Foundations of American Democracy
What document (written 1776) relies on natural rights, popular sovereignty, and social contract theory to justify independence from Britain?
Declaration of Independence.
Which amendment contains the freedoms of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition?
First Amendment
Which Article of the Constitution establishes the legislative branch?
Article I.
Which amendment lowered the voting age to 18?
Twenty-Sixth Amendment.
What term describes scientific methods that measure public opinion from a representative sample?
Public opinion polling (scientific polling).
Name the compromise that created a bicameral legislature with representation by population in one house and equal representation in the other.
The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise).
What doctrine uses the Fourteenth Amendment to apply protections in the Bill of Rights to state governments?
Selective incorporation (Fourteenth Amendment).
How long is a senator’s term, and how many senators does each state have?
Six years; two senators per state.
What is the main difference between an open primary and a closed primary?
Open primaries allow any voter to choose which party’s ballot to vote; closed primaries restrict voting to registered party members.
What’s the difference between framing and priming in media influence?
Framing = how an issue is presented; priming = emphasizing certain issues so the public views them as more important.
Define “federalism” in one sentence.
Federalism: division of power between national and state governments.
Name the Supreme Court case that banned school-sponsored prayer in public schools.
Engel v. Vitale (1962)
What is a conference committee and why is it used?
Temporary committee of House and Senate members that resolves differences between each chamber’s version of a bill.
Define “one person, one vote” and name the Supreme Court case that enforced it
“One person, one vote” means districts equal in population; Baker v. Carr
Which ideology generally supports more government involvement in the economy and broader social freedoms?
Liberals.
Explain the difference between enumerated and implied powers
Enumerated = listed in Constitution; implied = powers reasonably inferred from text (Necessary and Proper Clause).
What three-part test must a law meet under Lemon v. Kurtzman to be constitutional regarding religion?
Secular legislative purpose; neither advance nor inhibit religion; no excessive entanglement.
Define “judicial review” and name the case that established it.
Judicial review = courts’ power to declare laws unconstitutional; Marbury v. Madison.
List two reasons why voter turnout tends to be lower among younger voters (ages 18–29).
Lower civic engagement/less habit of voting; lower levels of education/less political information.
Explain confirmation bias and one way it affects how people respond to political information
Confirmation bias: people favor information confirming prior beliefs; it leads to selective exposure and rejection of conflicting evidence.
Identify and briefly describe the historical event that exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and helped prompt the Constitutional Convention.
Shays’ Rebellion.
Describe the difference between strict scrutiny and time, place, and manner restrictions when the government limits speech or religious practice.
Strict scrutiny requires a compelling government interest and least restrictive means; time/place/manner limits regulate when/where/how speech occurs without restricting content.
Explain one advantage and one disadvantage of cooperative (marble-cake) federalism in two short sentences.
Advantage: national capacity/resources for cross-state problems; Disadvantage: policies may be less tailored to local needs.
Explain the difference between a PAC and a Super PAC
PACs give limited direct contributions to candidates/parties; Super PACs can spend unlimited amounts on independent expenditures but cannot coordinate directly with campaigns.
Using Keynesian theory from the passage, state one policy (briefly) a government could use to increase aggregate demand during a recession and why it would help.
Example: Increase government spending on infrastructure to boost demand — raises aggregate demand and encourages firms to produce more.