Complete Test Bank The Executive Branch Ch.5

Chapter 5: The Executive Branch

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. In most advanced industrial democracies, the role of head of government ______.

a. is performed by the prime minister

b. is united with the role of head of state

c. is performed by the president

d. has been eliminated

Answer Location: 5.1: Introduction to the Executive Branch

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

2. Presidents are limited to two full terms in office by ______.

a. the Twelfth Amendment

b. the Twentieth Amendment

c. the Twenty-Second Amendment

d. the Twenty-Fifth Amendment

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

3. The presidential impeachment process is intended to remove sitting presidents for ______.

a. loss of support in Congress

b. ineffective leadership

c. treason, bribery, and high crimes and misdemeanors

d. immoral behavior

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

4. The president’s cabinet is composed of the ______.

a. president’s party leadership

b. chairs of the congressional standing committees

c. appointees heading each of the major departments in the executive branch

d. Joint Chiefs of Staff and state-level policy advisers

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

5. Which is a power that is granted to the president by the Constitution?

a. chief justice

b. chief legislator

c. chief of the people

d. commander in chief

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

6. Presidents must play their role as ______ in order to solve problems, but that requires them to behave in ways that conflict with their role as ______.

a. head of state; chief administrator

b. head of government; party chief

c. commander in chief; head of state

d. head of government; head of state

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

7. In the United States, treaties are negotiated by the president and require ______.

a. review by the Supreme Court before they can be implemented

b. no endorsement from any other government agency

c. two-thirds approval from the Senate

d. two-thirds approval from Congress

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

8. Pacts made by the president with another head of state that do not require Senate approval are called ______.

a. executive orders

b. treaties

c. executive agreements

d. international memos of understanding

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

9. Which is part of the president’s legislative responsibilities?

a. the line-item veto

b. the State of the Union Address

c. proposing policy

d. acting as Speaker of the House

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

10. All of the following statements concerning president’s judicial power are true EXCEPT ______.

a. their power is very weak in the short run

b. they can have a tremendous long-term impact on the judiciary

c. senior senators of the president’s party have a great deal of power over all of the president’s judicial appointments

d. presidents can try to influence the judiciary by having the solicitor general argue cases before the court

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

11. The responsibilities of the solicitor general include all of the following EXCEPT ______.

a. serving as head of the Department of Justice

b. deciding which cases to file with the Supreme Court for the government

c. representing the government before the Supreme Court

d. filing amicus curiae briefs with the Supreme Court

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

12. When presidents stepped outside their responsibilities listed in the Constitution, they tended to claim that they were exercising ______.

a. powers granted to them explicitly in the Constitution

b. emergency powers granted by Congress

c. inherent powers of the executive implied in the Constitution

d. superior wisdom

Answer Location: 5.3: The Evolution of the American Presidency

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.3: Understand the way the expectations and roles of the president have changed over time

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

13. Inherent powers are the ______.

a. powers not explicitly stated in the Constitution

b. unwritten abilities of judges to issue contempt citations and bench warrants

c. powers granted to Congress by the necessary and proper clause

d. congressional powers to control the budget process

Answer Location: 5.3: The Evolution of the American Presidency

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.3: Understand the way the expectations and roles of the president have changed over time

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

14. The administration of Franklin Roosevelt can be marked by the ______.

a. lowering of public demands on presidents

b. rise of corruption in the presidency

c. growth of power in state governments

d. rise of public expectations of the president

Answer Location: 5.3: The Evolution of the American Presidency

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.3: Understand the way the expectations and roles of the president have changed over time

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

15. Most of the strength of the modern presidency is based on the ______.

a. inherent powers of the president

b. increased media pressures on the president

c. special powers delegated to the president by Congress

d. explicit constitutional roles assigned to the president

Answer Location: 5.3: The Evolution of the American Presidency

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.3: Understand the way the expectations and roles of the president have changed over time

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

16. According to the textbook, presidents have difficulty surviving two terms in office and maintaining their popularity because ______.

a. the electoral system favors inexperienced presidential candidates

b. voter turnout is low

c. of congressional ineptitude

d. presidents have too little power to meet public expectations

Answer Location: 5.4: Presidents, Popularity, and Congress

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.2: Understand the way the president works with Congress and the Courts

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

17. All of the following statements concerning the cycle effect are true EXCEPT ______.

a. it creates pressure for presidents to introduce their most important legislative proposals early in their term

b. it results from the inevitable alienation of public support that accompanies the need for presidents to make divisive decisions

c. it affects only presidents whose party does not control Congress

d. it can cause presidents with little experience in Washington politics to lose an opportunity for maximum influence on the legislative process

Answer Location: 5.4: Presidents, Popularity, and Congress

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.2: Understand the way the president works with Congress and the Courts

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

18. The cycle effect refers to the tendency for presidents to ______.

a. undergo rapid changes in their popularity regardless of conditions in the nation

b. depend heavily on national emergencies to push their legislative agenda through Congress

c. experience predictable shifts in their popularity over the course of their presidency

d. start their first term with low popularity, which then increases as their legislative program is enacted

Answer Location: 5.4: Presidents, Popularity, and Congress

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.2: Understand the way the president works with Congress and the Courts

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

19. The cycle effect on presidential popularity is caused by the ______.

a. fact the presidents always promise one thing while running but do something different when governing

b. fickle nature of the American public

c. fact that presidents inevitably turn out to be just politicians

d. fact that almost every decision a president makes will be unpopular with some people, and the number of people angry with him grows over time as he makes more decisions

Answer Location: 5.4: Presidents, Popularity, and Congress

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.2: Understand the way the president works with Congress and the Courts

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

20. The president’s public approval rating tends to be affected by all of the following EXCEPT ______.

a. the popularity of the first lady

b. the predictable rise and fall of a president’s popularity over a term in office

c. the state of the economy

d. divisive events, such as conflict with Congress

Answer Location: 5.4: Presidents, Popularity, and Congress

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Learning Objective: 5.2: Understand the way the president works with Congress and the Courts

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

21. Which of the following strategies do presidents NOT use to influence Congress?

a. ignoring the “ratings game” and paying no heed to polls

b. going public

c. keeping the economy healthy

d. using the power to persuade

Answer Location: 5.4: Presidents, Popularity, and Congress

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Learning Objective: 5.2: Understand the way the president works with Congress and the Courts

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

22. The term legislative liaison refers to ______.

a. congressional leaders who have a close relationship with the president

b. executive personnel who seek congressional support for the president’s agenda

c. the congressional party leadership who work closely with the committee chairs

d. reporters who have a close working relationship with leading members of Congress

Answer Location: 5.4: Presidents, Popularity, and Congress

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.2: Understand the way the president works with Congress and the Courts

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

23. Divided government occurs when ______.

a. one party controls the presidency while the other party controls at least one house of Congress

b. the vice president must cast the deciding vote as president of the Senate

c. the presidency and the Supreme Court are controlled by different parties

d. the three branches of government are unable to work together to solve problems

Answer Location: 5.4: Presidents, Popularity, and Congress

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.2: Understand the way the president works with Congress and the Courts

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

24. The major reason presidents are not as successful in a divided government is ______.

a. Republicans and Democrats stand for different approaches and solutions to the nation’s problems

b. members of one party simply want to defeat a president of the other party

c. Congress has less control over its members

d. presidents do not try to do as much for fear that what will pass will represent the other party’s priorities

Answer Location: 5.4: Presidents, Popularity, and Congress

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.2: Understand the way the president works with Congress and the Courts

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

25. The Executive Office of the President was formed to ______.

a. control the president

b. provide expert advice, serve the interests of the president, and supply information

c. control the cabinet

d. replace the cabinet

Answer Location: 5.6: The Purpose and Organization of the White House Bureaucracy

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Learning Objective: 5.5: Understand how the federal bureaucracy is organized

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

26. The White House staff and the president’s cabinet often conflict because ______.

a. cabinet members usually have less political experience

b. the staff serves the president’s interests, while cabinet members seek support for their policy initiatives

c. cabinet members’ loyalties are divided between the president and Congress

d. cabinet members are unlikely to have the same party affiliations as the staff

Answer Location: 5.6: The Purpose and Organization of the White House Bureaucracy

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.5: Understand how the federal bureaucracy is organized

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

27. The chief of staff ______.

a. coordinates the president’s commander-in-chief duties

b. oversees operations of all White House staff and controls access to the president

c. coordinates the activities of the entire federal bureaucracy

d. plans the first lady’s activities

Answer Location: 5.6: The Purpose and Organization of the White House Bureaucracy

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.5: Understand how the federal bureaucracy is organized

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

28. One effect of the Twelfth Amendment on the selection of the president and vice president has been ______.

a. greater interparty rivalry

b. to encourage ticket balancing

c. an increased emphasis on attracting minority-party voters

d. to encourage former presidents to run as vice presidential candidates

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

29. What is an independent agency?

a. an organization within the legislative branch that proposes laws that will benefit corporations

b. an organization within the executive branch that independently determines if laws are constitutional

c. an organization within the executive branch that executes the law and that is separate from the departments

d. an organization within the judicial branch that determines the legality of cases from an independent view

Answer Location: 5.7: The Purpose and Organization of the Federal Bureaucracy: The Rest of the Executive Branch

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.5: Understand how the federal bureaucracy is organized

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

30. A career civil servant is ______.

a. less likely to be loyal to an agency

b. less likely to be a woman

c. more likely to be loyal to an agency

d. more likely to be loyal to a political or ideological program

Answer Location: 5.8: Power Plays in the Bureaucracy

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.7: Understand the politics of the bureaucracy in a checked and balanced system

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

31. Members of the Executive Office of the President and the White House Office are more likely to be loyal to ______.

a. the president

b. the first lady

c. the senators

d. the representatives

Answer Location: 5.6: The Purpose and Organization of the White House Bureaucracy

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.5: Understand how the federal bureaucracy is organized

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

32. Which president established the Executive Office of the Presidency?

a. Richard Nixon

b. George W. Bush

c. Franklin Roosevelt

d. Donald Trump

Answer Location: 5.6: The Purpose and Organization of the White House Bureaucracy

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.5: Understand how the federal bureaucracy is organized

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

33. Which is a factor that contributes to the president’s popularity?

a. physical appearance

b. religion

c. level of education

d. external events

Answer Location: 5.4: Presidents, Popularity, and Congress

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.2: Understand the way the president works with Congress and the Courts

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

34. Which administration justified its actions by arguing that the executive, and not the legislature, was at the core of American power?

a. Donald Trump

b. Barack Obama

c. George W. Bush

d. Richard Nixon

Answer Location: 5.3: The Evolution of the American Presidency

Cognitive Domain: Application

Learning Objective: 5.3: Understand the way the expectations and roles of the president have changed over time

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

35. The president may free those who have been accused or convicted of crimes based on the executive’s ______.

a. appointment power

b. pardon power

c. inherent powers

d. powers to persuade

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

36. What is the minimum age requirement for the president?

a. twenty-five

b. thirty

c. thirty-five

d. forty

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

37. Until the Electoral College, the vice president was ______.

a. not a position in the executive branch

b. chosen by the president

c. elected by the state legislatures

d. the runner-up in the presidential election

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

38. Which is a key characteristic of neutral competence?

a. People are promoted on the basis of merit.

b. The structure is organized horizontally.

c. The bureaucracy is customs based.

d. People are appointed based on personal connections.

Answer Location: 5.5: What Is Bureaucracy, and Why Do We Need It?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.4: Understand the reasons for having bureaucracies to execute the law

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

39. A bureaucracy that serves the president’s interest is called ______.

a. a neutral competence bureaucracy

b. patronage

c. a spoils system

d. a corrupt bureaucracy

Answer Location: 5.5: What Is Bureaucracy, and Why Do We Need It?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.4: Understand the reasons for having bureaucracies to execute the law

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

40. Veterans, farmers, teachers, and other groups who feel that they have particular concerns that the government needs to address are known as ______.

a. special interest groups

b. patrons

c. constituents

d. clientele groups

Answer Location: 5.7: The Purpose and Organization of the Federal Bureaucracy: The Rest of the Executive Branch

Cognitive Domain: Application

Learning Objective: 5.5: Understand how the federal bureaucracy is organized

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

True/False

1. In most advanced industrial democracies, the role of head of government is performed by the prime minister.

Answer Location: 5.1: Introduction to the Executive Branch

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

2. In their role as commander in chief, presidents act as the civilian head of the military.

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

3. In the United States, treaties are negotiated by the president and require two-thirds approval from the judiciary.

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

4. Pacts made by the president with another head of state that do not require Senate approval are called executive agreements.

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

5. Congress is rarely able to override a presidential veto.

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

6. An executive agreement is a clarification of congressional policy issued by the president and having the full force of law.

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

7. Presidents can try to influence the judiciary by having the solicitor general argue cases before the court.

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

8. The solicitor general argues cases for the executive branch before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

9. Inherent powers are the powers explicitly stated in the Constitution.

Answer Location: 5.3: The Evolution of the American Presidency

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.3: Understand the way the expectations and roles of the president have changed over time

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

10. The rise of public expectations of the president dates from Franklin Roosevelt’s administration.

Answer Location: 5.3: The Evolution of the American Presidency

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.3: Understand the way the expectations and roles of the president have changed over time

Difficulty Level: Easy

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

Short Answer

1. List the four characteristics of a neutral competence bureaucracy.

Answer Location: 5.5: What Is Bureaucracy, and Why Do We Need It?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.4: Understand the reasons for having bureaucracies to execute the law

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

2. Briefly describe the function of the solicitor general.

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

3. In the event of an attack and the incapacity of the president, list the next five positions that will assume executive duties in the order of succession.

Answer Location: 5.2: The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Application

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

4. What is the key difference between the chief executive in America and the prime minister as a chief executive?

Answer Location: 5.1: Introduction to the Executive Branch

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

5. Briefly describe the main purpose of the Twenty-Second Amendment. Which president caused the ratification of this amendment?

Answer Location: 5.2; The Job of the American President

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Learning Objective: 5.1: Understand the roles and powers of the American president

Difficulty Level: Medium

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

Essay

1. What is the impact of divided government on the president’s legislative agenda?

Answer Location: 5.3: The Evolution of the American Presidency

Cognitive Domain: Application

Learning Objective: 5.3: Understand the way the expectations and roles of the president have changed over time

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

2. What is the iron triangle? Describe the differing views of scholars on the iron triangle.

Answer Location: 5.8: Power Plays in the Bureaucracy

Cognitive Domain: Application

Learning Objective: 5.7: Understand the politics of the bureaucracy in a checked and balanced system

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

3. Compare presidential eras through time. How does the modern presidency today differ from the modern presidency under Franklin Roosevelt? How has the presidency changed, compared to the era of the traditional presidency? What does it mean for expectations of the president these days?

Answer Location: 5.3: The Evolution of the American Presidency

Cognitive Domain: Application

Learning Objective: 5.3: Understand the way the expectations and roles of the president have changed over time

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

4. Discuss the power to persuade, going public, presidential character, and presidential style. Why are these personal features so important to presidential success? How do they help us to understand the presidency in ways that just studying the constitutional powers of the presidency does not?

Answer Location: 5.3: The Evolution of the American Presidency

Cognitive Domain: Application

Learning Objective: 5.3: Understand the way the expectations and roles of the president have changed over time

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.

5. What are the different roles of the cabinet and the Executive Office of the President? Why is the Executive Office of the President, and especially the White House Office, considered to be closer to the president both personally and politically? What are the effects of the tension between the cabinet and the Executive Office of the President and the White House Office on presidential decision-making?

Answer Location: 5.6: The Purpose and Organization of the White House Bureaucracy

Cognitive Domain: Application

Learning Objective: 5.5: Understand how the federal bureaucracy is organized

Difficulty Level: Hard

SAGE Course Outcome: Explain the main institutions of American government, including their roles and interrelationships.