U.S. Government Practice Test: Foreign Policy and National Defense
- Foreign Policy and National Defense
- 10 questions
- 12 minutes
These 10 questions cover how the President and Congress share power over foreign affairs and defense. When a question asks who decides, look for the specific power the Constitution or a law gives each branch.
Tap an option to mark your answer. You can change your mind, or tap the same option again to leave the question blank. The correct answers and explanations appear when you finish the test.Tap an option to answer; tap it again to leave the question blank.
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Question 1
Which branch of government does the Constitution give the power to declare war?
Correct answer: D
Article I gives Congress the power to declare war, while Article II makes the President commander in chief. This split forces the two branches to share war-making power.
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Question 2
Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, after sending troops into hostilities without a declaration of war, the President must
Correct answer: A
Congress passed the law over President Nixon's veto after the Vietnam War to limit undeclared wars. Presidents have often questioned it, but they usually report to Congress as it requires.
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Question 3
An agreement the President makes directly with the leader of another country, without the two-thirds Senate approval a treaty needs, is called
Correct answer: C
Executive agreements are used far more often than treaties for routine matters. Unlike treaties, they do not need a two-thirds vote in the Senate.
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Question 4
How are U.S. ambassadors to other countries chosen?
Correct answer: B
Article II lets the President appoint ambassadors with the "advice and consent" of the Senate. Senate committees hold hearings before the full Senate votes.
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Question 5
Which executive department is mainly responsible for diplomacy and relations with other countries?
Correct answer: D
The State Department runs embassies, negotiates agreements and issues passports. The Defense Department handles the armed forces.
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Question 6
What is the main job of the National Security Council, created by the National Security Act of 1947?
Correct answer: B
The NSC brings together top officials, such as the Vice President and the Secretaries of State and Defense, to coordinate advice for the President. It has no power to declare war or approve treaties.
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Question 7
The President, an elected civilian, is commander in chief of the armed forces. Which principle does this reflect?
Correct answer: A
The framers wanted elected leaders, not generals, to have final authority over the armed forces. By law, the Secretary of Defense also must be a civilian.
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Question 8
A country limits trade with another nation and freezes its leaders' bank accounts to pressure it to change its behavior. These measures are called
Correct answer: C
Sanctions use economic pressure instead of military force. Foreign aid is the opposite approach, giving money or goods to help or reward another country.
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Question 9
Which approach to foreign policy, popular in the United States between World War I and World War II, means avoiding alliances and staying out of other countries' conflicts?
Correct answer: C
In the 1920s and 1930s many Americans wanted to avoid another European war, and Congress passed neutrality laws. Containment was the Cold War policy toward the Soviet Union.
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Question 10
Keeping a strong military so that other nations will decide an attack is too costly is known as
Correct answer: A
Deterrence aims to prevent war by making the price of attacking too high. Appeasement means giving in to demands to avoid conflict, and détente was the easing of Cold War tensions in the 1970s.
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