Chapt 10
Chapt 10
Chapt 12
Chapt 12
Random
100
The president's ability to accept or reject foreign ambassadors a. is mostly ceremonial. b. has little impact on foreign policy. c. allows him to recognize some governments and not others. d. was established with the Twenty-second Amendment.
What is c. allows him to recognize some governments and not others
100
If impeachment proceedings are initiated, who holds the trial? a. House of Representatives b. Senate c. Supreme Court d. Senate Judiciary Committee
What is b. Senate
100
When it comes to the Supreme Court justices’ reasoning for hearing certain cases and not others, the justices a. usually explain their reasons through press releases. b. must explain their reasons to the president, but are not required to disclose them publicly. c. must select from an official list of acceptable reasons for refusing a case. d. never explain their reasons. e. are legally required to explain their reasons.
What is d. never explain their reasons
100
The most common occupational background of Supreme Court justices at the time of their appointment has been a. federal executive posts. b. professors of law. c. U.S. attorney general. d. private legal practice or state or federal judgeship. e. U.S. senator.
What is d. private legal practice or state or federal judgeship
100
The Supreme Court’s rulings can a. never be overturned. b. be overturned by constitutional amendment at the state level, but not at the federal level. c. be overturned by constitutional amendment and the federal level, but not at the state level. d. be enforced by the Court itself. e. be overturned by constitutional amendments at both the federal and state levels.
What is e. be overturned by constitutional amendments at both the federal and state levels
200
The U.S. Constitution does not give the president power to a. veto legislation. b. serve as commander-in-chief of the military. c. grant pardons. d. declare war. e. none of these choices.
What is d. declare war
200
The Constitution requires that the president report on the State of the Union a. at the beginning of each term. b. once every two years. c. from time to time. d. at the end of each term.
What is c. from time to time
200
If a case is remanded, it a. can only be of a civil nature—criminal cases cannot be remanded. b. is sent to the supreme court of the state in question. c. is not subject to any further action by the courts. d. must be decided within the calendar year. e. is sent back to the court that originally heard the case.
What is e. is sent back to the court that originally heard the case
200
If a case is affirmed, it a. is accepted as a case that the U.S. Supreme Court will hear. b. will result in a new trial for the defendant. c. means the case cannot be appealed to a higher court. d. is sent back to the court that originally heard the case. e. means a court ruling is valid and must stand.
What is e. means a court ruling is valid and must stand
200
Presidents derive their official authority from the following sources EXCEPT a. delegated by the Supreme Court b. delegated by the Congress c. inherent to a national executive’s prerogatives d. explicit powers stated in the Constitution
What is a. delegated by the Supreme Court
300
The Constitution gives the vice president a. the power to kill legislation in committee. b. only the job of presiding over the Senate. c. many responsibilities independent of presidential authority. d. the task of chief of staff to the president.
What is b. only the job of presiding over the Senate
300
With regard to the line-item veto, a. presidents have never had the power. b. the Constitution, as originally written, provides for this power. c. although Congress passed a law granting presidents the power, the Supreme Court ruled the act unconstitutional. d. presidents may exercise it, although their actions may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of both houses.
What is c. although Congress passed a law granting presidents the power, the Supreme Court ruled the act unconstitutional.
300
Justiciable controversies are those which a. are no longer valid. b. can be found in a case’s dissenting opinion. c. are real and substantial, as opposed to hypothetical or academic. d. arise when the opinions on the Supreme Court are unanimous. e. are hypothetical or academic questions, as opposed to controversies that are real and substantial.
What is c. are real and substantial, as opposed to hypothetical or academic
300
Alexis de Tocqueville, a commentator on American society in the 1800s, noted that Americans rely on courts a. to resolve economic questions, but not political ones. b. to provide a form of entertainment. c. to resolve most political questions. d. to a much lesser degree than Europeans. e. only if there is no other alternative.
What is c. to resolve most political questions
300
A Supreme Court justice who disagrees with the majority opinion may a. write a dissenting opinion. b. send the case back to a lower court. c. ask the Court to hear the case again. d. may ask that the case be put aside to be reviewed at a later time. e. file an amicus curiae brief.
What is a. write a dissenting opinion
400
What is it called if the president shortens a federal prison sentence? a. pardon b. presidential directive c. commutation d. pocket veto
What is c. commutation
400
The president's role as party leader is a. similar to that of the British prime minister. b. a twentieth-century phenomenon. c. an informal duty or role. d. specified in Article II of the U.S. Constitution. e. A and D
What is c. an informal duty or role
400
In 2009, the Obama administration abolished a. the category of enemy combatant. b. the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act. c. the alien “removal courts.” d. the Guantánamo prison, and released the prisoners. e. the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
What is a. the category of enemy combatant
400
The levels of the federal court system are a. appellate courts, the U.S. Supreme Court, and state supreme courts. b. municipal court, intermediate U.S. courts of appeal, and the U.S Supreme Court. c. the state municipal court, U.S. district courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court. d. U.S. district courts, intermediate U.S. courts of appeal, and the U.S. Supreme Court. e. city courts, state courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
What is d. U.S district courts, intermediate U.S. courts of appeal, and the U.S. Supreme Court
400
Article ____ of the Constitution vests the executive power in the president. a. IV b. I c. II d. V
What is c. II
500
Historically, vice presidents were chosen to a. attract voters. b. balance the ticket ideologically. c. keep the president honest. d. prepare for succession.
What is b. balance the ticket ideologically
500
The president’s powers as chief legislator a. have only a limited basis in the Constitution. b. are strictly limited to what the Constitution grants. c. are a major feature of Articles I and III of the Constitution. d. have no basis in the Constitution.
What is a. have only a limited basis in the Constitution
500
When William Rehnquist was appointed chief justice in 1986, a. he became known as a strong anchor of the Court’s conservative wing. b. the Supreme Court lost its swing votes. c. he gradually shifted to the left on a number of issues. d. justices became even more fixed in their ideological orientations. e. the commerce clause was struck down by liberal justices.
What is a. he became known as a strong anchor of the Court's conservative wing.
500
All of the following are true of the Supreme Court EXCEPT a. the Supreme Court has decided cases involving freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, campaign finance, and abortion. b. decisions of the Supreme Court profoundly affect our lives. c. the Supreme Court has never heard a case involving the issue of capital punishment. d. the Supreme Court’s term begins on the first Monday in October. e. of all the cases decided each year in U.S. courts, the number of cases reviewed by the Supreme Court represent less than one in four thousand.
What is c. the Supreme Court has never heard a case involving the issue of capital punishment
500
All of the following are true about presidential appointments to the Supreme Court EXCEPT a. President Bush appointed two justices to the Supreme Court. b. President Clinton appointed many judges to the district and appeals courts. c. presidents usually appoint people who belong to the president’s political party. d. President Obama’s appointments to the Supreme Court changed the ideological balance of the Court. e. presidents see their appointments as a way to institutionalize their political views long after they have left office.
What is d. President Obama's appointments to the Supreme Court changed the ideological balance of the Court
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