Final POS1041
Which of the following is NOT a power given to the president by the Constitution?
Power to declare war against a national enemy.
The president's annual address to Congress, during which the president reports on the current condition of the country and lays out their plan for addressing the needs of the nation, is officially known as the
President's State of the Union speech
Match each of the stages of the public policy process below with its associated description. You must match all of the selections correctly to earn any points for this question.
Problem Recognition B. Identification of an issue that concerns people and leads them to call for government action Policy Formulation D. Identification of various approaches to solving the problems recognized by government Policy Adoption A. The formal selection of which policies to implement Policy Implementation E. The process of administering the policies to address the identified problems Policy Evaluation C. Assessing whether policies succeed or fail
Which of the following is a monetary policy tool of the Federal Reserve?
Raising or lowering interest rates
The Supreme Court decides which cases to hear based on a process referred to as __________, and in recent years the Court hears ________ cases per year.
Rule of Four; less than 100
The three women who are currently serving on the U.S. Supreme Court are:
Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan
As a result of the U.S. foreign policy of containment during the post-WW II period, the United States fought a long and costly war in
Vietnam
From the list of current Supreme Court justices below, select ALL of the justices who are considered conservatives.
Samuel Alito Clarence Thomas John Roberts
Within the structure of the Executive Office of the President (EOP), the function that acts as the gatekeeper to the president, managing the president's meetings and daily schedule, is the
White house chief of staff
For those who support the foreign policy perspective of realism, the most important tool for promoting or protecting the country's national interest is
a strong national military
The total (gross) national debt of the United States in FY 2017 is expected to be
about 20 trillion
When federal bureaucracies make decisions about the best way to administer laws and programs passed by Congress, they issue rules and regulations that have the force of law. This is know as the bureaucracy's
administrative authority
The role of the Senate with respect to the president's power to make treaties and to appoint the officers of the executive branch is referred to as
advice and consent
The state of Florida is part of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. If someone loses their legal case in a federal district court in Florida, then they have a right to have their case heard a second time by the 11th Circuit Court under that court's __________ jurisdiction.
appellate
During the Cold War period, the type of government and economic system of the Soviet Union that the U.S. and its allies were trying to contain was
communism
Upon being elected, every new president will make nearly _______ appointments to leadership and advisory positions throughout the executive branch of the federal government.
4,000
The financial contribution that individuals must make to Social Security equals approximately ______ of their salary or wages.
6%
The primary function of the executive branch and the federal bureaucracy is not to implement, administer, and enforce federal laws, but instead to write, debate, and pass those laws.
Disagree
The three-tiered structure of the federal court system is represented by which of the following in the correct order of hierarchy, lowest level to highest level?
District Courts → Courts of Appeal → Supreme Court
A presidential pardon entirely eliminates a conviction for a federal crime, while presidential clemency only reduces the penalty for those convicted.
True
All individuals nominated by the president to be a Supreme Court justice or a federal judge MUST first be confirmed by the U.S. Senate before they are given the position.
True
Although the executive branch and the president are preeminent in the area of foreign and defense policymaking, one way that Congress can exert influence is through the Senate's advice and consent role on treaties and presidential appointments to key foreign policy and defense positions in the executive branch.
True
Federal Courts of Appeal and District Courts are considered inferior, or lower, federal courts.
True
Government entitlement programs are part of the mandatory expenses of the federal budget.
True
Inflation occurs when the demand for goods and services is greater than the available supply of goods and services.
True
Justices who believe they should broadly interpret the constitution and use their judicial authority to make policy are called "activist" judges.
True
One way to accurately describe the role of the president is as the nation's chief law enforcer.
True
Public policy is an act of government to address a matter of public concern, for example, pollution of the environment.
True
The 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals is considered to be part of the "Lower Courts" within the federal judicial structure.
True
The September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States in New York and Washington, D.C. were planned and carried out by the al-Qaeda terrorist network.
True
The executive branch of the federal government dominates the foreign policy decision making process.
True
If a president wants to enter into a formal international agreement with a foreign government without having to get a two-thirds majority vote of approval by the Senate, he can often do so by
Entering into an executive agreement
Identify the two key areas that domestic social policy seeks to address from the list below (check both that apply)
Income security and health care
Click on ALL of the areas below that are part of the formal organization of the federal bureaucracy. All answers must be correct to receive any points for the question.
Independent regulatory agencies Government corporations Cabinet departments Independent executive agencies
In the First Gulf War in 1991, the United States went to war against the country of ___________ in order to stop its aggression against one of its neighbors.
Iraq
Foreign policy tools that are used by the United States to influence the actions of other countries include all of the following EXCEPT
Isolationism
The current chairperson of the Federal Reserve Board who oversees the nation's central bank is
Janet Yellen
Two constitutional qualifications that must be met in order for someone to be elected President of the United States are:
Must be at least 35 years of age Must have been born a U.S. citizen
The feeling among Americans that the U.S. should not get entangled in foreign affairs or foreign conflicts and instead focus primarily on what is happening within its own borders is referred to as
isolationism
Judicial opinions are
issued after a court's decision explaining the legal reasoning that was used by the judges in making their decision
One positive benefit that possibly could result from a large annual federal budget deficit is that
it can replace some private sector spending in the economy that is reduced during periods of recession
Another way to describe the common law legal system is
judge-made law
When the Supreme Court ruled in June of 2015 that all state laws prohibiting same-sex marriage were unconstitutional, thus invalidating them and making same-sex marriage immediately legal in all 50 states, the Court was exercising its power of __________.
judicial review
A court's _________ determines the types of cases it can hear.
jurisdiction
The outcome of U.S. Supreme Court cases is decided by a ________ vote of its members.
majority
The current Supreme Court is called the Roberts Court because it is identified by the
sitting Chief Justice
Lowering the Fed discount rate is intended to
stimulate a slowing economy
U.S. fiscal policy is associated with the
taxing and spending policies of the government
When U.S. foreign & defense policy is formulated with the goal of doing what is considered best for the country as a whole, then it is said to be protecting or advancing
the national interest
If a country acts alone in pursuing its foreign policy objectives without consulting or cooperating with other countries, then it is said to be acting
unilaterally
The length of time Supreme Court justices and federal judges can serve in office after their appointments is
unlimited
The military-industrial complex refers to
the powerful political force created by the shared interests of the military establishment and defense industries
An "executive order" is when
the president orders the government to implement or enforce a law in a particular way
Nearly all federal legal cases are heard for the first time by ___________ because it is the court of original jurisdiction.
A U.S. district court
In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks on U.S. territory, the United States began a war to dismantle the Al-Qaeda terrorist network operating in
Afghanistan
The judicial branch of the U.S. federal government is established by ________ of the constitution.
Article III
Which two tiers of the federal court system were established by the Judiciary Act of 1789? Check all that apply in the list below.
Court of appeals District Courts
The largest discretionary expense in the U.S. FY 2017 federal budget is for
Defense
Match each of the following cabinet departments with its associated area of responsibility in the government. You must match all of the selections correctly to earn any credit for this question.
Department of State C. Develops and implements American foreign policy Department of Veterans Affairs A. Administers programs for assisting those who have served in the U.S. military Department of Labor D. Develops and administers programs to support the interests of workers Department of the Interior F. Manages all federally owned lands Department of the Treasury B. Manages U.S. government financial accounts and implements tax policy Department of Commerce E. Implements and administers programs designed to facilitate business development and trade
President Bill Clinton's foreign policy of enlargement during the 1990s sought to
Expand democracy and free trade principles around the world.
A federal budget surplus occurs when government outlays (spending) exceed receipts (revenue).
False
Article III of the Constitution establishes the executive branch of the federal government and the powers of the presidency.
False
If the national economy is in recession, one way for the Fed to address it would be to reduce the money supply
False
Since Florida is the closest American state to Cuba and has the nation's largest population of Cuban-Americans, Florida's governor, the state's chief executive, develops official U.S. foreign policy toward Cuba.
False
The amount of money the U.S. government spends on defense each year is no more than other powerful individual countries spend.
False
The difference between mandatory and discretionary spending in the federal budget is that spending on mandatory programs is optional whereas spending on discretionary programs is required by law.
False
The president's veto power is not usually effective because when it is used, it is almost always overridden by Congress.
False
U.S. foreign policy deals with how the nation can best protect itself from its foreign enemies, while defense policy involves establishing relations with foreign countries in order to best protect U.S. national interests around the world.
False
When a president signs an executive agreement with a foreign country it is binding on future presidents, but treaties are not.
False
While the First Lady is obviously an important position, it is not considered to be part of the presidential establishment.
False
Another way to refer to the U.S. Supreme Court is the
High Court
The radical fighters currently trying to establish an Islamic state encompassing the countries of Syria and Iraq are referred to as
ISIS
If someone is below retirement age and belongs to a 4-member household with total annual income of less than $24,300 per year, then they most likely qualify for which of the following means-tested social welfare programs? Check ALL that apply.
Medicaid Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)
A non-means-tested social welfare program in place today that addresses the health care needs of the elderly is known as
Medicare
If the president orders American military forces to engage in a foreign conflict on May 1st, and they are still involved in the war on June 19th without having received congressional approval, is the president in violation of the War Powers act?
No
The largest mandatory expense in the U.S. federal budget is for
Social Security
The group of top military leaders from each branch of the armed forces is called
The Joint Chiefs of staff
In addition to the executive branch and Congress, U.S. foreign & defense policy is shaped and influenced by all of the following EXCEPT
The Judicial Branch
In the Bipolar Cold War international system that existed during the years 1947 - 1989 the two major centers of power in the world were
The U.S. and the Soviet Union
All of the following executive branch organizations are key advisors to the president in the formulation of U.S. foreign & defense policy EXCEPT
The military-industrial complex
Identify ALL of the powers listed below that are NOT SPECIFICALLY given to the president by the constitution.
The power to make laws The power to declare war
The executive branch is the most powerful branch of government in the formulation and implementation of U.S. foreign policy for all of the following reasons EXCEPT
The president has the authority to declare war against foreign countries
The first step in the process of someone becoming a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court is
To be nominated by the president of the United States
The U.S. government's budget deficit is funded in large part by the sale of
U.S. Treasury bonds
The 2017 fiscal year period of the federal government
begins on October 1, 2016 and ends on September 30, 2017
The two general types of legal cases that are heard in American courts are (check both that apply from the list below)
civil criminal
The foreign policy strategy of opposing the expansion of communism during the Cold War with the Soviet Union was known as
containment
The FY 2017 federal budget plans for a _________ of __________.
deficit; $503 billion
U.S monetary policy is associated with the
regulation of the nation's money supply and interest rates
The belief that international organizations such as the United Nations are necessary in order to promote greater international cooperation between countries and to better address world problems and avoid conflict is associated with the foreign policy perspective of
foreign policy liberalism
A written brief submitted to the Court on behalf of a third party is referred to as a(an) _________ brief, which means ___________. Select TWO answers from the list below that correctly fill in the two blanks of the question. You must get BOTH correct to earn the points for this question.
friend of the court amicus curiae
The intelligence community supports the foreign & defense policy goals of the country by
gathering and analyzing information about international activities
Vice presidents are often selected for their position on the basis of
how well they balance out the presidential ticket to improve chances of winning
If your income is below a threshold established by the government, then you may qualify to benefit from certain
means-tested programs
When a judge looks to the decisions of previous cases when deciding a current case of a similar nature, the judge is said to be relying on
precedent
"The Fed" is an abbrieviated way to refer to
the Federal Reserve System, the nation's central bank
Independent regulatory commissions, which are created to regulate a specific economic activity or public interest of great importance, are considered independent because
their members have more protection from political pressure
When presidents make appointments to the executive branch positions of the government, they usually appoint people who
they believe will be loyal to the president's policy agenda in carrying out their duties
The official spokesperson for the president's administration and the president's policies is the
white house press secretary
Someone who wants to have their case heard on appeal by the U.S. Supreme Court must first file an application asking the court to issue a _____________, which means ____________.
writ of certiorari; to call up the recors of their case from the lower court.