Download 1st Semester Exam Study Guide 2016

U.S. Government
1st Semester Study Guide
Name_________________________________
Period________________
Rules for Study guide use on Exam: must be hand-written and have student’s name/period; no photo copies or typed
versions will be allowed. Study guide will be collected with exam.
Important People
Barack Obama
Joe Biden
Hilary Clinton
John Kerry
Donald Trump
Mike Pence
Paul Ryan
Mark Warner
Tim Kaine
George Allen
Bob Goodlatte
Steve Newman
Scott Garrett
Carl Boggess
Janet Yellen
Ben Bernanke
Hank Paulson
Tim Geithner
Pope Francis
Fidel Castro
Essential Knowledge
World leaders
Who Governs You chart:
-JF’s congressional district
-legislature in Richmond
-Bedford County’s government
-requirements for Senators, House
-length of terms for offices
-Va’s electoral votes?
Pledge of Allegiance
Star-Spangled Banner
Interpreting political cartoons
Characteristics of good citizens
Political Ideology
-conservative, liberal, moderate
Position each takes on the issues:
abortion, gun control,
environment, gay/lesbian rights,
school prayer, taxation, size of
government, school vouchers,
affirmative action, immigration
Characteristics of a “state”
Theories of origin of governments:
-Force theory
-Evolutionary theory
-Divine Right theory
-Social Contract theory
Types of democratic governments:
-presidential
-parliamentary (coalitions)
-confederations
Dictatorial/authoritarian govts
Strengths and weaknesses of
types of government
Two, multi, one party systems
Influence of Greece and Rome on
American Democracy
Influence of the English:
-Magna Carta, English Petition of
Rights, English Bill of Rights,
Common Law; Social Contract
theory
-ordered, limited, representative
govt
Influence of Hobbes, Locke,
Montesquieu, Rousseau
Declaration of Independence
and author
Albany Plan
Reasons for independence
included in the Declaration
Virginia Declaration of Rights and
author
Virginia Statute for Religious
Freedom and author
Articles of Confederation
Why did Articles fail?
Shay’s Rebellion
Virginia, New Jersey, Connecticut
Plans for the Constitution
3/5 Compromise; ramifications of
avoiding slavery issue
Importance of Preamble
Roles of George Washington,
James Madison, and Alexander
Hamilton in Constitutional
Convention
Ratification of Constitution
Federalist Papers; Publius
Federalists & Antifederalists
1st national capital where?
Popular Sovereignty
a republic
Federalism: a “federal”
government
McCulloch v. Maryland
Supremacy Clause
Necessary & proper clause
3 branches of government:
executive, legislative, judicial
Commander in chief
Bicameral legislature: House of
Representatives, Senate
Expressed powers
Concurrent powers
Implied powers
Denied powers
Reason for the amendment
process
2 step process to amend
Constitution
# of years for ratification?
Role of the President in
amendments
Bill of Rights: 1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th, 6th,7th,
8th, 10th amendment rights
Civil War Amendments:
-13th
-14th
-15th
18th
19th
21st
U.S. Government
1st Semester Study Guide
Name_________________________________
Period________________
Rules for Study guide use on Exam: must be hand-written and have student’s name/period; no photo copies or typed
versions will be allowed. Study guide will be collected with exam.
22nd
26th
27th
Longest to ratify?
Supreme Court: “Judicial Review”
(Marbury v. Madison)
Checks and balances
Fundamental concepts of
democracy: Equality, necessity
of compromise, majority ruleminority rights, limits to
individual freedom
Elections
Constituents
“winner-take-all” system
Majority/plurality
Public policy
Census/Redistricting
Main purpose of political parties?
Watch dog function
Party platform
Two-Party system
-Republican Party’s symbol?
-Democratic Party’s symbol?
Role/impact of independents
Swing Voters
Registering to vote in Virginia:
how many days before?
Early registration
Average Republican
Average Democrat
Your political socialization
Minor/Third Parties
Types of 3rd parties
Role of 3rd parties: spoiler, critic
and innovator; “infect political
dialogue”
Examples of 3rd parties: Greens,
Libertarians, Socialist, US
Marijuana
Partisans
Nomination of candidates:
Caucus
Convention
Petition
Primary: open/closed
Tactics for winning elections:
Oppo, smear campaign, push
polls, whisper campaigns, oppo
dumps, attack ads, contrast ads,
tracking
Grassroots vs. astroturfing
Role of social media
Post-truth era: Fringe and fake
news sites
State of American political system:
elitist, money-dominated, imagecentered, negative campaigns,
incumbency, status quo,
polarization, non-participatory,
political gridlock
Effectiveness of negative ads
Non-Voting: why?
Voting behavior: demographics,
education, gender, religion,
ethnic background, influence of
family & friends
Straight-ticket and split-ticket
voting
Opinion leaders
Measuring “Public Opinion”
Exit polls
Straw polls
Scientific polls
-Methodology of polling: universe,
sample (random, quota); valid
questions; method of survey;
interpreting results
-Response Bias
-Benchmark, tracking polls
-Margin of error
-Loaded questions
-Double-barreled questions
-Double negative questions
Role of Interest Groups in
influencing elections
Unregulated Super PACS (Political
Actions Committees); 501(c) (4)
social welfare groups
Capitalism/Free Enterprise
System: four characteristics of
Criticisms of capitalism
capital
Entrepreneurs
Sole proprietor; partnerships
Corporations
Law of supply & demand
Equilibrium
Invisible hand in free market
Command economy
Mixed economy
Government intervention in the
economy:
-fiscal policy
-monetary policy
Macroeconomics
Federal Reserve System
Dual mandate
Fractional-reserve banking
Moral hazard
Bureau of Engraving & Printing
Discount rate
Reserve requirements
Open market operations
FOMC
Elastic Currency
Fungible
Number of Fed Reserve banks
Why government collects taxes
Infrastructure
Examples of infrastructure
Problems with infrastructure in
America
Public health and safety
Public goods and services and why
government provides them
U.S. Government
1st Semester Study Guide
Name_________________________________
Period________________
Rules for Study guide use on Exam: must be hand-written and have student’s name/period; no photo copies or typed
versions will be allowed. Study guide will be collected with exam.
Economic indicators:
-GDP
-per capita GDP
-CPI/inflation
-unemployment
New York Stock Exchange
-Dow Jones
-NASDAQ
-S&P 500
Leading indicator/bellwether
-barrel of crude
-gold
-housing
-retail sales
-exchange rates
Balance of trade
-trade deficits/surpluses
Comparative advantage
Voluntary trade
Gains from trade
Trade agreements
-NAFTA
-WTO
Map Skills
Locate 50 States on the US map
Locate major cities: Richmond,
Philadelphia, New York, Boston,
Charlotte, Atlanta, Miami, New
Orleans, Cleveland, Indianapolis,
Chicago, Detroit, Dallas, Denver,
Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Las
Vegas, Los Angeles, San
Francisco, Portland (Or), Seattle
Locate foreign neighbors:
Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Haiti,
Dominican Republic
Locate major bodies of water:
Atlantic, Pacific, Gulf of Mexico,
Indian Ocean, Caribbean Sea,
Mediterranean Sea, North
Sea, Red Sea
Major Rivers:
Mississippi, Ohio, James, Rio
Grande, Nile, Huang He (Yellow),
Indus, Volga, Amazon
Major Lakes: Great Salt Lake,
Superior, Michigan, Erie, Ontario,
Huron, Salton Sea, Lake
Okeechobee, Lake Victoria,
Locate major nations on World
Map:
Great Britain, France, Germany,
Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey,
Israel, Poland, Russia, Ukraine,
Netherlands, Egypt, Libya, Iraq,
Iran, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, South
Africa, Pakistan, Afghanistan,
India, China, Japan, North &
South Korea, Indonesia, Australia,
New Zealand, Brazil, Argentina,
Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador,
Panama, Nicaragua, Costa Rica,
Honduras, Guatemala, Mexico,
Cuba, Bermuda, Bahamas
Current Events
Presidential campaign 2016:
GOP candidates
-Donald Trump
-Ben Carson
-Marco Rubio
-Ted Cruz
-Jeb Bush
-Chris Christie
-Carly Fiorina
Democratic candidates
-Hillary Clinton
-Bernie Sanders
VPs: Pence & Kaine
“Post-truth” era of campaigns
FBI investigation of Clinton
Election results:
-electoral v popular vote totals
-poll predictions v. results
-voter turnout
-GOP control of House & Senate
State initiatives:
-legalization of marijuana
Va’s proposed amendments:
-tax exemption for 1st Responders
-right to work
Food, Inc. documentary
-change in American food system
-influence of Ray Kroc and
McDonalds
-CAFOs
-Polyface Farms: organic
-Monsanto and GMOs
Too Big to Fail documentary
-CDOs
-securitization
-bull/bear markets
-effects of deregulation
-housing bubble
-predatory lending
-foreclosures/”toxic assets”
-flipping
-collapse of banking industry
-TARP