Ex Officio refers to powers that come from...

• A. Powers resulting from holding a particular office, exercised by right of the office.
• B. Powers explicitly conferred by statute for a specific task.
• C. Powers inherent to all citizens regardless of office.
• D. Powers that can be delegated to staff only.

Answer: (A)

Ex officio means by virtue of the office. The authority attaches to the person because they hold a specific position, not because a separate grant is given for each task. In other words, certain powers are inherent to the office itself and are exercised simply because you occupy that office. This differs from powers that are explicitly granted by a statute for a particular task, or from rights that belong to every citizen, or from powers that are delegated to staff.