Posi 2310 Exam 2 review

Overall, what effect has the exercise of judicial review had on the balance of power between levels of government and the branches of government in the United States?

-It has increased the power of the federal government. -It has increased the power of the courts by creating new powers.

Which of the following statements about midterm elections are generally true?

-The president's party usually loses seats. -There is less media coverage of candidates and issues than in a presidential election. -Voter turnout is lower than for presidential elections.

Which of the following are true concerning women and minorities who run for congressional office?

-There are more women than there are minorities in Congress. -Women and minorities are less likely to run for Congress than white males.

Which of the following statements correctly describe U.S. district courts?

-They are the only federal courts where cases are decided by a jury. -They are the chief trial courts of the federal court system.

What are potential problems presidents can have in controlling low-level appointees?

-They can become closer to the agency in which they work than to the president. -Many of them are politically inexperienced.

Which of the following circumstances help to create a powerful president?

-a major national problem -a decisive election victory

In his role as chief diplomat, the president ______.

-appoints ambassadors -negotiates treaties with other nations

Members of Congress are most indebted to which of the following?

-hardcore partisan voters in their state or district -the wealthy donors who fund their campaigns

Identify the checks on judicial power that are available to Congress.

-rewriting legislation it feels the judiciary has misinterpreted -exercising its authority to confirm Supreme Court justices

The Speaker of the House has the right to do which of the following?

-select the chairperson of the House Rules Committee -choose who may speak on the House floor -speak first during House debate on legislation

Members of Congress cannot claim to be the leader of the United States because they ______.

-share power with other members of Congress -are elected from different areas and not nationally

The importance of an advertising style of governing emerged when candidates began to build their campaigns around which three of the following?

-the media -rallies -polling

Which of the following is part of the Executive Office of the President?

1. White House Office. 2. Office of Management and Budget. 3. National Security Council. 4. Council of Economic Advisers.

Put in order the following steps that a bill must pass through in order to become law. (Place the first step at the top and the last step at the bottom.)

1. memeber proposes bill 2. submitted to commitee 3. majority of members in house and senate approve 4. president signs

How many candidates did the Republican Party field in 2016 for the presidential nominating race?

18

How many votes does it take to remove the president from office?

2/3rds of senate

At present there are ______ standing committees in the House of Representatives.

20

In order to be a member of the House of Representatives, a person must be ______ years of age.

25

House incumbents have about a(n) ________ chance of winning reelection.

92%

Which interest group regularly files cases seeking to protect individual rights?

ACLU

Incumbents may have some problems in reelection campaigns if

All of these answers are correct.: -disruptive issues such as general public discontent with Congress become prominent. -the incumbent is tainted with charges of personal misconduct or corruption. -the election is a midterm election, and the incumbent is of the same party as the president. -they appear vulnerable, and contributors from outside the state or district might target the race and donate money to the challenger.

Which president narrowly survived an impeachment conviction?

Andrew Johnson

The type of state law that involves such issues as business disputes or divorces is known as ______.

Civil law

The Constitution establishes the Supreme Court. Which entity is empowered by the Constitution to establish the lower federal courts?

Congress

If the president chooses to veto a bill, ______.

Congress can override the veto by a two-thirds vote in each chamber

True or false: An executive agreement made by the president with another country has the same force of law as a formal treaty and cannot be rescinded.

F (Reason: Unlike a treaty, an executive agreement can be voided by a subsequent president.)

True or false: The Constitution requires that federal judges be citizens and at least thirty years old.

False

True or false: The Supreme Court's decision gives the legal basis for the Court's ruling.

False

True or false: The president's ability to command attention via the bully pulpit guarantees that the desired policy objectives will be achieved.

False (Reason: The ability to focus attention on a problem does not guarantee that others will be successfully convinced to accept the solution the president is proposing.)

Why was President Hoover slow to respond to the Great Depression?

He claimed he lacked the constitutional authority to take strong action.

What is the purpose of the writ of certiorari?

It is an order from a higher court for a lower court to submit a record of a case to the higher court.

Which of the following is a provision of the War Powers Act?

It requires hostilities to end within 60 days unless Congress extends the period.

How long do federal judges serve?

Life

In the House, both the full committee and a subcommittee may ______, or propose changes to, a bill.

Mark up

The president's top advisers on matters related to foreign policy make up part of the ______.

National Security Council

What shift brought the president to a more central role in the legislative process?

National and international forces combined to place greater policy demands on the federal government.

Which of the following describes the power of Congress relative to the other branches of government?

No executive agency or lower court can exist without congressional authorization.

The White House Office consists of the Office of the Counsel to the President, the Communications Office, and the Office of the______.

Press Secretary

Which of the following statements concerning the political orientation of Supreme Court justices is correct?

Republican appointees are more likely than Democratic appointees to side with law enforcement officials instead of with the criminally accused.

Which of the following statements is true about congressional members over the last three decades?

Republicans have become more conservative.

Who was the only U.S. president to resign from office?

Richard Nixon

Which cabinet member can be described as a close advisor to the president in most administrations?

Secretary of State

Which of the following statements accurately describes the challenge faced by the judiciary in interpreting the Constitution?

The Constitution is silent concerning the approach that judges should take in deciding cases where the law is not completely clear.

Why is it impossible to firmly settle the argument over judicial restraint and activism?

The Constitution offers no specific method of decision making.

What unique and vital power does the chief justice enjoy once the Supreme Court has reached a decision in a case?

The chief justice chooses who writes the Court's opinion, provided the chief justice is a member of the majority.

Which of the following correctly describes how committees and subcommittees serve to decentralize power in Congress?

They allow more members to hold leadership positions.

Which of the following is true of bills that emerge from committee with the full support of the committee members?

They are typically passed by an overwhelming majority.

What holds party lawmakers together?

They have far more in common with each other than they do with lawmakers of the other party.

What is the function of appellate courts?

They review whether a lower court correctly applied and interpreted applicable law.

Polls indicate that voters' opinions of Donald Trump's performance had what effect in the 2018 midterms?

Those who were discontented with Trump helped Democrats retake control of the House.

After Vietnam, Congress sought to limit the ability of presidents to commit the United States to war by passing the ______.

War Powers Act

executive order

a directive that implements or interprets a law passed by Congress

Following oral argument, the Supreme Court justices meet in complete privacy and secrecy to discuss and vote on the case. This meeting of the justices is called ______.

a judicial conference

Supreme Court chief justice John Marshall used the Court to strengthen the judiciary and made legal decisions not explicitly discussed by the Constitution. These actions demonstrated Marshall's use of judicial ______.

activism

Over the last two decades, the Supreme Court can best be said to be practicing judicial

activism.

The Supreme Court is likely to grant a hearing when a case involves

an issue that is being decided inconsistently by the lower federal courts.

The doctrine of judicial restraint implies that it is the duty of judges to

apply the law

The percentage of survey respondents who say that they support the work the president is doing is known as the president's ______ rating.

approval

Why are future Supreme Court nominees unlikely to be rejected by the Senate?

because the use of the filibuster has been abolished for Supreme Court nominations

Supreme Court nominations in recent years have been _____ in the Senate.

bitterly contested

To plan strategy and resolve policy issues, party members in Congress typically meet behind closed doors in a session called a party

caucus

The president shapes and administers the nation's foreign policy while acting in the role of ______.

chief diplomat

Each of the 50 states structures and maintains its own ______.

court system

The type of state law that involves issues such as shoplifting, murder, and rape is known as ______ law.

criminal

The Supreme Court, recognizing public opinion in the Brown v. Board of Education case, required local school systems to ______.

desegregate "with all deliberate speed" instead of immediately

The scenario in which the president belongs to one political party while the opposition party has majority control of at least one chamber of Congress is known as ______.

divided government

When, during a term of office, should the president expect to experience the highest level of public approval?

early in a new president's administration

What is the most common method in the states for the selection of judges?

election to office

True or false: The line between proper and improper judicial decision making is very clear.

false

What is the procedural tactic employed in the Senate to prevent a bill from coming to a vote?

fillbuster

executive agreement

formal agreements made with foreign nations that are legally binding

The reason that precedent is important for judges is that it ______.

gives predictability to the law so people know what is legal

If the majority of the members of the House of Representatives are Republican, then every committee and subcommittee in the House will ______.

have a majority of Republican members

The president performs all of the following EXCEPT

having the final say in interpreting the U.S. Constitution.

A court's jurisdiction is its authority to ______.

hear cases of a particular type

The power to formally accuse and place on trial the president as well as other high-ranking figures in the federal government for alleged crimes of treason, bribery, or high crimes and misdemeanors is known as ______.

impeachment

The Whig theory holds that the presidency

is a limited office whose occupant is an administrator who carries out the will of Congress.

Chief Justice John Roberts has observed that the Supreme Court ______.

is not a political branch of government, and the public has to accept its decisions

Which legal doctrine holds that in nearly every instance, policy issues should be decided by elected lawmakers and not by appointed judges?

judicial restraint

An example of Congress's ______ occurs when Congress passes legislation that creates incentives for the development of alternative energy sources.

lawmaking function

What has been one result of the decreasing number of moderates in Congress?

legislative deadlock

A Supreme Court opinion written when the majority of the justices agree on the legal reasoning for the decision is a(n)

majority opinion.

President Ronald Reagan was viewed as ______.

more powerful than President Jimmy Carter

What percentage of state legislators are women?

more than 20%

Which of the following correctly describes the executive authority that the Constitution assigns the vice president?

no executive authority

The Supreme Court tends to hear cases ______.

of substantial legal significance

Most of the work on legislation in Congress is done

on the floor of the House and Senate.

A(n) ______ rule allows members to propose amendments that are relevant to any section of the bill.

open

If a "turf war" erupts as different committees vie for jurisdiction over a bill, who or what decides the committee assignment?

party leaders

A vote where most members of one political party vote one way while most members of the other party vote the other way is categorized as a ______ vote.

party unity

When foreign countries look to the United States for leadership, they direct their attention to the ______.

president

The minority party's committee and subcommittee leaders are its _____ members.

ranking

Administrative law is a type of law that is ______.

set by government agencies

Which of the following terms describes a permanent committee in Congress that has a defined legislative jurisdiction?

standing committee

The structure of the state court systems is defined by ______.

state law

Which of the following received a unanimous vote in the Senate in the past five years?

the COVID-19 coronavirus relief bill of 2020

In the House of Representatives, debate is limited on the congressional floor by ______.

the Rules Committee

During a Supreme Court hearing, who presents oral arguments?

the attorneys for each side

To what does political scientist Hugh Heclo's term the illusion of presidential government refer?

the public's belief that the president actually runs the entire government in the United States

Whether or not Congress takes the lead in the making of laws usually depends on ______.

the type of policy at issue

Members of the House of Representatives typically serve on ______ committees, while members of the Senate serve on ______.

two, four

Compared with their percentage of the overall population of the United States, women and minorities are ______ in Congress.

underrepresented

Positive aspects of party polarization include the fact that ______.

voters can more clearly see and understand party differences

In terms of their careers, most members of Congress ______.

want to stay in Congress and put themselves in position for reelection

Alexander Hamilton said that of all the branches of government, the Supreme Court was the ______.

weakest

Presidents typically nominate people to lower-court judgeships ______.

who are members of their political party

Which of the following are the functions of Congress? (Choose every correct answer.)

-lawmaking -representation -oversight

Who works together to achieve legislative goals?

-the president -the Congress

Through the use of administrative powers, the president can

decide how laws will be implemented.

A Supreme Court ______ explains the justices' legal basis for their decision.

opinion

Which of the following methods is most often used to select committee chairs?

the seniority system

Which of these communication strategies have presidents used to promote their agenda to the general public?

-"fireside chats" on the radio -televised press conferences -posts on social media

Which of the following are duties of the Speaker of the House?

-Choosing leadership of the House Rules Committee -Recognizing members who will be allowed to speak on the floor

Which two of the following are aspects of the dual nature of Congress?

-Its members have a duty to serve people in their states or individual districts. -It has the responsibility to make laws for the country as a whole.

Which of the following describe the irony of the presidency?

-Presidents get too much blame when things go poorly. -Presidents get too much credit when things go right. -basically we give em too much shit either way

Which of the following statements are true of bills that are killed in committee?

-Some bills are not supported by the members who introduced them. -They can be brought back to life by a vote of the full House or Senate. -Most are poorly conceived or of little interest to anyone.

Which of the following descriptions of the U.S. presidency are true?

-The degree of leadership the president can exert largely depends on circumstances. -The formal powers of the presidency are modest. -It operates in a system of divided powers.

Which of the following statements about federal judges are true?

-The only way to remove them is through impeachment. -They serve until they die or retire voluntarily. -They are appointed by the president, subject to confirmation by the Senate.

For which of the following reasons is the president better suited to oversee government activity and develop comprehensive public policy?

-The president is able to direct the actions of federal agencies. -Final authority rests with a single individual.

Judges might not be able to use legal precedents if their cases ______.

-have significant differences from precedents -fall in between competing precedents

Which of the following are most likely to persuade the Supreme Court justices to review a case?

-if a lower court ruling conflicts with a previous Supreme Court decision -if the legal issue raised is being handled inconsistently by the lower courts

In relation to Congress, the president's power is ______.

-more effective in setting the national agenda -limited by the willingness of Congress to act on the president's agenda

Compared with Republican presidents, Democratic presidents have appointed ______ to the federal bench.

-more minorities -more women

Which two features of the presidency have enabled presidents to claim leadership on national policy?

-national election -singular authority

In selecting judges, the states rely on what method?

-political appointment -competitive elections of a partisan nature -competitive elections of a nonpartisan nature -merit selection

Which of the following are duties of the Secretary of State?

-protecting U.S. citizens abroad -providing advice to the president on foreign policy -overseeing the diplomatic corps -participating in international conferences

When does a bill become a law?

-when Congress overrides a presidential veto -when the president signs it

Which of the following circuit courts has jurisdiction over appeals involving patents and international trade?

Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit

Under which of the following presidents did the greatest expansion of presidential authority take place?

Franklin Roosevelt

The president who redefined the role of the vice president was ______.

Jimmy Carter

Which chamber of Congress has the power to try and remove the president from office once the president has been impeached (placed on trial)?

Senate

The scheduling of bills in the Senate is left up to

Senate Majority Leader

Choosing committee chairs based on which member has the longest continuous tenure on a standing committee is an example of the ____ system.

Seniority

The most powerful leader in the House of Representatives is the ______.

Speaker of the House

What occurs after a conference committee reconciles differences in the House and Senate versions of a bill?

The bill goes back to both chambers for a vote

The theories of judicial restraint and judicial activism differ in what way?

They differ in how much their adherents believe judges should follow precedent and defer to elected officials.

Amicus curiae briefs have what impact on the American legal system?

They help the court to understand how interested parties feel about the case in question.

True or false: After clearing the committee stage, floor debate on a bill is usually led by the majority party's leadership in the House.

True

True or false: Studies by political scientists have shown that Supreme Court justices tend to vote according to their political attitudes.

True

The only type of federal court that features two sides presenting a case to a jury for a verdict is ______.

a district court

According to Alexander Hamilton's argument in Federalist No. 78, the best way to ensure that the federal courts exercise their power reasonably and fairly is to ______.

appoint federal judges for life

Which of the following strongly and positively affects a congressional candidate's ability win an election?

being an incumbent

Compared to the powers of the presidency that George Washington assumed in 1789, the powers of the presidency that Joe Biden assumed in 2021 are ______.

considerably more powerful

A key to understanding the power of the presidency is a recognition that presidential power ______.

depends on the occupant of the office

Since the Truman administration, the number of bureaucratic agencies has more than _____.

doubled

Approximately what percentage of Donald Trump's judicial appointees were minority-group members?

fewer than 10 percent

The president's constitutional roles, such as chief executive and commander in chief,

have expanded in practice to be more powerful than the writers of the Constitution intended.

The beginning of a new presidential administration, which is often characterized by higher levels of public approval, is known as a ______.

honeymoon period

Appellate courts review which aspect of lower court decisions?

how a lower court applied the law

In the large majority of cases, the winner of a congressional campaign is the ______.

incumbent

One reason standing committees are powerful is that by law they have ______.

jurisdiction over bills in their designated policy area

More than half of post-World War II presidents have left office with an approval rating of ______.

less than 50%

An opinion in a case that is agreed upon by at least five of the nine members of the Supreme Court who participated in the decision is called the ______.

majority opinion

While serving on the Court, Supreme Court justices tend to ______.

make decisions in line with their views when they were nominated to the Court

Which of the following is a formal constitutional requirement for becoming president?

must be a natural-born citizen

Ensuring that laws are being administered by the executive branch in the way intended by Congress is an important function of Congress and is known as

oversight

Which function describes the process by which the legislature checks on the executive branch to make sure it is carrying out the laws in the way Congress intended?

oversight

The appointment of federal judges is influenced most substantially by

partisanship.

The House and the Senate each elect ______ to direct their party's efforts in the chamber.

party leaders

The increase in party polarization in Congress has led to increased ______.

policy deadlock

In his book Electing Justices, Richard Davis likens Supreme Court appointments in the era of party polarization to ______.

political campaigns

Presidents might not succeed in achieving certain goals if Congress does not provide the necessary funding for them. This illustrates the government's ______.

separation of powers

Laws made by acts of Congress or state legislatures are called ______.

statutory laws

Incumbents have ______ over challengers.

substantial advantages

Which of the following documents revealed that President Lyndon Johnson had presented a falsely optimistic picture of the Vietnam War?

the Pentagon Papers

To whom or what does the president typically delegate the task of identifying nominees to lower-court positions?

the deputy attorney general

What usually is the best indicator of how individual Supreme Court justices will vote in cases where the Court issues a divided decision?

the justices' political backgrounds

The president's cabinet consists of ______.

the leaders of the top executive departments

Which of the following describes what political scientist Hugh Heclo calls "the illusion of presidential government"?

the presidential image-building through public relations that contributes to the idea that the president is in charge of the national government

Presidents are likely to be successful and powerful if ______.

they face special circumstances that call for their leadership

Presidents have more power in foreign policy making in part because ______.

they have more access to relevant information than Congress does

The scenario in which the president belongs to the same political party that controls the House and Senate is called ______.

unified government

According to the doctrine of judicial activism, judges should

use the law in ways that expand the protection of basic rights, such as liberty and equality.