In two to four detailed paragraphs per question (about 1 page in length per question), answer your choice of Five of the following essay questions-

1. Explain the "supremacy clause" and the concept of "preemption".

2. Describe the concepts of "separation of powers" and "checks and balances", and explain why the Founding Fathers included these concepts in the framework of the Constitution.

3. Should same-sex marriage be a state or federal issue? Explain your answer.

4. Explain the goals of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Have these goals been realized?

5. What are the differences between a "social movement" and an "interest group"? How are they related?

6. List and define (8) civil liberties of criminal suspects (i.e., "rights of the accused").

7. How can the controversial policy issue of abortion (the legality of abortion, the government funding of abortion, the healthcare coverage of abortion, etc.) be framed as a political battle between the civil rights of "life" versus the civil liberty of "privacy"?

8. Explain the recent events involving the 2013 Federal Government "shutdown". In your opinion, who and/or what are responsible for this situation?

9. What are the issues that liberals and conservatives each tend to support and each tend to oppose?

10. The formal process of amending the U.S. Constitution is an intentionally difficult one. Yet those in each branch of government have found ways in which the Constitution can be changed informally. Describe the methods, both formal and informal, of constitutional change.

11. Should our national political system operate under an "English only" language policy? How about each of the states, at their level of government?

12. Under which circumstances is the government able to interfere with our freedom of speech?

13. Explore (3) challenges associated with conducting an accurate public opinion poll. Can these problems be overcome?

14. List and describe (10) factors ("agents") by which political socialization occurs in the United States.