Chapter 1

Question 1

direct democracy

Answer 1

a system of rule that permits citizens to vote directly on laws and policies (page 15)

Question 2

citizenship

Answer 2

informed and active membership in a political community (page 10)

Question 3

authoritarian government

Answer 3

a system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits but may nevertheless be restrained by the power of other social institutions (page 13)

Question 4

equality of opportunity

Answer 4

a widely shared American ideal that all people should have the freedom to use whatever talents and wealth they have to reach their fullest potential (page 27)

Question 5

constitutional government

Answer 5

a system of rule in which formal and effective limits are placed on the powers of the government (page 13)

Question 6

pluralism

Answer 6

the theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the government; the outcome of this competition is compromise and moderation (page 16)

Question 7

politics

Answer 7

conflict over the leadership, structure, and policies of governments (page 4)

Question 8

power

Answer 8

influence over a government’s leadership, organization, or policies (page 15)

Question 9

political equality

Answer 9

the right to participate in politics equally, based on the principle of “one person, one vote” (page 28)

Question 10

political efficacy

Answer 10

the ability to influence government and politics (page 9)

Question 11

Government

Answer 11

Institutions and procedures through which a territory and its people are ruled (page 4)

Question 12

oligarchy

Answer 12

a form of government in which a small group—landowners, military officers, or wealthy merchants—controls most of the governing decisions (page 13)

Question 13

democracy

Answer 13

a system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the election of key public officials (page 13)

Question 14

political culture

Answer 14

broadly shared values, beliefs, and attitudes about how the government should function; American political culture emphasizes the values of liberty, equality, and democracy (page 24)

Question 15

autocracy

Answer 15

a form of government in which a single individual—a king, queen, or dictator—rules (page 13)

Question 16

totalitarian government

Answer 16

a system of rule in which the government recognizes no formal limits on its power and seeks to absorb or eliminate other social institutions that might challenge it (page 13)

Question 17

representative democracy (republic)

Answer 17

a system of government in which the populace selects representatives, who play a significant role in governmental decision making (page 15)

Question 18

liberty

Answer 18

freedom from governmental control (page 26

Question 19

limited government

Answer 19

a principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution (page 26)

Question 20

popular sovereignty

Answer 20

a principle of democracy in which political authority rests ultimately in the hands of the people (page 30)

Question 21

majority rule, minority rights

Answer 21

the democratic principle that a government follows the preferences of the majority of voters but protects the interests of the minority (page 30)

Question 22

laissez-faire capitalism

Answer 22

an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately owned and operated for profit with minimal or no government interference (page 26)