Study Guide
1. Identify and explain Laswell’s, Easton’s, and Feagin’s definitions of politics.
2. Define government. Explain government’s legitimate use of force. Why do people
agree to obey government’s laws?
3. List and discuss at least three purposes of government found in the Preamble to the
U.S. Constitution.
4. Discuss the meaning of democracy, focusing on the democratic ideals favored in the
United States.
5. What is the paradox of democracy? How does the U.S. Constitution provide limits
on the power of majorities?
6. Outline and discuss public policy’s five defining characteristics.
7. What is a theory or model? Why do models in political science and other social
sciences make simplifying assumptions? What forms might a model used in political
science take?
8. Discuss the five stages of the policy-making process (the production line model).
Outline the activities and actors that may be involved in each stage.
9. Discuss the policy classification scheme introduced in class, identifying the activity of
government associated with each class and providing examples to illustrate each
class. What two questions must be answered in order to classify policy under this
scheme?
10. Discuss the pros and cons of the “American dilemma.”
11. Compare equality of opportunity with equality of results. What issues may occur
with each?
12. With the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, do you
believe that we have reached the end of history? Why or why not?
13. Explain what is meant by the statement, “consent of the governed.” What effect has
this ideal had on government in the United States?
14. Discuss the two dimensions of public policy debate: mainstream and radical. How
do we distinguish between mainstream and radical viewpoints? Using the policy
classification scheme introduced in class discussions, discuss the mainstream and
radical perspectives on each policy class, illustrating with appropriate examples.
15. Identify the following:
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public agenda
official agenda
policy statement
implementing actions
statute
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executive order
administrative ruling
court decision
informal policy statement
radical left
radical right
primary target group
privatization
civil disobedience
authoritative government
authoritarian government
totalitarian government
democratic government
elitist perspective
pluralist perspective
legitimacy
social contract
direct democracy
representative democracy
classical liberalism
“politically correct” thinking
Thomas Hobbes
John Locke
limited government
capitalism
libertarians
populists
liberals
conservatives
Marxism
separation of powers/checks and balances
Federalists
Anti-Federalists
George Mason
Equal Rights Amendment
judicial review
Charles Beard’s Economic Interpretation of the Constitution
Articles of Confederation
Declaration of Independence
Connecticut Compromise
James Madison
Bill of Rights
MISCELLANEOUS BITS OF INFORMATION TO BEAR IN MIND:
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Do NOT hesitate to ask questions of the instructor concerning any of the information
you do not understand. The best time to ask questions is before rather than after
the exam. Of course, during the exam is completely out of the question!
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It is the view of the instructor that the best way to prepare for the exam is to spread
your studying out over the course of several study sessions. “Cramming” or setting
aside a single block of time to study, regardless of the length, usually does not
promote genuine understanding of concepts, themes, or major emphases.
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This study guide is quite detailed. It has been prepared to include the major themes,
concepts, and emphases covered in class, as well as specific information from class
lectures and reading assignments.
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Take full advantage of this study guide. I advise you to write out answers to ALL of
the questions on this study guide, in as complete fashion as you would if you were
writing answers for the actual exam. Then, study the answers you have written as
opposed to studying from your notes. Of course, the gamblers among you will
attempt to determine which questions they believe are likely to appear on the actual
exam and only prepare answers to those questions. The questions that you will see
on the exam are included in the study guide before you. It is up to you to utilize it in
the way that maximizes your benefit. In short, the exam will essentially be a test of
your preparation! Therefore, if you choose not to prepare yourself and do poorly,
you have no one to blame except yourself; nothing to fear but fear itself; make your
bed, now lie in it; dance with them that brung ‘ya; to get along, go along; the
squeaky wheel gets the grease; ‘tis better to give than to receive; spare the rod,
spoil the child; ask not what your country can do for you, rather ask what you can do
for your country; the early bird gets the worm; a rolling stone gathers no moss; it’s
better to be hacked off than hack-sawed;
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Use the space below to add your own hackneyed expressions and useless clichés: