The Presidency #3
1) In a parliamentary system the prime minister is chosen by the
a) People.
b) Electors.
c) Legislature.
d) Monarch.
2) Which of the following statements is true of U.S. presidents but not of British prime ministers?
a) Presidents and the legislature often work at cross-purposes.
b) Presidents are selected by the legislature.
c) Presidents are most often government insiders.
d) Presidents generally choose their cabinets from among members of Congress.
3) The greatest source of presidential power is found in
a) The Constitution.
b) Congress.
c) Public communication.
d) Politics and public opinion.
4) The text makes which of the following statements about the effect of divided government?
a) Divided government produces worse gridlock than does a unified government.
b) The end of gridlock is accomplished by a divided government.
c) Important legislation is produced about as much with divided governments as with unified
governments.
d) Divided government is a myth.
5) The text suggests that policy gridlock is a necessary consequence of
a) Representative democracy.
b) Direct democracy.
c) Divided government.
d) Unified government.
6) The ability of a presidential assistant to influence the president is governed by the rule of
a) Reason.
b) Propinquity.
c) Law.
d) Congress.
7) The Office of Management and Budget both assembles the president’s budget and
a) Manages the departments.
b) Reviews departmental legislative proposals.
c) Manages federal personnel.
d) Reviews the Senior Executive Service.
8) The president appoints an average of ____________ percent of departmental employees.
a) 1
b) 5
c) 10
d) 15
9) The main difference between a presidential agency and an independent agency is that heads of
the former
a) Cannot have their salaries reduced.
b) Serve at the president’s discretion.
c) Can only be removed ‘for cause.’
d) Serve at Congress’s pleasure.
10) In recent administrations there has been a tendency for presidents to place in their cabinet
people known for their
a) Independent political power.
b) Personal wealth.
c) Loyalty to Congress.
d) Expertise.
11) Of the three audiences that the president confronts, the one most important for maintaining
and exercising power is
a) Other politicians and leaders in Washington.
b) The mass public throughout the nation.
c) Party activists and officeholders outside Washington.
d) Foreign leaders.
12) Once in office, a president can expect to see his popularity
a) Increase over time.
b) Remain about the same.
c) Decline over time.
d) Be dependent on the actions of Congress.
13) Which of the following statements is true of a bill that is not signed or vetoed within 10 days
while Congress is still in session?
a) It is considered to have received a pocket veto.
b) It is returned to Congress.
c) It must be given a veto message.
d) It becomes law automatically.
14) The doctrine of executive privilege is based on separation of powers and on the
a) Constitutional requirements for secrecy.
b) War Powers Act.
c) President’s need for confidential advice.
d) Integrity of each branch of government.
15) The personal popularity of the president affects which of the following most directly?
a) How Congress treats presidential legislative proposals
b) How members of the president’s party do in House elections
c) How members of the president’s party do in Senate elections
d) The president’s ability to conduct foreign affairs
16) A president suffers a stroke that leaves him or her partially paralyzed. The vice president, with
the support of a majority of the cabinet, declares that the president is unable to discharge the
duties of the office, but the president disagrees. What happens next?
a) Congress decides who is president.
b) Because the vice president has the support of a majority of the cabinet, the vice president
assumes the presidency.
c) Because the president is still alive, he or she remains president.
d) Because the president and vice president disagree, a new election is held, allowing the
people to decide who should be president.
17) _________________ was the last president not to use public opinion polls.
a) Woodrow Wilson
b) Herbert Hoover
c) Franklin Roosevelt
d) Harry Truman
18) Which of the following factors places the greatest constraint on a president’s ability to plan a
program?
a) The president’s personal ideology
b) The limits of the president’s time and attention
c) The need to campaign
d) The mass media
19) If deeply interested in attaining a particular goal, the president will be most likely to
a) Seek Congress’s assistance.
b) Assign it high priority.
c) Create a new agency.
d) Appeal to the media.
20) Which of the following statements about efforts to reorganize the federal bureaucracy is true?
a) They may trigger bitter political battles.
b) They typically take place at the time of the election of a new president.
c) They have seldom been tried.
d) They require the support of the voters.
ANSWERS
1)
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4)
5)
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7)
8)
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10)
11)
12)
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20)
C
A
D
C
C
B
B
A
B
D
A
C
D
C
A
A
B
B
C
A