AP Gov Exam Study Guide exam questions and answers 2023/24

basic functions of government national defense, preserve order, establish and maintain a legal system, provide services, socialize new generations government the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies politics the effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government public policy the course of action the government takes in response to an issue or problem political system the system of government in a nation political issue an issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it policy agenda a set of issues thought by the public or those in power to merit action by the government Robert Dahl author of "Who Governs?" and created the idea of a "criteria of democracy" the state A body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority. sovereignty supreme or ultimate political power; a sovereign government is one that is legally and politically independent of any other government divine right belief that a ruler's authority comes directly from God democracy a term used to describe a political system in which the people are said to rule, directly or indirectly republic a form of democracy in which power is vested in representatives selected by means of popular competitive elections democratic centralism a government is said to be democratic if it's decisions will serve the "true interests" of the people wether or not the people affect the decision-making or select the decision-makers power the ability of one person to get another person to act in accordance with the first person's intentions authority the right to use power legitimacy political authority conferred by law, public opinion, or constitution majoritarian theory the politics of policy-making in which almost everybody benefits from a policy and almost everybody pays for it elitist theory an identifiable group of persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource such as money or political power pluralist theory a theory that competition among affected interests shapes public policy hyperpluralist theory A theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened. Hyperpluralism is an extreme form of pluralism (results in gridlock) Greek government ideas democarcy and responsibilities of citizenship Roman government ideas rule or law, republic, and representation British government ideas limited government Causes of American Revolution taxation without representation, violation of natural rights unicameral one house bicameral two houses Magna Carta a legal document written by English lords in 1215 that stated certain rights and limited the power of the King English Bill of Rights protected the rights of English citizens and became the basis for the American Bill of Rights. social contract theory The belief that people are free and equal by natural right, and that this in turn requires that all people give their consent to be governed (John Locke) state of nature hypothetical condition assumed to exist in the absence of government where human beings live in "complete" freedom and general equality. natural (unalienable) rights rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property limited government a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution consent of the governed the idea that government derives its authority by sanction of the people Declaration of Independence the document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence