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WorksheetsChapter 4,5,6 Check
Total questions: 20
Worksheet time: 10mins
On February 9, 2016, President Barack Obama released his budget proposal for the 2017 fiscal year. Facing a Republican Congress, many declared the plan "dead on arrival." Among the cited issues was Obama's request for $582.7 billion in discretionary spending for defense, which many Republicans believed was not enough.
The Congress has the enumerated power to raise revenue, but it is forced to work with the president because the president has the power to determine spending for each department in the upcoming fiscal year.
The president can create a budget for defense spending, but Congress has the power to execute laws and operate the government, which can affect how much money is actually spent.
Congress passes a budget for the entire federal government, including defense, but it must consider the president's proposal because the president may veto the bill.
The president introduces a specific budget bill for defense spending, but Congress uses its power of legislative oversight to set up a negotiation process with the president.
All of the following serve as checks on the power of the federal courts EXCEPT:
Federal judges can be impeached.
The voters can oust federal judges in national elections.
Congress can pass a law clarifying 'legislative intent.'
Presidents, governors, and local executives can refrain from enforcing court rulings.
Congress and the state legislatures can amend the Constitution.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of checks on the legislative branch and checks on the executive branch?
The president may veto bills passed by Congress. / The Senate must confirm judicial nominees.
The president has the power to fund wars. / The House of Representatives can pass articles of impeachment.
The Supreme Court has the power of judicial review. / Congress can replace members of the president's cabinet with their own nominee.
States may nullify federal laws that violate state constitutions. / The Supreme Court can declare presidential actions unconstitutional if a case arises.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate?
House of Representatives: represents the states equally | Senate: Designed to represent the people
House of Representatives: Initiates revenue bills | Senate: Nominates cabinet members
House of Representatives: Must approve Supreme Court nominees | Senate: Must approve treaties
House of Representatives: Debate on bills is limited | Senate: Debate on bills can be unlimited
Define motion for cloture Which of the following statements about motions for cloture is true?
They force a bill out of committee so that the full House can vote on it.
They are applied to bills that failed in the previous session of Congress.
They are applied only to appropriation bills.
They are used by senators to end a filibuster and bring a bill to a vote.
They occur whenever a bill is reported out of committee.
In selecting members of the White House staff, Presidents primarily seek people who:
give the White House ideological balance
are personally loyal to the President
have extensive governmental experience
will help the President develop a good working relationship with Congress
can bring a nonpartisan perspective to policy deliberations
Executive agreements have been cited as evidence that
modern presidents often try to avoid legislative checks and balances on their authority
the executive branch has become too large and bureaucratic
presidents have less power in handling foreign policy than in handling domestic policy
interest groups have too much power in the contemporary governmental system
the courts have few means of limiting presidential power
In Worcester v. Georgia (1832), the United States Supreme Court ruled that a Georgia law violated the U.S. Constitution. In response to Chief Justice John Marshall's majority opinion, President Andrew Jackson said, 'John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it.' Which of the following ideas regarding government does President Jackson's statement exhibit?
Since the Supreme Court has no enforcement mechanism, the executive and legislative branches can restrict its decisions by delaying their implementation.
When the Supreme Court takes an activist approach to decision making, it can influence policy.
Constitutional amendments have granted the Supreme Court greater power to enforce its decisions.
Unpopular Supreme Court Justices can be removed by a two-thirds vote in Congress and a presidential signature.
Which of the following is true of most federal judges appointed by the president?
They serve ten-year terms.
They serve as long as the appointing president stays in power.
They serve for life on good behavior unless removed by the president.
They serve for life on good behavior unless impeached and convicted by Congress.
They serve for life and are not subject to congressional impeachment.
The Federalist No. 78 says, "A constitution is, in fact, and must be regarded by the judges, as a fundamental law. It therefore belongs to them to ascertain its meaning, as well as the meaning of any particular act proceeding from the legislative body." In which of the following decisions did the Supreme Court use an argument most similar to the one in The Federalist No. 78?
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Schenck v. United States (1919)
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954)
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Refer to the diagram titled 'Supreme Court Appellate Jurisdiction.' Which of the following statements best explains the diagram?
The United States District Court is the starting place for all cases going to the United States Supreme Court.
State supreme courts have the final say in all cases arising in the states.
Cases arising at both the state and federal level may be appealed to the United States Supreme Court.
The number of federal courts is greater than the number of state courts.
Which of the following sections of the United States Constitution is most related to the case Marbury v. Madison (1803)?
Article I
Article III
The First Amendment
The Tenth Amendment
Which of the following situations best illustrates the meaning of divided government in the United States political system?
The majority of Supreme Court justices are from one party, but the president is from another.
The majority of governors are from one party, but the president is from another.
The president and a majority of members of Congress are from one party, but the majority of governors are from another.
The majority of senators and the majority of representatives are from one party, but the president is from another.
The majority of Supreme Court justices are from one party, but the majority of senators and representatives are from another.
President attempting to influence Congress to pass a legislative program might employ all of the following strategies EXCEPT
using the media to draw attention to the legislative program
assigning legislative liaisons in the Executive Office of the President to lobby legislators
denying campaign reelection funds to legislators who oppose the President's policy stand
exploiting a partisan majority for the President's party in both the House and Senate
reminding legislators of high popularity ratings for the President in public opinion polls
In The Federalist 78, Alexander Hamilton argued that the federal judiciary "is beyond comparison the weakest of the three departments of power." Which of the following statements represents a reason he gave for this argument?
It has the power of the sword and the power of judgment but lacks the power of the purse.
Each branch must be given the ability to defend its power and check the others.
The federal government is further from the people and thus less accountable.
It must depend on the executive for enforcement of its decisions.
Which of the following is a trend based on the data?
The more chambers of Congress the president’s party controls, the less likely the president is to veto a bill.
A bill is most likely to be vetoed by the president when one party controls the House and another party controls the Senate.
The percentage of presidential vetoes overturned by Congress increases when the opposition party controls both chambers.
The president is most likely to veto a bill when the president’s party controls both chambers of Congress.
The difference between an appellate court and a district court is that an appellate court
conducts trials by jury
has original jurisdiction
reviews previous court decisions
hears civil cases but not criminal cases
does not follow the principle of stare decisis
The expansion of the executive branch since 1939 has affected the separation of powers by:
increasing presidential control over the legislative process
increasing the power of the media as a result of more frequent presidential press conferences
reducing the power of the Supreme Court through the use of executive orders
giving more power to interest groups than to parties
making senatorial approval of presidential appointees ceremonial
Which of the following cases was most likely to derive the basis of its decision from the argument presented in The Federalist No. 78 that states: 'that, accordingly, whenever a particular statute [contradicts] the Constitution, it will be the duty of the judicial tribunals to adhere to the latter and disregard the former'?
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Shaw v. Reno (1993)
United States v. Lopez (1995)
The usefulness to the President of having cabinet members as political advisers is undermined by the fact that
the President has little latitude in choosing cabinet members
cabinet members have no political support independent of the President
cabinet members are usually drawn from Congress and retain loyalties to Congress
the loyalties of cabinet members are often divided between loyalty to the President and loyalty to their own executive departments
the cabinet operates as a collective unit and individual members have no access to the President
