Midterm ExamExam Format

Exam Date: Thursday June 27th, 2015

(Review is at the end) 60 minutes 50 marks

Part 1a Multiple Choice 10 Questions /10 Part 1b Fill in the Blank 5 Questions /5 Part 1c Matching 5 Questions /5 Part 2 Short Answer 5 Questions /15 Part 3 Long Answer 1 Question /15

Chapters 2-7. Not a lot that’s testable in Chapter 1, so don’t worry about it

Midterm Exam

Collection of questions from across chapters Should not take longer than 10 minutes Questions will offer between 4 and 6

potential answers

◦ Hint 1: Statistically speaking, your first answer is usually the correct one.

◦ Hint 2: You can’t get a question correct if you do not provide an answer – answer all MC, whether you know the answer or not.

Multiple Choice Pt 1 /10

You will be provided with a sentence that includes a missing word.

You will be provided a collection of words, one of which will be correct.

Fill in the blank space with the correct word.

Should not take longer than 5 minutes

◦ Hint 1: You cannot get the question correct if you do not provide an answer. Provide and answer for each question

Multiple Choice Pt 2 /5

You will be provided with a series of terms You will be asked to connect those terms

with definitions provided

Hint:…I’m not going to give you a hint, I expect this to be pretty easy.

Multiple Choice Pt 3

Allot 3 minutes per question, 15 minutes total

Answer the question asked! You have a choice – 7 questions provided,

answer 5 Answer should be about a paragraph long

(three sentences is probably reasonable, longer is okay, but keep track of your time)

Single word answers not acceptable Point form not allowed

Short Answer /15

Allot (approx) 20 minutes for this section Answer the question asked! (15 marks) You have a choice of 3 questions, answer 1 Answer should have multiple paragraphs, with

introduction and conclusion

Point form is not allowed. How long? However long you need to answer the

question!

10 non-allotted minutes. Use your time wisely.

Long Answer /15

Language dictionaries are okay, but BRING YOUR OWN – you will NOT be permitted to borrow a neighbours’

Absolutely NO talking◦ Zero Tolerance Policy in Effect (will result in a 0)

No electronic devices (phones/calculators/electronic dictionaries)

Standard definition of cheating applies: if you are caught in the act of academic misconduct, you will be assigned a zero on this midterm… seriously.

RULES of the Midterm Exam

What is government, what do they do?

What is legitimacy? Sovereignty?◦ How are they different in different political systems (ie authoritarian,

totalitarian and democratic regimes – some of this might be in chapter 4)

What are the components of a state?

What is an institution?

Failed States, how do they happen?

What’s a nation? How is it different from a state?◦ What’s a myth and a s

Key points Chapter 2

Why is political philosophy important? What are the differences between Liberalism vs

Conservatism vs Socialism? Does it matter if humans are good? Equal? Why? Is government good or bad?

◦ Is a lack of government (anarchy) good or bad? What’s the difference between liberty from and liberty to? Tyranny of the majority – is there too much democracy? Nationalism, what is it? Where does it come from? Is it positive or negative? Why do governments pursue it? Why do important ideologies like environmentalism and

feminism not fit on the “left/right” scale?

Key Points Chapter 3

Chapter 4: Role of Government and Constitutions

What is the best role for government?◦ Involvement or not?

What is a laissez-faire economy? What are the objectives of a political system? What are constitutions? Are they all the same? How do constitutions come into being? What’s the difference between usage and

convention? What are the functions of constitutions? What is a liberal democracy?

What are the branches of government? Which one do we interact with most often? Why is the bureaucracy important? What are the qualities of an effective bureaucracy? What’s the difference between head of state and head of

government? Why is representation a complicated concept? What’s the difference between a bicameral and unicameral

legislature? Examples? What is judicial review? What is judicial activism?

◦ Are these two concepts problematic? What’s the difference between the common law and civil code? What are the differences and similarities of the parliamentary

and presidential systems?

Chapter 5 Branches of Government

What is the difference between Confederal, Federal and Unitary Governments?

Does federalism always work the same way? Are central governments always the strongest level of government?

What’s the division of powers? What’s the difference between reserve and

concurrent power? What’s the difference between a conditional

and non-conditional loan?

Chapter 6 Political Systems

What are the strengths and weaknesses of different electoral systems?

What is gerrymandering? What’s voter apathy? How do we fix it? What are the roles and types of political parties in

liberal democracies? What are elections? What’s the role of the party in

an election? Is money the same as speech? What are the

implications of the answer to this question? What are the benefits and drawbacks of the

different tools of direct democracy?

Chapter 7 Political Participation