Chapter 1 vocab

Question 1

Government

Answer 1

The institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society.

Question 2

Public goods

Answer 2

Goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share.

Question 3

Politics

Answer 3

The process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue.Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues.

Question 4

Political participation

Answer 4

All activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue.The most common but the only, means of political participation in a democracy is voting.Other means include protest and civil disobedience.

Question 5

Single-issue groups

Answer 5

Narrow interest,tend to dislike compromise and often draw membership from people new to politics.

Question 6

Policy-making system

Answer 6

Political problems are communicated by the voters and acted upon by the government policymakers.(trying to influence the the governments policy agenda.)

Question 7

Linkage institutions

Answer 7

The channels or access points trough which issues and peoples policy preferences get on the government’s policy agenda.In the United states,elections.political parties,interest groups and the mass media are the three main linkage institutions.

Question 8

Policy agenda

Answer 8

The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given point in time.

Question 9

Political issue

Answer 9

An issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and public policy choice.

Question 10

Policy-making institutions

Answer 10

Branches of government charged with taking action on political issues.The congress,The presidency,The courts.

Question 11

Public policy

Answer 11

A choice that the government makes in response to a political issue.a policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem.

Question 12

democracy

Answer 12

A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences.

Question 13

Majority rule

Answer 13

A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory.

Question 14

Minority rights

Answer 14

Principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities through persuasion and reasoned argument.

Question 15

Pluralist theory

Answer 15

A theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies.

Question 16

Representation

Answer 16

Traditional democracy theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers.

Question 17

elite and class theory

Answer 17

Elite-Government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper class will rule.

Question 18

hyperplurisim

Answer 18

A theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened.

Question 19

Policy gridlock

Answer 19

A condition that occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy.The result is that nothing may get done.

Question 20

Gross domestic product

Answer 20

The sum total of the value of all the goods and services produced in a nation.

Question 21

individualisim

Answer 21

Belief that individuals should be left on there own.