Since 1789, the Constitution has granted the President the authority

Question

Aristotle RC 99 - Passage 52     
   Since 1789, the Constitution has granted the President the authority to veto legislation passed by Congress. The threat of a veto in many cases precipitates compromise on the content of a bill that would be otherwise mired in debate before it reached the President. The "regular" veto is a qualified negative veto, which necessitates a two-thirds vote by Congress to be overridden. The "pocket" veto, on the other hand, is exercised when a bill sits on the President‘s desk without being signed before Congress has adjourned (and is therefore unable to override the veto). Opponents of the pocket veto allege that its absolute nature grants the President excessive power. They liken it to a prerogative of the English Kings that the Framers vehemently despised. The argument also embraces a vast body of commentary on the "Imperial Presidency," that is, the growing accumulation of power in the executive relative to the legislative branch.

These arguments, in claiming an imbalance of federal powers, misrepresent the pocket veto. Unlike the royal prerogative, the pocket veto is exercised by a democratically-elected leader pursuant to a clearly defined constitutional procedure in which presentation of a bill by Congress may be arranged so as to thwart the possible execution of the pocket veto. Moreover, an absolute veto forecloses further action on a proposal whereas Congress may overcome a pocket veto by instituting a reintroduction and passage of the rejected bill in a subsequent term.

The "Imperial Presidency" developed from the encroachment of executive action into areas where it has been assumed that the legislative branch retains supremacy. The legislative process, however, clearly orders shared responsibility between the President and Congress. One should not mistake Presidential powers granted to block legislation for those that would, in effect, supplant congressional authorization. The latter threatens to override the constitutional system of checks and balances; the former situation, typified by the pocket veto, is a part of that system of checks and balances.

The arguments raised in Kennedy and Barnes implicitly claim that a regular veto would be overridden, or not exercised at all. Consequently, the pocket veto grants the President a special political tool against "popular will" as exercised by Congress. Herein lies the fundamental disagreement over the pocket veto. Opponents press for the President to defer to a seemingly inevitable congressional victory while proponents of this second type of veto stand behind its historical use by the President to stall or delay legislation he thinks unwise. If circumspection and deliberation are the more valued aspects of the law-making process, even the most blatantly political use of the pocket veto passes muster. Historical practice favours the President‘s role as an  interloper.    1 
 1. The word "interloper" ( Highlighted ) most nearly means:

A. one who unjustly assumes power through the use of force.
B. one who acts as a liaison between different parties.
C. one who prevents certain actions from occurring.
D. one who thinks carefully before acting.
E. one who lopes intermittently

2 
 2. The author refers to Kennedy and Barnes in the passage in order to:

A. prove that Congress opposes the pocket veto as a limit to its legislative power.
B. suggest that the validity of the pocket veto has been a matter of judicial concern.
C. show how the pocket veto‘s weaknesses override its strengths.
D. praise how the pocket veto can delay the legislative process.
E. criticise the pocket veto

3 
 3. The author suggests that opponents of the pocket veto would most likely agree that:

A. the President should not be allowed to exercise legislative authority.
B. use of the pocket veto unfairly removes power from the legislative branch.
C. Congress should have the right to override the pocket veto.
D. the absolute veto should be reinstated by Congress.
E. pocket veto is unconstitutional in character

RC Butler 2021  -  Practice Two RC Questions Everyday.   
Passage # 66 Date: 16-Feb-2021
 This question is a part of RC Butler 2021 .  Click here for Details

prashant6923 · Accepted Answer

Opponents press for the President to defer to a seemingly inevitable congressional victory while  proponents of this second type of veto stand behind its historical use by the President to stall or delay legislation he thinks unwise.

Above lines says it all.Per above sentence, president thinks before acting on the veto.

Hit Kudos if above gives you the explanation.

Sreyoshi007 · Answer

Could someone please explain why answer to question 1 is D?

I marked B, but now I'm realizing that option B is a more of a common-sense type answer, and hence is a trap.
But I'm not able to pin-point why D is the right choice.
Got the other 2 questions right. It was a very good passage.

Thanks!

VIVA1060 · Answer

Q1) The bill has been passed by Congress and has landed on the desk of the President. The debate and liaising between parties happen at the Congress level. With this information in mind, the passage says "circumspection and deliberation are the more valued aspects of the law-making process". Who must deliberate? President

Q2) Go to reference paragraph, para 3. The para doesn't say anything about the limit to the legislative power. It says "Herein lies the fundamental disagreement over the pocket veto". Therefore, Option B wins

Q3) We must be able to eliminate Option A, D, and E. The opponents of "pocket veto" don't say much. They say "Opponents of the pocket veto allege that its absolute nature grants the President excessive power". C is out. B is the answer

Kittipop56 · Answer

1. The word "interloper" (Highlighted) most nearly means:

A. one who unjustly assumes power through the use of force. (not mentioned)
B. one who acts as a liaison between different parties. (not mentioned)
C. one who prevents certain actions from occurring. (passage provides that President can delay but the matter could be resubmitted by Congress)
D. one who thinks carefully before acting. (Correct - "historical use by the President to stall or delay legislation he thinks unwise.")
E. one who lopes intermittently (not mentioned)

2. The author refers to Kennedy and Barnes in the passage in order to:

A. prove that Congress opposes the pocket veto as a limit to its legislative power. (out of scope)
B. suggest that the validity of the pocket veto has been a matter of judicial concern. (Correct - The arguments raised in Kennedy and Barnes implicitly claim that a regular veto would be overridden, or not exercised at all. Consequently, the pocket veto grants the President a special political tool against "popular will" as exercised by Congress. Herein lies the fundamental disagreement over the pocket veto.)
C. show how the pocket veto‘s weaknesses override its strengths. (not mentioned)
D. praise how the pocket veto can delay the legislative process. (not related to Kennedy and Barnes)
E. criticise the pocket veto (choice B looks better)

3. The author suggests that opponents of the pocket veto would most likely agree that:

A. the President should not be allowed to exercise legislative authority. (not mentioned)
B. use of the pocket veto unfairly removes power from the legislative branch. (Correct - > "Consequently, the pocket veto grants the President a special political tool against "popular will" as exercised by Congress.")
C. Congress should have the right to override the pocket veto. (not mentioned)
D. the absolute veto should be reinstated by Congress. (not mentioned)
E. pocket veto is unconstitutional in character (not mentioned)

aryan3 · Answer

I still feel for question 2nd C is a better answer can you please check it and can someone provide explanation why B is better

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. The author refers to Kennedy and Barnes in the passage in order to:

Difficulty Level:   750

Explanation

Go back to  Para 4  to review the mention of Kennedy and Barnes. It‘s not necessary to completely understand what it is, only why it‘s used. Since these are court cases that seem to be dealing with the pocket veto,  (B)  seems to make sense: if there have been at least two court cases on the matter, then the judicial branch has clearly concerned itself with the matter.

(A):  Out of Scope. Even if this is true, these two court cases wouldn‘t be mentioned in order to prove a point about Congress.

(B): The correct answer

(C):  Opposite. The author is mentioning a flaw in this paragraph, but he‘s in favour of the pocket veto: he wouldn‘t believe that the weaknesses override the strengths.

(D):  Distortion. Though the author agrees that the veto can delay legislation, he says that this is the only potential flaw of the veto, and so he wouldn‘t be inclined to praise this aspect in particular.

(E):  Incorrect, as described above.

Answer: B

VerbalBot · Answer

Hello from the GMAT Club VerbalBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.

Since 1789, the Constitution has granted the President the authority

Prep Toolkit

Top 5 GMAT Debrief Videos

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards

GMAT Reading Comprehension (RC) Questions

Since 1789, the Constitution has granted the President the authority

Prep Toolkit

615 to 715 in 15 Days (Ria's Strategies)

More than Quant/Verbal Abilities: Speed vs. Accuracy

745 with Only Self-Prep and GMAT Club

From 555 to 765: 210-point Improvement

Perfect 805 Score Debrief by Julia

My Rewards