Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

EXAM

 

Part I:  Multiple Choice (15 questions, 3 points each, 45 total)

 

1. Which of the following is NOT a requirement to become President of the United States?

1.      Have worked in public service for 4 years

2.      Be a “natural born Citizen”

3.      Be at least 35 years old

4.      Have lived in the US for 14 years

 

2.Which of the following presidential roles involves determining foreign policy?

1.      Chief citizen

2.      Chief diplomat

3.      Chief executive

4.      Chief of state

3.What name describes the President’s role as the ceremonial head of the government?

1.      Chief of state

2.      Chief of the Nation

3.      Chief Executive

4.      Commander in Chief

 

4. Which action illustrates the president’s power as Commander-in-Chief ?

  1. ordering American troops into a foreign country
  2. appointing the secretary of state
  3. entertaining a foreign leader at the White House
  4. delivering the State of the Union address

5.As a “representative of all the people,” the President is the

1.      Chief citizen

2.      Chief diplomat

3.      Chief executive

4.      Chief legislator

6."President Delivers State of the Union Address to Congress."
"President Mobilizes the National Guard To Quell Riots."
"President’s Appointee Will Enforce Federal Guidelines."
These headlines are evidence that the President of the United States

  1. has new added duties not specified in the original Constitution
  2. exercises nearly unlimited power under the United States governmental system
  3. has specific executive, legislative, and military powers
  4. must obtain congressional approval of most executive decisions

 

 

 

7.What are the President’s earnings, INCLUDING his expense allowance?

1.      $400,000

2.      $450,000

3.      $50,000

4.      $100,100

 

 

 

8.Which of the following is an example of a use of a legislative power?

1.      The President of the United States appointing a new ambassador

2.      The Supreme Court of the United States ruling that a law is unconstitutional

3.      Congress passing a law to raise safety standards in new automobiles

4.      The people of the United States going to the polls to vote

 

9.A government action found to violate some provision of the Constitution is said to be

1.      Impeachable

2.      Anti-federalist

3.      Partisian

4.      Unconstitutional

 

10.The system of checks and balances is best illustrated by the power of

  1. the President to veto a bill passed by Congress
  2. Congress to censure one of its members
  3. a governor to send the National Guard to stop a riot
  4. state and Federal governments to levy and collect taxes

11.The major role of political parties in the United States is to

  1. protect the American public from corrupt public officials
  2. insure that free and honest elections are held
  3. nominate candidates for public office and conduct campaigns
  4. meet constitutional requirements for choosing the President

12.The United States Government is considered a federal system because

  1. the people elect national officials
  2. both national and state governments exist within the nation
  3. foreign policy is handled by state governments
  4. each state has equal representation in the United States Senate

13.One similarity between the United States Constitution and the New York State Constitution is that both

  1. provide methods for dealing with foreign powers
  2. authorize the coinage of money
  3. establish rules for public education
  4. separate the branches of government

14.Under the United States Constitution, state governments have the power to

1.      coin money

2.      license teachers

3.      regulate interstate commerce

4.      establish term limits for members of Congress

15.A system of checks and balances was included in the United States Constitution because the authors were concerned about

  1. one branch of government becoming too strong
  2. the states having too much power
  3. the people having a voice in government
  4. the military gaining control of the United States

Part II.  DBQ’s (3 DBQ’s, 5 points each, 15 points total)

Document 1:

“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Presidential Oath of Office

Q1:  How does the Oath of Office help to explain the role of the Executive Branch of government?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

Document 2:

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility -- I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and all who serve it -- and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

 John Kennedy's Inaugural Address, 1961

Q2.  What does President Kennedy mean when he says “I do not shrink from this responsibility—I welcome it”?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Document # 3

…That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet….

Barack Obama’s Inaugural Address, 2008

Q3.  What challenges does the President put forth in his inaugural address?

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

 

Text Box: PART II—Essay Question (40 points) THEMATIC ESSAY QUESTION Directions: Write a well-organized essay that includes an introduction, several paragraphs addressing the task below, and a conclusion. Theme: Presidential Actions United States presidents have taken actions that have had or will have a significant effect on United States domestic policies. Task: Identify two presidential actions that have had or will have significant effects on the United States and for each: • Describe the circumstances surrounding the action • Discuss the impact of the presidential action on United States on American society President Obama is facing many challenges as President of the United States. You can use information from class or the UPFRONT article America’s Challenges 2011. Guidelines: In your essay, be sure to • Develop all aspects of the task • Support the theme with relevant facts, examples, and details • Use a logical and clear plan of organization, including an introduction and a conclusion that are beyond a restatement of the theme In developing your answer to Part II, be sure to keep these general definitions in mind: (a) describe means “to illustrate something in words or tell about it” (b) discuss means “to make observations about something using facts, reasoning, and argument; to present in some detail” relief. Last week the House of Representatives surrendered to the siege of the Bonus Expeditionary Force encamped near the Capitol. It voted (226-to-175) to take up the bill by Texas’ [Congressman] Patman for immediate cashing of Adjusted Service Compensation certificates at a cost of $2,400,000,000 in printing-press money. This first test of the Bonus boosters’ strength indicated that the House would probably pass the Patman bill and send it to the Senate. In that body 56 Senators—a majority—were said to be lined up against the Bonus. But even should the measure somehow get by Congress an insurmountable veto awaited it at the White House. Largely ignorant of legislative processes, the B. E. F., bivouacked [camped] some 15,000 strong on the Anacostia mudflats, was delirious with delight at its House victory. Its tattered personnel, destitute veterans who had “bummed” their way to the Capital from all over the country, whooped and pranced about among their crude shelters. Most of them had left hungry wives and children behind. They had gone to Washington because, long jobless, they had nothing better to do. In camp with their A. E. F. [American Expeditionary Force] fellows again, they seemed to have revived the old ganging spirit of Army days as an escape from reality. They convinced themselves that they were there to right some vague wrong—a wrong somehow bound up in the fact that the Government had opened its Treasury to banks, railroads and the like but closed it to needy individuals. When the House voted to take up their bill, they slapped one another on the back and were quite sure they would be getting their money in a few days to take home. . . . Source: Time Magazine, June 20, 1932 (adapted) 4a According to Time Magazine, what was likely to happen to the Patman bill when it passed the House of Representatives and was sent to the Senate? [1] _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ By June 1932, a large group of World War I veterans had gathered in Washington, D.C., to demand the bonus they had been promised for serving their country. These veterans were known as the Bonus Expeditionary Force (B. E. F.) or Bonus Army. The B. E. F. wanted the bonus early as a form of Depression relief. Last week the House of Representatives surrendered to the siege of the Bonus Expeditionary Force encamped near the Capitol. It voted (226-to-175) to take up the bill by Texas’ [Congressman] Patman for immediate cashing of Adjusted Service Compensation certificates at a cost of $2,400,000,000 in printing-press money. This first test of the Bonus boosters’ strength indicated that the House would probably pass the Patman bill and send it to the Senate. In that body 56 Senators—a majority—were said to be lined up against the Bonus. But even should the measure somehow get by Congress an insurmountable veto awaited it at the White House. Largely ignorant of legislative processes, the B. E. F., bivouacked [camped] some 15,000 strong on the Anacostia mudflats, was delirious with delight at its House victory. Its tattered personnel, destitute veterans who had “bummed” their way to the Capital from all over the country, whooped and pranced about among their crude shelters. Most of them had left hungry wives and children behind. They had gone to Washington because, long jobless, they had nothing better to do. In camp with their A. E. F. [American Expeditionary Force] fellows again, they seemed to have revived the old ganging spirit of Army days as an escape from reality. They convinced themselves that they were there to right some vague wrong—a wrong somehow bound up in the fact that the Government had opened its Treasury to banks, railroads and the like but closed it to needy individuals. When the House voted to take up their bill, they slapped one another on the back and were quite sure they would be getting their money in a few days to take home. . . . Source: Time Magazine, June 20, 1932 (adapted) 4a According to Time Magazine, what was likely to happen to the Patman bill when it passed the House of Representatives and was sent to the Senate? [1] _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s actions in Little Rock were an important step in enforcing the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision regarding school segregation. However, state and local resistance to school integration continued. . . . Little Rock and the developments following in its wake marked the turning of the tide. In September, 1957, desegregation was stalemated. Little Rock broke the stalemate. Virginia early felt the impact of the Little Rock developments. By the end of 1958, the “Old Dominion” state had entrenched itself behind some thirty-four new segregation bulwarks [barriers] — the whole gamut of evasive devices that had spread across the South to prevent desegregation. It was a self- styled program of “massive resistance,” a program which other states admittedly sought to duplicate. But as the Bristol (Va.) Herald-Courier observed in late 1958, when the showdown came, “‘Massive resistance’ met every test but one. It could not keep the schools open and segregated.”. . . Source: James W. Vander Zanden, “The Impact of Little Rock,” Journal of Educational Sociology, April 1962 9 According to James W. Vander Zanden, what are two impacts of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s decision to enforce desegregation? [2] (1) __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________ Score (2) __________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________