AP US Government : AP US Government

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP US Government

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Example Questions

Example Question #187 : National Government Institutions

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 Order

Executive Agreement

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 #188 : National Government Institutions

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:

Executive Order

Congressional Delegation

Treaty

Executive Agreement

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 #189 : National Government Institutions

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:

Executive Agreement

Directive

Agency Orders

Executive Order

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 #191 : National Government Institutions

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

Possible Answers:

All of the answers are correct

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

May call Congress into special session

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 #192 : National Government Institutions

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

Possible Answers:

False, the case upheld the line item veto 

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

None of these answers is accurate

False, Clinton v. City of New York was not a case concerned with 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!

Example Question #193 : National Government Institutions

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

Possible Answers:

receiving ambassadors

commissioning officers

taking executive action

granting pardons

making treaties

Correct answer:

making treaties

Explanation:

The making of treaties with foreign powers is shared between the Senate and the President. Any treaty made, must be approved by the Senate before it takes effect. Pardons and receiving ambassadors are powers reserved to the Executive. 

Example Question #194 : National Government Institutions

Which of these became an official presidential qualification in 1951?

Possible Answers:

resident of the United States for two years

religious qualification

at least 35 years old

natural born citizen

a maximum of two terms

Correct answer:

a maximum of two terms

Explanation:

The 22nd Amendment restricted the presidency to just two terms, when before there was no restriction. 35 years of age, natural born citizen, and resident for 2 years were all originally in the constitution. Religious qualification for president is prohibited by the constitution.

Example Question #94 : Presidency

Which of the following statements concerning impeachment is false?

Possible Answers:

The Constitution very strictly details and defines impeachable offenses, holding the President to a high standard of both professional and personal conduct

It is very difficult to impeach, let alone convict, a President, as per the ever-cautious Framers’ intentions

The House has only impeached two presidents – Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Richard Nixon in the aftermath of the 1974 Watergate scandal

The procedure of impeachment is divided between the House and Senate: the House must initiate and then pass impeachment proceedings, while the Senate is responsible for conducting the trial

Correct answer:

The Constitution very strictly details and defines impeachable offenses, holding the President to a high standard of both professional and personal conduct

Explanation:

Surprisingly, the Constitution is not in fact very clear when it comes to detailing which actions constitute impeachable offenses. The official wording states that any President who commits “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors” may be subject to impeachment, but the document fails to define these crimes any further. Consequently, much debate exists as to the precise definitions of these “high crimes and misdemeanors,” because while treason and bribery are self-explanatory charges, no other activities are expressly prohibited. This state of confusion persists, as full impeachment standards have historically been left up to the House and Senate to decide as each body goes along. As of yet, the Legislative branch has failed to reach any sort of clear agreement, as is showcased by the House and Senate’s chaotic fumblings in 1999 over whether or not to impeach then President Bill Clinton for allegedly lying to the American people about his affair with a White House intern.

Example Question #95 : Presidency

Perhaps the most well-known Presidential power is the veto. Which of the following statements about vetoing practice is TRUE?

Possible Answers:

The vast majority of Congressional attempts to override vetoes have succeeded

The President is able to reject a bill passively through the process of a pocket veto

The Constitution only grants a President a set number of vetoes to use per year

The President is able to reject one part of a bill while also approving another section of that same bill, a practice known as a line-item veto

Correct answer:

The President is able to reject a bill passively through the process of a pocket veto

Explanation:

In cases in which Congress has adjourned within ten days of sending a bill to the White House, the President is indeed allowed to use a pocket veto to passively reject the bill – he simply declines to act on the bill, letting it die through inactivity. However, the President does not have the power of the line-item veto; s/he must either pass or decline a bill in its entirety, even if the President both approves and disapproves of some of its provisions. The Constitution places no limitations at all upon the number of vetoes which a President may use, but most Presidents tend to hold their veto power in reserve anyway, saving it up for use on bills whose passage they particularly do not wish to see. Historically, it has proven very difficult for Congress to successfully gather up the three-fourths majority vote (in both the House and Senate) needed to override a Presidential veto. Consequentially, the vast majority of bills which the President vetoes never return to Congress, whose members seldom ever even attempt to re-pass a vetoed bill.

Example Question #96 : Presidency

When it comes to diplomacy and national security, the President is entrusted with many crucial responsibilities, many of which only he is authorized to fulfill. Which of the following national security powers is the President NOT permitted to wield?

Possible Answers:

The power to negotiate and enter into treaties with foreign heads of state

The power to assemble, arm, and deploy the nation’s military

The power to confer diplomatic recognition upon another nation

The power to terminate relations with any other country

Correct answer:

The power to assemble, arm, and deploy the nation’s military

Explanation:

Although the Constitution appoints the President as the one and only Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, the President does not actually have the power to unilaterally deploy the military. Any assembly and/or arming of the military for international deployment requires prior Congressional authorization, which usually comes in the form of a formal declaration of war. The President is permitted to request that Congress declare war, as FDR did in the aftermath of Japan’s 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, but the ultimate decision is intended to be left up to Congress. However, the President is solely entrusted with many national security and/or diplomatic responsibilities: only the President may enter into treaties, confer diplomatic relations, and end relations with any foreign country. In addition, the President is also allowed to enter into executive agreements with foreign heads of state. Executive agreements resemble treaties, but unlike treaties, these do not require Senate approval (merely notification) before they can go into effect. Most executive agreements concern low-key activities between the US and other nations, such as the delivery of mail or import/export custom rules.

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