AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT – MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE

1. The two great questions about politics addressed by your text are, Who governs? and
a. Who pays?
b. To what ends?
c. With what means?
d. For how long?
e. Who votes?

2. The two great questions about politics addressed by your text are
a. Who votes? and Why?
b. Who governs? and To what ends?
c. Who runs for office? and Who pays?
d. Who is right? and Why?
e. For how long?

3. The relationship between the two central questions addressed by your text ”Who governs? and To what
ends?” can best be described in what way?
a. They are two distinct questions, but each must be considered with the other in mind.
b. They are essentially two different versions of the same question.
c. Who governs? deals with the purpose of politics; To what ends? deals with who holds political
power.
d. They are two separate and distinct questions that should be addressed without reference to each
other.
e. They are questions which cannot be separated without considering the very nature of politics.

4. Today, the U.S. federal income tax takes an average of what percent of taxpayers' income?
a. 10
b. 15
c. 21
d. 43
e. 45

5. The text argues that political power and political purposes are
a. one and the same thing.
b. frequently at odds with each other.
c. occasionally overlapping concepts.
d. inextricably intertwined.
e. rarely joined in any obvious way.

6. The text argues that political power is inextricably bound with

a. mass media power.
b. economic theories.
c. an elitist attitude.
d. religious and moral values.
e. political purposes.
AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT – MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE

7. Individuals have power when they are able to

a. get elected to office.
b. be present at behind-the-scenes political meetings.
c. serve their fellow human beings.
d. get others to do what they want.
e. vote without being influenced by outside forces.

8. Power is best defined as the capacity to

a. make and carry out decisions without regard to others.
b. get others to act in accordance with your intentions.
c. persuade others to do what they do not want to do.
d. respect your positions without fully believing them.
e. believe in others while motivating yourself.

9. The president's wife gets him to change his position on abortion. Is this an example of political power,
according to your text's definition?
a. Yes, because she's gotten the president to act according to her intentions.
b. Yes, because the spouse of a president is a legitimate member of a political elite.
c. No, because the spouse of a president lacks the formal authority to exercise political power.
d. No, because the exercise of political power requires overt action.
e. No, because abortion is not mentioned in the Constitution.

10. Your text notes that, over time, more and more issues in this country have tended to become ________
ones.
a. public
b. economic
c. international
d. moral
e. private

11. The text notes a tendency for issues that once were ________ to become ________.
a. simple, complicated
b. public, secret
c. social, political
d. private, public
e. economic, social

12. Compared with the 1950s, government's involvement in the everyday lives of Americans in the 1990s
is
a. about the same.
b. slightly less.
c. considerably less.
d. slightly greater.
e. considerably greater.
AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT – MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE

13. Formal authority refers to a right to exercise power that is derived from a(n)
a. official ceremony.
b. majority vote.
c. consensus.
d. popular consensus.
e. governmental office.

14. If you decided that you wanted to achieve some formal authority in U.S. society, you would be best
advised to
a. get a formal education.
b. join a political party.
c. pursue elective or appointive office.
d. join an effective interest group.
e. become well versed in the law.

15. People who run for office are trying to achieve what kind of authority?
a. respected
b. lasting
c. formal
d. ultimate
e. informal

16. The primary source of legitimate political authority in the United States is the
a. Bill of Rights.
b. will of the people.
c. U.S. Constitution.
d. concept of civil liberty.
e. notion of civil rights.

17. When did the U.S. Constitution become a source of legitimate authority?
a. at the time of the American Revolution
b. when it was written in Philadelphia
c. after 1787, gradually
d. only in recent years
e. after the Supreme Court’s decision in Marbury

18. Which of the following statements about the U.S. Constitution as a source of legitimate authority is
true?
a. This notion is widely accepted today.
b. This notion has been accepted since 1787.
c. This notion is unanimously recognized.
d. This notion is accepted by many historians.
e. This notion is vague, but developing.

19. The texts suggests that, in the United States, no government at any level would be considered
legitimate if it were not in some sense
a. democratic.
AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT – MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE

b. altruistic.
c. humanitarian.
d. elitist.
e. aristocratic.
AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT – MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE

20. The author cites the early presidential administrations, the Civil War, and the New Deal as examples of
struggles over
a. what constitutes legitimate authority.
b. who shall govern.
c. who gets what, when, and how.
d. when progress is possible.
e. how power is accumulated.

21. The U.S. Constitution was signed in the year

a. 1775.
b. 1776.
c. 1779.
d. 1787.
e. 1789.

22. The year 1787 was when the

a. Declaration of Independence was drafted.
b. Annapolis Convention was held.
c. U.S. Constitution was written.
d. U.S. Constitution was ratified by the thirteenth state.
e. Washington and Hamilton first considered creating a new government.

23. In the year 1787, Florida was

a. still unoccupied.
b. one of the original thirteen colonies.
c. occupied by France.
d. part of Georgia.
e. occupied by Spain.
AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT – MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE

24. Which statement most accurately summarizes the aftermath of the American Revolution?
a. Many cities were in ruins and the British were still a powerful presence.
b. The economy was strong and the British military was on the verge of complete collapse.
c. Cities were booming and the currency was strong.
d. Taxes were low and the currency was sound.
e. Spain and Britain were no longer relevant on this continent.

25. Under the Articles of Confederation, delegates to the national legislature were
a. elected by the people.
b. selected by state governors.
c. appointed by state committees.
d. chosen by the state legislatures.
e. None of these.

26. Public mood in the thirteen states between the time of the signing of the Declaration of Independence
and the signing of the U.S. Constitution can best be described as
a. confident and calmly optimistic.
b. warlike but with a common spirit of right and justice.
c. brash and arrogant.
d. fearful and tumultuous.
e. unified and fearless.

27. Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government could

a. run the Post Office.
b. levy taxes.
c. regulate commerce.
d. establish a national judicial system.
e. None of these.
AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT – MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE

28. All of the following were true of the government under the Articles of Confederation except
a. Larger states had more votes in the national legislature.
b. There was no national judicial branch.
c. The national government could not levy taxes.
d. The national government could not regulate commerce.
e. Amendment required the support of all thirteen states.

29. The power to operate a postal service was given to the national government by the
a. Declaration of Independence.
b. Articles of Confederation.
c. U.S. Constitution.
d. Bill of Rights.
e. None of these.

30. Among the rights reserved by Congress following the signing of the Articles of Confederation in 1781
were all of the following except
a. the right to settle state claims.
b. the right to coin money.
c. the right to run a national Post Office.
d. the right to make peace.
e. B and D.

31. If the United States were operating today under the Articles of Confederation, issues such as the effect
of acid rain on the environment would be handled by
a. Congress.
b. the executive branch.
c. the Supreme Court.
d. popular vote.
e. the individual states.
AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT – MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE

32. If the United States were still operating under the Articles of Confederation, which of the following
issues would have to be handled by the states?
a. arms reduction negotiations
b. interstate commerce
c. postal regulation
d. protecting the environment against acid rain
e. all of these

33. The purpose of the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was to

a. prepare a new constitution.
b. revise the Articles of Confederation.
c. draft a Declaration of Independence.
d. adopt a common state constitution.
e. prepare for a second Revolution.

34. The Federalist papers contain the results of studies of various forms of government assembled by
a. Benjamin Franklin.
b. Thomas Jefferson.
c. John Adams.
d. George Washington.
e. James Madison.

35. James Madison examined historical data on republics, confederations, and aristocracies to learn about
the formation of a government. His conclusions are found in
a. the Federalist papers.
b. his essay "On Liberty."
c. his personal diary.
d. Revolutionary Governments (Parts 1-4).
e. Two Treatises on Government.
AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT – MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE

36. The Pennsylvania constitution was notable for

a. being very democratic.
b. the protection it granted to minorities.
c. granting so much power to the executive.
d. the opposition it drew from French philosophers.
e. All of these.

37. The Pennsylvania constitution was

a. hailed by philosophers in France.
b. used as a model in Germany.
c. based on documents from Russia.
d. created by immigrants from Spain.
e. the cause of several riots in Great Britain.

38. A state constitution notable in the 1780s for its democratic nature was that of
a. Connecticut.
b. New York.
c. Georgia.
d. Virginia.
e. Pennsylvania.

39. Compared to the Pennsylvania state constitution of 1776, the constitution adopted by Massachusetts in
1780 was
a. less democratic, with power residing largely in the hands of a strong executive council.
b. more democratic, with power residing largely in the hands of the people through town meetings.
c. less democratic, with a clear separation of powers among the various branches of government.
d. more democratic, with power given to a one-house legislature, the members of which were elected to
one-year terms.
e. more democratic, with power residing largely in the hands of the courts.
AP AMERICAN GOVERNMENT – MIDTERM STUDY GUIDE

40. The effect of Shays's Rebellion on attendance by delegates at the planned Constitutional Convention of
1787 was to
a. encourage attendance by delegates fearing the collapse of state governments.
b. encourage attendance by delegates fearing intervention by the British.
c. discourage attendance by delegates fearing a public outcry against any strengthening of the Articles of
Confederation.
d. discourage attendance by delegates fearing intervention by the British.
e. discourage attendance by delegates who fought in the Revolutionary War.

41. Any state could legally have taxed the national bank into bankruptcy if the Supreme Court had
reversed itself in
a. Marbury v. Madison.
b. McCulloch v. Maryland.
c. Roe v. Wade.
d. Miranda v. Missouri.
e. U.S. v. Wilson.

42. In McCulloch v. Maryland, if the Supreme Court reached the opposite conclusion on the right of
Congress to charter a bank, the bank would have been
a. taken over by the state of Maryland.
b. declared illegal.
c. taken over by the federal government.
d. taken over by the federal judiciary.
e. established in each of the states.

43. The lynchpin of Marshall’s opinion in the McCulloch case was that the Constitution
a. was established by the states.
b. was established by the people.
c. was established by Congress.
d. clearly established state superiority.
e. did not allow Congress to create a national bank.

44. In McCulloch v. Maryland, had the Supreme Court reached the opposite conclusion on the question of
whether a state could tax a national bank, Maryland could legally have
a. resorted to nullification.
b. taxed the bank into bankruptcy.
c. imposed no tax whatever.
d. taxed only the bank's interstate business.
e. established a national bank in each county.
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45. An important outcome of Marshall's ruling in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) was to

a. place limits on the constitutional powers granted to Congress by refusing McCulloch's appeal.
b. give greater power to the states in taxing agents of the federal government, including banks.
c. protect newspaper editors who publish stories critical of the federal government.
d. restrict the power of the Court in cases involving conflicts between states and the federal
government.
e. confirm the supremacy of the federal government in the exercise of the constitutional powers
granted to Congress.

46. During the battle over slavery, the case for nullification was forcefully presented by
a. William Jennings Randolph.
b. Robert E. Lee.
c. William Graham Sumner.
d. John C. Calhoun.
e. J.E.B. Stuart.

47. The doctrine of states' rights espoused by John C. Calhoun of South Carolina is best known as
a. subordination.
b. reification.
c. nullification.
d. reciprocity.
e. interposition.

48. States cannot declare acts of Congress unconstitutional. In other words, states do not have the right of
a. nullification.
b. local mandate.
c. dual federalism.
d. habeas corpus.
e. recall.

49. The doctrine of nullification refers to

a. the power of Congress to veto state laws that violate the U.S. Constitution.
b. the claimed authority of the states to declare a federal law void for violating the U.S.
Constitution.
c. the power of the president to veto state laws for violating the U.S. Constitution.
d. the authority of the president to dissolve Congress and to call for new elections.
e. the power of the federal government to invalidate state laws on matters of commerce.

50. The doctrine of dual federalism grew out of a protracted debate on the subject of
a. commerce.
b. banking.
c. manufacturing.
d. welfare.
e. licensing of commercial fishermen.