Chapter 13 Questions

Which best describes a presidential election campaign? a. an all-out effort to win b. an all-out effort to be fair c. making new friends d. helping people

A

Which state has held the first delegate-selection contest in every presidential election since 1972? a. New Hampshire b. Iowa c. California d. New York

B

"The Electors . . . shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President." --12th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Which best describes the meaning of this text from the 12th Amendment? a. Presidential and vice presidential elections shall be separate. b. Electors should remain objective and not consider politics when voting. c. Electors shall not name the same person for two different offices. d. The offices of President and vice president shall be equal.

A

A State's presidential electors are chosen by a. the State legislature. b. popular vote. c. a State convention. d. its members in Congress.

A

A major flaw in the electoral college system is that a. the candidate who wins the popular vote might not become President. b. electors must vote in agreement with the popular vote. c. any election might have to be decided in the U.S. Senate. d. electors are chosen by popular vote.

A

A speech given early at a party convention to set the tone for the convention and the campaign to come is called the a. keynote address. b. nomination. c. platform address. d. acceptance speech.

A

The 25th Amendment deals with a. presidential disability. b. the order of succession. c. the electoral college. d. vice presidential duties.

A

Which is the correct line of presidential succession according to the Presidential Succession Act of 1947? a. Vice President, Speaker of the House, president pro tempore of the Senate, Secretary of State b. Vice President, Secretary of State, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Labor c. Vice President, President of the Senate, Speaker of the House, Attorney General d. Vice President, Speaker of the House, Senate majority leader, Secretary of Energy

A

Which set the first guidelines for deciding when a President is disabled? a. 25th Amendment b. 22nd Amendment c. Disabled Americans Act d. Presidential Disability Act

A

According to the Constitution, presidential disability can be determined by the a. President alone. b. Vice President and the Cabinet. c. chief White House physician. d. President and Vice President alone.

B

An opponent of the 22nd Amendment would most likely argue that it a. gives people unlimited rights. b. is undemocratic. c. gives too much authority to Congress. d. promotes "executive tyranny."

B

Before the 25th Amendment, how did the Constitution provide for presidential succession? a. Within three months of the vacancy, a new national election should be held. b. The powers and duties of the President, not the office itself, were to be transferred to the Vice President. c. The powers and duties of the President were to be transferred to the Supreme Court. d. The powers and duties of the President were to be shared by members of the Cabinet.

B

During the nomination process, political battles are most likely to occur in a. presidential primaries in the President's party. b. presidential primaries in the party out of power. c. the Cabinet. d. the electoral college.

B

Early in the Philadelphia Convention of 1787, most Framers favored selection of the President a. by popular vote. b. by Congress. c. by appointment of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. d. by the electoral college.

B

If no person receives a majority of the electoral votes for Vice President, who chooses the Vice President? a. the House of Representatives b. the Senate c. the Supreme Court d. the President-elect

B

In a State's presidential primary, voters a. always select their candidate's delegates. b. either choose convention delegates or express a preference for a candidate. c. elect the President of the United States. d. meet in a caucus to select candidates.

B

Most of the Framers opposed choosing the President by a. electoral votes. b. popular vote. c. the electoral college. d. presidential electors.

B

The President is the main architect of American foreign policy, making him or her the nation's a. chief bureaucrat. b. chief diplomat. c. commander in chief. d. chief citizen.

B

The formal election of the President and Vice President occurs on a. January 1. b. January 6. c. April 15. d. the first Tuesday in November.

B

What caused the major parties to stop using congressional caucuses to nominate candidates? a. The meetings got way too large. b. Too few people were represented. c. Governors made all the decisions. d. Caucuses violated the Constitution.

B

What determines the number of delegates each State may send to a national convention? a. the State's population b. each party's national committee c. each State's convention d. a mandate in the Constitution

B

What did supporters of the 22nd Amendment want to accomplish? a. allow a President to run for unlimited terms b. keep a President from getting too much power c. put a cap on the President's salary d. ensure a President is at least 35 years old

B

What happens when a presidential candidate wins a state with just 51 percent of the popular vote? a. The Constitution requires that all the ballots be counted again. b. The winner of the popular vote gets all of the state's electoral votes. c. The winning candidate gets a proportionate share of electoral votes. d. The election is too close to call, so the state has another election.

B

What reasoning did Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, and Reagan use when calling for the repeal of the 22nd Amendment? a. Anyone over the age of 21 should be able to run for President. b. The people should determine how long a President should serve. c. A President should not be limited to one four-year term in office. d. A President should not be limited to one six-year term in office.

B

Which describes a caucus? a. A meeting of Congress to discuss election procedures. b. A local meeting to select delegates to a local convention. c. A national meeting of party delegates to pick a presidential candidate. d. A statewide convention at which delegates plan the party platform.

B

Which is a true statement about primaries? a. Most state primaries are very much the same. b. Each state has a different way of choosing its delegates. c. The method of nominating candidates is specified in the Constitution. d. According to congressional guidelines, all state primaries are held on the same day.

B

A national convention is held to accomplish all of the following except a. unify the party behind its candidates. b. name its presidential candidate. c. select the party's delegates. d. adopt the party's platform.

C

All of the following are formal qualifications for the presidency except a. being a natural-born citizen. b. being at least 35 years old. c. having political experience d. having been a resident within the U.S. for at least 14 years.

C

Historically, few major party presidential candidates have been a. former State governors. b. incumbent Presidents. c. Roman Catholics. d. residents of large States.

C

Historically, the office of the Vice President has been considered a. the second most important job in the country. b. the nation's chief diplomat. c. an office of little real consequence. d. that of an "Assistant President."

C

How are presidential electors chosen within a state? a. winner-take-district b. direct popular vote c. winner-take-all d. proportional vote

C

How many presidential electors does each state have? a. Each state gets two presidential electors. b. Each state gets one elector for every 2 million people. c. The number of electors is the same as the number of each state's senators and representatives. d. The number of electors is the same as the number of voting districts in each state.

C

In the Framers' original plan, each elector was to cast one vote for two different candidates for President. The person with the second largest number of votes was to fill which office? a. Speaker of the House b. secretary of state c. Vice President d. chief of staff

C

The Constitution provides that the Vice President a. advises the President on domestic matters. b. serves as the primary foreign ambassador for the United States. c. presides over the Senate. d. presides over the House of Representatives.

C

The characteristic most common among presidential nominees has been that most have a. been incumbents. b. been Republicans. c. held public office. d. had the broadest appeal.

C

Which best describes how the President works with Congress as chief legislator? a. He can fire legislators that do not pass his laws. b. As president of the Senate, he suggests new laws. c. He suggests, requests, and insists that Congress pass his laws. d. As commander-in-chief, he commands Congress to pass his laws.

C

Which describes the method used to decide a presidential election in the House of Representatives? a. The House and Senate vote, and their votes are combined. It takes a majority to elect. b. Each state gets votes based on its population; it takes a 2/3 majority to elect. c. Each state gets one vote; it takes a majority of 26 to elect. d. Each House member gets one vote; it takes a majority of 218 to elect.

C

Which is not an option for the President if he or she is unhappy with the Vice President's work? a. schedule a conference b. provide more assistance c. fire the Vice President d. get advice from the Cabinet

C

Which is one of the three main goals of a national convention? a. naming candidates for governor b. proposing constitutional amendments c. adopting the party's platform d. getting supporters from the opposing party

C

Who becomes Acting President if the President becomes disabled? a. the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court b. the President's Chief of Staff c. the Vice President d. the Speaker of the House

C

Who would be least likely to want to engage in a presidential debate? a. a third-party candidate b. a candidate lagging in the polls c. an incumbent President d. a candidate from a small, rural State

C

Why do the political parties award bonus delegates to some states? a. because some states don't qualify for many electoral votes b. because those states had to give up their presidential candidate c. because those states have been strong party supporters d. so those states will not insist on an early primary date

C

Besides having a primary, what other way is there for a state to choose delegates? a. frontrunner system b. electoral system c. general election method d. caucus-convention method

D

How did the Framers decide the President and Vice President should be selected? a. by popular vote b. by Congress c. by the Cabinet d. by the electoral college

D

States in which the outcome of a presidential election is "too close to call" are called a. independent States. b. squeaker States. c. red States. d. battleground States.

D

The President's salary a. is set by his or her political party. b. is not taxable. c. helps the President pay rent on the White House. d. cannot be increased or decreased during a presidential term.

D

The election crisis of 1800 occurred because of the a. lack of an electoral college. b. failure of the popular vote. c. mistakes by Congress. d. rise of well-defined parties.

D

The presidential election of 1800 was decided by the a. Senate. b. State legislatures. c. electoral college. d. House of Representatives.

D

What happens if no presidential candidate wins a majority of electoral votes? a. The parties schedule a run-off election. b. The winner of the largest states wins the election. c. The election is decided by a council of governors. d. The election is decided in the House of Representatives.

D

What is the role of the presidential candidate at a party convention? a. writing the platform b. giving the keynote address c. leading the roll call balloting d. giving an acceptance speech

D

When the Vice President's office is vacant, how is a new Vice President selected? a. The Speaker of the House becomes Vice President. b. A national election is held. c. The President pro tem of the Senate becomes Vice President. d. The President nominates a new Vice President, to be confirmed by a majority congressional vote.

D

Which critical event prevented a U.S. presidential election? a. the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 b. the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 c. the September 2001 terrorist attacks d. no crisis has prevented a presidential election

D

Which limit did the Framers set on how many times a President can be reelected? a. two b. three c. four d. no limit

D

Which of the following is among the benefits provided to a President? a. payments from government contractors b. expensive gifts from foreign ministers c. oil money from federal lands d. a large expense account to spend as he or she likes

D

Which of the following plans would require an amendment to the Constitution? a. the national popular vote plan b. the district plan c. the proportional plan d. direct popular election

D

Who was the President the first time the disability provisions of the 25th Amendment came into play? a. William Henry Harrison b. Abraham Lincoln c. John F. Kennedy d. Ronald Reagan

D