State and Local Government / Andrews
Spring 2017
Midterm Review
During the exam, you will have 50 minutes to respond to 5
questions – i.e. 10 minutes each. You will do well on the Midterm if you can
write good 10-minute answers to the following study guide questions:
1) What is a “faction”? Use your textbook to define this
term. Provide a concrete example.
2) What is “devolution?” Which of our speakers so far has
addressed topics relating to devolution most explicitly? What perspective did
he or she share on this topic?
3) Distinguish between “lobbyists,” “interest groups,” and
“PACs.” Provide concrete examples of each using either your community partner
or one of our speakers. Is your CP/the speaker a lobbyist? An interest group? A
PAC? Does your CP / the speaker hire such individuals or groups?
4) The authors of your textbook note that “the condition of
contemporary American political parties has been described with words such as decline, decay, and demise” (93). Do you agree that this describes American political
parties in 2017? Give examples to support your answer.
5) What is meant by the “capacity” of a government or an
organization? Where does your community partner reach the limits of its
capacity?
6) In what ways is your community partner an active or
passive participant in the community in which it operates? Use the criteria
outlined in Figure 4.1 on page 71 of your textbook to guide your answer.
7) In what ways does your community partner provide
opportunities for citizen volunteerism? Do volunteers become active or passive
participants in the community? Use the criteria outlined in Figure 4.1 on page
71 of your textbook.
