Government Midterm Study Guide
Comparative Government
1. What happens if a government loses legitimacy?
2. What is power?
3. Give 3 examples of public goods
4. How did some early kings claim where their power came from?
5. If a politician offers something in exchange for something he wants, he is engaging in which form of political games?
6. If a labor union threatens to go on strike, which form of political games are they using?
7. What was perhaps the earliest form of government?
8. Which society is associated with direct democracy?
9. What happened to Rome when its Republic fell?
10. Is there private property under communism?
11. Which form of government is based on the myth of racial superiority and led by a powerful leader?
12. Which country today has a king who still holds power?
13. What is a unitary system?
14. What type of economy are almost all countries classified as to some degree or another?
15. What is a free-market economy?
16. What type of system of government, unitary, federal, or confederal, does the US have?
17. What is a parliamentary democracy? Name a nation with this type of government.
Roots of American Democracy
18. Name 3 English documents and how they influenced the development of our system of government?
19. Briefly describe the difference between Locke and Hobbes
20. How did Montesquieu’s idea of the separation of branches affect our Constitution?
21. What agreement was created by the Pilgrims?
22. What was the first legislative body in the US?
23. What is the purpose of the Declaration of Independence?
24. Name 4 weaknesses of the Articles of Confederations
25. Name 3 key issues at the Constitutional Convention
26. Name 4 differences between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists
27. Briefly describe what Federalist #10 is about.
28. Principles of the Constitution, Civil Liberties, Bill of Rights, and Federalism
29. What are separations of powers?
30. What are checks and balances?
31. The Constitution replaced which prior ruling document?
32. What’s Shay’s Rebellion?
33. What’s the Virginia plan?
34. What’s the New Jersey plan?
35. Name at least 4 powers of Congress
36. Name 3 powers of the President
37. Which court case established Judicial Review?
38. What are the 2 ways a new amendment ratified?
39. What’s the 14 amendment?
40. What are 3 reserved powers?
41. What’s duel federalism?
42. What’s new federalism?
43. What are grants?
44. What’s the difference between libel and slander?
45. What are 3 limits on freedom of speech?
State & Local Government, Citizenship, Parties, Interest Groups, Public Policy, Public Opinion, the Media,
Political Campaigns and Elections Review
46. What is a quorum?
47. Name 3 responsibilities of the state legislatures
49. What is apportionment?
50. What is gerrymandering?
51. Name 4 responsibilities of state governors
52. What are the 2 main kinds of courts in a state judicial system?
53. Describe the mayor-council system.
54. Describe the council-manager system.
55. Describe the commission system.
56. Describe the rights of lawful permanent residents.
57. Describe the rights of citizens.
58. Briefly describe what a liberal is.
59. Briefly describe what a conservative is.
60. Briefly describe what a libertarian is.
61. Briefly describe what a socialist is.
62. What were the first 2 political parties in the US?
63. What is an interest group?
64. What is lobbying?
65. What is Political Action Committee?
66. What are the different kinds of media bias?
67. What is a caucus?
68. What is a primary?
Congress
69. What are the qualifications and term length of a House Representative?
70 What are the qualifications and term length of a Senator?
71. What are 3 unique powers given to the House of Representatives?
72. What are 4 unique powers given to the Senate?
73. What are 10 powers given to Congress?
74. What are the leaders of the House and Senate?
President
75. What are the qualifications to be President?
76. List 5 powers of the President.
77. Name 2 ways Washington influenced the office of President
78. Name 5 Cabinet Offices of the Executive Branch
79. Name 1 way Andrew Jackson expanded the powers of the Presidency?
80. Name 2 ways Lincoln perhaps overstepped his boundaries during the Civil War
81. What famous executive order did Lincoln issue?
82. How did FDR expand the powers of the Presidency?
83. What is an independent agency?
84... What is an executive order?
85. What are 3 roles of the President?
Judicial Court
86. What is Judicial Review?
87. Who appoints a Supreme Court Judge, who confirms it, and how long do they serve?
88. What was the result of McCulloch vs Maryland?
89. What was the result of Gibbons vs Ogden?
90. What is a District Court?
91. Who creates courts outside of the Supreme Court?
92. Name 4 types of cases in which the Supreme Court has jurisdiction.
93. What’s the difference between criminal and civil cases?