AP US GOVERNMENT AND
POLITICS EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 100% PASS
democracy - ✔✔gov by the people, either directly or indirectly, with free
and frequent elections
direct democracy - ✔✔gov in which citizens vote on laws and select
officials more directly
representative democracy - ✔✔gov that derives its powers indirectly from
the people, who elect those who will govern; also called a republic
constitutional democracy - ✔✔gov that enforces recognized limits on those
who govern and allows the voice of the people to be heard through free,
fair, and relatively frequent elections
1
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,constitutionalism - ✔✔set of arrangements, including checks and balances,
federalism, separation of powers, rule of law, due process, and a bill of
rights, that requires leaders to listen, think, bargain, and explain before
they act or make laws. We then hold them politically and legally
accountable for how they exercise their powers.
statism - ✔✔the idea that the rights of the nation are supreme over the
rights of the individuals residing in that nation
popular consent - ✔✔the idea that a just gov must derive its powers from
the consent of the people it governs
majority rule - ✔✔governance according to the expressed preferences of
the majority
majority - ✔✔the candidate or party that wins more than half the votes cast
in an election
plurality - ✔✔candidate or party with the most votes case in an election,
not necessarily more than half
2
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,ideology - ✔✔a consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the
role of gov
theocracy - ✔✔gov by religious leaders, who claim divine guidance
Articles of Confederation - ✔✔the first governing document of the
confederated states, drafted in 1777, ratified in 1781, and replaced by the
present Constitution in 1789
Annapolis Convention - ✔✔A convention held in September 1786 to
consider problems of trade and navigation, attended by five states and
important because it issued the call to Congress and the states for what
became the Constitutional Convention
Constitutional Convention - ✔✔The convention in Philadelphia, May 25-
September 17, 1787, that framed the Constitution of the United States
Shays' Rebellion - ✔✔Rebellion by farmers in western Massachusetts in
1786-1787, protesting mortgage foreclosures; led by Daniel Shays and
important because it highlighted the need for a strong national gov just as
the call for the Constitutional Convention went out
3
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, bicameralism - ✔✔the principle of a two house legislature
Virginia Plan - ✔✔initial proposal at the Constitutional Convention made
by the Virginia delegation for a strong central gov with a bicamerl
legislature, the lower house to be elected by the voters and the upper
chosen by the lower, representation based on wealth or population
New Jersey Plan - ✔✔proposal at the Constitutional Convention made by
William Paterson of New Jersey for a central gov with a single-house
legislature in which each state would be represented equally
Connecticut Compromise - ✔✔compromise agreement by states at the
Constitutional Convention for a bicameral legislature with a lower house in
which representation would be based on population and an upper house in
which each state would have two senators
Three-Fifths Compromise - ✔✔compromise agreement between northern
and southern states at the Constitutional Convention that the three fifths of
the slave population would be counted for determining direct taxation and
representation in the House of Representatives
4
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POLITICS EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS 100% PASS
democracy - ✔✔gov by the people, either directly or indirectly, with free
and frequent elections
direct democracy - ✔✔gov in which citizens vote on laws and select
officials more directly
representative democracy - ✔✔gov that derives its powers indirectly from
the people, who elect those who will govern; also called a republic
constitutional democracy - ✔✔gov that enforces recognized limits on those
who govern and allows the voice of the people to be heard through free,
fair, and relatively frequent elections
1
100% Pass Guarantee Katelyn Whitman, All Rights
,constitutionalism - ✔✔set of arrangements, including checks and balances,
federalism, separation of powers, rule of law, due process, and a bill of
rights, that requires leaders to listen, think, bargain, and explain before
they act or make laws. We then hold them politically and legally
accountable for how they exercise their powers.
statism - ✔✔the idea that the rights of the nation are supreme over the
rights of the individuals residing in that nation
popular consent - ✔✔the idea that a just gov must derive its powers from
the consent of the people it governs
majority rule - ✔✔governance according to the expressed preferences of
the majority
majority - ✔✔the candidate or party that wins more than half the votes cast
in an election
plurality - ✔✔candidate or party with the most votes case in an election,
not necessarily more than half
2
100% Pass Guarantee Katelyn Whitman, All Rights
,ideology - ✔✔a consistent pattern of beliefs about political values and the
role of gov
theocracy - ✔✔gov by religious leaders, who claim divine guidance
Articles of Confederation - ✔✔the first governing document of the
confederated states, drafted in 1777, ratified in 1781, and replaced by the
present Constitution in 1789
Annapolis Convention - ✔✔A convention held in September 1786 to
consider problems of trade and navigation, attended by five states and
important because it issued the call to Congress and the states for what
became the Constitutional Convention
Constitutional Convention - ✔✔The convention in Philadelphia, May 25-
September 17, 1787, that framed the Constitution of the United States
Shays' Rebellion - ✔✔Rebellion by farmers in western Massachusetts in
1786-1787, protesting mortgage foreclosures; led by Daniel Shays and
important because it highlighted the need for a strong national gov just as
the call for the Constitutional Convention went out
3
100% Pass Guarantee Katelyn Whitman, All Rights
, bicameralism - ✔✔the principle of a two house legislature
Virginia Plan - ✔✔initial proposal at the Constitutional Convention made
by the Virginia delegation for a strong central gov with a bicamerl
legislature, the lower house to be elected by the voters and the upper
chosen by the lower, representation based on wealth or population
New Jersey Plan - ✔✔proposal at the Constitutional Convention made by
William Paterson of New Jersey for a central gov with a single-house
legislature in which each state would be represented equally
Connecticut Compromise - ✔✔compromise agreement by states at the
Constitutional Convention for a bicameral legislature with a lower house in
which representation would be based on population and an upper house in
which each state would have two senators
Three-Fifths Compromise - ✔✔compromise agreement between northern
and southern states at the Constitutional Convention that the three fifths of
the slave population would be counted for determining direct taxation and
representation in the House of Representatives
4
100% Pass Guarantee Katelyn Whitman, All Rights
