UNIT 3 - C963 AMERICAN POLITICS
EXAM QUESTIONS & CORRECT
DETAILED ANSWERS
Congressional Powers - correct answer ✔✔1.Tax citizens
2.Set the budget
3.Regulate commerce
4.Declare war
5.Provide advice and consent on appointments
6.Impeach individuals
7.Oversee the powers of the judicial and executive branches
Inherent Power - correct answer ✔✔A power of the president derived from the statements in
the Constitution that "the executive Power shall be vested in a President" and that the president
should "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"; defined through practice rather than
through law.
Congress Oversight - correct answer ✔✔Power to investigate/review bureaucratic agencies and
bureaus to ensure they are implementing the laws as intended
Marbury v. Madison (1803) - correct answer ✔✔Established judicial review; "midnight judges;"
John Marshall; power of the Supreme Court.
Which of these statements is correct about Congress's oversight authority? Select the one
correct answer.
,Oversight is limited to its power of impeachment.
Oversight is specifically mentioned in Article I, Section 8.
Oversight is largely ineffective, because Congress lacks any authority over the executive branch.
Oversight is not a specifically enumerated power, but rather is implied in Article I. - correct
answer ✔✔Oversight is not a specifically enumerated power, but rather is implied in Article I.
There is no specific "power of oversight" written into the Constitution, but it is implied in many
constitutional provisions, including Congress's power of the purse, advice and consent, and the
power of impeachment.
United States v. Lopez (1995) - correct answer ✔✔The national government's power under the
commerce clause does not permit it to regulate matters not directly related to interstate
commerce (in this case, banning firearms in a school zone)
Which of these is an example of Congress's exercising its power under the Commerce Clause?
Select the one correct answer.
Prohibiting the presence of guns in school zones
Regulating the working conditions and hours of minors employed in factories
Requiring that bus lines serve all customers equally
,Establishing uniform standards for restaurant sanitation and hygiene - correct answer
✔✔Requiring that bus lines serve all customers equally
Bus lines serve interstate commerce, which can be regulated by Congress.
Which of these is a true statement concerning federal income tax? Select the one correct
answer.
Federal income tax is equally applied to all taxpayers at a "flat" tax rate.
Federal income tax required the ratification of a constitutional amendment, after the Supreme
Court ruled that a previous attempt to tax income was unconstitutional.
Federal income tax has always been the federal government's primary source of revenue.
Federal income tax was constitutionally authorized by Congress's Article I powers. - correct
answer ✔✔Federal income tax required the ratification of a constitutional amendment, after
the Supreme Court ruled that a previous attempt to tax income was unconstitutional.
Since previous congressional attempts to tax income were not "apportioned," the Supreme
Court ruled they were unconstitutional. The Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution
permitted Congress to tax income without regard to apportionment.
Committees - correct answer ✔✔A small set of representatives tasked with considering,
researching,introducing, and investigating particular policy areas.
Discretionary Spending - correct answer ✔✔Spending that can be altered from year to year
through the appropriations process.
, Budget Resolution - correct answer ✔✔A model of what the government plans to spend and
take in as revenue over the next fiscal year. Includes a set of budgets, priorities, and
discretionary spending limits.
Pork-Barrel Spending - correct answer ✔✔A provision in a bill that benefits a specific
congressional constituency
Line-Item Veto - correct answer ✔✔The ability of the President to reject specific portions of a
piece of legislation rather than reject an entire piece of legislation. Ruled unconstitutional by
the US Supreme Court.
What is the major difference between congressional budget committees and appropriations
committees? Select the one correct answer.
While the budget committees set overall spending limits, the appropriation committees are
responsible for recommending specific allocations of funds.
There is no difference; these are just different names for the same committees.
While the president may veto individual sections of appropriations bills, he may not veto budget
resolutions.
The congressional budget committees are less powerful because the president, not the
Congress, has ultimate control over the federal budget. - correct answer ✔✔While the budget
committees set overall spending limits, the appropriation committees are responsible for
recommending specific allocations of funds.
EXAM QUESTIONS & CORRECT
DETAILED ANSWERS
Congressional Powers - correct answer ✔✔1.Tax citizens
2.Set the budget
3.Regulate commerce
4.Declare war
5.Provide advice and consent on appointments
6.Impeach individuals
7.Oversee the powers of the judicial and executive branches
Inherent Power - correct answer ✔✔A power of the president derived from the statements in
the Constitution that "the executive Power shall be vested in a President" and that the president
should "take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed"; defined through practice rather than
through law.
Congress Oversight - correct answer ✔✔Power to investigate/review bureaucratic agencies and
bureaus to ensure they are implementing the laws as intended
Marbury v. Madison (1803) - correct answer ✔✔Established judicial review; "midnight judges;"
John Marshall; power of the Supreme Court.
Which of these statements is correct about Congress's oversight authority? Select the one
correct answer.
,Oversight is limited to its power of impeachment.
Oversight is specifically mentioned in Article I, Section 8.
Oversight is largely ineffective, because Congress lacks any authority over the executive branch.
Oversight is not a specifically enumerated power, but rather is implied in Article I. - correct
answer ✔✔Oversight is not a specifically enumerated power, but rather is implied in Article I.
There is no specific "power of oversight" written into the Constitution, but it is implied in many
constitutional provisions, including Congress's power of the purse, advice and consent, and the
power of impeachment.
United States v. Lopez (1995) - correct answer ✔✔The national government's power under the
commerce clause does not permit it to regulate matters not directly related to interstate
commerce (in this case, banning firearms in a school zone)
Which of these is an example of Congress's exercising its power under the Commerce Clause?
Select the one correct answer.
Prohibiting the presence of guns in school zones
Regulating the working conditions and hours of minors employed in factories
Requiring that bus lines serve all customers equally
,Establishing uniform standards for restaurant sanitation and hygiene - correct answer
✔✔Requiring that bus lines serve all customers equally
Bus lines serve interstate commerce, which can be regulated by Congress.
Which of these is a true statement concerning federal income tax? Select the one correct
answer.
Federal income tax is equally applied to all taxpayers at a "flat" tax rate.
Federal income tax required the ratification of a constitutional amendment, after the Supreme
Court ruled that a previous attempt to tax income was unconstitutional.
Federal income tax has always been the federal government's primary source of revenue.
Federal income tax was constitutionally authorized by Congress's Article I powers. - correct
answer ✔✔Federal income tax required the ratification of a constitutional amendment, after
the Supreme Court ruled that a previous attempt to tax income was unconstitutional.
Since previous congressional attempts to tax income were not "apportioned," the Supreme
Court ruled they were unconstitutional. The Sixteenth Amendment to the Constitution
permitted Congress to tax income without regard to apportionment.
Committees - correct answer ✔✔A small set of representatives tasked with considering,
researching,introducing, and investigating particular policy areas.
Discretionary Spending - correct answer ✔✔Spending that can be altered from year to year
through the appropriations process.
, Budget Resolution - correct answer ✔✔A model of what the government plans to spend and
take in as revenue over the next fiscal year. Includes a set of budgets, priorities, and
discretionary spending limits.
Pork-Barrel Spending - correct answer ✔✔A provision in a bill that benefits a specific
congressional constituency
Line-Item Veto - correct answer ✔✔The ability of the President to reject specific portions of a
piece of legislation rather than reject an entire piece of legislation. Ruled unconstitutional by
the US Supreme Court.
What is the major difference between congressional budget committees and appropriations
committees? Select the one correct answer.
While the budget committees set overall spending limits, the appropriation committees are
responsible for recommending specific allocations of funds.
There is no difference; these are just different names for the same committees.
While the president may veto individual sections of appropriations bills, he may not veto budget
resolutions.
The congressional budget committees are less powerful because the president, not the
Congress, has ultimate control over the federal budget. - correct answer ✔✔While the budget
committees set overall spending limits, the appropriation committees are responsible for
recommending specific allocations of funds.
