Unit 1

Question 1

describes the means by which a society organizes itself and allocates authority in order to accomplish collective goals and provide benefits that the society as a whole needs

Answer 1

Government

Question 2

refers to the process of gaining and exercising control within a government for the purpose of setting and achieving particular goals, especially those related to the division of resources within a nation

Answer 2

Politics

Question 3

Food, clothing, and housing are provided in ample supply by private businesses that earn a profit in return. You can buy it when you want to buy it.

Answer 3

Private Goods

Question 4

goods that all people may use free of charge but that are of limited supply, such as fish in the sea or clean drinking water

Answer 4

Common Goods

Question 5

Goods and Services that are provided by the government at no cost

Answer 5

Public Goods

Question 6

available to many people, and many people can use them, but only if they can pay the price

Answer 6

Toll Goods

Question 7

no person can be above the law regardless of their position in the government. In a democracy, the people make rules either directly or through elected representatives using majority rule. (50% + 1 vote)

Answer 7

Rule of Law

Question 8

a system of government by the whole population or all eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives

Answer 8

Democracy

Question 9

a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution

Answer 9

Oligarchy

Question 10

a form of government in which policies and laws are decided by a majority of all those eligible rather than by a body of elected representatives

Answer 10

Direct Democracy

Question 11

the idea that people should elect representatives to speak on their behalf and that citizens have certain duties such as voting, being educated, serving in the defense of the state, and obeying the laws of the nation

Answer 11

Republicanism ( Representative Democracy)

Question 12

when a group of people or an individual has control and influence over a nation’s beliefs, actions, and behaviors. This power can be legitimate power granted by the people of a nation or it can be illegitimate, where power is seized through forceful action

Answer 12

Political Power

Question 13

social and economic doctrine that calls for public rather than private ownership or control of property and natural resources. Individuals do not live or work in isolation but live in cooperation with one another

Answer 13

Socialism

Question 14

a system in which the decision of more than half the people is accepted by all

Answer 14

Majority Rule

Question 15

legal provisions that have two key features; first, they are intended to recognize or accommodate the distinctive needs of non-dominant ethnic or racial groups; and second they do so by adopting minority-specific measures, above and beyond the non-discriminatory enforcement of universal rights that apply regardless of group membership

Answer 15

Minority Rights

Question 16

one in which, rather than directly governing, the people select some of their members to temporarily serve in political office

Answer 16

Constitutional Republic

Question 17

a form of government in which one ruler has absolute control and decision-making power

Answer 17

autocracy

Question 18

an electoral system in which the chief executive is elected in a national ballot and is independent of the legislative branch

Answer 18

Presidential System

Question 19

a system of governance in which the head of the government ( the executive) is chosen by the legislature

Answer 19

Parliamentary System

Question 20

the transfer or delegation of power to a lower level, especially by the central government to the local or regional administration

Answer 20

Devolution

Question 21

a system of political organization in which most or all of the governing power resides in a centralized government, in contrast to a federal state

Answer 21

Unitary System

Question 22

a system of government in which the same territory is controlled by two levels of government

Answer 22

Federal System

Question 23

the concept that the people are the source of all power(popular sovereignty) in a society. The people give their consent to be governed in a binding agreement known as a social contract(Constitution)

Answer 23

Consent of the Governed

Question 24

to limit the power a government has over its people usually by a constitution or social contract. This contract protects the rights of the citizens and prevents the government form interfering with those rights

Answer 24

Limited Government

Question 25

the idea that human beings possess."...certain and unalienable rights." Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence. These rights are protected by the government.

Answer 25

Individual Rights

Question 26

the concept of sharing power between the national government and state government. There is a built-in system of checks and balances that limits the roles and powers of the state and national government

Answer 26

Federalism

Question 27

the people have the right to rule and to express their opinion by voting, in the American government, the right to vote is guaranteed in the Constitution

Answer 27

Popular Sovereignty

Question 28

no one branch of government should be so powerful as to overule the others. It divides the functions of government(enforcing law, making laws, and interpreting laws) into separate branches, each with its own specific powers

Answer 28

Separation of Powers

Question 29

a system in which each branch of government is able to check or restrain the powers of other branches of government. This prevents any branch from becoming more powerful than the other branches

Answer 29

Checks and Balances