8.7 Printable Knowledge Check: The Executive Branch and Electoral College

This activity is part of Module 8: The Presidency and Executive Power from the Constitution 101 Curriculum. 

Complete the questions in the following quiz to test your knowledge of basic ideas and concepts covered in this module.

1. What does Article II of the Constitution tell us about the presidency?
   • The powers of the president
   • The process for electing the president 
   • How a president may be removed from office
   • All of the above
2. Which of these is not a power of the president?
   • Serving as commander in chief 
   • Approving new amendments to the Constitution
   • Appointing judges and executive branch officials
   • Granting pardons and reprieves
3. During the Constitutional Convention, James Wilson argued that the executive branch should be led by______.
   • A tyrannical king
   • A single president
   • A multi-member executive counsel
   • A figurehead with no real executive authority
4. James Madison, known as the Father of the Constitution, thought that the president should be chosen by _________.
   • Members of Congress
   • State governors
   • State legislatures
   • Royal proclamation 
5. After much debate during the Convention, what system of electing the president did the delegates finally agree to?
   • The president would be chosen directly by the people 
   • The president would be a hereditary position
   • The Electoral College
   • The president would be chosen by members of Congress
6. In addition to the question of how the president should be elected, the delegates at the Constitutional Convention also had to address which big issue about the president?
   • How long the president’s term should be
   • Whether the president should be allowed to run for reelection 
   • How to remove a president from office
   • All of the above
7. Signed, written, and published directives by the president that tell the executive-branch officials what to do are known as ______.
   • Vetoes
   • Impeachments 
   • Misdemeanors 
   • Executive orders 
8. Which former president referred to the executive power as “the steward of the public welfare” in his “New Nationalism” speech?
   • Abraham Lincoln
   • Theodore Roosevelt
   • Woodrow Wilson
   • Franklin Roosevelt
9. This president, who later became chief justice of the United States, argued that the people may carry out their will, but only after the wholesome delay and deliberation within the restrictions of the Constitution.
   • Theodore Roosevelt
   • William Howard Taft 
   • Harry Truman 
   • Richard Nixon 
10. The Supreme Court ruled on the limits of presidential power in which landmark case?
    • Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. v. Sawyer
    • Brown v. Board of Education
    • Marbury v. Madison
    • McCulloch v. Maryland 
11. In The Steel Seizure Case, the Supreme Court ruled that executive orders must be supported by _________.
    • A specific clause in the Constitution granting that power to the president 
    • The president’s belief that she is acting in the best interests of the country
    • An act of Congress delegating that power to the president 
    • Either A or C
12. According to Justice Robert Jackson, the president has the greatest power when she acts __________.
    • With congressional approval 
    • In the face of congressional disapproval 
    • Within a “Zone of Twilight”
    • When the Supreme Court is not in session 
13. The total number of electors, and thus the total number of votes up for grabs in the Electoral College, is _______.
    • 100
    • 270
    • 535
    • 538
14. Technically, Americans who cast their ballots on Election Day are determining _______.
    • Who will win the presidential election
    • Only who becomes vice president 
    • Which electors will be appointed to the Electoral College from each state
    • Who will be in the president’s cabinet 
15. To win a presidential election, a candidate must receive ______electoral votes.
    • At least 100 
    • At least 270 
    • All of the (538)
    • It doesn't matter 
16. Modern-day debates about the Electoral College include whether to keep or eliminate it. Constitutionally, eliminating the Electoral College would require ______.
    • The president’s signature 
    • The vice president’s approval 
    • An amendment to the Constitution 
    • A Supreme Court decision 
17. According to Article II, presidential terms are limited to ___ years in office. The 22nd Amendment, ratified in 1951, forbids presidents from serving more than ___ terms. 
    • 2, 4
    • 4, 1
    • 4, 2
    • 6, 1 
18. Which of the following is a good example of asking a constitutional question about the powers of the president?
    • Can the president do that?
    • Should the president do that?
    • The president should do that!
    • The president should not do that!
19. During a presidential election, if no candidate wins a majority in the Electoral College, then the matter is decided by _________.
    • A duel 
    • The Supreme Court
    • The House of Representatives 
    • The sitting president remains in office
20. Which president holds the record for issuing the most executive orders with 3,728 orders?
    • Theodore Roosevelt
    • Franklin Roosevelt
    • Woodrow Wilson
    • Ronald Reagan

Answer Key: D, B, B, A, C, D, D, B, B, A, D, A, D, C, B, C, C, A, C, B

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