4) What are the seven roles of the president according to the textbook? Be able to describe them briefly. 5) Who appoints ambassadors? Who confirms them?

/in /by

Review for the Final Exam

 

 

Chapter 11 The Presidency

1) What is the term length of an American president?

2) How many terms can a president have?

3) Who was the longest serving president of the United states?

4) What are the seven roles of the president according to the textbook? Be able to describe them briefly.

5) Who appoints ambassadors? Who confirms them?

6) Key terms: what is an executive order, the “imperial presidency”, state of the union address, presidential veto?

7) What is the role of the vice president?

8) What does the White House chief of staff do?

9) Has presidential power increased or decreased relative to the president’s job description in the Constitution?

10) How can Congress overrule a president’s veto?

11) How are presidents elected?

 

Chapter 13 The Judicial System

1) What are the three tiers (levels) of the state court and federal court systems?

2) What is the approximate case load of the U.S. Court system in a year? How many cases does the Supreme Court typically accept in a year?

3) What is judicial review? Which famous case established it?

4) How many district courts, and circuit courts are there in the United States?

5) How many Supreme Court justices are there?

6) Name at least three specialized courts. What do they do?

7) Who appoints federal and Supreme Court judges? Who confirms them?

8) Is the U.S. court system diverse? Why or why not?

9) What is judicial activism as opposed to judicial restraint?

10) What is a precedent?

11) What is the guiding principle for all justices when they make decisions on cases?

12) Name two differences between criminal and civil law.

13) What is a legal brief and when is it called an amicus curiae?

14) How does the Supreme Court make a decision about which cases to accept? Name at least one precondition.

15) When the Supreme Court issues its ruling, what is it called?

16) Know the difference between majority, concurring, and dissenting opinions.

17) What is the difference between an originalist and a pragmatist (interpreting the Constitution)?

18) What are two famous court cases that address racial inequality?

 

Chapter 14 Domestic and Foreign Policy

1) What are the policies called that deal with individual health and well-being?

2) What are the five stages of public policy making? Be able to describe each stage with a couple of sentences.

3) How old do you have to qualify for social security benefits (for retirement)?

4) How much does government spend on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security? Know what the largest government programs in the US budget.

5) What is the deficit? How is it different from the national debt?

6) What is a continuing resolution? Why is it necessary? What happens if it doesn’t get passed?

7) What is the difference between fiscal and monetary policy?

8) What is foreign policy? Who makes foreign policy?

9) What are the most important foreign policy goals of the United States?

10) What does the theory of primacy say?

11) What is the difference between hard and soft power?

12) What government department is mainly involved with diplomacy?

13) What is the difference between free trade and protectionism?

14) What is foreign aid?

15) What is American exceptionalism?

16) What is the difference between isolationism and internationalism?

17) What is the difference between unilateralism and multilateralism?

18) Name three of the “Grand Strategies” in US history (according to the textbook).

19) Names of current US officials:

a. Vice President?

b. Secretary of State?

c. Secretary of Defense?

d. CIA Director?

e. The president’s National Security Adviser?

f. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?