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(Ans. #1)
An ideal response will:
1, Note that the United States accounts for an enormous proportion of the world's fuel consumption.
2, Describe how fuel consumption contributes to climate change through the release of carbon, and note that high fuel usage makes the United States dependent on oil imports.
3, Identify factors that have contributed to high fuel usage, including the vast size of the country, expansion of cities, excellent road systems, lack of investment in public transportation, and opposition to increased vehicle fuel economy standards by oil companies and automobile manufacturers.
4, Argue a position on whether it is essential to curtail the lobbying power of automobile and energy companies. An affirmative response might emphasize the harms caused by global warming and the urgent need to curb fuel consumption. A negative response might emphasize the importance of upholding free speech and the right to petition government.
(Ans. #2)
An ideal response will:
1, Indicate that dealignment, as opposed to realignment, is a period when no party has clear domination over the other.
2, Explain that dealignment is characterized by increased identification by the electorate as independent.
3, Characterize the period following Nixon as the beginning of dealignment, briefly explaining why it occurred and how voter disenchantment with the political system has led to many more voters identifying as independents than was the case a half century ago.
(Ans. #3)
An ideal response will:
1, State that leadership in the Senate is less visible than that in the House: Senators with formal leadership titles, such as the president pro tempore, exercise little influence. The Senate majority leader is as close as one comes to a leader in this body, but the powers of the office pale before those of the Speaker of the House.
2, List several of the Senate majority leader's areas of influence: He or she has some influence in committee assignments, office space designation, and control of access to the floor of the Senate; and is important in the scheduling of the business of the Senate.
3, Note that the degree of the majority leader's actual influence is based less on formal powers than on skills of personal persuasion, the respect of colleagues, visibility in the media as majority party spokesperson, and role at the center of many of the various communication networks. Also, campaign contributors often take the advice of the majority leader on how to allocate money for incumbents seeking reelection.
(Ans. #4)
An ideal response will:
1, Discuss the reasons for the steady growth in the number of interest groups in the United States.First, the Constitution facilitates the rise in the number of interests. The First Amendment guarantees the right to speech and assembly.Since power is fragmented in the United States through separate branches of government and federalism, there are numerous access points for groups. Second, society is diverse, and many interests form to reflect that diversity.Third, government has become active in social, economic, and personal life.Fourth, events sometimes occur that threaten interests, resulting in interest group formation and mobilization.
2, Discuss whether or not you believe the number of interest groups will continue to grow over the next few decades.Explain why or why not.For example, if arguing that the number of interests will continue to grow, the answer might discuss how new issues will develop and interest groups will arise to represent those interests.If arguing that interest group numbers will not continue to grow, the answer might indicate that there is some limit to the number of interests that can exist at one time.
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