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US Gov Unit 3: Executive Review

Total questions: 55

Worksheet time: 28mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

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

a)

being at least 35 years old

b)

serving at least one term as an elected federal or state official

2.

Which characteristic has made winning a presidential election more difficult?

a)

holding extreme political beliefs

b)

serving in the U.S. military

3.

Which of the following statements about presidential candidates is most accurate?

a)

Extremely liberal or conservative candidates have the best chance of winning a presidential campaign.

b)

The backgrounds of presidential candidates have become more diverse in recent years.

4.

What is the purpose of the Federal Elections Commission?

a)

It runs the meeting of the Electoral College.

b)

It regulates campaign finance legislation.

5.

Why is the ability to generate public support for policies important for a president?

a)

The president can bypass Congress by appealing directly to the public to create new laws.

b)

Members of Congress are sensitive to the amount of popular support policies have.

6.

Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan were both known as

a)

being out of touch with the pulse of the nation.

b)

skillful communicators.

7.

Describe how the office of the president has changed over time.

a)

The symbolic role and political power of the president have both declined

b)

The symbolic role and political power of the president have both grown.

8.

What is the definition of the term landslide?

a)

An election outcome where the outcome is seen as a disaster for the country.

b)

An election outcome with a wide margin of victory for a candidate.

9.

Which action of the president as head of state is mentioned in the Constitution?

a)

comforts victims of natural disasters

b)

hosts dignitaries such as kings and queens

c)

gives awards to distinguished business leaders

d)

lights the nation's Christmas tree

10.

The president is acting as chief executive when he or she

a)

sends troops into battle.

b)

carries out a law.

c)

submits a budget to Congress

11.

Among the president's executive powers in the Constitution is the power to

a)

declare war.

b)

appoint Cabinet heads.

12.

How do federal judges, including Supreme Court justices, get their jobs?

a)

The president appoints them and the Senate approves them.

b)

The president appoints them and the House approves them.

13.

Which of the following is true about executive orders?

a)

Once approved by the Senate, they have the force of law.

b)

They have the force of law without the approval of Congress.

14.

Unlike a pardon, a reprieve

a)

releases a person from legal punishment.

b)

postpones legal punishment.

15.

During the Vietnam War, some young men fled to Canada to evade the draft. What did President Jimmy Carter grant to allow these men to come home without fear of legal consequences?

a)

pardon

b)

amnesty

16.

What presidential power did Congress limit after President Richard Nixon refused to spend huge sums for programs he opposed?

a)

power to impound

b)

power to issue executive orders

17.

Which phrase in the Constitution is a major source of the president's executive power?

a)

"make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper"

b)

"take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"

18.

The United Kingdom has both a monarch and a prime minister. Unlike the prime minister, the U.S. president

a)

serves as chief executive.

b)

serves as head of state.

19.

Why have presidents, as commanders in chief, been able to claim nearly unlimited powers to defend the nation or wage war?

a)

because Congress has granted the president unlimited power to wage war

b)

because the Constitution provides few details about what powers this role includes

20.

What congressional power limits the president's role as commander in chief?

a)

power to confirm or reject the president's declaration of war

b)

power to declare war

21.

According to the War Powers Act, the president can commit troops to combat

a)

for no more than 60 days without congressional approval.

b)

only after receiving a congressional declaration of war.

22.

In the role of commander in chief, the president

a)

is the highest-ranking military officer in the armed forces.

b)

is a civilian.

23.

Which of the following is part of a "shadow war"?

a)

drones

b)

tanks

24.

What does the USA Patriot Act allow the president to do?

a)

conduct wire taps and secret searches in pursuit of terrorism suspects

b)

detain terrorism suspects indefinitely without trial

25.

As chief diplomat, the president has the sole power to

a)

sign and approve treaties.

b)

negotiate and ratify treaties.

c)

sign and ratify treaties.

d)

negotiate and sign treaties.

26.

What must happen before a treaty signed by the president can go into effect?

a)

A majority of the Senate must approve it.

b)

Two-thirds of the Senate must approve it.

27.

Congress can influence foreign policy by passing diplomatic resolutions that

a)

have the force of law.

b)

are not legally binding.

28.

The president can make executive agreements with other countries that

a)

do not require the approval of Congress.

b)

require ratification by the Senate.

29.

How do presidents communicate their legislative priorities for the year to Congress?

a)

in their inaugural address

b)

in the State of the Union address

30.

The president can influence legislation most successfully when

a)

the president's party controls Congress.

b)

the nation is at peace.

c)

the government is divided.

31.

Presidents have the power to stop any bill that Congress sends to them by

a)

vetoing it.

b)

refusing to sign it.

32.

Once a bill reaches the president's desk, he or she must take action to accept or reject it within

a)

five days.

b)

ten days.

33.

The president uses a pocket veto on a bill when he or she

a)

takes no action but Congress adjourns during the required time.

b)

takes no action within the required time.

34.

Which action of the president was ruled unconstitutional?

a)

pressuring lawmakers

b)

political patronage

c)

drafting bills

d)

line-item veto

35.

During the Great Depression, which president greatly expanded the role of the federal government in the economy?

a)

Franklin D. Roosevelt

b)

Theodore Roosevelt

36.

In 1946 Congress passed the Employment Act, which gave the president the new duty to

a)

head the Federal Reserve System.

b)

submit an annual economic report to Congress.

37.

Where does the annual budget proposal originate?

a)

in the House Budget Committee

b)

in the Senate Finance Committee

c)

in the Congressional Budget Office

d)

with the president with the president

38.

Why do presidents use political patronage?

a)

to bring favorable attention to party members seeking office

b)

to reward members of their party who helped them get elected

39.

If the office of vice president is vacant, how is the position filled?

a)

The president nominates a candidate who must then receive a majority of votes in both houses of Congress.

b)

The position remains open until the next presidential election.

40.

After the vice president, who is next in the line of presidential succession?

a)

the president pro tempore of the Senate

b)

the Speaker of the House

c)

the Secretary of State

41.

Which of the following had the greatest impact on the adoption of the Twenty-second Amendment to the Constitution?

a)

the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865

b)

the election of Franklin Roosevelt as president to four consecutive terms during the 1930s and 1940s

42.

Who is given the power to cast tie-breaking votes in the U.S. Senate?

a)

the president

b)

the vice president

c)

the Speaker of the House

43.

The amount of compensation a president receives is determined by

a)

the Congress.

b)

the Constitution.

44.

In addition to a salary, which of the following is a benefit received by the president of the United States?

a)

lifetime Secret Service protection

b)

paid food expenses

45.

What area of responsibility have all modern presidents kept instead of designating it to their vice president?

a)

meeting with foreign leaders and visiting foreign countries

b)

signing bills passed by Congress

46.

Which of the following is a constitutional duty of the vice president?

a)

advising the president on matters of foreign policy

b)

deciding whether the president is unable to carry out his or her duties

47.

Why might a presidential candidate select a vice presidential running mate from a different part of the country?

a)

It helps the candidate appeal to a voters from another area of the country.

b)

The Constitution specifies that the president and vice president cannot be from the same state.

48.

What is unique about how the U.S. president is elected?

a)

The U.S. president is not elected directly by voters.

b)

The U.S. president is elected by members of Congress.

49.

What is the Electoral College?

a)

A system set by the Constitution for selecting the president and vice president.

b)

The name for training or courses a president elect must complete before taking office.

50.

How many electors is each state allowed in the Electoral College?

a)

one for each state

b)

the same as the number of senators and representatives it has in Congress

51.

How many votes in the Electoral College are required for a presidential candidate to secure victory?

a)

538

b)

270

52.

Why are presidential primaries and caucuses held?

a)

They are part of the process of securing a party's nomination for the general election.

b)

They help candidates solidify their positions on important issues and develop campaign slogans.

53.

When does each political party officially declare who its candidate for the general election will be?

a)

during each party's national nominating convention

b)

after all but one of the candidates drop out of the primary races

54.

What is the term for a candidate who represents a political party that is not the Democrats or the Republicans?

a)

a wild-card candidate

b)

a third-party candidate

55.

After a presidential election in November, when does the new president take office?

a)

the following March

b)

the following January