AP American Government and Politics Worksheet Chapter 1 Name___________________________________ Period_____________ 1. Define these key terms:

Government - Politics - Policymaking institutions (give examples) - Linkage institutions (give examples) - Policy agenda - Policy impacts -

2. What does theorist Robert Dahl identify as the essential criteria for “an ideal democratic process?” (Traditional democratic theory)

a. b. c. d. e.

3. Explain what is meant by majority rule and minority rights. 4. Explain the difference between

pluralist theory – elite and class theory – and hyperpluralism –

5. What is policy gridlock and what causes it? 6. Explain how each of the five elements of American political culture support, shape, and define our democracy.

Liberty – Egalitarianism – Individualism – Laissez-faire – Populism -

7. Draw the diagram of the Policymaking System presented in class. This is the essence of this class!