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AP US Government & Politics Content Review
questions with correct answers
Describe some of the purposes of government CORRECT ANSWER Make economic decisions, promote general welfare Compare/contrast a direct democracy with an indirect democracy CORRECT ANSWER An indirect democracy elects representatives whereas a direct democracy is voted entirely by the citizens Traditional theory of democracy CORRECT ANSWER Promote majority rule, ex small town meeting Pluralist theory of democracy CORRECT ANSWER More than one center power, ex interest groups Elite theory of democracy CORRECT ANSWER Small minority rule, ex oil industry, corporate Hyperpluralism theory of democracy CORRECT ANSWER Ruled by multiple small groups, ex interest groups From what sources do Americans become politically socialized? CORRECT ANSWER Family and level of education (school) Summarize the steps of the policy-making cycle CORRECT ANSWER Agenda setting, policy formulation, legitimization, implementation, evaluation, policy maintenance
Raise awareness CORRECT ANSWER Raise public awareness of an issue Create policy agenda CORRECT ANSWER Decide which issues will be showcased Prioritize the agenda CORRECT ANSWER Determine the importance of issues Enact new public policy CORRECT ANSWER Translate campaign promises into law Evaluate the policy CORRECT ANSWER Review the issues and public approval Political theories of Thomas Hobbes CORRECT ANSWER Humans are self- centered, need monarchy Political theories of John Locke CORRECT ANSWER Citizens have god-given rights, does not need monarch Similarities between Locke and Hobbes CORRECT ANSWER Natural equality of all men, consent of the governed Explain how the Declaration of Independence incorporated some of the ideas of Locke CORRECT ANSWER Incorporated Locke's unalienable rights of life liberty, and pursuit of happiness List some of the powers held by the central government in the Articles of Confederation CORRECT ANSWER Incorporate territories
Judicial review CORRECT ANSWER Allows the Supreme Court to decide the constitutionality of laws passed by Congress Federalism CORRECT ANSWER Dual bodies of government, state and a federal government Writ of Habeas Corpus CORRECT ANSWER Determine the legality of an imprisonment Bills of Attainder CORRECT ANSWER Declaring someone guilty of a crime without trial Ex Post Facto Laws CORRECT ANSWER Criminalizing conduct that was originally legal Full Faith and Credit Clause CORRECT ANSWER States recognizing laws of other states Supremacy Clause CORRECT ANSWER Federal law (the Constitution) is supreme law of the land Why did many states want the US Constitution to include a Bill of Rights? CORRECT ANSWER To also have checks on the federal government while also guaranteeing rights Barron v Baltimore CORRECT ANSWER Define the concept of federalism in US consitutional law
Gitlow v New York CORRECT ANSWER First time that the Supreme Court applied the 14th amendment to the states 1st Amendment CORRECT ANSWER Freedom of speech, press, assembly, religion 2nd Amendment CORRECT ANSWER Military, bear arms 3rd Amendment CORRECT ANSWER Quartering of soldiers illegal 4th Amendment CORRECT ANSWER Unreasonable search and seizures illegal 5th Amendment CORRECT ANSWER Self-incrimination illegal 6th Amendment CORRECT ANSWER Speedy and public trial, counsel 7th Amendment CORRECT ANSWER Trial by jury 8th Amendment CORRECT ANSWER Cruel and unusual punishment 9th Amendment CORRECT ANSWER Rights shall not be denied 10th Amendment CORRECT ANSWER Powers not delegated are reserved to the states 11th Amendment CORRECT ANSWER Suits against states
24th Amendment CORRECT ANSWER Right to vote in federal elections/Poll tax illegal 25th Amendment CORRECT ANSWER Presidential succession 26th Amendment CORRECT ANSWER Right to vote- age 18 27th Amendment CORRECT ANSWER Congressional pay What is federalism? CORRECT ANSWER The combination of a central and regional government Why did the Founders feel that dividing power was necessary? CORRECT ANSWER In order to ensure that one body of gov did not accumulate too much power and to better govern the nation Dual federalism CORRECT ANSWER Two different bodies governing separately Cooperative federalism CORRECT ANSWER National, state, and local govern together Similarities between dual and cooperative federalism CORRECT ANSWER Requires separate ruling bodies Define the meaning of decentralization. How does the US federal system display decentralization? CORRECT ANSWER Transfer of power from federal to state governments
Enumerated powers CORRECT ANSWER Specifically defined in the constitution, ex power to tax Implied powers CORRECT ANSWER Not explicitly stated, ex to establish a bank Inherent powers CORRECT ANSWER Needed by Congress and the President, ex border control Reserved powers CORRECT ANSWER Not delegated to federal gov is for the states, ex 14th amendment Concurrent power CORRECT ANSWER Shared by the federal and state gov, ex create lower courts Why is the necessary and proper clause commonly called the elastic clause? CORRECT ANSWER Because it gives the federal gov more reasons to increase their power McCulloch v Maryland CORRECT ANSWER Establish the necessary and proper clause and defined implied powers Gibbons v Ogden CORRECT ANSWER Federal gov have the right to regulate interstate commerce Why is cooperative federalism often referred to as marble cake federalism? CORRECT ANSWER Involves all levels of gov to work together
List and describe 5 functions of political parties CORRECT ANSWER Create groups, develop policies, organize campaigns, bring issues to increased awareness, influence gov Partisanship CORRECT ANSWER To support or show prejudice for a political party Describe how and why third parties begin CORRECT ANSWER To promote a specific issue/political ideology that is not supported by popular legislation Explain how the American political system limits the influence of third parties CORRECT ANSWER Majority of campaign sponsors are to the main political parties Describe how third parties can act as spoilers in elections. CORRECT ANSWER Third parties usually can alter voting if they side with a similarly viewed candidate Describe the organization of American political parties regarding the impact of federalism, national committees, national chairpersons, national conventions, and state committees. CORRECT ANSWER America has political parties in both level of gov because of federalism. Major parties have national and state committees and hold national conventions during election year. National chairpersons are the leaders of these parties. Primary elections CORRECT ANSWER Chooses presidential nominees Pros and cons of political machines CORRECT ANSWER Pros- effective Cons-rampant corruption
Describe the trends of party identification when it comes to religion education age and economics CORRECT ANSWER Religious, higher education, rich- Republicans Opposite- Democrats Party realignment CORRECT ANSWER The balance of power within the party shifts Party dealignment CORRECT ANSWER People abandon partisan affiliation without noticeable turnover Divided government CORRECT ANSWER Different political parties are in control in both the House, Senate, and presidency Men CORRECT ANSWER Republican Women CORRECT ANSWER Democrat White CORRECT ANSWER Inconclusive Non-white CORRECT ANSWER Inconclusive College CORRECT ANSWER Democrat High School CORRECT ANSWER Inconclusive Professional/Business CORRECT ANSWER Republican
How does political efficacy affect voter intensity? CORRECT ANSWER The amount of impact that a vote has affects voter turnout Difference between internal efficacy and external efficacy? CORRECT ANSWER External-demands gov respone Internal-no demands What is the most important factor that determines if a person votes? What demographic groups tend to vote less often? CORRECT ANSWER Education & family Less education, minority, younger Explain why campaigns for office cost so much money CORRECT ANSWER Expenses for campaign team, travel, and advertising Why do political interest groups participate in electioneering? CORRECT ANSWER To help electoral candidates and gain a favor for them once in office Why did Political Action Committees (PACs) begin? What do PACs do? CORRECT ANSWER PACs began when labor unions were banned from political contributions. PACs fund raise money for political campaigns How do interest groups positively influence the USA? CORRECT ANSWER Provide funds for candidates that may not run if not given the funds Define soft money. How did the McCain-Feingold Act (2002) attempt to limit soft money? CORRECT ANSWER Political donations that avoid gov regulation. Soft money illegal
Buckley v Valeo CORRECT ANSWER Candidates are allowed to fund their own campaign Federal Elections Commission (FEC) CORRECT ANSWER Regulate campaign funds Define the word incumbent. Why do members in the House of Representatives tend to have a higher reelection rate than do members in the Senate? CORRECT ANSWER Current person in office. HoR have shorter tenures and more spots to run for office. List the advantages incumbents have when it comes to winning reelection. Include information about franking, pork-barrel legislation, junkets, and credit claiming. CORRECT ANSWER Incumbents have franking privileges which is free postage in order to send letters to constituents Qualifications to run for the House of Representatives CORRECT ANSWER 25 yrs old, US citizen for 7 years while living in state you are running for What factor determines how many members a state receives in the House of Representatives CORRECT ANSWER US Census Single-member districts CORRECT ANSWER One candidate for a single seat during election Marginal districts CORRECT ANSWER Candidates only win by small margin Safe districts CORRECT ANSWER Candidates from a certain political party win automatically
Why do many states try to hold their primaries/caucuses as early as possible? (Frontloading) CORRECT ANSWER To gain media influence Describe what occurs at conventions CORRECT ANSWER To choose final presidential candidates from a political party Pros of incumbent president CORRECT ANSWER Already known, franking privileges, access to more funding Cons of incumbent president CORRECT ANSWER Criticized more, no time for national campaign Pros of challenger CORRECT ANSWER Not heavily scrutinized, claim to not be a Washington insider Cons of challenger CORRECT ANSWER Not as much funds, limited media coverage What is the basis for representation in the House of Representatives CORRECT ANSWER population Reapportionment CORRECT ANSWER New number of seats in HoR according to census Gerrymandering CORRECT ANSWER Drawing district lines to favor a certain party Supreme Court cases that ruled on gerrymandering CORRECT ANSWER Baker v Carr
Wesberry v Sanders Hierarchy of leadership in the House of Representatives CORRECT ANSWER Speaker of house, house majority leader, house majority whip Why are committees an important element in the House? CORRECT ANSWER Allocate responsibilities for bill legislation Iron triangle CORRECT ANSWER Legislature (Supreme Court), interest groups, bureaucracy (politicians) Standing committee CORRECT ANSWER Permanent committee Joint committee CORRECT ANSWER Made up of Senate and House Conference committee CORRECT ANSWER Temporary formed to reconcile differences in legislation Select committee CORRECT ANSWER Created for special purpose for pursuing specific issues, ex Watergate scandal Pros of iron triangle CORRECT ANSWER Everyone benefits Cons of iron triangle CORRECT ANSWER Rampant blackmail Differences between Senate and House CORRECT ANSWER Senate confirms presidential appointments
Outline the steps needed for a bill to become law CORRECT ANSWER Creation of bill, revised by House Rules Committee, vote by House, sent to Senate/conference committee, possible filibuster, sent to president Four options the president can take after Congress has passed a bill CORRECT ANSWER Veto, signing bill into law, pocket veto, or sent back for revision How can the Supreme Court affect a law? CORRECT ANSWER Determines constitutionality of the passed law List the constitutional qualifications needed to become president CORRECT ANSWER 35 yrs old, natural born citizen, resident for 14 yrs Purpose of 25th amendment CORRECT ANSWER Succession and disability of the president Example of presidential succession act being used CORRECT ANSWER Resignation of Richard Nixon, Assassination of JFK Explain how a president can be removed from office and an example when it was used CORRECT ANSWER House votes first, Senate holds trial, then president is impeached. Ex Nixon How does the 22nd amendment limit the president CORRECT ANSWER Limited to serving only two terms of 8 years total Commander in chief CORRECT ANSWER In charge of the US armed forces Chief executive CORRECT ANSWER Enforcement of laws, run executive branch
Head of State CORRECT ANSWER Political figurehead for foreign emissaries Chief Diplomat CORRECT ANSWER Decides foreign policy Chief Legislator CORRECT ANSWER Influence congress in lawmaking Describe the expressed role of the vice president CORRECT ANSWER To be the person who succeeds the president if a situation occurs How can the president help other candidate via coattails? CORRECT ANSWER Members of the president's political party receive more votes Provide an example showing how the president sometimes might not be leading his political party CORRECT ANSWER President Carter vetoing public works project Define pardon and reprieve. What is the most infamous pardon in US political history? CORRECT ANSWER The president granting immunity from punishment of a crime. Postponement of any punishment. President Ford pardoning Nixon Office of Management and Budget (OMB) CORRECT ANSWER Budget finances National Security Council CORRECT ANSWER Assist in national security policy Council of Economic Advisors CORRECT ANSWER Formulate economic policy
