PSC101: Essential Questions Exam 1
Chapter 1
What is the difference between politics and government?
What are the essential characteristics of a democracy? Is it necessary that democracies have “checks and balances” and “separation of powers?”
What’s the difference between a democracy that is a republic versus a democracy that is a non-republic? Is Missouri a Republic? United States? United Kingdom? France? Canada?
What is the difference between “classical” and “contemporary” liberalism? What is conservatism? What is libertarianism? What is capitalism? What is socialism? What does “laissez-faire” refer to?

Chapter 2
What was the “Articles of Confederation?” What were its weaknesses? What was the Presidency like under this constitution? What was the national judiciary like? Where did it place most of the power? How does it compare to the U.S. Constitution that was drafted in 1787?
What was “Shays’ Rebellion”? How did this lead to calls for a revision of the Articles of Confederation? Who were the Federalists and what did they want? What were the Federalist Papers? Who were the Anti-Federalists and what did they want?
What are “separation of powers?” What are “checks and balances?” What are some examples? Who is checking who? Are each essential to democracies? What is meant by “brevity and elasticity?”
How many ways can the Constitution be amended? What has been the most popular method?

Chapter 3
What is a “unitary” system of government? What is a “confederate” system of government? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each? How is a federal system a hybrid of these two? What are the advantages and disadvantages of federalism?
What in the Constitution suggests that the national government is entitled to more power than the states? What is meant by “the power of the purse?” What are block grants? What are categorical grants? What is the “supremacy clause?”
What is the “full faith and credit” clause? What is the “immunities and privileges”