AP Government and Politics Review Sheet for the AP Examnew.schoolnotes.com/files/peterdr/AP_TestReview.pdf · Page 1 of 18 J. Mamer 2005 Northwood High School AP Government and Politics

Page 1 of 18J. Mamer 2005 Northwood High School

AP Government and PoliticsReview Sheet for the AP Exam

1) Here are some recommendations answering multiple choice questions: Do notpanic if you come across some questions you find very difficult. The tests aredesigned with questions of varying difficulty in order to differentiate betweenlevels of preparation.

2) Keep your eye on the time. You have 45 minutes to answer 60 questions.That gives you an average of 45 seconds on each question. When you runinto a question that you find difficult or confusing move on. Obsessing about afew questions will only hurt you. Answer all of the questions that youdefinitely know on your first read-through. Then go back and do the others.Sometimes the act of going through the entire test will jog your memory sothat questions that seemed difficult the first time seem much easier thesecond time.

3) Since 1/4 of a point is subtracted for incorrect answers, you should avoidrandom guessing. You can guess IF you feel completely confident that at leasttwo of the five choices can be eliminated.

4) You are able to write on the test, so do it. Circle any EXCEPT questions inorder to remind you that you’re looking for the FALSE statement.

5) Do not change an answer unless you are absolutely sure that your new choiceis correct. Erasures must be clear. Make sure you take a good white eraserwith you and clean it if it gets dirty. The carpet actually works well as acleaner.

Types of AP Government Multiple Choice Questions

The basic information type:Since the 1970s, which long time democratic region of the U.S. has shifted itselectoral support to the Republican Party? a) New England; b) The Far West; c) TheGreat Plains; d) The South; e) the Rocky Mountains.

The application type:Which of these would be most likely to vote in a presidential election: a) Anunemployed 45 year old white male; b) A 54 year old Asian with a high Schooldiploma; c) A 34 year old black female college professor; d) A 22 year old whitemale college student; e) A 58 year old white male carpenter.

The except type:All of these are functions of interest groups except: a) Making campaigncontributions; b) Lobbying execution branch agencies; c) Providing information tomembers of Congress; d) Helping members of Congress draft legislation; e)nominating candidates for public office.


The roman numeral type:Which of the following describe limitations that may constitutionally be placed onfreedom of speech and freedom of the press?

I. Under no circumstance may the government limit speech or censor the media.II. The government may censor the press in the interest of national andmilitary security.III. The government may outlaw obscene publicationsIV. The government may prevent individuals from engaging in “offensive” speech.

(a) I only; (b) II only; (c) II and III only; (d) III and IV only; (e) II, III, and IV only.

The make-a-guess type:Obviously this will differ for each of you. Hopefully it will be a rare event, but, if youanswer every question, you will all have to guess at some point. There are ways todo it.• All of these were realigning elections except: a) 1800; b) 1828; c) 1840;d) 1860; e) 1932.(Remember that I told you that you can guess if you feel completely confident thatat least two of the five choices can be eliminated. In how many of these can youidentify the winner? Why do you think you know these elections?)

• An important difference between Congress and a Parliament is that: a) members ofa Parliament have less influence on the actions of the executive; b) members ofCongress are subject to stronger party discipline; c) members of a Parliament aresubject to stronger party discipline; d) members of a Parliament are more likely toget involved in the minute details of policy making; e) members of a Parliament aremore likely to hold their positions for a very long time.

• Of the following, the best explanation for the persistence of the two party systemis: a) the tendency of American to be non-ideological in political thinking; b) theplurality, winner take all political system; c) the proportional representationalelection system; d) the lack of cultural and political diversity in the Americanpopulation; e) the limited number of political factions in the U.S.

Questions based on a quotation or a graphic illustration. I trust you have seenexamples. With a quote you are either asked to identify which “of the following” arebeing referred by one phrase within the quotation or you will be asked to identify thesource of the quote. With a graph the answer is usually given to you if you knowwhere to look.

The Review…I think this covers most of the material you need to review. It’s yours. Write on it asyou use it and use it along with the Princeton Review or whichever review you areusing. Find the yellow list of court cases that I gave you previously and study them.

Discuss all of this with other students – especially the sections that you’re not sureof.


Constitutional UnderpinningsUnderstand the basic characteristics of the Articles of Confederation.

The Constitution of 1787Direct democracy vs “republican federalism”Virginia PlanNew Jersey PlanGreat CompromiseElectoral college

The Anti-FederalistsThe Federalist PapersUnderstand Federalist #10, #51 & #78

What is Federalism? (It is NOT what the Federalists wrote about.)What are the powers of the national versus the state governments?What are concurrent powers?

Limited Government (Constitutionalism)Checks and Balances

What is the Bill of Rights? How and why was it ratified?Make sure you know the important Amendments.How may the Constitution be amended?How many times has it been amended?

Understand Constitutional legislative powers. What is the “necessary and properclause?”Which is regarded as the “Federalist Amendment?”How do these contradict?

Know the various “terms of office” for all three branches

What are the contributions of each of the following to the structure andcharacteristics of American government? (Sorry about all the white men…)Alexander Hamilton

George Washington

John Adams

James Madison

John Marshall

Thomas Jefferson

Abraham Lincoln

Theodore Roosevelt

Franklin Roosevelt (FDR’s 4 terms create the “modern American presidency.”)

Ronald Reagan


Bill Clinton

George W. Bush

Which are realignment elections? Why?

Questions on CongressWhat are the formal requirements to be elected to the House of Representatives?What are the formal requirements to be elected to the Senate?

How many members are in each house?To what term lengths are they each elected?

In general what are the rules of debate in the House?In general what are the rules of debate in the Senate?How different?

Which bills are, by tradition, introduced in the House?What is an appropriations bill?

How many Senate votes are needed to end a filibuster? What is the process called?

What are the primary “roles” of a member of Congress?What does the staff in a congressional office do?

What are the major advantages of being the incumbent?

What percentage of budget expenditures are considered uncontrollable (ormandatory and, essentially, spent before the budget is even discussed)?

Congressional CommitteesWhat goes on in committees? Why?What can a committee do to a bill?

How does one get assigned to committees?What are the strongest influences on selection to congressional committees?How does one become a committee chair?

What is a conference committee?Why subcommittees? (Positive & Negative)

Phrases pertaining to Congress (Also see the Key Congressional Terms - p.354)• Divided Government

• Senatorial courtesy

• Log Rolling

• Bicameralism

• The House Rules Committee

• Closed Rule

• Open Rule


• In the Senate what is a “hold”?

• Seniority System

• Franking Privilege

• Filibuster and Cloture

• What are the characteristics of the President of the Senate

• How is the Speaker of the House chosen? Characteristics or powers of the

office?

On Congressional/Presidential Relations understand the following:The Gulf of Tonkin Resolution 1964

The War Powers Act 1973

Watergate

The Boland Amendment of 1984

The Iran-Contra Affair

Executive privilege

An Executive Agreement

Civil Service Commission

Pendleton Act

Hatch Act

The New Hatch Act

Office of Personnel Management

General Accounting Office

Understand the growth in numbers of people employed by the federal governmentfrom the beginning (1789) to 2005. (That is, from the very small to very large...)

Understand the growth in numbers of people employed by the federal governmentfrom the 1950s to 2005. (That is, not much change…)

Know the approximate number of individuals a new president appoints.

Who was in charge “bureaucratic reform” (reinventing government) during theClinton Administration? Did the size of the Federal Government increase or decreaseunder Clinton? (Slight decrease.)

Which president employed the greatest number of vetoes? (In other words whichpresident was elected four times.)

How many Senators are necessary to convict in a Senate impeachment trial? Whichpresidents have been impeached? Who else can be impeached?

How many Senators are necessary to screw in a light blub? How many Senators arenecessary to screw in a light blub if the ceiling is forty feet high?


Which branch of Congress has the power to confirm presidential nominations?(Name at least three that were NOT approved.)

Define the term “senatorial courtesy?”

The Courts, especially the Supreme Court

Understand the following terms:• A writ of mandamus• ex post facto laws• A writ of certiorari• amicus curiae• precedent• Habeas corpus

Why does the Supreme Court agree to hear a case?

What is judicial review? Where did it come from?

What is the “term length” for Federal judges? Why?

How might judges be selected at state and local levels?

What would the term “intentional ambiguity” (in a law) mean?

What is original jurisdiction?

What is appellate jurisdiction?

What is a Trial court?

What is an Appellate court?

Distinguish questions of law from questions of fact.

Which kinds of issues has the Court avoided?

What are Civil Rights?

Who are:• David Souter• Earl Warren• Clarence Thomas• William Rehnquist• Sandra Day O’Connor

Who was Earl Warren?

What were the most important characteristics of the Warren Court?

Very Important Court Cases (Remember, you have a list of many others)Fill in the year of each from memory.


• McCullogh vs. Maryland Year?• Marbury v. Madison• Mapp v. Ohio• Brown v. Board of Education• Griswold v. Connecticut• Baker v. Carr• Miranda v. Arizona• Gibbons v. Ogden• Marbury v. Madison• Plessy v. Ferguson• Roe v. Wade

Political Parties:The American party system developed as the result of?In the most general sense trace the history the American party system.Why has the United States been stuck with a two party system?

In California, who can vote in a party's primary?Who can vote by absentee ballot?

Describe the characteristics of recent presidential conventions...Upon which criteria do most choose vice-presidential running mate?

The major political parties are more interested in votes than in principles.Therefore, the major political parties are not ideological.

What about Third Parties?Describe the fate of most “third party” movements.

What is the GOP?

Answer the following questions about American Political Parties from memory. Keepyour answers short. If you don’t know something write out your question and we willdiscuss it.

• What was the view of faction expressed by James Madison in Federalist #10?• Identify the first two political parties in the United States and describe how

and why they emerged?• How did most of the political parties in Western Europe emerge?

Political Parties are not in the Constitution. You should review all of theAmendments.Direct Democracy is rarely what we have in the United States. In the United Stateswe have a Republic or a Representative Democracy.

Democrats and Republicans• FDR set the agenda for Democrats in the 20th Century. What programs and

changes did FDR represent?

• What programs did JFK Democrats represent?

• What were the programs of Lyndon Johnson? How do they fit with FDR’sprograms?


• Barry Goldwater was the Republican nominee in 1964. He lost all statesexcept Arizona and the deep south. Why is he significant?

• What happened to the Democrats between 1964 to 1968 in the two areasidentified below?

o Civil Rights and the Southern Backlash:o Vietnam:

• What values did Richard Nixon “claim” to represent in 1968? What did hemean by the “silent majority”?

• What were the major characteristics of the Carter Administration?

• Carter lost his bid for reelection. What groups formed the "Reagan Coalition"in 1980? What values did this coalition claim to represent?

• What were the major components of the winning Bush coalition in 1988?

• What were the major components of the Bush loss in 1992?

• What policies did Bill Clinton campaign for in 1992? What policies did BillClinton campaign for 1996? What is the significance of this difference?

• What do you think were the major components of George W. Bush’s victory in2000?

• One of the major splits in the Democratic Party since 1972 has been betweenliberals and the moderate-conservatives of the DLC. What is this about?

Propaganda:What are media consultants and public relations experts?What is the most popular form of media? So what?What are Negative TV ads? So what?Where does most of the campaign dollar go?

Elections and Voting:Identify the Campaign Reform law of 1971 (amended in 1974). What changes did itproduce?Answer: Created the FEC. Required disclosure of contributions andexpenditures. Provided limits on contributions and subsidies for presidentialcandidates of qualifying parties.

Understand the outlines of McCain-Feingold.

What does the “media” stress during presidential elections? (Horserace politics, notissues…)

Why don’t more people vote?


Under what conditions are people most likely to vote?

Know how “the franchise” has expanded in American History.

What is a primary election? Who votes in primaries? How is that different form thosethat vote in general elections? So what?

Which party has control of the House of Representatives? How long?

Which party has control of the Senate? How long?

How does the Electoral College work? So what?

How does a lobbyist get access to decision makers?

What are PACs? What kind of groups use them?

How do most people become a Democratic or Republican? Why?

What roles have been played by minor parties in American elections?

What is the initiative?

Court cases pertaining to campaigning and elections:

• Baker v. Carr (1962) “One person, one vote” This Warren Court decisionordered legislative districts to be as equal to one another in population aspossible.

• Buckley v. Valeo (1976) This decision protects campaign spending.Legislatures can limit contributions, but not how much a candidate spends ofhis or her own money. It has been a major roadblock to campaign financereform

• Shaw v. Reno (1993) Blocks “racial gerrymandering.” Race cannot be the soleor predominant factor in redrawing legislative boundaries.


Terms pertaining to campaigning and elections:• Closed primary• Open primary• Ticket splitting• Off-year election year• Midterm election year• Presidential election year

Terms pertaining to campaign finance after 1974:• Soft Money• Hard Money

Information that might be useful for the Free Response section:• Understand the Public Citizen report on Enron’s influence over American

Government Officials.

• Be aware of Enron’s contributions to United States Senators and thepresidential campaign of George W. Bush

• Identify the roles of lobbyists in legislation.

• Identify the Telecommunications Act of 1996. What did it do? Who wrote it?So what?

• Identify “issue advocacy” ads

Identify Public Interest Groups like:• Common Cause• Public Citizen

What do they do?

Identify “iron triangles.”

Identify the “Australian ballot”

In a general sense know these simple labels for some propagandatechniques. They might be very useful in writing a free response, but rememberthat they are normally used in combination.• Transfer• Testimonial• Glittering Generality• Card Stacking• Name Calling• Plain Folks• Bandwagon• The use of “sound bites”

Basic Ideology: A review of terms used to identify different domesticpolitical positions.

Words have specific political (as opposed to colloquial) meanings. One might say “mygrandmother is very conservative” and be referring to grandma’s style of dress or


methods of child rearing or taste in television. But, that same wrinkled grandmothermay have voted for Ralph Nader in the 2000 election or be fantasizing about thereincarnation of E.V. Debs.

Terms like left wing, right wing, conservative, liberal, radical and reactionary areuseful only if those using them have common understandings of what they mean.

This continuum of modern political ideology assumes the following:• that “modern politics” means America after FDR• that the continuum is limited to attitudes about domestic politics• that all of those on the continuum share a basic belief in political democracy

A continuum serves no purpose if it does not link labels to fairly specific beliefs. Thusthis continuum focuses on the notion of contemporary “social change.” How would aliberal or leftist view this or that specific issue? How might a conservative or areactionary look at the same issue?

There are contradictions to be argued over whenever this continuum is applied toreal life, but understanding contradictions is part of understanding politics.

In domestic American politics specific areas of contradiction tend to center on theinclination of Americans of almost any ideological position to attempt to legislatemorality. (In the textbook, this is briefly discussed on page 166, under the headingof “The New Right.”) Other significant contradictions occur when the focus is not ondomestic politics.

Arguments about foreign policy multiplied since the end of the Cold War, but theyhave likely been diminished recently with Bush’s open-ended “war on terror.” In anycase the most significant arguments about foreign relations are concentrated aroundissues like globalization, free trade, fair trade and protectionism.

THE CONTINUUM:People who consider themselves political believe in something.

All political positions must be linked to ideas. Placing them on a continuum shoulddistinguish relationships.

LEFT MODERATE RIGHT

Democratic Socialist Very ConservativeLeftist Liberal Conservative Reactionary Progressive

On the Left attitudes move toward On the Right attitudes move towardpolitical and economic equality. political and economic

individualism.Government is usually regarded as part of solution to social problems. Government is usually

regarded as part of theproblem.

private property rights. Property rights are paramount.


Conservatives and LiberalsNo position in American politics simply favors change or the status quo.Conservatives believe in political and economic individualism. As a result, if theyfavor the status quo, then that status quo is likely to emphasize conservative ideasof individual freedom. If a liberal favors change then that change will be in a liberaldirection, that is, in the direction of more political and economic equality.

What is a Moderate?It is possible to have conservative ideals on one subject and liberal ideals onanother, but that does not make such a person a “moderate.” Moderates, or thosesometimes referred to as “middle of the road,” do not hold simple a collection ofideals on the Right and a collection of the Left. Moderate positions tend to be in thecenter of the continuum above. Most Americans “self-identify” as moderates.Odds and Ends

**** The Legislature: The Senate was instituted to protect small statesfrom the large states.

The Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court gets 98% of its cases from appellate jurisdiction. These cancome from Federal Appeals Courts or State Appeals Courts (if there is a federalquestion in the case) but it does not take cases from State Trail Courts.You have been given a long list of cases – review it.

“Implied Powers” come from the “Necessary and Proper Clause” of the Constitution.

The “Full Faith and Credit Clause” in the constitution means that each state mustrespect the decisions and contracts made in every other state.

The legal history leading to Miranda is important. Miranda and its immediateprecedents were written by the Warren Court.

A dissenting opinion is important because it might become the basis of a latermajority opinion which reverses the original decision.

VotingThe initiative is a method by which citizens can get a proposal on the ballot, get itvoted on and, by winning the vote, make it a law.

A referendum is a yes/no vote.

Other “Governments”In a Parliamentary System the executive emerges from the legislature.

NAFTA and the WTO are modern manifestations of America’s emphasis on the “opendoor” or free trade. They both aim to remove barriers to the transfer and movementof capital.


TaxesSales taxes are state and local taxes. A Federal Sales tax would be called a ValueAdded Tax (VAT).

An excise tax is a tax on the manufacture, sale, or consumption ofcommodities (like wine) within a country. An import tax is a tax on imports. Anexport tax is forbidden by the Constitution to both state and federal governments.

Equal Rights AmendmentThe ERA was written in 1923 by the great American feminist Alice Paul. It wasintroduced many times in Congress. Eventually it was proposed as a ConstitutionalAmendment, but it failed to get the necessary 38 states and, thus, died.

Executive agreements are agreements between the executives of differentcountries. They are made when a treaty is likely to be rejected by the Senate andare not permanent and less binding.

The Freedom of Information Act has been very important. It was first passed in1966 and has liberalized access to government records. (see page 376)

More on the Executive:The executive branch employs millions of people. The vast majority (>99%) of thesenever meet the president are personally unknown to him. Those that have somecontact with the president or with the upper levels of the executive are roughlydivided into two groups: the EOP (among these are the White House Staff, NSC andOMB) and the heads of various bureaucratic agencies (the cabinet).

Those in the EOP might usefully be considered “personal advisors” and are selectedbecause they are personally loyal to the President (i.e. Karen Hughes). Those in thecabinet are chosen for a variety of reasons and more often have independentreputations and influence (i.e., Colin Powell).

You should discuss and review the methods of selecting candidates for the majorparty presidential nominations. Direct Primaries involve more people than do a“convention system.” Direct Primaries also weaken party control.

Regulatory agenciesRegulatory agencies come in many types. Many are called independent, but shouldbe called semi-independent. Please read pages 440 to 450 if you need to review this.If you have questions make them specific and please refer to the page that confusesyou.

Courts (Some things come in twos)• In the most general sense there are two kinds of court jurisdiction: State and

Federal. Most crimes are in one of the two jurisdictions, but some can crossover.

• In the most general sense there are two kinds of courts: Trial and Appeals.The Supreme Court can be both, but 98% of cases that reach it do so onappeals.


• There are two kinds of cases: Criminal and Civil.

Most Criminal cases end in a plea bargain negotiated by the defense and the state(aka the prosecution).

The exclusionary rule resulted from the case of Mapp vs Ohio in 1961. It saysthat illegally obtained evidence cannot be used in a trial. Decisions of the RehnquistCourt has weakened its application, but it remains in force.

Remember Federalism is very important and complex. The 10th amendment isoften referred to as the Federalism amendment. The “necessary and proper clause”of the Constitution has been central to defining the Federalism within the Americansystem.

The practical effect of the “necessary and proper clause” has been to allow thenational government to extend its powers beyond what is enumerated in theConstitution.

CongressThe biggest predictor electoral success is incumbency. Incumbents have virtuallyevery advantage, but they do usually not need substantial financial support from theparties national committee.

Congressional districts are drawn by state legislatures after every 10 yearcensus.

Baker vs Carr is one of the Supreme Court decisions that meant “one person - onevote.” Therefore it is true that elections for the House provide approximately equalrepresentation for every voter. Before that 1962 decision, rural areas were vastlyoverrepresented in Congress. (Understand?)

Congress creates new laws (and, therefore, new agencies, new courts). The Judicialbranch cannot create (and expand) itself.

Congressional staff members mostly perform constituent services. Does thismake sense? Most common constituent services involve such favors as looking for areason a social security check failed to arrive or checking out a problem in veteranbenefits.

1980sThe Presidents of the 1980s were Reagan (8 years) and the first Bush. Most of thebudget deficit was accumulated during that decade. Reagan cut taxes about 25%(more at the top than at the bottom - which was called supply side econ orReaganomics). He tripled the defense budget (from about 110 to about 330 billion)and he ended up with a huge deficit most years.

These kind of deficits are sometimes looked at as accidents or mistakes. But theycan also be policy. Bush II is headed for a deficit that could be 300 billion this year


Why would a deficit be policy?1. The voters get “things” they are not paying for.2. The increased debt increases the need to pay interest and makes social spendingvery difficult. (Conservatives are for a “smaller government” and therefore likesmaller social spending...)

Elections during the 1980s showed a continuing decline in Democratic party strengthamong White southerners. Significantly, since 1964, no liberal Democrat has beenelected President. Both Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton were Democrats from themoderate wing of the party and both were southerners. Clinton was one of thefounders of a subgroup within the Democratic party called the Democratic LeadershipCounsel (DLC) which openly moved the Democrats away from liberal politics.(Clinton and Carter were both moderate on social spending, free traders, pro-MNCgrowth, and pro death penalty.) Even Clinton’s universal health care proposal was amoderate attempt to build a health care system on a structure of HMOs - not thesingle payer plan favored by the liberal left.)

The 1980s continued a trend of voters being less trusting of governmentalinstitutions and leaders. Negative campaigning increased to the benefit of those whoalready did not trust government. (Ask if this makes little sense.) Reagan, especially,ran twice for Governor and twice for President campaigning against government!

“Political Science” Theories of Government• Elite theories argue that a single minority dominates politics in all areas

(that minority is numerical and is likely to be large corporate interests...).• Pluralist theories argue that many minorities compete for power in different

policy areas.

ElectionsA “general election” selects people for office. A “primary election” selects people torun in the general election. More voters participate in general elections and thismeans that candidates need to “move to the center” to win. Because of smaller,more “interested” turn-out in primaries Republicans vote more to the right inprimaries and Democratic to the liberal-left.

Until the 1970s (really...) both major party conventions were overwhelminglydominated by white male elites. Reforms (and a concern with the party “image”shown in TV coverage) has led to more women and minority delegates.

Much of what was in the exam you took referred to “realignment.” Realigningelections are described on pages 150 to 152. These are “turning points that definethe agenda of politics and the alignment of voters within the parties during periods ofhistoric change...”. Important realigning elections are 1824, 1860, 1896, 1932 and,maybe , 1980. (1980 is worth discussion.)

There has been a frequent pattern of divided party control of the presidencyand Congress since the 1970s. Mostly this came from the fact thatRepublican dominance in presidential elections did not extend tocongressional, state and local elections. (Understand?)

Review the voting patterns of Americans in chapter 8 pages 179 to 190. Payattention to all of the charts in this section. Write out any questions youhave and ask me to explain them in class.


AP Government and PoliticsThese are terms I found in old AP Government tests.

Indictment

Franchise

Lame Duck

Direct Primary

Impoundment

Electorate

New Federalism

Federal mandate

Ideology

Political Culture

“Neoliberal” “Neoconservative”

Cross Pressure

Sampling error

Proportional representation

Party Platform

Super Tuesday

Soft Money

Hard Money

Faction

Litigation

Patronage

Laissez faire

Dealignment election

Fairness doctrine

Necessary and Proper Clause


Reciprocity

Nonpartisan

Constituency

Stare Decisis

Senatorial Courtesy

Amicus Curiae

Pendleton Act

Hatch Act

Whistle Blower

Privatization

Fiscal Policy

Monetary Policy

Subsidy

Antitrust

Deregulation

Bipartisanship

Selective Incorporation

Free Exercise Clause

Prior Restraint

Fighting Words

Sedition

De Jure Segregation

De Facto Segregation

Commerce Clause

Due Process of Law

Habeas Corpus


Bill of Attainder - A legislative act that singles out an individual or group forpunishment without a trial. In the Constitution, Article I, Section 9, paragraph 3provides that: "No Bill of Attainder or ex post facto Law will be passed."

Franking Privilege - A perk of Congress which grants a member the right to sendmail through the postal system for free by signing (having printed) his or her namewhere the postage stamp would normally be placed.

“Wall of Separation” – not a common term. The answer is that it refers to theseparation of church and state. The normal reference is to the “separation of churchand state.” In this question that would give a away the answer.

Line-item veto. (Sometimes referred to as “the item veto.”)Under the line-item veto law, which took effect January 1, 1997, President Clintonbecame the first president empowered to veto specific spending or certain taxingprovisions of legislation. The Constitution previously allowed a president to veto anentire bill only, perhaps containing many provisions of which he approved, in orderto strike down one provision he opposed.On June 26, 1998, the Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, struck down the line-itemveto law, declaring it unconstitutional.

Unfunded Mandate – something required of a state or local body (usually by thefederal government) but not paid for by the federal government.

Mandatory and Discretionary Budget items – The budget is divided betweenitems that must be paid and items that could be cut. The biggest mandatory item isentitlements like social security and Medicare. The biggest discretionary item is the(defense) military budget.

Original Intent – refers to the intentions of those who originally wrote theconstitution. At this time it is generally a conservative position on the court.

Individual entitlements – This is a version of the common phrase “means testedentitlements.” ETS uses phrases like that to make you think (or to fool many…)“Means tested entitlements” are those payments that are dependent on qualificationlike medical aide to the poor called “Medicaid” (not Medicare). These aredistinguished from “non-means tested entitlements” like social security (everybodyin the system gets it).

Tax expenditure – Since all government income is tax income this refers to anygovernment expenditure.

Distributive benefits – In the test this was not the answer, but it refers to benefitsthat result in a re-distribution of money from the wealthier to the poorer, forexample.

Continuing appropriations – in the same question as the above.Usually referred to as a part of a continuing resolution. This is legislation in the formof a joint resolution enacted by Congress, when the new fiscal year is about to beginor has begun, to provide budget authority for Federal agencies and programs tocontinue in operation until the regular appropriations acts are enacted.

Documents

AP Government and Politics Review Sheet for the AP Examnew.schoolnotes.com/files/peterdr/AP_TestReview.pdf · Page 1 of 18 J. Mamer 2005 Northwood High School AP Government and Politics