U.S. Government Practice Test: The Presidency
- The Presidency
- 10 questions
- 12 minutes
These 10 questions cover the President's constitutional powers and the rules about who can hold the office. Watch the difference between powers the President has alone and powers that need the Senate's approval.
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 of these is a constitutional requirement to serve as President?
Correct answer: D
Article II requires the President to be a natural-born citizen, at least 35 years old and a U.S. resident for 14 years. Prior service in Congress and education are not required.
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Question 2
Which amendment limits a person to being elected President no more than twice?
Correct answer: A
The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951 after Franklin D. Roosevelt won four elections, sets the two-term limit. The 25th Amendment deals with succession and disability.
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Question 3
Which constitutional role gives the President authority over the armed forces?
Correct answer: B
Article II makes the President Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy. Only Congress, however, can declare war and fund the military.
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Question 4
What is an executive order?
Correct answer: C
An executive order is a directive from the President that manages the operations of the executive branch and has the force of law within it. It cannot override the Constitution or a valid law.
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Question 5
To which offenses does the President's pardon power apply?
Correct answer: B
Article II allows pardons "for Offences against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment." State crimes are pardoned by governors or state boards, not by the President.
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Question 6
If the President dies, resigns or is removed from office, who becomes President?
Correct answer: D
The 25th Amendment confirms that the Vice President becomes President in these cases. The Speaker of the House is next in line only after the Vice President.
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Question 7
Congress sends the President a bill and then adjourns. The President neither signs nor returns it, and Congress is not in session to receive it within 10 days. What has happened?
Correct answer: C
When Congress's adjournment prevents the President from returning an unsigned bill within ten days (Sundays excepted), the bill dies in a pocket veto. The line-item veto was struck down by the Supreme Court in 1998.
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Question 8
The heads of the executive departments, such as the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Defense, together form the:
Correct answer: A
The Cabinet is made up of the heads of the executive departments (plus some other senior officials) who advise the President. The Joint Chiefs of Staff are the top military officers.
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Question 9
Article II says the President shall "from time to time" give Congress information on the condition of the country. How is this duty usually carried out today?
Correct answer: D
The State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress fulfills this Article II duty. The Constitution does not require it to be a speech; some early Presidents sent written messages.
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Question 10
Under the Presidential Succession Act, who is next in line after the Vice President?
Correct answer: B
The Presidential Succession Act of 1947 places the Speaker of the House after the Vice President, followed by the President pro tempore and then the Cabinet starting with the Secretary of State. The Chief Justice is not in the line.
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