KAPLAN
AP U.S Government and Politics 2011– Free Response Questions by Chapter
Chapter 3: The development of the U.S federal system
Free-Response Questions
1. The government under the Articles of Confederation was collapsing, yet political leaders still feared a new form of republic.
a) Identify and describe two reasons the leaders feared the new plan.
b) Give two specific examples of how fears you identify in part.
A) Were alleviated in the compromises reached at the Constitutional Convention.
2. The two party system was already well entrenched in early years of the United States as a republic.
a) Identify the two mayor viewpoints concerning governmental controls and give one label used to identify the groups.
b) Explain how in the early split two political camps shaped any two of the compromises that were reached during the writing of the Constitution.
Chapter 4: The federal Constitution of 1787 and the amendments
Free-Response Questions
1. Federalism is a form of layered governmental powers.
a) Identify two ways in which federalism developed under the U.S system of the government.
b) Explain two ways this transformation of federalism occurred.
2. The Preamble of the Constitution promises the country certain goals of the government.
a) Identify any of the goals.
b) Identify and explain where these goals are addressed in the Constitution.
Chapter 5: Federalism and the U.S government
Free-Response Questions
1. Federalism in the United States has shifted from a form know as “dual federalism” to more “cooperative federalism.”
a) Define two kinds of federalism.
b) Explain why this newer system of “cooperative federalism” favors the powers of the central government.
2. Federalism was designed to protect the rights of citizens.
a) Identify three ways the structure of federalism is used to protect the rights of U.S residents.
b) Explain how the three ways identified in part (A) actually work to protect citizens.
Chapter 6: Political Beliefs and Behaviors
Free-Response Questions
1. The Labels liberal and conservative have changed dramatically in how they have been applied in U.S politics.
a) Identify three such changes in U.S political history.
b) Explain why these changes occurred.
2. Voter participation can be viewed as a negative for the country but also as a positive piece of evidence about our political system.
a) Identify two negatives of the low U.S voter turnout patterns.
b) Identify two ways the low turnout is possibly a form of positive evidence about our political system.
Chapter 7: Public Opinion and Polling
Free-Response Questions
1. The U.S public tends to view political polls in a positive light, while leaders tend to have negative opinion of polls.
a) Explain two ways the public views use and results of polls.
b) Explain two ways leaders see the same polls in a negative light.
2. Political socialization is the way voters tend to create their beliefs and actions about government.
a) Identify three forms of political socialization.
b) Explain the three forms.
c) Identify the most important form of political socialization.
Chapter 8: Political Parties
Free-Response Questions
1. (A) Identify two key roles of political parties play in the politics of the United States.
(B) Explain how the two roles you identified influence or control the agenda of the nation.
2. The Democratic and Republican parties are broad coalitions of mayor voting groups.
a) Identify three of the major subgroups of each party’s coalition.
b) Explain how each of the party coalitions has a form of unity in beliefs.
c) Explain why each coalition has major points of difference in goals.
Chapter 9: Campaigns and Elections
Free-Response Questions
1. Most efforts at restricting campaign contributions have generally failed.
a) Identify the difference between “hard money” contributions and “soft money” contributions.
b) Identify two reasons efforts at restricting contributions have failed.
c) Explain at least one reason some insist that campaign-funding restrictions should fail.
2. The Electoral College is clumsy and misunderstood, and it is an anachronism.
a) Explain two reasons the Electoral College is still in place.
b) Explain two reasons the Electoral College is opposed.
Chapter 10: Interest Groups, Lobbies, and Political Action Committees
Free-Response Questions
1. Interest and lobby groups have increased dramatically in a number and influence.
a) Explain two reasons for the increase in interest groups and lobby organizations.
b) Explain two reasons why lobby groups have a negative image in historic and public views.
2. Lobby leaders and lobby professionals wield many forms of power in Washington D.C.
a) Identify three ways lobby leaders wield power with the congress.
b) Explain why these forms of power are effective.
Chapter 11: Media and Its Functions
Free-Response Questions
1. The media has been described as a powerful in influencing development of the political agenda of the government.
a) Identify three ways in which the president or the Congress attempt to control media access and influence.
b) Explain two ways the media appears to achieve so much influence.
2. The impact of media coverage has varied and charged over the history of the U.S. Politics.
a) Describe two of the periods of media coverage.
b) Describe the goal of the media in trying to affect/bias the political agenda.
Chapter 12: The Legislative Branch
Free-Response Questions
1. The idea of “necessary and proper” powers has been used to expand the scope of Congress’s authority.
a) Identify the political name of the use of these powers.
b) Identify the power listed in Article 1 of the Constitution that Congress has most often expanded.
c) Identify and describe how one of the following cases was used for such expansion of powers.
Gibbons v. Ogden, 1824
Heart of Atlanta Motel v. U.S, 1964
2. Congress has created a system if lawmaking that is slow, difficult, and usually kills bills.
a) List and explain two ways Congress stops legislations.
b) Explain two reasons why this might be intentional and a positive.
Chapter 13: The Executive Branch
Free-Response Questions
1. Thought founders intended Congress to be the prime federal branch; presidents now find themselves the center of more attention and power.
a) Identify and describe two ways this trend toward presidential power has occurred (not counting the presidential authority over the bureaucracy).
b) Identify and explain how presidential authority over the federal bureaucracy has increased executive powers.
2. Recent Congress has attempted to regain authority from president.
a) Identify and describe at least two such efforts by Congress.
b) Identify and describe one way Congress has failed in these efforts.
Chapter 14: The Federal Bureaucracy
Free-Response Questions
1. The federal bureaucracy has gained power within the federal system.
a) Identify and explain a “legislative” power that the bureaucracy has assumed.
b) Identify and explain an “executive” power assumed by the bureaucracy.
c) Identify and explain a “judicial” power assumed by the bureaucracy.
2. Many see the bureaucracy as growing too rapidly and gaining too much power.
a) Identify how each of the three branches of the federal government can attempt to control the bureaucracy.
b) Explain at least one option the general public has in controlling bureaucratic powers.
Chapter 15: The Judicial System and Civil Liberties
Free-Response Questions
1. The judicial system of the United States is still the most “federal” part of the government.
a) Define how the court system is “federal” in structure.
b) Identify three kinds of authority federal courts control and what this overall level of power is called.
c) Identify two kinds of authority state courts control and what this overall level of power is called.
2. Cases can reach the Supreme Court in two ways.
a) Define the two ways cases go to the Supreme Court.
b) Identify two kinds of cases that go directly to the Supreme Court.
c) Identify at least two steps that occur when cases are appealed and accepted by the Supreme Court.
Chapter 16: The Federal budget and Economic Policies
Free-Response Questions
1. The executive branch has taken over the initiative in overall the process of the federal spending.
a) Identify and explain a way the executive branch has done this.
b) Identify and explain a way Congress has attempted to block this power of the executive.
2. Discretionary spending programs have become MORE difficult for the federal government.
a) Identify three reasons for this trend.
b) Explain how the identified reasons have contributed to the difficulties.
Chapter 17: Domestic Policy Domestic
Free-Response Questions
1. When large-scale problems are facing the nation, solutions are attempted. The government works in predictable patterns in order to put solutions in place.
a) Identify and explain any three steps government uses to address problems.
b) Describe how cost-benefit analysis can affect the process.
2. The government enacts different kinds of policies.
a) Identify three types of policies the government enacts.
b) Describe the political goals of the three types of policies.
Chapter 18: Foreign Policy: Military and Economic
Free-Response Question
1. NAFTA is a significant and well known example of foreign policy of the United States.
a) Identify and describe the goals of NAFTA or any other important international organization of which United States is a member.
b) Identify and explain one reason why different U.S. political groups might oppose an organization such as NAFTA or the organization you identified.
2. Executive decisions concerning foreign policy are checked by the legislative branch.
a) Describe two ways such policies are checked.
b) Identify and describe the mayor way such checks are informally avoided by the executive branch.
c) Explain why the president has a clear advantage in foreign policy decisions.
Answers
Chapter 3: The Development of the U.S. Federal System.
Free-Response answers
1. 4-points Rubric:
2 points in part (A): (Any two reasons
· Fear of a loss of state authority
· Fear of a loss of Tax authority
· Fear of a too-powerful executive
· Fear of a loss of many civil rights for state constitutions
· Fear of a national control of military powers
· Fear that the goals of the declaration of Independence would be abandoned.
2 points in part (B): (Any two from the Constitution)
· Specific mentions of state powers in sections such as Article 4
· Restrictions on tax legislation, it only being originated in the publicly elected house.
· Many checks on the executive, such as override or approval
· The limits of powers listed in Article 1 (Protection of Writs of Habeas Corpus)
· Promises of a Bill of Rights
· Control of the military by the House and Senate (selected states)
· Promises of the proper goals in the Preamble
2. 5-point Rubric
3 points in part (A): (identify two, label one)
· A desperate need for better central controls and organization versus an emphasis on local freedoms and civil freedoms
· Locke’s view versus those of Hobbes or Montesquieu, who favored more central powers
· Whigs or Tories
· Nationalist or Localist
· Federalist or Anti-federalist
· Federalist or Jeffersonian Democratic-Republicans
2 points in part (B): (explain the two sides shaping the Constitution)
· More central powers to tax
· More central powers to control interstate trade
· More central powers over a military
· More central powers with a federal court system
· Retained local power states
· Retained local control of selecting the Senate
· Retained local controls over selecting the executive
Chapter 4: The Federal Constitution of 1787 and the Amendments
Free-Response Answers
1. 4-point Rubric
2 points in part (A): (identify the two forms)
· States and federal government are separate and relatively equal.
· State rules apply to states; federal rules and the Constitution apply of federal areas/ jurisdiction only.
· National laws come to dominance.
· National rules and rights to apply to states.
· The Bill of Rights applies to states.
2 points in part (B): (explain the change)
· Supreme Court makes interpretations of federal authority
· Great Depression changes demand for federal authority
· WWII changes demand for federal authority
2. 6-points Rubric
2 points in part (A): (identify any two goals)
· A more perfect union
· Justice
· Domestic tranquility
· Common defense
· General welfare
· Blessings of liberty
4 points in part (B): (2 for identifying in the Constitution, 2 for explanations)
· Stronger central powers, such as federal tax powers, courts and executive, make a more perfect union.
· Some limits of Congress and state powers in Articles 1 and 4, along with federal courts, give justice.
· Writs of habeas corpus, no bills of attainder, no ex post facto laws, no taxes on exports, and guarantees of republican governments would create domestic tranquility.
· Congress’s power to regulate the military and the president’s powers to be commander in chief would provide defense.
· Congress’s powers to regulate trade and commerce and the court’s ability to solve conflicts would help with general welfare.
· The immediate creation of a Bill of Rights furthered the blessings of liberty.
Chapter 5: Federalist and the U.S Government
Free-Response Answers
1. 4-point Rubric
2 points in part (A): (define the two types)
· Dual-state and federal governments are relatively independent, judicial rights are separate to their own jurisdiction, separate Bills of Rights, separate definitions of citizenship for states.
· Cooperative-interstate trade in federal realm, issues related to interstate trade (civil rights) also in the federal realm, federal funds help states but imply federal control of the rules; civil rights from the federal Bill of Rights apply to states, citizenship a national issue.
2 points in part (B): (explain how this favors the federal powers)
· States need money and must rely on federal help; therefore, federal rules override state choices.
· All states must follow federal rights standards.
· Interstate trade can be interpreted very widely, thus applying many federal regulations on business and individuals.
2. 6-points Rubric
3 points in part (A): (identify three ways the structure is used)
· Checks of power
· Separations of power
· Balances of power
· Different jurisdictions of power
· Reserved powers
· Supremacy Clause
3 points in part (B): (explain how the three ways protect)
· No branch can function fully independently without the influence of other branches.
· Each branch has only certain powers and no others
· No branch should dominate (too much away).
· At least three levels of powers exist, and each is often unique (local, state, national).
· Powers are specifically protected for individuals and states, especially when not covered in the Constitution.
· If Conflicts occur, they can be resolved by national authority, especially if local and state governments abuse rights.
Chapter 6: Political Belief and Behaviors
Free-Response Questions
1. 6-point Rubric
3 points in part (A): (identify three changes)
· Early Republic: Liberal meant local controls; conservative meant nationalist.
· Jeffersonian liberal versus Hamiltonian conservative.
· Civil War: Liberal meant nationalist; conservative meant states’ rights.
· Progressive Era: Liberal meant nationalist, conservative meant laissez faire.
· Great Depression/Civil Rights: Liberal meant national support for workers; conservative meant pro business and less government.