Political Science 1 - Government of the United States and California » Spring 2020 » Chapter 12 Exam

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Question #1
Who breaks a tie in the Senate?
A.   Senate majority leader
B.   Speaker of the House
C.   president of the United States
D.   vice president of the United States
Question #2
What does the Twenty-second Amendment do?
A.   requires that presidents be natural-born citizens
B.   limits the president's terms of office
C.   requires the president to be at least 35 years old
D.   requires the president to be a resident of the United States
Question #3
Why do presidents try to gain support for their initiatives instead of simply enacting their policy priorities outright?
A.   because the president has diminishing power over the course of his or her administration
B.   because the Constitution does not give the president any powers to influence public policy
C.   because Congress cannot debate legislation without approval from the president
D.   because the Constitution establishes a system of shared powers
Question #4
Which presidential role includes the State of the Union address?
A.   chief executive
B.   head of state
C.   chief legislator
D.   commander in chief
Question #5
How did the expectations for the vice presidency change starting with Walter Mondale?
A.   Vice presidents started taking the lead in the budgeting process.
B.   Vice presidents started to preside over the Senate.
C.   Presidents are more likely to select ideologically moderate vice presidents to expand their electoral appeal.
D.   Presidents are more likely to use their vice presidents as close policy advisers.
Question #6
What is the primary purpose of the Council of Economic Advisers?
A.   to suggest programs that should be scaled back or curtailed because they use tax dollars inefficiently
B.   to assess budget proposals for Congress
C.   to advise the president on economic policy
D.   to enact the president's budget
Question #7
Which of the following reviews potential legislative proposals suggested by executive agencies and assesses their budgetary implications?
A.   secretary of commerce
B.   secretary of the treasury
C.   chief of staff
D.   Office of Management and Budget
Question #8
Which of the following is a judicial power given to the president?
A.   determining the Supreme Court's docket
B.   determining the constitutionality of judicial acts
C.   nominating federal judges
D.   establishing the jurisdiction of the federal courts including the Supreme Court
Question #9
An __________ is the perception that the voters strongly support the president and his or her policies.
A.   executive order
B.   executive agreement
C.   electoral mandate
D.   approval rating
Question #10
Many assume that presidents with high __________ are more effective leaders.
A.   campaign spending
B.   approval ratings
C.   levels of executive privilege
D.   debts and deficits
Question #11
The president's chief of staff and press secretary are members of which group?
A.   White House staff
B.   the cabinet
C.   Office of Administration
D.   Executive Office of the President
Question #12
What is the role of the National Security Council?
A.   to link the president's foreign and military policy advisers
B.   to provide the president with national security policy advice from the opposing party's perspective
C.   to keep the president and first family secure
D.   to administer the armed forces
Question #13
In which way do modern presidents differ from the original intentions of the Framers?
A.   Modern presidents are much more influential in the legislative process than the Framers originally intended.
B.   Modern presidents are more subservient to the will of Congress than the Framers originally intended.
C.   Modern presidents are considerably less democratic than the Framers originally intended.
D.   Modern presidents have considerably less power as leaders of their political parties than the Framers originally intended.
Question #14
How has the office of vice president changed over the years?
A.   The vice president recently has been locked out of the policymaking process.
B.   The vice president has been more involved in the policy making process in recent years than in the past.
C.   The vice presidency has become a prerequisite for the presidency.
D.   The vice president is no longer trusted as he once was.
Question #15
How might rally events affect presidential politics?
A.   Rally events lead to drops in presidential approval ratings, making passage of their agendas more difficult.
B.   Rally events tend to temporarily increase presidential approval ratings, providing presidents with a window of opportunity to press their agenda.
C.   Rally events make presidents more politically cautious.
D.   Rally events cause a long-term increase in presidential approval ratings, practically guaranteeing reelection.
Question #16
When might citizens be particularly concerned about an expansion of presidential power?
A.   in times of economic crisis
B.   during presidential election years
C.   in times of relative peace and prosperity
D.   when they oppose the president's agenda
Question #17
Which of the following statements provides the best characterization of the members of the White House staff?
A.   The White House staff is a loose collection of bureaucrats who are loyal to executive agencies.
B.   The White House staff is the link between executive agencies in the bureaucracy and Congress.
C.   The White House staff is composed of policy specialists who have little personal loyalty to the president.
D.   The White House staff is composed of advisers who do whatever is in the best interest of the president.
Question #18
The Twenty-fifth Amendment was enacted in order to clear up uncertainties over the constitutional provisions surrounding __________.
A.   the president's powers to negotiate treaties
B.   presidential powers to conduct war
C.   the Electoral College
D.   presidential and vice presidential succession and disability
Question #19
Historically, vice presidential candidates have often been chosen to __________.
A.   ensure that the president's party will have a good chance of winning the next presidential election
B.   help set the president's agenda
C.   placate a symbolic constituency
D.   mentor the president
Question #20
Which is a constitutional power that the president shares with the Senate?,,
A.   making treaties
B.   granting pardons
C.   declaring war
D.   receiving foreign ambassadors

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