AP US Government Midterm Study Guide:

Essential Questions

Unit I: Constitution and Federalism Chapters 1,2,3,6

Unit II: Article I, Article II, Bureaucracy, and Foreign Policy Chapters 12,13,15,20

*There are quizzes and summaries for each chapters on my website (link is textbook online)

**There is a list of content vocabulary on my website broken down by chapter

Chapter 1: Introducing Government in America

  1. Define government and identify the functions that governments perform. What is the role of politics in government?
  2. What are the principle components of the policymaking system? Explain how a political issue travels through the policymaking system by using an example.
  3. What is the definition of democracy? What are the basic principles of traditional democratic theory?
  4. Compare, contrast, and critically evaluate the three theories of American democracy: pluralist theory, elite & class theory, and hyperpluralism.

Chapter 2: The Constitution

Questions you should be able to answer:

  1. In what specific ways did the philosophy of John Locke influence the origins of the American national government & the Declaration of Independence?
  2. What philosophical views did the delegates to the Constitutional Convention share? How did they influence the nature of the Constitution?
  3. How did the colonial experience shape the policy agenda at the Constitutional Convention? What issues comprised the agenda and how were they resolved?
  4. What is the Madisonian model of government? How is it reflected in the structure of American government? What issues or problems does it raise?
  5. Explain the process by which the Constitution was ratified. What were the major arguments raised by the federalists in favor of the Constitution? What were the major arguments raised by the anti-federalists in opposition to the Constitution? How were some of these latter issues resolved?
  6. What are the formal and informal processes by which the Constitution is changed? Be able to give examples of formal amendments and informal amendments.
  7. In what ways was the original Constitution both democratic and undemocratic? How has the Constitution become democratized throughout American history?

Chapter 3: Federalism

Questions you should be able to answer:

  1. Define federalism. How is federalism different from unitary governments and confederations? Why is federalism important to understanding American government?
  2. What does the Constitution have to say about national versus state power? How was the supremacy of the national government established in the American federal system?
  3. Explain the obligations that states have to each other. Give examples to illustrate your answer.
  4. Why does cooperative federalism, as compared to dual federalism, best describe the American federal system today? Why is fiscal federalism important to intergovernmental relations?
  5. Compare & contrast the different types of federal aid and grants given to states and cities. What is the nature of the competition for federal grants? Under what conditions might states not want to receive federal aid?
  6. What are the advantages and disadvantages of federalism for democracy? Give examples to illustrate your answer.
  7. How and why has federalism contributed to the growth of the national government?

Chapter 6: Public Opinion and Political Action

Questions you should be able to answer:

  1. What demographic changes have occurred in the U.S. and what are their political and public policy consequences?
  2. Explain the main differences between liberals and conservatives.
  3. What are some of the ways in which people participate in politics? Compare conventional and unconventional participation. How do they affect policy in different ways?
  4. Why is participation in America unequal? What are the political and policy implications of unequal participation?

Chapter 12: Congress

Questions you should be able to answer:

  1. What is the effect of incumbency in congressional elections? What other factors are associated with congressional electoral success?
  2. How do the House of Representatives and the Senate differ? How does the structure of leadership differ between the two?
  3. Describe the committee system in Congress. What are the different roles of committees in the legislative process?
  4. How does a bill become a law? What factors influence the legislative process and how does their influence differ?
  5. Is Congress representative in its membership and its policy-making role? What structures and reforms have affected its representation function?

Chapter 13: The Presidency

Questions you should be able to answer:

  1. How do presidents and vice presidents get into office?
  2. What are the formal constitutional powers of the presidency and how have these powers expanded over the years?
  3. How is the presidency organized? On whom does the president depend for advice about governmental and policy matters?
  4. Explain the factors that affect presidential leadership of Congress. Why are some presidents more effective leaders than others?
  5. What roles does the president play as leader of national security policy? How do these roles conflict with the role of Congress in the area of national security?
  6. What factors affect presidential popularity and approval? How is popularity related to power and to policy-making?
  7. How does the contemporary presidency differ from that envisioned by the Founders? Be able to take a position on whether or not the president has become too powerful, and how this might affect democracy and the scope of government.

Chapter 15: The Federal Bureaucracy

Questions you should be able to answer:

  1. How does one become a bureaucrat? What myths surround the bureaucracy in the U.S.?
  2. How is the United States bureaucracy organized? What policymaking roles do the different federal agencies play?
  3. What is policy implementation and what are its main features? What factors facilitate and what factors hinder successful implementation of a public policy? Use specific examples of implementation to illustrate your points.
  4. What is the role of the bureaucracies in the federal system? Is the federal bureaucracy too big? What are the pros and cons of a large bureaucracy?

Chapter 20: National Security Policymaking

Questions you should be able to answer:

  1. Who are the actors on the world’s foreign policy stage? Who makes foreign policy in theUnited States?
  2. What was the Cold War, and why did it emerge from isolationism? What were its consequences at home and abroad?
  3. In what ways is American foreign and defense policymaking a democratic process and in what ways is it not?