Despite the seemingly immense powers at the president's disposal, the president is limited in which he or she can accomplish, or even attempt. In our system of checks and balances, the president must share some powers with the legislative and judicial branches of government. And the president's power is checked not only by these institutions, but also by the media, public opinion, and the voters. The founders hoped that this system of shared power would lessen the chance of tyranny. The consequence, however, has sometimes been an inability by the president to exercise decisive leadership. Secretary of Defense William Cohen once said about the American system of checks and balances, The difficulty with this diffusion of power...is that everyone is in check, but no one is in charge. Some scholars believe the relationship between Congress and the president is the most important one in the American system of government. Congress has the upper hand in relation to the president in some distinct areas, primarily in passing legislation. In some other areas, though, particularly in foreign affairs, the president can exert tremendous power that Congress is virtually unable to check. Congress has the advantage over the president in the areas of legislative authorization, the regulation of foreign and interstate commerce, and some budgetary matters. Of course, as you have already read, the president today proposes a legislative agenda and a budget to Congress every year Nonetheless, only Congress has the power to pass the legislation and appropriate the funds. The most the president can do constitutionally is veto an entire bill if it contains something that the president does not like. In the area of foreign affairs, the President
a. has complete authority to make treaties.
b. must get advice from the United Nations.
c. has tremendous power over Congress.
d. must give in to the will of Congress.
Ques. 2Despite the seemingly immense powers at the president's disposal, the president is limited in which he or she can accomplish, or even attempt. In our system of checks and balances, the president must share some powers with the legislative and judicial branches of government. And the president's power is checked not only by these institutions, but also by the media, public opinion, and the voters. The founders hoped that this system of shared power would lessen the chance of tyranny. The consequence, however, has sometimes been an inability by the president to exercise decisive leadership. Secretary of Defense William Cohen once said about the American system of checks and balances, The difficulty with this diffusion of power...is that everyone is in check, but no one is in charge. Some scholars believe the relationship between Congress and the president is the most important one in the American system of government. Congress has the upper hand in relation to the president in some distinct areas, primarily in passing legislation. In some other areas, though, particularly in foreign affairs, the president can exert tremendous power that Congress is virtually unable to check. Congress has the advantage over the president in the areas of legislative authorization, the regulation of foreign and interstate commerce, and some budgetary matters. Of course, as you have already read, the president today proposes a legislative agenda and a budget to Congress every year Nonetheless, only Congress has the power to pass the legislation and appropriate the funds. The most the president can do constitutionally is veto an entire bill if it contains something that the president does not like. In the first paragraph, the word tyranny means
a. a lack of government.
b. need for political leadership.
c. government involving shared power.
d. government by an absolute ruler.
Ques. 3Despite the seemingly immense powers at the president's disposal, the president is limited in which he or she can accomplish, or even attempt. In our system of checks and balances, the president must share some powers with the legislative and judicial branches of government. And the president's power is checked not only by these institutions, but also by the media, public opinion, and the voters. The founders hoped that this system of shared power would lessen the chance of tyranny. The consequence, however, has sometimes been an inability by the president to exercise decisive leadership. Secretary of Defense William Cohen once said about the American system of checks and balances, The difficulty with this diffusion of power...is that everyone is in check, but no one is in charge. Some scholars believe the relationship between Congress and the president is the most important one in the American system of government. Congress has the upper hand in relation to the president in some distinct areas, primarily in passing legislation. In some other areas, though, particularly in foreign affairs, the president can exert tremendous power that Congress is virtually unable to check. Congress has the advantage over the president in the areas of legislative authorization, the regulation of foreign and interstate commerce, and some budgetary matters. Of course, as you have already read, the president today proposes a legislative agenda and a budget to Congress every year Nonetheless, only Congress has the power to pass the legislation and appropriate the funds. The most the president can do constitutionally is veto an entire bill if it contains something that the president does not like. In the first paragraph, the word diffusion means
a. spread. b. disagreement.
c. decision.
d. growth.
Ques. 4Despite the seemingly immense powers at the president's disposal, the president is limited in which he or she can accomplish, or even attempt. In our system of checks and balances, the president must share some powers with the legislative and judicial branches of government. And the president's power is checked not only by these institutions, but also by the media, public opinion, and the voters. The founders hoped that this system of shared power would lessen the chance of tyranny. The consequence, however, has sometimes been an inability by the president to exercise decisive leadership. Secretary of Defense William Cohen once said about the American system of checks and balances, The difficulty with this diffusion of power...is that everyone is in check, but no one is in charge. Some scholars believe the relationship between Congress and the president is the most important one in the American system of government. Congress has the upper hand in relation to the president in some distinct areas, primarily in passing legislation. In some other areas, though, particularly in foreign affairs, the president can exert tremendous power that Congress is virtually unable to check. Congress has the advantage over the president in the areas of legislative authorization, the regulation of foreign and interstate commerce, and some budgetary matters. Of course, as you have already read, the president today proposes a legislative agenda and a budget to Congress every year Nonetheless, only Congress has the power to pass the legislation and appropriate the funds. The most the president can do constitutionally is veto an entire bill if it contains something that the president does not like. The last sentence of the passage is a statement of
a. opinion.
b. fact.
Ques. 5Despite the seemingly immense powers at the president's disposal, the president is limited in which he or she can accomplish, or even attempt. In our system of checks and balances, the president must share some powers with the legislative and judicial branches of government. And the president's power is checked not only by these institutions, but also by the media, public opinion, and the voters. The founders hoped that this system of shared power would lessen the chance of tyranny. The consequence, however, has sometimes been an inability by the president to exercise decisive leadership. Secretary of Defense William Cohen once said about the American system of checks and balances, The difficulty with this diffusion of power...is that everyone is in check, but no one is in charge. Some scholars believe the relationship between Congress and the president is the most important one in the American system of government. Congress has the upper hand in relation to the president in some distinct areas, primarily in passing legislation. In some other areas, though, particularly in foreign affairs, the president can exert tremendous power that Congress is virtually unable to check. Congress has the advantage over the president in the areas of legislative authorization, the regulation of foreign and interstate commerce, and some budgetary matters. Of course, as you have already read, the president today proposes a legislative agenda and a budget to Congress every year Nonetheless, only Congress has the power to pass the legislation and appropriate the funds. The most the president can do constitutionally is veto an entire bill if it contains something that the president does not like. The main idea of this passage is
a. the legislative branch of government shares some of the president's power.
b. Congress has little power in the area of foreign affairs.
c. the president's power is limited by a system of checks and balances.
d. the president's power is held in check by voters.
Ques. 6In the past, the activities of political parties often had a very direct effect on citizen's everyday lives. In the 1930s, for example, strong party machines dominated local politics in many large cities. In some cities, such as Chicago, the party machine was almost omnipresent. Had you been living in such a city, the party machine would have affected your everyday life. Party machines then bestowed government contracts on loyal supporters. The machines often helped the poor and the unfortunate with gifts of food and clothing (particularly before an election). Today, there are no real party machines. Nonetheless, political parties do affect your everyday life, if more indirectly. Consider that whichever party has the most members in Congress dominates that institution. Congressional leaders and committee chairs come from the dominant political party. Thus, a particular political party's success can often lead to new laws and regulations that affect your daily life. You may have to pay higher or lower taxes, face more or fewer employment opportunities, or experience changes in the social environment around you. Suppose, for example, that you live in a city with a relatively high and rising crime rate. If a political party that wants to spend more government resources on crime reduction wins a majority in Congress, your everyday life could be significantly affected. Similarly, political parties play important roles in state legislatures and governorships. A state legislature controlled by Democrats will create and implement different policies than a legislature controlled by Republicans, and vice versa. These policies could affect the amount of tuition you pay, the amount of state taxes that are withheld from your paycheck, the speed limit on your state's highways, the job opportunities available to you, and so on. The author's main purpose is to
a. convince the reader of the need to vote.
b. argue that Congress has greater power than the president.
c. describe how laws are made in America. d. explain the role of political parties in American life.
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