AP Gov Final

Question 1

Bicameral legislature:

Answer 1

two-house legislature.

Question 2

Block grant:

Answer 2

money granted by the federal government to the states for a broad purpose (e.g., transportation) rather than for a narrow purpose (e.g., school lunch program).

Question 3

Categorical grant:

Answer 3

money granted by the federal government to the states for a narrow purpose (e.g., school lunch program) rather than for a broad purpose (e.g., transportation).

Question 4

Centralists:

Answer 4

those who favor greater national authority rather than state authority.

Question 5

Checks and balances:

Answer 5

system in which each branch of government can limit the power of the other two branches, e.g., presidential veto of a congressional law.

Question 6

Commerce clause:

Answer 6

gives Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states, with foreign nations, and among Indian tribes. Granted through Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution.

Question 7

Concurrent powers:

Answer 7

those held by both Congress and the states, e.g., establishing law enforcement agencies.

Question 8

Confederation:

Answer 8

system in which sovereign states are only loosely tied to a central government, e.g., the US under the Articles of Confederation.

Question 9

Decentralists:

Answer 9

those who favor greater state authority rather than national authority.

Question 10

Devolution:

Answer 10

a process by which the national government gives more power and authority to the states

Question 11

Direct democracy:

Answer 11

system in which the people rule themselves and vote directly on policy.

Question 12

Elastic clause:

Answer 12

states that Congress can exercise those powers that are “necessary and proper” for carrying out the enumerated powers, e.g., establishment of the first Bank of the United States.

Question 13

Enumerated powers:

Answer 13

those that are specifically granted to Congress in Article 1, section 8 of the Constitution, e.g., the power to tax. Also known as expressed powers.

Question 14

Federalism:

Answer 14

constitutional sharing of power between a central government and state governments. Different varieties:

Question 15

Dual federalism:

Answer 15

system in which the national government and state governments are coequal, with each being dominant within its respective sphere.

Question 16

Fiscal Federalism:

Answer 16

the use of spending by the national government through the grant process to influence state policies.

Question 17

Cooperative federalism:

Answer 17

system in which both federal government and state governments cooperate in solving problems.

Question 18

New Federalism:

Answer 18

system in which the national government restores greater authority back to the states.

Question 19

Federalist Papers:

Answer 19

group of 85 essays written by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay for the purpose of persuading the people of New York to adopt the Constitution.

Question 20

Formal amendment:

Answer 20

a change in the actual wording of the Constitution. Proposed by Congress or national convention, and ratified by the states.

Question 21

Implied powers:

Answer 21

those that are “necessary and proper” to carry out Congress’ enumerated powers, and are granted to Congress through the elastic clause.

Question 22

Indirect democracy:

Answer 22

system in which the people are rule by their representatives. Also known as representative democracy, or republic.

Question 23

Inherent powers:

Answer 23

foreign policy powers (e.g., acquiring territory) held by the national government by virtue of its being a national government.

Question 24

Informal amendment:

Answer 24

a change in the meaning, but not the wording, of the Constitution, (e.g., through a court decision such as Brown v. Board.)

Question 25

Judicial review:

Answer 25

power of the courts to rule on the constitutionality of laws and government actions. Established by Marbury v. Madison, 1803.

Question 26

Mandates:

Answer 26

requirements imposed by the national government upon the states. Some are unfunded mandates, i.e., they are imposed by the national government, but lack funding.

Question 27

Marbury v. Madison: 1803:

Answer 27

established the power of judicial review.

Question 28

McCulloch v. Maryland: 1819:

Answer 28

established principle of national supremacy and validity of implied powers.

Question 29

Police powers:

Answer 29

powers of the states to protect the public health, safety, morals, and welfare of the public.

Question 30

Popular sovereignty:

Answer 30

principle in which ultimate political authority rests with the people.

Question 31

Republican Government:

Answer 31

a system of government in which people elect representatives to make policy in the citizens’ interest

Question 32

Reserved powers:

Answer 32

powers held by the states through the 10th Amendment. Any power not granted to the US government is “reserved” for the states.

Question 33

Separation of powers:

Answer 33

principle in which the powers of government are separated among three branches: legislative, executive, judicial.

Question 34

Shays’ Rebellion:

Answer 34

1786 revolt by Massachusetts farmers seeking relief from debt and foreclosure that was a factor in the calling of the Constitutional Convention.

Question 35

Supermajority:

Answer 35

a majority greater than a simple majority of one over half, e.g., ¾, 2/3, 3/5, etc.

Question 36

Unicameral legislature:

Answer 36

one-house legislature.

Question 37

Attentive public:

Answer 37

those who follow politics and public affairs carefully.

Question 38

Balancing the ticket:

Answer 38

occurs when a presidential nominee chooses a vice presidential running mate who has different qualities in order to attract more votes for the ticket.

Question 39

Blanket primary:

Answer 39

election to choose candidates that is open to independents, and that allows voters to choose candidates from all the parties.

Question 40

Caucus:

Answer 40

face-to-face meetings of party members at the local or state level to determine their party’s candidate for office.

Question 41

Closed primary:

Answer 41

party election to choose candidates that is closed to independents. Voters may not cross party lines.

Question 42

Coattail effect:

Answer 42

the influence of a popular presidential candidate on the election of congressional candidates of the same party.

Question 43

Dealignment:

Answer 43

when voters no longer identify with one or the two major parties and become independent voters.

Question 44

Demographics:

Answer 44

the statistical characteristics of populations, e.g., race, sex, income.

Question 45

Direct election:

Answer 45

election of an official directly by the people rather than by an intermediary group such as the Electoral College.

Question 46

Direct primary:

Answer 46

election in which the people choose candidates for office.

Question 47

Divided Government:

Answer 47

when the president is from one political party and one or both houses of Congress are controlled by the opposing political party

Question 48

Fixed terms:

Answer 48

terms of office that have a definite length of time, e.g., two years for a member of the House.

Question 49

Front loading:

Answer 49

scheduling presidential primary elections early (e.g., February or March) in an election year.

Question 50

Gender Gap:

Answer 50

the tendency of men to support candidates from the Republican party at greater rates than women.

Question 51

General Election:

Answer 51

election in which the officeholders are chosen. Contrast with a primary election, in which only the candidates are chosen.

Question 52

Gerrymandering:

Answer 52

drawing congressional district boundaries to benefit a group, usually a political party.

Question 53

Hard money:

Answer 53

campaign contributions donated directly to candidates.

Question 54

Ideology:

Answer 54

set of beliefs about political values and the role of government.

Question 55

Incumbent:

Answer 55

an officeholder who is seeking reelection.

Question 56

Independent (Independent leaners and Pure independents):

Answer 56

one is not registered with a political party. Independent leaners tend to vote for candidates of one particular party, whereas pure independents have no consistent pattern of party voting.

Question 57

Independent Expenditures:

Answer 57

money spent on ads that are not sponsored by a candidate or party

Question 58

Issue advocacy ads:

Answer 58

ads that focus on issues and do not explicitly encourage citizens to vote for a certain candidate.

Question 59

Midterm Election:

Answer 59

an election in which voters select members of Congress but not the president

Question 60

Open primary:

Answer 60

election to choose candidates that is open to independents, and in which voters may choose candidates from any one party.

Question 61

PAC:

Answer 61

an organization that is registered with the Federal Election Committee and donates money to a candidate or campaign.

Question 62

Party identification:

Answer 62

a sense of affiliation that a person has with a particular political party.

Question 63

Party platform:

Answer 63

a list of positions and programs that the party adopts at the national convention. Each position is called a plank.

Question 64

Political culture:

Answer 64

the widely shared political beliefs and values of a society, and norms that citizens share about their government.

Question 65

Plurality:

Answer 65

more votes than anyone else, but less than half, e.g., Clinton won a plurality (43%) of popular votes in 1992, but not a majority. Plurality elections such as those for Congress are won by the person with the most votes, regardless if he/she has a majority.

Question 66

Political Efficacy:

Answer 66

an individual’s belief that his or her political participation can make a difference.

Question 67

Political Socialization:

Answer 67

the process in which an individual develops his or her political beliefs.

Question 68

Redistricting:

Answer 68

changing congressional district boundaries based on a new census.

Question 69

Realigning (“Critical”) election:

Answer 69

an election in which there is a long term

change in party alignment, e.g., 1932.

Question 70

Safe seat:

Answer 70

an office that is extremely likely to be won by a particular candidate or political party.

Question 71

Single-member district system:

Answer 71

the system used to select members of the House of Representatives. People elect one representative per district. With a winner-take-all rule, this system strengthens the two major parties and weakens minor parties.

Question 72

Soft money:

Answer 72

campaign contributions that are not donated directly to candidates, but are instead donated to parties.

Question 73

Solid South:

Answer 73

historically, the South voted solidly Democratic. However, the South is now strongly Republican: Bush carried every Southern state in 2000.

Question 74

Split ticket voting:

Answer 74

casting votes for candidates of one’s own party and for candidates of opposing parties, e.g., voting for a Republican presidential candidate and a Democratic congressional candidate.

Question 75

Straight ticket voting:

Answer 75

casting votes only for candidates of one’s party.

Question 76

Suffrage:

Answer 76

the right to vote.

Question 77

Superdelegate:

Answer 77

a delegate to the Democratic national convention who is there by virtue of holding an office.

Question 78

Super Tuesday:

Answer 78

a Tuesday in early March in which many presidential primaries, particularly in the South, are held.

Question 79

Super PAC:

Answer 79

an organization, which need not disclose its members, that can spend a vast and unlimited amount of money on a political campaign.

Question 80

Swing state:

Answer 80

a state that does not consistently vote either Democratic or Republican in presidential elections.

Question 81

High-tech politics:

Answer 81

A politics in which the behavior of citizens and policymakers and the political agenda itself are increasingly shaped by technology.

Question 82

Mass media:

Answer 82

Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, the Internet, and other means of popular communication.

Question 83

Media events:

Answer 83

Events that are purposely staged for the media and that are significant just because the media are there.

Question 84

Press conferences:

Answer 84

Meetings of public officials with reporters.

Question 85

Investigative journalism:

Answer 85

The use of in-depth reporting to unearth scandals, scams, and schemes, at times putting reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders.

Question 86

Print media:

Answer 86

Newspapers and magazines, as compared with electronic media.

Question 87

Electronic media:

Answer 87

Television, radio, and the Internet, as compared with print media.

Question 88

Narrowcasting:

Answer 88

Media programming on cable TV or the Internet that is focused on a particular interest and aimed at a particular audience, in contrast to broadcasting.

Question 89

Selective exposure:

Answer 89

The process through which people consciously choose to get the news from information sources that have viewpoints compatible with their own.

Question 90

Chains:

Answer 90

Groups of newspapers published by media conglomerates and today accounting for over four-fifths of the nation’s daily newspaper circulation.

Question 91

Beats:

Answer 91

Specific locations from which news frequently emanates, such as Congress or the White House. Most top reporters work a particular beat, thereby becoming specialists in what goes on at that location.

Question 92

Trial balloons

Answer 92

Intentional news leaks for the purpose of assessing the political reaction.

Question 93

Sound bites:

Answer 93

Short video clips of approx. 10 seconds. Typically, they are all that is shown from a politician’s speech on the nightly television news.

Question 94

Talking head:

Answer 94

A shot of a person’s face talking directly to the camera. Because such shots are visually unstimulating, the major networks rarely show politicians talking for very long.

Question 95

Policy agenda:

Answer 95

The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actively involved in politics at the time.

Question 96

Policy entrepreneurs:

Answer 96

People who invest their political “capital” in an issue. They could be in or out of government, in elected or appointed positions, in interest groups or research organizations.

Question 97

Party competition:

Answer 97

The battle of the parties for control of public offices. ups and downs of the two major parties are one of the most important elements in American politics.

Question 98

Political party:

Answer 98

According to Anthony Downs, a team of men [and women] seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election.

Question 99

Linkage institutions:

Answer 99

The channels through which people’s concerns become political issues on the government’s policy agenda. In the U.S. linkage institutions include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

Question 100

Rational-choice theory

Answer 100

A popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians. It assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of possible alternatives.

Question 101

Party image:

Answer 101

The voter’s perception of what the Republ. or Dem. stand for, such as conservatism or liberalism.

Question 102

Party identification:

Answer 102

A citizen’s self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other.

Question 103

Ticket splitting:

Answer 103

Voting with one party for one office and with another party for other offices. It has become the norm in American voting behavior.

Question 104

Party machines

Answer 104

A type of political party organization that relies heavily on material inducements such as patronage, to win votes and to govern.

Question 105

Patronage:

Answer 105

One of the key inducements used by party machines. A patronage job, promotion, or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone.

Question 106

Closed primaries:

Answer 106

Elections to select party nominees in which only people who have registered in advance with the party can vote for that party’s candidates, thus encouraging greater party loyalty.

Question 107

Open primaries:

Answer 107

Elections to select party nominees in which voters can decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Dem. or Rep. contests.

Question 108

National party convention:

Answer 108

The meeting of party delegates every four years to choose a pres. ticket and write the party’s platform.

Question 109

National committee:

Answer 109

One of the institutions that keeps the party operating between conventions. The national committee is composed of representatives from the states and territories.

Question 110

National chairperson:

Answer 110

The person responsible for the day-to-day activities of the party.

Question 111

Coalition:

Answer 111

A group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends.

Question 112

Party eras:

Answer 112

Historical periods in which a majority of voters cling to the party in power, which tends to win a majority of the elections.

Question 113

Critical election:

Answer 113

An electoral ‘ earthquake’ where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party. They are sometimes marked by a national crisis, and may require more than one election to bring about a new party era.

Question 114

Party realignment:

Answer 114

The displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.

Question 115

New Deal coalition:

Answer 115

A coalition forged by the Dem. who dominated American politics from the 30s to the 60s. Its basic elements were the urban working class, ethnic groups, Catholics and Jews, the poor, Southerners, African Americans, and intellectuals.

Question 116

Party dealignment:

Answer 116

The gradual disengagement of people from the parties, as seen in party by shrinking party identification.

Question 117

Third parties:

Answer 117

Electoral contenders other than the two major parties. American third parties are not unusual, but rarely win elections.

Question 118

Winner-take-all system:

Answer 118

An electoral system in which legislative seats are awarded only to the candidates who come in first in their constituencies.

Question 119

Proportional representation:

Answer 119

An electoral system used throughout most of Europe that awards legislative seats to political parties in proportion to the number of votes won in the election.

Question 120

Coalition government:

Answer 120

When two or more parties join together to form a majority in a national legislature. This form of government is quite common in the multiparty systems of Europe.

Question 121

Responsible party model:

Answer 121

A view about how parties should work, held by some political scientists. According to the model, parties should offer clear choices to the voters, and once in office, should carry out their campaign promises.

Question 122

Blue Dog Democrats

Answer 122

Fiscally conservative Democrats who are mostly from the South and/or rural parts of the U.S.

Question 123

Interest group

Answer 123

An organization of people with shared policy goals entering the policy process at several points to try to achieve those goals. Interest groups pursue their goals in many arenas.

Question 124

Pluralism:

Answer 124

A theory of government and politics emphasizing that many groups, each pressing for its preferred policies compete and counterbalance one another in the political marketplace.

Question 125

Elitism:

Answer 125

A theory of government and politics contending that an upper-class elite will hold the most of the power and thus in effect run the government.

Question 126

Hyperpluralism:

Answer 126

A theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government, seeking to please them all, is thereby weakened.

Question 127

Iron triangles:

Answer 127

Subgovernments are composed of interest group leaders, interested in a particular policy, the government agency in charge of administering that policy, and the members of congressional committees and subcommittees handling that policy; they excercise a great deal of control over specific policy areas.

Question 128

Potential group:

Answer 128

All the people who might be interested group members because they share some common interest

Question 129

Actual group:

Answer 129

The people in the potential group who actually join.

Question 130

Collective good:

Answer 130

Something of value that cannot be withheld from a potential group member.

Question 131

Free-rider problem:

Answer 131

For a group, the problem of people not joining because they can benefit from the group’s activities without joining.

Question 132

Selective benefits:

Answer 132

Goods that a group can restrict to those who actually join.

Question 133

Single-issue groups:

Answer 133

Groups that have a narrow interest tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics.

Question 134

Lobbying:

Answer 134

A communication by someone other than a citizen acting on his or her own behalf, directed to a governmental decision maker with the hope of influencing his or her decision.

Question 135

Electioneering:

Answer 135

Direct group involvement in the electoral process, for example by helping to fund campaigns, getting members to work for candidates, and forming political action committees.

Question 136

PACs:

Answer 136

Political action committees: Groups that raise money from individuals then distribute it in the form of contributions to candidates that the group supports. PAC’s must register with the FEC and report their donations and contributions to it. Individual contributions to PAC’s are limited to $5,000 a year and a PAC may give up to $5,000 per candidate per election.

Question 137

Union shop:

Answer 137

A provision found in some collective bargaining agreements requiring all employees of a business to join the union within a short period, usually 30 days, and to remain members as a condition of employment.

Question 138

Right-to-work laws:

Answer 138

A state law forbidding requirements that workers must join a union to hold their jobs. State right-to-work laws were specifically permitted by the Taft-Hartley act of 1947.

Question 139

Public-interest lobbies:

Answer 139

Organizations that seek a collective good, that will not benefit the membership or activists of the organization.

Question 140

Incumbents:

Answer 140

Those already holding office. In congressional elections, incumbents usually win.

Question 141

Casework:

Answer 141

Activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals, particularly by cutting through red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get(kinda like pork barrel).

Question 142

Pork barrel:

Answer 142

Federal projects, grants, and contracts available to state and local governments, businesses, colleges, and other institutions in a congressional district.

Question 143

Bicameral legislature:

Answer 143

A legislature divided into 2 houses. The Congress and all state legislature except Nebraska are Bicameral.

Question 144

House Rules Committee:

Answer 144

The committee in the House of Representatives that reviews most bills coming from a House committee before they go to the full House.

Question 145

Filibuster:

Answer 145

A strategy unique to the Senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislation use their right to unlimited debate to prevent the Senate from ever voting on a bill. Sixty members present and voting can halt a filibuster.

Question 146

Standing committees:

Answer 146

Separate subject-matter committees in each house of Congress that handle bills in different policy areas.

Question 147

Joint committees:

Answer 147

Congressional committees on a few subject-matter areas with membership drawn from both houses.

Question 148

Conference committees:

Answer 148

Congressional committees formed when the Senate and House pass a particular bill in different forms. Party leadership appoints members from each house to iron out the differences and bring back a single bill.

Question 149

Select committees:

Answer 149

Congressional committees appointed for a specific purpose, such as the Watergate investigation.

Question 150

Legislative oversight:

Answer 150

Congress’s monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through hearings.

Question 151

Bill

Answer 151

A proposed law, drafted in legal language. Anyone can draft a bill, but only a member of the House of Rep. can formally submit a bill for consideration.