Cracking Ap Vocabulary

Question 0

A system of law where the court is seen as a neutral area where disputants can argue the merits of their cases

Answer 0

Adversary system

Question 1

Adversary system

Answer 1

A system of law where the court is seen as a neutral area where disputants can argue the merits of their cases

Question 2

Affirmative action

Answer 2

Government-mandated programs that seek to create special employment opportunities for African Americans, women, ad other victims of past discrimination

Question 3

Government-mandated programs that seek to create special employment opportunities for African Americans, women, ad other victims of past discrimination

Answer 3

Affirmative action

Question 4

Amendment

Answer 4

Addition to the constitution. Amendments require approval by two thirds of both houses if Congress ad three-quarters of the states. The first ten amendments make up the bill of rights

Question 5

Addition to the constitution. Amendments require approval by two thirds of both houses if Congress ad three-quarters of the states. The first ten amendments make up the bill of rights

Answer 5

Amendment

Question 6

Amicus curiae briefs

Answer 6

“Friend of the court” briefs that qualified individuals or organizations file in lawsuits to which they are not a party, so the judge may consider their advice in respect to matters of law that directly affect the cases in question.

Question 7

“Friend of the court” briefs that qualified individuals or organizations file in lawsuits to which they are not a party, so the judge may consider their advice in respect to matters of law that directly affect the cases in question.

Answer 7

Amicus curiae briefs

Question 8

Appellate jurisdiction

Answer 8

Term used to describe courts whose role is to hear appeals from lower courts

Question 9

“Friend of the court” briefs that qualified individuals or organizations file in lawsuits to which they are not a party, so the judge may consider their advice in respect to matters of law that directly affect the cases in question.

Answer 9

Appellate jurisdiction

Question 10

Articles of confederation

Answer 10

The United States’ first constitution. The government formed by the articles of confederation lasted from 1781 (the year before the end of the revolutionary war) to 1789. The government under the articles proved inadequate because it did not have the power to collect taxes from the states, nor could it regulate foreign trade to generate revenue from import and export tariffs.

Question 11

The United States’ first constitution. The government formed by the articles of confederation lasted from 1781 (the year before the end of the revolutionary war) to 1789. The government under the articles proved inadequate because it did not have the power to collect taxes from the states, nor could it regulate foreign trade to generate revenue from import and export tariffs.

Answer 11

Articles of confederation

Question 12

Bicameral

Answer 12

Consisting of two legislative houses. The United States has a bicameral legislature; it’s two houses are the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Question 13

Consisting of two legislative houses. The United States has a bicameral legislature; it’s two houses are the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Answer 13

Bicameral

Question 14

Bill of rights

Answer 14

First 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The Bill of Rights guarantees personal liberties and limits the powers of the government.

Question 15

Blanket primary

Answer 15

Primary election in which voters may select a candidate from any party for each office. Blanket primaries use the same procedure as general elections.

Question 16

Block grants

Answer 16

Federal money given to the dates with only general guidelines for its use. The states have the authority to decide how the money will be spent.

Question 17

Bread-and-butter issues

Answer 17

Those political issues are specifically directed at the daily concerns of most working-class Americans, such a job security , tax rates, wages, and employee benefits.

Question 18

Broad constructionism

Answer 18

Belief that the Constitution should be interpreted loosely when concerning the restrictions it places on federal power. Broad constructionists emphasize the importance of the elastic clause, whichever Congress to pass laws “necessary and proper” to the performance of its duties.

Question 19

Brown v. Board of education

Answer 19

The 1954 case in which the Supreme Court overturned the “separate but equal” standard as it pooled to education. In a 9-0 decision, the court ruled that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.” “Separate but equal” had been the law of the land since the court approved it in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

Question 20

Budget deficit

Answer 20

Condition that arises when federal expenditures exceed revenues; in other words, when the government spends more money that it takes in.

Question 21

Budget resolution

Answer 21

Set of budget guidelines that must pass both houses of congress in identical form by April 15. The budget resolution guides government spending for the following fiscal year.

Question 22

Categorical grants

Answer 22

Federal aid given to states with strings attached. To recur e the money, states must agree to adhere to federally mandated guidelines for spending it.

Question 23

Caucus

Answer 23

Meeting of local party members for the purpose of choosing delegates to a national party convention. The term also refers to a meeting of the democratic members of the House of Representatives.

Question 24

Census

Answer 24

The process, mandated by the Constitution, by which the population of the United States is officially counted every 10 years. Census data is then used to help distribute federal money and to reapportion congressional districts.

Question 25

The system that prevents any branch of government from becoming too powerful by requiring the approval of more than one branch for all important acts.

Answer 25

Checks and balances

Question 26

Civil court

Answer 26

Court in which lawsuits are heard. In contrast, criminal cases are heard in Criminal court.

Question 27

Civil disobedience

Answer 27

Nonviolent vil des obedience requires activists to protest peacefully against laws they believe unjust and to be willing to accept arrest as a means if demonstrating the justice of their cause. The notion was popularized by nineteenth-venture American writer David Thoreau and was practiced by Martin Luther King Jr.

Question 28

Civil liberties

Answer 28

Those protections against government pier embodied in the Bill of Rights and similar legislation. Civil liberties include the right to fee speech, free exercise if religion, and the right to a fair trial.

Question 29

Civil rights

Answer 29

Those protections against discrimination by the government and individuals. Civil rights are intended to prevent discrimination based on race, religion, gender, ethnicity, physical handicap, or sexual orientation

Question 30

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Answer 30

Federal law that made segregation illegal in most public places, increased penalties and sentences for those convicted of discrimination in employment, and withheld federal aid from schools that discriminate on the basis of race or gender.

Question 31

Civil service system

Answer 31

Method of hiring federal employees based on merit rather than on political beliefs or allegiances. This system replaced the spoils system in the United States.

Question 32

Class action suit.

Answer 32

A lawsuit filed on behalf of a group of people, and whose result affects that group of people as a whole. Interest groups such as the NAACP often use these as a means of asserting their influence over policy decisions.

Question 33

Clear and present danger test

Answer 33

Interpretation by justice Olivier Wendell Holmes regarding limits I. Free speech if it presents clear and present danger to the public or leads to illegal actions; for example, one cannot shout “Fire!” in a crowded theater

Question 34

Closed primary

Answer 34

Primary election in which voting is restricted to registered members of a political party.

Question 35

Cloture

Answer 35

A motion in the Senate to end debate, often used in the event of a filibuster. A cloture bye requires a three-fifths majority of the senate.