Political Science 1 Midterm-El Camino College

Which of the following individuals is constitutionally qualified to become President?

1. George, 40 years old, who was born in Florida but who spent his entire life living in Cuba.
2. John, 32 years old, who was born to American parents on a military base in Germany.
3. Abigail, 61 years old, who is British by birth but attained legal U.S. citizenshipthrough naturalization.
4. Alexander, 57 years old, who doesn’t hold U.S. citizenship but lives in the U.S. legally as a resident alien.
5. James, 37 years old, who was born in Texas to parents from Mexico.

All the following Presidents won a presidential election despite winning less than 50 percent of the popular vote EXCEPT

1. Abraham Lincoln.
2. John Kennedy.
3. Richard Nixon.
4. Bill Clinton.
5. Barack Obama.

The granting of release from punishment for a crime is called a(n)

1. reprieve.
2. congressional sanction.
3. pardon.
4. executive privilege.
5. impeachment.

As commander in chief, the president is

1. only a symbolic leader of the military.
2. the ultimate decision maker in military matters.
3. allowed to make military decisions, but only with the approval of the joint chiefs of staff.
4. not responsible for military decisions.
5. obligated to sit on the Board of Regents for the military, naval, and air force academies.

As chief diplomat, the president

1. is responsible for selecting judges to federalcourts.
2. is responsible for all actions within the executive branch.
3. selects leaders of his or her party in Congress.
4. negotiates treaties, recognizes foreign governments, and makes executive agreements.
5. ratifies treaties.

Treaties are subject to _________ before becoming legally binding.

1. judicial review in the Supreme Court
2. ratification by a majority of the states
3. ratification by a majority of both houses of Congress
4. ratification by a two-thirds majority of the Senate
5. ratification by a majority of the states, and ratification by a majority of both houses of Congress.

Which of the following statements about the president’s veto power is most accurate?

1. The president’s veto is final and gives him or her complete control over legislation.
2. Because vetoes are usually overridden, the power has become unimportant.
3. The threat of a veto gives the president significant influence over Congress and legislation.
4. The veto has been used by Congress to stop the president from signing legislation.
5. Because vetoes are rarely overridden, the power has become unimportant.

Presidential popularity

1. is irrelevant to bureaucrats.
2. has stayed within a small range since Gallup began measuring it.
3. is of little concern to second-term presidents.
4. is required before a president may claim executive privilege.
5. is an important resource for presidents to use to persuade Congress to pass legislation.

“Going public”

1. means that presidents take their case to the public to persuade members of Congress to support their agenda.
2. was rarely used by presidents in the 1800s.
3. allows a president to explain complicated or controversial topics to voters directly.
4. forces Congress to support presidential priorities.
5. means that presidents take their case to the public to persuade members of Congress to support their agenda, was rarely used by presidents in the 1800s, and allows a president to explain complicated or controversial topics to voters directly.

Presidential powers expressly given to the president by the Constitution are

1. constitutional powers.
2. statutory powers.
3. established powers.
4. inherent powers.
5. emergency powers.

The person who directs the White House Office and advises the president is

1. the vice president.
2. the head of office.
3. the chief of staff.
4. the senior member of Congress from the president’s party.
5. the Secretary of the Interior.

The White House Office, the National Security Council, and the Office of Management and Budget are all part of

1. the kitchen cabinet.
2. the cabinet.
3. the Executive Office of the President.
4. the Council of Presidential Advisors.
5. the system of checks on executive power.

In the history of the United States, no president has ever

1. been impeached and acquitted.
2. died while in office.
3. been impeached and convicted.
4. resigned.
5. been impeached.

The following two presidents are the only ones in American history to have actually been impeached:

1. Andrew Johnson and Bill Clinton
2. Richard Nixon and Franklin Roosevelt
3. Andrew Johnson and William McKinley
4. Thomas Jefferson and Martin Van Buren
5. Andrew Johnson and Jimmy Carter

Executive privilege

1. involves the ability of the president and executive branch officials to withhold certain information from Congress and the courts.
2. means that members of the executive branch cannot be prosecuted for official acts.
3. is the concept that has been applied to the president’s use of the pocket veto.
4. allows the president discretion in making political appointments.
5. was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 1974.

Government is a(n) _____________ that __________________.

1. institution; has ultimate decision making authority
2. institution; is consistent in its powers across countries
3. process; helps us choose our leaders
4. series of laws; are imposed on us by a sovereign ruler
5. place; allows for centralization of authority

The effects of government can be found in

1. the food you eat.
2. the schools most children attend.
3. the sales tax you pay on purchases.
4. the distribution of the assets of the deceased.
5. All of these choices are true.

The recent civil war in Syria is an example of

1. the successful implementation of order by a government.
2. the problems that every authoritarian government eventually faces.
3. democracy taken to the extreme.
4. a strong central authority.
5. the lack of government as we normally understand it.

Concern for the dangers of uneducated mob rule led James Madison and others of his time to caution against

1. the right to bear arms.
2. freedom of speech.
3. democratic republics.
4. popular sovereignty.
5. direct democracy.

The government of the United States is best described as

1. a direct democracy.
2. a confederation.
3. a constitutional monarchy.
4. an anarchy.
5. a democratic republic.

Theorists describe pluralism as

1. the struggle between the poor and wealthy classes.
2. the struggle among groups to gain benefits for their members.
3. a theory of how democracy should not function.
4. a way to settle disputes by armed conflict.
5. a way for one group to dominate the political process.

The concept of political socialization refers to

1. the process by which beliefs and values are transmitted to new immigrants and to our children.
2. political movements in support of Socialism.
3. the process by which religious values are transmitted only through the media.
4. the gradual development of social programs within our national government.
5. the government taking over the economic sector of the country.

In the United States, basic guarantees of liberty are found in

1. the Declaration of Independence.
2. the annual Congressional budget report.
3. the Bill of Rights.
4. the statement of Rights and Responsibilities.
5. the National Rights Foundation.

The inability of Congressional Republicans and Democrats to agree on legislation is a result of

1. political polarization.
2. poll watching.
3. the separation of powers.
4. differing opinions about Congressional powers.
5. the growing power of the presidency.

The president of the United States is chosen by

1. a popular vote of the people.
2. the U.S. Senate.
3. the House and Senate combined.
4. the electoral college.
5. the governors of the states.

The American system, with multiple points at which various powers can block action, often leads to

1. effective government.
2. caretaker government.
3. limited government.
4. impeachments of government officials.
5. a call for new elections.

Most Constitutional principles

1. have been altered by the Constitution’s 53 amendments.
2. are no longer valid, according to the Supreme Court.
3. are very specific to the conditions of 1787.
4. are too vague to be of much use.
5. are sufficiently broad to be adapted to a changing society.

Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense advocated

1. the formation of a new government that would still be loyal to the king.
2. the establishment of a government that would limit further immigration.
3. an end of hostilities toward Britain.
4. the idea that the formation of the country’s own government was a “natural right.”
5. the repeal of all taxes, including those the colonists had imposed on themselves.

“We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal” are the first words of

1. the Constitution of the United States of America.
2. the Declaration of Independence.
3. the Magna Carta.
4. the United Nations Charter.
5. the Bill of Rights.

English philosopher John Locke believed that the main purpose of government was to

1. defend against foreign enemies.
2. protect man’s natural rights of life, liberty, and property.
3. raise taxes to build an army.
4. promote equality under the law.
5. promote religious separatism.

The Virginia Plan

1. called for a bicameral legislature.
2. worked to the advantage of small states.
3. provided for the direct election of a president by the people.
4. settled all controversy.
5. worked to the advantage of small states, and provided for the direct election of a president by the people.

The Great Compromise

1. was advanced by the delegates from Georgia.
2. proposed a bicameral legislature with equal representation in the Senate.
3. was presented too late to be considered.
4. was proposed by Texas.
5. proposed a unicameral legislature in which each state would have one vote.

The concept of separation of powers was included in the Constitution to prevent

1. disputes between the federal and state governments.
2. the imposition of export taxes.
3. a major dispute over power between the House and the Senate.
4. disputes over power between Congress and the president.
5. tyranny by either the majority or the minority.

The rights and liberties enjoyed in the United States are found in

1. the Articles of Confederation.
2. the Bill of Rights.
3. the Constitution as originally written.
4. the Constitution as originally written AND the Bill of Rights.

The power of the Supreme Court to declare actions of the other branches of government to be unconstitutional is known as

1. judicial review.
2. judicial activism.
3. legislative ratification.
4. the supremacy doctrine.
5. the Madisonian model.