Foundations of government review

Question 1

social contract

Answer 1

a sacrifice of rights for the betterment of society

Question 2

judicial review

Answer 2

review by the US Supreme Court of the constitutional validity of a legislative act.

Question 3

Popular sovereignty

Answer 3

Popular sovereignty is the principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives

Question 4

Federalism

Answer 4

combines a general government with regional governments in a single political system, dividing the powers between the two.

Question 5

limited government

Answer 5

A limited government is one whose legalized force and power is restricted through delegated and enumerated authorities.

Question 6

shays rebellion

Answer 6

Shays’ Rebellion was an armed uprising in Western Massachusetts and Worcester in response to a debt crisis among the citizenry and in opposition to the state government’s increased efforts to collect taxes both on individuals and their trades.

Question 7

declaration of independence

Answer 7

the formal statement written by Thomas Jefferson declaring the freedom of the thirteen American colonies from Great Britain.

Question 8

revolutionary war

Answer 8

was initiated by delegates from thirteen American colonies of British America in Congress against Great Britain. The war was fought over the issue of American independence from the First British Empire.

Question 9

constitutional convention

Answer 9

The Constitutional Convention was a formal meeting held in 1787 for the purpose of creating a constitution for the United States.

Question 10

articles of confederation

Answer 10

an agreement among the 13 original states of the United States of America that served as its first constitution.

Question 11

state of nature

Answer 11

the hypothetical life of people before societies came into existence.

Question 12

natural rights

Answer 12

Natural rights are those that are not dependent on the laws, customs, or beliefs of any particular culture or government, and are therefore universal and inalienable

Question 13

concurrent powers

Answer 13

Concurrent powers are powers of a federal state that are shared by both the federal government and each constituent political unit, such as a state or province.

Question 14

reserved powers

Answer 14

the powers that are neither prohibited nor explicitly given by law to any organ of government.

Question 15

unitary government

Answer 15

a state governed as a single entity in which the central government is ultimately supreme. Unitary states stand in contrast with federations, also known as federal states.

Question 16

expressed powers

Answer 16

specifically granted to the federal government in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. This includes the power to coin money, to regulate commerce, to declare war, to raise and maintain armed forces, and to establish a Post Office.

Question 17

the supreme law of the land

Answer 17

The U.S. Constitution calls itself the “supreme law of the land.” This clause is taken to mean that when state constitutions or laws passed by state legislatures or the national Congress are found to conflict with the federal Constitution, they have no force.

Question 18

Federal government

Answer 18

a system of dividing up power between a central national government and local state governments that are connected to one another by the national government.

Question 19

legitimate

Answer 19

make legitimate; justify or make lawful.

Question 20

legislative branch

Answer 20

The legislative branch is made up of the House and Senate, known collectively as the Congress. Among other powers, the legislative branch makes all laws, declares war, regulates interstate and foreign commerce and controls taxing and spending policies.

Question 21

judicial branch

Answer 21

the branch of government charged with the interpretation of laws and the administration of justice; the judiciary.

Question 22

executive branch

Answer 22

The executive is the part of government that enforces law, and has responsibility for the governance of a state.

Question 23

confederate government

Answer 23

each member to govern itself but agreeing to work together for common causes.

Question 24

direct democracy

Answer 24

forms of direct participation of citizens in democratic decision making.

Question 25

representative democracy

Answer 25

a form of democracy in which people vote for representatives who then vote on policy initiatives