American Government 100
Patterson, pgs. 369-384
Woll, pgs. 267-272, A:AG18-15
Part III
The Presidency
True/False Questions
1. The formal powers of the president are relatively modest and so presidential power changes
with political conditions and the personal capacity of the office’s occupant. True or False
2. The writers of the Constitution devised more precise language for the role of the presidency
compared to the vague language they used for devising the role of the Congress. True or False
3. Over the course of American history each president's constitutional powers has been expanded in
practice beyond the framers’ expectation. True or False
4. The constitution grants the president command of the nation's military and the power to declare
war. True or False
5. In each of America's most recent wars, the Korean, Vietnam, Balkans, Afghanistan, and both Iraq
wars, it was the president who initiated them without an official declaration of war by the Congress.
True or False
6. The Framers anticipated that Congress would define the nation's foreign policy while the
president would oversee its implementation. True or False
7. Whenever the president pardons or reprieves a convicted felon, he must have the agreement of
the majority members of Congress. True or False
8 An act of Congress was the basis for authorizing federal funds for family-planning services,
giving a president the discretion to allow or disallow funds for abortion counseling. True or False
9. The Framers expected the president to use the veto power extensively to assure that Congress did
not try and introduce pernicious legislation. True or False
10. Throughout most of the nineteenth century (excluding the Civil War presidency of Abraham
Lincoln), Congress jealously guarded its constitutional authority over national policy: True or
False
11. Franklin D. Roosevelt shared the stewardship theory of his distant cousin Theodore Roosevelt
and FDR’s New Deal signaled the end of the limited presidency. True or False
12. According to Patterson, Congress is a well-suited institution for dealing with the thousands of
programs and hundreds of agencies that comprise the federal government. True or False
13. As the size of government has increased, all democracies have seen a shift in power from
their legislature to their executive. True or False
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14. It is impossible to lose the popular vote and still win the presidency in the United States. True or
False
15. Today it is party caucuses and not the voters in state primaries who play the decisive role in the
selection of the Democratic and Republican presidential nominees. True or False
16. In fact, in almost every nominating presidential race of the past three decades before a single
vote was cast, the winner has been the candidate who either raised the most money or ranked first in
the opinion polls. True or False
17. No candidate for president in recent decades has got off to a lousy start in the first few contests
and then picked up enough steam to win nomination. True or False
18. In 2000, George Bush rejected taking federal matching funds for his presidential campaign so he
would be free to spend an unrestricted amount. True or False
19. Since 1972, when the delegate-selection process was changed, the leading candidate in every
case has acquired enough delegates in the primaries and caucuses to lock up the nomination before
the convention begins. True or False
Multiple Choice Questions
1. What were the circumstances that Obama faced in early 2014 as president? a) as the first
African-American to hold the office, his popularity was soaring, b) though his popularity had
peaked, he was still in great shape with a booming economy and an end to war, c) he avoided
scandals and had won the trust of the American people with little opposition, d) he was sinking
in the polls while the economy was recovering too slowly.
2. The following refers to the executive office becoming so powerful that constitutional checks and
balances are no longer effective in constraining it: a) sovereign executive, b) imperial presidency,
c) monarchical presidency, d) absolute presidency.
3. Because of the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal, the office of the presidency became too
weak to deal with the nation’s problems and exert the necessary leadership: a) imperiled presidency,
b) inept presidency, c) eroding presidency, d) incompetent presidency.
4. Why has the office of the presidency become more powerful over time? a) weak presidents
have created greater trust in the office, b) the increase in staff has made life easier for the
president, c) the introduction of technology has allowed for greater efficiency, d) domestic and
international conditions have increased.
5. According to Alexander Hamilton from Federalist 69, what would be the only justification for
war by presidential decree? a) When the president decides it is necessary, b) When a foreign nation
threatens the United States, c) When there was a surprise attack on the United States, d) Hamilton
argued that there can never be any justification for the president to initiate a war.
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6. The president negotiates treaties and the latter’s ratification requires: a) House approval by a
majority vote, b) Senate approval by a two-thirds vote, c) Congressional approval by a majority
vote, d) Congressional approval by a two thirds vote.
7. Today, who is the principal architect of U.S. foreign policy? a) Congress, b) the president, c) the
Congress in coordination with a special committee assigned foreign policy responsibility, d) an
executive agency working with the House.
8. The president has acquired the power to make treaty-like arrangements with other nations as a
result of the following: a) executive agreements, b) presidential commitments, c) chief executive
resolutions, d) presidential initiatives.
9. In 1937 the Supreme Court ruled that executive agreements that are signed and approved by the
president: a) must also be approved by the Congress before achieving the force of law, b) are
limited in scope and do not have the same authority as a treaty, c) have the same legal status as
treaties, d) are unconstitutional if they deal with foreign policy.
10. In Federalist 76, Hamilton indicated that the president's real authority as chief executive was to
be found in: a) administrative effectiveness, b) his close ties with congressional leaders, c) his
ability to articulate the major issues of his time, d) his appointive capacity.
11. Although the powers that a contemporary president exercises are more extensive than the
Framers envisioned, Patterson cited the following 2 features in particular for such expansion: a)
political awareness and Constitutional power, b) public support and presidential flexibility, c)
national election and singular authority, d) executive liabilities and political capital.
12. The first president to assert a claim to popular leadership was: a) George Washington, b)
Thomas Jefferson, c) Andrew Jackson, d) Abraham Lincoln.
13. According to the following theory, the president is limited and essentially functions as an
administrator charged with carrying out the will of Congress: a) unitary president, b) whig
theory, c) constrained executive, d) limited commander.
14. The following calls for a strong, assertive presidential role that is confined only at points
specifically prohibited by law, not by undefined inherent restrictions: a) executive theory, b)
stewardship theory, c) administrative theory, d) imperial tradition.
15. Theodore Roosevelt took office in 1901 and implemented the following policies: a) forced the
owners of coal mines to improve mine safety and increase miners’ wages, b) supported business
trusts, c) implemented an isolationist foreign policy, d) accepted the Whig tradition.
16. Why did Herbert Hoover not take decisive action during the economic crash that followed the
Wall Street meltdown of 1929? a) Because he believed in the social welfare state, b) Because he
embraced the stewardship theory, c) Because the public was opposed to using the government to
eliminate the abuses of the stock market, d) Because he felt that he lacked the constitutional
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authority to take strong action.
17. Why is Congress poorly suited to assume the dominant role in the area of foreign policy? a)
Because the Constitution forbids it, b) Because it is a large and unwieldy body, c) Because it lacks
the funds necessary for an expanded role, d) Because members of Congress are unconcerned with
foreign policy issues.
18. Why did the delegates to the 1787 constitutional convention establish an Electoral College for
selecting the president? a) They feared the power of the privileged elites of the time, b) They
believed that only through the true voice of the people can any sitting president behave respectfully,
c) They feared that a popularly elected president would become too powerful, d) They knew that
Congress had to be restrained from the corruption that power provided and the president could
neutralize it.
19. They were responsible for introducing the primary elections as a way of wresting control over
presidential nominations from party bosses: a) Progressives b) Republicans, c) American
Independents, d) Democrats.
20. Why did a change occur from the party selecting the presidential nominee after 1968? a) party
leaders wanted to voluntarily create a more democratic system, b) the Democratic Party’s
presidential nominee had not entered a single primary election, c) the system was too inefficient and
party leaders wanted it streamlined, d) Open caucuses and direct primaries were simply too corrupt
to allow such institutions to select the president.
21. Meetings that are open to any registered party voter who wants to attend: a) open primary, b)
free-blanket caucuses, c) open party caucuses, d) free-love primaries.
22. The year before the first contest in Iowa when running for president is a critical period where a
candidate establishes himself/herself in debate performance, fundraising, and opinion polls is
referred to as: a) introductory election, b) invisible primary, c) essential election, d) developmental
strength.
23. A key to success in the nominating campaign for president is a solid showing in the early
contests that leads to a buildup of public support in subsequent ones: a) momentum, b) recognition,
c) religious affiliation, d) party affiliation.
24. What is the overall limit set for 2016 that the government will match in funds for the presidential
election? a) $15 million b) $25 million, c) $32 million, d) $50 million.
25. Since the presidential election of 2000, minus John McCain in 2008, all the winning candidates
for president have: a) have accepted federal matching funds, b) accepted some federal matching
funds, c) have not accepted federal matching funds, d) accepted federal matching funds only in the
national, not the primary election.
26. By tradition, the choice of the vice presidential nominee rests with the who? a) the majority of
delegates at the convention, b) It is different for both parties. The Republicans leave it up to the
party caucus presidential nominee. The Democrats the most recently retired president to select the
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nominee. c) A coin is flipped to select the from a pool of candidates who lost in the presidential
campaign, d) The presidential nominee decides who will be the running mate.
27. Why do third- party candidates for president have no realistic hope of victory? a) because twothirds of the nation’s voters identify with the two major parties, b) independents do not turn out for
elections, c) the system is rigged and corrupt throughout, d) the media does not give third-party
candidates the “time of day.”
28. Who was the last president selected by the House of Representatives? a) Thomas Jefferson, b)
John Quincy Adams, c) Abraham Lincoln, d) Rutherford B. Hayes.
29. A candidate who wins the state's popular vote in the national election for president receives all
its electoral college vote: a) unit rule, b) conditional vote, c) unanimous incorporation, d) plurality.
30. In what 2 states are electoral votes for president distributed on the basis of the percentage of
popular votes received and not winner-takes-all? a) Oklahoma and Vermont, b) New Hampshire
and New York, c) Maine and Nebraska, d) Delaware and North Dakota.
31. Why do candidates for president spend most of their time in toss-up states? a) Because they
want to assure a mandate from the people, b) Because if they can win the support of their
constituents, then they can claim greater legitimacy in running the nation, c) Because most of the
money can be generated in the larger states, d) Because most of the potential available electoral
votes are located there.
Fill-in Questions
1. The ability of presidents accomplishing their goals depends on a number of conditions which
include:
a) their personal capacity for ___________,
b) _________ and international conditions,
c) the ______ of their presidency,
d) the partisan composition of _________, and
e) whether the issue is ________ or domestic.
2. What did the writers of the Constitution want from a president?
a) national ___________,
b) _____________ in foreign affairs,
c) command in time of ____,
d) ____________ of the laws.
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3. Based on the Constitution, what are some of the powers assigned to the president?
a) Article II, Section 2: “The President shall be __________ ___ ______ of the Army and
Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states.”
b) Chief __________: Article II, Section 2: “He may require the opinion, in writing, of
the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the
duties of their respective offices,
c) Chief ____________ : Article II, Section 2: “He shall have power, and with the advice
and consent of the Senate, to make treaties,…
d) ____________ leader: Article II, Section 3: “He shall from time to time give to the
Congress information of the state of the Union, and recommend to their consideration
such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.
4. In 1945, the United States emerged as:
a) a global ___________,
b) a giant in world ______, and
c) the recognized _______ of the _____________ world.
5. The Electoral College is determined by the following:
a) Each state has ____ electoral votes for its Senate representation
b) and a varying number of electoral votes depending on its ______ representation.
c) Altogether, there are ____ electoral votes, including __ for the District of Columbia.
d) To win the presidency, a candidate must receive at least ____ votes, an electoral majority.
The Presidency--Focus of Leadership: Clinton Rossiter
Woll, pgs. 267-272
True/False Questions
1. According to the Constitution, the president can pick and choose those laws he wishes to enforce.
False
2. In time of war, argues Rossiter, the president has the authority over all major decisions of strategy
and tactics. True
Multiple Choice Questions
1. When the president assumes the role of ceremonial leader of the country, he is functioning as: a)
chief administrative officer, b) party leader, c) commander-in-chief, d) chief of state.
Fill-In Questions
1. The president is the leader of:
a) the bureaucracy,
b) the armed forces,
c) his party,
d) the Congress,
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e) foreign affairs
True/False Questions
1. According to the Constitution, the president can pick and choose those laws he wishes to enforce.
True or False
2. In time of war, argues Rossiter, the president has the authority over all major decisions of strategy
and tactics. True or False
Multiple Choice Questions
1. When the president assumes the role of ceremonial leader of the country, he is functioning as: a)
chief administrative officer, b) party leader, c) commander-in-chief, d) chief of state.
Fill-In Questions
1. The president is the leader of:
a) the ____________,
b) the _______ _______,
c) his ______,
d) the _________,
e) foreign affairs
Answers
Patterson, pgs. 369-384
True or False Quiestions
1. True
3. True
5. True
7. False
9. False
11. True
13. True
15. False
17. True
19. True
Multiple Choice Questions
1. d
3. a
5. c
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7. b
9. c
11. c
13. b
15. a
17. b
19. a
21. c
23. a
25. c
27. a
29. a
31. d
Fill-in Questions
1. a) leadership, b) national, c) stage, d) Congress, e) foreign
3. a) commander in chief, b) executive, c) diplomat, d) Legislative
5. a) two, b) House, c) 538, 3, d) 270
Woll, pgs. 262-267
True or False Questions
1. False
Multiple Choice Questions
1. d
Fill-In Questions
1. a) bureaucracy, b) armed forces, c) party, d) congress
A:AG18-15
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