Accounting
Anthropology
Archaeology
Art History
Banking
Biology & Life Science
Business
Business Communication
Business Development
Business Ethics
Business Law
Chemistry
Communication
Computer Science
Counseling
Criminal Law
Curriculum & Instruction
Design
Earth Science
Economic
Education
Engineering
Finance
History & Theory
Humanities
Human Resource
International Business
Investments & Securities
Journalism
Law
Management
Marketing
Medicine
Medicine & Health Science
Nursing
Philosophy
Physic
Psychology
Real Estate
Science
Social Science
Sociology
Special Education
Speech
Visual Arts
Sociology
Q:
Which of the following is true concerning presidential popularity?
a. President Bush enjoyed high popularity ratings throughout his presidency.
b. President Obama's approval numbers have always been lower than President Bush's.
c. President Obama's approval ratings peaked in August 2010.
d. President Bush had only a 25 percent public approval rating by the time he left office.
e. President Bush's approval ratings in 2004 were the highest ever recorded.
Q:
Which of the following statements best explain the use of Presidential popularity as it affects the legislative process?
a. It is irrelevant to Congress or bureaucrats.
b. It is rarely measured by pollsters.
c. It is of little concern to second-term presidents.
d. It is required before a president may claim executive privilege.
e. It is an extra resource to use to persuade Congress to pass legislation.
Q:
Which of the following is TRUE regarding presidential fundraising?a. The president of the United States is prohibited from engaging in fund-raising activities by Article II of the Constitution.b. By the 1990s and early twentyfirst century, presidents were no longer willing to lower themselves to "begging for money" and limited their fund raising.c. Most presidents rely on others to raise money for them because it is not part of the role of the president to raise money.d. Barack Obama had spectacular success in raising funds as a candidate.e. Congress has enacted legislation prohibiting a sitting president from engaging in fund-raising activities.
Q:
Rewarding faithful party workers with government employment is called
a. "going public."
b. pork.
c. patronage.
d. executive privilege.
e. civil service.
Q:
Which of the following is true about signing statements?a. They are written declarations that a president may make when signing a bill into law regarding the law's enforcement.b. They can only be used to make rhetorical statements.c. They cannot be used to praise or denounce political parties.d. They were used frequently in the nineteenth century, but are rarely used today.e. They were used by President Reagan to make more sweeping claims on behalf of presidential power than any other president.
Q:
A veto is
a. usually employed to punish members of the president's party who disagree with him.
b. more likely when the president's party controls Congress.
c. a clearcut indication of the president's dissatisfaction with legislation.
d. likely to be overridden about half the time.
e. required to be used at least once during each president's term.
Q:
Which of the following statements about the line-item veto is true?
a. It was used only in treaty ratification.
b. It was found to be unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1998.
c. It was given to the president of the United States, but prohibited to state governors.
d. It was denied to the president by an act of Congress.
e. It was frequently used on specific spending provisions by President George W. Bush.
Q:
Which of the following happens when the president signs a bill?a. He or she cannot include any instructions as to how to administer the law.b. He or she is exercising the right to a pocket veto.c. It goes back to the Senate for ratification.d. It goes back to Congress, which has ten days to modify it.e. It becomes law.
Q:
If the president refuses to sign a bill and Congress adjourns within ten working days after the bill has been submitted to the president, it is called a
a. line-item veto.
b. pocket veto.
c. political statement.
d. signing statement.
e. legislative postponement.
Q:
In order for the President to veto a law, he
a. must propose an alternative bill to Congress.
b. cannot veto again until ten days have passed.
c. must have the approval of the leadership of both houses of Congress.
d. must return the bill to Congress with a veto message.
e. does it free of being overridden by Congress.
Q:
The State of the Union message isa. delivered by the president to the General Assembly of the United Nations at least once every four years.b. a policy statement of Congress over which the president seldom has influence.c. required by the Constitution and gives a broad view of what the president wishes the legislature to accomplish during its session.d. an effective tool used by the president to limit other countries' foreign policy endeavors in this hemisphere.e. constitutionally limited to reviewing the events of the last year.
Q:
An international agreement with the head of a foreign state made by the president without Senate approval is
a. a treaty.
b. an executive agreement.
c. a signing statement.
d. constitutionally required to be funded by Congress.
e. subject to expiration after one year.
Q:
In order for a treaty to go into effect, it must be
a. signed by the members of the UN Security Council.
b. approved by three-fourths of the state legislatures.
c. passed by a Supreme Court majority.
d. approved by a two-thirds vote in the Senate.
e. approved by a majority vote in both houses of Congress.
Q:
The presidential power known as diplomatic recognitiona. is a relatively meaningless tradition.b. has seldom been used by any president.c. is the power of the president to recognize, or not recognize, foreign governments.d. is a simple and uncontroversial part of the president's duties.e. has been used more by Congress than by the president.
Q:
Which of the following best describes the War Powers Resolution?
a. The Supreme Court's decision in United States v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp.
b. The requirement that the President report to Congress within forty-eight hours of sending troops into action, and then obtain the approval of Congress within sixty days
c. An Act of Congress that gives the President sweeping powers to defend the nation against terrorists, subversives, and any enemy combatant of the United States
d. A policy pronounced by President Ronald Reagan that supported aid to any country or people resisting Communism
e. Resolution explained in Article II of the Constitution
Q:
As commander in chief, the president isa. only a symbolic leader of the military.b. the ultimate decision maker in military matters.c. allowed to make military decisions, but only with the approval of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.d. not responsible for military decisions.e. one of five people with the power to order the use of nuclear force.
Q:
A reprieve is
a. when the President forgives someone of a crime.
b. when the President issues a formal postponement of the execution of a sentence imposed by a court of law.
c. when the President makes a sentence less severe.
d. when Congress metes out a symbolic punishment delivered to any of its members who criticize the president.
e. unconstitutional.
Q:
The granting of release from the punishment for a crime is calleda. a reprieve.b. a congressional sanction.c. a pardon.d. executive privilege.e. impeachment.
Q:
Which of the following aspects of the President's role as chief executive is false?
a. The president fills cabinet and subcabinet positions.
b. The president may, to a limited extent, fire certain government employees.
c. The president is owed political allegiance by all 2.7 million federal employees.
d. The president must "take care that the laws be faithfully executed."
e. The federal bureaucracy assists the President in carrying out various tasks.
Q:
Which of the following best describes the President's appointment power?
a. The President has executive power to enforce the laws.
b. The President appoints cabinet and subcabinet jobs, federal judgeships, agency heads, and several thousand lesser jobs.
c. The President can veto laws.
d. The President can terminate appointments with a three-quarter Congressional approval.
e. The President can receive ambassadors or other foreign officials.
Q:
The collective term for the body of employees working for the government, generally understood to apply to all those who gain employment through a merit system, isa. civil service employees.b. political appointees.c. the political rank-and-file.d. the nonpartisan employee pool.e. the bureaucratic troops.
Q:
As chief executive, the president is constitutionally bound to
a. enforce the acts of Congress, treaties signed by the United Staes, and judgments of federal courts.
b. submit a balanced budget to Congress.
c. engage in preemptive military action.
d. oversee actions of state governments.
e. honor pronouncements of the United Nations.
Q:
Which Presidential power or duty is most likely to give the president tremendous public exposure, which can be an important asset in a campaign for reelection?
a. Chief oversight officer
b. Chief legislator
c. Independent status
d. Head of state
e. Resident of the White House
Q:
The president, in the role of head of state, is responsible fora. determining which countries the United States will have diplomatic relations.b. acting as the ceremonial head of the government.c. conducting the foreign policy of the country.d. leading the legislative process by submitting legislation.e. administering the laws.
Q:
Which Amendment required that the President and the Vice President be chosen separately?
a. Marbury v. Madison
b. The Executive Voting Act
c. The Third Amendment
d. The Sixth Amendment
e. The Twelfth Amendment
Q:
Which of the following is true regarding presidential election campaigns?
a. One can become president without winning the popular vote.
b. So far, all of the presidents have had a majority of the popular vote when elected.
c. A third candidate for the presidency has never had any impact on the outcome of the election.
d. The House of Representatives is incapable of making a decision on who will be president.
e. There have not yet been any occasions on which the Electoral College has failed to give any candidate a majority.
Q:
When the Electoral College fails to elect a president, what happens?a. The current president serves two more years and another general election is held.b. The candidate who receives a plurality of the popular vote is elected.c. The electors cast a second ballot to determine who will be elected.d. The election is decided in the House of Representatives.e. The election is decided in the Senate.
Q:
To be elected president, a candidate must obtain
a. a majority of the popular vote.
b. a majority of the electoral vote.
c. more popular votes than any other candidate.
d. more electoral votes than any other candidate.
e. every electoral vote.
Q:
Which of the following best describes the people who have been elected president?
a. Older and from western states
b. Primarily Catholics and Jews
c. Military commanders from the South
d. White, male, Protestants
e. California natives
Q:
Who was the youngest person to be elected president of the United States?a. John F. Kennedyb. George W. Bushc. Theodore Rooseveltd. Ronald Reagane. Abraham Lincoln
Q:
According to the Constitution, the minimum age to be President is
a. twenty-five years.
b. thirty years.
c. thirty-five years.
d. forty years.
e. forty-five years.
Q:
Regarding the chief executive, the writers of the Constitution
a. were all in agreement about the necessity of a powerful executive for the new republic.
b. modeled the presidency of the United States after the Prime Minister of France.
c. had no models to follow when they created the presidency of the United States.
d. originally wanted a king.
e. created a leader with unchecked powers.
Q:
The necessary and proper clause
a. has provided the basis for an expanded role of the national government.
b. has greatly expanded the presidential powers.
c. was in the original Constitution, but was eliminated as a consequence of the Twenty-Seventh Amendment.
d. has served to limit the expansion of national authority.
e. is located in the Constitution in the text of the Tenth Amendment.
Q:
The rights to collect taxes, to spend, and to regulate commerce are
a. powers that have only recently been granted to Congress.
b. powers reserved exclusively for the states.
c. powers reserved for the president.
d. the most important domestic powers of Congress.
e. the most important foreign policy powers of Congress.
Q:
Enumerated powers area. powers that the executive branch has.b. powers that allow the president to do whatever he likes, as long as it carries out the Constitution.c. powers that are specifically granted to the national government by the Constitution.d. Supreme Court decisions.e. spelled out in the Necessary and Proper Clause of the Constitution.
Q:
Determining which public policy questions will be debated or considered is the process of _____.
a. oversight
b. filibustering
c. casework
d. agenda setting
e. logrolling
Q:
Which of the following is NOT a function of Congress?
a. Determining if laws are constitutional
b. Educating the public through hearings and debates
c. Carrying out and executing the laws it has passed
d. Representing constituents
e. Resolving conflicts between different groups
Q:
Oversight isa. the process by which Congress follows up on the laws it has enacted.b. the process by which Congress reviews the actions of subcommittees.c. the time of the year that Congress chooses its leadership.d. when the President supervises the activity of the judicial branch.e. when Congress passes legislation.
Q:
For a member of Congress, casework is
a. logrolling.
b. personal work for constituents.
c. lawmaking.
d. oversight.
e. an enumerated power.
Q:
A legislator from Florida who votes, against his or her personal beliefs, to support subsidies for orange growers would be acting
a. as a trustee.
b. as a logroller.
c. as an instructed delegate.
d. on what he or she believes is best for the entire society.
e. as an executive.
Q:
Which of the following best describes a major problem with the role of the instructed delegate function of a member of Congress?a. The public might not support the President's policies.b. The constituents likely do not actually have well-formed views on the issues that are decided in Congress.c. Constituents may not be in the same political party as the representative.d. Members of Congress are often clueless about legislation.e. Congressmen and women have a hard time cooperating.
Q:
A representative who is performing the role of an instructed delegate is
a. mirroring the views of the majority of the constituents who elected him or her.
b. supporting the president on all of his legislative programs.
c. acting according to the broad interests of the entire society.
d. supporting his or her political party.
e. representing other members of Congress.
Q:
A representative who is performing the role of a trustee is
a. mirroring the views of the majority of the constituents who elected him or her.
b. supporting the president on all of his or her legislative programs.
c. acting according to the broad interests of the entire society.
d. supporting his or her political party.
e. representing other members of Congress.
Q:
Which of the following statements best explain why the representation function is often a source of conflict for individual lawmakers?a. The interests of constituents in a specific district may be at odds with the demands of national policy.b. The laws they make might be what their constituents want.c. Trading votes might be useful in getting constituents what they need.d. The House often helps the Senate members meet the needs of constituents.e. The President often meddles in the affairs of individual states or House districts.
Q:
A special provision in legislation to set aside funds for projects that have not passed an impartial evaluation by agencies in the executive branch is called a(n)
a. unfunded mandate.
b. backdoor clause.
c. amendment.
d. rider.
e. earmark.
Q:
A majority of the bills that Congress acts on originate
a. in congressional committees.
b. with constituents from the district or state.
c. in the executive branch.
d. with individual members of Congress.
e. with focus groups.
Q:
Congress's main function is toa. enforce the laws.b. make laws.c. impeach high government officials.d. use its oversight power.e. decide whether or not laws are constitutional.
Q:
The practice of logrolling is
a. an arrangement in which members of Congress agree in advance to support each others' bills.
b. when members of Congress undermine the personal credibility of their opponents.
c. when members of Congress use unlimited debate as a delaying tactic to block a bill.
d. when members of Congress attach amendments to bills.
e. the process of putting together a budget.
Q:
The division of a legislature into two separate assemblies is called
a. representative democracy.
b. checks and balances.
c. a two-party system.
d. bicameralism.
e. dual executives.
Q:
The framers of the Constitution assumed that most national power would be held by thea. executive branch.b. legislative branch.c. Department of Defense.d. bureaucracy.e. judicial branch.
Q:
The people represented by a legislator or other elected or appointed official are called
a. delegates.
b. trustees.
c. constituents.
d. representatives.
e. members.
Q:
In recent years, polls show that ______ of respondents have favorable opinions about Congress as a whole.
a. fewer than 5 percent
b. as few as 9 percent
c. about 50 percent
d. about 75 percent
e. more than 90 percent
Q:
Describe the budget cycle.
Q:
Explain how a bill becomes a law.
Q:
Explain how and where a bill can be stopped in the legislative process.
Q:
Explain the roles played by the members of the House and Senate leadership.
Q:
Identify and describe the different types of committees and their functions, and assess their function in the lawmaking process.
Q:
Explain reapportionment and redistricting, and describe how they can affect political outcomes.
Q:
Compare the membership of Congress and the "typical" American citizen.
Q:
How does the filibuster affect the workings of Congress, positively and negatively?
Q:
Compare and contrast the trustee and instructed-delegate theories of representation.
Q:
Identify and describe the three most important powers Congress has, and explain why you think they rank as such.
Q:
A temporary funding law that Congress passes when an appropriations bill has NOT been passed by the beginning of the fiscal year is
a. the Emergency Revenue Generation Act.
b. a continuing resolution.
c. an Emergency Fall Review.
d. a Second Temporary Budget Resolution.
e. a spring review.
Q:
The actual passage of a spending bill specifying the amount of authorized funds that will be allocated for an agency's use is called
a. authorization.
b. appropriation.
c. allocation.
d. reconciliation.
e. consolidation.
Q:
One of the most powerful agencies in Washington, the _______ assembles the budget documents and monitors federal agencies throughout each year.a. Council of Economic Advisersb. Senate Budget Committeec. Department of Budget and Commerced. House Ways and Means Committeee. Office of Management and Budget
Q:
The Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974 requires
a. each member of Congress to inform constituents of their votes on appropriations measures.
b. the president to spend the funds that Congress has appropriated.
c. a balanced budget by the 2030 fiscal year.
d. the president to present an executive budget.
e. budgets to receive the approval of the American people before they go into effect.
Q:
The job of a conference committee is to
a. originate appropriations bills.
b. write a compromise bill, if the House and Senate bills contain different provisions.
c. set the rules of debate for a bill.
d. determine the committee path of a bill.
e. override a presidential veto.
Q:
Once a bill gets referred to a committee,a. a vote is held immediately in both houses of Congress on whether the bill should become law.b. it cannot make changes in the wording of the bill.c. it usually goes to a specialized subcommittee for hearings, revisions, and approval.d. it immediately goes to the other house of Congress.e. the committee must work with the President to report or table the legislation.
Q:
"Budget bills" must originate
a. in the Senate.
b. in the House.
c. in conference committee.
d. with the president.
e. from any of the above sources.
Q:
The ______ of the Senate is mostly a ceremonial position.
a. president pro tempore
b. majority leader
c. minority leader
d. majority whip
e. minority whip
Q:
The de facto power in the Senate belongs toa. President of the Senate.b. President pro tempore of the Senate.c. Senator designate selected by the president.d. Senate majority and minority leaders and their respective whips.e. the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Q:
The president of the Senate is
a. the leader of the majority party in the Senate.
b. the senator with the most seniority, regardless of party.
c. the fourth person in line to succeed the president.
d. the vice president of the United States.
e. always a member of the majority party in the Senate.
Q:
The whips assist the party leaders by
a. voting to support the party platform at the national convention.
b. attempting to convince the general public that congresspersons should vote the party line.
c. passing information down from the leadership to party members and ensuring that members cast their votes on important issues.
d. gathering research information.
e. pressuring them to take positions popular among the party rank-and-file.
Q:
An important function of the House majority leader is toa. report all legislation to the president.b. deliver the bill to the White House.c. provide opposition to the president pro tempore of the Senate.d. foster cohesion among party members.e. preside over meetings of the House of Representatives.
Q:
The foremost power holder in the House of Representatives is the
a. President of the House.
b. majority leader.
c. president pro tempore.
d. Speaker of the House.
e. chief whip.
Q:
A _______ is formed by the concurrent action of both chambers of Congress and consists of members from each chamber.
a. legislative union
b. select committee
c. standing committee
d. joint committee
e. conference committee
Q:
Standing committees area. permanent bodies that are established by the rules of each chamber and that continue from session to session.b. committees that handle issues that the most important committees in Congress do not consider.c. committees that work with counterparts in the other house of Congress.d. committees that reconcile differences in an action.e. committees inside committees, which handle tasks that the main committee has no time for.
Q:
Most of the actual work of legislating is
a. performed by interest groups and then acted on by Congress.
b. done in the Rules Committee of the Senate.
c. performed on the floor of the House of Representatives.
d. performed by the committees and subcommittees within Congress.
e. done when the president signs it.
Q:
The "speech or debate" clause in Article I, Section 6, of the Constitution means that a member of Congress
a. may make any allegations in connection with official duties and normally not be sued for defamation.
b. cannot be arrested for misdemeanors while Congress is in session.
c. must agree to public debates with announced opponents during the campaign.
d. cannot engage in foreign diplomacy without the approval of the administration.
e. cannot be served with parking tickets issued within the District of Columbia.
Q:
Which of the following statements about the people who work for Congress is false?a. They include office clerks, assistants, and professionals who deal with media relations and draft legislation.b. There are a larger number of staffers for House members than for senators.c. The total number of staff members has increased dramatically since 1960.d. About half of the people employed in the Capitol Hill bureaucracy are personal and committee staff members.e. Some staffers maintain local offices in the member's home state or district.