What term describes a group of advisors to a head of state, such as a President's Cabinet?

• A. Advisory Council
• B. Board of Directors
• C. Senate
• D. Cabinet

Answer: (D)

Think about the group of top advisers the head of state depends on to shape policy and run the major government functions. That group is the Cabinet—the senior officials who lead the executive departments and meet to advise the president on policy and how to carry it out.

A cabinet fits this role precisely because it is an official body within the executive branch that directly supports the head of state in governing. In the United States, for example, the President’s Cabinet includes department heads who help set policy and manage federal agencies. By contrast, an advisory council is a general term for a group that offers advice but isn’t the formal executive governing body; a board of directors runs a corporation; and the Senate is a legislative body that makes laws, not the president’s advisory group.