Vocab

Question 1

Popular sovereignty

Answer 1

principle that the legitimacy of the government depends on the will or consent of its people

Question 2

Pluralist democracy

Answer 2

a theory of democratic government in which group-based activism by nongovernmental interests organize to make an impact on political decision making

Question 3

Separation of powers

Answer 3

the division of government powers into legislative, executive, and judicial branches

Question 4

Federalist

Answer 4

those who supported the Constitution as it was and argued for immediate ratification

Question 5

Anti-Federalist

Answer 5

those who did not wish to ratify the Constitution because they had concerns about the strength of the central government

Question 6

Checks and balances

Answer 6

processes in which each branch of government can impact the actions of the other branches

Question 7

Federalism

Answer 7

the division of powers among local, state, and national governments

Question 8

Implied powers

Answer 8

powers not directly stated in the Constitution but rather interpreted as belonging to the national government

Question 9

Establishment clause

Answer 9

the First Amendment clause that specifies that the government cannot make a law that endorses an official national religion

Question 10

Free exercise clause

Answer 10

the First Amendment clause that specifies that the government cannot prohibit the practice of or belief in religion

Question 11

Selective incorporation

Answer 11

the process by which specific liberties in the Bill of Rights are applied to the states

Question 12

Due process clause

Answer 12

citizen rights that protect against arbitrary action by national or state governments

Question 13

Exclusionary rule

Answer 13

evidence illegally seized by law enforcement officers in violation of the suspect’s Fourth Amendment rights cannot be used against the suspect in criminal proceedings

Question 14

Equal protection clause

Answer 14

part of the 14th Amendment that prohibits the states from denying anyone within their borders the equal protection of the laws

Question 15

Privileges and immunities clause

Answer 15

part of Article IV, Section 2 intended to prevent states from discriminating against someone from another state or giving its own residents special privileges

Question 16

veto

Answer 16

The president’s constitutional power to reject a bill passed by both houses of Congress

Question 17

oversight

Answer 17

The effort by Congress to exercise control over executive agencies

Question 18

agenda

Answer 18

The set of policies an official or group intends to pursue

Question 19

Judicial activism

Answer 19

Court decisions that go beyond literal interpretations of the Constitution or a statute to consider broader societal implications

Question 20

Issue networks

Answer 20

Groups that exert influence to impact a specific policy and agenda

Question 21

Judicial restraint

Answer 21

Court decisions that adhere to literal interpretations of the meaning of the Constitution

Question 22

Independent agency

Answer 22

A government agency that is not part of a Cabinet department

Question 23

Government corporation

Answer 23

A government agency that performs a service normally provided by the private sector

Question 24

Iron triangle

Answer 24

Cooperative relationships between congressional committees, agencies, and interest groups to affect policy making

Question 25

conservatism

Answer 25

An ideology that believes that a large and powerful government poses a threat to citizens’ freedom and emphasizes preserving tradition and family to support society

Question 26

liberalism

Answer 26

An ideology that believes in social, economic, and political change to support the well-being of individuals and produce equality

Question 27

Sampling

Answer 27

In scientific polls, the process of selecting a small group to represent the most important characteristics of an entire population

Question 28

linkage institutions

Answer 28

A structure or means through which individuals can communicate their preferences to policy-makers

Question 29

Critical or realigning election

Answer 29

A turning point where several electoral groups change party loyalities, significantly affecting and effected by changes in party strategies and agenda

Question 30

Super PAC

Answer 30

An “independent expenditure-only committee” that has no fundraising or spending limits, but cannot donate directly to political candidates or coordinate with them

Question 31

Rational-choice voting

Answer 31

Decision based on what voter perceives to be his or her individual best interest