AP GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
UNIT 1 EXAM STUDY GUIDE
EXAM DATE: 12/20/12
80 POINT ASSESSMENT
60 MULTIPLE CHOICE (1 point each)
1 FREE RESPONSE QUESTION (20 points)
CHAPTER 1 - WHAT SHOULD WE KNOW ABOUT AMERICAN GOVERNMENT?
ENDURING QUESTIONS
1.
If citizens are fit to select political leaders, why may they be unfit to decide public policies?
2.
What is democracy, and why is democracy alone not sufficient to protect personal freedom?
OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this chapter is to give students an understanding of the unique aspects of U.S. politics, policies, and
institutions when compared to those of European democracies. The chapter begins with a discussion of why
government is necessary, and what a democratic government is, and ends with a discussion of American politics and
what it means for citizens.
After reading and reviewing the material in the chapter, the student should be able to do the following:
1.
Differentiate between “representative” and “direct” democracy, noting the advantages and disadvantages of
each type.
2.
Explain why the U.S. government, although familiar to its own citizens, is significantly different from other
democratic political systems in terms of both politics and policy outcomes.
3.
Define and summarize the major constitutional components, political processes, and strengths and weaknesses
of presidential and parliamentary democratic systems.
4.
Explain that the distinctiveness of democracy in the United States is a product of two closely related factors:
the Constitution and the citizenry’s opinions and values.
KEY TERMS
politics
government
democracy
direct democracy
representative democracy
republic
legitimate
parliamentary system
presidential system
CHAPTER 2 - THE CONSTITUTION
ENDURING QUESTIONS
1. What was wrong with the Articles of Confederation?
2. How did the authors of the Constitution view human nature?
3. How can a government be strong enough to govern without threatening freedom?
4. Has the system of separated powers and checks and balances protected liberty?
OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this chapter is to introduce students to the historical context within which the United States
Constitution was written. The Framers of the Constitution sought to create a government capable of protecting
liberty and preserving order. The solution they chose—one without precedent at that time—was a government
based on a written constitution that combined the principles of popular consent, separation of powers, and
federalism.
Popular consent was most evident in the procedure for choosing members of the House of Representatives.
However, popular consent was limited by the requirements that senators be elected by their state legislatures and
presidents by the Electoral College. Powers were separated among branches that then had to cooperate to effect
change. Thus, separation of powers was joined to a system of checks and balances. The Framers hoped this system
would prevent tyranny, even by a popular majority.
Federalism came to mean a system in which both the national and state governments had independent authority.
Allocating powers between these two levels of government and devising means to ensure that neither large nor
small states would dominate the national government required the most delicate compromises at the Philadelphia
convention. The Framers’ decision to protect the institution of slavery was another compromise, which presumably
helped to ensure the Constitution’s ratification by states engaged in the slave trade.
In the drafting of the Constitution and the struggle for its ratification, the positions people took were determined by
a variety of factors. In addition to their economic interests, these included profound differences of opinion over
whether the state governments or the national government would be the best protector(s) of personal liberty.
After reading and reviewing the material in this chapter, the student should be able to do the following:
1.
Explain the notion of “higher law,” by which the colonists felt they were entitled to certain “natural rights.”
List these rights.
2.
Compare the basis on which the colonists felt a government could be legitimate.
3.
List and discuss the shortcomings of government under the Articles of Confederation.
4.
Compare and contrast the Virginia and New Jersey plans and show how they led to the Great Compromise.
5.
Explain why separation of powers and federalism became key parts of the Constitution.
6.
Explain why a bill of rights was not initially included in the Constitution and why it was added.
7.
List and explain the two major types of constitutional reform advocated today, along with specific reform
measures.
KEY TERMS
Articles of Confederation
sovereignty
unicameral legislature
Shays’s Rebellion
Great (or Connecticut) Compromise
republic
judicial review
separation of powers
federalism
checks and balances
faction
Federalists
Antifederalists
Federalist Papers
coalition
CHAPTER 8 - Campaigns and Elections
ENDURING QUESTIONS
1.
What is the best way to calculate the rate at which Americans vote?
2.
What factors chiefly influence who wins a presidential election?
3.
Can federal laws keep big money out of political campaigns?
OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES
This chapter provides an overview of some of the common folklore, amazing intricacies, and scholarly examinations
of the United States’ most exciting political institution, the election. Major topics include, but are not limited to,
debates about citizen apathy and voter turnout, candidate-centered campaigning, special interest groups and
campaign finance, realigning elections, and partisan coalition building.
After reading and reviewing the material in this chapter, the student should be able to do the following:
1.
Explain why elections in the United States are both more and less democratic than those of European
democracies.
2.
Explain how the control of elections has shifted from states to the federal government, and discuss the effect
of that shift on African Americans, women, and youth.
3.
Debate whether a decline in voter turnout has occurred since the late 1800s, identifying the factors that tend to
limit voter participation.
4.
Analyze the differences between the party-centered campaigns of the nineteenth century and the candidatecentered ones of today.
5.
Discuss why the party with the most registered voters doesn’t necessarily win the election.
6.
Define realigning (or critical) elections. List the realigning elections of the past, and debate whether a
realignment is presently underway.
7.
Describe what the Democratic and Republican Parties must do to win a presidential election.
8.
Discuss whether elections result in major public-policy changes in the United States.
9.
Discuss the nature and role of campaign funding. Describe reform efforts, and assess their effectiveness.
KEY TERMS
activist
Australian ballot
voting-age population (VAP)
voting-eligible population (VEP)
registered voters
motor-voter law
general election
primary election
closed primary
open primary
blanket primary
runoff primary
presidential primary
spots (campaign)
visual (campaign)
retrospective voters
prospective voters
Critical, or realigning, periods
New Deal coalition
split-ticket voting
party-column ballot
office-bloc ballot
straight-ticket voting
selective attention
political action committee (PAC)
independent expenditures
soft money
matching funds
527s
CHAPTER 7 - POLITICAL PARTIES AND INTEREST GROUPS
ENDURING QUESTIONS
1.
Why are political parties weaker today than in the past?
2.
Why does America have just two major political parties?
3.
Why does America have so many interest groups?
OVERVIEW AND OBJECTIVES
First, this chapter provides a detailed exploration of one of the unique aspects of U.S. politics: political parties in a two-party
system. Second, the chapter surveys the wide variety of interest groups, or lobbies, that operate in the United States and
assesses their impact on the political system.
After reading and reviewing the material in this chapter, the student should be able to do the following:
1.
Define the term political party, and contrast the structure of European and American parties, paying particular attention to
party identification and federalism in the United States.
2.
Trace the development of the party system through its four periods.
3.
Describe the structure of a major party, and distinguish powerful from powerless party units. Discuss the organizational
priorities of Democrats and Republicans.
4.
Discuss how delegate selection rules have influenced the conduct of presidential nominating conventions. Discuss the
increasing importance of primaries in relation to the “boss” system.
5.
Describe the machine, discuss its functions, and trace its decline. Contrast its performance with that of ideological and
reform parties.
6.
Offer two explanations for the persistence of the two-party system. Explain why minor (or third) parties form and why
they are so rarely successful.
7.
Discuss whether there are important differences between the two major parties.
8.
Explain why U.S. society and the government encourage a multiplicity of interest groups, especially in comparison with
European democracies.
9.
Indicate the historical conditions under which interest groups are likely to form, and specify the kinds of organizations
Americans are most likely to join.
10.
Describe relations between leaders and rank-and-file members of interest groups, showing why leaders may not always
act in accord with members’ beliefs.
11.
Describe several lobbying techniques that interest groups use to formulate and carry out their political objectives.
12.
Describe the problems involved with “revolving door” government employment and the efforts made to regulate
lobbyists.
KEY TERMS
faction
political party
national convention
national committee
congressional campaign committee
national chairman
federal money
soft money
political machine
ideological party
solidary
personal following
single-member districts
proportional representation
plurality system
caucus (congressional)
interest group
political efficacy
solidary incentives
material incentives
purposive incentive
public-interest lobby
pluralist theory (politics)
cue (political)