Topic Test: The Presidency and Vice Presidency

Choose the answer that BEST completes the chart about the roles of the President of the United States.

Chief of State

Use the photo to answer the question.

Which presidential role does this photo illustrate?

chief diplomat

Read this excerpt from the text.

"The President is expected to be 'the representative of all the people.' He or she is expected to take the high road and champion the public interest against the many different and competing private interests. 'The presidency,' said Franklin Roosevelt, 'is not merely an administrative office. That is the least of it. It is, preeminently, a place of moral leadership.'"

To which presidential role does this text excerpt refer?

chief citizen

Does the manner in which a President plays the presidential roles affect his or her effectiveness? Why or why not? Give evidence to support your answer.

Yes, if they are not knowledgeable then they will rule bad and not correctly, if happy and knowledgeable then their ruling will be effective.

Former President Bill Clinton was very helpful to President Obama during his 2012 campaign for reelection. Why does the cartoonist say that the President can repay Clinton for his help by repealing the 22nd Amendment?

Repealing the 22nd Amendment would repay Clinton because it would allow him to run for President a third time.

Explain why some people believe there should not be term limits on the presidency.

Presidents then can't have too much power to because then they'd become a dictator.

Use the chart to answer the question.

If the President, Vice President, and leaders of Congress were all unable to hold office, who would assume the office of President?

the Secretary of State

Read this excerpt from the text:

"Sections 3 and 4 of the 25th Amendment fill the disability gap. . . . The Vice President is to become Acting President if (1) the President informs Congress, in writing, 'that he is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office,' or (2) the Vice President and a majority of the members of the Cabinet inform Congress, in writing, that the President is so incapacitated. The President may resume the powers and duties of the office by informing Congress by 'written declaration' that no inability exists. However, the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet may challenge the President on this score. If they do, Congress has 21 days in which to decide the matter."

What is the MOST LIKELY reason the amendment requires notifications to be in writing?

A written record proves the process has been carried out legally.

What is the MOST LIKELY reason that the 25th Amendment gives the Vice President and a majority of the Cabinet the right to challenge a President's claim that he or she is ready to resume office?

Presidents could rush to go back to the office. There are people there to make sure that he is absolutely sure for him to come back healthy enough.

The Constitution gives the Vice President almost no specific duties. What might this suggest about how that office was viewed when the Constitution was written?

The Vice President can be overlooked because the President has the powers to do that. President used to have the power to the Constitution but now the Vice President gained more power to take the President's place once he is no longer ablet to be in his position.

Vice President Thomas Marshall once told the following story of two brothers: "One ran away to sea; the other was elected Vice President. And nothing was heard of either of them again."

Which of the following BEST expresses the meaning of this story?

Being Vice President is a dead-end job that dooms a person to obscurity.

President Dwight Eisenhower said,

"Even if [Vice President] Nixon and I were not good friends, I would still have him in every important conference of government, so that if the Grim Reaper [death] would find it time to remove me from the scene, he is ready to slip in without any interruption."

Why is this remark important in the history of the evolving role of the Vice President?

It marked the beginning of a shift in how the office of Vice President was seen.

Which of these First Ladies represents the traditional behind-the-scenes role long played by Presidents' wives?

Abigail Adams

How does this photo of Eleanor Roosevelt represent a modern, expanded role for First Ladies?

She's taking an active role by giving a radio speech.

Compare and contrast the role of First Ladies in the White House in the early days of the United States to their role today. Use examples from the text to support your answer.

Early days the First Ladies did absolutely nothing. Now a days each First Ladies has to pick a topic to expand on, share their opioions and not just the president's.

Which of the following describes the actions of a President who subscribes to the stewardship theory of presidential leadership?

President Lyndon Johnson engineers a congressional resolution giving him nearly unlimited control over American actions in Vietnam.

Which is the MOST LIKELY reason that the cartoonist has dressed the characters in this cartoon in this way?

to show that they are behaving immaturely by arguing about everything

Why do some people favor the approach to the presidency taken by Theodore Roosevelt, and what did Roosevelt call that approach?

Roosevelt called this approach the Stewardship Theory. People like to see presidents take action, but others could think has too much with their freedoms.

Study the outline to answer the question.

Which of the following headings most accurately completes the outline?

National crises

This cartoon uses the label "Born to command" to describe President Jackson's approach to the presidency. Which of the following labels might be used to describe a President who subscribes to the Whig theory of presidential leadership?

"Born to follow Congress's lead"

Read this excerpt from the text:

"Many laws that Congress enacts are written in fairly broad terms. Congress sets out the basic policies and standards to be followed. The specific details—much of the fine print necessary to the actual, day-to-day administration of the law—are usually left to be worked out by the executive branch."

This describes the use of which presidential power?

the power to execute the law

Describe the major steps of the presidential appointment process.

1. Primaries and Caucuses

2. National Conventions

3. General Election

4. Electoral College

Use the information in the chart to answer the question.

Which of the presidential powers listed on the chart blurs the separation of powers between branches of the government?

legislative power

In the 1960s, President John F. Kennedy directed his military adviser, General Maxwell Taylor, to refuse to testify before a congressional committee examining the Bay of Pigs affair. This is an example of the use of which presidential power?

executive privilege

Which statement about this cartoon about executive privilege is MOST accurate?

It suggests that executive privilege allows the President to do things to which Congress might object.

How do the President's power to recommend or veto legislation and to grant reprieves and pardons illustrate the principle of checks and balances?

Executive branch is allowed to check on the congress making laws and in the legislative branch can check in the judicial branch is sending others to jail.

What are the similarities and differences between the veto and the line-item veto?

Same - dismiss a part of law

Veto - dismisses the entire thing

Line-Item - dismisses part

Which statement regarding treaties is TRUE?

Treaties have the same legal standing as acts of Congress.

Predict which of the following a President might consider before negotiating a treaty with the leader of another country.

Will at least 67 senators support the treaty?

Based on the cartoon about the Treaty of Versailles and the information in the text, which of the following is TRUE?

The Senate proposed major revisions to the treaty.

In 1973, Congress overrode President Nixon's veto of the War Powers Resolution. What conclusion can be drawn based on this fact?

Support for the resolution was overwhelming in both houses of Congress.

In January 2013, the United States officially recognized the government of Somalia for the first time since 1991. Which of the following is one reason for this action?

to reward Somalia's progress and help it to continue on the path to democracy

If you were the leader of a revolutionary movement in another country, what might be one act of diplomacy that could make the difference between survival and failure for your new nation? Use examples from the text to explain your answer.

Making treaties with others that could help you, and not partnering with other countries.

Although Congress has not declared war since World War II, the United States has used military force on many occasions since then. What is one explanation for this fact?

Congress has enacted joint resolutions to authorize the President to use military force.

Read this excerpt from the War Powers Resolution of 1973:

"It is the purpose of this joint resolution to fulfill the intent of the framers of the Constitution of the United States and insure that the collective judgment of both the Congress and the President will apply to the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities, or into situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances, and to the continued use of such forces in hostilities or in such situations."

What is the MOST LIKELY reason that members of Congress passed this resolution?

They believed that the President was blurring the separation of powers established by the constitution.

Identify and describe the three qualifications a presidential candidate must meet according to the U.S. Constitution.

Presidential candidate must be a natural born citizen of the United States, a resident for 14 years, and 35 years of age or older.

How does the system of checks and balances apply to how the President's salary and benefits are set?

Checks and balances allow the other branches of government to put limits on the President and to make sure the branch is not powerful over others.