AP Unit 2 Interactions
Which of the following scenarios describes how pork barrel legislation affects lawmaking?
A Senator attaches an amendment to an environmental bill on the floor that funds the construction of an airport in his home state.
Which of the following actions of the President may be taken to limit the regulatory power of the Environmental Protection Agency?
Appoint a new head of the EPA that shares similar beliefs on regulations
Congress passed the Hatch Act in 1939 to limit certain political activities of federal government employees. In which of the following ways do these restrictions increase the effectiveness of the bureaucracy?
By increasing public trust in bureaucrats who are now seen as more politically neutral.
Which of the following best describes an exercise of the authority of the Federal Election Commission?
Citing the campaign of a candidate that fails to file timely disclosures of campaign contributions.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of formal and informal powers of the president?
Formal: Pardon individuals who commit a federal crime. Informal: Build international coalitions
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of actions taken by the president that best represents the formal and informal powers of the presidency.
Formal: The president orders SEAL Team 6 to raid a known terrorist camp. Informal: The president informs Congress within 48 hours of his order to SEAL Team 6 to raid a known terrorist camp.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison the formal and informal powers of the presidency?
Formal: Veto. Informal:Executive Order
Which of the following statements accurately describes why the Senate has continued to respect the practice of Senate "holds"?
Placing limits on Senate "holds" may increase the likelihood of filibusters taking place.
Which of the following falls within the discretionary authority of the Environmental Protection Agency?
Reducing the fuel efficiency standards for most automobiles to 20 miles per gallon.
Which of the following best illustrates the discretionary authority of the Department of Education?
Reducing the income qualifications for educational grants to attend college.
Which of the following describes an example of policy development within an iron triangle?
Scientists from the Sierra Club successfully petition the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service to declare fruit bats an endangered species.
Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding floor debate in the Senate and House of Representatives?
Senate: Debate rules favor deliberation. House of Representatives: Debate rules favor speed of action
Which of the following is an accurate comparison regarding membership in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives?
Senate: Members elected by voters of an entire state. House of Representatives: Members elected by voters of a particular district based upon population
The president and the Defense Department have made it a major priority to increase the size of the fleet to counter new threats in the Pacific. To this end, the administration secured congressional funding for a new class of destroyers. The Armed Services Committee has heard rumors that these new ships undergoing construction have been incurring tremendous cost overruns and that this fact is being concealed. Which of the following strategies would best suit the Armed Services Committee in its oversight role of the military?
The committee should launch an independent, Government Accounting Office (GAO) investigation of the defense contractor.
The agenda of the president and Congress are often at odds with each other. What power does the president have to persuade Congress to follow his/her policy agenda rather than their own?
The president can utilize social media to increase public pressure on Congress to follow his policy agenda.
Imagine a Congress in which both houses of Congress are controlled by the Democratic party and the president is a Republican. Which of the following scenarios would most likely interfere with policy agenda of this Congress?
The president issues an executive order to open additional lands of Arctic National Wildlife Reserve for oil exploration to lower the high price of gasoline in America.
Which of the following is a consequence of the ruling established in Baker v. Carr?
When redistricting, states must create relatively similarly sized districts to ensure voter equality.
"[The president] shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States..." -Article II, Section 2 the United States Constitution Which of the following scenarios would fall outside of the "advise and consent" requirements above?
When the president nominates a candidate with no political experience to be his/her Chief of Staff.
Given their six-year term of office, Senators can afford to take a longer view on policy, especially when it comes to
foreign affairs.
"But quitting the dim light of historical research, and attaching ourselves purely to the dictates of reason and good sense, we shall discover much greater cause to reject than to approve the idea of plurality in the executive, under any modification whatever. "Wherever two or more persons are engaged in any common enterprise or pursuit, there is always danger of difference of opinion.. Whenever these happen, they lessen the respectability, weaken the authority, and distract the plans and operations of those whom they divide. If they should unfortunately assail the supreme executive magistracy of a country, consisting of a plurality of persons, they might impede or frustrate the most important measures of the government in the most critical emergencies of the state. And what is still worse, they might split the community into the most violent and irreconcilable factions, adhering differently to the different individuals who composed the magistracy." Alexander Hamilton- Federalist No. 70 Which of the following best summarizes Hamilton's argument?
A single chief executive is the most efficient and most sensible approach to governance.
In which of the following scenarios is a president not exercising one of her or his formal powers?
After Congress passes a defense funding bill, the president signs it into law and issues a signing statement to provide commentary about how he intends to implement the law.
In 1973, Congress passed the War Powers Act to compel the president to seek congressional approval before committing the nation to armed conflict. The act may be viewed as a reassertion of
Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution
"Last week, the Supreme Court reversed a century of law to open the floodgates for special interests - including foreign corporations - to spend without limit in our elections. Well I don't think American elections should be bankrolled by America's most powerful interests, or worse, by foreign entities. They should be decided by the American people, and that's why I'm urging Democrats and Republicans to pass a bill that helps to right this wrong." President Barack Obama - 2010 State of the Union Address Sometimes presidents use speeches like the State of the Union to address national concerns. Which Supreme Court case below is the subject of President Obama's comments above?
Citizen's United v. FEC
Which of the following statements is an accurate description of Congress utilizing the "Necessary and Proper Clause" found in the U.S. Constitution?
Congress authorizes the Federal Reserve System in 1913.
Which of the following statements provides an accurate comparison of enumerated and implied powers of Congress as specified by the U.S. Constitution?
Enumerated Powers of Congress: Congress institutes formal copyright law. Implied Powers of Congress: Congress establishes the National Park System.
Meeting with leaders from every country, the President signed off on a treaty created to reduce carbon emissions throughout each country of the planet. The regulations created after this treaty would go on to restrict heavily the businesses of the United States on how much they are able to emit from factories, cars, and industry. The President, upon returning home, is faced with conservative backlash that hopes to stop the President by having what happen?
Having the Senate reject the ratification of the treaty.
"But quitting the dim light of historical research, and attaching ourselves purely to the dictates of reason and good sense, we shall discover much greater cause to reject than to approve the idea of plurality in the executive, under any modification whatever. "Wherever two or more persons are engaged in any common enterprise or pursuit, there is always danger of difference of opinion.. Whenever these happen, they lessen the respectability, weaken the authority, and distract the plans and operations of those whom they divide. If they should unfortunately assail the supreme executive magistracy of a country, consisting of a plurality of persons, they might impede or frustrate the most important measures of the government in the most critical emergencies of the state. And what is still worse, they might split the community into the most violent and irreconcilable factions, adhering differently to the different individuals who composed the magistracy." Alexander Hamilton- Federalist No. 70 Based on the excerpt above, which statement below would the author most likely agree with?
Including a constitutional provision to include a council that had to approve presidential actions would be a mistake.
In which of the following ways did the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 change the federal bureaucracy?
It provided for the selection of most government employees based on a competitive exam rather than political affiliation.
Which of the following has most significantly contributed to the professionalization of the bureaucracy?
Most bureaucrats receive their positions based on qualifications rather than political loyalty.
Which of the following represents the exercise of a constitutional check by another branch that limited the power of the president?
New York Times Company v. United States.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of representation in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives?
Senate: Membership per state stays constant over time. House of Representatives: Membership per state can change over time
Which of the following is a consequence of the House of Representatives having 435 members and the Senate having 100 members?
Senators tend to have more influence over legislation and get more media attention individually because there are less of them.
"But quitting the dim light of historical research, and attaching ourselves purely to the dictates of reason and good sense, we shall discover much greater cause to reject than to approve the idea of plurality in the executive, under any modification whatever. Wherever two or more persons are engaged in any common enterprise or pursuit, there is always danger of difference of opinion.. Whenever these happen, they lessen the respectability, weaken the authority, and distract the plans and operations of those whom they divide. If they should unfortunately assail the supreme executive magistracy of a country, consisting of a plurality of persons, they might impede or frustrate the most important measures of the government in the most critical emergencies of the state. And what is still worse, they might split the community into the most violent and irreconcilable factions, adhering differently to the different individuals who composed the magistracy." -Alexander Hamilton- Federalist No. 70 Which of the following constitutional provisions would replace a division of executive power into a plurality of executives to check the power of single chief executive?
The "advise and consent" power given to the U.S. Senate in Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution.
The bureaucracy is often empowered by Congress to enforce specific legislation. Which of the following best represents the bureaucracy's use of enforcement powers?
The EPA imposes fines on an electric power company for its violation of air pollution standards.
Building a coalition within which of the following committees would be most affected by the congressional election cycle?
The Select Joint Budget and Appropriations Reform Committee
Which of the following statements accurately describes how the selection of chairpersons to both standing committees and select special committees empowers the Speaker of the House in the policy-making process?
The Speaker of the House can satisfy the majority party by making sure that the bills they submit are passed in a timely fashion.
A member of House of Representatives has introduced a bill to protect undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States with their parents, but it has been killed in the House Rules Committee. Which of the following is the best course of action to get the bill a vote on the floor of the House?
The representative should rally support behind a discharge petition to pull it out of the House Rules Committee.
"[The president] shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States..." -Article II, Section 2 the United States Constitution Which of the following scenarios would make confirmation of a president's Supreme Court nominee most difficult?
When the president is a Lame Duck and the opposition party controls the U.S. Senate.
With a short, two-year term of office, members of the House of Representatives should be more responsive to the will of the American people in order to carry out their constitutional duty of
initiating all revenue and appropriation bills.
