levo

The US Presidency

The Sources of Presidential Power

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 2

Overview

Recall questions on the Article that creates the presidency and on the difference between formal, enumerated powers and informal ones.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

Define a president's formal powers.

Key term

Name four enumerated powers of the president.

Numbers

Which president used an executive order to desegregate the armed forces, and when?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Which Article of the Constitution creates the presidency and sets out its powers?

    Model answer

    Article II.

  2. 2

    Define a president's formal powers.

    Model answer

    They are the enumerated powers granted by Article II of the Constitution, such as the veto, the pardon and command of the armed forces.

  3. 3

    Define a president's informal powers.

    Model answer

    They are powers derived from the office's political standing rather than the constitutional text, such as leading the party, setting the national agenda and acting as world leader.

  4. 4

    Name four enumerated powers of the president.

    Model answer

    Vetoing legislation, commanding the armed forces, granting pardons and nominating federal judges and senior officials.

  5. 5

    What are inherent powers?

    Model answer

    They are powers implied by the office itself, especially the vesting of executive authority and the duty to see that the laws are faithfully executed, which presidents invoke in emergencies.

  6. 6

    What is an executive order?

    Model answer

    It is a directive from the president to the federal bureaucracy that has the force of law without needing congressional approval.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

The 3-step method, run for you

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

The Nature and Sources of the British Constitution
The Structure and Role of Parliament
The Prime Minister and Cabinet
The UK Judiciary

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

The Code.
MinisterialCabinetParliamentary

Blank Blitz makes facts automatic

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AA US court can strike down a hostile law using the constitution.
BA UK court cannot.
CChange must come from persuading legislators.

Build It gets the exam shape right

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Veto means formal rejection of legislation.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Every question in The US Presidency, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.