AP Government
Exam Review
1) When are public opinion polls the most
effective?
2) Name the 4 major origins of political
attitudes.
3) Out the 4 major origins, which is the #1
indicator of party affiliation?
4) Name the 3 influences and describe
how each one factors into political
opinion.
5) Describe a pure liberal.
6) Describe a pure conservative.
7) Describe a populist.
8) Describe a libertarian.
9) What is the difference between the
traditional middle class and the liberal
middle class?
10) What is the biggest barrier to voting in
the U.S. today?
11) Identify and describe the Motor Voter
Act of 1993 and its effects.
12) What amendments have expanded the
electorate in American history?
13) What were some of the evasive
strategies that Southern states used to
keep Blacks from voting?
14) What are the 2 theories on the decline
of Voter turnout?
15) Verba and Nie described 6 types of
people dealing with political
participation. Name and describe each
group.
16) Describe the demographic backgrounds
of “nonvoters.”
17) What causes someone to participate in
politics?
18) How does Church encourage people to
participate in politics?
19) What are some “physical barriers” to
voting?
20) What is the average voter turnout for
presidential elections in the United
States?
Political Parties
1) What is a political party?
2) What are the core functions of political
parties?
3) Explain why we have a two party
system in the US.
4) Discuss the effects of the 2 party
system.
5) Discuss the effects of divided
government.
6) How are political parties organized?
7) How have parties declined in power in
the last 50 years?
8) Identify the main obstacles to third
party success in American presidential
elections.
9) Define realignment.
10) Identify and describe four realigning
periods in the history of political
parties.
11) What coalitions make up the two
parties?
12) Define dealignment.
13) How has dealignment influenced
political campaigns?
Elections
1) Define primary, caucus, and
convention.
2) What is the winner-take-all method?
3) How do Democrats calculate delegates
to the national convention as opposed to
the GOP?
4) How have Democrats changed the rules
of their convention? (McGovern
reforms)
5) What are superdelegates and what effect
do they have on the presidential race?
6) What is Super-Tuesday and what effect
has this had on the process of
nominating a president?
7) After each party nominates a
presidential candidate, what are the next
steps in the campaign?
8) What are the rules of the Electoral
College?
9) What roles does the Presidential debate
have?
10) How does strategy differ in the
primaries versus the general campaign?
11) Identify and describe events in
presidential races that received
significant press attention…..(focus on
the debates of 1988 and 1992)
Interest Groups
1) What is the purpose of an interest
group?
2) How do interest groups differ from
political parties?
3) What are the incentives for being part of
an interest group?
4) What do interest groups do to influence
government?
5) Trace the origin and development of
PAC’s.
6) Discuss the effects of the McCainFeingold Campaign Finance reform
package.
Media
1) Why is the media referred to as the 4th
Branch of Government
2) What is the score-keeping function of
the media?
3) How does the media serve as the “Gatekeeper?”
4) What is “horse race” journalism?
5) Is the press liberal or conservative?
UK
China
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
11)
12)
13)
14)
Is China’s population homo or
heterogeneous?
Explain Communist party rule in China.
Who was Mao Zedong, what did he do
for China?
What was the purpose of the Cultural
Revolution?
What economic reforms did Deng
Xiaoping lead?
What political reforms has the
Communist party allowed in China?
Explain the purpose of the one-child
policy.
What is Falun Gong, what happened to
it?
What are TVE’s?
What are SEZ’s?
Who are the guanxi?
What was the iron rice bowl?
Who are the Han Chinese?
What is the idea behind the Mass Line?
Russia
1) What 4 Nations make up the UK?
2) Explain Democratic Gradualism in the
UK.
3) How does the Unwritten constitution of
the UK work?
4) Explain the UK 2-party system. Who
are the two major parties and who are
their constituencies?
5) Who is the primary 3rd Party in the UK
and what role did they play in the last
election?
6) How does the parliamentary system
work in the UK? What are irregular
elections?
7) Explain a corporatist system versus a
pluralist system.
8) What powers has the UK devoluted in
recent reform movements?
EU
1) What is a supranational organization?
2) How many members comprise the EU
currently?
3) What did the treaty of Maastricht
establish?
4) What is the role of the EU Council of
Ministers?
5) Explain the Monetary Union of the EU,
what is its significance?
6) Identify and explain two major EU
policies.
1.
2.
Glasnost and Perestroika
Who was the first elected President
of Russia?
3. What is the Russian Leg. Branch?
4. What was Shock Therapy?
5. Powers of the Russian President.
6. How is the Russian President
elected?
7. Political parties in Russia
8. Elections vs. Appointments in
Russia
9. Centralizing power in Russia
10. Putin’s policies