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d. Obama’s cabinet consists of mostly white males.
Answer: c
Test Bank Item Title: TB_Q11.3.27
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: 342
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Difficulty Level: Easy
28. What did the Framers do to avoid tyranny or monarchy in the executive branch?
a. They made the president directly elected by the people.
b. They included separation of powers in the Constitution.
c. They did not allow the president to have military responsibility.
d. They limited the number of terms a president can serve.
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: 347
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
29. Which presidential power gives the president the ability to control what happens
inside departments and agencies during their terms and to shape the federal
judiciary (including the Supreme Court) far into the future?
a. appointment
b. veto
c. pardon
d. impeachment
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: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
30. How is the presidential support score calculated?
362
a. by counting the number of presidential vetoes
b. by surveying White House staff members
c. by conducting public opinion polls
d. by counting the times the president wins key votes in Congress
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
31. Presidents with high levels of __________ have an easier time influencing
Congress, while those with low levels find influencing Congress more difficult.
a. public approval
b. executive privilege
c. impeachment power
d. third-party connections
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 – 350
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
32. Appointing which group is the first major job for the president-elect?
a. the White House staff
b. the Executive Office of the President
c. the National Security Council
d. the cabinet
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: 343
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
363
Difficulty Level: Moderate
33. What approach did John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, and Bill Clinton use in
managing the White House staff?
a. collegial
b. competitive
c. hierarchical
d. persuasive
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: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
34. Which of the following is a policy office within the White House?
a. the press office
b. the National Economic Council
c. the presidential campaign committee
d. the Environmental Protection Agency
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
35. The notion of inherent powers is derived from the __________ clause.
a. war power
b. take care
c. veto power
d. impeachment
Topic: The Structure and Powers of the Presidency
364
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
36. Why does Lyndon Johnson’s presidential ranking tend to be lower than the
rankings of Abraham Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt?
a. He escalated U.S. involvement in Vietnam.
b. He showed a lack of leadership in the Great Depression.
c. He was unable to avoid personal scandal.
d. He was impeached by the House of Representatives.
Topic: Judging Presidents
Learning Objective: LO 11.6: Identify factors that influence judgments about
presidents.
Page Reference: 351
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
37. In which way do modern presidents differ from the original intentions of the
Framers of the Constitution?
a. Modern presidents are considerably less democratic than the Framers originally
intended.
b. Modern presidents are much more influential in the legislative process than the
Framers originally intended.
c. Modern presidents are much less partisan than the Framers originally intended.
d. Modern presidents are more subservient to the will of Congress than the
Framers originally intended.
Topic: Controversies in Presidential Power
Learning Objective: LO 11.2: Evaluate the controversies surrounding presidents’
assertion of additional executive powers.
Page Reference: 336
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
38. Using press conferences to build public support is a primary example of the
president’s role as __________.
365
a. diplomat in chief
b. persuader-in-chief
c. agenda-setter-in-chief
d. commander in chief
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: 346
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Difficulty Level: Difficult
39. In the legislative process, the mere threat of a(n) __________ can strengthen a
president’s hand.
a. press conference
b. veto
c. executive agreement
d. mandate
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: Understand the Concepts
Difficulty Level: Moderate
40. In which capacity is a modern vice president particularly influential in American
politics?
a. as an adviser in the policy-making process
b. as a leader of the cabinet
c. as a lead negotiator for executive agreements
d. as presiding officer of the Senate
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: 343
Skill Level: Analyze It
366
Difficulty Level: Moderate
41. Which of the following statements best characterizes the nature of the conflict
between presidents and Congress?
a. The conflict is a by-product of the weakening of American political parties.
b. The conflict is integral to the design of the Constitution, deliberately intended
by its authors.
c. The conflict is a by-product of the recent polarization of the American party
system.
d. The conflict is a by-product solely of divided government.
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: 348
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
42. Which of the following statements best describes contemporary relationships
between presidents and Congress?
a. They are always passive, with Congress dominating the executive branch.
b. They are consensual in times of economic growth.
c. They are generally antagonistic.
d. They are generally hostile during periods of unified government.
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: 347 – 348
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
43. How has the office of vice president changed over the years?
a. The vice president is no longer trusted as he once was.
b. The vice president, who once was very involved, is now frozen out of the
policy-making process.
c. The vice president has been more involved in the policy-making process in
recent years than in the past.
d. The vice presidency has become a prerequisite for the presidency.
367
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: 343
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
44. Despite their formal powers, presidents need to exercise which of the following
leadership abilities to be successful?
a. the ability to enter into executive agreements
b. the ability to write legislation
c. the ability to persuade members of Congress and the American public
d. the ability to negotiate treaties
Topic: The President’s Job
Learning Objective: LO 11.4: Characterize the various roles that presidents play.
Page Reference: 346
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Difficulty Level: Difficult
45. How might domestic or international crises affect presidential politics?
a. Crises lead to drops in presidential approval ratings, making passage of their
agendas more difficult.
b. Crises make presidents more politically cautious.
c. Crises tend to temporarily increase presidential approval ratings, providing
windows of opportunity to press for action on their agendas.
d. Crises permanently increase presidential approval ratings, guaranteeing
reelection.
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: Apply What You Know
Difficulty Level: Difficult
368
46. You are an adviser to the president, who recently revealed to you and other
members of the White House staff that he is considering compiling “kill lists” of
suspected terrorists. The president is concerned, however, that this action might be
overstepping the bounds of presidential power. What constitutional provision
could you advise the president to draw upon in justifying this action?
a. the vesting clause
b. the war power
c. the take care clause
d. the head-of-state power
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: Apply What You Know
Difficulty Level: Difficult
47. Which factor helps explain the growing resistance that presidents of recent years
have faced in all their respective roles?
a. the fact that foreign policy dominates their attention
b. the fact that Americans care only about pocketbook issues, which presidents
cannot affect
c. the fact that Americans, who have a persistent sense that Congress should be
the center of government, are hostile to presidential leadership
d. the fact that Americans have a persistent sense that politicians can do nothing
right, which constrains the ability of presidents to lead
Topic: The President’s Job
Learning Objective: LO 11.4: Characterize the various roles that presidents play.
Page Reference: 347
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Difficulty Level: Difficult
48. What was George Washington’s most important precedent?
a. His retirement after two terms as president.
b. His refusal to veto a single bill.
c. His extensive use of executive orders.
d. His preference for executive agreements over treaties.
369
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: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
49. In crafting the executive branch, what was the motive behind the decisions of the
Constitution’s Framers?
a. to create an effective national leader directly tied to the citizens
b. to create a strong national leader who would have direct ties to state governors
c. to create a leader with enough authority to protect the nation from domestic and
foreign threats but not so strong that he or she would jeopardize liberty
d. to create a weak national leader that could easily be dominated by Congress
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: 326 – 327
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
50. One factor that has affected presidents’ use of signing statements in recent
decades is __________.
a. the decline in the number of bills passed by Congress
b. the ban on riders
c. the decline in public approval of Congress
d. the expansion of presidents’ inherent powers
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: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
51. How does the United States differ from most other world powers?
370
a. It is neither a parliamentary democracy, nor an executive-dominated
government.
b. It gives more power to the president than most other democracies.
c. It gives less power to the president than most other democracies.
d. Unlike parliamentary systems, it is an executive-dominated government.
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: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
52. What was the turning point that gave rise to the modern institutional presidency?
a. the social strife arising from the civil rights movement
b. the economic and social turmoil of the Great Depression
c. the demands of managing a modern army during World War I
d. the rise and importance of television as a mechanism that brought the president
into the living rooms of American citizens
Topic: Controversies in Presidential Power
Learning Objective: LO 11.2: Evaluate the controversies surrounding presidents’
assertion of additional executive powers.
Page Reference: 340
Skill Level: Analyze It
Difficulty Level: Difficult
53. What was particularly significant about George Washington’s presidency?
a. His ambitions greatly expanded the powers of the presidency.
b. His early actions served to establish important precedents that greatly increased
the political legitimacy of the office.
c. His military leadership as president was critical during the War of 1812.
d. His ambitions set up an early struggle between Congress and the presidency.
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
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