Unit 2

Question 1

What is Dunbar’s Number?

Answer 1

It is 150, the number of people that the human brain can keep track of and be considered part of their tribe.

Question 2

What is each article doing in the Constitution?

Answer 2

1. Explains Congress and Legislative Branch
2. Executive Branch Explained
3. Judicial Branch explained
4. How the states work
5. Amenment process

Question 3

What majority does the Senate need to ratify treaties and to approve appointments?

Answer 3

2/3 for treaties, 1/2 for appointments. For lower offices, Congress can allow the executive branch to do it themselves

Question 4

Where is a jury required?

Answer 4

• In Federal Court

Question 5

What has happened to presidential power in the last 100 years? Why has this happened and where does it come from?

Answer 5

• A lot of the executive’s informal powers have expanded
• Informal powers that come from the nature of the power of the office of the president.
• Some things are procedural, and some are about respect

Question 6

What are the informal powers of the president?

Answer 6

• Executive Agreement: Agreement between the president and other head of government (not official) Ex: Cuban Missile Crisis
• Bargaining: negotiating personally with Congress
• Signing Statement: Non-binding statement the president gives on how they’re going to enforce the law
• Bully Pulpit: Speaking to the American people about an issue

Question 7

What is entitlement spending?

Answer 7

• It is spending that the executive is legally required to spend due to a law passed by congress

Question 8

What does the bureaucracy do?

Answer 8

1. The buracracy writes and enfores regulations using the rulemaking authority given to it by legislation
2. Issues fines for noncompliance (compliance monitoring)
3. Create iron triangles: long term allianes of bureaucratic agency, Congressional committee, interest groups