Chapter 1: People, Politics, and Participation

Question 1

authoritarianism

Answer 1

system of government in which the government holds strong powers but is checked by some forces

Question 2

capitalism

Answer 2

an economic system in which the means of producing wealth are privately owned and operated to produce profits

Question 3

capitalism

Answer 3

an economic system in which the means of producing wealth are privately owned and operated to produce profits

Question 4

citizens

Answer 4

members of the polity who, through birth or naturalization, enjoy the rights, privileges, and responsibilities attached to membership in a given nation

Question 5

civic engagement

Answer 5

individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern

Question 6

consent of the governed

Answer 6

the idea that, in a democracy, the government’s power derives from the consent of people

Question 7

conservatism

Answer 7

an ideology that emphasizes preserving tradition and relying on community and family as mechanisms of continuity in society

Question 8

constitutionalism

Answer 8

government that is structured by law, and in which the power of government is limited

Question 9

Declaration of Independence*

Answer 9

the document adopted at the 2nd constitutional congress in 1776 that severed the american colonies’ ties to the british crown and formed a new nation, the united states of america

Question 10

democracy

Answer 10

government in which supreme power of governance lies in the hands of its citizens

Question 11

direct democracy

Answer 11

a structure of government in which citizens discuss and decide policy through majority rule

Question 12

divine right of kings

Answer 12

the assertion that monarchies, as a manifestation of God’s will, could rule absolutely without regard to the will or wellbeing of their subjects

Question 13

efficacy

Answer 13

citizens’ belief that they have the ability to achieve something desirable and that the government listens to people like them

Question 14

government

Answer 14

the institution that creates and implements policy and laws that guide the conduct of the nation and its citizens

Question 15

indirect democracy

Answer 15

sometimes called a representative democracy, a system in which citizens elect representatives who decide policies on behalf of their constituents

Question 16

legitimacy

Answer 16

a quality conferred on government by citizens who believe that its exercise of power is right and proper

Question 17

liberalism

Answer 17

an ideology that advocated and changes in the social, political, and economic realms to better protect the well-being of individuals and to produce equality within society

Question 18

libertarianism

Answer 18

an ideology whose advocates believe that government should take a “hands off” approach in most matters

Question 19

liberty

Answer 19

the most essential quality of american democracy; it is both the freedom from governmental interference in citizens’ lives and the freedom to pursue happiness

Question 20

limited government

Answer 20

government that is reached in what it can do so that the rights of the people are protected

Question 21

majority rule

Answer 21

the idea that in a democracy, only policies with 50% plus one vote are enacted, and only candidates that win 50% plus one vote are elected

Question 22

monarchy

Answer 22

government in which a member of a royal family, ususally a king or queen, has absolute authority over a territory and its government

Question 23

natural law

Answer 23

the assertion that standards that govern human behavior are derived from the nature of humans themselves and can be applied universally

Question 24

naturalization

Answer 24

the process of becoming a citizen by means other than birth, as in the case of immigrants

Question 25

oligarchy

Answer 25

government in which an elite hold few power

Question 26

political culture

Answer 26

the people’s collective beliefs and attitudes about government and political processes

Question 27

political engagement

Answer 27

citizen actions that are intended to solve public problems through political means

Question 28

political ideology

Answer 28

an integrated system of ideas or beliefs about political values in general and the role of government in particular

Question 29

politics

Answer 29

the process of deciding who gets benefits in society and who does not

Question 30

popular sovereignty

Answer 30

the theory that government is created by the people and depends on the people for authority to rule

Question 31

property

Answer 31

anything that can be owned

Question 32

public goods

Answer 32

goods whose benefits cannot be limited and that are available to all

Question 33

social contract

Answer 33

an agreement between people and their leaders in which the people agree to give up some liberties so that their other liberties are protected

Question 34

social contract theory

Answer 34

The idea that individuals possess free will, and every individual is equally endowed with the God-given right of self-determination and the ability to consent to be governed.

Question 35

socialism

Answer 35

An ideology that advocates economic equality, theoretically achieved by having the government or workers own the means of production (businesses and industry).

Question 36

totalitarianism

Answer 36

System of government in which the government essentially controls every aspect of people’s lives.