GOVT 2301
Summer 2003
Study Guide – Exam #2
ESSAY QUESTIONS. Answer the following questions in a thorough essay (separate
essay for each question). Organize your essay(s) around a thesis statement. Include
an introduction, separate paragraphs developing your supporting arguments, and a
conclusion. A complete answer is one that addresses all parts of the question. Write
complete sentences and pay attention to spelling, grammar, and word choice. Do
NOT assume that “the instructor will know what you mean.”
1. Explain when government should pursue an expansionary fiscal policy and when it
should pursue a contractionary fiscal policy according to Keynesian economic
theory. Discuss what each of these entail. Outline the timing and political
problems encountered when applying fiscal policy in the “real world.”
2. What is the dominant ideology in American politics? What are the fundamental
assumptions of this system of thought? Analyze some of the specific values that
“flow from” these assumptions and which are held by most Americans. How is
each defined? Are there any inconsistencies among these values? Illustrate with
examples. [You may want to obtain the document entitled “Inventory of Liberal
Political Values” @
http://www.templejc.edu/dept/Govt/feagin/govt2301/LibVal.doc to help you
with this question.]
3. Why did bicameralism, separation of powers, checks & balances, and federalism
become prominent structural features of the Constitution? Explain the basic
premises of each. Provide examples to illustrate your points.
4. Some historians have argued that the genius of the Constitution lies in its “majestic
vagueness.” What do they mean by this? What is meant by the “gray areas” of
the Constitution? Identify and discuss four general ways that the Constitution has
been given specific meaning in these areas. Provide specific examples to
illustrate each of the four ways.
5. Compare and contrast the underlying theories of constitution-making with respect
to the U.S. and Texas constitutions. What are some features that the U.S. and
Texas constitutions have in common? What are some of the important differences
between the U.S. and Texas constitutions? Illustrate your points with examples.
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS. Answer the following questions in a paragraph (a
separate paragraph for each question). Do NOT answer specific parts as separate
items. Integrate your responses into a well-organized, well-constructed paragraph.
A complete answer is one that addresses all parts of the question. Write complete
sentences and pay attention to spelling, grammar, and word choice. Do NOT assume
that “the instructor will know what you mean.”
1. Explain the criticism of expansionary fiscal policy that arises from the Ricardian Equivalence
Theorem.
2. What do economists mean by the “crowding-out effect”? What are its implications for an
expansionary fiscal policy?
3. How can monetary policy be used to stabilize the macroeconomy? What arguments do
critics make with regards to the effectiveness of monetary policy?
4. Discuss the structure of a political ideology. What are the two levels of ideological thought?
In your discussion, define the terms: ideology and political culture.
5. Identify and discuss the original (or Madisonian) dilemma of government. Identify and
discuss the modern dilemma of government.
6. Identify and discuss the four strands of American liberal political thought? Provide policy
examples to illustrate your points. Are the orientations of each strand toward the role of
government consistent?
7. Identify and discuss the “liberal” (Enlightenment) principles of government that the
Americans outlined in their Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776.
8. How does the United States Constitution embrace the liberal principles of the Declaration of
Independence [specific provisions]?
9. What two general approaches did the framers of the Constitution take to limit the power of
government? Briefly discuss each. Why were they so preoccupied with the principle of
limited government?
10. Why was a bill of rights not originally included in the Constitution? Explain Madison’s
original position that a bill of rights was both unnecessary and undesirable. Why was a bill
of rights added later?
11. What are the major differences among unitary, confederal, and federal systems of
government?
12. What is constitutional federalism? What are the six defining characteristics of
constitutional federalism?
13. What does the principle of limited government [as a philosophical underpinning of
American constitutions] mean? How do American constitutions serve the principle of
limited government?
14. In what sense is the Texas Constitution of 1876 a “perpetual product of Reconstruction?”
15. What are some of the features of the current Texas Constitution which impede state
government’s ability to be responsive to changing conditions and circumstances?
IDENTIFICATION ITEMS. Define and identify the importance of the following items.
These items can generally be answered in two or three sentences. Students should
go beyond simple definitions of the terms or concepts to say why each is important.
It is possible that two terms may be paired in identification items. Your answer
should be written to demonstrate your familiarity with and understanding of both
terms or concepts in each pair. In this case, you should explain why the two are
juxtaposed. Here is an example:
[example] Article I, sec. 8:18 v 10th Amendment – Article I, sec 8:18 implies that the
national government has powers beyond those that are expressly delegated in the
Constitution while the 10th Amendment reserves for the states any powers not delegated by
the Constitution to the national government. These provisions reflect the competing
political philosophies of the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists respectively; consequently,
the question of the balance of constitutional powers between the two levels of government
must be resolved by judicial interpretation.
[These columns are not necessarily intended to represent pairs of terms that might be
juxtaposed on the exam.]
-political ideology
-civil order
-social order
-“freedom to”
-equality of opportunity
-republicanism
-popular sovereignty
-representative democracy
-procedural democracy
-majoritarian democracy
-elitism
-liberal democracy
-original dilemma
-populism
-progressivism
-totalitarianism
-Declaration of Independence
-rule of law
-social contract theory
-John Locke
-James Madison
-writ of habeas corpus
-selective incorporation doctrine
-bicameralism
-separation of powers
-10th Amendment
-Federalists
-unitary system
-Jeffersonian/Jacksonian democracy
-plural executives
-“long ballot”
-Keynesian economics
-productive capacity
-monetary policy
-Ricardian Equivalence Theorem
-political culture
-political order
-economic order
-“freedom from”
-equality of outcomes (results)
-monarchy
-direct democracy
-constitutional monarchy
-substantive democracy
-pluralism
-egalitarianism
-social democracy
-modern dilemma
-libertarianism
-conservatism
-anarchism
-the Articles of Confederation
-equal justice under law
-limited government
-Thomas Jefferson
-Montesquieu
-ex post facto law
-14th Amendment due process clause
-federalism
-checks and balances
-Bill of Rights
-Anti-Federalists
-confederacy
-Madisonian/Hamiltonian republicanism
-constitutional referenda
-Article II of the Texas Constitution
-aggregate demand
-fiscal policy
-”crowding-out effect”