1.1 Multiple-Choice Questions Pages 1-11

Class, this reading will be due for Tuesday's class....
1) The process by which policy decisions are made is known as
A) politics.
B) government.
C) the preamble.
D) multiculturalism.
E) Robertʹs rules.

2) How does the Constitution help ʺestablish justiceʺ?
A) The supremacy clause protects citizens from excessive government interference in
personal matters.
B) The Constitution guarantees judicial privacy.
C) The Constitution prohibits Congress from creating any court except for the Supreme
Court.
D) The Framers explicitly excluded voting rights for women, slaves, and landowners.
E) The Bill of Rights entitles accused citizens to a trial by jury.

3) Which of the following is NOT a function of government, as laid out in the Preamble to the
Constitution?
A) to secure the blessings of liberty
B) to provide for the common defense
C) to ensure domestic tranquility
D) to promote the general welfare
E) to ensure economic equality

4) Which of the following best describes Saddam Hussein?
A) He was an oligarch.
B) He was a patriarch.
C) He was a tyrant.
D) He was a democrat.
E) He was a monarch.

5) The Mayflower Compact was
A) a treaty the Pilgrims made with the Indians.
B) a social contract.
C) the first colony established by European immigrants.
D) an example of the divine right of kings.
E) the list of complaints against the Church of England that led to the expulsion of the
Pilgrims.

6) Enlightenment thinkers argued that
A) God did not grant kings authority to govern.
B) government is best that governs the least.
C) reason, science, and religious tolerance hindered popular sovereignty.
D) Isaac Newton was a heretic for spreading ʺmalicious, nefarious, and dangerous lies.ʺ
E) monarchies are the most civilized forms of government.

7) The social contract theory says that
A) citizens give their consent to be governed.
B) civil contracts can be enforced by the government.
C) every society determines its own set of laws and moral codes.
D) by virtue of their social position, some citizens are more valuable than others.
E) governments can not interfere with the free market.

8) According to Hobbes, humanʹs natural state is
A) bliss.
B) cooperation.
C) philanthropy.
D) generosity.
E) war.

9) Locke argued that a major responsibility of governments is to protect
A) elected officials.
B) human dignity.
C) economic equality.
D) private property.
E) the people from themselves.

10) The Declaration of Independence claims a right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The phrase can be most directly attributed to the ideas of
A) Aristotle.
B) Machiavelli.
C) Newton.
D) Locke.
E) Hobbes.

UNIT 2 AP® UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
FREE-RESPONSE QUESTIONS
2004; #4

UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
SECTION II
1. Trust and confidence in government have declined in recent decades.
(a)Explain how divided government has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government. Be sure to include a definition of divided government in your response.
(b)Explain how the increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government.
(c)Explain two specific consequences of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior.

Question 4 (2004)
6 POINTS TOTALPart (a): 2 points possible
Part (b): 2 points possible
Part (c): 2 points possible

Part a: (2 points) 1 point definition, 1 point explanation
Definition of divided government required for first point. (Essay must earn first point to be eligible for explanation point, below.)

Explanation point requires linkage between divided government and decline in trust/confidence. Acceptable responses may include linkage to:
•Heightened partisanship
•Decline of the middle (moderates frozen out, extremes driving legislation)
•Frustration with the governmental process
•Confirmation process slowed, stopped, or circumvented, increasing frustration/disgust
•Gridlock

Part b: (2 points) 2 point explanation
For the first point, acceptable explanations include:
•Candidates must spend more time raising money
•Role of interest groups (PACs), corporations and connections to wealthy donors
•Keeps good people from running for office
•Small contributions don't matter
•Perception that there is wasteful spending

To receive the second point, must provide linkage to cynicism or distrust.

Part c: (2 points) 1 point for each of two explanations
Acceptable behavioral consequences include:
•Protest
•Decline in voting
•Increase in independents or third-party identifiers
•Indications of less conventional participation, more non-conventional participation, or limitation to local nonpartisan or community action

My Response

Trust and confidence in government have declined in recent decades. The rate of voter participation in both the congressional and presidential election often hovers below 50%. Rates of approval for both branches currently are at an all-time low (40%for the Congress and the President).

A1.Divided government is defined as having different political parties occupying the executive and legislative branches simultaneously. The current situation in the United States has President Obama a Democrat contending with a Republican-controlled House of Representatives.

A2.Divided government has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government by creating both a heightened sense of partisanship and more damagingly, creating a situation called “gridlock” whereby bills and initiatives proposed either by the president or the congress are stopped in their tracks due to a lack of compromise between the parties. Nothing seems to get done in this climate. Consequently the American people feel a lack of trust and confidence in government.

B1.Another problem that has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government is the increased cost of election campaigns in the United States. Many Americans have come to view the US election campaign season with great cynicism. Ever greater amounts of money are raised each season-over $1 billion by the Obama campaign in 2008. A great percentage of donations come from both Political Action Committees and well as private corporations. There is a wide perception by the American people that these campaign contributions create unfair connections between donor and recipient-that candidates in effect are in the pockets of wealthy contributors. Despite efforts in campaign finance reform, so many loopholes exist for which to get around regulations that the American people feel a loss in trust and confidence in government.

C1.One specific consequence of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior is that more Americans being turned off by the aforementioned problems, are less likely to vote. A general lack of political efficacy or “my vote doesn’t matter” is a common problem with many Americans. Our voting rate compared to that of other industrialized countries is less than 50% as compared to over 90%.

C2.Another specific consequence of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior is that more Americans have begun to identify themselves with independent candidates or third party alternatives. The growth of the Tea Party in the United States is a case in point. Extreme dissatisfaction with the status quo have led many Americans to turn to a more extreme brand of conservatism that has led to even greater levels of polarization and partisanship between Republicans and Democrats. Many Tea Party candidates have led the government to move even further away from negotiation and compromise. As the result the American people currently have the lowest level of satisfaction with their government since prior to the Great Depression.

Good Luck Tomorrow!

Advice for students taking tomorrow's Unit 2 exam:

(1) Get a good night's rest
(2) Review through the Pew Study Guide for Unit 2-don't spend too much time (10
mins. max)
(3) Review your flash cards for Unit 2
(4) Remember to allow about 30-50 secs. for each multiple-choice question to give
yourself the 20 minutes needed to tackle the FRQ.
(5) FRQ must (a) be answered in outine form (2) incorporate the question parts in
the answers.

See you tomorrow!!!

2007 FRQ Response

A1. The winner-take-all feature of the Electoral College means that the candidate with the most votes (a majority) won against his/her competitor(s) within a particular state, wins that state’s electoral college votes.

B1. One way in which the winner-take-all feature affects how presidential candidates from the two presidential political parties run their campaigns is that they focus a majority of their time in “swing states” defined as those localities which could “swing” either to Republican or Democrat candidates as opposed to “safe states” that traditionally vote for a particular party (ie. The South for Republicans since the 1970’s). Swing states with their uncommitted electoral college votes are critical for victory and the winner-take-all system ensures that candidates and campaigns focus much of their time in swing states.

C1. One way in which the winner-take-all feature of the Electoral College hinders third-party candidates is that while a third party candidate such as Ralph Nadar may win a large number of popular votes in California, the winner-take-all systems does not allow him to collect a proportional amount of electoral college votes. He may make impressive gains across the country in terms of voters, yet not earn one electoral college vote which is necessary for winning the election.

D1. One of the reasons why the Electoral College has not been abolished is that it would require a Constitutional Amendment to abolish it. A Constitution Amendment through formal means is extremely difficult to accomplish requiring supermajorities in both Congress and at the state legislatures which is why there are only 27 Amendments to the Constitution.

D2. Another one of the reasons why the Electoral College has not been abolished is that small states with small populations constitutionally receive 3 electoral college votes respectively. This arrangement benefits small states. They actually have disproportional larger amounts of political influence. Accordingly, they would not be interested in ceding their power (ie. their 3 votes0 to larger states.

Sabato Chapter 14.3 Pages 521-530

1) In the weeks before the 2004 presidential debates,
A) the Bush campaign played up his debating skills while playing down Kerryʹs skills.
B) the Kerry campaign played up his debating skills while playing down Bushʹs skills.
C) the Bush and Kerry campaigns both played up their own debating skills.
D) the Bush and Kerry campaigns both played up their opponentʹs debating skills.
E) the Bush and Kerry campaigns both played down their opponentʹs debating skills.

2) What was the Supreme Courtʹs decision in McConnell v. Federal Election Commission?
A) The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act was unconstitutional.
B) Preventing political corruption overrides the partiesʹ free speech rights.
C) Congress can not restrict political contributions.
D) Public financing of political campaigns is unconstitutional.
E) McConnell lacked standing to sue and the case was sent back to the district court.

3) Which of the following is a provision of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act?
A) All campaigns must accept matching funds.
B) Congressional campaigns will be publicly funded.
C) A prohibition on soft money.
D) Supporters can no longer give money to a candidateʹs campaign committees; all money
must be given directly to candidates.
E) Citizens can give no more than $500 to a single candidate and no more than $2000 to any
candidate in a given election cycle.

4) Which of the following is least important for holding free and fair elections?
A) freedom of speech
B) a lengthy campaign season
C) freedom of assembly
D) a lack of government coercion over the process
E) secret ballots

5) Who can establish political action committees?
A) interest groups
B) candidates
C) foreign citizens
D) political parties
E) government entities

6) How does the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act affect political action committees?
A) PACs are prohibited from giving money to incumbents.
B) PACs are prohibited from giving money to challengers.
C) PACs must use corporate or union contributions for electioneering communications only.
D) PACs must use corporate or union contributions for administrative costs only.
E) PACS are prohibited from giving candidates money within 90 days of an upcoming
election.

7) Who establishes leadership PACs?
A) labor unions
B) corporations
C) members of Congress
D) trade associations
E) CEOs

8) Who can contribute unlimited amounts of money to a candidateʹs campaign?
A) individual citizens
B) 527 groups
C) corporate PACs
D) leadership PACs
E) Candidates can contribute unlimited amounts of money to their own campaigns.

9) How does public financing work in the general election?
A) Congressional candidates receive $75 million in public financing if they agree not to
spend any additional money.
B) Presidential candidates receive $75 million in public financing if they agree not to spend
any additional money.
C) Congressional candidates receive $1 in public financing for every $1 they raise from
individual contributions.
D) Presidential candidates receive $1 in public financing for every $1 they raise from
individual contributions.
E) Presidential and congressional candidates share whatever money is available in the
Election Campaign Fund.

10) Which of the following groups thinks that regulations on campaign contributions are a good
thing?
A) National Rifle Association
B) American Civil Liberties Union
C) Common Cause
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Sabato 14.2 Pages 515-521

1) In a political campaign, ________ usually announces good news and ________ usually
announces bad news.
A) the press secretary; the communications director
B) the candidate; the press secretary
C) the policy director; the campaign manager
D) the chair; the campaign manager
E) the Democratic candidate; the Republican candidate

2) In 2004, which campaign was especially effective in using the Internet for fundraising?
A) George W. Bush
B) John Kerry
C) Howard Dean
D) John Edwards
E) Dennis Kucinich

3) Who is George W. Bushʹs personal adviser and the mastermind behind his presidential
victories in 2000 and 2004?
A) Ken Mehlman
B) Marc Raciot
C) Kelly McCullough
D) Joe Trippi
E) Karl Rove

4) In the United States, negative campaigning is
A) ineffective.
B) a relatively new phenomena.
C) a function of the television age.
D) a modern phenomena that began around 1960.
E) a political tactic that has been around since the founding.

5) One way of counteracting an anticipated campaign attack by your opponent before the attack
is even launched is
A) proactive advertising.
B) inoculation advertising.
C) a first-strike strategy.
D) a defensive posture.
E) mutually assured destruction.

6) In covering campaigns, the news media are most likely to focus on
A) the candidatesʹ issue positions.
B) the pros and cons of various public policy options for society as a whole.
C) the candidatesʹ performances in previous elected positions.
D) polling.
E) issues of concern to young voters.

7) The advent of new media heavily reliant on computer technology has enabled campaigns to
give prompt and informed responses to changes in the political environment. This is known
as
A) battle bots.
B) the nuclear option.
C) going public.
D) rapid response.
E) straight talk.

8) Since the advent of the new media, citizens can log onto a candidateʹs Web site and engage in
a nearly contemporaneous exchange of ideas with other supporters and with the candidateʹs
Internet team. What is this new technology called?
A) email
B) imagined communities
C) blogs
D) social capitalism
E) wikis


9) Which of the following is true concerning how the campaigns attempt to influence their media
coverage?
A) Campaigns attempt to inundate the press with access to the candidate.
B) Campaigns try to avoid speaking in sound bites.
C) Campaigns try to persuade the media to cover their gaffes.
D) Campaigns avoid spinning campaign events so as not to be perceived as browbeating
reporters.
E) Campaigns try to get the campaignʹs message out by using talk shows and comedy
programs.


10) The 2004 presidential debates
A) spurred Bush to a temporary lead in the polls.
B) altered the results of the election.
C) increased knowledge about the candidates.
D) were boycotted by George W. Bush.
E) were boycotted by John Kerry.

14.1 Multiple-Choice Questions Pages 509-514

1) During the nomination campaign, party leaders are primarily concerned with ________, while
party activists are concerned with ________.
A) preventing election fraud; crossover voting
B) logrolling; casework
C) gerrymandering; the franking privilege
D) electability; ideology
E) preserving deniability; image

2) Which of the following mistakes are candidates most likely to make in their nominating
campaigns, making it difficult for them to win the general election?
A) They become one-trick ponies.
B) They insult their base.
C) They become too extreme.
D) They engage in credit taking.
E) They become insular and detached from their own party.

3) Which of the following campaign slogans is a candidate most likely to use?
A) ʺIʹm on your side.ʺ
B) ʺUpholding liberal Democratic values.ʺ
C) ʺUp with America! Down with immigrants!ʺ
D) ʺA Republican leader with conservative ideas.ʺ
E) ʺIʹll work hard to criminalize abortion.

4) Which of the following is a wedge issue?
A) fighting crime
B) improving education
C) improving the economy
D) same-sex marriage
E) creating jobs

5) What is a wedge issue?
A) an issue that is used to divide the public for strategic campaign purposes
B) an issue on which most Americans agree
C) a ʺbread and butterʺ issue
D) a campaign gaffe
E) an issue that a candidate supports even though he knows Congress will not pass it into
Law


6) Why did Senate Republicans have a roll-call vote on a constitutional amendment that would
ban same-sex marriage?
A) because they expected that it would pass
B) because they wanted to be able to use the vote against Democrats in the 2006 elections
C) because most Americans support same-sex marriage
D) because they wanted to punish Dick Cheneyʹs daughter for speaking out against the
Republican agenda
E) because few Americans are concerned about same-sex marriage

7) The 2006 elections saw a large number of
A) Republican African American candidates.
B) Republican Hispanic candidates.
C) openly gay and lesbian candidates.
D) Republican veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.
E) Democratic veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.

8) The two basic methods of voter canvass are
A) campaign stops and glad-handing.
B) door-to-door solicitations and phone banks.
C) public opinion polls and focus groups.
D) meet-and-greets and fundraisers.
E) shaking hands and kissing babies.


9) The head of a political campaign is usually called the
A) campaign consultant.
B) head honcho.
C) political manager.
D) campaign manager.
E) political strategist.

10) Who is responsible for a candidateʹs overall media strategy?
A) the press secretary
B) the general counsel
C) the outside counsel
D) the field director
E) the communications director