Advanced Placement Politics

Unit 1: Free Response Prompts

1. It has been said, “The Constitution reflects a basic distrust of direct popular
government.” Identify two features of the Constitution and explain how they
show this distrust of popular government.

2. Identify and explain two arguments made by the Federalists and explain how the
Anti-Federalists countered each of these two arguments.

3. Discuss the facts used by the Supreme Court’s majority in the McCulloch v.
Maryland decision, and explain how the case expands the power of the federal
government in relation to the states.

4. For TWO of the following (a) identify the term, (b) give a specific example, and
(c) explain how it affects policy-making within the states:

categorical grants
revenue sharing
block grants
mandates

5. Identify and explain how the U.S. Constitution’s meaning can be changed both
formally and informally. Give two examples of each and explain why some
methods are used more frequently than others.