Advanced Placement U. S. Government and Politics

OakdaleHigh School

Advanced Placement U. S. Government and Politics

2018 Summer Work Requirements

All students enrolled in Advanced Placement U. S. Government and Politics for the 2017-2018 school year will be required to complete two specific assignments during the summer. Both assignments are due on Thursday, July 26, 2018. The purpose of this information sheet is to enumerate the requirements for those assignments. The teacher expects students to complete each of the following assignments demonstrating a very high level of quality in their work. Failure to submit both assignments on the due date as well as submission of work that the teacher considers to be of a sub-par quality for an AP level course will result in the student being involuntarily removed from the course prior to the start of the school year.

Project 1—Stock Report: At the Summer Work Meeting in May, I shall assign each student a specific stock from the New York Stock Exchange (separate MS Excel document.) At that meeting I shall record the number of each student’s stock. The student is responsible for keeping track of that stock for a period of 30 days, beginning on a date of the student’s choice, but ending not later than July 24, 2018. The student is responsible for submitting three items for this project: 1) a 1-2 page paper (double spaced, typewritten) outlining the general background, history, and subsidiary companies of the company the stock represents. Students must document their research parenthetically in the body of the paper and also include a Works Cited page indicating the sources from which they obtained the information for that section of the project; 2) A chart that indicates how the value of the stock changed over the 30-day period studied—the chart must include at least 3 entries for each week in the 30-day period. Charts should be line diagrams done on graph paper or on a computer program; 3) A 1-2 page analysis of the data recorded on the aforementioned chart indicating why the student believes the stock behaved as it did over the 30-day period. Students may use professional analyses from outside sources; however if students use such analyses they must document their sources parenthetically in the paper and on the aforementioned Works Cited page. The entire project must also have a cover sheet, indicating, as a minimum, the name of the stock and the student’s name.

Project 2—Research Paper: At the Summer Work Meeting in May, I shall assign each student an essay question from a released National A. P. U. S. Government and Politics test (2007-2016) (pp. 2-6 below). At that meeting I shall record the number of each student’s assignment. The student is responsible for researching each part of the question and, in as efficient a manner as possible, answering it as completely as he or she can. This is a research project. As such, students must parenthetically document the sources of their information in the body of the paper and indicate all research sources on a Works Cited page at the end of the paper. I shall not grant permission for alternate topics. I shall, however, be available most of the summer to provide assistance with research as needed. Papers are due on Thursday, July 26, 2018. I may extend that due date to a later time if unforeseen circumstances pertaining to MY situation warrant a change.

On the due date, students must bring both of their papers to Oakdale High School classroom F-11 between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. Students desiring to submit their papers before the due date (something that I would welcome) may do so by email. The value of the stock report is 100 points and the value of the research paper is 50 points. I shall include each student’s scores, out of the 150 total possible points for summer work, in the First Quarter grade, which will also become part of that student’s First Semester grade. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail should you have any questions about these projects or any other issues pertaining to this course. My e-mail addresses are: and . Additionally, as the summer progresses, students should periodically check the class website ( for announcements and possible changes to due dates.

Oakdale High School

Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics

Mr. Simoncini

Project 2 Topics

1. There are several different approaches to representation within a democratic political system.

(a) Define direct democracy.

(b) Define republican form of government.

government over a direct democracy.

(d) Describe each of the models of congressional representation.

Trustee model (attitudinal view)
Delegate model (representational view)

(e) Explain why a member of Congress might sometimes act as a trustee (attitudinal view) rather than a

delegate (representational view).

2. Political parties play important roles in United States elections and government institutions. Over the past several decades, the influence of political parties in elections has declined while their strength in Congress has increased.

(a) Describe two important functions of political parties in United States elections.

(b) Describe one important role political parties play within Congress to promote the party’s public policy agenda.

(c) Explain how each of the following factors has weakened the influence of political parties over the political process.

Direct primaries
Candidate-centered campaigns

(d) Explain how party polarization has strengthened party influence in Congress.

3. The public policy process is complex. The formation, enactment, and implementation of public policy involve many government institutions.

(a) Explain the importance of each of the following in the formation of the policy agenda.

Media
Elections

(b) Describe the roles of each of the following in the enactment of public policy.

Congressional committees
Executive orders

Bureaucratic discretion
Issue networks OR iron triangles

4. Members of Congress are charged with three primary duties—writing laws, overseeing the implementation of laws, and serving the needs of their constituents.

(a) Describe the role of each of the following in lawmaking.

• Senate filibuster

• House Rules Committee

• Conference committee

(b) Describe one method by which Congress exercises oversight of the federal bureaucracy.

5. The judicial branch is often assumed to be insulated from politics. However, politics affects many aspects of the judiciary.

(a) Describe two political factors that affect presidents’ decisions to appoint members of the federal

judiciary.

(b) Identify two political factors that affect the confirmation process of a president’s nominees and

explain how each factor complicates a confirmation.

(d) Explain how one executive power serves as a check on court decisions.

6. Interest groups seek to influence political processes in ways that benefit their members. In doing so, however, they may not act in the overall public interest.

(a) Describe two techniques interest groups use to influence elections.

(b) Explain how interest groups use each of the following to influence government decision making.

• Issue networks (also known as iron triangles)

• Amicus curiae briefs

• The media

• Pluralism

7. The United States Supreme Court receives many appeals, but it hears and rules on a small percentage of cases each year. Numerous factors influence the actions of the Court, both in deciding to hear a case and in the decisions it hands down.

a. Define judicial review.

b. Explain how judicial review empowers the Supreme Court within the system of checks and balances.

c. Describe the process through which the Court grants a writ of certiorari.

d. Explain how each of the following influences decisions made by individual justices when deciding cases heard by the Court.

• Stare decisis

• Judicial activism

8. Public opinion polls are a way to link the public with elected officials. Members of Congress often use polls to understand the views of their constituents, but they must also pay attention to other political considerations.

a. Identify two characteristics of a valid, scientific, public opinion poll.

b. Explain why each of the following enhances the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions of

members of Congress.

• Strong public opinion as expressed in polling results

• Competitive re-elections

c. Explain why each of the following limits the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions of members of Congress.

• Legislators’ voting records

• Party leadership

9. Congressional reapportionment and redistricting are conducted every ten years. When redistricting is conducted, politicians often engage in gerrymandering.

(a) Define congressional reapportionment and explain one reason why it is important to states.

(b) Define congressional redistricting.

(d) Describe two limits that the United States Supreme Court has placed on congressional redistricting.

10. The Constitution of the United States creates a government of separate institutions that share power rather than a government that delegates power exclusively to a single branch. Frequently, this means that presidents and Congress struggle with each other.

a. For each of the presidential powers below, explain one way that congressional decision making is affected by that power.

• Veto power

• Power to issue executive orders

• Power as commander in chief

b. For each of the congressional powers below, explain one way that presidential decision making is affected by that power.

• Legislative oversight power

• Senate advice and consent power

• Budgetary power

11. Individuals often form groups in order to promote their interests. The Constitution contains several provisions that protect the rights of individuals who try to promote their interests in a representative democracy.

(a) Explain two provisions in the Bill of Rights that protect individuals who try to influence politics.

(b) Interest groups engage in a variety of activities to affect public policy. Explain how each of the following is used by interest groups to exert influence over policy.

• Grassroots mobilization

• Lobbying of government institutions

• Litigation

12. The federal bureaucracy as part of the executive branch exercises substantial independence in implementing governmental policies and programs. Most workers in the federal bureaucracy are civil-service employees who are organized under a merit system.

(a) Describe one key characteristic of the merit system.

(b) For each of the following, describe one factor that contributes to bureaucratic independence.

• The structure of the federal bureaucracy

• The complexity of public policy problems

• Congress

• The courts

• Interest groups

13. The framers of the Constitution created a political system based on limited government. The original

Constitution and the Bill of Rights were intended to restrict the powers of the national government.

Later constitutional developments also limited the powers of state governments.

(a) Explain how each of the following limits the powers of the national executive.

• Federalism

• Checks and balances

(b) Explain how each of the following two provisions in the Bill of Rights limits the powers of the national

government.

• Establishment clause

• Guarantee of a public trial

• Citizenship clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

• Selective incorporation

14. In 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

• Expansion of suffrage

15. In the United States political system, there are several linkage institutions that can connect citizens to government. Elections constitute one such institution. Because of low voter turnout, elections represent an imperfect method of linking citizens to their government. Even when there is low voter turnout, however, other linkage institutions can connect citizens to government.

(a) Describe how each of the following is related to the likelihood of voting.

• Age

• Education

(b) Identify one current government electoral requirement that decreases voter turnout. Explain how it decreases voter turnout.

16. In the United States Congress, the majority party exerts a substantial influence over lawmaking. However, even when one party has a numerical majority in each chamber of the United States Congress, there is no guarantee that legislation supported by that majority party will be passed by both chambers. Rules of each chamber independently influence the likelihood that legislation will pass in that chamber; legislation passed by one chamber is not always passed by the other.

(a) Describe two advantages the majority party in the United States House of Representatives has in lawmaking, above and beyond the numerical advantage that that majority party enjoys in floor voting.

(b) Describe two differences between House and Senate rules that may make it likely that legislation may pass in one chamber but not in the other.

17. Nominees for the presidency of the two major parties are chosen by delegates at national conventions. How these delegates are chosen varies across states and between the political parties.

a. Define each of the following methods used by states to choose delegates to party conventions.

• Open primary

• Caucus

b. Republican Party rules permit winner-take-all primaries. Describe one consequence of this rule for the Republican nomination process.

c. The Democratic Party has used superdelegates in the presidential nominating process since 1984. Explain why the use of superdelegates increases the influence of party leaders in the Democratic nomination process.

d. Explain why a candidate’s strategy to win the nomination is often different from the strategy developed to win the general election.

18. A number of factors enable presidents to exert influence over Congress in the area of domestic policy. However, presidents are also limited in their influence over domestic policymaking in Congress.

(a) The Constitution grants the president certain enumerated powers. Describe two of these formal powers that enable the president to exert influence over domestic policy.

(b) Choose two of the following. Define each term and explain how each limits the president’s ability to influence domestic policymaking in Congress.

• Mandatory spending

• Party polarization

• Lame-duck period

19. Fiscal policy and monetary policy are two tools used by the federal government to influence the United States economy. The executive and legislative branches share the responsibility of setting fiscal policy. The Federal Reserve Board has the primary role of setting monetary policy.

(a) Define fiscal policy.

(b) Describe one significant way the executive branch influences fiscal policy.

(d) Define monetary policy.

(e) Explain two reasons why the Federal Reserve Board is given independence in establishing

monetary policy.

20. “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.”

Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, 1870

Despite the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, voter turnout among African American citizens was very low throughout the first half of the twentieth century. Over the past 50 years, civil rights policies have changed substantially, along with a significant increase in African American voter turnout.

(a) Explain how two measures taken by some states prior to the 1960s affected voter turnout among African American citizens.

(b) Facing discrimination at the voting booth, many African American citizens turned to alternative forms of political participation. Describe two alternative forms of participation that helped bring about changes in civil rights policies.

(c) Choose one of the forms of participation you described in (b) and explain why it was effective in changing civil rights policies. Oakdale High School

Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics

Mr. Simoncini

Project 1 Topics

Proj Num / Stock
1 / Altria Group
2 / American Beverage Company (AmBevC)
3 / Amazon
4 / Apple Inc
5 / Ball Corporation
6 / Bank of America (BAC)
7 / Campbell Soup (CPB)
8 / Chevron Corp (CVX)
9 / ConAgra Foods (CAG)
10 / Costco Wholesale (COST)
11 / Diamond Foods Inc (DMND)
12 / Disney
13 / Fastenal Co (FAST)
14 / Google
15 / Hershey Company (HSY)
16 / IBM (IBM)
17 / International Paper
18 / Kraft Foods (KFT)
19 / McClatchy Co
20 / Microsoft
21 / Oracle
22 / PG & E Corp (PCG)
23 / PepsiCo (PEP)
24 / Proctor and Gamble
25 / Rite Aid Corp (RAD)
26 / Safeway Inc (SWY)
27 / Silgan Holdings Inc (SLGN)
28 / Sysco Corp (SYY)
29 / Toyota
30 / Union Pacific Corp (UNP)
31 / United Rentals (URI)
32 / US Bancorp (USB)
33 / Walgreen Co (WAG)
34 / Walmart
35 / Wells Fargo & Co (WFC)
36 / WesAmer Bcp (WABC)