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U.S. Government > Chapters 13, 14, 15 Test > Flashcards

Chapters 13, 14, 15 Test Flashcards

1
Q

7 presidential roles

A
  1. head of state
  2. chief executive
  3. economic planner of the country
  4. chief legislator
  5. party leader
  6. chief diplomat for nations
  7. commander in chief
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2
Q

what does the president do as head of state

A

represents the entire country and performs ceremonial roles

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3
Q

what does the president do as the chief executive

A

influences the way laws are carried out and is head of executive committees

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4
Q

what does the president do as economic planner of the country

A

puts forth a yearly budget that should promote high employment, production, and output

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5
Q

what does the president do as chief legislator

A

signs bills into law

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6
Q

what does the president do as party leader

A

selects the national party chairman, gives speeches, raises money for the party

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7
Q

what does the president do as the chief diplomat for nations (diplomat = ambassador)

A

lists other countries, director of foreign policy and secretary of state carries out foreign policy

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8
Q

what does the president do as commander in chief

A

leader of all branches of military

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9
Q

department of state

A

handles foreign policy, staff embassies, speaks for the united states in the UN

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10
Q

department of treasury

A

serves the government’s financial division, operates the bureau of printing and engraving, regulates the IRS, regulates alcohol and tobacco

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11
Q

department of the interior

A

oversees relations with native americans; oversees mining; manages national monuments, historical sites, recreational areas, and national parks and lands

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12
Q

department of agriculture

A

helps expand farmers’ markets, develops conservation programs, and safeguards food supplies

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13
Q

department of justice

A

oversees the nation’s legal affairs

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14
Q

department of commerce

A

administers the bear eau of census and the patent and trademark office, provides uniform standards for weights and measurements

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15
Q

department of labor

A

ensures safe working conditions and a minimum wage, protects pensions, analyzes employment data, regulates unions

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16
Q

department of defense

A

protects us security and oversees armed forces

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17
Q

department of health and human services

A

directs the social services - social security, medicare, the FDA

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18
Q

department of housing and urban development

A

preserves the nation’s communities and ensures US citizens of equal housing opportunities, helps make GNMA mortgage money available

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19
Q

department of transportation

A

regulates aviation, railroads, highways, mass transit, and the coast guard

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20
Q

department of energy

A

plans energy policy, researches and develops energy technology, sets rates for interstate transmission of natural gas and electricity

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21
Q

department of education

A

coordinates federal assistance programs for public and private schools, helps physically challenged and limited english proficiency students

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22
Q

department of veteran affairs

A

administers veterans’ hospitals and education programs

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23
Q

department of homeland security

A

responsible for domestic protection; includes the coast guard; also for emergency preparedness and emergency response

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24
Q

the federal bureaucracy is

A

all the agencies, people, and procedures through which the federal government operates, hierarchal in structure, and headed by the president

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25
Q

the “nerve center” of the executive office of the president is the

A

white house of office

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26
Q

the job of the national security council is to

A

advise the president about the nation’s safety

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27
Q

which is the title of the head of the justice department

A

attorney general

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28
Q

how many cabinet departments are there

A

15

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29
Q

after president james garfield’s assassination, the government began reforms in

A

the civil service system

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30
Q

formal qualifications for president (age)

A

35

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31
Q

formal qualifications for president (citizenship)

A

natural born citizen

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32
Q

formal qualifications for president (us residence)

A

live in state 14 years prior to presidency

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33
Q

term and compensation for president (maximum term length)

A

2 (max. of 10 years)

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34
Q

term and compensation for president (annual salary)

A

$400,000

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35
Q

term and compensation for president (annual expenses)

A

$50,000 expense account, 2 residencies (camp david and white house), use of airforce 1 and marine 1

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36
Q

6 qualities and skills that make a president an effective leader

A
  1. understanding the public - if a president has a good feeling for the hopes, fears, and moods of people, he will receive public support and, in turn, will receive political leverage with congress
  2. ability to communicate - presidents who explain their policies clearly and inspire public support are usually well received by congress and the people
  3. sense of timing - when new policies are introduced or key decisions are made at the right time, the poss. of success is increased
  4. openness to new ideas - since situations can change rapidly today, presidents must be flexible enough to seek new solutions to modern problems
  5. ability to compromise - effective presidents accept part of what they want rather than being forced to accomplish nothing at all
  6. political courage - effect presidents must have the courage to make unpopular decisions and risk alienating congress or the people in order to do what they think is right
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37
Q

examples of independent executive agencies

A
  1. national aeronautics and space administration (NASA) and federal election commission (FEC)
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38
Q

examples of independence regulatory commissions

A
  1. federal reserve

2. federal comm. commission (FCC)

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39
Q

what are the functions of government corporations

A

carry out government business activities

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40
Q

examples of government corporations

A
  1. us postal service

2. fed. deposit insurance (FDIC) corporation

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41
Q

the term independent agencies means that the agencies are not part of

A

cabinet departments

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42
Q

independent regulatory commissions are ___________ bodies, which means they have the power to make rules and regulations

A

quasi-legislative

43
Q

they also have quasi judicial powers, which they exercise by ___________________

A

deciding disputes in those fields in which congress has given them policing authority

44
Q

the 10 _____ operate largely outside presidential control

A

independent regulatory commissions

45
Q

the civil rights commission and the peace corps are both ______

A

independent executive agencies

46
Q

many claim the advantage of ______ is their flexibility, or freedom from the controls of regular departmental organization

A

government corporations

47
Q

the united states postal service is an example of a

A

government corporation

48
Q

the independent agencies were created by

A

congress

49
Q

one reason that independent regulatory agencies are not subject to presidential control

A

are appointed for long terms, are appointed to staggered terms, must consist of nearly equal number of democrats and republicans (non-partisan)

50
Q

the office of personnel management and the civil rights commission are examples of

A

agencies that were given independent status in order to protect them from political influence

51
Q

do voters in the united states vote directly for the president

A

no

52
Q

the group of people who cast the official votes to elect the president and the vice president is called the

A

electoral college

53
Q

an _________ election is one where the citizens vote for electors who elect the president

A

indirect

54
Q

a ________ election is one where the citizens vote for the president

A

direct

55
Q

a ________ election is one where the winner of the popular election gets all the state’s electoral votes

A

winner take all

56
Q

what did the 12th amendment to the constitution do

A

a majority of electoral votes is still required for a person to be elected president or vice president by the electoral college

57
Q

today, all of the states but maine have __________ elections to elect presidential electors

A

winner take all

58
Q

how many electoral votes does a nominee need in order to win the presidency

A

270 (538/2 + 1) *know math

59
Q

what are the five states with the highest number of electoral votes

A

california, texas, florida, new york, and pennsylvania

60
Q

how many electoral votes does your state have

A

55

61
Q

who does (minnesota) get more electoral votes than (idaho)

A

(minnesota) has more citizens

62
Q

(look over electoral map questions)

A

(look over electoral map questions)

63
Q

difference between presidents and prime ministers on how they are selected

A

president is selected (presidential parliament); prime ministers are chosen by and responsible to parliament

64
Q

can cabinet members hold office in the executive branch

A

president usually choose cabinet members from outside congress and according to the constitution, no sitting member of congress can hold an office in the executive branch

65
Q

what is the difference between the president and prime minister in the legislature

A

presidents have no guaranteed majority in the legislature while prime minister party always has a majority in parliament

66
Q

what is divided government

A

one party controls the white house and a different party controls one or both houses of congress

67
Q

what is unified government

A

the same party controls the white house and both houses of congress

68
Q

what is gridlock

A

the inability of the government to act because rival parties control different parts of the government

69
Q

does gridlock matter

A
  • divided governments do as well as united ones in passing important laws, conducting investigations and ratifying important treaties
  • united governments do not ensure that congress and president will see eye to eye; conservative and liberal republicans
  • the only true unified government is run by the same ideology wing of the same party
70
Q

how many electoral votes does a state have

A

each state can cast one electoral vote for each senator and representative it has

71
Q

who has offices in the white house

A

closest assistants have offices in the white house - usually west wing

72
Q

what are the president’s executive agencies (executive agencies report directly to the president and performs staff services for him, but are not located in white house)

A
  • office of management and budget
  • director of national intelligence
  • council of economic advisors
73
Q

what is the cabinet

A

the heads of fifteen executive branch departments of the federal government

74
Q

examples of independent agencies (commissions and judgeships)

A

FCC and FAA (not a part of the cabinet)

75
Q

how do you get appointed in the cabinet

A

those appointed to cabinet and sub cabinet usually have some prior federal experience

76
Q

vice president’s task

A

the only official task of VP is to preside over the senate and vote in the case of a tie

77
Q

25th amendment (1967)

A

VP becomes president when president declares himself unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office or when the VP and majority of the cabinet declare the president is incapacitated

78
Q

line of succession (list order)

A

vice president, house speaker, press. pro tempore, sec of state, sec. of treasury

79
Q

what is impeachment

A

charges against a president or leader that could result in removal from office

80
Q

which presidents have been impeached

A

andrew johnson and bill clinton

81
Q

what is lame duck

A

office holder whose power has diminished because he/she is about to leave office

82
Q

what are executive orders

A

order given by the president that has full force of law

83
Q

what is reprieve

A

postponement of legal punishment

84
Q

what is pardon

A

release from legal punishment

85
Q

what is amnesty

A

group pardon given to individuals for an offense against the government

86
Q

what is chief of state

A

the president is the ceremonial head of the government of the united states, the symbol of all the people of the nation

87
Q

what is the chief executive

A

president is vested by the constitution with “the executive power” of the us

88
Q

what is chief administrator

A

the director of the huge executive branch of the federal government

89
Q

what is chief diplomat

A

the main architect of american foreign policy and the nation’s chief spokesperson to the rest of the world

90
Q

what is commander in chief

A

the 1.4 million men and women in uniform and the nation’s entire military arsenal are subject to the president’s direct and immediate control

91
Q

what is chief legislator

A

the main architect of its public policies

92
Q

what is chief of party

A

the acknowledged leader of the political party that controls the executive branch

93
Q

what is chief citizen

A

the representative of all the people

94
Q

what is presidential succession

A

the scheme by which a presidential vacancy is filled

95
Q

what is presidential electors

A

the president and vice president were to be chosen by this special body

96
Q

what are electoral votes

A

electors cast 2 votes each for a different candidate. the candidate with most votes become president

97
Q

what is electoral college

A

the group of people (electors) chosen from each state and the district of columbia to formally select the president and vice president

98
Q

what is presidential primary

A

an election in which a party’s voters (1) choose some or all of the state party organization’s delegates to their party’s national convention, and/or (2) express a preference among various contenders for their party’s presidential nomination

99
Q

what is winner take all

A

the candidate who won the preference vote automatically won the preference one automatically won the support of all delegates chosen in the primary

100
Q

what is national convention

A

the meetings at which the delegates vote to pick their presidential and vice presidential candidates

101
Q

what is platform

A

formal statement of basic principles, stands on major policy matters, and objectives for the campaign and beyond

102
Q

title for department of justice

A

attorney general

103
Q

title of department of health and human services

A

surgeon general

U.S. Government (12 decks)

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