GOVT 2302
Fall 2002
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. Is the legislative process in Congress stream-lined and efficient or protracted and
cumbersome? What is a “veto point?” Identify the primary veto points in the
legislative process. How many veto points can be associated with a typical bill in
Congress?
2. What types of committees exist in Congress? What are their respective purposes?
Analyze and assess the validity of the following statements: “The committee
system is what makes Congress work.” “The committee system is at the heart of
the organizational decentralization and policy fragmentation in Congress.”
3. In Plato’s GORGIAS, Socrates makes a distinction between an art and a craft (knack).
Examples of arts are medicine and gymnastics; examples of crafts include
cookery and cosmetics. Medicine and gymnastics are arts, according to Plato,
because they are concerned with the good of the object with which they work. In
this case, both seek to promote the true health of the human body. Cookery and
cosmetics, on the other hand, are crafts because their primary concern is with
producing a pleasure response in the human body. Cookery seeks to make food
appetizing, often without regard to its nutritive value – and sometimes even to its
detriment. Similarly, cosmetics seeks only the appearance of good health. The
ancient Greek philosophers thought of politics as an art and rhetoric as a craft.
Does this metaphor hold true for American presidential politics? Is successful
presidential leadership an art or a craft? What does Tom Wicker conclude about
the Carter and Reagan presidencies in this regard? What do these two cases
teach us about public expectations concerning presidential leadership? Bear in
mind that in contemporary American usage, we would probably use the word
“statesmanship” where the Greeks used the word “politics.” We would use the
word “politics” where they used the word “rhetoric.” Webster’s dictionary
defines statesmanship as “the art of exercising political leadership wisely without
regard to narrow partisan or political consequences.”
4. Describe the growth of federal bureaucracies since the Constitution took effect in
1789. Why have the bureaucracies of the national government grown over the
last 120 years?
5. Discuss the role of the United States Supreme Court as a policy-maker. What do
we mean when we say that a court decision has policy impact? How does this
differ from legal impact? Give examples of U.S. Supreme Court [USSC] decisions
that have policy impact. Why is compliance important as a criterion of judicial
policy-making? Give examples of USSC decisions that meet this criterion. Explain
your 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, wellconstructed 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. What are the two principal functions of Congress? Explain the inherent conflict
that exists between these two functions. How might this conflict explain Fenno’s
dilemma?
2. Identify four meanings of representation.
3. Discuss the implications of bicameralism in the United States Congress. Explain
some of the differences between the United States House of Representatives and
the United States Senate.
4. Identify and briefly discuss the factors that appear to contribute to an incumbency
advantage in congressional elections.
5. What is the “honeymoon effect?” What factors contribute to this phenomenon?
6. What is meant by the “media presidency?” What is meant by the “textbook
presidency?” How do these perpetuate a “mythological presidency?” Explain
why the true nature of presidential power is personal, episodic, and negative.
7. Detail the constitutional basis of presidential power. Are the president’s powers
broad and flexible or narrow and restricted?
8. Discuss the three “games” (agenda game, coalition game, and image game) that a
president must master to be successful , providing examples to illustrate.
9. Describe bureaucracy. Discuss the premises of the classical model of
bureaucracy.
10. What types of bureaucracies are found in the executive branch? Briefly discuss
their purposes and relationship to the White House.
11. What is the difference between the original and appellate jurisdictions of the
United States Supreme Court [USSC]? Which is the primary source of cases on the
USSC’s docket?
12. Contrast the theory of merits consciousness with cue theory.
13. What is judicial review? Discuss the ‘historical’ birth’ of judicial review in
MARBURY V MADISON [1803]. What were the facts of the case? What was the
constitutional issue? What did the USSC decide? What was the long-term
significance of the case?
14. What is meant by judicial activism? What is meant by judicial restraint? Explain
why judicial activism or restraint should not be confused with political liberalism
or conservatism.
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 intended to represent pairs of terms that might be juxtaposed on the
exam.]
-bicameralism
-logrolling
-cloture
-political action committees
-casework
-franking privilege
-Senate majority leader
-rider
-delegate
-reciprocity
-pardon
-Executive Office of the President
-presidential veto
-treaties
-formal rule-making
-merit system
-authorization bill
-sunset laws
-capture theory
-stare decisis
-appellate jurisdiction
-rule of four
-writ of mandamus
-concurring opinion
-iron triangle (subgovernment)
-pigeon-holed
-filibuster
-incumbency
-General Accounting Office
-pork barreling
-Speaker of the House
-vice-president of the United States
-trustee
-politico
-impeachment
-cabinet
-gridlock
-veto point
-War Powers Act
-adjudication
-spoils system (patronage)
-appropriations bill
-regulation
-judicial review
-original jurisdiction
-amicus curiae brief
-writ of certiorari
-majority opinion
-dissenting opinion
-revolving door