Study 421 AMERICAN GOVERNMENT Study Guide (2018-19 Wright) flashcards from StudyBlue on StudyBlue.

• Course Introduction

  The scope and emphasis of this course goes beyond a general understanding of civics to incorporate the core concepts of the American system of government, the workings of its myriad of actors and agencies, the key components of 'politics' in the American system, and how American government shapes and influences the individual freedoms and rights of its citizens.

  In the first unit, American Political Foundations, you will consider the core concepts and theoretical underpinnings of the American system of government: American political culture, the Constitution, and federalism. A solid grasp of these concepts will help you better understand the underlying basis for the structure of the American political system. In the second unit, American Political Behavior, you will explore the processes by which citizens learn about politics, including public opinion, the mass media, political parties, interest groups, campaigns, elections, and electoral participation. In the third unit, Political Parties, Elections, Campaigns, and Interest Groups, you will discuss the organizations and processes that impact the political and electoral landscape and how candidates and voters are affected. In the fourth unit, American Institutions, you will analyze the major governing bodies in the United States: Congress, the presidency, the bureaucracy, and the courts. In the fifth unit, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, you will discover how American government shapes and influences the individual freedoms and rights of its citizens. In our final unit, Policy Making in American Government, you will take a close look at US social, economic, and foreign policies and the ways in which the broad themes of constitutional principles, political behavior, and governmental institutions have intersected to shape them. Upon completion of this course, you will have a strong understanding of the American system of government.

  First, read the course syllabus. Then, enroll in the course by clicking 'Enroll me in this course'. Click Unit 1 to read its introduction and learning outcomes. You will then see the learning materials and instructions on how to use them.

• Unit 1: American Political Foundations

  The American political system is rich in history. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of American government, you will need to learn this history and recognize the ways in which it impacts the political landscape today.

  This unit will begin with a brief introduction to the course as well as a concise overview of the American political system. You will focus on broad-based questions and explore the defining characteristics of American government. Next, you will work to identify the origins of American republican democracy, learning how it developed and evolved into our current political system. Finally, you will conclude by examining the key principles embedded in the United States Constitution, particularly federalism, and relate its design and development to the unique American political system we have in place today.

  Completing this unit should take you approximately 18 hours.

• Unit 2: American Political Behavior

  The diverse American public is a major component of the American political system. Politics touches the lives of all Americans – voters, politicians, the young, the old, and everyone in between. Political scientists are extremely interested in studying how the public participates in the American political system. This unit will explore the processes by which citizens learn about politics, political participation and voting behavior, the influence of public opinion, the role of the media, and the variety of factors that predispose citizens to differ from one another in terms of their political perceptions, values, and attitudes.

  Completing this unit should take you approximately 12 hours.

• Unit 3: Political Parties, Campaigns, Elections, and Interest Groups

  There are innumerable factors that impact the American governmental system, often making an already byzantine political process even more complex. In this unit, you will learn about campaigns, the electoral process and how political parties and interest groups shape the political landscape by influencing candidates and voters. You will first focus on the role of political parties (especially in elections), their historical development, and their effect on the political process. You will also discover how the American political system maintains a strong two-party system (made of Democrats and Republicans) that makes it difficult for a third party to gain prominence. Next, you will focus on interest groups, how they impact campaigns, candidates, and voters and can often entrench the system through aggressive issue advocacy and campaign contributions, which are directed to incumbents far more often than challengers, helping to maintain the political status quo.

  Completing this unit should take you approximately 20 hours.

• Unit 4: American Political Institutions

  When many people think of American government, the institutions – Congress, the president, and the Supreme Court – most often come to mind. This unit will focus on these three important pillars of American government, in addition to a fourth and often overlooked facet of American government: the bureaucracy. Each subunit will be dedicated to one of the major institutions and discuss the significant role that the particular institution plays in the American political system. As you learned in previous units, the American system of government relies on a delicate balance of power among many forces; by the end of this unit, you will understand the specific roles that each institution plays in establishing and maintaining that balance of power.

  Completing this unit should take you approximately 45 hours.

• Unit 5: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

  The civil rights and civil liberties granted to Americans are central to the American government. Freedoms and rights were important factors in shaping the American political system, and they continue to play a major role in our society today. The Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights, defines our rights and freedoms; however, as society has changed, so too has the perception and realization of civil liberty and civil rights. In this unit, you will explore the freedoms and rights of American citizens.

  The unit will begin by looking at civil liberties guaranteed in the Constitution, especially in the Bill of Rights. The unit will especially focus on the rights defined in the First Amendment, the right to bear arms (Second Amendment), and the right to privacy, with an explanation of how the courts' interpretation of these rights have been applied, or incorporated, by the states. Next, the unit will explore the evolution of civil rights in the American political system, with an emphasis on the civil rights movement and political equality of all Americans. The unit will also pay close attention to how the American political system creates a balance between order and freedom, and equality and rights.

  Completing this unit should take you approximately 9 hours.

• Unit 6: Policymaking in American Government

  After having explored the foundations, political behavior, and institutions of the American political system, this final unit looks at public policy in the United States, the place where all of these other components of the American political system intersect. The unit will begin examining the general policy-making process and how each branch of government impacts American public policy. Then, the unit will take a deeper look into the three major realms of public policy – economic, social, and foreign affairs policy. In each of these realms, theories of policy will be discussed, and then you will look closer at how policy has been implemented over time. This unit is a fitting way to end the course as it demonstrates how everything that you've learned thus far comes together to shape the various public policies that impact American society as a whole.

  Completing this unit should take you approximately 19 hours.

• Study Guide

  This study guide will help you get ready for the final exam. It discusses the key topics in each unit, walks through the learning outcomes, and lists important vocabulary terms. It is not meant to replace the course materials!
  

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  If you come across any urgent problems, email contact@saylor.org or post in our discussion forum.

• Certificate Final Exam

  Take this exam if you want to earn a free Course Completion Certificate.

  To receive a free Course Completion Certificate, you will need to earn a grade of 70% or higher on this final exam. Your grade for the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you can take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt.

  Once you pass this final exam, you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate.

1. The president CANNOT issue a pardon in the case of

(A) persons related to the president.
(B) officials who serve the president.
(C) persons convicted of treason.
(D) impeached government officials.

2. When can the vice president vote in the Senate?

(A) Always
(B) Never
(C) When a vote is tied
(D) When a senator is absent

3. What does the term capture refer to in regards to federal regulatory agencies?

(A) The loss of efficiency due to increasing bureaucratic rules and red tape
(B) The tendency of agencies to serve the interests of the industries they regulate
(C) The president’s ability to appoint individuals to lead regulatory agencies
(D) The difficulty of effectively overseeing very large regulatory agencies

4. What is the BEST description of the power or powers of regulatory agencies?

(A) Executive power only
(B) Executive and legislative powers
(C) Executive, legislative, and judicial powers
(D) Executive and judicial powers

5. One way government corporations differ from private corporations is that government corporations

(A) are barred from earning profits.
(B) lack a board of directors.
(C) receive no federal funding.
(D) lack any stockholders.

6. The merit system in government includes the practice of

(A) hiring on the basis of exam results.
(B) hiring on the basis of campaign work.
(C) rewarding departments for swift action.
(D) rewarding departments for wise spending.

7. Which of the following is one way Congress might limit the power of the bureaucracy?

(A) Dismiss civil servants
(B) Use the Office of Management and Budget
(C) Enact a sunset law
(D) Use the National Security Council

8. Which is the BEST description of whistle blowing?

(A) Conducting a congressional investigation
(B) Prosecuting governmental wrongdoing
(C) Reporting bureaucratic mismanagement
(D) Stopping funding for inefficient programs

9. Which is the BEST description of the relationship between the bureaucracy and the three branches of the national government?

(A) The bureaucracy implements presidential policy only.
(B) The bureaucracy implements legislative policy only.
(C) The bureaucracy implements presidential and judicial policy.
(D) The bureaucracy implements policies/rulings of all three branches.

10. An independent executive agency

(A) is a member of the Cabinet.
(B) reports directly to the president.
(C) is run by a board of directors.
(D) receives no congressional funding.

CLEP American Government Practice Question Answer Key

1. The correct answer is D. The president cannot issue a pardon in the case of impeachment. However, the president has the authority to issue pardons in each of the other cases described by the other options. The president also has the authority to commute a sentence (lighten a convicted person’s sentence). In addition, the president can offer reprieves, delaying the time when a convicted person’s sentence is carried out. Sometimes presidential pardons have been controversial; for example, President Ford pardoned President Nixon for his involvement with the Watergate scandal, even before Nixon had been charged with any crime.
2. The correct answer is C. The Constitution gives the vice president little formal power (although the vice president becomes president if the president dies). However, the vice president formally presides over the Senate and can vote in the Senate if a vote is tied; so the vice president serves as a tiebreaker. This does not occur very often. Option C is the only option that correctly answers the question; the vice president cannot vote in the senate just because a senator is absent, for example, so option D can be rejected.
3. The correct answer is B. Capture refers to the tendency of regulatory agencies (for example, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency) to serve the interests of the industries they regulate, rather than providing objective oversight to serve public interests. One reason this might happen is because leaders in those industries provide information and advice to regulatory agencies, and sometimes that advice might be in the interests of the industry, not necessarily in the interests of the public; so, in following that advice, regulatory agencies serve the industries rather than the public. Regarding option C, the president does appoint individuals to lead and serve in regulatory agencies, but this is not what capture refers to.
4. The correct answer is C. Regulatory agencies have executive, legislative, and judicial powers. Regulatory agencies are given the power to regulate certain economic activities. Within an agency’s field, an agency has the power to make rules (legislative power) and carry them out (executive powers). They also have the power to resolve disputes that arise concerning those rules (judicial powers). Regulatory agencies, then, are powerful agencies. Some are more independent of the president, and some are less so, depending in part on whether agency members can be dismissed at will by the president or serve a fixed term once appointed.
5. The correct answer is D. Government corporations share important similarities with private corporations. Government corporations (such as the United States Postal Service and Amtrak) can earn profits (nothing legally prevents them from doing so); this eliminates option A. Profits earned by government corporations are not taxed. They are overseen by a board of directors, like private corporations; this eliminates option B. In government corporations, the president appoints directors. They do receive federal funding; this eliminates option C. However, unlike private corporations, there are no stockholders in government corporations (one cannot buy shares in the United States Postal Service, for example).
6. The correct answer is A. According to the merit system in the civil service – service to the government -, individuals are hired, promoted, and fired at least in part on the basis of their performance on competitive examinations. This is meant to ensure that such individuals are competent and qualified, rather than acquiring government positions simply because they have personal connections or through political reasons. It is also meant to prevent corruption. It can be very difficult to fire a career civil servant. Because the merit system applies only to individuals – not entire departments – options C and D can be eliminated. Option B can be eliminated because according to the merit system, civil servants are not hired, promoted, or fired on the basis of work they did during political campaigns.
7. The correct answer is C. A sunset law is a law that will expire within a specified time period unless the law is re-authorized by Congress. This means that it is not up to the bureaucracy to decide whether a program under the law is worth carrying out; it is up to Congress. Congress does not often enact sunset laws. Congress does not have the power to dismiss civil servants; this eliminates option A. The Office of Management and Budget is under the president, not Congress; this eliminates option B. Similarly, the National Security Council is under the president, not Congress; this eliminates option D.
8. The correct answer is C. A whistleblower reports extreme mismanagement (or illegal behavior) by the government. Whistleblowers enjoy certain protections by law. For instance, the Office of Special Counsel (created by the Whistle-Blower Protection Act of 1989) investigates cases in which government employees complain that they have suffered retaliation at work in response to reporting mismanagement or legal wrongdoing. However, there are still relatively few whistleblowers. The other options are related in some way to whistle blowing (for instance, Congress might stop funding or conduct an investigation in response to what a whistleblower says), but they do not accurately describe whistle blowing itself.
9. The correct answer is D. The primary function of the bureaucracy is to put policy into place. It implements the policies of both the executive and legislative branches and sometimes rulings by the judicial branch as well. Sometimes there is tension between the policies of one branch and the policies of another branch (for instance, as when the political party of the president is the minority party in Congress rather than the majority power). Congress, the president, and the judiciary can each put a check on the power of the bureaucracies (in different ways), though the bureaucracy remains powerful. Option D is the only answer the correctly describes the relationship between the bureaucracy and the three branches of the federal government.
10. The correct answer is B. Independent executive agencies report directly to the president. However, they are not members of the president’s cabinet; this eliminates option A. In addition, they are not run by a board of directors (as a government corporation is); this eliminates option C. Rather, they are run by an agency head that is appointed by the president. Independent executive agencies, like other agencies in the government, receive funding from the government, funding controlled by Congress (this is one way Congress exercises power over the bureaucracy). This eliminates option D.