WorksheetsTopic 5 Test Question Bank
Total questions: 46
Worksheet time: 23mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
In what way are the President's roles as chief economist and chief diplomat related?
a)
Both roles require the President to act as leader of the executive branch and the armed forces.
b)
Both roles can have an effect on the United States' relationship with other countries.
c)
Both roles can result in greater unity within the President's political party.
d)
Both roles can lead to higher wages for workers and more profits for businesses.
2.
Why have several Presidents and other critics called for the repeal of the 22nd Amendment?
a)
The amendment requires the presidency to automatically devolve to the Vice President.
b)
The amendment authorizes a Vice President to serve a ten-year term if he or she succeeds to the presidency.
c)
The amendment does not safeguard against "executive tyranny."
d)
The amendment limits who can be elected President.
3.
One major purpose of the 25th Amendment is to
a)
legally define the Vice President's foreign and domestic responsibilities should the President resign.
b)
legally establish that the Vice President will succeed to the presidency should that office become vacant.
c)
legally define the order of succession following the Vice President.
d)
legally establish a limit on the Vice President's number of terms in office.
4.
Which of the following BEST summarizes how the Presidential Succession Act of 1947 differs from the 25th Amendment?
a)
The Presidential Succession Act legally identifies the Vice President as successor to the President in case of vacancy in that office, whereas the 25th Amendment includes the order of Cabinet successions.
b)
The Presidential Succession Act fixes the order of succession following the Vice President, whereas the 25th Amendment legally identifies the Vice President as the immediate successor to the President.
c)
The Presidential Succession Act establishes the line of succession following a President's removal, whereas the 25th Amendment delineates the procedure that must be followed to remove a President.
d)
The Presidential Succession Act denotes successors to the presidency, whereas the 25th Amendment identifies a successor to the vice presidency.
5.
Choose the answer that BEST completes the chart about the roles of the President of the United States.
a)
Chief of Party
b)
Chief of State
c)
Chief Legislator
d)
Chief Economist
6.
Use the photo to answer the question, which presidential role does this photo illustrate?
a)
chief citizen
b)
chief of party
c)
chief diplomat
d)
commander in chief
7.
"The President is expected to be ‘the representative of all the people.' He or she is expected to take the high road and champion the public interest against the many different and competing private interests. ‘The presidency,' said Franklin Roosevelt, ‘is not merely an administrative office. That is the least of it. It is, preeminently, a place of moral leadership.'"
To which presidential role does this text excerpt refer?
a)
commander in chief
b)
chief economist
c)
chief citizen
d)
chief of party
8.
Former President Bill Clinton was very helpful to President Obama during his 2012 campaign for reelection. Why does the cartoonist say that the President can repay Clinton for his help by repealing the 22nd Amendment?
a)
Repealing the 22nd Amendment would repay Clinton because it would raise his salary.
b)
Repealing the 22nd Amendment would repay Clinton because he could help President Obama in the next four years.
c)
Repealing the 22nd Amendment would repay Clinton because it would enable him to serve in the Cabinet.
d)
Repealing the 22nd Amendment would repay Clinton because it would allow him to run for President a third time.
9.
If the President, Vice President, and leaders of Congress were all unable to hold office, who would assume the office of President?
a)
the Attorney General
b)
the Secretary of State
c)
the Secretary of Defense
d)
the Secretary of Homeland Security
10.
In which of the following situations might the President find the power to issue executive orders to be particularly useful?
a)
when Congress is in recess or between sessions
b)
when an opposing party controls Congress
c)
when trying to build a consensus in Congress
d)
when Congress has just passed a bill
11.
Which of the following might be one way the executive office interprets laws as it carries them out?
a)
explaining to members of Congress why a law regulating State agencies is needed
b)
signing a bill to appropriate money to fund a military action in the Balkans
c)
determining exactly what is meant by specific provisions of a voter qualification law
d)
meeting with senators to gather support for a law on tighter welfare regulations
12.
Which of the following is an example of congressional oversight of the executive branch?
a)
an examination of federal student aid programs for college students
b)
debate in the House of Representatives over a President's controversial healthcare measure
c)
an investigation into the finances of a member of the Senate
d)
hearings to investigate the President's secret negotiations with rebels in South America
13.
Read the following quotation from President Theodore Roosevelt about the nation's acquisition of the Canal Zone prior to the building of the Panama Canal. Then decide which theory of presidential power it illustrates.
"If I had followed traditional, conservative methods I would have submitted a dignified State paper of probably 200 pages to Congress and the debates on it would have been going on yet; but I took the Canal Zone and let Congress debate; and while the debate goes on the canal does also."
a)
the Stewardship theory
b)
the Expansion theory
c)
the Article II theory
d)
the Whig theory
14.
In vetoing a bill, the President does which of the following?
a)
rejects all sections of the bill
b)
prevents any further action on the bill
c)
sends the bill back to conference committee
d)
rejects a particular part of the bill
15.
Which of the following describes the actions of a President who subscribes to the stewardship theory of presidential leadership?
a)
President James Buchanan supports the entry of Kansas into the Union as a slave State, but Kansans vote to be admitted as a free State.
b)
President Benjamin Harrison signs the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890 after it is passed by Congress, in an effort to prevent unfair business practices.
c)
President Woodrow Wilson gives a speech before Congress in 1918 in support of granting women the right to vote.
d)
President Lyndon Johnson engineers a congressional resolution giving him nearly unlimited control over American actions in Vietnam.
16.
Study the outline to answer the question.
a)
Greater role of Vice President
b)
National crises
c)
Checks and balances
d)
Political parties
17.
This cartoon uses the label "Born to command" to describe President Jackson's approach to the presidency. Which of the following labels might be used to describe a President who subscribes to the Whig theory of presidential leadership?
a)
"Born to serve only one term"
b)
"Born to trample on the Constitution"
c)
"Born to imitate President Roosevelt"
d)
"Born to follow Congress's lead"
18.
Read this excerpt from the text:
"Many laws that Congress enacts are written in fairly broad terms. Congress sets out the basic policies and standards to be followed. The specific details—much of the fine print necessary to the actual, day-to-day administration of the law—are usually left to be worked out by the executive branch."
This describes the use of which presidential power?
a)
the power to grant clemency
b)
the power of executive privilege
c)
the power to execute the law
d)
the power of appointment and removal
19.
In the 1960s, President John F. Kennedy directed his military adviser, General Maxwell Taylor, to refuse to testify before a congressional committee examining the Bay of Pigs affair. This is an example of the use of which presidential power?
a)
executive privilege
b)
ordinance power
c)
veto power
d)
pardoning power
20.
Which statement about this cartoon about executive privilege is MOST accurate?
a)
It suggests that executive privilege allows the President to do things to which Congress might object.
b)
It suggests that executive privilege has divided Congress so much that it is no longer a check on the executive branch.
c)
It is against executive privilege because the same power is not given to Congress.
d)
It favors executive privilege because the President knows the needs of the country better than Congress does.
21.
Why doesn't Congress recognize the idea of executive privilege?
a)
The federal courts have ruled that executive privilege is not mentioned in the Constitution or in any laws passed by Congress.
b)
Members of Congress dislike the idea that executive privilege allows the President to make laws without the consent of Congress.
c)
Without executive privilege, Congress wields greater influence over the executive branch.
d)
Executive privilege would make it difficult for Congress and the courts to check the power of the President in some instances.
22.
Which of the following is a TRUE statement about the "unwritten rule of senatorial courtesy"?
a)
The practice gives the President the upper hand in the checks and balances system.
b)
The practice can blur the separation of powers between the executive and legislative branches.
c)
The practice is an effective way to limit the Senate's power to approve appointments.
d)
The practice can make it easier for the President to appoint executive branch officials from his or her own political party.
23.
Which of the following statements is TRUE about the President's removal power?
a)
The Supreme Court has upheld the President's unlimited power to remove any appointee from office.
b)
The Supreme Court has declared that the President may not remove any appointee from office.
c)
The First Congress required Senate consent before the President could remove any appointee from office.
d)
The First Congress gave the President the power to remove any officer he appointed.
24.
In what way are the President's powers of clemency an example of checks and balances?
a)
stop the courts from making improper laws
b)
influence the way the courts will rule
c)
use Congress to stop the courts
d)
overturn certain federal court decisions
25.
Which of the following is an example of the "message power"?
a)
The President giving a speech to the nation during wartime.
b)
The President outlining for Congress the specific items and amounts contained in the budget.
c)
The President delivering an address to members of a steel factory.
d)
The President demanding Congress meet for a special session to consider welfare legislation.
26.
Why is Article II, Section 3 (power to call a special session of Congress) of the Constitution important?
a)
It outlines the proper procedures for the President and Congress to follow when making laws
b)
It ensures that the President will be able to see that his legislative ideas become law.
c)
It describes how the President can, when necessary, withhold information from Congress.
d)
It states specifically that the President has the power to present his ideas to Congress for consideration.
27.
If a President receives a bill that has some provisions he or she supports and some provisions he or she opposes, the President can...?
a)
veto the provisions he or she opposes and sign the rest of the bill.
b)
sign the bill and issue a signing statement addressing the parts of the bill he or she opposes.
c)
veto parts of the bill and sign others, and provide reasons to Congress in writing.
d)
issue a signing statement that orders Congress to rewrite the bill.
28.
In vetoing a bill, the President does which of the following?
a)
rejects all sections of the bill
b)
prevents any further action on the bill
c)
sends the bill back to conference committee
d)
rejects a particular part of the bill
29.
How does the President's veto power demonstrate his power as chief legislator?
a)
allows the President to remove those whom the President appoints
b)
allows the President to direct the manner in which a new law will be enforced
c)
allows the President to force Congress to revise a measure before it can become law
d)
allows the President to reject a bill, knowing that the measure will not be debated again in Congress
30.
What is one way that executive agreements differ from treaties?
a)
Executive agreements remain in force from one administration to another; treaties do not.
b)
A treaty requires approval by two thirds of the Senate; an executive agreement does not.
c)
A treaty is negotiated by the President; an executive agreement by a senator.
d)
The Senate ratifies all treaties, but only those executive orders from the previous administration.
31.
What statement best describes why Congress enacted the War Powers Resolution of 1973?
a)
President Nixon asked Congress to declare war against Vietnam.
b)
Congress wanted to grant the President unrestricted authority to send troops abroad.
c)
Congress wanted to limit the President's ability to commit troops to an undeclared war.
d)
The continued conflict in Vietnam required Congress to authorize funding for the military.
32.
The President has just negotiated the terms of a treaty with the leader of Argentina and has left that country to return to the United States to inform Congress of his actions. Argentinian newspapers celebrate the event with headlines such as,
"Treaty with U.S. is Ratified!" Which of the following statements about this headline is CORRECT?
a)
The headline is accurate because the power to make treaties is one of the President's powers as chief diplomat.
b)
The headline is inaccurate, because the President cannot ratify a treaty until the Senate has given its consent.
c)
The headline is accurate because the Senate must ratify a treaty before the President can begin negotiations.
d)
The headline is inaccurate because the President can negotiate a treaty, but it must be ratified by the full Senate.
33.
What is the difference between a joint resolution of Congress and a Senate vote on a treaty?
a)
A joint resolution requires approval of two thirds of both the House and the Senate, while a Senate vote on a treaty requires a two-thirds majority of just the Senate.
b)
Both chambers of Congress can approve a joint resolution by a simple majority, but a treaty requires a two-thirds majority of the Senate for approval.
c)
A Senate vote on a treaty requires a simple majority for approval, but a joint resolution requires approval by a two-thirds majority of both chambers of Congress.
d)
Both a joint resolution and a Senate vote on a treaty require a two-thirds majority, but the President has more input with a joint resolution.
34.
Which of the following actions by a President can be used to issue a warning to another nation?
a)
negotiating an executive agreement with that country rather than a treaty
b)
sending an American ambassador or diplomat to that country
c)
urging the Supreme Court to review the terms of a treaty
d)
withdrawing the United States' recognition of that country
35.
Which statement BEST explains the reason that Congress enacted the War Powers Resolution during the conflict in Vietnam?
a)
Congress sought to limit the President's ability to send troops into combat in an undeclared war.
b)
President Richard Nixon had asked that more American troops be committed to combat.
c)
The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution had expired and Congress needed to reauthorize the use of force in Vietnam.
d)
Congress wished to limit the President's constitutional power to declare war.
36.
Which of the following actions illustrates the presidential power of commander in chief?
a)
George Washington signs a neutrality proclamation in a war between France and other European nations.
b)
Franklin D. Roosevelt agrees to a destroyers-for-bases exchange with Great Britain.
c)
Barack Obama escalates the number of American troops in Afghanistan.
d)
Abraham Lincoln nominates Edwin Stanton as his new Secretary of War.
37.
Which statement regarding treaties is TRUE?
a)
It is easier to get Congress to approve a treaty than to pass a joint resolution.
b)
The most famous treaty approved by Congress was the Treaty of Versailles ending World War I.
c)
Treaties have the same legal standing as acts of Congress.
d)
The President must obtain Senate consent before negotiating a treaty.
38.
Predict which of the following a President might consider before negotiating a treaty with the leader of another country.
a)
Will my successor support the treaty?
b)
Will at least 67 senators support the treaty?
c)
Will Congress ratify the treaty?
d)
Will my Cabinet support the treaty?
39.
Based on the cartoon about the Treaty of Versailles and the information in the text, which of the following is TRUE?
a)
The Senate proposed major revisions to the treaty.
b)
President Wilson was pleased with the Senate's decision regarding the treaty.
c)
The treaty was in bad shape by the time it reached the Senate.
d)
The approval process is the best way to arrive at a treaty that is acceptable to everyone.
40.
In 1973, Congress overrode President Nixon's veto of the War Powers Resolution. What conclusion can be drawn based on this fact?
a)
The President's action was based on public opinion regarding the resolution.
b)
Support for the resolution was overwhelming in both houses of Congress.
c)
The President was certain that the Supreme Court would find the resolution to be unconstitutional.
d)
The Senate did not have the necessary two-thirds vote to approve the resolution.
41.
In January 2013, the United States officially recognized the government of Somalia for the first time since 1991. Which of the following is one reason for this action?
a)
to show that the U.S. believes Somalia has completed its journey to democracy
b)
to make it impossible for Somalia to declare war on the U.S.
c)
to reward Somalia's progress and help it to continue on the path to democracy
d)
to pave the way for the signing of a treaty between the two countries
42.
Although Congress has not declared war since World War II, the United States has used military force on many occasions since then. What is one explanation for this fact?
a)
The President has used military force without authorization from Congress.
b)
Congress has authorized the use of military force without the support of the President.
c)
The President has used executive privilege to authorize the use of military force.
d)
Congress has enacted joint resolutions to authorize the President to use military force.
43.
"It is the purpose of this joint resolution to fulfill the intent of the framers of the Constitution of the United States and insure that the collective judgment of both the Congress and the President will apply to the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, and to the continued use of such forces in hostilities or in such situations."
What is the MOST LIKELY reason that members of Congress passed this resolution?
a)
They wished to allow the President to initiate military force without consulting Congress.
b)
They hoped to convince the American people to continue to support the use of force in Vietnam.
c)
They feared that other countries would view the United States as weak without such a resolution.
d)
They believed that the President was blurring the separation of powers established by the Constitution.
44.
"At times, a President has had to turn to roundabout methods in order to achieve his [treaty] goals. When a Senate minority defeated a treaty to annex Texas, President John Tyler was able to bring about annexation in 1845 by encouraging passage of a joint resolution—a move that required only a majority vote in each house. In 1898, President William McKinley used the same tactic to annex Hawaii."
What does this excerpt illustrate about the process of approving treaties?
a)
The treaty-making process must be followed exactly as described in the Constitution.
b)
A treaty is not the only tool a President can use to make agreements with other countries.
c)
The treaty-making process is usually controlled by a Senate minority.
d)
A treaty can be approved by the House of Representatives instead of the Senate.
45.
"Recognition does not mean that one government approves the character or the conduct of another. The United States recognizes several governments about which it has serious misgivings. . . . The facts of life in world politics make relations with these governments necessary."
Which of the following is an example of a nation whose government the United States recognizes, but about which our nation has serious misgivings?
a)
Iran
b)
France
c)
Mexico
d)
Ireland
46.
"Congress has not declared war since World War II. On eight occasions since then, however, it has enacted joint resolutions to authorize the President to meet certain international crises with military force."
Which is the STRONGEST conclusion that can be drawn based on this statement?
a)
Congress and the President are often in conflict about when to declare war.
b)
Congress and the President do everything they can to avoiding using military force.
c)
The Constitution is flexible enough to allow Congress and the President to meet crises in a number of ways.
d)
The Constitution has many checks and balances for how the government deals with foreign policy.
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