Questions about the Three Branches of Government

Which of the following best describes an executive order?

• Executive orders have the effect and formal status of legislation.

• Executive orders present the president’s interpretation of a law passed by Congress and how it will be enforced.

• Executive orders do not have the force of law; they are more like recommendations, not commands.

• Executive orders are commands to Congress to take up certain legislation.

Which of the following is true about the relative number of cases heard in state and federal courts?

• Both levels of courts hear roughly the same number of cases.

• Federal courts hear significantly more cases than do state courts.

• State courts hear significantly more cases than do federal courts.

• There is so much variance in caseloads every year that we cannot make any definitive statements about the balance of cases between federal and state courts.

Through the exercise of __________, the Supreme Court has held actions or laws of the executive and legislative branches unconstitutional.

• clemency

• advice and consent

• appropriations

• judicial review

Which of the following is usually run by a small group of individuals appointed by the president for fixed terms?

• independent regulatory commissions

• independent administrators

• Cabinet agencies

• executive departments

Which of the following best describes why decisions made by federal courts are important?

• Federal court judges are indirectly elected by citizens of the United States through the Electoral College.

• Federal courts hear a large fraction of all of the civil and criminal cases decided each year in the United States.

• Federal courts interpret the laws that govern all Americans and render decisions on the powers and limitations of the national government.

• Most federal litigation involves “citizen suits” brought by taxpayers who challenge the authority of the state and federal agencies.

Congress recently passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Under one provision of the Act, the Internal Revenue Service has decided that taxpayers cannot take tax credits on electric vehicles made outside of the United States. This is an example of

• implementing law.

• capricious and arbitrary decision-making.

• privatization.

• court-ordered action.

The efforts of departments and agencies to translate laws into specific bureaucratic rules and actions is called

• appointment.

• implementation.

• oversight.

• whistleblowing.

What is the main function of the chief justice of the Supreme Court?

• The chief justice always writes the Court’s majority opinions.

• The chief justice is the constitutional adviser to the president.

• The chief justice presides over the Court’s public sessions and private conferences.

• The chief justice decides what cases will be heard by the full Court each term.

The most visible indication of political oversight of the bureaucracy is the

• size of the total national debt.

• use of the nullification power by the states to declare an act of the federal government unconstitutional.

• use of public hearings before congressional committees and subcommittees.

• use of a unanimous Supreme Court opinion by the lower federal courts to generate public support for a particular policy.

What is a government corporation?

• It is an agency that performs and charges for services usually provided by the private sector.

• It is a private company, publicly traded, whose sole investor is the federal government.

• Each department in the executive branch that is run by an individual with the title of Chief Executive Officer.

• It is a government agency whose sole function is to make a profit.