Final Spring 2015

Question 1

Duties and Functions of the President?

Answer 1

1. Chief of State
2. Chief Executive
3. Chief Diplomat
4. Commander-in-Chief
5. Chief Legislator
6. Chief of Party
7. Chief Guardian of the Economy

Question 2

Original Intent of Article II?

Answer 2

• Creates the executive branch of the government consisting of the President, the Vice President, and other executive officers and staffers appointed by the President, including the Cabinet.
• Pursuant to Article Two, the executive power of the federal government is vested in the President.

Question 3

Jimmy Carter

Answer 3

Democrat (1976) - small government, wanted separation of church and state, wanted to advance human rights

Question 4

Carter’s Domestic and Foreign Affairs

Answer 4

Domestic - Aided Civil Rights, Weak Economy, Oil Shock

Foreign - Egypt and Israel, Panama Canal, Iran Hostage Crisis

Question 5

Ronald Reagan

Answer 5

Republican (1980 + 1984) - larger + more involved government, more strong Army, Minimalist Government, US Exceptionalism

Question 6

Reagan’s Domestic and Foreign Affairs

Answer 6

Domestic - Line-eyed veto, 20 million jobs, “Reaganomics”, Not enough press conferences, “Leaked” Stories, Deficits
Foreign - Granada, Libya Bombing, Soviet Union/Cold War, Nicaragua

Question 7

Constitutional Powers of the President

Answer 7

1. Responses to foreign events
2. Proposals for legislation
3. Negotiation of international agreements
4. Policy statements
5. Policy implementation
6. Independent action.

Question 8

Constitutional Powers of Congress

Answer 8

1. Resolutions and policy statements
2. Legislative directives
3. Legislative pressure
4. Legislative restrictions/funding denials
5. Informal advice
6. Congressional oversight.

Question 9

What is the EOP?

Answer 9

Cluster of presidential staff agencies that help the president carry out his or her responsibilities. Currently, the office includes the Office of Management and Budget, The Council of Economic Advisers, and several other units.

Question 10

Define Bureaucracy

Answer 10

Executive branch agencies. Organizations that are created by the people through elected representatives, Endowed with resources by Congress.

Question 11

Define Amicus Curiae

Answer 11

“Friend of the Court” - Frequently, a person or group who is not a party to a lawsuit, but has a strong interest in the matter, will petition the court for permission to submit a brief in the action with the intent of influencing the court’s decision.

Question 12

Judicial Activism vs Judicial Restraint

Answer 12

Judicial Activism - what a judge think the law should be/mean
Judicial Restraint - issues a ruling based on what the actual language of the law says right now

Question 13

Define Administrative Law

Answer 13

The body of law that regulates the operation and procedures of government agencies.

Question 14

Define Civil Law

Answer 14

The system of law concerned with private relations between members of a community rather than criminal, military, or religious affairs.

Question 15

Define Constitutional Law

Answer 15

The relationship of different entities within a state, namely, the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary.

Question 16

Define Criminal Law

Answer 16

A system of law concerned with the punishment of those who commit crimes.

Question 17

Define Writ of Certiorari

Answer 17

A decision by the Supreme Court to hear an appeal from a lower court.

Question 18

Federal and PA Court Structures

Answer 18

Federal - Supreme Court/State Supreme Court> Circuit Court of Appeals/State Court of Appeals> District Court/Trial Court
PA - Supreme Court> Commonwealth/Superior Court> Court of Common Pleas> Philadelphia Municipal Court/Philadelphia Traffic Court/Magisterial District Judge Court

Question 19

Examples of US Welfare Programs

Answer 19

Social Security, Unemployment, Worker’s Compensation, Medicare, Medicaid, Food Stamps, etc.

Question 20

Define Keynesian Theory

Answer 20

An economic theory of total spending in the economy and its effects on output and inflation.

Question 21

Define Monetarist Theory

Answer 21

An economic concept which contends that changes in the money supply are the most significant determinants of the rate of economic growth and the behavior of the business cycle.

Question 22

Define Supply Side Theory

Answer 22

Lowering taxes on corporations, government can stimulate investment in industry and thereby raise production, which will, in turn, bring down prices and control inflation.

Question 23

Define Conservative Theory

Answer 23

Right-wing politics

Question 24

Fiscal VS Monetary Policy

Answer 24

Fiscal - to target the total level of spending, the total composition of spending, or both in an economy. The two most widely used means of affecting fiscal policy are changes in the role of government spending or in tax policy.
Monetary - stimulate an economy into faster growth or slow down growth over fears of issues like inflation.

Question 25

Define Bush Doctrine

Answer 25

“Preemptive strikes” as a defense against an immediate threat to the security of the United States. This policy principle was applied particularly in the Middle East to counter international terrorist organizations. Generally, the Bush Doctrine was used to indicate a willingness to unilaterally pursue U.S. military interests.

Question 26

Marbury vs Madison

Answer 26

Judicial Review

Question 27

Plessy vs Ferguson

Answer 27

Upheld the constitutionality of segregation under the “separate but equal” doctrine.

Question 28

Brown vs Board of Education

Answer 28

On May 17, 1954, the Court unanimously ruled that “separate but equal” public schools for blacks and whites were unconstitutional.