PS102 2nd Exam

Question 1

The citizens who reside in the district from which an official is elected

Answer 1

Constituency

Question 2

Legislators who vote according to the preferences of their constituents.

Answer 2

Delegates

Question 3

Legislators who vote according to what they think is best for their constituents.

Answer 3

Trustees

Question 4

A current officeholder

Answer 4

Incumbent

Question 5

A meeting of a political or legislative group, normally closed to nonmembers, to select candidates, plan strategy, or make decisions about legislative matters

Answer 5

Caucus

Question 6

Appropriations that members of Congress use to provide government funds for projects benefiting their home district or state.

Answer 6

Pork-barrel legislation

Question 7

A tactic in which members of the Senate prevent action on legislation they oppose by continuously holding the floor and speaking until the majority abandons the legislation. Once given the floor, senators have unlimited time to speak, and a cloture vote by three-fifths of the Senate is required to end a filibuster.

Answer 7

Filibuster

Question 8

A procedure by which three-fifths of the members of the Senate can set a time limit on the debate over a given bill.

Answer 8

Cloture

Question 9

The process of charging a government official (president or other) with “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors and bringing that official before Congress to determine guilt.

Answer 9

Impeachment

Question 10

A rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect of the law

Answer 10

Executive order

Question 11

The heads of the major departments of the federal government

Answer 11

Cabinet

Question 12

The complex structure of offices, tasks, rules, and principles of organization that large institutions use to coordinate the work of their personnel.

Answer 12

Bureaucracy

Question 13

A department or bureau of government whose mission is to promote, serve, or represent a particular interest.

Answer 13

Clientele agencies

Question 14

A department, bureau, or independent agency’s primary mission is to make rules governing a particular type of activity.

Answer 14

Regulatory agencies

Question 15

A tax or spending policy that changes income distribution usually creates greater equality between the rich and the poor in a society.

Answer 15

Redistribution

Question 16

The policy of delegating a program or passing it down from one level of government to a lower level, such as from the national government to state and local governments.

Answer 16

Devolution

Question 17

A governmental policy aimed at improving economic performance and outcomes.

Answer 17

Economic policy

Question 18

A situation in which a single firm dominates a market, controlling the supply of a particular good or service; the absence of competition.

Answer 18

Monopoly

Question 19

A good that, first, may be enjoyed by anyone if it is provided and, second, may not be denied to anyone once it has been provided. Also called collective good.

Answer 19

Public goods

Question 20

A consistent increase in the general level of prices.

Answer 20

Inflation

Question 21

Regulation of the economy through manipulation of the supply of money, the price of money (interest rates), and the availability of credit.

Answer 21

Monetary policy

Question 22

The system of 12 Federal Reserve banks that facilitates exchanges of cash, checks, and credit; regulates member banks; and uses monetary policy to fight inflation and deflation in the United States

Answer 22

Federal Reserve system

Question 23

Regulation of the economy through taxing and spending powers.

Answer 23

Fiscal policy

Question 24

A tax in which the proportion of income paid increases as income increases. Also called graduated tax.

Answer 24

Progressive tax

Question 25

A tax that is applied uniformly, such that people in low-income brackets pay a higher proportion of their income toward the tax than do people in high-income brackets.

Answer 25

Regressive taxes

Question 26

The power of the courts to determine whether the actions of the president, Congress, and state legislatures are consistent with the Constitution.

Answer 26

Judicial review

Question 27

Cases arising out of actions that allegedly violate laws protecting the health, safety, and morals of the community.

Answer 27

Criminal law

Question 28

Cases involving disputes among individuals or between the government and individuals that do not involve criminal penalties.

Answer 28

Civil law

Question 29

Cases involving the powers of government or rights of citizens.

Answer 29

Public law

Question 30

Past cases whose principles are used by judges as the basis for their decisions in present cases

Answer 30

Precedents

Question 31

The requirement that citizens be treated according to the law and be provided adequate protection for individual rights.

Answer 31

Due process

Question 32

A court order demanding that an individual in custody be brought into court and shown the cause for detention. _____ _____ is guaranteed by the Constitution and can be suspended only in cases of rebellion or invasion.

Answer 32

Writs of habeas corpus

Question 33

A formal request to have the Supreme Court review a decision of a lower court.

Answer 33

Writs of certiorari

Question 34

The stage in Supreme Court proceedings in which attorneys for both sides appear before the Court to present their positions and answer questions posed by the justices

Answer 34

Oral arguments

Question 35

A decision written by a justice who voted with the minority opinion in a particular case, in which the justice fully explain the reasoning behind his or her opinion.

Answer 35

Dissenting opinions

Question 36

The judicial philpsp[hy that the Supreme Court should refuse to go beyond the text of the Constitution in interpreting its meaning.

Answer 36

Judicial restraint

Question 37

The judicial philosophy that the Supreme Court should see beyond the text of the Constitution or a statute to consider the broader societal implications of its decisions.

Answer 37

judicial activism

Question 38

Establish the federal court system. Punish pirates and other committing illegal acts on the high seas. Declare war (most important foreign policy power) Raise and regulate an army and a navy. Call up and regulate the state militias to enforce laws, to suppress insurrections, and to repel invasions.

Answer 38

Power of Congress

Question 39

As outlined in the Constitution , the House represents citizens based on district populations, while the Senate represents citizens on an equal state basis.

Answer 39

Differences between House and Senate

Question 40

Established by Article I of the Constitution, the Legislative Branch consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress.

Answer 40

Organization of Congress

Question 41

Depending on which party is in power, one party leader serves as majority leader and the other as minority leader. Both party leaders, also called floor leaders, serve as the spokesperson for their party's positions on the issues and coordinate their respective legislative strategies.

Answer 41

Congressional Leadership

Question 42

a pivotal committee in the U.S. House of Representatives that establishes the rules for debate on bills and resolutions, determining how and when legislation will be considered.

Answer 42

House Rules Committee

Question 43

Powers expressly granted to the president under Article II of the Constitution. Examples include making treaties, commanding the military, appointing Supreme Court justices, and vetoing legislation. informal powers.

Answer 43

Presidential powers

Question 44

The presidential power to postpone the execution of a sentence imposed by a court of law; usually done for humanitarian reasons or to await new evidence.

Answer 44

Reprieves

Question 45

A power granted to the President of the United States that allows them to forgive or lessen the penalties for federal crimes.

Answer 45

Pardons

Question 46

A general pardon for an offense against a government; in general, any act of forgiveness or absolution. Appointment. (law) the act of disposing of property by virtue of the power of appointment.

Answer 46

Amnesty

Question 47

Comprises the policy-making relationship among the congressional committees, the bureaucracy, and interest groups

Answer 47

Iron Triangles

Question 48

The dollar amount of all final goods and services produced within a country's national borders in a year.

Answer 48

GDP

Question 49

Occurs when government expenditures exceed its revenues in a given period, leading to borrowing to cover the shortfall

Answer 49

Budget deficit

Question 50

Total amount of money the federal government owes, which includes that spent + interest. Social Security Act.

Answer 50

National debt

Question 51

all spending that does not take place through appropriations legislation. Includes entitlement programs, such as Social Security, Medicare, and required interest spending on the federal debt.

Answer 51

Mandatory spending

Question 52

The judicial branch of the United States government responsible for interpreting federal laws, resolving disputes involving federal law, and ensuring justice at the national level.

Answer 52

Federal courts

Question 53

The legal principle that courts should follow precedents set by earlier, similar cases, in order to maintain consistency and predictability in the law.

Answer 53

Stare decisis