A.P. GOVERNMENT
Take Home Free Responses
Directions: Each of the prompts below MUST be answered. Although you do NOT need to write
traditional essays for the responses, you should use complete sentences for each section. Each
question can be answered in outline form (i.e., a—answer, b—answer, etc.) and you do NOT need
transitions between the sections. Each section should reflect a clear and thorough understanding of
the concepts. Be sure to give specific and complete answers. Your responses should be typed and
follow formal writing conventions. It is in your best interest to first see whether you can answer
these questions without referring to any sources (e.g., textbook, prep book, etc.). These questions
can help you review for the exam, but only if the answers come from your own efforts.
Question 1: Due Tuesday 4/29.
Initially, the United States Constitution did little to protect citizens from actions of the states. In
the twentieth century, the Supreme Court interpreted the Constitution to protect the rights of
citizens from state governments in a process referred to as incorporation.
(a) Define selective incorporation AND explain the process through which it works.
(b) For the following, explain how each has been incorporated. Each of your
explanations must be based on at least one specific and relevant Supreme Court
decision. Be sure to explain how each demonstrates incorporation.
 Rights of criminal defendants
 2nd Amendment
 Privacy Rights
Question 2: Wednesday 4/30
In The Federalist paper number 10, James Madison expressed concern over the possibility that
both majority and minority factions would have too much power over government, and he
presented ways of minimizing that danger. The United States Constitution established a
democratic government but also contained several provisions that limited majority rule.
Throughout the next two centuries, the role of majority rule in the United States government and
politics continued to change.
(a)
Identify the part of the national government that was originally most closely tied to
citizens and explain how it was tied to citizens.
(b)
Explain two ways the United States Constitution limited majority rule.
(c)
Choose two of the following twentieth-century developments and explain how each
moved the United States from a less democratic system to a more democratic system.
• Primary elections
• The Seventeenth Amendment