Straighterline American Government Exam Questions with Complete Solutions, Rated A+

social contract - Term coined by Thomas Hobbes: A voluntary agreement whereby people would surrender their natural freedoms in exchange for protection from the government or ruler. politics - The resolution of conflict through a process of making governing decisions based on rules. constitutionalism - Principle that officials must govern according to specific laws and are not allowed to deprive the people of their rights. capitalism - an economic system that allows free enterprise, private property, and self-reliance demos - Greek for "people" - root of democracy kratia - Greek for "to rule" - root of democracy pluralism - The theory that the interests of the nation are decided by specific groups. majoritarianism - The idea that the majority prevails not only in elections but also in policy determination elitism - Theory that power is held by a small, upper class group of people, including includes corporate executives, high-ranking military officers, and elected or appointed public officials. bureaucratic rule - A theory that the government is ruled over by a group of career government administrators. democracy - A form of government that gives governing power to the people, either through elected officials or direct voting. limited - A _______________ government is one that is subject to strict legal limits on the uses of power representative - A _________________ government is one in which the people would govern through the selection of their representatives. John Locke - When Thomas Jefferson penned "all men are created equal," in the Declaration of Independence, he was paraphrasing ___________________. revolution - The Declaration of Independence (1776) was a call to ____________. constitution - the fundamental law that defines how a government will legitimately operate Articles of Confederation - (1777) The first government of the USA was based not on the Constitution but on the __________________________. Great Compromise - The agreement that was finally reached between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey plan. In this new plan, a two-chamber Congress would have House representatives from each state based on population, but all states would have two Senators. Three-Fifths Compromise - For purposes of apportionment of taxes and seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, each slave was to count as less than a full person. Anti-Federalists - Opponents of the American Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption. Federalists - A term used to describe supporters of the Constitution during ratification debates in state legislatures. checks and balances - A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power James Madison - "Father of the Constitution" judicial review - the power of the judiciary to decide whether a government official or institution has acted within the limits of the Constitution Supreme Court - The ______________ (judiciary branch) can interpret acts of Congress in legal cases. Through judicial review, it can void a law it finds unconstitutional. President - The _____________ (executive branch) can veto any act passed by Congress, and can also call sessions of Congress and recommend legislation. Congress - The __________ (legislative branch) has an internal process of checks and balances. It can also impeach the president and override a veto. Bill of Rights - The first ten amendments to the Constitution republic - In a ______________, the people vote for representatives who then represent them in the legislative and executive branches of government. Federalism - the Constitution's division of governing authority between two levels, nation and states implied powers - powers that are not listed in the Constitution but are related to the exercise of the powers that are listed. enumerated powers - The powers explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution. reserved powers - Powers not specifically granted to the federal government or denied to the states belong to the states and the people national - Enumerate and implied powers belong to the __________ government. state - Reserved powers belong to the ________ government. Fourteenth - The ________ Amendment prohibits a state from denying to "any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws." It contains the "due process" clause. Tenth - The ________ Amendment says that those powers not given to the federal government and not prohibited to the states by the Constitution are reserved for the states and the people. majority - The Bill of Rights checked the power of the _____________. war by other means - Michel Foucault referred to politics as "________ ____ __________ __________" consent of the governed - According to the Declaration of Independence, governments get their just powers by the _____________ _______ ____ _______________.