Unit Four Study Guide: The Executive Branch
1. Constitutional requirements vs. unofficial characteristics of the presidency (regarding race,
gender, experience, religion, money, etc.)
a. List the official requirements in the Constitution:
b. List some unofficial characteristics of past presidents:
c. What are some “perks” or benefits that the president receives?
2.
Powers of the President: Executive powers (meaning of executive powers in general, executive
orders); Diplomatic powers (general meaning and treaties); Legislative powers (general meaning
and the State of the Union Address); Judicial powers (general meaning and the ability to issue
pardons, amnesty, reprieves); what are public mandates and how do they affect the president?Use your notes
For each of the following, match the correct power to the example of that power:
E= Executive Power
L= Legislative Power
J= Judicial Power
DM= Diplomatic/Military
________Patronage
________Running the Federal Bureaucracy
________Threat of Force
________ Threat of Veto
________Propose Legislation
________Treaty Making
________Executive Orders
________Pardon
________Bring Congress in for a special
session
________State of the Union Address
________Reprieve
________Appointment and Removal
Powers
________Executive Agreements
________Use of force
________Veto
________Amnesty
Unit Four Study Guide: The Executive Branch
Define the following:
Patronage:
Reprieve:
Pardon:
Amnesty:
Executive Agreements:
Executive Orders:
Public Mandates (and how it affects the Pres):
3. Checks (restrictions/limitations) on Presidential powers:
a. How can the legislative branch check the power of the president?
b. How can the judicial branch check the power of the president? What is an example of
this? (think composition notebook)
4. The Impeachment Process:
a. How can impeachment serve as a check on the president?
b. What are the correct steps in how a president can be impeached and removed from
office?
c. Who are the Presidents that have been impeached? WHY have each of these presidents
been impeached:
d. Who are the Presidents who have been kicked out?
e. Who are the Presidents who have resigned?
f.
What is Watergate? AND, how did this affect the Presidency?
Unit Four Study Guide: The Executive Branch
5. Roles of the President (the many jobs the president takes on): be able to describe what each of
these roles refer to: head of state, commander in chief, chief legislator, chief executive, chief
diplomat, Party Leader, Economic Planner- PowerPoint and outline notes completed in class
HS= Head of State
CC= Commander in Chief
CD= Chief Diplomat
CL= Chief Legislator
EP= Economic Planner
_____Veto
_____Directs foreign policy
_____Makes key military
leaders
_____Hosts the Super Bowl
Winners
CE = Chief Executive
PL= Party Leader
_____Limited by the War
Powers Act
_____Prepare the federal
budget
_____Ceremonial or
Symbolic Leader
_____Treaties
_____Appoints Ambassadors
_____Directs the Military
_____Directs the
Bureaucracy
_____State of the Union
Address
_____Executive Agreements
_____New Deal
_____Proposes legislation
_____Appoints Secretary of
State
_____Face of the Party
_____Pardons the
Thanksgiving Day Turkey
_____Patronage
6. The Federal Bureaucracy: be able to define bureaucracy
a. The Executive Office of the President: who makes up the Executive Office and what
kind of relationship and degree of trust and influence do members of the Executive
Office have over the president; important members of the EO including Chief of Staff
and Press Secretary.
i. Who make up the EOP?
ii. What does the Chief of Staff do?
iii. What does the Press Secretary do?
b. The Cabinet (Executive Agencies):
i. Know who the current Secretary of State, Secretary of Treasury, Secretary of
Education, and the Attorney General are.
Unit Four Study Guide: The Executive Branch
ii. Be able to match the 15 departments with their function/purpose
c. Independent Agencies: be able to define independent agency, regulatory commission,
and government corporations. Be able to give examples of each; why do we have
separate, independent agencies? How can the president influence independent
agencies? Be able to match some examples of independent agencies with their purposeTextbook
i. Know the following agencies and their purpose:
1. FBI
2. CDC
3. IRS
4. DEA
5. FDA
6. FEMA
ii. From our political cartoons, what were some major problems with the Federal
Bureaucracy?
iii. What is the iron triangle? Why is it called this?