AP US Government : Presidency

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP US Government

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Example Questions

Example Question #21 : Presidency

Select the only President to serve more than two terms in office.

Possible Answers:

George Washington

Abraham Lincoln

Millard Fillmore

Franklin Roosevelt 

Correct answer:

Franklin Roosevelt 

Explanation:

Franklin D. Roosevelt is the only President who has ever served more than two terms – Roosevelt occupied the White House for twelve years, from 1933 and the worst years of the Great Depression to 1945 and the near end of World War Two. Surprisingly, the Congress had never formally legalized the two term precedent set by George Washington, but although this did indeed conceivably allow a President to seek a third term, only two Presidents would ever attempt to do so – and both were members of the Roosevelt family. (Decades earlier, Theodore Roosevelt, who had served as President from 1901 to 1909, had attempted to win a third term in the election of 1912 but had been defeated.) Franklin Roosevelt was thus the only President to ever successfully win a third – and even a fourth! – term in office, largely due to his fervent efforts to lift the American people out of the Great Depression and his adept leadership during the throes of World War II. Sadly, Roosevelt passed away suddenly near the beginning of his fourth term. After his death, Congress and the states ratified the Twenty-second Amendment, limiting each successive President to only eight years in office – this was not done out of dislike for Roosevelt himself but was rather an attempt to preserve Washington’s precedent and to guard against future abuses of Executive power.

Example Question #21 : Structure Of The Presidency

Select the only President to ever serve two non-consecutive terms.

Possible Answers:

Chester Arthur

John Adams

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Grover Cleveland

Correct answer:

Grover Cleveland

Explanation:

To date, Grover Cleveland holds the honor of being the only President to ever serve two non-consecutive terms – he is both the twenty-second and twenty-fourth man to hold the office. The Constitution’s Twenty-second Amendment – which wasn’t passed until 1951 – limits each President to serving a maximum of two terms, but it does not specify that these terms must be served immediately after each other. A Democrat, Cleveland was first elected in 1885 on promises to reform the governmental bureaucracy and put a stop to administrative corruption. However, many Americans saw his efforts as less than satisfactory and he lost his bid for re-election to Republican Benjamin Harrison in 1888. Despite his disappointing electoral loss, Cleveland was determined to return to the Oval Office, and after a four-year absence from national politics, he once again returned as a presidential candidate in 1892. After winning a large majority of the popular vote, Cleveland entered his second term (1893-1897) on a note of high triumph.

Example Question #22 : Structure Of The Presidency

What officer is sixth in line of Presidential Succession according to the Presidential Succession Act of 1947?

Possible Answers:

The Vice President

The Attorney General

The Secretary of Defense

The Secretary of State

The Speaker of the House

Correct answer:

The Secretary of Defense

Explanation:

Initially the government of the United States was simple and the line of succession began with the Vice President and then the Senate and House of Representatives and the President's Cabinet. As time went on and more cabinet positions were added to meet the needs of a growing country and government, the line of succession was adjusted to include all cabinet members.

Example Question #1 : Political Role Of The Presidency

Which of the following is granted to the President in the Constitution?

Possible Answers:

The power to ratify treaties

The power to levy taxes

The power to declare war

The power to pardon criminals

To coin money

Correct answer:

The power to pardon criminals

Explanation:

The only power listed that is granted to the President is that of pardoning criminals.  The rest of these powers are explicitly given to Congress.

Example Question #125 : National Government Institutions

Devolution is most associated with which United States President?

Possible Answers:

Ronald Reagan

Jimmy Carter

James Madison

Bill Clinton

Franklin D. Roosevelt

Correct answer:

Ronald Reagan

Explanation:

Devolution as a concept relates to the decentralization of power by offering some powers previously reserved for the Federal government to the states. It’s purpose is to reduce the overwhelming power held by the national government. Because it focuses on reducing Federal power, it should be understood as a conservative policy and therefore should lead you to select Ronald Reagan as the correct answer.

Example Question #2 : Political Role Of The Presidency

Who has the power to call a special session of Congress, after Congress has been adjourned?

Possible Answers:

The Attorney General

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

The Speaker of the House

The President

The President pro tempore of the Senate

Correct answer:

The President

Explanation:

In the event that a special session of Congress becomes necessary after Congress has been adjourned, only the President may summon Congress back into session.

Example Question #1 : Political Role Of The Presidency

The Stewardship Theory is attributed to which United States President?

Possible Answers:

Andrew Jackson

Theodore Roosevelt

Woodrow Wilson

Jimmy Carter

Thomas Jefferson

Correct answer:

Theodore Roosevelt

Explanation:

The Stewardship Theory of the President states that the President is the steward of the people, who must act in their best interests at all times. The theory was promoted by Theodore Roosevelt.

Example Question #4 : Political Role Of The Presidency

Which of these Presidents was the first to be forced from office by impeachment?

Possible Answers:

Richard Nixon

John Tyler

Andrew Johnson

Bill Clinton

None of these is correct; no President has ever been removed from office by impeachment.

Correct answer:

None of these is correct; no President has ever been removed from office by impeachment.

Explanation:

Although Congress has come close to removing four Presidents from office, none has ever been removed from office due to impeachment. Congress introduced a resolution to impeach John Tyler over the issue of states’ rights, but the resolution failed; Andrew Johnson was impeached for his handling of the Reconstruction Era, but he was found not guilty in his senate trial (by one vote); Richard Nixon, who might have become the first President to be removed from office due to impeachment, resigned during the process; Bill Clinton's case went to the Senate, where he was found not guilty. Because a two-thirds vote is needed to convict the President in the Senate, it is very difficult to convict a President during an impeachment (his party will likely support him unless doing so will cause such a massive drop in public support).

Example Question #5 : Political Role Of The Presidency

Which of these is not a power given to the President under the Constitution?

Possible Answers:

Receive ambassadors

Negotiate treaties with foreign nations

Appoint ambassadors

Pardon crimes

Ratify treaties with foreign nations

Correct answer:

Ratify treaties with foreign nations

Explanation:

The President is given numerous powers under the Constitution—including Executive Clemency, which allows the President to pardon criminal offenders. The President has many powers related to war and foreign relations. The President may appoint ambassadors, receive foreign ambassadors, and negotiate treaties with foreign nations. The President, however, cannot ratify a treaty. For a treaty that is negotiated by the President to be ratified, it must be approved by a two-thirds vote in the Senate.

Example Question #2 : Political Role Of The Presidency

Which of these groups typically sets the nation’s policy agenda?

Possible Answers:

The Senate

The President

The majority party

The House

The Supreme Court

Correct answer:

The President

Explanation:

Ever since Franklin Roosevelt greatly expanded the powers of the Presidency, during the New Deal era of American history, the nation’s policy agenda has more and more often been set by the President. The expanding power of the Presidency is one of the defining traits of twentieth-century American politics.

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