Our Government

Question 1

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Answer 1

Passed to try to get rid of legal obstacles to voting.

Question 2

Commerce Clause

Answer 2

A very important part of the Constitution. controls trade between states. This power has been used to justify giving the legislature more power over national problems because they could affect trade between states.

Question 3

Session

Answer 3

The term of the Texas Legislature when they meet every other Spring.

Question 4

Brown v. Board of Education

Answer 4

In 1954, the Supreme Court decided that segregation in public schools was against the Constitution. This changed what it had said in Plessy v. Ferguson.

Question 5

Regressive Tax

Answer 5

a tax system that puts more of the tax load on people with less money and less on people with more money.

Question 6

Proportional Tax

Answer 6

A tax system where the rate is set and the amount paid is based on how much money the person being taxed makes.

Question 7

Constitution: Article 2

Answer 7

What the Executive Branch can do, who can do it, and what it can’t do.

Question 8

House of Representatives

Answer 8

With proportional representation, there is only one house of Congress.

Determined by proportional representation (based on census every 10 years)

Question 9

Constitution: Article 7

Answer 9

The process of getting ratified

Question 10

House of Burgesses

Answer 10

The first elected government body, which served as a model for the governments of other countries. We met in Jamestown, Virginia.

Question 11

Separation of Powers

Answer 11

There are three departments of government: the executive, the judicial, and the legislative. This keeps power from getting corrupted or centralized.

Question 12

The Media

Answer 12

Even though it is not an official part of the political system, it is very important to the way politics work. Reports on political events and laws, and does research into how the government works and who works there.

Question 13

Naturalization

Answer 13

How a person who is not born in a country becomes a member of that country.

Question 14

Citizen

Answer 14

a person who is officially a part of a government, whether they were born there or moved there. A US person has to follow the law, serve on a jury if they are called, and pay taxes. Citizens are also expected to know about important topics, vote in elections, help out in their communities, and, if they want to, join the military.

Question 15

Political Action Committees (PACs)

Answer 15

Committees that raise money to support specific candidates for political office who will likely support their goals.

which are committees that raise money to support specific candidates for political office who will presumably support their agendas

Question 16

Super PACs

Answer 16

As a result of the Citizens United case in 2010, in which the Supreme Court found that limits on political donations violated the right to free speech, political campaigns can now accept any amount of money and spend more than ever before.

have formed which have no limits on contributions

Question 17

Bicameral

Answer 17

The legislature was split into two houses, each of which had a different set-up and purpose.

Question 18

Veto

Answer 18

Congress makes rules, but the president has the power to reject them. With 2/3 of the votes, Congress can override a veto.

Question 19

Constitution: Article 1

Answer 19

What the Legislative Branch Can Do, Who Can Do It, and What It Can’t Do

Question 20

Great Compromise / Connecticut Compromise

Answer 20

An deal between all states that the two houses of Congress will be run by two different systems.

Question 21

Preamble

Answer 21

a statement at the beginning of a document that explains the document’s goal and main ideas..

Question 22

Electoral College

Answer 22

The method for choosing the President is based on how many members of Congress each state has. Each state has a certain number of electors.

Question 23

Minority Leader

Answer 23

The leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives

Question 24

Marbury v. Madison

Answer 24

1801: Created Judicial Review, which gives the Supreme Court the power to declare a law illegal and get rid of it.

Question 25

Capital Gains Tax

Answer 25

a tax on the money made from selling something, like stocks, bonds, or land.

Question 26

Property Tax

Answer 26

A tax that the owner of a home or piece of land pays to the government based on its value.

Question 27

Federalism

Answer 27

The way the national government, state governments, and local governments share power

Question 28

Income Tax

Answer 28

a tax on a person’s salary

Question 29

Sale Tax

Answer 29

a tax on the price of a good that is generally charged by state and local governments

Question 30

Speaker of The House

Answer 30

The leader of the party that has the most votes in the House of Representatives. This person is chosen by the members of the ruling party.

Question 31

Implied Powers

Answer 31

The “elastic clause” lets the government have powers that aren’t written in the Constitution.

Question 32

Constitution: Article 3

Answer 32

What the Judicial Branch Can Do, Who Can Do It, and What It Can’t Do

Question 33

Lobbying

Answer 33

How interest groups try to get elected officials, policy makers, and politicians to do what they want.

Interest groups influence legislation through the process of lobbying,

Question 34

Progressive Tax

Answer 34

A tax system in which the tax rate is based on a person’s income. As a person’s income goes up, their tax rate moves from bracket to bracket.

Question 35

Constitutional Convention

Answer 35

A meeting of at least two-thirds of the states to accept an amendment to the Constitution. The amendment still needs to be ratified by three-fourths of the states.

Question 36

Supreme Court

Answer 36

The Constitution set up the Supreme Court as the top court in the country. Justices on the Supreme Court are chosen by the President and accepted by the Senate. They serve until they die or retire, whichever comes first.

Question 37

Regulators

Answer 37

In the 1760s, a group of colonists in North Carolina fought with colonial officials and soldiers over what they thought were corrupt policies and practices.

Question 38

US Constitution

Answer 38

Document that lays the groundwork for the US government and gives the rest of the world a plan for how democracy should work.

Question 39

Judicial Review

Answer 39

It is up to the Supreme Court and the rest of the government judiciary to decide whether or not a law is legal.

Question 40

President Pro Tempore

Answer 40

When the Vice President is not there, the Senate is led by the most senior member of the ruling party.

Question 41

Checks and Balances

Answer 41

Each branch can control how much power the other two branches have.

Question 42

Dred Scott Case

Answer 42

In this case, the Supreme Court said that Scott, a former slave, was not a citizen and did not have the right to sue in court.

Question 43

Senate

Answer 43

All states have the same number of seats in Congress.

Determined by equal representation (2 senators per state)

Question 44

Electors

Answer 44

members of the national electoral college who vote for the president

Question 45

Constitution: Article 5

Answer 45

The Amendment Process

Question 46

Constitution: Article 6

Answer 46

Debts from the past, the supremacy of the Constitution, and the oaths of office were all discussed.

Question 47

Constitution: Article 4

Answer 47

The States and Their Citizens’ Roles, Rights, and Privileges

Question 48

Flat Tax

Answer 48

A tax system in which people pay a set percentage of the item’s value

Question 49

Proportional Representation

Answer 49

a system in which groups get seats based on how many votes they get.