Chapter 3 (The Constitution)

Question 1

popular sovereignty

Answer 1

basic principle of the American system of government which asserts that the people are the source of any and all governmental power, and government can exist only with the consent of the governed

Question 2

limited government

Answer 2

basic principle of American government which states that government is restricted in what it may do, and each individual has rights that government cannot take away

Question 3

constitutionalism

Answer 3

basic principle that government and those who govern must obey the law; the rule of law

Question 4

rule of law

Answer 4

concept that government and its officers are always subject to the law

Question 5

separation of powers

Answer 5

basic principle of American system of government that the executive, legislative, and judicial powers are divided among three independent and coequal branches of government

Question 6

checks and balances

Answer 6

system of overlapping the powers of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to permit each branch to check the actions of the others

Question 7

veto

Answer 7

chief executive’s power to reject a bill passed by a legislature; literally (Latin) “I forbid”

Question 8

judicial review

Answer 8

the power of a court to determine the constitutionality of a governmental law or action

Question 9

unconstitutional

Answer 9

contrary to constitutional provision and so illegal, null and void, of no force and effect

Question 10

federalism

Answer 10

a system of government in which a written constitution divides power between a central, or national, government and several regional governments

Question 11

amendment

Answer 11

a change in, or addition to, a constitution or law

Question 12

ratification

Answer 12

formal approval, final consent to the effectiveness of a constitution, constitutional amendment, or treaty

Question 13

formal amendment

Answer 13

change or addition that becomes part of the written language of the Constitution itself through one of four methods set forth in the Constitution

Question 14

convention

Answer 14

a meeting to deal with matters of common concern

Question 15

Bill of Rights

Answer 15

the first ten amendments to the Constitution; they were proposed in 1789 and ratified in 1791

Question 16

Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

Answer 16

An amendment to the Constitution that was first proposed in 1972 proclaiming the equal rights of women it fell three States short of ratification and died in 1982.

Question 17

informal amendment

Answer 17

changes to the Constitution that do not involve changing the written words

Question 18

executive agreement

Answer 18

a pact made by the President directly with the head of a foreign state; a binding international agreement with the force of law but which (unlike a treaty) does not require Senate consent

Question 19

treaty

Answer 19

a formal agreement between two or more sovereign states

Question 20

electoral college

Answer 20

group of persons chosen in each State and the District of Columbia every four years who make a formal selection of the President and Vice President

Question 21

Cabinet

Answer 21

presidential advisory body, traditionally made up of the heads of the executive departments and other officers

Question 22

senatorial courtesy

Answer 22

custom that the Senate will not approve a presidential appointment opposed by a majority-party senator from the State in which the appointee would serve