Executive Branch Reading Guide (M: 351-440)
Name____________________ Hr. ______
Use your notes and/or book to complete the following
Chapter 13: The Presidency
Section 1: The President’s Job Description
1. What are the three formal qualifications for president?
1) 35 Years Old
2) Natural Born Citizen
3) Resident for 14 years
2. The president serves a __4_____ year term. The Framers made no ___Limit______ on the number of
terms a president could serve.
3. That changed with the __22__ Amendment, passed because of President ____FDR_________’s four
terms.
4. Some argue against term limits because they are ______undemocratic____________ or undercuts the
______authority_________ of a two-term president.
6. The president is paid $__400,000_________ a year with tons of the best fringe benefits possible.
Section 2: Presidential Succession and the Vice Presidency
7. Explain the order of presidential succession.
Scheme by which the president would be replaced
8. The rules of presidential succession were formalized by the _ 25th_____ Amendment.
9. What are the two Constitutionally defined roles of the vice-president?
1) President of the Senate
2) To help decide presidential disability
10. The vice-presidency seems unimportant in large part because political parties choose their vicepresident based upon who will ___Balance the ticket. (3 words)
11. If there is a vacancy in the vice-presidency, the ___President______________ selects a candidate
and __Congress_________ confirms them.
Section 3: Presidential Selection: The Framer’s Plan
12. To select the president, the Framers decided they would be chosen by a body of presidential
__electors__________, each of whom would cast two votes. The candidate with the most votes would
become ___President_____________ and the runner up would become
____V.P.___________________.
13. The rise of ___Political Parties__________ ______________ caused this plan to fall apart.
14. The __12th____ Amendment created the foundations of the selection system we have today.
Section 4: Presidential Nominations
15. Both political parties use the ___presidential primary_________ ______________ as their
nominating device. This entire system has been almost totally created and governed by the
____States__________.
16. Most of the delegates come from states that hold presidential ____primaries_____________, which is
a method for states to either choose delegates for the ___national___________ convention or express a
preference among the contenders.
17. Most primaries used to be ___winner take all_______-________-______, but now most (all for the
Democrats) use _____proportional representation____________ __________________.
18. What is the key function of the presidential primary?
Political parties choose who they want to run for president in the upcoming election
19. What factors have historically helped determine who will win their party’s nomination?
Support of president in office
Section 5: The Election
20. Read the two main advantages to the Electoral College.
1) Takes power away from the people – We have a republic rather than a direct democracy for a reason. It
is essentially a check on the American people.
2) Makes it fairer for smaller states – In a direct democracy, the most populous states would dominate
election campaigns and the needs of other states could/would be ignored.
21. Describe the three main disadvantages of the Electoral College.
1) Winner of popular vote is not guaranteed the presidency
2) Electors are not required to vote based on popular vote
3) Any election might have to be decided in the House of Representatives
Chapter 14: The Presidency in Action
Section 1: The Growth of Presidential Power
22. Why have the powers of the presidency grown throughout our history?
President is single, unifying body. Nation is complex socially and economically. Need for action in
crisis, mass media availability
Section 2: The President’s Executive Power
23. The president holds the executive power, the power to ____executes__________ laws.
24. The president’s ____ordiance__________ power authorizes the president and their subordinates to
essentially “fill in” legislative measures and direct subordinates.
25. The president has the power to __appoint__________ ambassadors, federal judges, cabinet members,
and more. The _____Senate_______ has the power to confirm those appointees.
Section 3: Diplomatic and Military Powers
26. The president has the power to make ____treaties_________ with other nations, but it must be
ratified by the ____Senate__________ with a __2/3____ vote.
27. Treaties have the same legal standing as acts of __Congress___________, but cannot contradict the
____Constitution_____________.
28. Describe an executive agreement.
Pact between president and foreign leader. Does not need Senate approval
29. The president has the power of ___recognition_____________, meaning they have the power to
acknowledge the __legal__________ existence of a sovereign nation.
30. As ____commander__________ in ___Chief______, the president has power over the military that
is almost without ____limit_______.
31. Describe two examples of a president waging undeclared war.
1) 1798 John Adams against France
2) Jefferson / Madison Barbary Coast
32. The War Powers Resolution, passed during our conflict in ____Vietnam__________, orders the
president to notify Congress within _48______ hours that troops have been deployed and placed a
___60____ day limit on military actions without Congressional support.
Section 4: Legislative and Judicial Powers
33. Although the president does not make laws, they do have the power to ___recommend___________
legislation to Congress and can ___Veto______ bills passed by Congress.
34. Why does the president not have the line-item veto?
It would give the president too much power
35. Describe each of the president’s judicial powers below.
Reprieve: postponement of execution of sentence
Pardon: Legal forgiveness of a crime
Commutation: Reduce the length or fine of a sentence
Amnesty: Blanket Pardon given to a group of law violators
Chapter 15: Government at Work: The Bureaucracy
Section 1: The Federal Bureaucracy
36. List and describe the three features of a bureaucracy
1) Hierarchal authority – pyramid, chain of command
2) Job specialization – each person has defined duties and responsibilities
3) Formalized rules – regulations and procedures for the job
37. A bureaucracy is typically the most __effective_____________ way of handling a nation’s functions,
but they are not __elected__________ by the people.
Section 3: The Executive Departments
39. Cabinet members are ___appointed___________ by the president and confirmed by the
___Senate__________.
40. What other factors come into play as a president selects cabinet members?
Political party, professional qualifications, experience, geography, gender, race, management ability
41. Describe the two jobs of cabinet members.
1) Admin of an executive department
2) Advise the president
42. List the Executive Department responsible for dealing with the issue below.
A) _____Agriculture__________ Farmers, Ranchers, Inspects food
B) ____Energy___________ Nuclear power, renewable fuels
C) ____HHS___________ Medical concerns of citizens; health care, Medicare, Medicaid
D) _____Education__________ Students, teachers, & learning; School research and aid
E) _____Defense__________ Military and national security; Defense issues, U.S. Armed Forces
F) ____Interior___________ Public land inside the United States; National Parks,
G) ____Commerce___________ Protects businesses; Patents, trademarks, trade
H) ____HUD___________ Fights housing discrimination, home financing
I) _____Justice__________ Legal issues; Represents US in court, Prosecutes Federal crimes
J) _____VA__________ Take care of former armed forces personnel; Medical needs, job placement
K) ____State___________ Relationships with foreign nations; Diplomacy, Ambassadors, United Nations
L) ____Homeland Security Securing the United States; Border security, immigration, terrorism, Coast
Guard
M) ____Labor___________ Protects workers; safety & health regulations
N) ____Treasury___________ Deals with money-related issues; Prints money, administers taxes
O) _____Transportation__________ Highways, railroads, public busing, air travel
Section 4: Independent Agencies
43. Independent agencies are those located outside the executive _departments________________.
44. Why do independent agencies exist?
They do not fit in the departments
45. Independent regulatory commissions are those that police certain aspects of the
_economy___________.
46. Define a government corporation.
Located within the executive branch, under the president’s direction and control
47. From these sections, you should have learned that the federal government’s bureaucracy is
extremely ___Large_______ (size)
Section 5: The Civil Service
48. Andrew Jackson used the __Spoils_________ system to compose the civil service. The Pendleton
Act began reforms seeking to base the civil service on ____Merit_________.
Essential Questions (Answer each from information found in this reading guide - 5 EC pts)
How is the road to the presidency a difficult one?
What roles must an American President play?
What makes a good or bad executive?