11
The Presidency
Multiple–Choice Questions
1. Which one of the powers listed below is a constitutional power that the president
shares with the Senate?
a. making treaties
b. commissioning officers
c. granting pardons
d. receiving foreign ambassadors
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.1: Describe the constitutional foundations and
primary roles of the presidency.
Page Reference: 330
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Difficulty Level: Easy
2. Which institutional resource is closest to the president?
a. Executive Office of the President
b. White House staff
c. the cabinet
d. Joint Chiefs of Staff
Topic: Managing the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.3: Outline the functions of the White House staff,
Executive Office of the President, cabinet, and vice president.
Page Reference: 340
352
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Difficulty Level: Easy
3. In which institutional resource are leaders both appointed by the president and
approved by the Senate?
a. Executive Office of the President
b. White House staff
c. Supreme Court
d. Council of Economic Advisors
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.1: Describe the constitutional foundations and
primary roles of the presidency.
Page Reference: 332
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Difficulty Level: Easy
4. The position of __________ is a well-recognized stepping-stone to the
presidency.
a. National Security Advisor
b. chief of staff
c. vice president
d. secretary of defense
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.1: Describe the constitutional foundations and
primary roles of the presidency.
Page Reference: 328
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Difficulty Level: Easy
5. Why are executive orders less enduring than formal laws?
a. They automatically expire after five years.
b. They can be reversed by future presidents.
c. They can be overturned by state law.
d. They can be vetoed by Congress.
353
Topic: Controversies in Presidential Power
Learning Objective: LO 11.2: Evaluate the controversies surrounding presidents’
assertion of additional executive powers.
Page Reference: 338
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
6. Who has the role of breaking a tie in the Senate?
a. president
b. Senate majority leader
c. Speaker of the House
d. vice president
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.1: Describe the constitutional foundations and
primary roles of the presidency.
Page Reference: 328
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Difficulty Level: Easy
7. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s use of the “fireside” radio chats is an example of
which role that presidents play?
a. agenda setter
b. president as persuader
c. president as role model
d. morale builder
Topic: The President’s Job
Learning Objective: LO 11.4: Characterize the various roles that presidents play.
Page Reference: 344, 346
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
8. What does the Twenty-Second Amendment do?
a. requires that presidents are natural-born citizens
b. requires that presidents serve no more than two terms
c. requires the president to be a resident of the United States for two years
d. requires the president to be at least 35 years old
354
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.1: Describe the constitutional foundations and
primary roles of the presidency.
Page Reference: 328
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Difficulty Level: Easy
9. Based on the Constitution’s Take Care clause, __________ direct specific actions
by government as a whole or individual departments or agencies, but do not have
the force of law.
a. executive memoranda
b. executive agreements
c. signing statements
d. executive orders
Topic: Controversies in Presidential Power
Learning Objective: LO 11.2: Evaluate the controversies surrounding presidents’
assertion of additional executive powers.
Page Reference: 338
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Easy
10. Which president was the first to exercise the veto power?
a. Thomas Jefferson
b. John Adams
c. George Washington
d. Andrew Jackson
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.1: Describe the constitutional foundations and
primary roles of the presidency.
Page Reference: 330
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Difficulty Level: Easy
11. Congress can remove a president through __________.
a. override
355
b. executive order
c. impeachment
d. filibuster
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.1: Describe the constitutional foundations and
primary roles of the presidency.
Page Reference: 334
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Difficulty Level: Easy
12. Who did the Framers expect to be the first president of the United States?
a. Benjamin Franklin
b. George Washington
c. John Adams
d. Thomas Jefferson
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.1: Describe the constitutional foundations and
primary roles of the presidency.
Page Reference: 330
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Difficulty Level: Easy
13. What has to happen in Congress before the president can be impeached?
a. The House can impeach the president by a simple majority; the Senate does not
have a vote.
b. The Senate can impeach the president by a simple majority; the House does not
have a vote.
c. The House can impeach the president by a simple majority; the Senate needs a
two-thirds majority.
d. The Senate can impeach the president with a two-thirds majority; the House
does not have a vote.
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.1: Describe the constitutional foundations and
primary roles of the presidency.
Page Reference: 334 – 335
356
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Difficulty Level: Easy
14. Which president served four consecutive terms in office, prompting passage the
Twenty-Second Amendment?
a. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
b. Herbert Hoover
c. Theodore Roosevelt
d. Woodrow Wilson
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.1: Describe the constitutional foundations and
primary roles of the presidency.
Page Reference: 330
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
15. Throughout most of its history, the office of ___________ was considered
insignificant.
a. attorney general
b. chief of staff
c. secretary of state
d. vice president
Topic: Managing the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.3: Outline the functions of the White House staff,
Executive Office of the President, cabinet, and vice president.
Page Reference: 334
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Difficulty Level: Easy
16. What problem did the 1796 presidential election reveal?
a. The president and vice president could be elected from different parties.
b. A president could win the popular vote, but lose the Electoral College vote.
c. A president could receive fewer Electoral College votes than the vice president.
d. Presidential electors could refuse to cast votes.
357
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.1: Describe the constitutional foundations and
primary roles of the presidency.
Page Reference: 329
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
17. Which approach did both Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson use for
managing the White House staff?
a. collegial
b. competitive
c. hierarchical
d. dictatorial
Topic: Managing the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.3: Outline the functions of the White House staff,
Executive Office of the President, cabinet, and vice president.
Page Reference: 340
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Difficulty Level: Easy
18. According to the Constitution, how is the president elected?
a. appointment through Congress
b. appointment through state legislatures
c. direct election by popular vote
d. election through the Electoral College
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.1: Describe the constitutional foundations and
primary roles of the presidency.
Page Reference: 328
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Difficulty Level: Easy
19. Which of the following is an example of a rally point?
a. George H. W. Bush was reelected after winning the first Gulf War.
b. During the Watergate investigation, Richard Nixon’s approval ratings soared.
c. George W. Bush’s popularity was boosted following the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
358
d. Ronald Reagan’s approval rating increased sharply during the Iran-Contra
scandal.
Topic: Congress and the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.5: Identify the sources of presidential-congressional
conflict and the tools presidents use to influence Congress.
Page Reference: 349
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
20. The use of __________ in foreign matters is an example of the president acting as
diplomat in chief.
a. pocket vetoes
b. executive privilege
c. executive agreements
d. executive orders
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.1: Describe the constitutional foundations and
primary roles of the presidency.
Page Reference: 330
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
21. The Executive Office of the President was created in 1939 to serve what purpose?
a. to supervise the growing federal government
b. to assess legislative proposals for budgetary issues
c. to lobby Congress in defense of the president’s budget
d. to prepare the president’s budget
Topic: Managing the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.3: Outline the functions of the White House staff,
Executive Office of the President, cabinet, and vice president.
Page Reference: 341
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
359
22. Presidents often use the __________ clause to argue that they control everything
that happens in the executive branch after a bill becomes law.
a. commerce
b. vesting
c. necessary and proper
d. due process
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.1: Describe the constitutional foundations and
primary roles of the presidency.
Page Reference: 329
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
23. Which is one of the reasons that power and responsibility of the presidency has
grown?
a. The line-item veto has increased the power of the president over Congress.
b. The budget for government agencies has decreased leaving more responsibility
to the president.
c. Modern presidents have to exercise powers as commander in chief, while
earlier presidents did not.
d. The United States has increased prominence on the world stage.
Topic: Controversies in Presidential Power
Learning Objective: LO 11.2: Evaluate the controversies surrounding presidents’
assertion of additional executive powers.
Page Reference: 339 – 340
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
24. In making the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Thomas Jefferson drew on the claim
of __________.
a. inherent powers
b. a presidential mandate
c. war power
d. executive privilege
360
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.1: Describe the constitutional foundations and
primary roles of the presidency.
Page Reference: 333
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
25. The president’s role as __________ has weakened in recent years.
a. agenda-setter-in-chief
b. commander in chief
c. diplomat in chief
d. morale-builder-in-chief
Topic: The President’s Job
Learning Objective: LO 11.4: Characterize the various roles that presidents play.
Page Reference: 346
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
26. The __________ counsels the president on how much money should be
distributed to each government agency and reports on each agency’s effectiveness.
a. secretary of the treasury
b. Office of Management and Budget
c. secretary of commerce
d. chief of staff
Topic: Managing the Presidency
Learning Objective: LO 11.3: Outline the functions of the White House staff,
Executive Office of the President, cabinet, and vice president.
Page Reference: 341 – 342
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
27. Which of the following is true about President Obama’s cabinet?
a. Obama’s cabinet includes people of color but does not include any women.
b. Obama’s cabinet has fewer minorities than cabinets of some previous
presidents.
c. Obama’s cabinet is the first one to consist of a majority of women and