Government 2 Final Review

GOVT 2331 Exam 1 Review Sheet

Study Tips:

• Complete the readings.
• Look over lecture notes and review.
• Check the textbook website for supplemental readings, practice exams, etc.
• Topics mentioned in class are most likely test topics.
• Relax, study hard, but get a good night’s sleep and a good breakfast!

Format of Exam: 20 multiple-choice questions worth 2 points apiece and 4 short essay questions worth 15 points apiece.  Test material will come from text readings and lectures. The material for the exam will be taken from the text reading and from the lecture essays. You should be prepared to answer questions that are from the text reading alone OR material only from the lectures.  

This Review Sheet: The review sheet is meant to assist you with your review for the exam.  It is not meant to be a comprehensive list of everything in the readings, lectures, and discussions, but rather an outline of the main points and terms we’ve covered in the chapters and lectures.

Readings: Dye, et al., Chapters 1 – 4; Texas Politics, see readings e-mailed to you. 

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• Political Context – US

• Monarchy, totalitarianism, oligarchy, democracy, republic
• Direct vs. Indirect democracy
• Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau
• Social Contract Theory / Natural rights, life, liberty and property
• Political culture
• US population today vs. early years
• Political ideology: conservative, liberal, libertarian, populist

• Political Context – Texas

• Size of Texas, Texas population, variety of landforms, ethnic percentages of population
• Urbanization of Texas
• Change in ethnic demographics in Texas in 1990s
• Impact of Hispanic population growth in Texas, issues important to Hispanics
• Wealth and Poverty in Texas

• Constitution – U.S. and Texas

• French and Indian War
• Stamp Act / Tea Act
• First / Second Continental Congresses
• Declaration of Independence / Thomas Jefferson / John Locke
• Articles of Confederation: Key Provisions and Weaknesses
• Shays’ rebellion
• Constitutional Convention of 1787 / Founding Fathers
• Virginia Plan, New Jersey Plan, and the Connecticut “Great” Compromise
• 3/5 Compromise
• The Preamble
• Separation of powers
• Checks and balances
• Constitution

• Article I: enumerated powers of Congress, necessary and proper clause, implied powers
• Article II: powers of the president, State of the Union address
• Article III: Supreme Court, life tenure
• Article V: amending the Constitution
• Articles IV-VII: full faith and credit clause, supremacy clause, religious test
• The Bill of Rights: Amendments 1 – 10
• The remaining Amendments: 11 – 27

• Federalists / Anti-Federalists , their arguments and their papers
• Amendment process (methods of proposal/ratification)
• The 1876 Texas Constitution – Good and Bad Points  

• Enumerated and Implied Powers

• Federalism

• Federalism / Confederation / Unitary system
• 10th Amendment
• Supremacy clause, Privileges and immunities clause, Full faith and credit clause
• Reserve or police powers
• Concurrent powers
• Interstate compacts
• The Constitution and local governments
• Gibbons v Ogden: Commerce clause
• Roger B. Taney
• Dual federalism
• Scott v. Sanford
• Missouri compromise
• Civil War amendments
• Sherman anti-trust act
• End of dual federalism
• Court reversal on New Deal decisions
• Layer cake / Marble Cake metaphor
• Federal grant-in-aid programs, Categorical grants, Block grants
• Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ): Great Society, “War on Poverty”
• New federalism
• Republican “Reagan Revolution”, Cuts in domestic programs
• Contract with America
• “devolution revolution”
• Unfunded mandates
• Preemption
• Webster and Casey decisions, U.S. v Lopez, other decisions to constrain federal power
• Sovereign immunity

PART I: Please answer all of the following multiple-choice questions. Good luck:

1. The Preamble of the U.S. constitution lays out:

1. the philosophical justification and purpose of the government
2. the new government’s commitment to natural rights
3. a broad outline for colonialism
4. a commitment to federalism

1. Which state sponsored the Great Compromise?

1. Virginia
2. New Jersey
3. Connecticut
4. Georgia

1. The powers of the Congress are outlined in which Articles?

1. Article I
2. Article II
3. Article III
4. Article IV

1. The New Jersey Plan best represent the interests of:

1. Small states
2. Costal states
3. Large states
4. Slave states

1. The U.S. Supreme Court is created through which article?

1. Article I
2. Article II
3. Article III
4. Article IV

1. The 10th Amendment established the principle of:

1. Equality under the law
2. Federalism
3. Bicameralism
4. The right to bear arms

1. Federalism during the first century of American history has been described as:

1. Layer cake federalism
2. Marble cake federalism
3. Carrot cake federalism
4. Cheesecake federalism

1. Cooperative federalism suggests which metaphor?

1. Layer cake
2. Marble cake 
3. Carrot cake
4. Devil’s food

1. The supremacy clause refers to:

1. National power
2. State power
3. Foreign policy
4. The Oklahoma Sooners!

1. What is the most common method to amend the constitution?

1. By a vote of each house in Congress and then sent to the states
2. By president order
3. By the states without Congressional approval
4. By the Congress by a simple majority

1. The powers of the presidency are found in:

1. Article I
2. Article II
3. Article III
4. Article IV

1. Which type of federalism refers to a separation of national-state relations/powers?

1. Dual
2. Cooperative
3. Coercive
4. Creative

1. Which Article of the Constitution concerns presidential powers?

1. Article I
2. Article II
3. Article III
4. Article IV

1. Among the powers delegated to Congress in Article I is the power to regulate:

1. The military
2. Commerce
3. Taxes
4. Voting

1. The U.S. Constitution borrows heavily from which political philosopher?

1. Rousseau
2. Burke
3. Hobbes
4. Locke

1. T/F: Since its adoption in 1876, the Texas Constitution has been amended just a few times
2. A model of federalism in which national, state, and local governments work together exercising common policy responsibilities was:

1. State-centralized federalism
2. Dual federalism
3. Cooperative federalism
4. Centralized federalism

1. Those who supported the U.S. Constitution during the ratification process were called:

1. Federalists
2. Anti-federalists (opposed)
3. Whigs
4. American-Democrats

1. T/F: Texas politics is currently dominated by the Republicans.
2. T/F: The U.S. Constitution shaped by compromises

PART II: Please answer the four of the following essay questions (use the back of your exam).

1. Discuss the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution. What exactly are the aims of the Preamble?

Slide 86

The Preamble is the opening statement to the United States Constitution. It explains the reasons why we have a republic government. It also explains why the Constitution was written.