Political Science 1100, Robertson, Spring 2009,        Study Guide for Exam 1

Exam 1 covers the following material:

            Lectures, January 21 – February 9

            Patterson, pages 3-169, 473-482
Annual Editions, Numbers 4-5, 9, 13-15, 35, pages 19-22, 31-33, 45-47, 51-57, 132-133

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 was James Madison? What was his diagnosis of the nation’s problems in 1787? How did the Virginia Plan aim to solve these problems?

  2. What was the central dilemma identified by James Madison in 1787, according to lecture? Did the framers create a government that is easy to use? Explain fully how the answer to the second question is related to the first question.

  3. How does state government affect the lives of individual Americans?  How are state public policies different from each other? Give specific examples.

4. Describe the Constitutional questions answered by Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education. How did the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 change things? Be sure to explain your answers.

  5. Describe the “absolutist” position on civil liberties.  What position did Hugo Black take in the Dennis and the Griswold decisions, and why?

  6. What is political tolerance?  Specify the ways in which Americans -- and students in political science 1100 at UMSL -- express support for political tolerance in theory, but do not support it as strongly in practice.

 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. According to Patterson (chapter 1), what are the three major rules of American politics? Define, describe, and explain the importance of each of the three. Be clear and specific.

9. What is the principle of “separated institutions sharing power,” according to Patterson (chapter 2)? How are legislative powers “shared” in the American Constitution? How are executive powers shared? How are judicial powers shared? Do most other democracies have the same arrangement?

10. Who were the Anti-Federalists and the Federalists, according to Patterson (chapter 2)?   On what issues did they differ?  Be specific.

11. What are the three arguments for federalism, according to Patterson (chapter 3)? Be sure to explain how federalism provides each of these three benefits.

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). Explain why these are important for individuals accused of a crime.

15. Describe the Hispanic population of the United States. Describe the Hispanic civil rights movement. How and why are Hispanics enjoying growing political power?

16. What is a public opinion poll (Patterson chapter 6)? Explain thoroughly how it is possible to measure with accuracy the thinking of a large population on the basis of a relatively small sample. Do polls have a good record in predicting elections? 

17. Sanford Levinson asks several questions about constitutional reform in his article, "It's Time to Repair the Constitution's Flaws," in Annual Editions (number 9). What problems does Levinson identify with respect to: (1) the representativeness of the Senate; (2) the Electoral College; (3) presidential power and (4) constitutional amendments?  Be specific, using examples. 

18. How did the Bush Administration prepare to shape public opinion about Social Security at the beginning of its second term, according to George Edwards in "Changing Their Minds?" (Annual Editions, number 15)?  How successful were these efforts and why? Be specific.

19. In what ways do unmarried couples have far fewer automatic legal and civil rights than those who are married, according to Nadia Bernstein in "Happily Never Married" (Annual Editions, number 13)? Be sure to include a discussion of health care benefits.  How have same-sex marriage bans affected unmarried heterosexual couples?  Be sure to discuss domestic violence.

20. According to Robert A. Pastor in "America Observed," (Annual Editions number 35), how does the United States compare to other democracies in terms of (1) who's in charge of elections, (2) the registration and identification of voters, (3) voting technologies, (4) civic education, and (5) campaign finance and access to the media.