Gov't

An obvious and important difference between a president and a prime minister is that the prime minister always has
A. interest group support
B. support in the military
C. support in the cabinet
D. executive powers
E. majority support in parliament

Alexander Hamilton stood at the Constitutional Convention and gave a five hour speech calling for
A. an official declaration that George Washington would be the first President
B. his own appointment as Chief Executive
C. a plural executive
D. an elective monarchy
E. an elected president

The cause of those who argued for a single elected president at the convention was, no doubt, aided by the fact that
A. Massachusetts had experienced great success under such a system
B. everybody assumed that George Washington would be the first president
C. Alexander Hamilton had already declared himself a candidate
D. no individual was likely to be chosen as president who was not a member of the upper class
E. The Articles of Confederation fostered deep respect for the office

The concern shared by the framers about the popular election of presidents was that it might
A. open up elections to mass hysteria and to control by the media
B. give inordinate power to political parties, as indeed turned out to the case
C. give inordinate power to larger, more populous states
D. prove unwieldy at a time when transportation and communication were so primitive
E. cause political parties to gain to much power in the election process

Under the original provisions of the U.S. Constitution, the states were to choose presidential electors
A. by appointment of the governor
B. by popular vote
C. by vote of the legislature
D. by rules designated in the courts
E. however they wished

The framers assumed that, under the electoral college system, most presidential elections would be decided in the House. Why did this not turn out to be the case?
A. because the Senate quickly usurped the delegate power of the House
B. because most elections were not close enough to give state legislatures the power to decide the outcome
C. because the first Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional the electoral college system for electing the president
D. because political parties ended up playing a major role in producing nationwide support for a slate of nationwide candidates
E. because the Supreme Court narrowly interpreted the powers of Congress

Presidents have been limited to two terms by the
A. 22nd amendment
B. 19th amendment
C. 14th amendment
D. 16th amendment
E. 21st amendment

Which of the following statements is incorrect?
A. in some states, electoral votes can be split between the candidates
B. each state receives an electoral vote for each member it has in the House and Senate
C. state electors assemble in their state's capital to cast their electoral ballots
D. in order to win an election, a candidate must receive three-fourths of votes in the electoral college
E. electoral ballots are opened before a joint session of Congress during the first week of January

Which statements about elections thrown into the House of Representatives is incorrect?
A. a state's vote is given to the candidate preferred by the majority of the state's House delegation
B. each state casts one vote
C. this process is only used when no candidate receives a majority of the votes of the electoral college
D. the House chooses from among the top two candidates
E. if there is a tie within a state delegation, that state's vote is not counted

When we say that a powerful presidency has been institutionalized, we mean that its power is no longer dependent on
A. personality
B. the U.S. Constitution
C. legitimacy
D. Executive orders
E. Congress

The rule of propinquity states that
A. power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely
B. power is greatest when legitimacy is strongest
C. power tends to be wielded by the people who are in the room when a decision is made
D. power tends to be shared most evenly when leadership is weakest
E. power is rarely distinguished from wealth and fame

The principle function of the White House office is to
A. administer federal departments as the president's representative
B. prepare the national budget for the president
C. oversee the political and policy interests of the president
D. supervise the national security agencies such as the FBI and CIA
E. supervise military intelligence agencies

The cabinet officers consist of the heads of
A. the minor governmental agencies
B. the major executive departments
C. independent agencies and commissions
D. the major government agencies
E. the major government agencies and commissions

The results of the Supreme Court's ruling in United States v. Nixon was that
A. Nixon was forced to hand over the disputed tapes and papers
B. Nixon was allowed to destroy the disputed tapes and records to keep them from Congress
C. Nixon was allowed to retain the disputed tapes and papers
D. Congress was allowed to take custody of the disputed tapes and papers under judicial review
E. Congress was forced to impeach Nixon to gain access to the disputed taper and papers

The typical work week for a President numbers approximately
A. 90 hours
B. 75 hours
C. 55 hours
D. 40 hours
E. 70 hours

The constitutional duty of the vice president is to
A. coordinate foreign policy
B. preside over the cabinet
C. preside over the Senate
D. supervise the White House staff
E. facilitate ratification of treaties

Who succeeds to the presidency if both the president and vice president die?
A. Secretary of State
B. Senate majority leader
C. Speaker of the House
D. president pro tempore of the Senate
E. most senior cabinet member

The position of acting president, to take over if the president was temporarily incapacitated, was created by
A. an Executive Order
B. executive reorganization
C. the original U.S. Constitution
D. the 25th amendment
E. an act of Congress

A president suffers a stroke but wants to remain in office. The vice president and cabinet disagree. Who decides whether the president should continue to serve?
A. the vice president and cabinet
B. the president
C. Congress
D. a writ of mandamus
E. the Supreme Court

_______ decide(s) whether a president should be impeached.
A. the Senate
B. the Senate Judicial Committee
C. the Supreme Court
D. both houses of Congress
E. the House

A bill is passed to the president for action while Congress is still in session. After 10 days the president still has not taken any action on it. What happens to the bill?
A. it becomes a law
B. nothing, the president has 30 days to act
C. it is returned to Congress
D. it is vetoed
E. nothing, the president has 90 days to act

Every president since Harry Truman has commented that power of the presidency
A. is greater than it appears to be from the outside
B. is flexible, but always adequate to the task at hand
C. needs to be limited in the defenses of freedom
D. needs to be expanded in the interest of freedom
E. looks greater from the outside than from the inside

The presidential audiences listed by Richard Neustadt included all of the following except
A. fellow politicians in Washington
B. heads of state from around the world
C. leaders in Washington
D. the public
E. party activists and office holders outside of Washington

When a presidential candidate talks on the campaign trail of the many good things that he would accomplish as president, he is appealing principally to
A. fellow leaders
B. the general public
C. partisan activists at the state and local levels
D. the media
E. fellow politicians

The president officially recognizes the government of the newly independent country of Kosovo. The president has just acted under which role?
A. Chief Legislator
B. Chief Executive
C. Commander-in-Chief
D. Chief Diplomat
E. Chief of State

Alexis de Tocqueville suggested that the proper conduct of foreign affairs requires
A. sensitivity to culture and courage to act forcefully
B. an equal balance of majoritarian, client, and interest group politics
C. power that is shared among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of gov.
D. precisely those qualities most lacking in democratic nations
E. unmitigated allegiance and stoic dispostion

Which of the following statements about the president's power in foreign affairs is true?
A. it has rarely caused great controversy or political debate
B. it is greater than that of leaders of other nations
C. it is greater than their power over domestic affairs
D. it is probably less than the Framers intended
E. it is strictly limited by the federal court system

The constitutional power to appoint ambassadors and to negotiate treaties is vested in the
A. president
B. House
C. State Department
D. Congress
E. Senate

In the conduct of foreign affairs, the president has constitutionally been vested with each of the following powers except the power to
A. negotiate treaties with other nations
B. a and d
C. appoint ambassadors
D. declare war on other nations
E. act as commander-in -chief of the armed forces

Compared with the leaders of other nations, the ability of a U.S. president to act decisively during times of foreign crisis is generally
A. more limited
B. less limited
C. about as limited
D. more constrained by the courts, less constrained by the legislature
E. more constrained by both the courts and the legislature

When a U.S. president signs a treaty with another nation, he or she is issuing
A. a legal mandate that has been approved by Congress
B. a congressional promise that the U.S. will act in a prescribed fashion
C. a legal mandate that has been approved by the courts
D. his or her personal guarantee that the U.S. will act in a prescribed fashion
E. his or her promise to try to get the Senate to go along

The branch of government least involved in foreign policy disputes has traditionally been
A. Congress
B. the Supreme Court
C. the executive branch
D. all of the above
E. a and b

The most important check on what the president can do in foreign affairs is
A. the two-party system
B. the Joint Chiefs of Staff
C. the Pentagon bureaucracy
D. congressional control over the purse strings
E. the Supreme Court

The War Powers Act of 1973 requires that
A. Congress not interfere with the president's role as Commander-in-Chief
B. troops be removed from conflicts within 120 days of the beginning of an operation
C. Congress declare war whenever the president sends troops into a conflict
D. the president consult with Congress when sending troops into a new conflict
E. the president not spend money for military engagements without prior approval of Congress

Which of the following statements about congressional oversight of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) covert activities is true?
A. Congress has no authority to disapprove of such activities
B. Congress must approve those activities which will extend more than 60 days
C. Congress must approve those activities that involve political assassination
D. Congress must approve those activities that involve military expenditures
E. Congress has blanket authority to approve or disapprove of such activities

The text suggests that ______ president(s) has/have recognized the War Powers Act as constitutional?
A. every
B. Republican
C. Democratic
D. no
E. first term

Foreign policy became the first item on the president's agenda at what period in U.S. history?
A. during and after Vietnam
B. during and after the Civil War
C. during and after WWII
D. during and after the Gulf War
E. during and after WWI

Federal agencies that have agents or missions abroad include all of the following except
A. Drug Enforcement Administration
B. Department of Agriculture
C. a and d
D. Department of Interior
E. Department of Labor

An example of an elite opinion that dominated U.S. foreign policy for years was George Kennan's article developing the strategy of 
A. national liberation
B. isolationism
C. containment
D. retroactive dependency
E. massive retaliation

The Munich worldview stipulated that it would be foolish to
A. pre-empt an attack by an aggressive use of force
B. use military force for political objectives
C. expect capitalism to survive much longer
D. try to answer aggression with appeasement
E. maintain a colonial empire in the contemporary world

The idea that defense politics is client politics is stressed by those who emphasize the importance of 
A. the power of elites
B. the military-industrial complex
C. the central role of the president
D. the threat of oppressive regimes
E. bureaucratic politics

The National Security Act of 1947 created the
A. State Department
B. Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines
C. Department of War
D. Department of Defense
E. Navy Seals

the chief concern reflected in the structure within which decisions about national defense are made is
A. to integrate military intelligence
B. to maintain U.S. isolation from foreign wars
C. to maintain the traditional autonomy to the military services
D. to prevent, at all costs, the losses caused by war
E. to ensure civilian control over the military

The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JSC) include
A. the uniformed head of each service
B. both uniformed and specific commands
C. representatives of both houses of Congress
D. most of the combat forces of the U.S.
E. representatives of Congress and military intelligence

When legal issues have arisen out of foreign policy disputes between the president and Congress, the Supreme Court has generally
A. relied upon the Solicitor General to resolve conflicts
B. favored the president
C. favored Congress
D. interpreted the Constitution quite literally
E. refused to intervene