unit 2 ap gov
Which of the following is most likely an effect of the trend in the line graph?
A decrease in congressional oversight as a mechanism to control the bureaucracy
Which of the following scenarios illustrates how social media has changed the way presidents relate to the public?
A president announcing a major policy initiative via the Internet rather than calling a press conference
Which of the following sections of the United States Constitution is most related to the case Marbury v. Madison (1803) ?
Article III
Which of the following statements best explains the diagram?
Cases arising at both the state and federal level may be appealed to the United States Supreme Court.
Which of the following explains an action Congress can take that would have the most influence on the data on the graphs?
Congress can pass legislation that influences the federal salary structure.
In 1998, Goodyear employee Lilly Ledbetter filed suit against her employer for pay discrimination based on her gender. Though Ledbetter was initially successful, Goodyear appealed the decision and the case went to the Supreme Court. In Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. (2007), the Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 requires that sex discrimination complaints must be made within 180 days "after the alleged unlawful employment practice occurred," which Ledbetter had
Congress could enact legislation to amend Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
Which of the following possible actions illustrates a way Congress interacts with the bureaucracy to address the problem shown in the infographic?
Congress could have members of the Department of Transportation testify before a committee to discuss the issue and potential solutions.
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates delegated discretionary authority?
Congress giving the Environmental Protection Agency the power to establish national pollution standards
The mission of the Department of Transportation is to ensure the safety and efficiency of the transportation system. The Department of Transportation has accepted public comments regarding the safety of automated vehicles in the United States in order to establish standards and guidelines for this new technology. Which of the following concepts is most related to the scenario?
Delegated discretionary authority
The President's veto power is accurately described by which of the following statements? A President sometimes threatens to veto a bill that is under discussion in order to influence congressional decision-making. A President typically vetoes about a third of the bills passed by Congress. Congress is usually unable to override a President's veto.
I and III only
In the case Twining v. New Jersey (1908), the Supreme Court held that the Fifth Amendment's protection against self-incrimination is not applicable to the states. In 1964 the Supreme Court overruled the decision in Malloy v. Hogan (1964) and held that the right was incorporated to the states. This scenario illustrates which of the following?
Ideological changes to the Supreme Court can lead to the overturning of precedent.
Which of the following is generally true of the gerrymandering of congressional districts?
It creates districts that favor one political party over another.
Which of the following is true of an executive agreement made between a United States President and another head of state?
It does not require Senate approval, but may require congressional allocation of funds for implementation.
In The Federalist 78, Alexander Hamilton argued that the federal judiciary "is beyond comparison the weakest of the three departments of power." Which of the following statements represents a reason he gave for this argument?
It must depend on the executive for enforcement of its decisions.
Which of the following is true about the pocket veto?
It occurs when the President takes no action on a bill for ten days during which Congress is adjourned.
In The Federalist 78, Alexander Hamilton states, "A constitution is, in fact, and must be regarded by the judges, as a fundamental law. It therefore belongs to them to ascertain its meaning." Which of the following Supreme Court cases is most relevant to this statement?
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
The Federalist No. 78 says, "A constitution is, in fact, and must be regarded by the judges, as a fundamental law. It therefore belongs to them to ascertain its meaning, as well as the meaning of any particular act proceeding from the legislative body." In which of the following decisions did the Supreme Court use an argument most similar to the one in The Federalist No. 78 ?
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Which of the following statements reflects a pattern in the line graph?
Most presidents exit office with lower approval ratings than when they entered office.
A United States Supreme Court justice has announced his retirement at the end of the current Supreme Court term. What is the most likely presidential action in response to this announcement?
Nominate a federal judge who shares the president's ideology
Which of the following best reflects the holding in the case Baker v. Carr (1962) ?
Opened the door to Equal Protection Clause challenges to redistricting by deciding that such cases could be reviewed by federal courts.
Congress passes a law requiring that all public accommodations provide access for people with disabilities. The United States Supreme Court rules that the law does not apply to the airline industry. Which of the following is the best way for Congress to provide people with disabilities access to the airline industry in light of the Court's ruling?
Pass a new law that specifies that the airlines must provide access for people with disabilities
Which of the following situations is an example of the president using the bully pulpit as a tool for agenda setting?
President Reagan delivering a televised address urging a reduction in federal taxes
In November 2014, President Obama announced an expansion of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program through an executive order. The policy would protect over 700,000 more children of undocumented immigrants from deportation. Republican members of Congress denounced the order as an abuse of executive power. Previously, members of the House of Representatives had voted to defund the program. This scenario best illustrates which of the following?
Presidents exert informal powers when their policy agenda conflicts with that of Congress.
Which of the following describes the ruling in Shaw v. Reno (1993) ?
Racial gerrymandering was ruled unconstitutional.
Congress has exerted the greats influence on the operation of a federal agency by doing which of the following?
Reviewing the annual budget appropriations for the agency
In Worcester v. Georgia (1832), the United States Supreme Court ruled that a Georgia law violated the U.S. Constitution. In response to Chief Justice John Marshall's majority opinion, President Andrew Jackson said, "John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it." Which of the following ideas regarding government does President Jackson's statement exhibit?
Since the Supreme Court has no enforcement mechanism, the executive and legislative branches can restrict its decisions by delaying their implementation.
Which of the following is an accurate statement about committees in Congress?
Standing committees oversee the bureaucracy's implementation of legislation.
The Supreme Court upholds a law passed by Congress as constitutional. The chief justice states in the majority opinion that previous decisions supporting Congress' power to make laws based on the commerce clause of the Constitution were the basis for the decision. Which of the following legal concepts did the chief justice apply in writing the opinion?
Stare decisis
A newly elected president faces a Senate controlled by the opposition party. Which of the following presidential appointments is the most likely to encounter difficulty with confirmation by the Senate?
Supreme Court justice
Which of the following is likely to occur as a result of new legislation regarding automobile safety?
The Department of Transportation will be given discretionary authority to create auto regulations.
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the process of bureaucratic?
The Department of Veterans Affairs rewrites its regulations regarding compensation and pensions into plain language that is easier for beneficiaries to understand.
The Supreme Court's decision in Marbury v. Madison (1803) relates to foundational documents in which of the following ways?
The Federalist 78 is about the power and role of the federal courts, and in Marbury v. Madison, Madison expands that role by giving the courts the power to determine whether laws or executive actions conflict with the Constitution.
Cabinet departments differ from independent regulatory agencies in which of the following ways?
The President can dismiss cabinet officers, but not commissioners of independent regulatory agencies.
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the concept of a case being decided based on precedent?
The Supreme Court bases its decision in a case involving the commerce clause on one of its earlier decisions involving the commerce clause.
In the case Wickard v. Filburn (1942), Roscoe Filburn was penalized for producing 12 acres of wheat above his allotment under the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1938. The law, justified under Congress' power to regulate interstate commerce, limited the amount of wheat an individual could grow. This regulation would keep prices from dropping and prevent farmers from going bankrupt. Filburn claimed that the excess wheat was for his own use, and challenged that no interstate commerce was involved
The expansive interpretation of the commerce clause by the Supreme Court which greatly extended the power of Congress drew criticism that eventually led to a narrower interpretation.
Which of the following factors most likely led to shifts in Supreme Court decision making over time?
The ideological composition of the justices on the Supreme Court shifted to become less liberal over time.
Which of the following trends is best supported by the information in the table?
The number of executive agreements has increased over time.
"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
The perception of multiple crises has led to the growth of an executive branch that is undermining the separation of powers in the government.
Which of the following enumerated powers would permit Congress to stimulate the economy by hiring unemployed citizens?
The power to pass a federal budget
Members of Congress who have adopted the delegate role of representation normally cast their votes based on which of the following?
The preferences of the majority of their constituents
Which of the following scenarios best demonstrates a president avoiding a check from the judicial branch?
The president instructs the bureaucracy to delay implementing policy changes resulting from a Supreme Court decision.
Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a formal check on the power of the bureaucracy?
The secretary of defense being called to testify before a congressional committee
Which of the following is the best predictor of the Department of Education's annual budget?
The size of the previous year's budget
In Baker v. Carr (1962), the Supreme Court ruled that a state legislature would have to redraw their representative districts in order to comply with the Constitution. Which of the following potential difficulties could have resulted from this decision?
The state legislature could have seen this decision as too controversial, leading to questions about the appropriate level of power for the Supreme Court.
Which of the following best describes how a president can influence the data in the graphs?
Through the role of chief executive officer of the executive branch, the president can determine salary grades of federal employees.
In Worcester v. Georgia (1832), the Supreme Court used the power of judicial review established in Marbury v. Madison (1803) to strike down a Georgia state law that regulated the relationship between citizens of Georgia and members of the Cherokee Nation. President Andrew Jackson opposed the decision and challenged the Supreme Court to enforce it. This example illustrates which of the following?
Unpopular Supreme Court decisions can lead to debate about the court's power.
Which of the following is an action a president can take to rally public support for the administration's legislative agenda?
Use the State of the Union Address to pressure Congress to pass a bill lowering income taxes.
A fundamental source of power for the federal bureaucracy lies in its
ability to set specific guidelines after receiving a general mandate from Congress
Lobbyists from the Airlines for America, an advocacy group that represents commercial airlines, work with members of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and officials from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to discuss a new policy that addresses issues of airline safety. This scenario best illustrates
an iron triangle
Which of the following identifies the formal procedure for ending a filibuster?
cloture
In 2012, after negotiations on a bill in Congress failed, President Obama issued an executive order that protected from deportation individuals illegally brought to the United States as children by their parents. The president took this action because
disagreement between congressional leaders and the president on the issue meant that a compromise on a bill was not likely
Establishing the boundaries of United States congressional districts to give one party an advantage over another party is referred to as
gerrymandering
"Pork barrel" legislation helps the reelection chances of a member of Congress because such legislation
helps earn the member of Congress a reputation for service to his or her district
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 an accurate comparison of the rules for debate used by the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?
house of representatives: debate is limited senate: members can filibuster
A difference between the House of Representatives and the Senate is that in the House
legislative activity on the floor is more constrained by rules
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
logrolling
Executive agreements have been cited as evidence that
modern presidents often try to avoid legislative checks and balances on their authority
In the process and structure of public policymaking, "iron triangles" refer to the
networks of congressional committees, bureaucratic agencies, and interest groups that strongly influence the policy process
The Web site healthcare.gov was launched on October 1, 2013, to help citizens purchase health insurance for themselves in accordance with the Affordable Care Act. Within two hours of launch the site crashed. Once it was restored, problems continued, leading to difficulty for users. The following year, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius was called to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee to discuss the issue. The committee held this hearing as part of which
oversight
All of the following are formal or informal sources of presidential power
presidential access to the media, public support, the constitution, precedents set during previous administrations. NOT presidential authority to raise revenue
Cabinet members often do not have a dominant influence on presidential decision-making because
presidential goals often conflict with the institutional goals of individual cabinet-level agencies
Most of the bills introduced in the House and the Senate are then
referred to committee but never sent to the full Congress
The Supreme Court issued a ruling that was unpopular with a majority of Americans. The president and Congress might be able to lessen the impact of the decision by
refusing to actively enforce the decision
In general, independent regulatory commissions are created primarily for the purpose of
regulating certain industries to protect the public interest
When independent regulatory agencies make rules, enforce those rules, and adjudicate disputes arising under those rules, they risk violating the constitutional concept of
separation of powers
Which of the following best reflects a function of the Supreme Court in Article III of the Constitution?
to serve as the highest court of appeals
In trying to influence legislation, the President is generally more successful than congressional leaders in
using the media to set the policy agenda
