Summer vocabulary list

Question 1

amicus curiae brief

Answer 1

an argument filed with a court by an individual or group who is not a party to the lawsuit

Question 2

block grants

Answer 2

federal money given to the states with few restrictions about how it should be spent

Question 3

casework

Answer 3

when congressional staff help a constituent solve a problem

Question 4

caucus

Answer 4

face-to-face meetings of party members at the local or state level to determine their party’s candidate for office

Question 5

closed primary

Answer 5

a vote by party members to determine their party’s candidate for office, which is restricted to those who are registered members of the party

Question 6

cooperative federalism

Answer 6

a system where the federal government and the states work together in funding and administering programs

Question 7

critical elections

Answer 7

an election where new coalitions of voters have formed, beginning a new party era

Question 8

dealignment

Answer 8

when voters no longer identify with one of the two major parties and become independent voters

Question 9

demographics

Answer 9

the statistical characteristics of a population

Question 10

devolution

Answer 10

a process by which the national government gives more power and authority to the states

Question 11

divided government

Answer 11

when the president is from one political party and one or both houses of Congress is controlled by the opposing party

Question 12

entitlements

Answer 12

promises made by the government to an identifiable group of people who are guaranteed benefits

Question 13

executive order

Answer 13

a presidential directive

Question 14

expressed powers

Answer 14

powers that are given to an institution of government directly in the Constitution, such as Congress’s power to tax

Question 15

federalism

Answer 15

a system of government where power is shared between the national government and the states in which the states have some protected powers

Question 16

filibuster

Answer 16

a procedure used in the Senate to talk a bill to death

Question 17

fiscal federalism

Answer 17

the use of spending by the national government through the grant process to influence state policies

Question 18

fiscal policy

Answer 18

impacting the economy through taxing and spending in the budget

Question 19

franking privilege

Answer 19

the free mail and electronic signature system used by members of Congress

Question 20

gender gap

Answer 20

the tendency of men to support candidates from the Republican party at greater rates than women

Question 21

general election

Answer 21

an election to select the person who will hold office

Question 22

gerrymandering

Answer 22

drawing congressional district boundaries to benefit a group, usually a political party

Question 23

grassroots lobbying

Answer 23

ordinary citizens raising awareness for a cause and pushing the government to adopt a particular policy

Question 24

horse race journalism

Answer 24

the tendency of the media to focus on which candidate is ahead in the polls rather than focusing on the issues

Question 25

implied powers

Answer 25

powers that are "necessary and proper" to carry out an expressed power in the Constitution, like the power of Congress to establish a bank

Question 26

incumbent

Answer 26

an officeholder who is running for reelection

Question 27

independent expenditures

Answer 27

money spent on ads that are not sponsored by a candidate or party

Question 28

inherent powers

Answer 28

powers that are naturally derived from the duties of a specific government position, such as Thomas Jefferson's power as president to purchase the Louisiana Territory

Question 29

interest group

Answer 29

an organization that advocates for policies through lobbying, electioneering, grassroots mobilization and protesting

Question 30

issue network/iron triangle

Answer 30

a relationship between interest groups, agencies, and congressional committees in a certain policy area

Question 31

judicial activism

Answer 31

a philosophy that the Supreme Court should make bold new policy

Question 32

judicial review

Answer 32

the power of the Supreme Court to overturn a law or executive action as unconstitutional

Question 33

lame duck period

Answer 33

the time during which a president who has lost an election or has ended a second term is still in office before the new president serves

Question 34

litigation

Answer 34

a lawsuit

Question 35

lobbying

Answer 35

efforts by an interest group or individual to contact a member of Congress and advocate for a particular policy

Question 36

logrolling

Answer 36

when members of Congress trade votes for favors in order to get the bills they support passed

Question 37

mandatory spending

Answer 37

expenditures that the federal government is obligated to make, like entitlements and interest on the national debt

Question 38

midterm election

Answer 38

an election in which voters select members of Congress, but not the president

Question 39

monetary policy

Answer 39

influencing the economy through federal interest rates, reserve rates, and the amount of money in circulation

Question 40

motion for cloture

Answer 40

a vote by 60 senators to end a filibuster

Question 41

open primary

Answer 41

an election to determine a party's candidate for office in both which the party's members and unaffiliated voters may vote

Question 42

original intent

Answer 42

making judicial decisions by considering what the founding fathers meant in the Constitution

Question 43

oversight

Answer 43

congressional committee hearing held to determine how well a bureaucratic agency is doing its job

Question 44

PAC

Answer 44

an organization that is registered with the Federal Election Committee and donates money to a candidate or campaign

Question 45

party polarization

Answer 45

when political parties move farther away from each other ideologically and away from the center

Question 46

pluralism

Answer 46

a theory of government in which many groups compete for policy

Question 47

pocket veto

Answer 47

when a president does not sign a bill within 10 days when Congress is not in session

Question 48

policy agenda

Answer 48

problems that have the attention of the government and the public

Question 49

political culture

Answer 49

the shared political values of a society

Question 50

political efficacy

Answer 50

an individual's belief that his or her political participation can make a difference

Question 51

political party

Answer 51

a group of individuals who organize to run candidates for office

Question 52

political socialization

Answer 52

the process by which an individual develops his or her political beliefs

Question 53

pork barrel spending

Answer 53

a provision in a bill that benefits a special congressional constituency

Question 54

realignment

Answer 54

the process through which voters leave one of the major party coalitions and join the other major party's coalition

Question 55

redistricting

Answer 55

changing congressional district boundaries based on a new census

Question 56

selective incorporation

Answer 56

the process by which the Bill of Rights has been applied to the states on a case-by-case basis through the Fourteenth Amendment

Question 57

single-member districts

Answer 57

the electoral system used to select members of the House of Representatives

Question 58

stare decisis

Answer 58

when a court follows precedent by letting a previous decision stand

Question 59

suffrage

Answer 59

the right to vote

Question 60

super PAC

Answer 60

an organization, which need not disclose its members, which can spend a vast and unlimited amount on a political campaign

Question 61

unfunded mandate

Answer 61

a federal requirement that forces the states to spend their own money

Question 62

White House staff

Answer 62

the president's personal assistants and advisors

Question 63

writ of certiorari

Answer 63

a document issued by the Supreme Court if it has agreed to hear a case