Free Responses-Unit III

AP Government Free Responses: Chapters 3-7

2010
Over the last several decades, the composition of the Democratic and Republican parties has changed in important ways. A major partisan shift has occurred in the South, but other demographic changes have also been identified. Changes in party composition are reflected at different rates in presidential elections than in congressional elections.
(a) Identify one specific trend evident in the figure above.
(b) Choose two of the following and use each to explain why southern voters from 1948 to 2000 were electing Democratic candidates to Congress more frequently than choosing Democratic candidates for the presidency.
• Incumbency advantage
• Gerrymandering
• Differences between state and national parties
(c) Several other changes in party composition have emerged in the past few decades. Select three of the following groups and for each explain how parties have changed in composition with respect to that group.
• Catholics
• Labor union members
• Women
• Social conservatives

2009
In the United States political system, there are several linkage institutions that can connect citizens to government. Elections constitute one such institution. Because of low voter turnout, elections represent an imperfect method of linking citizens to their government. Even when there is low voter turnout, however, other linkage institutions can connect citizens to government.
(a) Describe how each of the following is related to the likelihood of voting.
• Age
• Education
(b) Identify one current government electoral requirement that decreases voter turnout. Explain how it decreases voter turnout.
(c) Identify one linkage institution other than elections and explain two ways it connects citizens to government.
2009
In The Federalist paper number 10, James Madison expressed concern over the possibility that both majority and minority factions would have too much power over government, and he presented ways of minimizing that danger. The United States Constitution established a democratic government but also contained several provisions that limited majority rule. Throughout the next two centuries, the role of majority rule in the United States government and politics continued to change.
(a) Identify the part of the national government that was originally most closely tied to citizens and explain how it was tied to citizens.
(b) Explain two ways the United States Constitution limited majority rule.
(c) Choose two of the following twentieth-century developments and explain how each moved the United States from a less democratic system to a more democratic system.
• Primary elections
• The Seventeenth Amendment
• Expansion of suffrage
2007
A significant feature of the Electoral College is that most states have a winner-take-all system.
a. Describe the winner-take-all feature of the Electoral College.
b. Explain one way in which the winner-take-all feature of the Electoral College affects how presidential candidates from the two major parties run their campaigns.
c. Explain one way in which the winner-take-all feature of the Electoral College hinders third-party candidates.
d. Explain two reasons why the Electoral College has not been abolished.

2005
The United States Congress has debated a variety of campaign finance reforms over the last decade. The proposals debated have included the following:
Eliminating soft money
Limiting independent expenditures
Raising limits on individual contributions
a. Select one of the listed proposals and do all of the following:
· Define the proposal.
· Describe an argument that proponents make in favor of the proposal.
· Describe an argument that opponents make against the proposal.
b. Select a different listed proposal and do all of the following:
· Define the proposal.
· Describe an argument that proponents make in favor of the proposal.
· Describe an argument that opponents make against the proposal.
2004
Trust and confidence in government have declined in recent decades.
a. Explain how divided government has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government. Be sure to include a definition of divided government in your response.
b. Explain how the increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government.
c. Explain two specific consequences of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior.

2004
Minor parties have been a common feature of United States politics.
a. Describe the point of view expressed about minor parties in the political cartoon.
b. Identify and explain how two rules of the United States electoral system act as obstacles to minor party candidates winning elections.
c. Minor parties make important contributions to the United States political system in spite of the institutional obstacles to their candidates’ success.
Describe two of these contributions.

2003
Citizens often choose to participate in the political process in ways other than voting.
a. Identify two forms of participation in the political process other than voting.
b. Explain two advantages of each form of participation you identified in (a).
2002
In the last half of the twentieth century, voter turnout in federal elections has declined. During the same period, voter turnout has been higher in presidential elections than in midterm elections.
a. Identify two factors that have contributed to the overall decline in turnout in federal elections and explain how each factor has contributed to the overall decline.
b. Identify and explain two reasons why voter turnout has been higher in presidential elections than in midterm elections.

2001
The graph below shows reelection rates for incumbents in the House and Senate.
From this information and your knowledge of United States politics, perform the following tasks.
a. Identify two patterns displayed in the graph.
b. Identify two factors that contribute to incumbency advantage. Explain how each factor contributes to incumbency advantage.
c. Discuss one consequence of incumbency advantage for the United States political process.

2000
The figure displays voting patterns by state in the 1992 and 1996 elections. Using the information in the figure and your knowledge of United States voting behavior, perform the following tasks.
a. Using the map below, identify one of the numbered regions with strong support for the Democratic presidential candidate and identify and explain two factors that contribute to that support.
b. Using the map below, identify one of the numbered regions with strong support for the Republican presidential candidate and identify and explain two factors that contribute to that support.

2000
The three obstacles listed below have made it difficult for Congress to enact significant campaign finance reform.
a. Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
b. Soft money
c. Incumbency
Select two of the obstacles. For each obstacle, provide both of the following.
a. A brief description of the obstacle
b. An explanation of how the obstacle has made it difficult for Congress to enact significant campaign finance reform

1998
Elections in the United States are characterized by low voter turnout. Discuss two demographic characteristics associated with nonvoting and three institutional obstacles associated with nonvoting.

1998
Since the 1960’s, the process of selecting presidential candidates has been altered by the changing role of presidential primaries and national party conventions.
Discuss four effects that have resulted from this change in the presidential selection process.

1996
Have changes in the formal presidential nomination procedures since the mid-1960’s made the process more democratic? In your response, support your argument by describing three specific changes in the procedures and discussing their effects.

1995
The contention that American political parties have been in decline since 1960 is challenged by some scholars who suggest instead that parties are resurgent.
Which position do you take? Summarize the arguments that support your position and provide evidence to support your analysis.

1994
Discuss the changes in the participation of women in United States politics since
1970. Using specific examples, analyze the impact of women’s participation on both of the following.
a. Electoral politics
b. Economic and social policy
1992
Explain how three of the following voter characteristics influenced voting decisions in the presidential elections of the 1980’s.
a. Party identification
b. Socioeconomic status
c. Race/ethnicity
d. Issue preferences

1991
Compare the strengths and weaknesses of voting and one nonelectoral form of participation that groups use in attempting to achieve policy goals. In your essay, refer to the political activities of two of the following groups in the contemporary United States. Your essay should be an analysis of political activities and not a historical narrative.
a. Women
b. Senior Citizens
c. Big business leaders
d. Farmers

1988
Evaluate the claim that there is “not a dime’s worth of difference” between the contemporary Republican and Democratic parties. In your answer discuss the relationship between the domestic policy preferences of party members in Congress and the social bases of party support in the electorate.