Political
Science 1100, Evening, Fall 2007
Study Guide for Exam 1
Exam 1 covers the following material:
Lectures, August 20- September 10
Patterson, pages pages 3-187, 529-530
Annual Editions, Number 4, 11, 12, 15, pages 18-19, 38-39, 40-41, 47-53
Here are some short answer questions to study for the exam. Three of these questions will appear on the exam; you will be required to answer one of the three. The best answers will be clear and concise explanations that demonstrate that you know the material. Define the key terms, use these terms accurately and include specific examples. This section is worth a maximum of 20 points.
1. Who were the original populists, according to lecture? What did they demand from government and why did they demand it? What kinds of people are called "populists" today?
2. Who was James Madison? What was his diagnosis of the nation’s problems in 1787? How did the Virginia Plan aim to solve these problems?
3. What was the central dilemma identified by James Madison in 1787, according to lecture? How did the Constitution solve this dilemma? Be specific about the separation of powers.
4. What is “business climate”? How has state economic
growth affected population trends and the relative political influence of the
states in Congress and the electoral college?
5. Describe the Constitutional questions
answered by Plessy
v.
6. Describe the “absolutist” position on civil liberties. What position did Hugo Black take in the Dennis and the Griswold decisions, and why?
7. According to lecture, what's the most careful way to investigate about public opinion? As consumer of public opinion polls, what kinds of things should you pay attention to when you read about a poll?
8. What is politics, according to Patterson (chapter 1)? In what ways to democracy, constitutionalism and capitalism set the rules of American politics? Be sure to give examples.
9. According to Patterson (chapter 1), what are majoritarianism, pluralism, and elitism? Define each and give examples of these theories.
10. Explain what Patterson means by "separation of powers" (chapter 2). What does he mean by "separated institutions sharing powers"? What does he mean by "shared" legislative, executive, and judicial powers? , Be specific.
11. Who were the Anti-Federalists and the Federalists, according to Patterson (chapter 2)? On what issues did they differ? Be specific.
12. What is "fiscal federalism," according to Patterson (chapter 3)? What kinds of programs are provided through grants in aid? What is the difference between categorical grants and block grants? Be as specific as possible.
13. What is the Fourteenth Amendment (Patterson chapter 4)? Why is it important for civil liberties? Be sure to explain due process and selective incorporation, and to give specific examples.
14. Define, explain, and give examples of the exclusionary rule and Habeas Corpus appeals, according to Patterson (chapter 4). Be sure to explain why these are important.
15. What were women's legal and political gains in the wake of the civil rights movement, according to Patterson (chapter 5)? What are current issues of comparable worth and sexual harassment?
16. What is a public opinion poll (Patterson chapter 6)? Explain thoroughly how it is possible to measure the thinking of a large population on the basis of a relatively small sample.
17. In Federalist 51 (Annual Editions number 4) Madison claims that “ambition must be made to counteract ambition.” What does he mean by this, and why does he say it?
18. How have different states dealt with the issue of same-sex marriage and legal unions, according to Benjamin Wittes (Annual Editions number 11)? Note the variety of responses, and be specific. What's the federal government's role in this issue?
19. What is Kelo v. New London (Annual Editions number 12)? Who opposed this decision? why did they oppose it? What did they do about it?
20. According to Stuart Taylor (Annual Editions number 15), what branch did the Constitution's framers intend to be pre-eminent in matters of war? What are "unilateral" presidential powers? Give specific examples of the kinds of unilateral powers President George W. Bush has claimed. In what way does Taylor view these powers as a danger?