12 Unit Two Question Pool

Multiple Choice Questions:

According to the Constitution, only _________________ can declare war.
A. Congress
B. The President
C. The Supreme Court Chief Justice
D. The Secretary of Defense

Early presidents like George Washington, John Adams and James Monroe were largely viewed as:
A. Visionaries.
B. Political marvels.
C. Foreign policy leaders.
D. Clerks.

President Andrew Jackson appointing a supportive newspaper editor to a position within the U.S. Postal Service would be an example of:
A. An Executive order.
B. the spoils system.
C. A meritocracy.
D. A veto.

Once the president has nominated an individual for the courts, the nominee must be considered by the:

House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Senate Judiciary Committee.

No one, the nominee is automatically appointed.

House Ways and Means Committee.

Members of the House of Representatives represent and are elected from:
A. Districts.
B. States.
C. Precincts.
D. Wards.

Members of the U.S. Senate represent and are elected from:

A. Districts.
B. States.
C. Precincts.
D. Wards.

The Supreme Court gained the power of Judicial Review in:
A. McCulloch v. Maryland.
B. Marbury v. Madison.

C. Gibbons v. Ogden.
D. U.S. v. Nixon.

Most cases reach the Supreme Court through a writ of:

Amicus Curae.

Judicial Activism.

Judicial Restraint.

Certiorari.

When the Court rules on a precedent it is practicing:

A. Torts.

B. Amicus Curiae.

C. Stare Decisis.
D. Judicial Activism.

A Supreme Court justice who feels that the courts should see beyond the text of the Constitution or statute in order to consider the broader societal implications for decisions is considered to be advocating:

Amicus Curae.

Judicial Activism.

Judicial Restraint.

Certiorari.

The framers intended the ____________ to be the political institution that would be closest to the people.
A. the Senate
B. the House
C. the President
D. the Supreme Court

Nixon tried to claim _____________________ in U.S. v. Nixon, which was a claim that certain information should only be known by the president and kept secret from the other two branches.

A veto.

A signing statement.

An Executive order.

Executive privilege.

The main goal of congressmen is:

A. To genuinely and honestly represent the goals of their constituents.

B. To be re-elected.

C. To support the president if he is a member of the president’s party.

D. To become president.

When Congressman Smith directly assists his constituents he is performing:

Oversight

Casework

Impeachment

Representation

The practice of re-drawing district lines to benefit a member of a specific party is known as:

A. Gerrymandering.

B. Etch-a-Sketching.

C. Tampering.

D. Rocking the Vote.

The Benghazi hearings are an example of:
A. Oversight

B. Casework

C. Impeachment

D. Representation

The Whip is responsible for:

A. Breaking the kneecaps of party members who defect.

B. Keeping party members in line.

C. Initiating all legislation into the House of Representatives.

D. Assigning committee chairs.

The ____________ scandal was the first instance in the “modern-era” of the presidency to cause people to seriously distrust the chief executive.

A. Teapot-Dome Scandal

B. Whitewater Scandal

C. Watergate Scandal

D. XYZ Affair

A legislative tool of the president where he can issue a rule or regulation—like Truman did when he desegregated the military—without Senate approval is known as a/an:

Veto.

Signing statement.

Executive order.

Pocket veto.

Rule 10 of the Supreme Court states that:

A. All justices must wear robes at all times when deliberating cases.

B. A writ of certiorari is not a right, but must only be granted when there are compelling and special reasons.
C. All cases brought before the Supreme Court must involve more than one individual.

D. Kickball will only be played after all cases have been settled and opinions written.

Bureaucracy is:

A. A post-apocalyptic world where the human race is ruled by an autocracy of large oak dressers.
B. A term reserved only for reference to government “red-tape.”
C. A complex structure resulting in less rules and less regulation.
D. The complex structure of rules, regulations and division of labor that typify all large-scale institutions.

The idea that the president can use his position to push an agenda is known as:
A. the Bully Pulpit.
B. Executive privilege.
C. Executive Initiative.
D. the spoils system.

The Senate Pro Tempore’s main responsibility is:
A. to cast the deciding vote in the House in the event of a tie.
B. to cast the deciding vote in the Senate in the event of a tie.

C. to be third in line for the presidency. 
D. to determine the Speaker of the Senate.

A written message attached to a piece of presidentially-approved legislation that dictates how the law is to be implemented is known as a/an:

A. Veto.

B. Signing statement.

C. Bush statement.

D. Executive Order.

The president known for ushering in the “modern era” of the presidency is:

A. FDR.

B. Nixon.

C. Truman.

D. Lincoln.

Essay Questions:

1. Identify and define the two representational models that congressmen can adopt.  Second, explain when a member of Congress would be more likely to adopt either model.    

2. First, explain the difference between judicial activism and judicial restraint. Next, analyze the role of ideology in Supreme Court decision making?

3. First, identify and discuss at least two shared powers possessed by Congress and the president.  Second, explain how the allocation of these powers impacts their use.