Which of the following statements best describes the presidents influence over agency budgets?

American Government (101-002)

Exam 2

Name______________________                               Social Security #________________

1.      Using the “Bully Pulpit”, a technique where presidents reach out to the public to gain support for their agenda, is most commonly associated with which president?

a.       Franklin Roosevelt

b.      Teddy Roosevelt

c.       Ronald Reagan

d.      John F. Kennedy

e.       Bill Clinton

2.      Presidential “honeymoons”, early periods where the president enjoys high levels of success in Congress, in the press, and with the public, usually last approximately:

a.       One week

b.      One hundred days

c.       One year

d.      One congressional session

3.      Most presidency scholars attribute the birth of the “modern presidency” to which president?

a.       Teddy Roosevelt

b.      Franklin Roosevelt

c.       Dwight Eisenhower

d.      Ronald Reagan

4.      Which of the following is most accurate of the relationship between presidential power and expectations that the public has for the president?

a.       The president has more constitutional authority today than at the time of the Founding, but the public expects less from the president

b.      The president has less constitutional authority today than at the time of the Founding, but the public expects more from the president

c.       The president has the same constitutional authority today than at the time of the Founding, but the public expects more from the president

d.      None of the above are accurate descriptions of presidential power and public expectations

5.      How are votes in the Electoral College distributed among the states?

a.       Every state gets an equal number of votes in the Electoral College

b.      Every states gets votes in the Electoral College based purely on population

c.       Every state gets one vote in the Electoral College for each member the state has in Congress

d.      Each state gets votes in the Electoral College based on when the state ratified the Constitution


6.      Of the 51 contests (50 states and the District of Columbia) in the presidential election, roughly how many of them will likely be competitive in the fall?

a.       None of them

b.      Fifteen

c.       Thirty

d.      All of them

7.      When members of the president’s party are swept into office during presidential election years due to high numbers of presidential supporters turning out to vote, we refer to this as:

a.       Presidential mandate

b.      Presidential persuasion

c.       Presidential prerogative

d.      Presidential coattails

8.      When a voters casts a ballot for a Republican in one race, and for a Democrat in another race, we refer to this as:

a.       Mixed balloting

b.      Butterfly balloting

c.       Government dividing

d.      Ticket splitting

9.      Presidents often claim that they were elected based on the issues that they supported during the campaign, urging Congress to pass legislation based on this support.  These presidents claim that they have a:

a.       Presidential mandate

b.      Presidential doctrine

c.       Presidential prerogative

d.      Presidential coattail

10.  There are several models of presidential power.  Which of the following models best describes how ‘Crisis Presidents’ (such as George W. Bush) behave?

a.       Restricted Model

b.      Prerogative Model

c.       Stewardship Model

d.      Leadership Model

11.  There are several models of presidential power.  Which of the following models best describes how most ‘Modern Presidents’ (such as Bill Clinton) behave?

a.       Restricted Model

b.      Prerogative Model

c.       Stewardship Model

d.      Leadership Model


12.  There are several different styles that presidents can employ to manage his staff.  Which of the following is most successful style for managing presidential staff?

a.       Hierarchical (Pyramid) Style

b.      Spokes of the Wheel Style

c.       Presidential Control Style

d.      Leadership Style

13.  Which president expanded the Executive Office of the President (EOP) more than any other?

a.       Teddy Roosevelt

b.      Franklin Roosevelt

c.       Dwight Eisenhower

d.      Ronald Reagan

14.  George W. Bush recently said he supported a Constitutional Amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman.  Which of the following best describe the requirements for Congress to pass an Amendment?

a.       A simple majority in either the House or Senate must support the amendment

b.      A simple majority in both the House and Senate must support the amendment

c.       A 2/3 majority in either the House or Senate must support the amendment

d.      A 2/3 majority in both the House and Senate must support the amendment

15.  Which of the following is the best predictor of the president’s approval ratings?

a.       Policy successes endorsed by the president

b.      State of the economy

c.       State of the nation in world affairs

d.      The presence (or absence) of presidential scandals

e.       All of the above are good predictors of presidential approval ratings

16.  Which of the following best describes the president’s “cabinet”?

a.       The cabinet is comprised of the head of each executive department

b.      The cabinet is comprised of the head of each bureaucratic agency

c.       The cabinet is comprised of the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of the Treasury

d.      The cabinet is comprised of all top advisors to the president

17.  The president’s “inner cabinet” is comprised of:

a.       Only the most influential members of the cabinet, including the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of the Treasury

b.      The Speaker of the House, President Pro-Tempore of the Senate, and key members of the cabinet

c.       The entire cabinet, along with the National Security Advisor

d.      The key advisors for national security, including the Director of the CIA, Director of the FBI, National Security Advisor, and Secretary of Homeland Security


18.  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are all examples of:

a.       Executive Departments

b.      Independent Agencies

c.       Independent Regulatory Commissions

d.      Government Corporations

19.  Which of the following is NOT true of the Civil Service Reform that was implemented in the bureaucracy?

a.       It ended the Spoils System

b.      It required members of the bureaucracy to pass a rigorous exam to prove their expertise

c.       It allowed the president to fill the bureaucracy with party loyalists and contributors

d.      All of the above are true of Civil Service Reform

20.  The “Politics-Administration Dichotomy” states that:

a.       Members of the bureaucracy should be skilled partisan actors

b.      Members of the bureaucracy should be loyal partisan supporters

c.       Members of the bureaucracy should be neutral experts in their area

d.      Members of the bureaucracy should be highly responsive to the president and Congress

21.  The practice of giving governmental jobs to partisan supporters (campaign workers, campaign contributors, etc.) is referred to as____________.

a.       Nepotism

b.      Patronage

c.       Clientele politics

d.      Agency discretion

22.  Which of the following is NOT an actor in the Iron Triangle Model?

a.       Congressional committees

b.      The president

c.       Interest groups

d.      Bureaucratic agencies

23.  Which decade saw the largest growth in the size of the federal bureaucracy?

a.       1930s

b.      1950s

c.       1900s

d.      1990s

24.  Which of the following is NOT a level of the federal judicial system?

a.       The Supreme Court

b.      U.S. Appellate Courts

c.       U.S. District Courts

d.      All of the above are levels of the federal judicial system


25.  Which of the following is a way that Congress seeks to control the bureaucracy?

a.       Oversight

b.      Budget

c.       Legislation

d.      All of the above are ways that Congress can control the bureaucracy

26.  Which of the following most accurately describes the trend in party primaries?

a.       Primaries are becoming frontloaded, as many states move their primaries earlier in the season

b.      Primaries are becoming backlogged, as many states move their primaries later in the season

c.       The primaries have stayed relatively the same over the last few decades, as no major changes have been made in terms of when primaries are held

d.      None of the above are accurate regarding party primaries

27.  At the time of the Founding, presidential hopefuls were nominated by:

a.       Congress

b.      Primary elections

c.       Straw Polls

d.      Party Leaders

28.  Today, presidential hopefuls are nominated by:

a.       Congress

b.      Primary elections

c.       Straw Polls

d.      Party Leaders

29.  Which of the following best describes the function of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions during presidential election years?

a.       They are mere window dressing, only serving as advertisement for the party

b.      They are vital, as many delegates decide which candidate to support during them

c.       They are vital, as the presidential nominee makes his/her running mate selection at the conventions

d.      All of the above are accurate descriptions of the function of National Conventions

30.  Which of the following is NOT a consequence of the rise of television and radio in terms of presidential campaigns?

a.       TV and radio allow voters to communicate more directly with voters

b.      TV and radio have dramatically increased the cost of campaigns

c.       Both are consequences of the rise of TV and radio

d.      Neither are consequences of the rise of TV and radio


31.  Which of the following is most correct regarding impeachment?

a.       The power to impeach and convict an elected official rest with the entire Congress

b.      The House has the power to impeach, while the Senate has the power to convict

c.       The Senate has the power to impeach, while the House has the power to convict

d.      The Congress has the power to impeach, while the Supreme Court has the power to convict

32.  Which of the following most accurately describes how federal judges are selected?

a.       Judges are nominated for lifetime service by the president, subject to Senate confirmation

b.      Judges are nominated for terms of ten years by the president, subject to Senate confirmation

c.       Judges are elected to the federal courts and serve ten year terms

d.      Presidents can name judges for lifetime service, subject only to a legislative veto by the U. S. Senate

33.  The right to privacy cited in the Roe v Wade case derives from:

a.       the right to privacy guaranteed under the first amendment

b.      the right to privacy guaranteed under the fourth amendment

c.       the right to privacy guaranteed under the tenth amendment

d.      there is no specific citation of a right to privacy in the Constitution

34.  Of the over 50,000 cases that get appealed to the Supreme Court, roughly how many cases get heard by the Supreme Court each year?

a.       Less than 100

b.      1,000

c.       5,000

d.      10,000

35.  Which of the following is a source of power for a bureaucratic agency?

a.       Well-organized clientele groups

b.      Agency expertise

c.       Both are sources of power for an agency

d.      Neither is a source of power for an agency

36.  The federal bureaucracy is part of which branch of government?

a.       The executive branch

b.      The legislative branch

c.       The judicial branch

d.      Both the executive and legislative branches


37.  The Supreme Court power of judicial review originated with:

a.       Roe v. Wade

b.      Marbury v. Madison

c.       Brown v. Board of Education

d.      Plessey v. Ferguson

38.   When federal judges make decisions based on their own policy preferences, rather than based on legal precedent, this is referred to as:

a.       Judicial restraint

b.      Judicial review

c.       Judicial activism

d.      Judicial prerogative

39.   In order for a case to be heard by the Supreme Court, how many justices must agree to hear the case?

a.       All nine of them

b.      Four of them

c.       One of them

d.      Any case sent to the Supreme Court from a lower court is heard by the Supreme Court, regardless of the number of justices who wish to hear the case

40.  Which of the following is NOT an explanation for declining presidential coattails?

a.       Parties today are weaker than they were in the past

b.      Presidential candidates do not appeal to local voters

c.       Voters split their tickets more today than they did in the past

d.      All are explanations for declining coattails