AP US Government : Presidential Procedures

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP US Government

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Example Questions

Example Question #11 : Presidential Procedures

Which one of the powers listed below is a constitutional power that the president shares with the Senate?

Possible Answers:

Making treaties

Veto bills

Receiving foreign emissaries

Commissioning officers

Granting pardons

Correct answer:

Making treaties

Explanation:

The constitution stipulates that the Senate must approve all treaties negotiated by the President. Granting of pardons, vetoing bills, and receiving foreign emissaries are solely the powers of the President.

Example Question #12 : Presidential Procedures

Who has the role of breaking a tie in the Senate?

Possible Answers:

Senate Majority Leader

Speaker of the House

President

Senate Majority Whip

Vice President

Correct answer:

Vice President

Explanation:

The constitution lays out the powers and responsibilities of the office of the Vice-President. One of those is to cast the tie-breaking vote in case of a tie within the Senate.

Example Question #13 : Presidential Procedures

Congress can remove a president through __________.

Possible Answers:

impeachment

executive privilege

executive order

veto

sedition acts

Correct answer:

impeachment

Explanation:

In case the president commits crimes or fails in their duty as President, the constitution lays out the procedure to have the president removed from office. Trial in the House and then formal impeachment can be conducted by the Senate.

Example Question #14 : Presidential Procedures

A presidential veto may be overridden by a ___________ vote in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Possible Answers:

super majority

majority

 majority

command

unanimous

Correct answer:

 majority

Explanation:

Part of the checks and balances, Congress has to power to override a presidential veto with a  majority vote in both Houses. This ensures that the President is checked in their authority.

Example Question #15 : Presidential Procedures

If the President dies, the Vice President takes over as the President of the United States. Following that, the Vice President can only serve one more term as President if they win the next election.

Possible Answers:

True, after serving as a President for any amount of time prior to election a person can serve only one additional term

False, the two-term limit does not apply in this situation, a former Vice President can serve two full elected terms

False, the Vice-President can serve up to eight years, and therefore could be elected twice and have to leave the presidency during their second elected term

None of these answers is correct.

Correct answer:

False, the two-term limit does not apply in this situation, a former Vice President can serve two full elected terms

Explanation:

If the Vice President must take over for the President in the case of death, the two-term limit does not apply to those years that they serve as President. Therefore, if the former Vice President ran and won the next two election cycles, they could legally serve more than 8 years.

Example Question #16 : Presidential Procedures

A __________ is: a device where two (or more) countries bind themselves together in an agreement. In the United States, this agreement must be ratified by 2/3 of the Senate before the US will be bound by the agreement.

Possible Answers:

Congressional Delegation

Treaty

Executive Agreement

 Executive Order

Correct answer:

Treaty

Explanation:

This should have been a relatively simple question. The correct answer is a treaty. Note how the definition in the question includes a key fact: the “agreement” must be ratified by 2/3 of the Senate. Any time you see language to that effect, you should immediately think “treaty.”

Example Question #17 : Presidential Procedures

A ______________ is a device where two (or more) heads of state agree to act in a certain way, for a certain time (or until their respective interests are no longer served), and this agreement need not be ratified by the Senate.

Possible Answers:

Congressional Delegation

Executive Order

Executive Agreement

Treaty

Correct answer:

Executive Agreement

Explanation:

This should have been a fairly simple question, except for one hiccup. One of the answers, “executive order,” might have caught some of you unawares—there is a vast difference in between an executive order and an executive agreement. Executive orders are beyond the scope of this question (although they’re covered in another). Executive agreement is the correct answer, as it clearly could not have been a treaty (the question specifically notes that NO ratification was required), and “congressional delegation” has no bearing on this whatsoever.

Example Question #18 : Presidential Procedures

A(n) _______________ may either arise from an explicit delegation of power to the President or from implicit authority through the constitution. It has the force of law without being passed by Congress.

Possible Answers:

Directive

Agency Orders

Executive Order

Executive Agreement

Correct answer:

Executive Order

Explanation:

This is a relatively difficult question. The correct answer is “executive order.” An executive order is an order from the president directing a federal agency to take some form of action (or, alternatively, refrain from taking action). It has the force of law—because it is, in a sense, implementing law.

Example Question #19 : Presidential Procedures

Which of the following is/are among the president’s duty/ies in terms of legislation?

Possible Answers:

May call Congress into special session

All of the answers are correct

Must report from “time to time” to congress with a state of the union address

May veto laws

Correct answer:

All of the answers are correct

Explanation:

This should have been a very simple question. The president has a very modest role in terms of legislation, however, he may veto laws, convene congress for a special session, and must deliver a state of the union address from “time to time.” That said, modern presidents often come into the office with their own legislative agenda, which they push on Congress in various ways (generally involving the media).

Example Question #20 : Presidential Procedures

The Supreme Court declared the line-item veto unconstitutional in Clinton v. City of New York.

Possible Answers:

True, this case restricted the president's ability to veto specific portions of a bill while allowing others to pass

False, Clinton v. City of New York was not a case concerned with the line-item veto

None of these answers is accurate

False, the case upheld the line item veto 

Correct answer:

True, this case restricted the president's ability to veto specific portions of a bill while allowing others to pass

Explanation:

Although the president has the unfettered ability to veto bills he does not want to see signed into law, the president may not simply excise certain portions of bills even if Congress gives to him that ability. Essentially, the case was as follows: Congress delegated to the President the ability to strike certain portions of an appropriations bill (hence the line-item veto). The Supreme Court held that this was a violation of separation of powers, because after striking certain items from an appropriations bill, and then signing the rest, the President was signing into law a bill that Congress (technically) did not pass!

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