POLS 1101: American Government (Fall 2019)

Professor: Dr. Michael Evans

Study Guide for Exam 3
Module 11: Political Parties

 What is a partisan realignment?

 How, according to the textbook, do political parties ”provide a vital function in
any democratic system”?
 How did the issue of slavery factor into the demise of the Whig Party, the loss of
majority-party status by Democrats, and the rise of the Republican Party?
 What led to the development of the Democratic Party as a majority party in the
1930s?
 Why did the civil rights movement present a long-lasting challenge to the
Democratic Party’s coalition that originally emerged in the 1930s?
 Why do we only have two major parties?
 What are third parties? Be sure to know the different major third parties in the
United States since 1992.
 What are proto-parties? What separates them from third parties? What are recent
examples of proto-parties?
 What are parties in government and how do they differ from parties in the
electorate?
 What, according the textbook, is the most notable trend in regards to the party in
the electorate over the past four decades?
 Make sure that you understand the decentralized nature of our political parties and
what it means for party politics.
 Many Democrats think the nomination of Hillary Clinton in 2016 signaled a
failure of the party’s system for nominating presidential candidates. What
problem do these critics see with the system?
 Many Republicans think the nomination of Donald Trump in 2016 signaled a
failure of party’s system for nominating presidential candidates. What problem do
these critics see with the system?
 What seven things do national party conventions do (according to the textbook)?
 What is a party platform? When do parties adopt them?
 Why, according to the textbook, has the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
(BCRA) of 2002 had a mixed impact on the ability for parties to influence
candidates’ campaigns?
Module 12: Interest Groups

 Make sure to know and understand the definition of interest groups? How do
interest groups differ from political parties?
 Be sure to understand the relationship between interest groups and the First
Amendment.
  What is pluralism? How does pluralism differ from majoritarianism, elite theory,
and biased pluralism?
 What is meant by hyperpluralism?
- What are some negative consequences of hyperpluralism?
 What are the two broad categories of interest groups in the United States?
 What are the different types of economic interest groups? How do they differ in
the policies that they pursue? Be sure to know an example of each subtype (for
instance: the AFL-CIO is a labor union).
 What are the different types of non-economic interest groups? How do they differ
from economic interest groups?
- What is the name given to non-economic interest groups that strive for “a
collective good, the achievement of which will not selectively or
materially benefit the membership or activists of the organization?”
 How do collective action problems (including the incentive to free ride) shape the
way in which interest groups try to recruit and retain members?
- Why do individuals decide to join interest groups? Why, for instance,
might I become a member of AAA even if I’d rather free-ride on the
public goods it seeks to provide?
 What are some of the most common ways in which interest groups seek to
influence policy?
- What is the relationship between interest groups, campaigns, and money?
- What is a “PAC”?
- What is the difference between (traditional) lobbying and grassroots
lobbying?
- What is an amicus curiae brief? How do interest groups use them to seek
to influence policy?
 What is an iron-triangle? What is one example of a possible iron triangle today?
How are issue networks different than iron triangles? Which model, according to
the textbook, is the more accurate account of how interest groups influence
government today?

Module 13: Congress

 What is an incumbent? What are some of the advantages to being an incumbent in

Congress? What are some of the pitfalls of incumbency?
- Which group raises and spends more money on average, incumbents or
challengers?
 Be sure to be able to define and understand the following terms: reapportionment,
redistricting, and gerrymandering.
 When should turnout be higher, in a midterm or presidential election year?
 According to the book, has party unity in Congress gone up or down since 1970?
 What are the different leadership positions in Congress (for example: House
Majority Leader, Speaker of the House, etc.)?
- What are the roles played by each party leader?
  What is the role of standing committees?
 What is the difference between a standing committee, a joint committee, a select
committee, and a conference committee?
 Which party has more seats on a committee, the majority or minority?
 Be sure to know the steps before a bill can become a law.
- How can a bill become a law even if the President vetoes legislation?
 What is a filibuster? Which chamber allows for a filibuster of legislation? How
many votes are needed to end a filibuster?
 What are the three major functions of Congress discussed in the textbook? Be
sure to be able to describe each of them.
 What is logrolling?
 What are the differences (discussed in the textbook) between Congress and other
legislatures around the world?

Module 14: The Executive Branch

 What are the different roles of the president? Be sure to know the differences
between them.
 Which part of the Constitution establishes the two-term limit for presidents? Who
is the only president who served for more than two terms?
 What is the process to remove a president from office? Which presidents have
been impeached by the House? Which, if any, of those presidents were removed
from office?
 Where in the Constitution are the powers of the president located? What are the
powers of the president?
 What are the different options for a president when legislation is sitting at his or
her desk?
- What is a veto override? What is a line item veto? Is it still used
commonly today? What is a pocket veto?
 What is executive privilege? Is executive privilege limitless?
 What is the difference between a treaty and an executive agreement? Which is
harder to put into effect for a president?
 Which branch of the government has the power to declare war?
 What are the three main sources of staff assistance to the president?
- Who is generally considered the president’s closest advisor?
- What are the different functions of the president’s cabinet?
 What is the “honeymoon period” for presidents?
- When is a president most likely to pass legislation and influence major
policy changes?

Module 15: Judiciary

 What did Hamilton mean when he called the judiciary the “least dangerous
branch”?
- Who controls the “sword” and the “purse”? Does the Supreme Court
control either of those things?
 What is the significance of Marbury v. Madison (1803) for the power of judicial
review?
 Who is the plaintiff in a case? Who is the defendant?
 What are the different types of cases?
 What is jurisdiction?
 What is standing?
- Be sure to understand the “case or controversy principle”
 What is a political question? Why doesn’t the judiciary answer political
questions?
 What is stare decisis? What role does it play?
 Which article of the Constitution establishes the constitutional basics of the
federal judiciary?
- What does that article say about the Supreme Court? Lower Courts?
- What protections are given to federal judges?
 What is the basic hierarchy of the federal judiciary?
 What is the process for nominating and confirming a federal judge?
- What role does the Senate play?
- What is senatorial courtesy?
 How can a federal judge be removed?
 What are the steps of a case before the Supreme Court (starting with a writ of
certiorari ending with opinions)?
 What are the differences between judicial activism and judicial restraint?
 What are the different constraints on the judiciary?