Question 1

Which of the following statements provides the best characterization of the members of the White House staff?

Accepted Answer

A)  The White House staff is a loose collection of bureaucrats who are loyal to executive agencies.
B)  The White House staff is composed of individuals personally and politically close to the president chosen specifically to serve the president's needs.
C)  The White House staff is composed of policy specialists who have little personal loyalty to the president.
D)  The White House staff is the link between executive agencies in the bureaucracy and Congress.
E)  The White House staff advises members of the Cabinet on how best to serve the needs of president.F) A) and B)
G) B) and D)

Question 2

The ability to persuade has always been central to a successful president.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

Which one of the powers listed below is a constitutional power that the president shares with the Senate?

Accepted Answer

A)  making treaties
B)  commissioning officers
C)  granting pardons
D)  receiving foreign ambassadors
E)  replacing Cabinet headsF) A) and B)
G) C) and E)

Question 4

Presidents have to spend time leading the legislature in order to gain support for their initiatives because the American system is one of __________.

Accepted Answer

A)  limited power
B)  equal power
C)  shared powers
D)  diminishing power
E)  unlimited powerF) A) and B)
G) C) and E)

Question 5

How has the office of vice president changed over the years?

Accepted Answer

A)  The vice president is no longer trusted as he once was.
B)  The vice president,who once was very involved,is now frozen out of the policy-making process.
C)  The vice president has been more involved in the policy-making process in recent years than in the past.
D)  The vice president used to be involved in important tasks,but now spends most of his time acting as a figurehead.
E)  The vice presidency has become a prerequisite for the presidency.F) All of the above
G) C) and E)

Question 6

Why was it significant that George Washington was the first person elected to the presidency?

Accepted Answer

A)  His ambitions greatly expanded the powers of the presidency.
B)  His early actions served to establish important precedents that greatly increased the political legitimacy of the office.
C)  His military leadership as president was critical during the War of 1812.
D)  His ambitions set up an early struggle between Congress and the presidency.
E)  His early actions served to weaken the office of the presidency,making it subservient to Congress for much of American history.F) B) and E)
G) A) and C)

Question 7

Which of the following statements best describes contemporary relationships between presidents and Congress?

Accepted Answer

A)  They are always passive,with Congress dominating the executive branch.
B)  They are consensual in times of economic growth.
C)  They are generally antagonistic.
D)  They are generally hostile during periods of unified government.
E)  They are always antagonistic during periods of foreign conflict.F) A) and E)
G) C) and E)

Question 8

What is the role of the National Security Council?

Accepted Answer

A)  to advise the president on national security
B)  to keep the president and first family secure
C)  to manage and advise the president on the armed forces
D)  to provide intelligence on national security to the president and Congress
E)  to work independently of the executive on national securityF) C) and E)
G) B) and C)

Question 9

What role does a president play when celebrating a national holiday?

Accepted Answer

A)  chief of state/head of state
B)  chief of staff
C)  chief diplomat
D)  chief legislator
E)  chief executiveF) B) and C)
G) B) and E)

Question 10

How does the U.S.presidency differ from the "semi-presidential" system of France?

Accepted Answer

A)  In France the president serves only as head of government,whereas in the United States the president serves only as head of state.
B)  In France the president serves only as head of state,whereas in the United States the president serves only as head of government.
C)  The positions of head of state and head of government are separated in the United States between the president and the vice president,whereas in France they are unified in the presidency.
D)  In the United States the president has influence only in foreign affairs,whereas in France the president influences both foreign and domestic affairs.
E)  The positions of head of state and head of government are separated in the France between the president and the prime minister,whereas in the United States they are unified in the presidency.F) B) and D)
G) D) and E)

Question 11

Which best describes the president's constitutional duty to Congress?

Accepted Answer

A)  The president must give Congress an occasional update on the state of the union.
B)  The president must have at least one Cabinet member of the opposing party.
C)  The president must inform Congress of actions potentially leading to war.
D)  The president must inform Congress of the reasoning behind a veto.
E)  The president must maintain party support in Congress.F) A) and B)
G) C) and D)

Question 12

In the role of __________,presidents have argued that they have inherent power to respond to emergencies and protect the safety of Americans and the security of the United States.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In the role of __________,presidents have argued...

Question 13

What distinguishes modern presidents from early presidents?

Accepted Answer

A)  Modern presidents are much more liberal than early presidents.
B)  Modern presidents are much less active in the formulation of policy than early presidents.
C)  Modern presidents are much more active in the formulation of policy than early presidents.
D)  Modern presidents are much less prone to engage in international conflicts than early presidents.
E)  Modern presidents are much more conservative than early presidents.F) B) and E)
G) A) and E)

Question 14

Which of the following statements best characterizes the nature of the conflict between presidents and Congress?

Accepted Answer

A)  The conflict is a by-product of the weakening of American political parties.
B)  The conflict is integral to the design of the Constitution,deliberately intended by the authors of the constitution.
C)  The conflict is a by-product of the recent polarization of the American party system.
D)  The conflict is a by-product solely of divided government.
E)  The conflict intensifies when Republicans control the presidency and Democrats control Congress.F) A) and C)
G) A) and E)

Question 15

Why did the line-item veto exist for only a short time?

Accepted Answer

A)  Governors already had a line-item veto at the state level.
B)  Bill Clinton used the line-item veto to excess.
C)  The line-item veto was redundant with the pocket veto.
D)  Congress voted to remove the line-item veto power.
E)  The Supreme Court ruled the line-item veto unconstitutional.F) C) and E)
G) A) and E)

Question 16

Which presidential power gives the president the ability to control what happens inside departments and agencies during their terms and to shape the federal judiciary far into the future?

Accepted Answer

A)  appointment
B)  veto
C)  pardon
D)  take care
E)  impeachmentF) A) and C)
G) All of the above

Question 17

Why is the language in the necessary and expedient clause in the Constitution important when thinking about the relationship between Congress and the presidency?

Accepted Answer

A)  It increases tension between the two branches because it authorizes the president to propose legislation to Congress.
B)  It decreases tension between the two branches because it provides an opportunity for the president to work with members of the opposition party on the budget.
C)  It provides an opportunity for Congress to reassert its dominance in the struggle between the two branches of government.
D)  It increases congressional influence in the sphere of foreign policy.
E)  It strengthens and clarifies the separation of powers principle between the two branches of government.F) A) and B)
G) B) and C)

Question 18

Which word best describes the language used by the Framers to describe the office of the president?

Accepted Answer

A)  exact
B)  static
C)  deferential
D)  florid
E)  vagueF) C) and E)
G) B) and D)

Question 19

In which way do modern presidents differ from the original intentions of the Framers of the Constitution?

Accepted Answer

A)  Modern presidents are considerably less democratic than the Framers originally intended.
B)  Modern presidents have greater power as leaders of their political parties than the Framers originally intended.
C)  Modern presidents are much more influential in the legislative process than the Framers originally intended.
D)  Modern presidents are much less partisan than the Framers originally intended.
E)  Modern presidents are more subservient to the will of Congress than the Framers originally intended.F) A) and D)
G) C) and D)

Question 20

What was the turning point that gave rise to the modern institutional presidency?

Accepted Answer

A)  the social strife arising from the civil rights movement
B)  the economic and social turmoil of the Great Depression
C)  the demands of managing a modern army during World War I
D)  the rise and importance of television as a mechanism that brought the president into the living rooms of American citizens
E)  the rapid contraction of government following the conclusion of World War IIF) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Exam 14: The Presidency

Why did the line-item veto exist for only a short time?

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Why was it significant that George Washington was the first person elected to the presidency?

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Which word best describes the language used by the Framers to describe the office of the president?

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How does the U.S.presidency differ from the "semi-presidential" system of France?

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Which of the following statements best characterizes the nature of the conflict between presidents and Congress?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What role does a president play when celebrating a national holiday?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The ability to persuade has always been central to a successful president.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements best describes contemporary relationships between presidents and Congress?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What is the role of the National Security Council?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What distinguishes modern presidents from early presidents?

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Which best describes the president's constitutional duty to Congress?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In which way do modern presidents differ from the original intentions of the Framers of the Constitution?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Why is the language in the necessary and expedient clause in the Constitution important when thinking about the relationship between Congress and the presidency?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which presidential power gives the president the ability to control what happens inside departments and agencies during their terms and to shape the federal judiciary far into the future?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which one of the powers listed below is a constitutional power that the president shares with the Senate?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

How has the office of vice president changed over the years?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What was the turning point that gave rise to the modern institutional presidency?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Presidents have to spend time leading the legislature in order to gain support for their initiatives because the American system is one of __________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In the role of __________,presidents have argued that they have inherent power to respond to emergencies and protect the safety of Americans and the security of the United States.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements provides the best characterization of the members of the White House staff?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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