AP Gov FRQs

Explain why each of the following enhances the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions of members of Congress •Strong public opinion as expressed in polling results •Competitive re-elections

•strong public opinion as expressed in polling results enhances the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions of members of Congress because they feel the obligation to represent their constituents. • competitive reelections enhance the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions of members of Congress because of their desire to be reelected

Explain why California, Texas, and New York do not appear prominently in the cartoon above. (pic of us states map with Ohio, Florida, Colorado, etc, drawn huge)

California, Texas, and New York do not appear prominently in the cartoon. This is because it is already known which party will most likely win their votes since those parties with their votes basically every election.

Describe one important role political parties play within Congress to promote the party's public policy agenda

Clinical parties play many important roles within Congress to promote the party's public policy agenda. One of them is that leadership positions in Congress are assigned on a party basis

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

Divided government is the situation in which one party controls the presidency while the other party controls congress. Divided government has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence in government because of heightened partisanship.

Describe two campaign tactics presidential candidates use to win the key states identified in the cartoon. (pic of us states map with Ohio, Florida, Colorado, etc, drawn huge)

In order to win the key states identified in the cartoon, presidential candidates spend more money there. They also have more TV ads and use of media in those states.

Minor parties make important contributions to the United States political system in spite of the institutional obstacles to their candidate's success. Describe two of these contributions. (Pic of woman throwing away her ballot in trash bin labeled Green Party votes)

One important contribution minor parties make to the US political system is that they bring forth new issues. Another important contribution is that they push major parties to include some of their concerns.

Explain one provision in the Bill of Rights that protects individuals who try to influence politics.

One provision in the bill of rights that protects individuals who try to influence politics is the freedom of speech in the first amendment. This allows for citizens to say almost anything they want.

Describe one specific federal government regulation of interest groups.

One specific Federal government regulation of interest groups is how much money an interest group can send to one candidate

Explain how party polarization has strengthened party influence in congress

Party polarization has strengthened party influencing congress because members of political parties vote along party line so they are less likely to vote with the other party

Describe two important functions of political parties in the United States elections

Political parties are very important in United States elections. Two of their important functions are to provide a platform of issues and to nominate candidates for government office.

Identify the effect of one of the following amendments on the electorate. •15th amendment • 19th amendment • 26th amendment

The 15th amendment affected the electorate because it gave African-Americans the right to vote.

Explain two specific consequences of the decline in trust and confidence in government for individual political behavior.

The decline of trust and confidence in the government has resulted in a decline in voting. People don't want to vote for a system they feel isn't trustworthy. It has also led to an increased support for independents or third parties. This is because people no longer trust either of the main two parties to represent them.

Explain how the increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence.

The increased cost of election campaigns has contributed to the decline in trust and confidence because small contributions don't matter. This means that candidates are more concerned with pleasing the people and organizations which contribute the most money.

Describe the message the cartoon conveys about presidential elections (pic of us states map with Ohio, Florida, Colorado, etc, drawn huge)

The message the cartoon conveys about presidential elections is that candidates focus more of their attention on swing states. They spend way more time in these states than they do in the others.

Describe the point of you expressed about minor parties in the political cartoon above. (Pic of woman throwing away her ballot in trash bin labeled Green Party votes)

The point of view expressed about minor parties in the political cartoon is that people who vote for minor parties are basically throwing away their votes. This is because no minor party candidate has ever been president.

Identify and explain how two rules of the United States electoral system act as obstacles to minor party candidates winning elections. (Pic of woman throwing away her ballot in trash bin labeled Green Party votes)

The winner-take-all aspect of the electoral college is an obstacle to minor party candidates winning elections because it would be extremely difficult and highly unlikely for them to get the majority of votes in any state. Another obstacle for them is their exclusion from presidential debates because it gives them less exposure to the public.

Describe one reason that the framers chose to use the electoral college as the method to elect the president

There are many reasons why the framers chose to use the electoral college as the method to elect the president. One of them is that it reinforced federalism and allowed states to be part of the decision.

Identify two characteristics of a valid, scientific, public opinion poll

Two characteristics of a valid scientific public opinion poll are: making sure that the sample represents the population, and making sure that the wording of the questions is unbiased.

Explain how each of the following factors has weakened the influence of political parties over the political process •direct primaries •candidate-centered campaigns

• Direct primaries have weakened the influence of political parties over political process because they give parties less control over the nomination process of candidates • candidate centered campaigns have weakened the influence of political parties over the political process because candidates appeal directly to voters

Explain how each of the following factors may affect voter turnout. •Motor voter laws •Photo identification laws

• Motor voter laws affect voter turnout. They make registering for voting easier because they allow people to do so at the place where they get their driver's license • Photo identification laws affect voter turn out. They prevent people without accepted forms of ID from voting.

Explain why voter turn out is different in each of the following. • presidential versus midterm elections • primary versus general elections

• voter turnout is higher in presidential elections that in midterm elections. This is because media coverage is greater in presidential elections. • voter turnout is higher in general elections than in primary elections. This is because both the media and the people place more importance on general elections.

Select one of the following demographic features and describe its relationship to the likelihood of a person voting in an election. •Education •age

•Education is directly related to the likelihood of a person voting in an election. The hire a persons education the more likely they will be to vote

Explain why each of the following limits the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions of members of Congress. •legislators' voting records •party leadership

•Legislators' voting records limit the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions of members of Congress bc they want to avoid being seen as indecisive by voters • party leadership limits the influence of public opinion on the voting decisions of members of Congress bc they want to gain party support.

Interest groups engage in a variety of activities to affect public policy. Explain how each of the following is used by interest groups to exert influence over policy. • lobbying of government institutions • litigation

•Lobbying is used by interest groups to exert influence over policy. This is because they get direct contact with policymakers to persuade them by providing information and political benefits. •Litigation is used by interest groups to exert influence over policy by arguing in court and filing an amicus curiae brief. This can influence judges rulings on the case.