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Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of basic political science terms and concepts such as federalism, judicial review, loose and strict construction, executive privilege, patronage, injunction, balance of power, sovereignty, gerrymandering, eminent domain, enumerated and implied powers, political culture, political socialization, interest group theory, and social contract theory.
- Analyze principles and ideas contained in the writings of important political theorists and figures, such as Aristotle, Machiavelli, Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, Baron de Montesquieu, Alexis de Tocqueville, Karl Marx, V. I. Lenin, Mohandas Gandhi, George Orwell, and Nelson Mandela.
- Examine major events and developments related to the emergence and spread of democratic and representative government from ancient Greece to the present.
- Recognize major characteristics of different systems of government, including monarchy, autocracy, oligarchy, theocracy, representative democracy, direct democracy, authoritarianism, totalitarianism, fascism, and limited and unlimited government.
- Analyze similarities and differences between the political systems of the United States and other contemporary and historical nations.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the characteristics and uses of various political science reference sources and research tools, including encyclopedias, almanacs, census data, surveys, interviews, and computer databases.
- Interpret historical and contemporary political science issues represented in various visual formats, including maps, charts, diagrams, tables, political cartoons, and graphs.
- Apply skills and procedures used in political science research, including formulating appropriate research questions; collecting and presenting information; identifying main ideas; analyzing cause-and-effect relationships; distinguishing between fact and opinion; recognizing bias; determining the adequacy, relevance, and reliability of information; and drawing conclusions.
Sample Item:
In which of the following situations is the president of the United States most likely to invoke the
right of executive privilege?
- nominating justices to the Supreme Court
- pardoning a member of the executive branch
- withholding information from Congress
- authorizing the use of force against another country
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
C. This question requires the examinee to demonstrate knowledge of basic political science terms and concepts. Executive privilege is a power that presidents invoke to resist subpoenas and other demands by the legislative and judicial branches of government, such as congressional requests for highly sensitive information considered vital to national security.
Descriptive Statements:
- Analyze major principles and ideas contained in key political documents contributing to the development of government in the United States, such as Magna Carta, the Petition of Rights, the English Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Federalist Papers, Washington's Farewell Address, the Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions, and the Seneca Falls Declaration of 1848.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental principles, key articles, and significant amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
- Examine the significance of landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions, such as Marbury v. Madison, McCulloch v. Maryland, Plessy v. Ferguson, Schenck v. United States, Brown v. Board of Education, Gideon v. Wainwright, Miranda v. Arizona, United States v. Nixon, Roe v. Wade, and University of California v. Bakke.
- Analyze major features of the U.S. electoral system, including reapportionment and redistricting, primary elections, the Electoral College, the role and development of political parties, and factors influencing voter turnout and the outcome of political contests.
- Examine the ways in which citizens participate in the political process and the skills needed for effective participation in public affairs.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship, including First Amendment rights, due process rights, equal protection under the laws, voting, paying taxes, and serving on juries.
- Analyze developments and events in U.S. history that have increased or diminished individual rights and popular participation in the political process.
Sample Item:
In their efforts to end occupational segregation and achieve comparable pay for comparable work, leaders of
the modern women's movement expanded the meaning of which of the following provisions of the U.S. Constitution?
- the privileges and immunities clause of Article IV
- the freedom of assembly clause of the First Amendment
- the due process clause of the Fifth Amendment
- the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
D. This question requires the examinee to analyze developments and events in U.S. history
that have increased individual rights or popular participation in the political process. The equal protection
clause of the Fourteenth Amendment upholds the principle that all citizens of the United States are equal
before the law. Just as civil rights activists broadened the meaning of the provision to include African
Americans, proponents of women's rights expanded the scope of the clause to include women.
Descriptive Statements:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the structure, functions, and powers of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government, including the bicameral structure of Congress, the roles and constitutional powers of the president, the role of the cabinet, and the structure of the federal judicial system.
- Analyze the separation of powers and operation of the system of checks and balances in the federal government.
- Examine law-making processes in the United States, including the role of lobbyists and special interest groups in the legislative process and the operation of the initiative, referendum, and recall processes at the state level.
- Recognize the organization and responsibilities of independent regulatory agencies, government corporations, and executive agencies in the federal government.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the operation of the U.S. legal system, including the functions of law in U.S. society, major sources of U.S. law (e.g., constitutional, statutory, case, administrative), and steps in the criminal justice process.
- Examine the process by which U.S. foreign policy is made, including the constitutional powers of the president and Congress, foreign policy tools available to the president, and factors influencing the formulation of U.S. foreign policy.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the structure, functions, powers, and organization of state and local governments in the United States.
- Analyze relations between federal, state, and local governments in the United States.
Sample Item:
Which of the following best illustrates how the principle of separation of powers operates in the U.S.
government?
- The Senate refuses to ratify a treaty negotiated by the president.
- The House of Representatives proposes an amendment to a bill that originated in the Senate.
- The president dismisses a member of the cabinet.
- The Supreme Court refuses to hear a case on appeal from a state supreme court.
Correct Response and Explanation (Show Correct ResponseHide Correct Response)
A. This question requires the examinee to analyze ways in which the principle of separation
of powers influences the operation of the federal government. Separation of powers is the principle that
power should be divided among the three branches of government. Treaties between the United States and other
countries can only be negotiated by the executive branch of government, but cannot go into effect unless
ratified by the Senate. Thus, Senate refusal to ratify a treaty is an illustration of the principle of
separation of powers.
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