AP EXAM REVIEW – GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS – SPRING 2011 -- PITZEL
AP GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
REVIEW REQUIREMENTS
This packet includes review materials for the AP US Government and Politics course. This is a comprehensive review designed to aid students in organizing and preparing for the AP US Government and Politics test. Though edits are done every year to improve its ability to prepare students, the overall structure of this review packet has proven to substantially impact student AP test scores. In the final analysis, preparation and success rest with the student. Students are cautioned to allow ample time for preparation for this rigorous exam.
UNIT ONE – FOUNDATIONS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
KEY CONCEPTS TO REMEMBER:
1. Government, politics, and public policy are interrelated. Government makes decisions about public policy through politics.
2. Politics is a natural and inevitable social process through which society expresses and manages its conflict. It'’ often been defined as “who gets what, when, and how. The political process is never-ending. Every government decision is, therefore, an interim one.
3. Government is made up of institutions that make public policy. We have different levels of government due to federalism, but each level shares some functions with other levels. Just exactly what governments should do is resolved through politics.
4. Ours is considered a democratic form of government. Although we do not directly participate in the everyday making of public policy, we are connected to government through several linkage institutions (elections, media, interest groups, and political parties).
5. A nation’s politics is profoundly affected by its political culture – people’s fundamental beliefs and assumptions about how government and politics should operate.
6. The socioeconomic characteristics of the people also have significant consequences for American politics. Changes in the population’s ethnic and racial composition, age distribution, places of residence and work, and lifestyle are creating new problems and demands for shifts in government policy.
7. The government’s past decisions affects today’s current policymaking process as well. The “Great Debate” is over the role and size of government in our society.
8. The Constitution was written as a result of a combination of historical, social, and political circumstances and events. Among these are America’s heritage as a British colony, as well as the lengthy evolution of representative government in Great Britain. The Constitution also mirrors the problems the young nation faced after the Revolution, the conflicts waged and the compromises offered at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and the struggle over ratification.
9. The Constitution embodies five basic principles: popular sovereignty and representative government tempered by indirect election, limited government, separation of powers and checks and balances, federalism, and judicial review.
10. The unusually long life and durability of the Constitution owes much to its concise yet flexible text, which has allowed Congress, the president, and the courts to interpret the Constitution in ways appropriate foe changing conditions. Because the Constitution has proven so adaptable, it has not been necessary to change it frequently through formal amendment. It is, however, not perfect.
11. The drafters of the Constitution sought to create a government capable of governing, promoting economic development, and maintaining individual rights. The Federalist Papers reflect this philosophy and were written to convince opponents of ratification. Since ratification, a movement toward greater political and social equality has resulted in a series of amendments that has advanced the cause of equality while leaving the fundamental structure unaltered.
12. The Constitution is not neutral in its impact. By dividing government power among the three branches of government and between the states and the federal government, it has made quick, decisive, and comprehensive policy making difficult. But at the same time, divided governmental power has provided citizens with multiple points of access to decision-makers, encouraged policy making through negotiation, bargaining, and compromise, and proven resistant to authoritarian rule.
13. Federalism is a constitutional division of powers of government between the national and the regional (state) governments, with each exercising significant powers. It was the “price of union” – a necessary means for creating one nation out of thirteen highly independent states.
14. Until the 1930’s, American federalism was characterized by the national and state governments operating in largely separate and distinct spheres of authority. But with the advent of the New Deal in the 1930’s and the subsequent extensions of the federal government’s role, federal-state relations have been characterized by cooperative federalism, in which responsibilities are shared among the federal, state, and local governments.
15. An essential element of cooperative federalism is the grant-in-aid system, which transfers funds from the federal government to the states and localities for the purpose of carrying out federal policies. Federal grants have enabled state and local governments to expand their services but have also made them heavily dependent on the federal government for funds.
16. Because of the expanded role of the federal government since the 1930’s the federal system of today is clearly more centralized than what the Framers envisioned. Which level of government should perform which functions and how these functions should be paid for are continuing sources of conflict and politics.
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1. Define the term “politics.”
2. Give examples of the “who,” “what,” “when,” and “how” of politics (Laswell Model).
3. Draw a diagram of how a policy system works.
4. List (and provide significance for) the four linkage institutions in a democratic society.
5. List the four major policymaking institutions in the United States
Define: “policy impacts”
6. List the five cornerstones of an ideal democracy.
7. Complete the chart:
THEORY / WHO HOLDS THE POWER / HOW POLICY IS MADEPLURALIST
ELITE AND CLASS
HYPERPLURALIST
8. What were the major components of John Locke’s political philosophy and how did they influence Thomas Jefferson’s writings?
9. How did the American government look under the Articles of Confederation?
10. What were the three major equality issues at the Constitutional Convention and how were they resolved?
11. What were the major economic problems addressed at the Constitutional Convention and how were they resolved?
12. What are the main points of the Madisonian model of government?
13. Complete the table:
ISSUES / FEDERALISTS / ANTIFEDERALISTSCIVIL LIBERTIES
POWER OF THE STATES
ECONOMY
14. Why did the Anti-Federalists believe the new Constitution was a class-based document?
15. What is meant by the “unwritten constitution?”
16. Describe the formal methods of amending the constitution:
17. List the four ways to informally amend the constitution. Be sure to provide a definition and example for each.
Method / Definition / Example1.
2.
3.
4.
18. List and explain the five Constitutional amendments that expanded the right to vote.
19. Draw a diagram of Federalism, including the differences between enumerated, implied, shared, reserved, concurrent, denied, inherent
20. Make a list of the powers that are enumerated, reserved, concurrent, and denied the federal and state governments
21. List the three items that are the supreme law of the land.
22. What is the significance of the tenth amendment?
23. Describe the three general obligations that each state has to every other state under the Constitution.
24. How is dual federalism analogous to a layer cake and cooperative federalism analogous to a marble cake?
25. Explain the three general standard operating procedures of cooperative federalism.
26. Explain the two types of categorical grants.
27. What is the difference between block grants and revenue sharing?
28. For what reasons might a state or locality not want to receive federal aid?
29. Complete the table:
Advantages of Federalism for Democracy / Disadvantages of Federalism for Democracy1. / 1.
2. / 2.
3. / 3.
4. / 4.
UNIT TWO – JUDICIAL BRANCH/CIVIL RIGHTS AND CIVIL LIBERTIES
KEY CONCEPTS:
1. The bill of rights was added to the Constitution to protect individual rights from encroachments by the federal government.
2. Since the 1920’s, the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause has been interpreted to include most of the protections guaranteed in the Bill of Rights and to prevent states from infringing on those rights. This is known as the Incorporation Doctrine, and the process of applying the Bill of Rights to the states is called “selective incorporation.”
3. The rights conferred by the Constitution are not absolute, and the extent of protection afforded by the Constitution has varied over time depending on a variety of political considerations, including the composition of the Supreme Court. It is the Supreme Court that plays the major role, but not the only one, guaranteeing individual rights and liberties. Ultimately, the nature of the rights and liberties enjoyed by Americans is determined through the political process.
4. Civil liberties are legal and constitutional protections against the government. Civil rights are policies that extend basic rights to groups that have, historically, been subject to discrimination.
5. Americans have never fully come to terms with the concept of equality and the Equal Protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. With the abandonment of the “separate but equal” doctrine in 1954 and the rise of the Civil Rights and women’s movements, the federal government has leaned toward policies aimed at tearing down the barriers represented by racial and other forms of discrimination. These policies, however, continue to stir major controversies within society as illustrated by the continuing debate over affirmative action programs.
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1. Explain the difference between criminal and civil law
2. What is meant by “justiciable disputes?”
3. What are the differences between constitutional and legislative courts?
4. Complete the following:
COURT / NUMBER OF COURTS / NUMBER OF JUDGES / JURISDICTION / POLICY IMPLICATIONSDistrict Court
Courts of Appeal
Supreme Court
5. What is the role of a US attorney?
6. Explain the practice of “senatorial courtesy.”
7. Name three conditions in which nominations to the Supreme Court are likely to run into trouble.
8. List six criteria that have been important in choosing Supreme Court justices over the years.
9. What are the four key functions of the solicitor general?
10. What are the functions of amicus curiae briefs?
11. What is the difference between a majority opinion, a dissenting opinion, and a concurring opinion?
12. What is the difference between stare decisis and precedent?
13. Explain the principle of judicial review
14. Complete the following:
COURT / BASIC IDEOLOGY / JUDICIAL RESTRAINT OR JUDICIAL ACTIVISM / KEY CASESWarren Court
Burger Court
Rehnquist Court
15. What’s the difference between Judicial activism and judicial restraint?
16. Complete the following as the terms apply to the Supreme Court:
TERM / DEFINITION / EXAMPLEPOLTICAL QUESTION
STATUTORY CONSTRUCTION
17. Define: Civil liberties
18. What was the most important difference between the Supreme Court’s decision in Barron v. Baltimore and Gitlow v. New York?
19. What is the incorporation doctrine?
20. Complete the Chart:
CASES CONCERNINGTHE ESTABLISHMENT CLAUSE / SIGNIFICANCE
21. Define: “prior restraint”
22. Complete the chart:
CASES CONCERNINGFREE SPEECH AND PUBLIC ORDER / SIGNIFICANCE
23. What is a shield law?
24. Explain the two facets of the freedom of assembly
25. Draw a diagram of the criminal justice system as a series of funnels.
26. How are the following terms interrelated: probable cause, unreasonable searches and seizures, search warrant, and exclusionary rule?
27. Complete the Following:
CASES CONCERNING THE DEATH PENALTY / SIGNIFICANCE28. Complete the following:
CASES CONCERNING ABORTION / SIGNIFICANCE29. What are the three key types of inequality in America?
30. Explain the two major conceptions of equality.
31. Complete the following table:
Era of Struggle for African American Equality / Major policy focus of that era / Major court cases and their importance in that era / Acts of Congress/ Constitutional amendments passed32. What is the difference between de jure and de facto segregation?
33. What are the six major provisions of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
34. Complete the chart:
Ways in which the Southern states denied the African American vote / SIGNIFICANCE35. List three other minority groups that have faced discrimination similar to that experienced by African Americans
36. Explain: “protectionism”
37. What was the Equal Rights Amendment?
38. Complete the following:
CASES CONCERNINGSEX-BASED DISCRIMINATION / SIGNIFICANCE
39. What is meant by “comparable worth?”
40. How has the Supreme Court dealt with the issue of sexual harassment?
41. In what ways are the elderly and the young discriminated against in American society?
42. Define: “affirmative action”
43. Complete the following:
Cases in which the Supreme Court seems to SUPPORT affirmative action (AND SIGNIFICANCE) / Cases in which the Supreme Court seems to OPPOSE affirmative action (AND SIGNIFICANCE)THE POLITICAL SYSTEM AND ELECTIONS
PUBLIC OPINION – chapter 6
1. Public opinion is the population’s attitudes on an issue or question. It can be measured by a variety of techniques, but with a high degree of accuracy by scientific polling.
2. To understand the nature of public opinion on an issue, one must understand the carious dimensions and characteristics of public opinion.
3. Political socialization is the process by which people acquire an awareness of the facts about and values concerning politics. It is a lifelong process. Among the major agents of socialization are the family, schools, peers, and the mass media.
4. Political attitudes vary in America depending on such socioeconomic characteristics as education, income/class, ethnicity and race, religion, region, and gender.
5. A political ideology is an organized, coherent set of attitudes on government and public policy. Liberal and conservative ideologies have taken on a multidimensional character, reflecting not only the traditional for government’s role in society but also social and foreign policy concerns. Most Americans do not approach politics from ideological perspective.
6. Public opinion has its greatest impact on government decision making when people feel strongly about clear-cut preferences. Although government policy tends to coincide with public opinion, this may not always be the case, particularly when a well organized interest group intervenes or public apathy is evident.