WGU C181: Survey of United States Constitution and Government STUDY GUIDE

Democratic socialism - correct answer A socialist form of government that guarantees civil liberties such as freedom of speech and religion. Citizens determine the extent of government activity through free elections and competitive political parties. Government - correct answer The legitimate use of force within specified geographical boundaries to control human behavior. Communism - correct answer A political system in which, in theory, ownership of all land and productive facilities is in the hands of the people (in effect, to the government), and all goods are equally shared. The production and distribution of goods are controlled by an authoritarian government. Laissez faire - correct answer An economic doctrine that opposes any form of government intervention in business. Social equality - correct answer Equality in wealth, education, and status. Police power - correct answer The authority of a government to maintain order and safeguard citizens' health, morals, safety, and welfare. Rights - correct answer The benefits of government to which every citizen is entitled. Public goods - correct answer Benefits and services, such as parks and sanitation, which benefit all citizens but are not likely to be produced voluntarily by individuals. Socialism - correct answer A form of rule in which the central government plays a strong role in regulating existing private industry and directing the economy, although it does allow some private ownership of productive capacity. Freedom - correct answer The power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Capitalism - correct answer The system of government that favors free enterprise (privately owned businesses operating without government regulation). Globalization - correct answer The process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. Conservatives - correct answer Those who are willing to use government to promote order but not equality. Order - correct answer The rule of law to preserve life and protect property. Communitarians - correct answer Those who are willing to use government to promote both order and equality. Democracy - correct answer A system of government in which, in theory, the people rule, either directly or indirectly. Responsiveness - correct answer A decision-making principle, necessitated by representative government, which implies that elected representatives should do what the majority of people want. Substantive democratic theory - correct answer The view that democracy is embodied in the substance of government policies rather than in the policymaking procedure. Democratization - correct answer A process of transition as a country attempts to move from an authoritarian form of government to a democratic one. Universal participation - correct answer The concept that everyone in a democracy should participate in governmental decision making. Interest group - correct answer An organized group of individuals that seeks to influence public policy; also called a lobby. Minority rights - correct answer The benefits of government that cannot be denied to any citizen by majority decisions. Autocracy - correct answer A system of government in which the power to govern is concentrated in the hands of one individual. Procedural democratic theory - correct answer A view of democracy as being embodied in a decision-making process that involves universal participation, political equality, majority rule, and responsiveness. Participatory democracy - correct answer A system of government where rank-and-file citizens rule themselves rather than electing representatives to govern on their behalf. E-government - correct answer Online communication channels that enable citizens to easily obtain information from government and facilitate the expression of opinions to government officials. Oligarchy - correct answer A system of government in which power is concentrated in the hands of a few people. Executive branch - correct answer The law-enforcing branch of government Judicial branch - correct answer The law-interpreting branch of government. Judicial review - correct answer The power to declare congressional (and presidential) acts invalid because they violate the Constitution. Electoral college - correct answer A body of electors chosen by voters to cast ballots for president and vice president. Confederation - correct answer A loose association of independent states that agree to cooperate on specified matters. Enumerated powers - correct answer The powers explicitly granted to Congress by the Constitution. Articles of Confederation - correct answer The compact among the thirteen original states that established the first government of the United States. Bill of Rights - correct answer The first ten amendments to the Constitution. They prevent the national government from tampering with fundamental rights and civil liberties, and emphasize the limited character of national power. Supremacy clause - correct answer The clause in Article VI of the Constitution that asserts that national laws take precedence over state and local laws when they conflict. Federalism - correct answer The division of power between a central government and regional governments. Categorical grants - correct answer Grants-in-aid targeted for a specific purpose by either formula or project. Home rule - correct answer The right to enact and enforce legislation locally. Redistricting - correct answer The process of redrawing political boundaries to reflect changes in population. Sovereignty - correct answer The quality of being supreme in power or authority. Block grants - correct answer Grants-in-aid awarded for general purposes, allowing the recipient great discretion in spending the grant money. Restraint - correct answer A requirement laid down by an act of Congress, prohibiting a state or local government from exercising a certain power. Project grants - correct answer Categorical grants awarded on the basis of competitive applications submitted by prospective recipients to perform a specific task or function. Direct action - correct answer Unconventional participation that involves assembling crowds to confront businesses and local governments to demand a hearing. Direct primary - correct answer A preliminary election, run by the state government, in which the voters choose each party's candidates for the general election. Recall - correct answer The process for removing an elected official from office. Referendum - correct answer An election on a policy issue. Terrorism - correct answer Premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents. Progressivism - correct answer A philosophy of political reform based on the goodness and wisdom of the individual citizen as opposed to special interests and political institutions. Initiative - correct answer A procedure by which voters can propose an issue to be decided by the legislature or by the people in a referendum. It requires gathering a specified number of signatures and submitting a petition to a designated agency. Unitary executive - correct answer A belief that the president's inherent powers allow him to overrule congressional grants of independent authority to agencies. Executive Office of the President - correct answer The president's executive aides and their staffs; the extended White House executive establishment. Inherent powers - correct answer Authority claimed by the president that is not clearly specified in the Constitution. Typically, these powers are inferred from the Constitution. Divided government - correct answer The situation in which one party controls the White House and the other controls at least one house of Congress. Veto - correct answer The president's disapproval of a bill that has been passed by both houses of Congress. Congress can override a veto with a two-thirds vote in each house. Electoral mandate - correct answer An endorsement by voters. Presidents sometimes argue they have been given a mandate to carry out policy proposals. Cabinet - correct answer A group of presidential advisers; the heads of the executive departments and other key officials. Legislative liaison staff - correct answer The people who act as the communications link between the White House and Congress, advising the president or cabinet secretaries on the status of pending legislation. Delegation of powers - correct answer The process by which Congress gives the executive branch the additional authority needed to address new problems. Solicitor general - correct answer The third highest official of the U.S. Department of Justice, and the one who represents the national government before the Supreme Court. Federal question - correct answer An issue covered by the U.S. Constitution, national laws, or U.S. treaties. Class action - correct answer A procedure by which similarly situated litigants may be heard in a single lawsuit. Amicus curiae brief - correct answer A brief filed (with the permission of the court) by an individual or group that is not a party to a legal action but has an interest in it. Common, or judge-made, law - correct answer Legal precedents derived from previous judicial decisions. U.S. district courts - correct answer Courts within the lowest tier of the three-tiered federal court system; courts where litigation begins. Original jurisdiction - correct answer The authority of a court to hear a case before any other court does. Criminal cases - correct answer Court cases involving a crime, or violation of public order. Senatorial courtesy - correct answer A norm under which a nomination must be acceptable to the home state senator from the president's party. Civil cases - correct answer Court cases that involve a private dispute arising from such matters as accidents, contractual obligations, and divorce. Docket - correct answer A court's agenda. Rule of four - correct answer An unwritten rule that requires at least four justices to agree that a case warra