AP GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS: 2021 Review
Exam: Info is Online (keep eye on Website the info below is void
for the test format)
Congratulations! You’ve made it through your AP U.S. Government course and are now
ready to prepare for the AP Exam. These tips and strategies should help you in the final
days or weeks before taking the exam. Remember that preparing for the Exam is a bit
like training for a marathon--you won’t do as well if you wait and cram a lot of training
into the day before the Exam. Working at a reasonable pace from now until test day will
pay off in the end.
The Format of the Exam: Let’s begin by looking at a breakdown of how the AP US
Government
Exam is structured:
Questions Time allowed Percentage of grade
55 multiple choice 1 hour & 20 minutes 50%
3 free response and
Argumentative Essay
1 hour & 40 minutes 50%
The questions on the test will cover topics from the whole course. However, in the
multiple-choice section, you’ll find that certain subjects come up more often:
Subject
Percentage of the Test Government Institutions
35 to 40%
(Congress, presidency, courts, bureaucracy)
Political Behavior of Individuals
(political culture, public opinion, voting)
Political Behavior of Groups
(political parties, elections, interest groups, PACs, and mass media)
Constitutional Foundations  | 10 to 20%
10 to 20%
5 to 15%(federalism, checks & balances, separation of powers, theories of democracy)
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
5 to 15%
There are 15 Required Supreme
Court Cases:Marbury v. Madison
McCulloch v. Maryland
Schenck v. US
Brown v. Board of Ed (1954)
Baker v. Carr
Engel v. Vitale
Gideon v. Wainright
Tinker v. DesMoines
NY Times Co. v. US
Wisconsin v. Yoder
Roe v. Wade
Shaw v. Reno
US. v. Lopez
McDonald v. Chicago
Citizens United v. FEC
Required Documents:
The Declaration of Independence
The Articles of Confederation
The Constitution of the United
States
Federalist #10
1 | P a g e
Brutus #1
Federalist #51
Federalist #70
Federalist # 78
Letter from a Birmingham Jail
2 | P a g e
Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy
The U.S. Constitution arose out of important historical and philosophical ideas and preferences regarding popular
sovereignty and limited government. To address competing states’ visions for the allocation of governmental
authority, compromises were made during the Constitutional Convention and ratification debates, and these
compromises have frequently been the source of debate and negotiation in U.S. politics over the proper balance
between federal and state power and between liberty and social order.
A balance between governmental power and
individual rights has been a hallmark of American
political development.
Explain how democratic ideals are reflected in
the Declaration of Independence and the
Constitution. | Define:
natural rights
popular sovereignty
republicanism
social contractDiscuss the five Madisonian Principles of a representative democracy that continue to be reflected in contemporary
institutions and political behavior.
Define and provide an example:
Federalism
Popular Sovereignty
Checks and Balances
Separation of Powers
Limited Government
The Constitution emerged from the debate about weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation as a blueprint
for limited government.
Explain how Federalist and Anti-Federalist views
on central government and democracy are reflected
in U.S. foundational documents.
Madison’s arguments in Federalist No. 10 focused
on the superiority of a large republic in controlling
the “mischiefs of faction,” delegating authority to
elected representatives and dispersing power
between the states and national government. | What is a faction?
What is the source of factions?
How are factions controlled?
Anti-Federalist writings, including Brutus No. 1,
adhered to popular democratic theory that
emphasized the benefits of a small decentralized
republic while warning of the dangers to personal
liberty from a large, centralized government. | Why were the Anti-Federalists reluctant to sign the new
Constitution?4 | P a g e
Explain the relationship between key provisions of the Articles of Confederation and the debate over granting the
federal government greater power formerly reserved to the states.
In other words, identify the problems in the Articles of Confederation and how they were corrected in the
Constitution.
Compromises deemed necessary for adoption and ratification of the Constitution are represented by the:
Great (Connecticut) Compromise
Electoral College
Three-Fifths Compromise
Compromise on the importation of slaves
The Constitutional Basis of Federalism: Although the term federalism is not found in the Constitution, it is
clearly defined in the enumerated, concurrent and reserved powers of the national and state governments.
Interstate relations: Describe the general obligations that each state has to every other state under the Constitution.
Enumerated powers
The Commerce Clause & the
Elastic Clause have played5 | P a g e
key roles in the expansion of
Federal power. Be able to
give examples.
Implied powers
Inherent powers
Reserved powers
Full Faith and Credit Clause
Privileges and Immunities Clause
Extradition
The Constitution creates a complex competitive policy-making process to ensure the people’s will is
represented and that freedom is preserved.
Explain the ideas represented in Federalist No. 51(1) (2) (3) Explain the implications of separation of powers
and “checks and balances” for the U.S. political
system.
Federalism reflects the dynamic distribution of power between the national and state governments.
Explain how societal needs affect the
constitutional allocation of power between the
national and state governments.
10th Amendment v. 14th Amendment