GED_Social_Studies_Study_Guide_2025-
2026
1. amendment changes in, or additions to, a consitiution
2. amendment pro- must be proposed by a 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress or by a convention
posal called by Congress at the request of 2/3 of the state legislatures
3. amendment rati- 3/4 of the state legislatures
�cation
4. Articles of Con- 1st constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no
federation power to tax, no power to regulate trade)
5. balance of trade the di�erence between a country's total exports and total imports for 1 year
6. barter the direct exchange of one good or service for another without the use of money
7. bias a strong opinion held by a person about a topic, sometimes without good reason
8. bicameral A legislative body made up of 2 houses
9. Bill of Rights The rst ten amendments to the US Constitution
10. Bill of Rights be- rati ed in 1791
gan
11. Bill of Rights pur- limits governmental power and protects basic rights and liberties of individuals
pose
12. boycott a form of protest in which a group refuses to buy the products of a country or
company until it makes some demanded change
13. bureaucracy an administrative organization that implements government policies
14. business cycle the periods of recession and expansion that an economy goes through because
production does not increase continuously over time
, 15. Cabinet the secretaries, or chief administrators, of the major departments of the federal
government
16. Cabinet - How do appointed by the president with the consent of the Senete
you get this job?
17. capital manufactured resources such as tools, machinery, and buildings that are used in
the production of other goods and services; sometimes called real capital
18. capital gains tax money paid to the federal government out of pro ts from the sale of land,
(CGT) buildings, stocks, and other capital assets
19. capitalism an economic system that is based on the private ownership of property and the
resources of production
20. case study an in-depth examination of an issue or an individual
21. checks and bal- a Constitutional system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers
ances of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power
22. civil rights the protections and privileges of personal liberty given to all US citizens by the
Constitution and Bill of Rights
23. civilization an advanced state of a society possessing historical and cultural unity
24. Cold War struggle for world power between the US and the Soviet Union
25. Cold War time- 1945-1991
frame
26. command econ- an economic system in which the means of production are publicly owned and
omy economic activity is controlled by the government
27. common or pub- to the bene t, or in the interest, of a politically organized society as a whole
lic good
2026
1. amendment changes in, or additions to, a consitiution
2. amendment pro- must be proposed by a 2/3 vote of both houses of Congress or by a convention
posal called by Congress at the request of 2/3 of the state legislatures
3. amendment rati- 3/4 of the state legislatures
�cation
4. Articles of Con- 1st constitution of the U.S. 1781-1788 (weaknesses-no executive, no judicial, no
federation power to tax, no power to regulate trade)
5. balance of trade the di�erence between a country's total exports and total imports for 1 year
6. barter the direct exchange of one good or service for another without the use of money
7. bias a strong opinion held by a person about a topic, sometimes without good reason
8. bicameral A legislative body made up of 2 houses
9. Bill of Rights The rst ten amendments to the US Constitution
10. Bill of Rights be- rati ed in 1791
gan
11. Bill of Rights pur- limits governmental power and protects basic rights and liberties of individuals
pose
12. boycott a form of protest in which a group refuses to buy the products of a country or
company until it makes some demanded change
13. bureaucracy an administrative organization that implements government policies
14. business cycle the periods of recession and expansion that an economy goes through because
production does not increase continuously over time
, 15. Cabinet the secretaries, or chief administrators, of the major departments of the federal
government
16. Cabinet - How do appointed by the president with the consent of the Senete
you get this job?
17. capital manufactured resources such as tools, machinery, and buildings that are used in
the production of other goods and services; sometimes called real capital
18. capital gains tax money paid to the federal government out of pro ts from the sale of land,
(CGT) buildings, stocks, and other capital assets
19. capitalism an economic system that is based on the private ownership of property and the
resources of production
20. case study an in-depth examination of an issue or an individual
21. checks and bal- a Constitutional system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers
ances of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power
22. civil rights the protections and privileges of personal liberty given to all US citizens by the
Constitution and Bill of Rights
23. civilization an advanced state of a society possessing historical and cultural unity
24. Cold War struggle for world power between the US and the Soviet Union
25. Cold War time- 1945-1991
frame
26. command econ- an economic system in which the means of production are publicly owned and
omy economic activity is controlled by the government
27. common or pub- to the bene t, or in the interest, of a politically organized society as a whole
lic good
