Exam Questions for Midterm I
The midterm will consist of four identifications (40% of grade) and two essay questions drawn from the list below (60%).
The exam itself will not give you any choice among questions, so if you want to do well, be prepared for all the questions on this list.
Identification
For the identification section of the exam you will need to define a term and explain its significance for the course. For most of these terms a strong answer could take just two or three sentences: one sentence for definition and perhaps a couple more explaining the significance of the term
Of course your answer may not be so succinct, so feel free to go on longer if you think it necessary.
Some students struggle with the significance part of the identification. For significance, you need to explain why this term is in the course and why is it important for understanding American politics. If you’re stuck for answer, think about how this term connects to the rest of the course.
John Locke
Plebiscitary Vision of Democracy
Pluralism
Classical (Participatory) Theory of Democracy
Trusteeship
Tocqueville’s “Tyranny of the Majority”
Initiative & Referendum
Recall
Factions
Separation of Powers
“If men were angels”
Centinel
The Great Compromise
The Greatest Compromise
Alien and Sedition Acts
First-Past-The-Post
Winner Take All
The Consensus School
The American Creed
Tocqueville's Concept of Individualism
Expressive Individualism
Populism
How Does it Feel to Be a Problem?
Double-Consciousness
Incorporation (Nationalization) of the Bill of Rights
Federalism
Democratic Despotism
Cozy (or Iron) Triangles
Interstate Commerce Clause
McCulloch v. Maryland
U.S. v. Lopez
Short Essay Questions
The essay questions can all be answered adequately in three blue book pages, but you may choose to write more if you wish, particularly if you are not feeling succinct. You need not include a thesis statement or introduction; you will not be graded on the quality of your writing, but rather on the richness and depth of understanding of course readings and lectures you demonstrate.
1. What are some of the major ways in which political scientists have defined "politics"? Which most appeals to you? Why? (You needn't choose the instructor's favorite!)
2. Madison carefully studied the examples of previous democracies in ancient and modern history when he was drafting the Constitution. Yet in several respects Madison turned Classical Democratic Theory upside down. In what ways did Madison depart from the wisdom of the classical democratic theorists?
3. The Anti-Federalists criticized the design of the U.S. Constitution, and take issue with Madison's defense of the Constitution in Federalist #10 and Federalist #51. How specifically did Madison and the Anti-Federalists differ in their attitudes toward the design of government?
4. Samuel Huntington and others in the "Consensus School" have argued that Americans share a common set of values, and that these values profoundly shape U.S. politics. Briefly list and describe the basic American values. How have other observers (in particular Alan Hertzke) criticized Huntington's view?
5. What undemocratic elements do Marshall and Dahl find in the Framers' Constitution? In what specific ways have these undemocratic elements been altered since the Framing? Which elements remain?
6. According to Dahl, in what specific ways does the structure of national political institutions in the United States differ from that of most other "advanced democratic countries"? Name one important consequence (outcome) of these institutional differences for American politics, and explain specifically how a particular institution (rule) led to this outcome.
7. Why according to Tocqueville do "democracies" tend to concentrate power? What forces in American society does Tocqueville think will guard against this process of centralization?