AP US Government and Politics Vocabulary

CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCING GOVERNMENT IN AMERICA CORRECT ANSWER ... Democracy CORRECT ANSWER a means of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences. Elite and class theory CORRECT ANSWER argues that society is divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite rules on the basis of its wealth. Government CORRECT ANSWER institutions that make public policy for a society. Gross domestic product CORRECT ANSWER the total value of all goods and services produced annually by the United States. Hyperpluralism CORRECT ANSWER argues that too many strong influential groups cripple the government's ability to make coherent policy by dividing government and its authority. Linkage institutions CORRECT ANSWER institutions such as parties, elections, interest groups, and the media, which provide a linkage between the preferences of citizens and the government's policy