3.2.1.3.2 The executive branch: Imperial versus Imperilled Presidency Quiz: AQA Politics, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. What is meant by the term 'imperial presidency'?

   • A view that the President must be selected by the Supreme Court in every election
   • A view that the President is restricted to ceremonial duties at home and abroad
   • A view that the President should have no powers, because Congress makes all decisions
   • A view that presidential power has grown to dominate the other branches of government

2. What is meant by the term 'imperilled presidency'?

   • A view that the President is directly elected by the Supreme Court in each state
   • A view that the President has become a monarch with powers similar to a royal ruler
   • A view that the presidency is weakened by constraints, such as divided government
   • A view that the President is removed from office in every term by a Senate vote

3. What does the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 illustrate about presidential power?

   • A President is legally forbidden from making any decisions during a crisis of this kind
   • A President can use crisis powers to act decisively in foreign policy, showing the scope of executive authority
   • A President must obtain the approval of the Supreme Court before any military action is taken
   • A President cannot act in a foreign crisis without a full declaration of war from Congress

4. Which factor is most likely to weaken a President's ability to exercise power?

   • A large number of executive orders issued in a single year by the President
   • A high level of public approval, which removes all constraints on the President
   • Opposition control of Congress, which can block legislation and appointments
   • Strong support in Congress from the President's own party, which leads to gridlock

5. Which factor is most likely to strengthen a President's power over Congress?

   • Opposition control of both houses, which allows the President to pass bills alone
   • A decision by the Supreme Court to limit the President's veto power in all cases
   • An increase in the number of federal agencies, which reduces the power of the President
   • Majority support from the President's party in both houses of Congress

6. Which example is commonly cited to illustrate the waxing of presidential power?

   • The defeat of the President's legislative programme by a hostile Congress in every term
   • The removal of all executive staff from the White House by a vote of the Senate
   • The expansion of the Executive Office of the President under Franklin D. Roosevelt
   • The loss of the power to veto legislation under the Twenty-second Amendment

7. Which example is often cited to illustrate the waning of presidential power?

   • A President's success in passing every major bill with a large majority in both houses
   • A President's decision to dissolve Congress and call new elections on a whim
   • Conflict with a Congress controlled by the opposition party, which limits a President's programmes
   • A President's ability to appoint all federal judges without any Senate involvement

8. Which statement best describes the debate about the imperial versus imperilled presidency?

   • It concerns whether presidential power has grown too far
   • It concerns whether states should have their own presidents with equal powers
   • It concerns whether the Supreme Court should appoint the President in every election
   • It concerns whether the President should be replaced by a council of ministers

9. Which evaluation best supports the view that the presidency has become more imperial?

   • Growing executive agencies have reduced the role of the President to a purely symbolic one
   • Growing use of the Senate's advice role has ended all presidential initiative in policy
   • Growing use of executive orders can allow presidents to act with less congressional input
   • Growing use of executive orders has shown that Presidents have no real power over policy at all

10. Which evaluation best supports the view that the presidency has become more imperilled?

    • Divided government, polarisation and public distrust can make it harder for presidents to achieve their programmes
    • Polarisation has ended all disagreements between the parties, which has strengthened the President
    • Public distrust has made presidents more powerful, because citizens rely on the President alone
    • Divided government has allowed the President to rule without any opposition in Congress

11. Why is the Cuban missile crisis used in debates about the imperial presidency?

    • It shows that the Supreme Court decided every military decision taken during the crisis
    • It shows that the crisis ended the presidency and led to a constitutional amendment
    • It shows how a President's crisis decisions can dominate foreign policy
    • It shows that Congress made every decision during the crisis without any role for the President

12. Which argument best supports the view that presidential power depends on relationships with other institutions?

    • The President's power depends only on the number of states that vote for them in each election
    • The President's power depends only on the President's personal wealth and private business interests
    • The President's power is entirely independent of all other institutions, which never affect it
    • The President's influence varies with relations with Congress, the courts, the cabinet

13. Which statement about the constraints on presidential power is most accurate?

    • Constraints come only from state governors, who can veto any presidential decision in their state
    • Constraints do not exist because the Constitution gives the President unlimited power in all areas
    • Constraints can come from formal checks, party support, the Supreme Court, the media and public opinion
    • Constraints can come only from the Supreme Court, because it is the only body that can limit presidents

14. Which evaluation best assesses the imperial and imperilled debate?

    • The debate is irrelevant because presidential power has never changed since the Constitution was adopted
    • The debate has a single answer because the Constitution fixes presidential power in every period
    • The balance depends on the President, the party control of Congress and the political context, so the debate has no single answer
    • The debate can be settled by the monarch, who decides whether the presidency is imperial or imperilled

15. Which combination best describes the sources of presidential power?

    • Formal powers from the Bill of Rights and informal powers from the state governors
    • Formal powers from the Supreme Court and informal powers from the House of Representatives
    • Formal powers from Article II and informal powers such as party leadership and agenda setting
    • Formal powers from the Twenty-second Amendment and informal powers from the Federal Reserve

16. What does the term 'waxing and waning' of presidential power describe?

    • A permanent increase in presidential power that the courts have never reviewed
    • A rule that presidents must leave office at the end of every term without exception
    • Changes in presidential influence over time, depending on circumstances
    • A constitutional amendment that limits the President to a single term of office

17. Which argument supports the view that the presidency has been imperilled by public distrust?

    • Public distrust means the Senate must approve every executive order by a majority vote
    • Low public trust can reduce a President's ability to build support
    • Public distrust increases the number of executive orders that a President can issue
    • High public trust removes all constraints on the presidency, which becomes unlimited

18. Which factor is most likely to support the imperial view of the presidency?

    • Unilateral action through executive orders that bypasses Congress
    • A President whose party controls neither chamber of Congress for an entire term
    • Constant defeats of the President's legislation in a divided Congress
    • A Supreme Court that strikes down most executive actions as unconstitutional

19. Which description best matches the Cuban missile crisis as an example in the imperial presidency debate?

    • A crisis in which Congress declared war and the President had no role in decisions
    • A crisis in which state governors took command of the armed forces to resolve the dispute
    • A crisis in which the President's decisions dominated foreign policy
    • A crisis in which the Supreme Court took control of military decisions from the President

20. Which argument best supports the claim that presidential power depends on the President's political skill?

    • Presidential power depends only on the number of years the President has served in Congress
    • Presidential power depends only on the number of electoral votes won in the previous election
    • Presidential power is fixed by the Constitution, so political skill makes no difference at all
    • Skilful persuasion, party relations and public support can enlarge a President's influence

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