WorksheetsThe Executive Branch
Total questions: 53
Worksheet time: 27mins
United States v. Nixon held that there is
no executive privilege
no unqualified presidential privilege of immunity from the judicial process
absolute presidential immunity from the judicial process
the legislative veto is unconstitutional
All of the following are constraints on a president’s ability to plan and develop a program EXCEPT
the risk of an adverse reaction to the program
the threat of a legislative veto.
limits on his/her time
the inflexibility of most federal programs
The most successful approach presidents have taken in dealing with the constraints on their policies is to...
stick to a few key programs
push for many programs simultaneously, expecting a few to succeed
rely on rhetoric and personal friendships
focus mostly on foreign affairs
An obvious and important difference between a president and a prime minister is that the latter always has
interest group support
support in the cabinet
majority support in parliament
executive powers
The Senate is required to confirm all of the following presidential nominations EXCEPT
members of the White House Office
the heads of cabinet departments
lower federal judges
the heads of Executive Office agencies
Eisenhower sent fed troops to desegregate an Arkansas HS after Brown v BOE. Where does he get that power? The power of/to...
executive privilege
take care that the laws by faithfully executed
commission officers in the armed forces
wield the “executive power”
The following powers are given solely to the president in the Constitution EXCEPT
grant pardons and reprieves for federal offenses
receiving ambassadors
convening Congress in special sessions
appointing ambassadors
All of the following are features of the Electoral College system EXCEPT
there is a winner-take-all system in forty-eight states
When the House of Reps decides an election, each member has one vote
If there is no EC majority, the House of Reps decides who will be Pres.
An elector might vote for a candidate other than the one who won his state
The indirect purpose of the Pendleton Act was to
ensure the president appoint worthy officials
make sure that candidates can't solicit donations from fed bureaucrats
make the fed govt more efficient and less susceptible to corruption
give Congress more power over the bureaucracy
In a bureaucracy, why does government sometimes act inconsistently?
Constraints ensure that few voices will be heard before a decision is made
Employees prefer to leave difficult decisions to their political bosses
Public opinion influences employees in different ways
What is done to meet one constraint may contradict another constraint
All of the following are ways that Congress exercises authority over bureaucratic agencies EXCEPT
Passing laws to create and define agencies
Appointments of agency heads
Authorization of agency spending
Oversight of agency actions
The federal bureaucracy derives its power from all of the following EXCEPT
delegations of discretionary authority to an agency
the expertise that bureaucrats bring to policy development
the size of independent regulatory commissions
the permanent tenure of bureaucrats
Probably the most effective means an agency has of remaining powerful is ...
entering alliances with influential interest groups
ignoring regulations and red tape requirements
attaining a monopoly on technical expertise in a particular policy area
cultivating public opinion
From the standpoint of a federal agency, what is the advantage of an iron triangle?
It allows federal agencies to receive funding directly from interest groups
It prevents Congress from using oversight hearings
It gives the federal agency a direct link to the White House staff
It gives the agency allies in Congress, as well as in the private sector
All of the following are features of the Electoral College EXCEPT
small states are underrepresented
candidates can't win just by focusing on one region of the country
candidates have an incentive to campaign in swing states
candidates may ignore states that are sure to go red or blue
What was one important intent of Congress in passing the Budget Reform and Impoundment Act?
keep presidents from submitting a budget with deficits
prevent presidents from submitting budgets that raise taxes
require presidents to spend all appropriated funds
require presidents to submit balanced budgets
What is true of the Federal Reserve Board?
The chairman can be removed by the president at any time
The chairman serves for a fixed term, subject to reappointment by the president
It's a government corporation that charges fees to the banks it regulates
It's subordinate to the Secretary of the Treasury
How are most members of the federal bureaucracy selected?
The president, often on the basis of party loyalty, appoints them
They're selected by a Congressional committee on hiring
They are appointed after having passed an exam or met certain criteria
They are selected by the political appointees heading agencies
All of the following are normally duties of the vice president except...
campaigning on behalf of his/her party
giving the president advice based on his/her areas of experience
presiding over the Senate every day it's in session
reviewing a key policy area for the president
Which of the following best describes how the federal bureaucracy is controlled?
The executive branch controls it by appointing all federal employees
Courts test the constitutionality of regulations before they go into effect
Both Congress and the executive branch have control over the bureaucracy
Congress has the power to fire agency heads after oversight hearings
The Pentagon paid $45 for a screw that costs 3 cents at a hardware store. This is an example of which pathology?
red tape
duplication
conflict
waste
All of the following present problems for Congress to successfully check the bureaucracy EXCEPT
Congressmen may lack expertise
Congress has no power to investigate corruption in an agency
Congress doesn't control hiring and firing decisions
Congress has granted too much discretionary authority to agencies
What is the "Bully Pulpit"
the power of the president to grant pardons
the power of the president to fire members of the bureaucracy
the president's ability to control the agenda through public statements
the power to appoint "Czars" without the approval of the Senate
All of the following are informal checks that the Congress has on the presidency EXCEPT
The Freedom of Information Act
Congressional oversight
Outlawing impoundment
The power to override a veto
What are executive agreements?
An international understanding that doesn't need senatorial ratification
A rule the president gives to the executive branch with the power of the law
The Pres has this power b/c the Constitution grants him executive power
The right of the pres to withhold info or executive officials from Congress
Presidents do all of the following to influence legislation EXCEPT
They may suggest laws to Congress in the State of the Union
They threaten to veto laws Congress is considering that they don't like
They appeal to the public to support their policies
They block Congressional committees from considering laws they don't like
What does the approach called Chevron deference towards administrative regulations that federal agencies have issued mean?
They regard such regulations as political questions that they won't rule on
They defer to the interpretation that agencies have made of the law
They defer to the amicus briefs from members of Congress
They are skeptical that Congress can delegate such authority to agencies
Since WWII, what pattern have presidential approval ratings usually followed?
All presidents have their highest approval rating the first weeks in office
Their approval ratings usually decline the longer presidents are in office
Most presidents don’t see much fluctuation in their overall approval rating
Approval ratings usually remain consistently high while they're in office
In contrast to Congress, the president enjoys an advantage for which of the following reasons?
Leaders in Congress must act in opposition to the president
The president can control the actions of the bureaucracy
The president receives more public attention than the members of Congress
Presidents are better negotiators than members of Congress
"Executive privilege" refers to the right of the president to...
withhold certain information from Congress and the public
pardon persons convicted of federal crimes
to appoint and receive ambassadors
have limited immunity from prosecution for certain misdemeanors
All of the following are formal or informal sources of presidential power EXCEPT
the fact that the pres is elected indirectly by the public, not by Congress
high public approval ratings
Supreme Court decisions have expanded the president’s emergency powers
the ability to personally introduce legislation in either house of Congress
American presidents tend to have the most power in which of the following arenas?
Domestic affairs
Foreign affairs
Congressional policy making
influencing the Supreme Court
All of the following are characteristic of the U.S. government bureaucrats EXCEPT
They are are responsible to both Cong and officials in the executive branch
They are all part of the fifteen cabinet departments
Some U.S. government agencies regulate privately owned businesses
They share responsibilities with organizations with state and local governments
The points of the iron triangle are
congressional subcommittee to president to Supreme Court Chief Justice
governors to president to mayors
Congressional committee members to interest groups to agency members
media to think tanks to university professors
“Red tape” refers to
the various ceremonial responsibilities of the president
bureaucratic delay or confusion, esp. when accompanied by much paperwork
the numerous Congressional investigations of the executive branch
the duplications of government activities by both state and federal govts
The growth of the federal bureaucracy can be attributed to all of the following EXCEPT
the need to regulate business
the increasing responsibility of the govt to provide welfare to people
administrators who push for larger budgets and staff
Supreme Court decisions on federal-state relations
Civil servants in the federal bureaucracy may sometimes successfully resist presidential initiatives because
they can go directly to Congress with their budget requests
they have more opportunities to influence public opinion than the president
they may not be removed from office for political reasons
they are directly responsible to Congress, but not to the president
Which of the following is true of a presidential veto of a piece of legislation?
It is rarely overridden by Congress
It is not binding unless supported by the cabinet
It is automatically reviewed by the Supreme Court
It can only be sustained on revenue bills
One factor which would support the practice of keeping federal bureaucrats in office longer than politicians is that
the government depends on bureaucrats’ expertise which is hard to replace
government agencies are required by law to be free of political considerations
it is hard to fill agency jobs since the hours are long and the pay low
bureaucrats leaving office often blow the whistle on wasteful practices
Which of the following would be affected if Congress invoked the War Powers Act?
the closing of an army base in California
a cost of living increase for enlisted navy personnel
the commitment of US ground forces to monitor a Middle East peace
a defense treaty between the US and Russia
All of the following are legislative tools that a president may use EXCEPT
bargaining with legislators
establishing priorities, thereby setting Congress’s agenda
threatening to veto the law
choosing members of the president’s party to be committee chairs
All of the following executive branch employees may be removed from office at any time by the president EXCEPT
the president's chief of staff
the Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board
the Secretary of Defense
the president's press secretary
All of the following are true about the relationship between regulatory agencies and the industries they regulate EXCEPT
Agency employees are often recruited from the regulated industry
Agencies usually make decisions without consulting the regulated industry
Agencies often listen to regulated industries when making budget requests
Agency workers often get jobs with a regulated industry if they leave govt
Today if a president becomes ill and cannot fulfill his duties, who determines whether the VP becomes acting president?
the vice president alone
the vice president and the cabinet, but if the president disagrees, Congress decides by a 2/3 vote
the cabinet by majority vote
the White House staff, with the approval of Congress
Which of the following could be affected if Congress invoked the War Powers Act of 1973?
The length of the commitment of US Marines to fight terrorism in Yemen
The amount of financial aid to pro-democracy groups in Iran
The timing of naval practice maneuvers off the coast of North Korea
The appointment of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
If, by December 30, the president does not sign a bill that was sent to him by Congress on December 24, he has probably
used his pocket veto
let it become law without his signature
been on vacation
vetoed it
Which of the following is a government corporation?
the Board of the Federal Reserve
The Federal Communications Commission
the Post Office
the Congressional Budget Office
The FTC, National Labor Relations Board, Federal Reserve, and SEC are all examples of
cabinet departments
independent regulatory agencies
government corporations
agencies within the Department of Commerce
The only presidential appointment on which the House of Representatives votes is the...
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
US ambassador to the United Nations
vice president, if the position is vacant
director of the Central Intelligence Agency
The strongest basis for withholding information from Congress under a claim of executive privilege is...
the powers granted to the president under the Constitution
to protect the president from embarrassment
the need for secrecy in military planning and diplomacy
legislation that recognizes that Congress cannot subpoena the president
The means Congress has at its disposal to control the bureaucracy include all of the following EXCEPT
issue networks
the power of the purse
confirming presidential appointments
oversight hearings
A regulatory agency that selects from a range of policy options is said to exercise its...
rule-making authority
administrative discretion
oversight responsibility
mandate power
Which of the following statements best summarizes the current Supreme Court's approach to the administrative state?
The Court has been expanding the administrative state.
The Court has been respecting the precedent of many previous decisions supporting the administrative state.
The Court has begun to limit the powers of the administrative state.
There has been no detectable pattern in the Court's rulings on the administrative state.
