Chapter 13_The Presidency

1. Which of the following attributes did the framers intend for the office of the president to possess?
a. popularity c. extensive d. unrestrained
b. energy flexibility power
e. integrity
2. The rise of national conventions to nominate the president led to the empowerment of what group?
a. Congress c. the voters
b. state party d. the candidates
leaders e. interest groups
3. The turning point in American politics toward a president-centered government came about during the
administration of
a. Andrew Jackson. d. Richard Nixon.
b. Abraham Lincoln. e. Ronald Reagan.
c. Franklin Roosevelt.
4. ______ powers are specifically established by the language of the Constitution.
a. Expressed c. Implied e. Inherent
b. Delegated d. Suspected
5. When Congress delegates power to the executive branch, it
a. substantially reduces the power of the federal government compared to state governments.
b. has no impact on the importance of the presidency at all.
c. violates the Constitution by violating the separation of powers.
d. substantially reduces the importance of the presidency.
e. substantially enhances the importance of the presidency.
6. When the president infers powers from the “rights, duties, and obligations” of the presidency, these are
called
a. delegated powers. d. war powers.
b. necessary and proper powers. e. expressed powers.
c. inherent powers.
7. The president must share foreign policy powers with the
a. Joint Chiefs of Staff. d. vice president.
b. Congress. e. Department of Defense.
c. states.
8. The goal of the War Powers Resolution was to
a. compel a congressional declaration of war for every large-scale military operation.
b. limit the ability of Congress to cut off funding for troops when the president sends them overseas
without congressional approval.
c. limit the power of the president to commit American troops to military action without
authorization from Congress.
d. end the Vietnam War.
e. give the president more freedom in determining when and where to deploy American military
forces.
9. In order to get around the need for Senate approval of treaties, many contemporary presidents have
made use of ______ in foreign affairs.
a. diplomacy d. executive agreements
b. international protocols e. bypass agreements
c. executive immunity

1
10. Why is the president’s State of the Union address important?
a. It is often the only time that members of Congress get to question the president directly.
b. It is an opportunity for the president to set the legislative agenda by initiating proposals and
directing public attention to the executive’s goals.
c. It is an opportunity for the president to highlight the positive actions of the previous year.
d. It is the only time the president is constitutionally allowed to address Congress.
e. It determines the exact budget for the upcoming year.
11. What is required for Congress to override a presidential veto?
a. a majority of both houses of Congress
b. two-thirds of both houses of Congress
c. three-fourths of both houses of Congress
d. a unanimous vote of both houses of Congress
e. A president’s veto cannot be overridden unless it concerns the budget, in which case it requires a
three-fourths of both houses.
12. Which of the following statements about the presidential veto is most accurate?
a. Presidents have used the veto only twice in American history.
b. Use of the veto has remained constant across presidential administrations, and vetoes are
frequently overridden.
c. Use of the veto varies considerably across presidential administrations, and vetoes are seldom
overridden.
d. Use of the veto has remained constant across presidential administrations, and vetoes are
frequently overridden.
e. Use of the veto has remained constant across presidential administrations, and vetoes are seldom
overridden.
13. An executive order is
a. a rule or regulation issued unilaterally by the president, with the status of a law.
b. an emergency decree that is law only for the duration of a crisis or pending congressional
approval.
c. a demand to Congress that it vote on a particular piece of legislation.
d. any act of the executive branch that does not have to be made public.
e. a decree issued by the president that requires the federal courts to hear a particular case regarding
the Constitution.
14. Congress’s tendency in recent years to give executive agencies fewer clear guidelines for implementing
laws is the result of
a. the greater scope and complexity of the tasks that American government has undertaken.
b. the reduced scope and complexity of the tasks that American government has undertaken.
c. frequent requests made by state governments to transfer more power to the executive branch.
d. numerous initiatives passed by voters that require less legislative specificity.
e. a series of Supreme Court decisions that ruled executive mandates were unconstitutional.
15. The president has the power to appoint which of the following positions?
a. state governors who resign before their term has expired
b. all state Supreme Court justices
c. cabinet secretaries
d. members of the House of Representatives who resign before their term has expired
e. the Speaker of the House

2
16. The National Security Council is composed of all of the following except the
a. vice president. d. president.
b. Speaker of the House. e. secretary of state.
c. secretary of defense.
17. The Office of Management and Budget is important because
a. it has the power to veto any legislation passed by Congress that negatively impacts the federal
budget.
b. the Constitution requires that the president receive its approval for every administrative rule
change he proposes and for every tax increase he suggests.
c. it is granted the authority under the Constitution to pass the federal budget.
d. its personnel are an integral part of virtually every conceivable presidential responsibility, such
as overseeing regulatory proposals, reporting on agency activities, and preparing the national
budget.
e. its staff constantly analyzes the economy and economic trends in order to give the president the
ability to anticipate events rather than reacting to them.
18. The first lady is an important resource for the president in his capacity as
a. head of government. d. legislative initiator.
b. head of state. e. chief diplomat.
c. commander in chief.
19. According to the text, what are the three most common ways for a president to expand his base of
power?
a. party support, popular mobilization, and administrative control
b. congressional mandate, judicial appointments, and constitutional amendments
c. referendums, initiatives, and litigation
d. fund-raising, advertising, and logrolling
e. gerrymandering, appropriations, and oversight of state governments
20. Contemporary presidents frequently use popular mobilization and executive administration to achieve
their goals because
a. these strategies give the president the opportunity to work directly with members of Congress
from both political parties.
b. these strategies almost never fail to produce the exact outcome the president wants.
c. America’s system of separated powers makes party support an unreliable presidential tool.
d. the Constitution gives the president almost no other way to pursue political change.
e. the Supreme Court has ruled that presidents are no longer allowed to draft legislation and work
directly with members of Congress to pass it.
21. Which statement concerning the White House Communications Office is incorrect?
a. It was an innovation by Bill Clinton.
b. It has become an important institution within the Executive Office of the President.
c. It allows the president to avoid giving information to the public.
d. It is designed to deflect criticism of the president.
e. It develops and implements a coordinated communications strategy.

3
22. What is the general tendency of a president’s popularity?
a. Presidents usually begin with moderate ratings that move drastically up or down, depending on
their success.
b. Presidents usually start out popular and decline over the next four years.
c. Presidents usually maintain the public approval ratings they had when entering office, unless
there is an economic recession or international crisis.
d. Presidents usually begin very unpopular and increase their popularity significantly as their term
in office continues.
e. No pattern has been discerned in presidential approval ratings.
23. When the White House directs administrative agencies to promulgate specific rules and regulations, this
is called
a. regulatory review. d. an executive agreement.
b. administrative oversight. e. a mandate.
c. delegation.
24. A signing statement is a(n)
a. announcement the president makes about his interpretation of a congressional enactment he is
signing into law.
b. announcement made by a presidential candidate when formally accepting his or her party’s
nomination.
c. announcement made by the president and the leader of a foreign country immediately following
an executive agreement.
d. announcement the president is required to make any time he issues an executive order.
e. decree issued by Congress that demands the president sign a congressional enactment into law
immediately.
25. The Constitution’s framers believed that Congress’s greatest prerogative would be its
a. war powers.
b. power of the purse.
c. oversight of the other two branches.
d. impeachment powers.
e. power of advice and consent.