PrepScholar | Sixty Most Important Terms

Question 1

Checks and Balances

Answer 1

Key parts of the Constitution that require each branch of the federal government to acquire the consent of the other two branches in order to act.

Question 2

Cooperative Federalism

Answer 2

Also known as “marble cake federalism.” A political system wherein federal, state, and local governments share responsibility in governing the people, and they work together cooperatively to solve problems.

Question 3

Electoral College

Answer 3

A body of representatives from each of the states in the U.S. who formally cast votes to elect the next president of the U.S.

Question 4

Enumerated Powers

Answer 4

Powers held by the federal government that are mentioned by name in the U.S. Constitution.

Question 5

Faction

Answer 5

A group that tries to influence the government for the benefit (or interest) of its own members.

Question 6

Federalism

Answer 6

A political system that organizes a government into two or more levels that hold independent powers.

Question 7

Federalist Papers

Answer 7

Essays written by James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton in 1788 urging the ratification of the U.S. Constitution following the drafting of the Constitution at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787.

Question 8

Implied Powers

Answer 8

Powers held by the President that aren’t explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, but which are sometimes necessary in order for the President to fulfill the duties of the office.

Question 9

Limited Government

Answer 9

A type of system of government in which the powers of the government are limited by or kept in check by laws or a written Constitution.

Question 10

Social Contract

Answer 10

An agreement between a government and the people, in which the people consent to be governed so long as the government protects the natural rights of the people.

Question 11

Block Grants

Answer 11

Grants given to local or state governments from the U.S. federal government, typically with some strings attached. The local or state government also has the freedom to allocate the grant funds for a wide range of services to the state or locality.

Question 12

Casework

Answer 12

Efforts by state representatives and senators to help individual constituents receive things that those constituents believe they deserve. A form of stepping around bureaucracy in order to get things done.

Question 13

Civil Service

Answer 13

All government officials who work in government occupations that are neither judicial nor political; they’re referred to as “civil servants.” In the U.S., civil servants are non-elected and non-military public sector employees of U.S. federal government departments and agencies.

Question 14

Commerce Clause

Answer 14

Part of Article 1 of the Constitution that allows Congress to regulate the buying and selling of goods across state lines (also known as interstate commerce).

Question 15

Concurrent Powers

Answer 15

Powers given by the U.S. Constitution to both national and state governments. For example, the power to levy taxes.

Question 16

Congressional Oversight

Answer 16

Authority held by Congress to review, monitor, and supervise federal agencies, programs, activities, and policy implementation. This authority is implied in the Constitution, public laws, and House and Senate rules.

Question 17

Discharge Petition

Answer 17

A petition used in the House that begins the process of forcing a bill out of committee (or “discharging” it from committee) and onto the House floor for a vote. A successful discharge petition needs signatures from a majority of the House.

Question 18

Divided Government

Answer 18

An instance in which one political party controls the executive branch, and another political party controls one or both houses of Congress.

Question 19

Executive Order

Answer 19

A power enacted by the U.S. president allowing that office to pass a rule or regulation as law.

Question 20

Gridlock

Answer 20

A situation when there is difficulty in passing laws that satisfy the needs of the people, often due to a divided government. This is sometimes also referred to as a “deadlock” or “stalemate.”

Question 21

Iron Triangle

Answer 21

A tripartite relationship among Congress (particularly sub-committees of Congress), government agencies, and interest groups that helps create U.S. policy. Participants are involved in policymaking in order to protect their own self-interests.

Question 22

Judicial Review

Answer 22

A right held by the federal courts to make rulings on the constitutionality of laws and executive actions. One of the judicial branch’s key checks and balances on the other two branches of government.

Question 23

Logrolling

Answer 23

A practice used by members of Congress in which two or more members of Congress agree to vote on each other’s bills; typically used in order to pass bills that are personally important to them.

Question 24

Reserved Powers

Answer 24

Powers given exclusively to the states or the people by the 10th amendment of the Constitution. These powers are not shared with the federal government for the purpose of protecting the rights of the states and the people.

Question 25

Stare Decisis

Answer 25

A legal doctrine that requires judges to follow the precedents established in prior court decisions and historical court cases; intends to ensure fairness and consistency in court decisions by requiring judges to approach cases with similar scenarios and facts in the same way.

Question 26

14th Amendment

Answer 26

This amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects various aspects of citizenship and citizens’ rights and has been invoked in several well-known cases. The most familiar phrase is “equal protection of the laws”; this phrase played a key role in cases like Brown v. Board of Education (racial discrimination), Roe v. Wade (reproductive rights), and Reed v. Reed (gender discrimination).