1st sem Monster Vocab

Question 1

liberal

Answer 1

ideologically supports a stronger government programs and market regulation

Question 2

conservative

Answer 2

ideologically supports lower taxes, less government, and a free market

Question 3

political socialization

Answer 3

the process by which people gain their political beliefs

Question 4

demographics

Answer 4

the statistical characteristics of a population

Question 5

political culture

Answer 5

the shared political values of a society

Question 6

random sample

Answer 6

a subsection of a population chosen to participate in a survey in which every member of the whole population has an equal chance of being chosen

Question 7

salience

Answer 7

the extent to which people believe political issues are relevant to them

Question 8

political efficacy

Answer 8

an individual’s belief that his or her political issues are relevant to them

Question 9

participatory democracy (direct democracy)

Answer 9

a system of government in which citizens are directly involved in making choices about policy

Question 10

elite democracy

Answer 10

a system of government which emphasizes limited participation by wealthy and well educated citizens in politics and civil society

Question 11

block grants

Answer 11

federal money given to the states with few restrictions about how it should be spent

Question 12

unfunded mandate

Answer 12

a federal requirement (mandate) that forces the states to spend their own money to pay for it

Question 13

devolution

Answer 13

a process by which the federal government gives more power and authority to the states

Question 14

inherent powers

Answer 14

powers that are naturally derived from the duties of a specific government position

Question 15

expressed (enumerated) powers

Answer 15

powers that are given to an institution of government (branch) directly in the constitution, such as congress’ power to tax

Question 16

implied powers

Answer 16

powers that are “necessary and proper” to carry out an expressed power in the constitution, like the power of congress to establish a bank

Question 17

concurrent powers

Answer 17

powers that are shared by both state and federal governments such as transportation

Question 18

selective incorporation

Answer 18

the process by which the BIll of Rights has been applied to the states on a case-by-case basis through the Fourteenth Amendment

Question 19

civil liberties

Answer 19

the right of people to be protected from government abuse according to the Bill of Rights

Question 20

slander (libel)

Answer 20

spoken (written) false statements that damage a person’s reputation

Question 21

civil rights

Answer 21

rights that guarantee individuals freedom from discrimination according to the Fourteenth Amendment

Question 22

affirmative action

Answer 22

an action designed to overcome the effects of discrimination

Question 23

establishment clause

Answer 23

the First Amendment’s ban on laws establishing or favoring a religion

Question 24

free exercise

Answer 24

First Amendment clause that states the government cannot prohibit the practice of religion

Question 25

due process

Answer 25

the right that forbids the government from denying “life, liberty, or property” without the legal process of fair trails, etc. as stated in the 5th and 14th Amendments

Question 26

equal protection clause

Answer 26

14th Amendment clause that forbids states from denying equal protection of the law thus denying discrimination

Question 27

exclusionary rule

Answer 27

the idea established in Mapp v. Ohio that evidence that is illegally obtained cannot be used in a trial

Question 28

Writ of Certiorari

Answer 28

a document issued by the Supreme Court if it has agreed to hear a case

Question 29

Amicus Curiae

Answer 29

an argument filed with a court by an individual or group who is not in a party to a lawsuit

Question 30

judicial restraint

Answer 30

the idea that judges should decide cases based on the language of laws and the Constitution, deferring to the legislative and executive branches

Question 31

original intent (originalism)

Answer 31

making judicial decisions by considering what the founding fathers meant in the Constitution

Question 32

stare decisis

Answer 32

when a court follows a precedent (a prior court decision) by letting a previous decision stand

Question 33

judicial review

Answer 33

the power of the Supreme Court to overturn a law or executive action as unconstitutional

Question 34

intensity

Answer 34

how strongly a person feels about a political issue

Question 35

pluralist democracy

Answer 35

a theory of government in which many people and groups compete for policy

Question 36

republic (representative democracy)

Answer 36

a system of government in which people elect representatives to make policy in the citizen’s interest

Question 37

federalist

Answer 37

those who attended the Constitutional Convention who favored a strong national government and a system of separated powers

Question 38

federalism

Answer 38

a system of government where the power is shared between the national government and the states

Question 39

fiscal federalism

Answer 39

the use of spending by the national government through the grant process to influence state policies

Question 40

cooperative federalism

Answer 40

a system where the federal government and states work together in funding and administering programs

Question 41

commerce clause

Answer 41

the clause in Article 1 that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations

Question 42

supremacy clause

Answer 42

Article IV clause that gives the Constitution and national laws supremacy over state laws

Question 43

categorical grants

Answer 43

money given by the federal government to the states to be used for a narrowly defined purpose