All AP US Government Resources
Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Political Role Of The Presidency
Which of the following is granted to the President in the Constitution?
The power to levy taxes
The power to declare war
To coin money
The power to pardon criminals
The power to ratify treaties
The power to pardon criminals
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 #2 : Political Role Of The Presidency
Devolution is most associated with which United States President?
James Madison
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Bill Clinton
Jimmy Carter
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
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 #1 : Political Role Of The Presidency
Who has the power to call a special session of Congress, after Congress has been adjourned?
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
The President pro tempore of the Senate
The President
The Attorney General
The Speaker of the House
The President
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 #3 : Political Role Of The Presidency
The Stewardship Theory is attributed to which United States President?
Theodore Roosevelt
Thomas Jefferson
Andrew Jackson
Jimmy Carter
Woodrow Wilson
Theodore Roosevelt
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 #27 : Presidency
Which of these Presidents was the first to be forced from office by impeachment?
Bill Clinton
John Tyler
Richard Nixon
Andrew Johnson
None of these is correct; no President has ever been removed from office by impeachment.
None of these is correct; no President has ever been removed from office by impeachment.
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 #4 : Political Role Of The Presidency
Which of these is not a power given to the President under the Constitution?
Ratify treaties with foreign nations
Negotiate treaties with foreign nations
Receive ambassadors
Appoint ambassadors
Pardon crimes
Ratify treaties with foreign nations
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 #1 : Political Role Of The Presidency
Which of these groups typically sets the nation’s policy agenda?
The President
The majority party
The House
The Senate
The Supreme Court
The President
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.
Example Question #5 : Political Role Of The Presidency
The Environmental Protection Agency was established by __________.
Woodrow Wilson
Richard Nixon
Andrew Jackson
John F. Kennedy
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Richard Nixon
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was first proposed and established by President Richard Nixon in 1970. Its purpose is to regulate the conduct of businesses and individuals for the purpose of protecting the environment and human health.
Example Question #3 : Political Role Of The Presidency
A lame-duck president is __________.
a president whose own party no longer supports his or her presidency
a president who is less popular than his or her vice president
a president whose political support has fallen below fifty percent within his own party
a president whose political support has fallen below fifty percent nationally
a president who has been voted out of office, but continues to preside until the inauguration of the newly elected president
a president who has been voted out of office, but continues to preside until the inauguration of the newly elected president
A lame-duck president is one who has been voted out of office or finds his or her term limit has expired, but is still serving as president for a few months until the inauguration of the new president. The term is generally used solely to refer to a president who has been voted out of office; it is generally thought that he or she has lost the mandate of the people and therefore cannot try to pass any significant legislation for the remainder of his or her term—he or she is a "lame duck." Probably the most notable lame duck president of the twentieth century is Herbert Hoover, who was voted out of office during the early years of the Great Depression in favor of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Example Question #7 : Political Role Of The Presidency
An enumerated power of the Executive is ____________.
To have regular press conferences
To issue a veto
To issue injunctions on striking workers
To host presidential dinners
To endorse members of his political party running for office
To issue a veto
There are three main types of powers held by the President: enumerated powers, powers granted by Congress, and inherent powers. Enumerated powers are those given to the President in the Constitution. Powers granted by Congress are just as the name states. And, inherent powers are those that the President has that are derived from either of the two categories, and exist to allow the President to complete his duties. Of the powers listed above, all besides “to issue a veto” are inherent powers. The President has the power “to issue a veto” according to Article 1, Section 7 of the Constitution, making it an enumerated power.