American Government

Final Test Study Guide

 

The Test will come from the following areas:

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Unit 1—(Chp. 1-2)--Basic Principles of Government

1.       What is government, and why is it important?

2.       Which major characteristics do all states share?

3.       What functions does government perform?

4.       What theories have described the nature and purpose of the state?

5.       What are the classic forms of government?

6.       How is national power organized differently in unitary, federal, and confederal systems?

7.       What are the major differences between presidential and parliamentary forms of government

8.       Why are the ideals of liberty, equality, self-government important to American democracy?

9.       What are the major principles of American democracy?

10.   Why is the free enterprise system important to American democracy?

11.   What political ideals did English colonists bring with them to North America?

12.   What major documents limited the power of English monarchs?

13.   How were the ideals of limited and representative government evident in colonial governments?

14.   What were two early attempts at unity among the colonies?

15.   What British policies pushed the colonies to cooperate with one another?

16.   What were some of the ideals that influenced the writing of the Declaration of Independence?

17.   How were the governments of the newly independent states similar?

18.   What were the powers of the national government under the Articles of Confederation?

19.   How did limits on its power weaken the national government under the Articles?

20.   How did the states continue to struggle with unity after independence?

21.   How did Shays’s Rebellion highlight the need for a stronger national government?

22.   Why were the delegates to the Constitutional Convention forced to draft a new government?

23.   What major competing plans of government did the convention delegates debate?

24.   What were some of the compromises reached by the delegates?

25.   What were the main arguments in the debate over ratification of the Constitution?

26.   What role did a bill of rights play in the debate?

27.   Which key states were among the last to ratify the Constitution?

 

Unit 2—(Chp. 3-4)--The US Constitution and Federal System

  1. What are the six goals of the U.S. Constitution?

  2. What are the six principles of government in the U.S. Constitution?

  3. What is popular sovereignty?

  4. What is limited government?

  5. How does the Constitution create separation of powers?

  6. How do checks & balances limit government?

  7. Why is judicial review so powerful?

  8. Why is federalism still debated?

  9. Why did the framers establish ways to amend the Constitution?

  10. What are the methods for amending the Constitution?

  11. What is the purpose of the Bill of Rights?

  12. How have the three branches of government applied the Constitution?

  13. How have political parties, customs and tradition changed the way government operates?

  14. What criticisms have been made about the Constitution?

  15. Why did the Framers choose Federalism?

  16. Which powers does the Constitution grant to the federal government, and which does it reserve for the states?

  17. Which powers are shared by the federal and state governments?

  18. Which powers are denied to the federal government, and which are denied to the states?

  19. What responsibilities do the federal and state governments have to each other?

  20. What role do the courts play in American Federalism?

  21. How was power divided in dual federalism?

  22. What events caused the expansion of national power?

  23. What is new federalism?

  24. What is Fiscal Federalism?

  25. How are grants and mandates used to influence state governments?

  26. What issues most influence American Federalism today?

 

Unit 3—(Chp. 5)--The Legislative Branch

  1.  How does Congress represent the people?

  2. Why is the structure of Congress so important?

  3. What is the role of Congress in the system of checks & balances?

  4. What powers does Congress have?

  5. What are its expressed powers?

  6. What are its implied powers?

  7. What are its non-legislative powers?

  8. What are some of the limits on the powers of Congress?

  9. How has the power of Congress changed during US History?

  10. What are the key features of the House of Representatives and its membership?

  11. What are some of the challenges that reapportionment and redistricting raise?

  12. How is the leadership of the House organized?

  13. What is the role of committees in the operation of the House?

  14. What are the key features of the Senate and its membership?

  15. How is the leadership of the Senate organized?

  16. What are some of the distinctive rules and traditions of the Senate?

  17. How are bills introduced in Congress?

  18. What happens to a bill in committee?

  19. What happens to a bill on the floor?

  20. What is a conference committee?

  21. What actions can a President take on a bill?

  22. What are some special issues faced by Congress?

Unit 4—(Chp. 6-7)--The Executive Branch

 

1.       What are the roles of the president?

2.       What are the formal characteristics of the presidency?

3.       What are the informal qualifications of the presidency?

4.       What are the president’s executive and foreign-policy powers?

5.       What judicial and legislative powers does the president have?

6.       How has presidential power grown over the years?

7.       What is the Executive Office of the President and what are its duties?

8.       How has the role of the Vice President changed over time?

9.       What is the cabinet, and how does it work with the President?

10.   What is the federal bureaucracy?

11.   What is the civil service and how has it changed over the years?

12.   What is the purpose of the executive departments?

13.   What are the primary functions of executive departments today?

14.   What are the independent agencies?

15.   What are some issues regarding power & accountability in the federal bureaucracy?

16.   How does the federal government pay for its operations?

17.   What are the two types of government spending?

18.   How does the federal budget process work?

19.   How do fiscal and monetary policy affect the nation's economy?

 

Unit 5—(Chp. 8)--The US Legal System

 

1.       How are the Federal Courts organized?

2.       How has the Supreme Court’s power changed since the late 1700s?

3.       Describe the process a case goes through in the Supreme Court.

4.       How do the executive and legislative branches check the Supreme Court’s power?

5.       What are some common criticisms of the judiciary?

6.       What are the different types of laws in America?

7.       How are criminal laws and civil laws different?

8.       What is the difference between a felony and a misdemeanor?

9.       List the steps that an accused person typically goes through after being booked by the police.

10.   What are the major arguments for and against the death penalty?

11.   What is the process for juvenile offenders?