Unit 2: Executive Branch

Question 1

Bully Pulpit

Answer 1

a public office or position of authority that provides its occupant with an outstanding opportunity to speak out on any issue

Question 2

Executive Branch

Answer 2

the institution responsible for carrying out laws passed by the legislative branch.

Question 3

formal (enumerated) powers

Answer 3

powers expressly granted in the Constitution

Question 4

Informal Powers

Answer 4

powers not laid out in the Constitution but used to carry out presidential duties

Question 5

Treaties

Answer 5

formal agreements between nations requiring a
2/3 vote by congress to rectify

Question 6

State of the Union Address

Answer 6

An annual speech in which the president addresses Congress to report on the condition of the country and recommend policies.

Question 7

Veto

Answer 7

formal rejection by the president of a bill that has passed both houses of Congress.

Question 8

pocket veto

Answer 8

an informal veto caused when the president chooses not to sign a bill within ten days, during a time when Congress has adjourned at the end of a session.

Question 9

Presidential Pardon

Answer 9

presidential authority to forgive an individual and set aside punishment for a crime.

Question 10

executive privilege

Answer 10

a right claimed by presidents to keep certain conversations, records, and transcripts confidential from outside scrutiny, especially that of Congress.

Question 11

executive agreement

Answer 11

A formal agreement between the U.S. president and the leaders of other nations that does not require Senate approval.

Question 12

signing statement

Answer 12

written comments issued by presidents while signing a bill into law that usually consist of political statements or reasons for signing the bill but that may also include a president’s interpretation of the law itself

Question 13

executive order

Answer 13

policy directives issued by presidents that do not require congressional approval

Question 14

Impeachment

Answer 14

the process of removing a president from office, with articles of impeachment issued by a majority vote in the House of Representatives, followed by a trial in the Senate, with a two-thirds vote necessary to convict and remove.

Question 15

bargaining/persuading

Answer 15

informal tool used by the president to persuade members of Congress to support his policy initiatives.

Question 16

going public

Answer 16

a tactic through which presidents reach out directly to the American people with the hope that the people will, in turn, put pressure upon their representatives and senators to press for a president’s policy goals.

Question 17

policy agenda

Answer 17

a set of issues that are significant to people involved in policy making

Question 18

Framers Vision

Answer 18

delegates in Philadelphia in 1787 voted to make the executive office one person, the station would be filled by men preeminent for their ability and virtue.

Question 19

Chief Legislator

Answer 19

term for the president as architect of public policy and the one who sets the agenda for congress. a president with a strong personality can serve as the point person and carry out a vision for the country more easily than any or all the 535 members of congress.