taking the country to war without a Congressional declaration, but the exigencies of the cold war in the 1950s heightened the country's reliance on the president to defend its interests. Truman could enter the Korean conflict without having to seek Congressional approval simply by describing the deployment of U.S. troops as a police action taken in conjunction with the United Nations. Robert Dallek, "Power and the Presidency, From Kennedy to Obama," Smithsonian magazine, January 2011 Which of the following explains why the author believes presidential power has expanded? A Congress has passed legislation requesting that the president take on a stronger leadership role in foreign affairs. B The media has influenced public opinion to support the president's unrestrained control of foreign policy. C The United States has emerged as a global power, which has enhanced the power of the president in foreign affairs. D The chief executive's role as defender of freedom and democracy has promoted support for a more active presidency.

The United States has emerged as a global power, which has enhanced the power of the president in foreign affairs.

Which of the following is true based on the data in the line graph? A The number of bills passed by Congress decreased under G. H. W. Bush. B The number of bills passed by Congress gradually increased under Nixon. C The number of presidential vetoes under Johnson decreased over time. D The number of presidential vetoes under Eisenhower increased over time.

The number of bills passed by Congress decreased under G. H. W. Bush.

Which of the following trends is best supported by the information in the table? A The number of treaties has increased over time. B The number of treaties has decreased over time. C The number of executive agreements has increased over time. D The number of executive agreements has decreased over time.

The number of executive agreements has increased over time.

Which of the following best explains 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.

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

In which of the following scenarios would a presidential veto most likely be upheld? A The President has the support of the Supreme Court. B The President is in a second term, removed from partisan politics. C The proposed legislation enjoys widespread bipartisan support. D The proposed legislation was originally adopted by a large majority in both houses of Congress. E Two-thirds of the representatives and senators are members of the same party as the President.

Two-thirds of the representatives and senators are members of the same party as the President.

Which of the following is an action a president can take to rally public support for the administration's legislative agenda? A Use the State of the Union Address to pressure Congress to pass a bill lowering income taxes. B Hold private meetings with key members of Congress to promote a compromise on the budget. C Forge an executive agreement with another country regulating the safety of consumer products. D Sign a bill into law that would provide increased aid to college students.

Use the State of the Union Address to pressure Congress to pass a bill lowering income taxes.

In recent presidential administrations, the principal staff for the President has been made up of members of the A White House Office B cabinet C Congress D national committee of the President's party E civil service

White House Office

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 E act as liaison with members of Congress

advise the president

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 E appointing ambassadors

declaring war

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 A the executive order would require Congress to bring a bill regarding illegal immigration to the floor for a vote B disagreement between congressional leaders and the president on the issue meant that a compromise on a bill was not likely C the president was reacting to a Supreme Court decision that required him to do something to protect these individuals D the Constitution clearly gives the president control over the legal status of immigrants in the United States

disagreement between congressional leaders and the president on the issue meant that a compromise on a bill was not likely

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 E set up a system whereby the countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Bloc could be admitted to North Atlantic Treaty Organization

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

The usefulness to the President of having cabinet members as political advisers is undermined by the fact that A the President has little latitude in choosing cabinet members B cabinet members have no political support independent of the President C cabinet members are usually drawn from Congress and retain loyalties to Congress D the loyalties of cabinet members are often divided between loyalty to the President and loyalty to their own executive departments E the cabinet operates as a collective unit and individual members have no access to the President

the loyalties of cabinet members are often divided between loyalty to the President and loyalty to their own executive departments

Even with large majorities of their own party in Congress, presidents experience difficulty in exercising legislative leadership because A the president must compete against state governors for influence B the weak nature of political parties hampers the president's ability to control Congress C the president's use of the veto is ineffective with Congress D individual members of Congress attract greater publicity when challenging the president E the president seldom addresses the same issues as members of Congress

the weak nature of political parties hampers the president's ability to control Congress

In trying to influence legislation, the President is generally more successful than congressional leaders in A using the legislative schedule to political advantage B enforcing party discipline C satisfying interest group demands for access to the policy process D effectively using formal parliamentary powers rather than persuasion E using the media to set the policy agenda

using the media to set the policy agenda

All of the following statements pertaining to the presidential veto are true EXCEPT: A Congress overrides fewer than ten percent of presidential vetoes. B A vetoed bill is often revised and passed in another form. C Presidents often threaten to veto bills to increase their leverage with Congress. D A President may veto part of a bill. E Congress often places provisions the President wants into a bill the President dislikes to make a veto less likely.

A President may veto part of a bill.

Which of the following statements about trends in presidential approval ratings is supported by information presented in the graph above? A President Reagan was the most popular President since 1953. B There is little relationship between military conflicts and presidential approval ratings. C Presidents have tended to become more popular over time. D A President's popularity tends to fall during his term in office. E President Carter suffered the largest drop in popularity of any President since 1953.

A President's popularity tends to fall during his term in office.

In the last years presidential primacy, so indispensable to the political order, has turned into presidential supremacy. The constitutional Presidency—as events so apparently disparate as the Indochina War and the Watergate affair showed, has become the imperial Presidency and threatens to be the revolutionary Presidency. . . . The imperial Presidency was essentially the creation of foreign policy. A combination of doctrines and emotions—belief in the permanent and universal crisis, fear of communism, faith in the duty and right of the United States to intervene swiftly in every part of the world—had brought about the unprecedented centralization of decisions. Prolonged war in Vietnam strengthened the tendencies toward both centralization and exclusion. So the imperial Presidency grew at the expense of the constitutional order. Like the cowbird, it hatched its own eggs and pushed the others out of the nest. And, as it overwhelmed the traditional separation of powers in foreign affairs, it began to aspire toward an equivalent centralization of power in the domestic polity. 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? A Congress exercising the power to regulate commerce B Congress insisting that it declare war prior to the use of international force C The president making stronger use of bureaucratic discretion D Congress creating term limits for all members of government

Congress insisting that it declare war prior to the use of international force

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.

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.

Shortly after the 2008 election, President Obama appointed outspoken and controversial House member Rahm Emanuel to lead his White House as chief of staff. The selection drew criticism from Republican leaders, including House minority leader John Boehner, who remarked that the selection "is an ironic choice for a president-elect who has promised to change Washington, make politics more civil, and govern from the center." Which of the following explains how Congress could legitimately respond to the appointment? A The Senate could refuse to confirm the appointment. B The House of Representatives could filibuster the nomination. C The Rules Committee could refuse to release the bill that made the appointment. D Members of Congress could issue statements opposing the appointment but have no formal power to block it.

Members of Congress could issue statements opposing the appointment but have no formal power to block it.

In many places, classrooms are overcrowded and curricula are outdated. Most of our qualified teachers are underpaid, and many of our paid teachers are unqualified. So we must give every child a place to sit and a teacher to learn from. Poverty must not be a bar to learning, and learning must offer an escape from poverty. But more classrooms and more teachers are not enough. We must seek an educational system which grows in excellence as it grows in size. This means better training for our teachers. It means preparing youth to enjoy their hours of leisure as well as their hours of labor. It means exploring new techniques of teaching, to find new ways to stimulate the love of learning and the capacity for creation. . . . . . . While our Government has many programs directed at those issues, I do not pretend that we have the full answer to those problems. 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.

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

Refer to the passage for the following question. In many places, classrooms are overcrowded and curricula are outdated. Most of our qualified teachers are underpaid, and many of our paid teachers are unqualified. So we must give every child a place to sit and a teacher to learn from. Poverty must not be a bar to learning, and learning must offer an escape from poverty. But more classrooms and more teachers are not enough. We must seek an educational system which grows in excellence as it grows in size. This means better training for our teachers. It means preparing youth to enjoy their hours of leisure as well as their hours of labor. It means exploring new techniques of teaching, to find new ways to stimulate the love of learning and the capacity for creation.... . . . While our Government has many programs directed at those issues, I do not pretend that we have the full answer to those problems. 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.

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

Which of the following statements is supported by the chart above? A Both Republican Presidents nominated a greater proportion of Latinos to the judiciary than did either Democratic President. B President Carter made more judicial nominations than President Reagan. C The percentage of nominees to the judiciary who were minorities was higher for Republican Presidents than for Democratic Presidents. D The percentage of nominees to the judiciary who were women was higher for Republican Presidents than for Democratic Presidents. E President Reagan nominated the smallest percentage of women to the judiciary.

President Reagan nominated the smallest percentage of women to the judiciary.

In November 2014, President Obama announced an expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program through an executive order. The policy would protect over 700,000 more children of undocumented immigrants from deportation. Republican members of Congress denounced the order as an abuse of executive power. Previously, members of the House of Representatives had voted to defund the program. This scenario best illustrates which of the following? A A reluctant bureaucracy can hinder a president's agenda. B Public opinion can influence how Congress responds to a president. C Iron triangles form between members of the president's party and opponents in Congress. D Presidents exert informal powers when their policy agenda conflicts with that of Congress.

Presidents exert informal powers when their policy agenda conflicts with that of Congress.

To be sure, the President's control over foreign affairs had been growing since the Theodore Roosevelt administration [1901-1909]. . . . [President Roosevelt's] acquisition of the Panama Canal Zone preceded Woodrow Wilson's decision to enter World War I, which was a prelude to Franklin Delano Roosevelt's management of the run-up to the victorious American effort in World War II. In the 1950s, Harry S. Truman's response to the Soviet threat included the decision to fight in Korea without a Congressional declaration of war, and Dwight Eisenhower used the Central Intelligence Agency and brinkmanship to contain Communism. Nineteenth-century presidents had had to contend with Congressional influences in foreign affairs, and particularly with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. But by the early 1960s, the president had become the undisputed architect of U.S. foreign policy. One reason for this was the emergence of the United States as a great power with global obligations. Neither Wilson nor FDR could have imagined taking the country to war without a Congressional declaration, but the exigencies of the cold war in the 1950s heightened the country's reliance on the president to defend its interests. Truman could enter the Korean conflict without having to seek Congressional approval simply by describing the deployment of U.S. troops as a police action taken in conjunction with the United Nations. Robert Dallek, "Power and the Presidency, From Kennedy to Obama," Smithsonian magazine, January 2011 Which of the following is a difference between the power of nineteenth-century presidents and that of the modern president according to the passage? A Presidents in the nineteenth century had to contend with congressional committees, which had significant powers in foreign affairs. B Modern presidents have acquired the power of the purse, which allows them to spend freely on foreign affairs. C Modern presidents must win wars in order to keep members of Congress from criticizing their foreign policy. D Presidents in the nineteenth century were more likely to support intervention in foreign affairs.

Presidents in the nineteenth century had to contend with congressional committees, which had significant powers in foreign affairs.

A newly elected president faces a Senate controlled by the opposition party. Which of the following presidential appointments is the most likely to encounter difficulty with confirmation by the Senate? A Secretary of defense B Supreme Court justice C Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors D Ambassador to Germany

Supreme Court justice

Which of the following is a member of the White House Staff? A The chair of the Federal Reserve Board B The national security advisor C The secretary of commerce D The ambassador to the United Nations E The attorney general

The national security advisor

Which of the following statements is best supported by the line graph? A The number of vetoes has generally increased since 1945, even though the number of bills passed by Congress has decreased. B The number of vetoes has generally decreased since 1945, but so has the number of bills passed by Congress. C The number of vetoes has generally decreased since 1945, but the number of bills passed by Congress has increased. D The number of vetoes has generally increased since 1945, but so has the number of bills passed by Congress.

The number of vetoes has generally decreased since 1945, but so has the number of bills passed by Congress.

In the last years presidential primacy, so indispensable to the political order, has turned into presidential supremacy. The constitutional Presidency—as events so apparently disparate as the Indochina War and the Watergate affair showed, has become the imperial Presidency and threatens to be the revolutionary Presidency. . . . The imperial Presidency was essentially the creation of foreign policy. A combination of doctrines and emotions—belief in the permanent and universal crisis, fear of communism, faith in the duty and right of the United States to intervene swiftly in every part of the world—had brought about the unprecedented centralization of decisions. Prolonged war in Vietnam strengthened the tendencies toward both centralization and exclusion. So the imperial Presidency grew at the expense of the constitutional order. Like the cowbird, it hatched its own eggs and pushed the others out of the nest. And, as it overwhelmed the traditional separation of powers in foreign affairs, it began to aspire toward an equivalent centralization of power in the domestic polity. Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., The Imperial Presidency, 1973 Which of the following statements is a correct implication of the author's argument? A The modern president has abused the power of the executive branch through the use of the bully pulpit. B Federal courts play a substantial role in the American political system, but they have been unable to check the executive. C The perception of multiple crises has led to the growth of an executive branch that is undermining the separation of powers in the government. D The Constitution has failed to protect the separation of powers by giving the executive branch and the president too much power.

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 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.

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

Which statement best explains the information in the graphic? A The secretary was confirmed by a party-line vote. B Confirmation was blocked by one party. C Independents swayed the vote for the majority. D Attempts at compromise were unsuccessful.

The secretary was confirmed by a party-line vote.

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.

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

In selecting members of the White House staff, Presidents primarily seek people who A give the White House ideological balance B are personally loyal to the President C have extensive governmental experience D will help the President develop a good working relationship with Congress E can bring a nonpartisan perspective to policy deliberations

are personally loyal to the President

Since the 1970's, Presidents have made use of executive orders at an increasing rate because executive orders A are noncontroversial measures that can be easily implemented B are rarely defeated in Congress C do not need to be passed by Congress D avoid judicial review E must be ratified by the Senate rather than by the House

do not need to be passed by Congress

In general, Congress is most likely to defer to the President A in the area of foreign policy B in the area of fiscal policy C in the area of social policy D late in the President's term E When the economy is strong

in the area of foreign policy

The expansion of the executive branch since 1939 has affected the separation of powers by A increasing presidential control over the legislative process B increasing the power of the media as a result of more frequent presidential press conferences C reducing the power of the Supreme Court through the use of executive orders D giving more power to interest groups than to parties E making senatorial approval of presidential appointees ceremonial

increasing presidential control over the legislative process

A President may persuade recalcitrant members of Congress to vote for a particular bill by A having members who oppose the bill transferred to unpopular committees B denying campaign funds to members who oppose the bill C threatening to deny renomination to members who oppose the bill D threatening to item veto part of a different bill that enjoys bipartisan support in Congress E making a direct appeal to the public through mass media

making a direct appeal to the public through mass media

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 E the courts have few means of limiting presidential power

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