Legislative and Executive Test (MCQ)

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.

A line graph entitled, "Average Yearly Presidential Approval, 1953-1993" includes the label "Percent Approval" for the vertical axis and "years" with vertical lines separating administrations by each president's name labeling the horizontal axis. 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.

Which of the following scenarios is an example of the trustee model of representation? A The NAACP leadership sends representatives to Washington to lobby for changes to the Voting Rights Act. B Congress passes a bill allocating money to clean up nuclear waste sites after a wave of large-scale peaceful protests. C A member of Congress votes to close a popular tax loophole based on the belief that the money would be better spent paying down the national debt. D A presidential candidate advocates using an executive order to increase the minimum wage for federal contractors.

A member of Congress votes to close a popular tax loophole based on the belief that the money would be better spent paying down the national debt.

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a member of Congress supporting pork-barrel legislation? A A senator from a coal-producing state voting against a job-training program for coal miners B A member of the House voting for urban renewal in exchange for increased funding for roads C A senator from an agricultural state amending legislation to establish a potato research institute in his or her state D A member of the House Armed Services Committee marking up a bill that will increase funding for military bases

A senator from an agricultural state amending legislation to establish a potato research institute in his or her state

The details of legislation are usually worked out in which of the following settings? A a party caucus B The majority leader's office C The floor of the House D Legislative hearings E A subcommittee

A subcommittee

A first term member of the House of Representatives from North Dakota who wished to maximize opportunities for constituent service would be most likely to seek placement on which of the following committees? A Judiciary B Agriculture C Rules D Foreign Affairs E Science and Technology

Agriculture

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of checks on the legislative branch and checks on the executive branch?

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

Which of the following identifies the formal procedure for ending a filibuster? A Oversight B Logrolling C Pocket veto D Cloture E Discharge petition

Cloture

When a bill passes the House and the Senate in different versions, the bill is resolved by which of the following types of committee? A Conference B Select C Reconciliation D Rules E Standing

Conference

Which of the following accurately compares the powers of Congress and the president?

Congress Has Greater Control: Budgetary Policy President Has Greater Control: Cabinet Appointments

Which of the following is an example of Congress using its implied powers? A Congress changing the tax code so that individuals making more than $350,000 per year have to pay higher taxes B Congress requesting that the Supreme Court review the constitutionality of a state gun-control law C Congress passing occupational safety regulations for the private sector D Congress ratifying a new trade agreement with Mexico and Canada

Congress passing occupational safety regulations for the private sector

A "cloture motion" passed in the Senate does which of the following? A Returns a bill to committee. B Cuts off debate on a bill. C Criticizes a senator guilty of improprieties. D Removes a President who has been impeached by the House. E Brings a bill directly to a vote without formal committee approval.

Cuts off debate on a bill.

Which of the following is the most likely consequence of divided government? A Reorganization of the federal bureaucracy B Conflicts between states C Delays in confirmation of federal court nominees D Conflicts between national government and states E Elimination of the seniority rule in Congress

Delays in confirmation of federal court 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.

Which of the following accurately compares the formal and informal powers of the president?

Formal Power: Acting as commander in chief of the military Informal Power: Signing executive agreements with foreign nations

Which of the following is an accurate description of the powers of the House of Representatives and the Senate?

House of Representatives: Initiates all revenue bills Senate: Confirms presidential appointments

Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?

House of Representatives: The Constitution's framers intended it to reflect the will of the people. Senate: The Constitution's framers designed it to represent the interests of the states.

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.

Percent of Budget by Type of Spending, 1977-2017 (Graph) Which of the following categories accounted for the majority of spending in 2017, according to the chart? A Mandatory B Net interest C Discretionary D Pork-barrel

Mandatory

Which of the following situations is an example of the president using the bully pulpit as a tool for agenda setting? A President Clinton invoking executive privilege in resisting a subpoena by the United States Senate during the Whitewater investigation B President Bush issuing a signing statement in the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 that considerably weakened its provisions C President Obama issuing an executive order delaying the deportation of at least five million undocumented immigrants D President Reagan delivering a televised address urging a reduction in federal taxes

President Reagan delivering a televised address urging a reduction in federal taxes

Table: Presidential Judicial Nominations (As of Jan. 1994) with ethnic/gender nominations corresponding to column 1 and then columns 2-5 labeled as Clinton, Bush, Reagan and Carter. 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.

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 statements describes the author's main argument in the passage? A Congress must reassert its responsibility to declare war in order to ensure a balance of power. B Presidential power in foreign policy has expanded since the beginning of the twentieth century. C The Korean War was a turning point in presidential power. D The acquisition of the Panama Canal gave the president undisputed power over foreign policy.

Presidential power in foreign policy has expanded since the beginning of the twentieth century.

Which of the following best illustrates the point being made in the cartoon above? (9 men in Supreme Court sitting down, "Forty more years!...Forty more years!" A The influence of presidents on the Supreme Court is limited because the Senate often rejects their nominees. B The terms of Supreme Court justices should be reduced from their current forty years. C Presidents can have an influence on public policy far beyond their terms of office. D The opinions of Supreme Court justices remain very similar over long periods of time. E Supreme Court justices seldom issue dissenting opinions.

Presidents can have an influence on public policy far beyond their terms of office.

In vetoing a bill, the President does which of the following? A Rejects only a part of the bill without rejecting it entirely. B Prevents any further action on the bill. C Sends the bill back to conference committee. D Rejects all sections of the bill. E Decides the bill's constitutionality.

Rejects all sections of the bill.

Which of the following committees of the House of Representatives sets the conditions for debate and amendment of most legislation? A Ways and Means B Appropriations C Judiciary D Rules E Government Operations

Rules

The figure is titled Congressional Leadership and shows a diagram of the leadership structure of Congress with separate flow charts for the House of Representatives and the Senate. A new president has been elected after running on a campaign of lowering taxes and reducing spending on discretionary programs but now must work with Congress to ensure legislation passes which achieves those goals. Which of the leaders in the diagram plays the most crucial role in shaping the legislation that the president wants passed? A President pro-tempore B Vice president C Speaker of the House D House majority leader

Speaker of the House

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. E The majority of Supreme Court justices are from one party, but the majority of senators and representatives are from another.

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

The figure presents a line graph titled "Presidential Vetoes and Bills Passed in Congress." 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.

Members of Congress who have adopted the delegate role of representation normally cast their votes based on which of the following? A The preferences of the majority of their constituents B Their judgment of what is best for their constituency C The instructions of their political party's leadership D Their political party's most recent policy platform E The advice of congressional staffers and political consultants

The preferences of the majority of their constituents

Which of the following is an example of how the innovation of social media can influence presidential behavior? A The president holds a press conference to discuss midterm election results. B The president outlines the administration's legislative agenda in the State of the Union Address. C The president hosts a White House dinner with a foreign head of state. D The president announces the nomination of a cabinet secretary on the Internet.

The president announces the nomination of a cabinet secretary on the Internet.

Which of the following is NOT a presidential role authorized by the Constitution? A To be commander in chief of the armed forces B To lead the political party of the President C To negotiate treaties with foreign nations D To be chief executive E To present the State of the Union address

To lead the political party of 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 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 is an accurate comparison of the text by Schlesinger and The Federalist 70 ? A While Schlesinger views centralization of power in the presidency as dangerous, The Federalist 70 views it as vital to the presidency's effectiveness. B While The Federalist 70 views centralization of power in the presidency as dangerous, Schlesinger views it as vital to the presidency's effectiveness. C Both Schlesinger and The Federalist 70 view centralization of power in the presidency as dangerous. D Both Schlesinger and The Federalist 70 view centralization of power in the presidency as vital to the presidency's effectiveness.

While Schlesinger views centralization of power in the presidency as dangerous, The Federalist 70 views it as vital to the presidency's effectiveness.

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 E federal judges

White House staff

A committee chair in the House of Representatives is always A the member with the longest service on the committee B the member with the longest service in the House C a representative of the Speaker D a member of the majority party in the chamber E a trusted ally of the President

a member of the majority party in the chamber

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 single executive who can respond quickly to crises

Debate of a bill in the House of Representatives under a "closed rule" means that A the bill can only be amended by section B debate on the bill will consist of five-minute speeches, pro and con C only senior members are allowed to participate D amendments to the bill cannot be offered E the bill must be approved by two-thirds of the House

amendments to the bill cannot be offered

The United States Constitution says that Congress has the power to coin money. This is an example of A an enumerated power B an implied power C an inherent power D a reserved power E a concurrent power

an enumerated power

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

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

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

The term "bicameralism" refers to the A establishment of two legislative chambers that have different structures and rules B members of the House of Representatives having two-year terms C president having veto power over both chambers of Congress D members of the House and Senate having to appease their mutual constituencies E checks that Congress has over the federal bureaucracy

establishment of two legislative chambers that have different structures and rules

The congressional system of standing committees is significant because it A fosters the development of expertise by members B helps Congress reduce staff costs C insulates decision-making from the influence of special interests D weakens Congress in its dealings with the President E prevents Congress from effectively processing its large legislative workload

fosters the development of expertise by members

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 largest source of federal revenue is the A capital gains tax B Social Security tax C property tax D income tax E sales tax

income tax

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 enable the president to commit troops to United Nations peacekeeping forces E limit the president's authority to commit troops overseas

limit the president's authority to commit troops overseas

The practice in Congress whereby Representative A promises to vote for Representative B's legislation, provided that Representative B will support Representative A's legislation, is referred to as A personal casework and services B partisan discipline C logrolling D pork barrel legislation E filibustering

logrolling

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

Congressional legislative powers include all of the following EXCEPT A legislating federal appropriations B approval of treaties C establishing a lower-court system D passing federal laws E pardoning felons

pardoning felons

The term "pork barrel" refers to legislation specifically designed to A encourage a balanced federal budget B ensure the careful inspection of farm goods and other foodstuffs C distribute excess produce to the poor D provide funding for local projects that are intended to benefit constituents E equalize representation between farming and nonfarming states

provide funding for local projects that are intended to benefit constituents

Nominations to the Supreme Court must be approved by a A simple majority vote in the Senate only B simple majority vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate C two-thirds vote in the House of Representatives only D two-thirds vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate E two-thirds vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate and a majority of the sitting justices on the Supreme Court

simple majority vote in the Senate only

Most of the work of legislating in Congress takes place in A joint committees B ad hoc committees C select committees D conference committees E standing committees

standing committees

The boundary lines of congressional districts are drawn by A the United States House of Representatives B The United States Senate C United States district courts D state governors E state legislatures

state legislatures

The committee system is more important in the House than in the Senate because A the seniority system plays no role in the House and therefore committees must play a larger role B the Constitution mandates the type of committee structure in the House C committee members are appointed by the President D the House is so large that more work can be accomplished in committees than on the floor E the majority party in the House prefers to give priority to the work of the committees

the House is so large that more work can be accomplished in committees than on the floor

The Constitution states that all revenue bills must originate in A a White House budget resolution B the Congressional Budget Office C the United States Senate D the United States House of Representatives E the Office of Management and Budget

the United States House of Representatives

The voting patterns of members of Congress correlate most strongly with A the population density of their districts B their economic background C their educational level D their political party affiliation E the location of their districts

their political party affiliation