PLS 101 ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT AND VERIFIED ANSWERS. Graded A+

PLS 101 ACTUAL EXAM QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT AND VERIFIED ANSWERS "Popular Sovereignty - Correct Answer a principle of democracy in which political authority rests ultimately in the hands of the people" "Power - Correct Answer Influence over a government's leadership, organization, or policies." "Representative Democracy - Correct Answer a system of government in which the populace selects representatives, who play a significant role in governmental decision making" "totaliarian government - Correct Answer A system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits on its power and seeks to absorb or eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it." Authoritarian Government - Correct Answer a system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits but may nevertheless be restrained by the power of other social institutions" "Citizenship - Correct Answer informed and active membership in a political community" "Constitutional Government - Correct Answer a system of rule in which formal and effective limits are placed on the powers of the government" "Democracy - Correct Answer a system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the election of key public officials" "Direct Democracy - Correct Answer a system of rule that permits citizens to vote directly on laws and policies" "Equality of Opportunity - Correct Answer a widely shared American ideal that all people should have the freedom to use whatever talents and wealth they have to reach their fullest potential" "Government - Correct Answer institutions and procedures through which a territory and its people are ruled" "laissez-faire capitalism - Correct Answer an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately owned and operated for profit with minimal or no government interference" "Liberty - Correct Answer Freedom from government control" "Majority Rule/ Minority Rights - Correct Answer the democratic principle that a government follows the preferences of the majority of voters but protects the interests of the minority" "Political Efficacy - Correct Answer the ability to influence government and politics" "Political Equality - Correct Answer the right to participate in politics equally, based on the principle of "one person, one vote"" "Politics - Correct Answer conflict over the leadership, structure, and policies of governments" "Amendment - Correct Answer a change added to a bill, law, or constitution" "Antifederalists - Correct Answer those who favored strong state governments and a weak national government and who were opponents of the Constitution proposed at the American Constitutional Convention of 1787" "Articles of Confederation - Correct Answer America's first written constitution; served as the basis for America's national government until 1789" "Bicameral - Correct Answer having a legislative assembly composed of two chambers or houses; distinguished from unicameral" "Checks and Balances - Correct Answer mechanisms through which each branch of government is able to participate in and influence the activities of the other branches" "Confederation - Correct Answer a system of government in which states retain sovereign authority except for the powers expressly delegated to the national government" "Elastic Clause - Correct Answer Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution (also known as the necessary and proper clause), which enumerates the powers of Congress and provides Congress with the authority to make all laws "necessary and proper" to carry them out" "Electoral College - Correct Answer the electors from each state who meet after the popular election to cast ballots for president and vice president" "expressed powers - Correct Answer specific powers granted by the Constitution to Congress (Article I, Section 8) and to the president (Article II)" "Federalism - Correct Answer a system of government in which power is divided, by a constitution, between a central government and regional governments" "Federalist Papers - Correct Answer a series of essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay in support of the ratification of the Constitution by the states" "Federalists - Correct Answer those who favored a strong national government and supported the Constitution proposed at the American Constitutional Convention of 1787" "Great Compromise - Correct Answer the agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of its population, but linked representation in the House of Representatives to population" "Judicial Review - Correct Answer the power of the courts to review and, if necessary, declare actions of the legislative and executive branches invalid or unconstitutional; the Supreme Court asserted this power in Marbury v. Madison" "Limited Government - Correct Answer A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution." "New Jersey Plan - Correct Answer a framework for the Constitution, introduced by William Paterson, that called for equal state representation in the national legislature regardless of population" "Separation of Powers - Correct Answer the division of governmental power among several institutions that must cooperate in decision making" "Supremacy Clause - Correct Answer Article VI of the Constitution, which states that laws passed by the national government and all treaties are the supreme law of the land and superior to all laws adopted by any state or any subdivision" "Three-Fifths Compromise - Correct Answer the agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that stipulated that for purposes of the apportionment of congressional seats, every slave would be counted as three-fifths of a person" "Tyranny - Correct Answer oppressive and unjust government that employs cruel and unjust use of power and authority" "Virginia Plan - Correct Answer a framework for the Constitution, introduced by Edmund Randolph, that called for representation in the national legislature based on the population of each state" "Block Grants - Correct Answer federal grants-in-aid that allow states considerable discretion in how the funds are spent" "categorical grants - Correct Answer congressional grants given to states and localities on the condition that expenditures be limited to a problem or group specified by law" "Commerce Clause - Correct Answer Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which delegates to Congress the power "to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several States and with the Indian tribes"; this clause was interpreted by the Supreme Court in favor of national power over the economy" "concurrent powers - Correct Answer authority possessed by both state and national governments, such as the power to levy taxes" "Cooperative Federalism - Correct Answer a type of federalism existing since the New Deal era in which grants-in-aid have been used strategically to encourage states and localities (without commanding them) to pursue nationally defined goals; also known as "intergovernmental cooperation"" "Devolution - Correct Answer a policy to remove a program from one level of government by delegating it or passing it down to a lower level of government, such as from the national government to the state and local governments" "Dual Federalism - Correct Answer the system of government that prevailed in the United States from 1789 to 1937 in which most fundamental governmental powers were shared between the federal and state governments" "Expressed Powers - Correct Answer specific powers granted by the Constitution to Congress (Article I, Section 8) and to the president (Article II)" "Federal System - Correct Answer a system of government in which the national government shares power with lower levels of government such as states" "Libertarianism - Correct Answer A political ideology that is opposed to all government action except as necessary to protect life and property." "Communitarianism - Correct Answer a political and moral philosophy focused on strengthening civil society and communal bonds" "Democratic Centralism - Correct Answer A government is democratic if it serves the true interests of the people whether or not people have any say in those decisions ." "Referendum - Correct Answer When voters are asked to approve or reject a certain issue" "Recall - Correct Answer To move an elected official before his or her term of office has expired" "Initative - Correct Answer Citizens propose something on the ballot such as an amendment to the constitution" "Federalism - Correct Answer a system of government in which power is divided, by a constitution, between a central government and regional governments" "Full Faith and Credit Clause - Correct Answer provision from Article IV, Section 1 of the Constitution requiring that the states normally honor the public acts and judicial decisions that take place in another state" "general revenue sharing - Correct Answer the process by which one unit of government yields a portion of its tax income to another unit of government, according to an established formula; revenue sharing typically involves the national government providing money to state governments" "grants-in-aid - Correct Answer programs through which Congress provides money to state and local governments on the condition that the funds be employed for purposes defined by the federal government" "Home rule - Correct Answer power delegated by the state to a local unit of government to manage its own affairs" "implied powers - Correct Answer powers derived from the necessary and proper clause of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution; such powers are not specifically expressed but are implied through the expansive interpretation of delegated powers" "Necessary and Proper Clause - Correct Answer provision from Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution providing Congress with the authority to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out its expressed powers" "New Federalism - Correct Answer attempts by presidents Nixon and Reagan to return power to the states through block grants" "Police Power - Correct Answer power reserved to the state government to regulate the health, safety, and morals of its citizens" "Preemption - Correct Answer the principle that allows the national government to override state or local actions in certain policy areas; in foreign policy, the willingness to strike first in order to prevent an enemy attack" "Privileges and Immunities Clause - Correct Answer provision, from Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution, that a state cannot discriminate against someone from another state or give its own residents special privileges" "Reserved Powers - Correct Answer powers, derived from the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution, that are not specifically delegated to the national government or denied to the states" "states' rights - Correct Answer the principle that the states should oppose the increasing authority of the national government; this principle was most popular in the period before the Civil War" "unfunded mandates - Correct Answer regulations or conditions for receiving grants that impose costs on state and local governments for which they are not reimbursed by the federal government" "unitary system - Correct Answer a centralized government system in which lower levels of government have little power independent of the national government" "Parliamentary System - Correct Answer -People elect the legislature and the legislature chooses a chief executive -Under this system, the executive branch is wedded to the legislative branch." "Presidential System - Correct Answer Each branch of government is elected separately by the people ( Separation of Powers)" "Liberalism - Correct Answer A political ideology that emphasizes the civil rights of citizens, representative government, and the protection of private property. This ideology, derived from the Enlightenment, was especially popular among the property-owning middle classes." "Conservatism - Correct Answer A political or theological orientation advocating the preservation of the best in society and opposing radical changes."