Executive Branch Review Game

• 1. The Constitution stated that the requirements for being president are all the following EXCEPT

A. obtaining a majority of the electoral votes. B. having resided in the U.S. for at least 14 years. C. being a natural born citizen. D. being at least 35 years old. E. being a member of a political party.

• 2. The bully pulpit is a tool for shaping public opinion used by A. the media. B. the president. C. the Speaker. D. interest groups. E. the Senate majority leader.

• 3. Which best reflects the principle of separation of powers in the U.S. system of government?

A. political linkage institutions. B. the division of power between the federal government and state

governments. C. qualifications for Senator. D. Congress having the ability to make laws that are necessary and

proper. E. federal regulatory agencies.

• 4. Which of the following describes a presidency that has become too powerful?

A. an imperial presidency. B. a presidency that refuses to react to the threat of foreign policy

problems. C. a presidency facing a recession. D. congressional gridlock. E. a president who vetoes the majority of legislation sent to him.

• 5. Which of the following is responsible for the preparation of executive spending proposals submitted to Congress?

A. Treasury Deparment. B. Council of Economic Advisors. C. Federal Trade Commission. D. Department of Commerce. E. Office of Management and Budget.

• 6. Which of the following methods is used by a president who wants to persuade recalcitrant members of Congress to vote for a particular bill?

A. transfers members who oppose the bill to unpopular committees.

B. denies campaign funds to members who oppose the bill. C. threatens to deny renomination to members who oppose the bill. D. threatens to veto a different bill that enjoys bipartisan support in

Congress. E. makes a direct appeal to the public.

• 7. The usefulness to the president of having cabinet members as political advisers is undermined by the fact that

A. the president has little latitude in choosing cabinet members. B. cabinet members have little political support independent of the

president. C. cabinet members are usually drawn from Congress and retain loyalties

to Congress. D. the loyalties of cabinet members are often divided between loyalty to

the president and loyalty to their own executive departments. E. the cabinet operates as a collective unit and individual members have

limited access to the president.

• 8. What would be one likely reason for a president to enter into an executive agreement with a foreign country rather than sign a treaty?

A. An executive agreement avoids political wrangling with the Senate since it does not need to be ratified.

B. An executive agreement has more legal validity than a treaty. C. A president can easily back down from an executive agreement with

no recourse for the foreign country. D. The Case Act of 1972 encouraged executive agreements. E. An executive agreement requires prior Senate approval, making

resulting negotiations easier for the president.

• 9. All the following are considered delegated constitutional jobs of the president EXCEPT

A. Commander in Chief. B. Chief of State. C. Making appointments of Ambassadors. D. Chief of Party. E. Signing treaties with foreign countries.•

• 13. An alternate manner in which a president can implement programs without congressional approval is by

A. appointing a member of the opposing political party to the cabinet.

B. issuing an executive order. C. sending controversial legislation to the electorate for a

referendum. D. making a speech in from of a group that opposes him. E. holding a press conference.

• 14. The presidential power that has been challenged by Congress since 1960 is the power to

A. commit troops to foreign countries. B. give the State of the Union address.

C. appoint cabinet members. D. sign treaties. E. receive ambassadors.

• Historically, the approval rating of the president usually A. remains around 50% during his entire term. B. fluctuates depending on his response to national and

international problems. C. is lowest during times of war. D. is highest toward the end of his presidency. E. depends on the kind of media coverage he gets.

• What presidential role is largely ceremonial in nature? A. Chief Executive. B. Chief of State. C. Chief Diplomat. D. Commander-in-Chief. E. Chief Legislator

• . Among the executive branch’s checks on the legislative branch is the president’s power to

A. call special sessions of Congress. B. introduce bills to the floor of Congress.

C. address Congress during its debate on bills. D. vote on acts of Congress.

E. disband congressional committees.

• . The amount of access cabinet secretaries have to the president is most likely to be controlled by the

A. vice president. B. president’s chief of staff. C. national security advisor

D. chair of the Federal Reserve Board. E. president’s press secretary.

• If a candidate is thinking of running for president, the person would do all of the following EXCEPT

A. begin fund-raising activities at least 2 years before the election. B. make frequent visits to the early primary states. C. announce the choice of the running mate when the candidate

enters the race. D. work with party leaders to develop a national platform. E. attempt to get favorable media coverage.

The president executes a “pocket veto” by doing which of the following? A. publicly expressing rejection of a bill. B. issuing an executive order invalidating a recently passed bill. C. failing to sign a bill after Congress has adjourned. D. recalling ambassadors from a peace negotiation. E. refusing to seat a federal judge whom the Senate has confirmed.

• . The Electoral College A. functions largely independently of the major political parties. B. provides for a winner-take-all system of election in all 50 states. C. requires that the candidate who receives a plurality of the votes

will be elected to the office of president. D. meets continuously until a president is chosen. E. requires that a candidate receive a majority totaling 270 votes in

order to be elected.

• Which of the following statements about the cabinet is FALSE? A. It includes the heads of the executive departments. B. It includes members of the House of Representatives. C. Although not mentioned in the Constitution, the cabinet has

been part of American government since the presidency of Washington.

D. Presidents may appoint special advisors to the cabinet. E. Senators may not serve in the cabinet.

• All of the following are formal or informal sources of presidential power EXCEPT

A. the fact that the president is elected indirectly by the public, not by Congress.

B. Supreme Court decisions have expanded the president’s emergency powers.

C. high public approval ratings. D. the veto power. E. the ability to introduce legislation in either house of Congress.

• Which of the following is true of the president’s veto power? I. A president may veto certain items in a bill but approve the rest. II. A president may pocket-veto a bill by refusing to sign it for 10

days while Congress is in session. III. A presidential veto may be overridden by a 2/3 vote of both

houses of Congress. • A. I only B. II only C. III only D. II and III only E. I, II, and III

• All of the following statements are true about the electoral college except A. it is possible for a candidate to become president without obtaining a

majority of popular votes. B. most states award their electoral votes on a proportional basis, as

opposed to a winner-take-all basis. C. 270 electoral votes are necessary in order to be elected president. D. the electoral college meets approximately one month after the

general election. E. if no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the winner is

decided by the House.

• The concept of “divided government” refers to A. a president of one party, the vice president from another. B. division of power between national and state levels. C. the majority party of one house is different from the majority

party in the other. D. elected officials vs appointed officials. E. congress having a majority party that is different from the party

affiliation of the president.•

• Which of the following serve on the President’s cabinet? I. FBI Director II. Secretary of State. III. Secretary of Defense

IV. Attorney General V. White House Press Secretary A. II and III only B. I, III, and IV only C. III, IV, and V only

D. II, III, and IV only E. I, II, III, IV, and V

• An example of the concurrent powers of states and the national governments is the right to

A. levy taxes. B. declare war. C. suspend the writ of habeas corpus.D. coin money. E. control interstate commerce.

• Which of the following powers does the president share with Congress as a whole?

A. making treaties with foreign nations. B. appointing ambassadors.

C. appointing judges & other high officials. D. granting reprieves and pardons.

E. approving legislation.

• All of the following are checks that Congress has on the president EXCEPT

A. they may refuse to pass a bill the president wants. B. they may refuse to approve a presidential appointment to the

White House staff. C. the Senate may refuse to ratify a treaty the president has signed. D. they may override a presidential veto. E. they may use the impeachment powers to remove the president

from office.

• The president is limited to two terms or ten years due to the ratification of the __?__ Amendment.

A. 16th B. 19th C. 22nd D. 25th. E. 27th