Advanced Placement American Government 

Sample Mid-Term Exam Questions:

1. Why was the Declaration of Independence such a revolutionary document?

2. Discuss the benefits and the problems that resulted from the Articles of Confederation.

3. What was Shays's Rebellion, and why was it important?

4. Why did Jefferson refer to the delegates to the Constitutional Convention as "demigods"?

5. Discuss the different factors that help to explain why the Constitutional Convention was a success.

6. What is "social contract theory", and what role did it play in the American Revolution?

7. Discuss the ways that the power of the legislative branch has grown since the Constitution was written. What do 
you think the Founders would think of the power that Congress has today and the way it does its job?

8. Discuss the ways that the power of the executive branch has grown since the Constitution was writrten. What do 
you think the Founders would think of the power that the executive has today and the role that the executive plays 
in our government?

9. Compare and contrast the growth in power of both the legislative and executive branches of our national 
government since the Constitution was written. Which branch do you think is the most powerful today and why?

10. Discuss the reasons that it has been said the United States went through a second revolution during the 
presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

11. Discuss the meaning of the term prerogative power and give some examples of it. Do you think that the Founders 
intended to incorporate it into the Constitution?  Why or why not?

12. Why was James Madison so concerned about the effects of faction, and why did he think that the system of 
government that he helped to set up in the Constitution would be able to control the effects of faction?

13. Discuss the power of Congress to regulate interstate commerce and explain why it has played such a large role 
in the growth of Congressional power.

14. Discuss (a) the origin and the meaning of the term executive privilege and (b) arguments for and against it.


Sample Final Exam questions:

1. What is the Bill of Rights, and why is there so much disagreement about the meaning of the Bill of RIghts? 
Include references to specific provisions of the Bill of Rights in your answer.

2. Discuss the different things that an effective Washington DC lobbyist for a large corporation or interest 
group does to represent his/her corporation's or group's interests. Include in your discussion an analysis of what 
you think James Madison would think about the lobbyist's activities.

3. Alexander Hamilton argued that the judiciary was the weakest branch. Discuss arguments as to why his statement 
is still accurate today and why it is not.

4. Discuss and evaluate the checks on the federal bureaucracy. Do you think that the checks are sufficient? Why or 
why not?

5. Discuss the reasons why the Federalist Papers and the Antifederalist writings are important. To what extent do 
you think that these two groups resemble the Republican and Democratic parties of today, and in what ways are 
they different?

6. What is meant by the term "incorporation of the Bill of Rights"?  Do you think that the incorporation 
represents judges in our constitutional system going beyond their proper role?

7. Discuss the role that money plays in American politics today. What do you think the Founders would think 
about the situation, and what changes, if any, do you think they might want to nake in it.

8. Copmare and contrast the role played by James Madison in the period leading up to the signing of the 
Constitution and in the first ten years after it was signed. In which period do you think he made the most 
significant contribution and why?

9. Which branch of American government is the most powerful today and why? 

10. What changes, if any, do you think James Madison would want to make in the Constitution today and why? 

11. Compare and contrast the checks on the federal judiciary with the checks on the federal bureaucracy. Which do 
you think are the most effective and why?