GOVERNMENT FINAL EXAM
STUDY GUIDE (FILTERED ANSWERS)
CHAPTER 1
1) What are some duties of a citizen?serving on a jury, serving as a witness when called, attending school, paying taxes, respecting the rights of others
2) What are some responsibilities of a citizen?voting, volunteering, participating in civic life, understanding workings of our government
3) What is social contract theory? population gives power to government in return for representation
4) Know what each of the six purposes of the Preamble and meaning of each.
-Form a More Perfect Union – constitution was built in belief there is strength in unity
-Establish Justice – the law must be fair, reasonable, and impartial
-Insure domestic tranquility – law and order is essential to keep the peace at home
-Provide for the Common Defense – defending the nation against foreign enemies
-Promote the General Welfare – government acting as servants to the citizens (public schools, regulations of food, drink, medicine, the environment, healthcare
-Secure the Blessing of Liberty – dedication to liberty and freedom that is not absolute
8) What are the differences between federal, unitary?
- federal –power divided between the a central and several local governments
- unitary – power resides with a central government
10) Who has judicial powers? the Supreme Court
13) What is direct democracy? will of the people directly translates into public policy, also known as pure democracy
15) What are the five* basic concepts of democracy? What is a characteristic of each?
-Majority rules, minority rights – the will of the people and not the dictate of the ruling few determines public policy. Majority rule must always be restrained by minority rights.
-Individual freedom – freedom must exist for every individual as long as the freedoms of others aren’t interfered with.
17) What characteristics must a state have in order to be considered a state? sovereign, population, territory, government
CHAPTER 2
21) Define the following charter – a written grant of authority from the king
representative government– the idea that government should serve the will of the people
23) Describe the limitations on the monarchy imposed by the following documents:
English Bill of Rights- no standing army during peace time, right to a fair trial, no excess bail or fine, no cruel and unusual punishment, right to bear arms
27) Know the following: popular sovereignty – government exists only with the consent of the governed
29) Why did Parliament enact the Intolerable Acts?to punish the colonists for actions in Boston and elsewhere
31) Each branch given powers with which to check is considered what common feature of a constitution?checks and balances
32) The common feature of popular sovereignty states that government could be conducted only with the consent of the ____?governed
34) Know the following:
New Jersey Plan, called for a unicameral legislature where each state would be represented equally
Connecticut Compromise, agreement where the Senate is composed of equal state representation and the House is represented based on state’s population
Virginia Plan, called for a three-branch government with a bicameral legislature determined by state’s population or financial support to the central government.
40) An Anti-Federalist argument to ratify the Constitution was?
- states have no power to print money, - central government holds too much power, - no bill of rights
43) Who was considered a Federalist?Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay
48) What was chosen as the temporary capital until Washington D.C. became the nation’s capital in 1800? New York City
CHAPTER 3
49) Know the following: constitutionalism, government and those who govern must obey the law; rule of law
53) Which article outlines the three branches of the federal government?Articles I, II, III
54) Which court case established the powers of judicial review?Marbury v. Madison
58) How can the courts influence the meaning of the Constitution?interpret and apply the laws, judicial review
59)
64) 64) Presidents sometimes send forces into combat without a formal declaration of war from Congress. Presidents do this under what constitutional authority?being commander-in-chief
CHAPTER 5
70) Know the following: spoils system, practice of giving offices and other favors of government to political supporters and friends
75) Who was the first Republican Party president? Abraham Lincoln
77) The era today, Era of Divided Government, has seen the Republicans win _8___ out of _13___ presidential elections? Name the last five presidents starting with the most recent and also write which political party each was a part of.Trump – R, Obama – D, Clinton – D, W. Bush – R, H.W. Bush - R
78) The Libertarian Party emphasizes what? the individual
CHAPTER 6
80) Know the following: disenfranchised, denied the right to vote,alien,foreign-born resident or noncitizen, suffrage,the right to vote,ballot fatigue, voters cast fewer votes for offices listed toward the bottom of the ballot,political socialization, process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions,party identification, loyalty of people to a political party, off-year election,congressional election that occurs between presidential election years,transient, person living in a state for a short time without legal residence
82) States require voters to be what?legal residents, citizens, of age
83) What state doesn’t necessarily require that most voters be registered in order to cast a ballot?North Dakota
87) In the Early 1800s, what kind of qualifications began to disappear in every State?religious, property, tax
97) When the Constitution went into effect in 1789, the right to vote was generally restricted to whom?white male property owners
108) List three psychological factors that influence voter behavior: party identification, candidates, issues
109) List three reasons why “cannot-voters” cannot vote mental incapacity, imprisoned, religious beliefs, ill/physically disabled, resident-aliens
CHAPTER 8
111) Know the following: interest group, private organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape public policymedium, a means of communication; something that transmits informationsound bite, short, sharply focused report that can be aired in 15-45 seconds
118) What must happen in order for a view to be an opinion in the public sense?it must be expressed publicly
119) What are some agents of political socialization?age, race, income, occupation, residence, group affiliations
123) Why does a person belonging to a peer group reinforce what they believe in?most people trust the views of their friends
131) Why isn’t the media a very accurate mirror of public opinion?they reflect the views of a vocal minority
134) The more accurate polls are based on what kind of techniques?scientific polls
138) What are the five* basic steps of the scientific poll? define the universe, construct a sample
143) People acquire most of what they know about government and politics through what?various forms of media
152) What is quickly becoming a lead source of political news and information for the American people? the Internet
156) Good campaign managers also know that most television news programs are built out of stories that what?take no more than a minute or two of airtime & show people something interesting or exciting
Added Items for Government Final Exam Study Guide
1) Know the term, politics.process of society choosing its own leaders
2) What are the characteristics of a dictatorship? oldest known form of government, usually run by an elite few or autocrat
3) What kind of government is the U.S. classified as? federal, presidential, indirect democracy
4)What is the government’s role in the economy? to protect the public
5) Which state has the highest slave population? Virginia
6) What was a problem with the Virginia Plan? it gave too much power to the bigger states
7) What effect did the approval of the Constitution have on a commercial state like New York? New York separated the New England states from the rest of the nation
8) Know the powers of the executive branch. Appoints Supreme Court justices, appoints federal judges, commander of the armed forces, ability to veto legislation, ability to make executive agreements
9) What is needed to formally propose an amendment? 2/3 vote in both houses of Congress
10) Know what a treaty is. a formal agreement made between two or more sovereign states
11) Know that senatorial courtesy and the appointment of the Cabinet are long enduring traditions/customs. It has endured despite its absence from the Constitution
12) Know what a political spectrum is. A range of political views
13) What are the reasons for voting for a minor party? Dissatisfaction with the views of the major parties, play the role of spoiler
14) Know where liberal, moderate, and conservative fall on the political spectrum. left center, center, right center
15) Know the characteristics of minor parties and their advantages. ideological third party – based on a set of comprehensive beliefs. *Minor parties can take clear-cut stand on controversial issues
16) What is the major purpose of a national convention.to formally nominate a party’s candidate for president and vice president
17) What are pros/cons of voter registration.PRO - it helps reduce fraud by identifying only qualified voters, CON – registration process is flawed, many qualified voters don’t register, filling out of questionnaire every 4 years to update status of residency and/or passing
18) Know the term, lobbyist. a person who tries to persuade public officials to do something that interest groups want them to do
19) Where did the Republican Party 1st originate? Jackson, Michigan
20) Know some 3rd party presidential candidates. Strom Thurmond, Ralph Nader, Ross Perot, George Wallace
21) Know some Framers of the Constitution. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin
*Know the following constitutional amendments
5th, 6th, 15th, 19th, 22nd, 23rd, 26th
*5th – cannot be tried for the same crime twice, no self-incrimination
*6th – right to a fair trial, right to an attorney
15th – suffrage despite race, color, or prior enslavement
19th – suffrage for women
22nd – presidential term limits
23rd – residents of Washington D.C. can vote for president
26th – minimum voting age is 18