The Federalist Papers were originally written to convince what audience to support the Constitution?

	a. American citizens
	b. British citizens
	c. New York citizens
	d. Attendees of the Constitutional Convention

.

James Madison’s well-known quote from Federalist Paper No. 51 is “ambition must be made to counteract ambition.” Which of the following statements best represents what he was arguing?

	a. A president should have a strong vice president to provide advice.
	b. Our new government must have a system of checks and balances.
	c. The Senate should have 100 members.
	d. Presidents should serve a term of four years.

.

According to the Anti-Federalists, which of the following aspects of the executive branch violates the principle of the separation of powers?

	a. The presidential cabinet
	b. The vice president as president of the Senate
	c. Presidential appointments
	d. The president’s role as commander in chief

.

Which of the following was NOT an argument Hamilton provided in favor of the Electoral College in Federalist Paper No. 68?

	a. The Electoral College is a good idea, because small states receive a disproportionately large representation.
	b. Members of the Electoral College will have more information and therefore will be more capable of selecting the president than their fellow citizens.
	c. Members of the Electoral College are more likely to select a president who is virtuous and non-corrupt than the general public.
	d. Although the public does not directly elect the president, they still indirectly choose the president by voting on the members of the Electoral College.

.

Why does Hamilton argue in Federalist Paper No. 70 that it is a good idea to have a single person in the presidency, as opposed to multiple people?

	a. A single president is easier to elect.
	b. Multiple presidents would have too much power.
	c. Multiple presidents are subject to differing opinions, which is especially dangerous in times of emergency when quick action is required.
	d. Multiple presidents would be harder to convince to step down at the end of their terms.

.

In Anti-Federalist Paper No. 70, what is the chief concern about the powers and term of service of the president?

	a. The term is too short for power to be wielded effectively.
	b. The term is too long for a single person to sustain the duties assigned to him as president.
	c. The term is too short, because the country will be constantly subject to presidential elections.
	d. The term is too long for someone endowed with such power to be trusted to relinquish it.

.

Which of the following powers is NOT given to the president by Article II of the Constitution?

	a. The power to declare war on other nations
	b. The power to act as commander in chief of the military
	c. The power to nominate Supreme Court judges
	d. The power to nominate US ambassadors

.

As chief executive, the president oversees

	a. all Pentagon activities.
	b. the federal judiciary.
	c. his party’s effort to craft new legislative initiatives.
	d. the implementation of laws.

.

Issuing rules, regulations, or instructions that are legally binding upon federal agencies is referred to as a(n)

	a. executive privilege.
	b. line-item veto.
	c. executive order.
	d. executive prerogative.

.

What is an example of an informal role of the presidency?

	a. Chief executive
	b. Political party leader
	c. Commander in chief
	d. President pro tempore

.

Which of the following is NOT a constraint on presidential power, following the typical post-election “honeymoon”?

	a. A surprisingly independent executive bureaucracy
	b. Partisan opposition in the Senate to presidential appointees
	c. Judicial review of presidential appointees
	d. A more critical media

.

According to William Marshall, which of the following is NOT one of the 11 reasons that presidential power inevitably expands?

	a. Presidential nomination of Supreme Court justices
	b. The increasingly polarized two-party system
	c. The expansion of the executive branch
	d. The constitutional indeterminacy of the presidency

.

During the Progressive Era, the presidency began to expand and evolve into the institution we know today. Prior to that, the presidency was very small and was subordinate to Congress. According to Thomas Woods, who was largely responsible for this change?

	a. Woodrow Wilson
	b. William McKinley
	c. Theodore Roosevelt
	d. Herbert Hoover

.

Thomas Woods argues that the constitutional framework, as created by the Founding Fathers, was intended to do which of the following?

	a. Give the president the ability to unilaterally sign treaties with other countries
	b. Make the president the “sole organ” who was in charge of foreign affairs
	c. Give most of the responsibility over foreign policy to the legislative branch
	d. Give the president the ability to declare war without consent from Congress

.

According to Sidney Milkis, what was unique about Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency compared to previous presidents?

	a. He made significant contributions to the development and growth of the presidency outside of a period of polarizing conflict or war.
	b. He had military experience, meaning Congress was more willing to grant him power over foreign policy.
	c. He was not afraid of public speaking and was the first president to deliver the State of the Union address in person.
	d. He used the vice president’s constitutional role as president of the Senate to his advantage.

.

Foreign policy is usually developed and implemented

	a. by the president alone.
	b. by the majority party in Congress.
	c. by a large number of actors in the executive and legislative branches of government.
	d. by members of the federal government and special interest groups.

.

Which of the following is NOT a way in which the president can influence foreign policy?

	a. Declaring war on a foreign country
	b. Negotiating foreign treaties and executive agreements
	c. Proposing foreign policy legislation
	d. Responding to foreign events

.

Acting as the diplomatic arm of the executive branch is primarily the role of the

	a. National Security Council.
	b. Department of State.
	c. Department of Defense.
	d. Central Intelligence Agency.

.

Which of the following is a traditionally important actor in the foreign policy development process?

	a. The vice president
	b. The national security advisor
	c. The White House director of communications
	d. The director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation

.

Although the president can negotiate treaties with foreign countries, the Senate must ratify those treaties before they become official. This demonstrates that

	a. the legislative branch has more foreign policy power than the executive branch.
	b. US foreign policy will always be flawed because of the separation of powers and checks and balances established in the Constitution.
	c. the executive branch has more foreign policy power than the legislative branch.
	d. both the executive and legislative branches of the federal government play a role in foreign policy development.

.

It is impossible to say whether the legislative or executive branch has decisive power in the creation of any given component of foreign policy, because

	a. only the Supreme Court can make this determination.
	b. it depends upon how the foreign policy process plays out for any given situation.
	c. the Constitution is ambiguous about foreign policy powers.
	d. the state department is part of both the executive and legislative branches of government.

.

According to John Yoo, which of the following is a reason why the president’s war powers should be considered nearly absolute?

	a. All America presidents can be trusted to use this power responsibly.
	b. Congress cannot be trusted to use this power responsibly.
	c. The Supreme Court has specifically authorized presidents to exercise this power.
	d. Congress’s only constitutional check on a president’s war powers is the power to control the funding of the military.

.

According to the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the president can

	a. send troops into combat for up to 60 days, unless Congress votes to approve the action.
	b. send troops into combat for an unlimited amount of time, if US national security is at stake.
	c. only send troops into combat if Congress votes to approve the action.
	d. never send troops into combat without congressional approval.

.

According to Alan Stolberg, why is it essential to locate “information gaps” when formulating foreign policy?

	a. If information gaps exist in a policy, then the policy is flawed.
	b. If information gaps exist in a policy, then it is essential to calculate the risk associated with those gaps.
	c. All information gaps must be closed to formulate effective foreign policy.
	d. Because all information gaps lead to assumptions, they equally decrease the legitimacy of a foreign policy.

.

What element of the executive branch is best able to assess the risk-level of assumptions in foreign policy development?

	a. The president
	b. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
	c. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
	d. The intelligence community

.

According to John Feffer, why are government institutions naturally inclined toward secrecy?

	a. All government institutions are naturally corrupt.
	b. Secrecy is the only way for government institutions to function.
	c. Secrecy lends legitimacy to government institutions.
	d. Secrecy enables power.

.

What did the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) of 1978 do to the executive branch’s ability to gather foreign intelligence?

	a. It subjected all surveillance to the Supreme Court’s oversight.
	b. It outlawed all secret surveillance.
	c. It made the practice clearly legal.
	d. It forced the executive branch to be transparent about all foreign surveillance.

.

After the American Revolution, American foreign policy can best be described as

	a. interventionist.
	b. belligerent.
	c. imperialistic.
	d. isolationist.

.

The primary concern that led to the Monroe doctrine was

	a. Native American attacks in the West.
	b. slave uprising in the southern states.
	c. European intervention in North America.
	d. conflict between England and France.

.

What effect did the US victory in the Spanish-American War have on US foreign policy?

	a. It led to an interventionist and imperialistic foreign policy.
	b. It led to a re-emergence of US isolationist foreign policy.
	c. It caused regional insecurity that would dominate US foreign policy for over a century.
	d. It caused the US to abandon territory in the southern and western parts of North America.

.

What international agreement did the US create in direct response to the Soviet Union’s actions in Europe following World War II?

	a. The Treaty of Versailles
	b. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization
	c. The United Nations
	d. The League of Nations

.

Which of the following is NOT a mandatory member of the National Security Council?

	a. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
	b. The secretary of state
	c. The vice president
	d. The director of the Central Intelligence Agency

.

What agency is responsible for coordinating national security policy amongst relevant agencies of the executive branch?

	a. The Central Intelligence Agency
	b. The National Security Agency
	c. The Department of Homeland Security
	d. The Department of Defense

.

What governmental institution is directly responsible for the development of the National Security Council?

	a. Congress
	b. The Supreme Court
	c. The Central Intelligence Agency
	d. The Department of Homeland Security

.

The primary communication link between the National Security Council and the president is

	a. the vice president.
	b. the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
	c. the national security advisor.
	d. the director of central intelligence.

.

What recent historical development has had a major impact upon the State Department’s approach to diplomacy and foreign policy?

	a. The rise of China
	b. The end of the Cold War
	c. The war on terror
	d. The advent of globalization and interdependence

.

Which of the following is NOT a reason why the executive branch first engages in diplomacy before considering military options?

	a. Diplomacy is the least costly option.
	b. Diplomacy is always the most effective option to prevent conflict.
	c. Diplomacy is usually more strategically viable than military options.
	d. Engaging in diplomacy with the hopes of preventing conflict adheres to US values.

.

Glenn Greenwald claims that President Obama engaged in action that candidate Obama claimed was unconstitutional when he was running for office. What action represents this contradiction?

	a. The removal of combat troops from Iraq
	b. Setting a deadline for the removal of combat troops from Afghanistan
	c. Entering into a military conflict in Libya
	d. Using torture as an intelligence-gathering tool

.

Which of the following was NOT a major foreign and national security policy of President Barack Obama?

	a. An increased military presence in the Middle East
	b. The New START Treaty with Russia
	c. Ending the war in Iraq
	d. Unprecedented economic sanctions on Iran

.

Why does Jeffrey Engel claim that President George H. W. Bush was, for a time, the most powerful person in world history?

	a. He consolidated domestic national security power more than any previous president.
	b. He vastly increased the budget for the US military.
	c. The US was immensely more powerful at the end of the Cold War.
	d. Congress gave President George H. W. Bush more power than any other president.

.

President John F. Kennedy’s management of the Cuban Missile Crisis can best be described as

	a. a catastrophic failure, due to incompetent leadership.
	b. a demonstration of the weakness of the presidency relative to military commanders.
	c. a successful example of strategic diplomacy from a position of strength.
	d. a demonstration of the impotence of strategic diplomacy.

.

Why did the Supreme Court rule that the line-item veto was unconstitutional?

	a. It is not an implied power of the executive branch.
	b. It violates the separation of powers.
	c. It gives the president too little power over legislative policy.
	d. It impinges upon the Supreme Court’s judicial review power.

.

By virtue of its constitutional authority to make laws and appropriate money, Congress is empowered to review the departments and agencies of the executive branch. This is referred to as

	a. congressional investigation.
	b. impounding funds.
	c. congressional oversight.
	d. the legislative veto.

.

David Mayhew makes what argument about the electoral bases for the House, Senate, and presidency?

	a. The different constituencies have gridlocked Washington, DC, to the point of getting nothing done.
	b. The results of elections across each constituency are actually similar, which facilitates the passage of legislation.
	c. The representation in the Senate is a violation of the Supreme Court’s “one person, one vote” doctrine, unlike the House.
	d. It is rare that the House, Senate, and president all agree on policy, because they have different constituencies, which is also why the Supreme Court nomination process takes so long.

.

According to David Mayhew, what do Americans think about our representation system when it comes to the House, the Senate, and the presidency?

	a. There is little support for constitutional reform when it comes to representation.
	b. A majority of Americans highly support abolishing the Senate and replacing it with another House of Representatives.
	c. A majority of Americans would prefer if members of Congress would elect the president from within the Senate or the House.
	d. Most Americans are tired of partisan politics and would prefer if a third party won the presidency.

.

Which of the following is a lesson that can be taken from Sheryl Gay Stolberg’s talk on the president and Congress?

	a. Presidents have no problem convincing members of their own party to support them.
	b. Just because the president and the majority in Congress are of the same party does not mean Congress will always support the president’s initiatives.
	c. Presidents should not try to establish friendships with members of Congress, as doing so puts presidents at risk of political betrayal.
	d. Congress defers to the president on Supreme Court nominees regardless of their constitutional obligation to provide “advice and consent.”

.

According to the Constitution, what is the role of the Senate in appointing members of the Supreme Court?

	a. To vote on the president’s nominees, providing 60 “yes” votes to overcome any potential filibuster
	b. To provide advice and consent to the president
	c. To take a vote in the judiciary committee followed by a vote on the floor for the president’s nominees
	d. The Senate can select its own nominee if a majority does not like the president’s nominee

.

Why are recess appointments so often controversial?

	a. It involves congressional appointment of a nominee, without presidential involvement.
	b. It involves tension between the Senate and the president because both must approve of a nominee.
	c. It allows the Senate to approve of a nominee during a congressional recess, without the advice and consent of the House of Representatives.
	d. It allows the president to appoint a nominee during a congressional recess, without the advice and consent of the Senate.

.

Who was the last president to use a recess appointment to the Supreme Court?

	a. William Clinton
	b. George W. Bush
	c. Gerald Ford
	d. Dwight Eisenhower

.

If the president creates a trade agreement with a foreign nation without going through the process of senatorial ratification, this is referred to as

	a. a presidential order.
	b. a gentleman’s agreement.
	c. an executive order.
	d. an executive agreement.

.

Upon what principle is executive privilege based?

	a. The principle of limited government
	b. The principle of the separation of powers
	c. The principle of transparency
	d. The principle of congressional oversight

.

How have disputes over executive privilege historically been resolved?

	a. By the Supreme Court
	b. By the executive branch eventually turning over the evidence requested by Congress
	c. By Congress eventually withdrawing its request for the evidence
	d. By some compromise between the executive branch and Congress

.

After September 11th, 2001, what led to reconsidering congressional oversight of the intelligence community?

	a. The foreign-domestic divide in intelligence gathering
	b. The Patriot Act
	c. The authorized use of torture by the intelligence community
	d. The creation of the Department of Homeland Security

.

Which of the following arguments does Dr. Jeffrey Tulis make about impeachment in the Constitution?

	a. Impeachment is an important component of our separation of powers system.
	b. Impeachment is unconstitutional.
	c. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court should not be responsible for presiding over the president’s impeachment trial.
	d. Impeachments have been overused in our history.

.

President Obama pushed for policy changes after the British Petroleum oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico; whereas, President George H.W. Bush was able to quell the push for policy changes after the Exxon oil spill at Valdez. What power was each president utilizing?

	a. Chief executive powers
	b. Legislative powers
	c. Agenda-setting powers
	d. Implied constitutional powers

.

Which of the following is NOT one of the six factors identified by Charles Jones as those that affect the access to the policy agenda?

	a. The resources available
	b. The number of citizens affected
	c. The power of the agenda-setter
	d. The intensity of the issue

.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s primary domestic policy agenda during the first 100 days of his presidency involved

	a. saving US capitalism from collapse.
	b. revitalizing the US military.
	c. pushing Congress and the Supreme Court to end segregation.
	d. supporting the labor movement in an effort to increase wages and working conditions.

.

Lyndon B. Johnson’s “Great Society” agenda emphasized all of the follow, EXCEPT

	a. ending poverty.
	b. racial justice.
	c. consumer protection.
	d. gender equality.

.

President Ronald Reagan’s primary domestic objective was to

	a. protect the environment from damaging resource gathering.
	b. reduce the size of the federal government.
	c. sustain the civil rights progress made in previous administrations.
	d. overturn Roe v. Wade.

.

President Barack Obama’s push for an economic stimulus package at the beginning of his first term included all of the following, EXCEPT

	a. aid to state governments.
	b. the creation of new public sector jobs.
	c. middle-class tax cuts.
	d. investment in infrastructure.

.

In the Supreme Court case Humphrey’s Executor v. United States (1935), which of the following best represents the court’s decision?

	a. The president can fire whomever he wants, whenever he wants.
	b. The president is commander in chief and has a right to blockade ports as a method of waging war.
	c. The court was wrong in its decision in Myers v. United States (1926), and in this case decided that the president should not be allowed to fire anyone.
	d. The president can fire some members of the executive branch but cannot fire workers in quasi-legislative positions.

.

The Supreme Court ruled in Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer (1952) that President Truman

	a. was correct to fire the city of Youngstown’s steel mill workers.
	b. exceeded his executive power by trying to seize the steel companies.
	c. should have created an executive agency to regulate the steel mills.
	d. asked too much of steel workers during World War II.

.

The Supreme Court’s ruling in INS v. Chadha (1983) established which of the following?

	a. The president does not have the right to fire the head of the INS.
	b. The legislative veto is unconstitutional.
	c. Enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay are entitled to due process.
	d. Presidents cannot use the line-item veto, because it is unconstitutional.

.

In the Supreme Court case Clinton v. City of New York (1998), which of the following best describes the court’s decision?

	a. President Clinton’s use of the line-item veto was unconstitutional.
	b. Having an independent counsel to investigate the executive branch did not violate the separation of powers.
	c. Sitting presidents are not immune from civil suits.
	d. The legislative veto is unconstitutional.

.

In the Supreme Court case United States v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp. (1936), the Supreme Court ruled that the president has “plenary” powers. What does this mean?

	a. The president has the power to conduct foreign affairs on behalf of the United States.
	b. The president has the power to fire members of the executive branch.
	c. The president has the power to appoint Supreme Court justices.
	d. The president must be deferent to Congress in establishing foreign policy during times of war.

.

Which of the following cases did NOT expand the president’s powers during wartime?

	a. Prize Cases (1863)
	b. United States v. Curtiss-Wright Export Corp. (1936)
	c. Dames and Moore v. Regan (1981)
	d. Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (2006)

.

In the Prize Cases (1863), the Supreme Court ruled that President Lincoln

	a. unconstitutionally suspended habeas corpus.
	b. could take over the courts to try Southerners as necessary.
	c. had the right to blockade southern ports as commander in chief.
	d. should declare war on the South.

.

In Korematsu v. United States (1944), what was the Supreme Court ruling?

	a. Japanese-Americans should all be freed immediately from World War II internment camps.
	b. Internment camps are unconstitutional.
	c. The need to prevent espionage was more important than the civil rights of the Japanese-Americans who were interned during the war.
	d. President Roosevelt violated habeas corpus by interning Japanese-Americans.

.

In the case United States v. Nixon (1974), which of the following best describes the Supreme Court’s ruling?

	a. Sitting presidents can be held liable for civil suits while in office.
	b. The actions of the president surrounding the Watergate scandal were unconstitutional, and therefore, President Nixon had to resign immediately.
	c. Although executive privilege exists, it did not apply to the Watergate tapes.
	d. President Nixon’s use of the line-item veto was unconstitutional.

.

In the Supreme Court case Myers v. United States (1926), the court ruled on the president’s removal power of government employees. Which of the following best sums up the opinion?

	a. The president has to consult Congress before firing postmasters.
	b. The president has the implicit power to fire people without congressional consent.
	c. Presidential decisions to fire government employees should be subjected to a vote in Congress.
	d. Presidents should no longer be allowed to appoint or fire postmasters.

.

How did the Supreme Court decisions in the Guantanamo Bay cases (Rasul v. Bush, Hamdi v. Rumsfeld, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, Boumediene v. Bush) create a setback for President George W. Bush?

	a. President Bush was attempting to free the prisoners, but the court did not allow it.
	b. The court ruled that Secretary Rumsfeld should no longer be the secretary of defense.
	c. The court ruled that the war in Iraq was unconstitutional.
	d. The court issued a number of opinions striking down the administration’s policies regarding the rights of enemy combatants.

.

Which of the following best describes the role of political parties in presidential appointments of federal judges?

	a. Presidents almost always appoint federal judges of the same party orientation.
	b. Judges rarely identify their political party affiliation, to avoid the appearance of bias.
	c. Presidents try to appoint an equal number of judges from their own party and the opposition party.
	d. The Supreme Court has ruled that it is unconstitutional to consider political party affiliations when nominating federal judges.

.

According to Richard Vining and Anthony Madonna, why are presidents hesitant to engage in a confirmation battle over Supreme Court nominees?

	a. Presidents are not ideologically motivated.
	b. Presidents often trade easy confirmations for other legislation that they want made into law.
	c. Presidents recognize that long confirmation battles decrease the time and capital for other desired legislation.
	d. Presidents usually lose the public perception fight in a Supreme Court confirmation struggle with Congress.

.

The expansion of many executive agencies and departments can be directly attributed to what formal power of the presidency?

	a. Signing statements
	b. The veto
	c. Executive agreements
	d. Executive orders

.

Along with his signature on legislation passed by Congress, a president sometimes issues a statement about how he will interpret, and therefore enforce, the law. This is referred to as

	a. an executive order.
	b. an executive agreement.
	c. a signing statement.
	d. a statement of reservation.

.

What is one major difference between modern vice presidents and the 19th-century vice presidents?

	a. Modern vice presidents actually have a chance at becoming president if the president dies.
	b. Modern vice presidents are sometimes of a different party than the president.
	c. Modern vice presidents have offices in the Capitol building, as opposed to their predecessors who were housed in the White House.
	d. Modern vice presidents rarely are involved with the Senate, while early vice presidents were more directly involved.

.

During several time periods in American history, the role of the vice presidency expanded due to historical circumstances. Which of the following was NOT one of these times?

	a. World War I
	b. The New Deal and Great Depression
	c. The post-September 11th era
	d. The Industrial Revolution

.

How are cabinet agencies created?

	a. They are established through an executive order by the president.
	b. They are created by Congress.
	c. They are created through approval of all existing cabinet members.
	d. The president can create them without official action, creating a new agency and appointing a leader, who will then appoint his or her subordinates.

.

Sometimes, cabinet secretaries engage in what is known as “going native.” What is this practice?

	a. Cabinet secretaries, once appointed to office, spend too much time in their home states.
	b. Cabinet secretaries put departmental goals ahead of the president’s goals.
	c. In order to prove loyalty to the president, the secretary will fail to prioritize the department’s main goals and will focus too much on the president’s agenda.
	d. Cabinet secretaries resign and retire after a short period in office, since running a cabinet agency can be too overwhelming, and individuals can only do the job effectively for a short time.

.

In which of the following White House management models does the chief of staff tend to have the most power?

	a. The hub-and-spoke model
	b. A circular structure
	c. The pyramid model
	d. An ad hoc structure

.

Besides creating the budget, what is another main purpose of the Office of Management and Budget?

	a. To create the president’s schedule
	b. To review proposed regulations from various areas of the executive branch
	c. To manage the president’s White House staff
	d. To appropriate funds to various executive agencies after their budgets are approved

.

The Food and Drug Administration and Environmental Protection Agency are examples of which type of institution?

	a. Executive agency
	b. Regulatory agency
	c. Government corporations
	d. White House office

.

Federal regulations can be overturned through which of the following procedures?

	a. An executive order
	b. A court ruling
	c. A retraction of the rule by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
	d. The implementation of a counter-rule by a different regulatory agency

.

What are agencies that conduct business or produce products for the nation known as?

	a. Government corporations
	b. Independent executive agencies
	c. Regulatory agencies
	d. Cabinet agencies

.

If there is a tie in the Electoral College during a presidential election, how is the winner determined?

	a. There is a run-off election, and the winner is based on the popular vote.
	b. The state legislatures replace the current Electoral College members with new members.
	c. The nine justices on the Supreme Court vote.
	d. The House of Representatives votes.

.

Why did many delegates to the Constitutional Convention favor the use of an Electoral College to select the president?

	a. They thought the general public lacked the knowledge necessary to make the right decision about who should become president.
	b. They were interested in serving on the Electoral College themselves.
	c. They wanted to ensure the president was always selected in Philadelphia, which is where the Constitutional Convention was held.
	d. There were concerns that the British would interfere with popular elections.

.

In the 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, what role did the Electoral College system play?

	a. It gave the presidency to George W. Bush because some electors voted contrary to their respective state’s popular vote.
	b. It never has and probably never will play a role in the outcome of an election.
	c. It gave the presidency to George W. Bush, despite the fact that he lost the overall popular vote.
	d. It gave the presidency to George W. Bush because of the disproportionate influence that the larger states have over the smaller states.

.

Independents and third-party members running for the presidency face some major challenges in our political system. Which of the following is NOT one of the challenges they face?

	a. Members of the Electoral College are required to vote for one of the two major party candidates.
	b. States each have different requirements to get on the ballot.
	c. Independents and third parties have to gain a certain amount of support to get on the ballot in many states.
	d. The winner-take-all system that most states have for assigning their electors is detrimental to third parties.

.

Which of the following describes what happens during a closed primary?

	a. Only registered party members are allowed to vote.
	b. Any person is allowed to vote so long as they are registered with either party.
	c. Primary voters are limited to those who worked on campaigns.
	d. Candidates are all listed on a single ballot, regardless of which party they belong to.

.

Which of the following explains why states have shifted away from caucuses and toward primaries?

	a. Caucuses are more expensive than primaries.
	b. Caucuses are too tightly controlled by party elites, causing support to shift to primaries.
	c. Third-party candidates are becoming more viable under the caucus system.
	d. Closed primaries produce more extreme candidates, which states prefer.

.

Which of the following is NOT an advantage presidents have in trying to gain reelection?

	a. They often have better name recognition than their opponents.
	b. They often gain momentum leading up to the elections by going through their party’s primaries.
	c. Presidents essentially have free publicity that comes with the office.
	d. Presidents have the opportunity to claim credit for positive legislation that happened during their previous term.

.

Voters in the 2008 election were most concerned about which of the following issues?

	a. Gay marriage
	b. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
	c. Education reform
	d. The economy

.

According to Richard Neustadt’s famous argument, presidential power comes from the president’s power to do which of the following?

	a. Keep his public approval numbers up
	b. Go public
	c. Use his personality to his advantage
	d. Persuade others to do what he wants

.

Why does Neustadt argue that the president’s professional reputation is so important?

	a. Professional reputation directly affects how the public views the president.
	b. Professional reputation affects how others will anticipate and react to the president, putting him in either a weak position or a strong position to begin with when bargaining.
	c. Presidents with a strong professional reputation have a hard time convincing others, because they are so intimidated by him.
	d. None of these choices

.

Why is understanding presidential leadership styles and effectiveness essential in an explanation of presidential success?

	a. Most presidents have similar institutional power, but vary widely on how effectively they wield that power.
	b. Success is generally measured by style and not substance.
	c. Institutional power varies so widely among presidents that the only way to measure their success is through a common variable, such as leadership style.
	d. Leadership style is usually why a president is elected in the first place.

.

When is a president’s “power to persuade” highest?

	a. When his party holds a majority in Congress
	b. When he has the highest public approval
	c. When he and his vice president are united on policy issues
	d. When he has been in office for several years

.

James David Barber argues that the success of the president can be predicted based upon

	a. his experience working with members of Congress.
	b. whether he is a Washington insider or outsider.
	c. psychological factors.
	d. his professional reputation.

.

The “active” and “passive” characteristics Barber categorizes refer to which of the following?

	a. The enjoyment the president gets from the job and from political life
	b. How the president interacts with other Washingtonians
	c. How much energy presidents invest into their job
	d. The way the public views the president’s energy level

.

According to James David Barber, Presidents Roosevelt and Truman were which type of president?

	a. Passive-positive
	b. Passive-negative
	c. Active-negative
	d. Active-positive

.

Why is presidential rhetoric so important in determining whether a president will be successful?

	a. A president’s power to persuade the public can change political and institutional dynamics.
	b. Most people respond to style over substance.
	c. Rhetoric allows a president to distort reality.
	d. The opposing political party might respond to an eloquent speech.

.