Midterm Study Guide

Format: 50 multiple choice questions Time: 50 minutes

Which principles from John Lockes Second Treatise of Civil Government support limited government? What were the main issues at the Constitutional Convention? What were the Founding Fathers opinions on slavery when it came to the Constitution? Why did the colonists and early Americans feel that written documents were an important part of defining the new nation in the legal sense? What are some examples of the Separation of Powers under the US Constitution? How do the three branches of government work together to establish and ensure fair laws? How does Congress check the power of the executive branch? Who has the power to impeach? How does judicial passitivity differ from judicial activism? Which constitutional powers are shared by both Congress and the president? Which branches of the government are involved with the appointment of a Supreme Court justice? What are concurrent powers? Who can exercise themfederal, state or both? Explain the concept of dual federalism. What states rights are defined in the Constitution? What rights are reserved for the federal government? How do grants-in-aid work? Define democracy. How does limited government work within a democratic system? Who holds power and influence under the democratic theory of government? Explain the pluralist view of government. How does American political culture influence American economics? What factors have contributed to the development of American political culture past and present? What economic policies did Alex de Tocqueville support? Explain the American view of equality. What are the differences between internal and external efficacy?

How has the internet shaped the political beliefs of Americans? What are the political leanings of the media? How did mass media shape politics in the 1930s and 1940s? What types of media were being used? How do parental political views impact children? What factors contribute to the unreliability of political polls? Why did the nations founders create checks on public opinion? How are political culture and political ideology intertwined? How do political elites influence public opinion? What are some examples of civic duty? What are ways in which Americans can participate in the political process? How can they show dissent? How does religion influence Americans political activities? What laws and amendments have widened the potential voting pool? What does electronic voting equipment attempt to solve? Define political socialization. What factors lead to the development of political socialization? What demographic factors would shape a persons views on bilingual education? Education in general? What is a realigning period? What are the characteristics that typically come before and after a realigning period? What are examples of realignment elections? What was the platform of the Progressive Party? Define split-ticketing voting. What are some examples? How have the views of the Republicans and Democrats polarized since the 1960s? What is a superdelegate and how does a superdelegate differ from a regular delegate? Why did the Democrats change the delegate nomination process in the 1970s and 1980? How are political parties organized and structured? What is the equality-of-result principle? Why is a factionalized party is less likely to succeed at electing its candidates than a bureaucratized one? Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton were influential in establishing which political parties? What warnings did George Washington give in his farewell address? Why did mass political participation expand under Jacksonian Democracy? What effect did regional bipartisanship have on the parties in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?

Why do candidates become more moderate after the primaries? What is the difference between prospective and retrospective voting? How has the internet increased campaign fundraising? Why did voter often times fail to consider voting for a third party? Congressional candidates in the presidents party are more likely to lose their seats in a midterm election for what reasons? What is the 15th amendment? What is the 17th amendment? What is the 24th amendment? How does a national political office candidate gain an automatic slot on the ballot? What is the electoral college? Who can be appointed? What are the different types of PACs? Which types of interest are most largely represented? Why were they originally founded? What are the main objectives of PACs? What tactics do interest groups use to influence legislators? Which types of interest groups formed in large numbers in the 1960s and 1970s? Why does the US have such a large number of non-profit organizations? What type of interest groups would likely favor the Democrats? Republicans? What is the role of a political cue? What are the legal ways of lobbying? What has been deemed illegal? Why have we seen an expansion in the number of interest groups since the 1960s? Why do many American distrust interest groups? What are some examples of public-interest organizational strategy? Why has union membership declined since the 1940s? What is the overall role of wire services within the US press? Define narrowcasting? How can TV and radio benefit politicians over the internet and newspaper? How is the party press different from the popular press? How did sensationalist reporting influence voting patterns at the end of the 19 th century? Why did the expansion of opinion magazines lead to a rise in the number of interest groups? How have the changes in radio and television stations affected the political system? Why has television become highly segmented in programing since the 1980s How have talk shows and town halls increased politicians access to electronic media? What are sunshine laws?