Advanced Placement® United States Government and
Politics (AP® Government)
2017-2018 Summer Reading
The United States Constitution governs the operation and function of the federal government.
Understanding its basic contents is vital to any understanding of the democratic process.
Moreover, success on the Advanced Placement® United States Government and Politics exam
requires a thorough knowledge of its structure, contents, and basic principles. This is the purpose
of this summer assignment: to give you a basic working knowledge of the Constitution and the
basic rules it establishes for our government.
Your assignment will consist of three parts: reading the Constitution and its amendments,
answering a set of guided reading questions about the document, and completing a test on the
content of Constitution.
Part I: Read the Constitution.
As the fundamental law of the United States, copies of the Constitution are readily available.
Many websites include the full text of the Constitution and its amendments. It is also available at
any library. A list of websites featuring the full text of the Constitution appears below.
THE U.S. CONSTITUTION http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html
Part II: Complete the guided reading questions. Answers must be typed.
Answer the questions in the Constitution Reading Guide as you read the Constitution. Most
questions will require only brief answers. For each answer, record the article, section, and clause
of the Constitution in which you found the answer. Completing the guided reading activity is
worth 50% of your grade for this assignment.
Part III: Constitution test
During the first week of school, perhaps even on the first day of class, you will take a test on the
Constitution. This test will be drawn from questions on the guided reading assignment. Study the
guided reading activity to do well on this test. Your grade on this test will count for 50% of your
grade on this assignment.
Grading:
This summer reading assignment will count as your first grade in AP® Government. It will be
graded as follows:
Guided Reading Answers: 30 Points
Guided Reading Citations: 20 Points
Constitution Test: 50 Points
Total Points: 100 Points
Due Date: First day of class
If you have any questions, please contact course instructor Richie Marsh at
[email protected]
The United States Constitution Guided Reading
**REMEMBER: Include citations for each question by article, section, and clause.**
1. List the 6 purposes of the Constitution in the Preamble.
2. What is the subject of Article I?
3. What type of power does the Congress have and what are its two parts?
4. How often are elections for the House of Representatives conducted and who gets to vote in
these elections?
5. List the formal qualifications for holding a seat in the House of Representatives.
6. How are the number of seats in the House of Representatives apportioned to each state and
how often is this done?
7. What powers of Congress are unique to the House of Representatives?
8. How many Senators does each state have and how were they originally chosen?
9. How are the Senators chosen today? Which amendment changed this?
10. How long is a Senator’s term? How many are elected in each election year?
11. List the formal requirements for holding a seat in the Senate.
12. Who is the President of the Senate? When does he get to vote in the Senate?
13. What powers of the Congress are unique to the Senate?
14. Who presides over impeachment trials and what is required for a conviction?
15. What are the penalties for being convicted in an impeachment trial?
16. What article and section of the Constitution governs federal elections?
17. What two legal protections does the Constitution guarantee members of Congress?
18. Where do all bills raising revenue begin the legislative process?
19. What is required for the Congress to override a presidential veto?
20. What happens when a President fails to sign or veto a bill passed by both houses of Congress
within ten days of
passage if Congress is in session at that time?
21. What happens when a President fails to sign or veto a bill passed by both houses of Congress
within ten days of passage if Congress is not in session at that time?
22. List 18 powers of the Congress.
23. List 8 powers denied to the Congress.
24. List 8 powers denied to the state governments by the Constitution.
25. List 5 actions states can take that require Congressional approval.
26. What is the subject of Article II?
27. What type of power does the Constitution grant the President?
28. According to Article II and Amendment XII, how many electors does each state receive for
President of the United States and how are these electors chosen?
29. List the formal qualifications for the President of the United States defined by the
Constitution.
30. What is the President’s role in the military, according to the Constitution?
31. List two powers that the President has that require the “Advise and Consent” of the Senate.
32. List 3 duties of the President under Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution.
33. How may a President be removed from office?
34. What is the subject of Article III?
35. What body holds the judicial power of the United States?
36. What branch of government has the power to create “inferior Courts”? Why are they
“inferior”?
37. Who appoints and confirms federal judges?
38. How long do federal judges hold office?
39. List five types of cases federal courts may try, according to the Constitution.
40. Over what two types of cases does the Supreme Court have original jurisdiction?
41. What is the constitutional definition of treason?
42. What article of the Constitution governs interstate relations?
43. List three obligations each state has to the other states.
44. What limitations does the Constitution place on the power of Congress to admit new states to
the Union?
45. What article of the Constitution governs the amendment process?
46. What are the two stages of the amendment process?
47. How does Article VI define the relationship between the U.S. Constitution, treaties, and
federal laws and state constitutions and laws?
48. How many states were required to ratify the Constitution?
49. Identify the two signers of the Constitution from Georgia.
50. Who presided over the Constitutional Convention?
Amendments
1. How many times has the Constitution been amended?
2. What are the first ten amendments of the Constitution collectively known as?
3. Identify the subject of each Amendment.
4. List the 5 freedoms of the 1st Amendment.
5. List 3 protections in the 5th Amendment.
6. List 3 protections in the 6th Amendment.
7. Identify the three amendments passed immediately after the Civil War.
8. Identify 3 amendments that extended suffrage to new groups of people. Identify the group
addressed in each.
9. When was the most recent constitutional amendment ratified?