AP US Government : AP US Government

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP US Government

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Example Questions

Example Question #97 : National Government Institutions

Which of the following is true of revenue bills?

Possible Answers:

Bills for raising revenue can originate and be passed by either the House of Representatives or the Senate

Bills for raising revenue must originate in the House of Representatives

Bills for raising revenue can originate in either the House of Representatives or the Senate

Bills for raising revenue must originate in the Senate

Bills for raising revenue can be passed independently by either the House of Representatives or the Senate

Correct answer:

Bills for raising revenue must originate in the House of Representatives

Explanation:

Bills for raising revenue must originate in the House of Representatives. This is only true for bills relating to revenue though. All other bills can originate from either the House of Representatives or the Senate. In order for a bill to be passed, the House and the Senate must both approve, and the bill must be identical in passing through both the House and the Senate.

Example Question #98 : National Government Institutions

What is required to override a presidential veto?

Possible Answers:

A two thirds majority of Congress voting to override the veto

A ruling by the Federal District Court of Washington D.C.

A signed compromise between the Majority and Minority Leaders in both the House and Senate

A vote of three quarters of the state legislatures in favor of overriding the veto

Correct answer:

A two thirds majority of Congress voting to override the veto

Explanation:

Article I, Section 7, Clause 2 of the U.S. Constitution states that in the event of a presidential veto, a 2/3 vote of both the House and the Senate in favor of the bill can override the veto and turn the bill into law.

Example Question #45 : Congressional Procedures

Who has the power to declare war?

Possible Answers:

The President 

The U.S. Congress

The Joint Chiefs of Staff

The Secretary of Defense

Correct answer:

The U.S. Congress

Explanation:

Article I, Section 8, Clause 11 of the U.S. Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war, as well as the ability to “grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water”

Example Question #101 : Congress

Who has the power to confirm federal judges?

Possible Answers:

The U.S. Attorney General

The U.S. Senate

The Supreme Court of the United States

The U.S. Congress

Correct answer:

The U.S. Senate

Explanation:

 The U.S. Senate has the power to approve federal judges, as well as other presidential appointments.

Example Question #521 : Ap Us Government

Executive branch positions such as Attorney General, Secretary of the Treasury, and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency are filled by

Possible Answers:

selection by the United States Senate.

direct election by American voters.

appointment by the President.

selection by the House of Representatives.

selection by independent, non-partisan committees.

Correct answer:

appointment by the President.

Explanation:

The Constitution allows the President, as head of the Executive Branch, to select and appoint a wide variety of positions in the government. These Executive offices include Cabinet members, such as the Attorney General and the Secretary of the Treasury, as well as other government positions like the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. 

Example Question #102 : National Government Institutions

The most significant and senior foreign policy advisor to the President is __________.

Possible Answers:

The Secretary of State

The Secretary of Defense

the Head of the CIA

The Vice-President

The Speaker of the House

Correct answer:

The Secretary of State

Explanation:

If this question were simply worded as "who is the most significant foreign policy advisor to the President," there might be a degree of subjectivity where you could argue that it depends on the President and the circumstances of his Presidency; however, the word "senior" as well tells you that the answer is the Secretary of State. It is the job of the Secretary of State to serve as the President’s primary foreign policy advisor. Whether the President takes this advice, or the advice of other members of the cabinet, is up to the individual President.

Example Question #2 : Presidency

Who is next in line in the Presidential succession after the Vice-President?

Possible Answers:

The Secretary of State

The President pro tempore of the Senate

The Attorney General

The Secretary of Defense

The Speaker of the House

Correct answer:

The Speaker of the House

Explanation:

The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 established that in the event that neither the President nor Vice-President are able to carry out the duties of the President, then the office should fall to the Speaker of the House, followed by the President pro tempore of the Senate, and then the Secretary of State. At various times in American history, the line of Presidential succession has been changed to reflect the realities and political interests of leading politicians at the time; however, there has yet to be an instance where the office has needed to pass beyond the Vice-President.

Example Question #4 : Structure Of The Presidency

For how many years—at a maximum—may a person be President?

Possible Answers:

None of the answers are correct

Correct answer:

None of the answers are correct

Explanation:

This is a tricky question, even though you can easily eliminate the majority of the answers. The answer is “None of the answers are correct.”

Remember, the President is elected to a four-year term. Thus, “2” must be incorrect. “4” and “6” are similarly incorrect for obvious reasons—you should at least know that the President can be elected twice (2x4=8).

Now for the answer that you likely picked: 8. Read the question again (“for how many years—at a MAXIMUM—may a person be President?”). Note two incredibly important things: (1) maximum is emphasized (for good reason); (2) the question does NOT ask “for how many years . . . may a person be elected [to the office of] President.” This question requires knowledge of both the office of the president, the 22nd Amendment, and the interaction of the two. The 22nd Amendment technically limits the office of the President to <10 years. Read the Amendment.

“Section 1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.” (Emphasis added).

Thus, technically speaking, if a President (prior to being ELECTED President) had to serve not more than two years of a term of the previous president, he (or she) could be elected twice to the office of the President: (not more than 2 years) + (term 1 (4 years)) + (term 2 (4 years)) = Not more than 10 years. Let’s use an example.

EXP: Say that Lindsay Slohands and Salma Kayak decided to run as President and Vice President, respectively. Two years and one day into Lindsay’s first term, she has too much of her favorite drink, Koke-a-Kola, and dies. As VP, Kayak has to step up to the office of the President, which she does, for the remainder of Slohands’ term (<2 years). Kayak then runs twice for the presidency, and serves out her ELECTED terms (for a total of 8 years) with no incidents. Kayak’s total term in office? <10 years. Kayak’s total ELECTED [to the office of the President] term? 8 years.

Example Question #104 : National Government Institutions

How many wars has the President officially declared since World War I? 

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

This is a trick question, and a sneaky one at that. The President does not declare war: Congress does. That bears repeating: only Congress can declare war. Thus, the answer is zero, although, technically speaking, we have been in one war since WWI—and that would be WWII. At this point you’re probably asking “but what about Vietnam? Korea? The Gulf War??!” Those are all valid objections, but they are not valid wars. Congress MUST declare war in order for the US to go to war. Otherwise, they are characterized as “armed conflicts” or something similar. They may be referred to as wars colloquially, but they are not formally declared.

Example Question #522 : Ap Us Government

Who is after the Vice President in the Presidential Line of Succession?

Possible Answers:

The Speaker of the House 

The Senate Pro-Tempore

The Senate Majority Leader

The Attorney General

Correct answer:

The Speaker of the House 

Explanation:

The Speaker of the House is next in line if something should happen the president and vice president. The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 placed the Speaker of the House and Senate President Pro-Tempore back in the line after they were removed from it many years earlier. President Truman pushed heavily for this after President Roosevelt died in office and wanted to ensure that the president could not appoint all of those in the line of succession, as the only other people in it are cabinet members that were chosen by the president. Truman wanted the Speaker to be first because he believed that the House would be closer to the presidency than the Senate because its members are elected every two years and therefore would be in line with the wants of the people. 

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