Midterm Study Guide

Question 1

What is the role of gov?

Answer 1

maintain order, provide public goods, and promoting equality

Question 2

How many amendments does the Constitution have?

Answer 2

27

Question 3

What are 2 parts of US Congress?

Answer 3

house of representatives and the senate

Question 4

What are the powers of Legislative Branch?

Answer 4

make laws, confirm/reject prez nominations, and can declare war

Question 5

What are the powers of the Executive Branch?

Answer 5

carries out and enforces law

Question 6

What are the advantages of running for reelection?

Answer 6

name is know, easy access to campaign money, and how they run things,

Question 7

How many terms can a president serve?

Answer 7

2

Question 8

Who were the Federalists?

Answer 8

those who wrote and campaigned for ratification of the constitution and wanted a weaker stat gov

Question 9

How many justices are on the Supreme Court and who nominates them?

Answer 9

9 and the president nominates them

Question 10

What is a judicial review?

Answer 10

power to declare congressional/presidential acts invalid bce they violate constitution

Question 11

What is a veto?

Answer 11

prez disapproval of a bill that has been passed by both houses (congress can override with 2/3 vote)

Question 12

What is descriptive representation?

Answer 12

belief that its more effectively represented by legislators who are similar to them in key characteristics (race, gender, ethnicity, or religion)

Question 13

What is a filibuster?

Answer 13

delaying tactic used in senate to prevent a bill from coming to a vote

Question 14

What is an executive order?

Answer 14

presidential directive that instructs executive branch officials and agencies to create/modify public policies w/o direct approval of Congress

Question 15

How do issues get on the Congressional agenda?

Answer 15

visible trend

Question 16

What is Federalism?

Answer 16

division of power between a central and regional governments.

Question 17

What are some examples of checks and balances?

Answer 17

congress can make laws, prez can veto, court can declare them unconstitutional

Question 18

Why is the Constitution an Art of Compromise? What are some examples of the Founding Fathers compromised on to get the Constitution ratified?

Answer 18

delegates had to give numerous key points to create a Constitution that was acceptable to each of the 13 states (ex: Great Compromise, Three-Fifths Compromise, and Electoral College

Question 19

In what ways does the President influence the legislative process?

Answer 19

threatening to veto, sign it or do nothing

Question 20

What points are on the political ideology spectrum? (for example, anarchy is on one side w/ totalitarianism on the other, what is in the middle?)

Answer 20

L: Democracy (ppl rule)
M: Oligarchy (elite rule)
R: Autocracy (totalarianism)

Question 21

What are some factors that improve democracy?

Answer 21

economic prosperity, civil society, and political culture

Question 22

What are some important issues that were omitted from the Constitution to ensure ratification?

Answer 22

centralized powers, slavery, and civil rights