Executive Branch Take Home Test

Name: ______

1. Which section of the U.S. Constitution establishes the executive branch?

a. Article I

b. Article II

c. Article III

d. Article IV

2. What is the primary purpose of the executive branch?

a. To carry out the laws

b. To write the laws

c. To change the laws

d. To interpret the laws

3. Who is currently the President of the United States?

a. Barack Obama

b. Barrack Obama

c. Joe Biden

d. Harry Reid

4. The primary and caucus season occurs from:

a. October-December

b. January-June

c. June-August

d. August-September

5. Which of the following is NOT a constitutional requirement to become President of the United States?

a. Must have lived in the US for 14 years

b. Must be at least 35 years old

c. Must be a natural born citizen

d. Must be born in the continental United States

6. As Chief Executive, the President may: a. Grant pardons

b. Commission members of the military

c. Recommend measures to Congress

d. Appoint federal judges

7. Since the beginning of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s presidency, the ______powers of the President have been more important than the ______powers.

a. Formal; necessary

b. Proper; informal

c. Informal; formal

d. Informal; specific

8. ______are decisions of the President that carry the full force of the law, but do NOT pass both houses of Congress.

a. Informal powers

b. Executive orders

c. Executive agreements

d. Executive Privilege

9. Superdelegates ______

a. Wear capes

b. Are the same as pledged delegates

c. Can vote for any candidate at the national convention

d. Must vote how the people of the state they represent voted

10. The Democratic party tends to have:

a. Winner-take-all primaries

b. Proportional primaries

c. Closed primaries

d. Open primaries

11. The Republican party tends to have:

a. Closed caucuses

b. Proportional primaries c. Primaries

d. Winner-take-all primaries

12. An open primary:

a. Allows voters to cast ballots regardless of their political affiliation

b. No longer occurs

c. Is held every four years in Iowa

d. Does not allow voters to vote unless they are registered members of that party

13. Who is currently the Vice President of the United States?

a. Barack Obama

b. Barrack Obama

c. Joe Biden

d. Harry Reid

14. Who is the current governor of Virginia?

a. Mark Warner

b. Tim Kaine

c. Barbara Comstock

d. Terry McCaulliffe

15. When President Truman ordered troops to North Korea to contain communism in 1950, he was acting as:

a. Chief Executive

b. Chief Legislator

c. Crisis Manager

d. Commander-in-Chief

16. A ______are the individual issues of a political party; whereas the ______is the statement of all of the principles and objectives of that political party.

a. Plank; platform

b. Plank; plank

c. Platform; plank

d. Platform; platform

17. A voting representative to the party nominating convention is called a: a. Superdelegate

b. Caucus

c. Delegate

d. Pledged delegate

18. ______are special elections in which voters select candidates to be the party’s nominee for president in the general election.

a. Caucuses

b. Primaries

c. Closed caucuses

d. Semi-closed caucuses

19. What is ONE way in which the President can check the powers of Congress?

a. Appointing judges

b. The line item veto

c. He can veto bills

d. He can replace members of Congress

20. In United States v. Nixon, the Supreme Court held:

a. That President Nixon must be impeached

b. That executive privilege is unlimited

c. Executive privilege is unconstitutional

d. Executive privilege is limited

21. What is ONE way in which the President can check the powers of the judicial branch?

a. Appointing judges

b. Vetoing laws

c. Packing the Supreme Court

d. Suspending the judiciary

22. President Clinton’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy is an example of:

a. Executive privilege

b. The legislative process

c. Executive agreement d. Executive order

23. Which state holds a caucus?

a. Virginia

b. Mississippi

c. Maryland

d. Iowa

24. The President claims that he cannot tell the full truth to the American public, even under oath, because it is in the best interest of the country to keep these secrets. This is an example of:

b. Executive order

c. Executive agreement

d. Formal powers

25. Virginia has a(n) ______

a. Closed primary

b. Open primary

c. Closed caucus

d. Open caucus

26. President Thomas Jefferson’s purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803 is an example of:

b. Executive order

c. Executive agreement

d. Formal executive powers

27. Which of the following is NOT true about a closed primary?

a. Virginia does not have a closed primary

b. Individuals can vote regardless of political affiliation

c. Individuals can only vote if they are registered as a member of that political party

d. They are more common that caucuses

28. After Hurricane Sandy destroyed much of the eastern seaboard, President Obama visited affected areas, such as New Jersey and New York. This is an example of the President acting as: a. Crisis manager

b. Chief Executive

c. Commander-in-Chief

d. Chief legislator

29. The longest serving President in U.S. history was ______.

a. Theodore Roosevelt

b. George Washington

c. Franklin D. Roosevelt

d. Bill Clinton

30. ______are required to cast a vote based on how the people in their state voted.

a. Pledged delegates

b. Superdelegates

c. Delegates

d. Candidates

31. Who delivered the 2004 keynote address at the Democratic National Convention?

a. Bill Clinton

b. Hillary Clinton

c. Barrack Obama

d. Zel Miller

32. What is the purpose of the keynote address?

a. To formally accept your party’s nomination

b. To conclude the ceremony

c. To deliver the “core message” of your party and excite voters

d. To deter members of the voting population from coming out to vote

33. During what month is the general election held?

a. January

b. August

c. July d. November

34. The first step or “stage” in the selection of the President of the United States is:

a. The general election

b. The primary and caucus

c. The National Convention

d. The Electoral College

35. How many votes must a presidential candidate earn to become the President of the United States?

a. 375

b. 370

c. 100

d. 270

36. How long is one (1) term in office for the President?

a. 2 years

b. 4 years

c. 6 years

d. 8 years

37. How many terms may the President serve?

d. Unlimited

38. What is Loretta Lynch’s title?

a. Attorney General

b. Secretary of State

c. Secretary of the Treasury

d. Secretary of Defense

39. Who is the Secretary of State?

a. Loretta Lynch b. John Kerry

c. Joe Biden

d. Harry Reid

40. Which political party currently has control of the White House?

a. Republican

b. Democrat

c. Independent

d. Libertarian

41. If the President can no longer serve, who becomes President?

a. The Vice President

b. The Speaker of the House

c. The President Pro Tempore

d. A new election is held immediately

42. What does the President’s cabinet do?

a. Advises the president

b. Takes over for the president if the president can no longer serve

c. Sets up debates with the president

d. Fills the president pantry with his fave foods

43. If both the President and Vice President cannot serve, who becomes President?

a. The President Pro Tempore

b. The Speaker of the House

c. The Senate Majority Leader

d. The Secretary of State

44. Who signs bills into laws?

a. The President

b. The Vice President

c. The President Pro Tempore

d. Both A & B 45. What is the head executive of a state called?

a. The Chief Justice

b. The Mayor

c. The President

d. The Governor

List five cabinet level positions:

46. ______

47. ______

48. ______

49. ______

50. ______