Vocab Quiz 1

Question 1

Activist approach

Answer 1

view that the Constitution should be interpreted by applying the general principles underlying its provisions

Question 2

Activists

Answer 2

advocates for change based on a certain belief/ideology

Question 3

Ad hoc structure

Answer 3

organizing a President’s staff

Question 4

Adversarial press

Answer 4

a national press eager to break an embarrassing story about a public official

Question 5

Affirmative action

Answer 5

preference to a certain group intended to promote equality

Question 6

Amendments

Answer 6

changes or additions to the Constitution

Question 7

Amicus curiae

Answer 7

“friend of the court” briefs

Question 8

Annual authorizations

Answer 8

annual permission to spend

Question 9

Anti-federalists

Answer 9

opposed strong central government

Question 10

Appropriations

Answer 10

funds allocated by Congress

Question 11

Articles of Confederation

Answer 11

created a weak central government

Question 12

Assistance programs

Answer 12

a program financed by taxes (collected from govt) that is used to help the poor

Question 13

Australian ballot

Answer 13

secret ballot

Question 14

Authority

Answer 14

the right to use power

Question 15

Authorization legislation

Answer 15

legislative permission to continue/begin a government program/agency

Question 16

Background story (news)

Answer 16

public official’s explanation of current policy on the condition that the source remain anonymous

Question 17

Benefit

Answer 17

satisfaction

Question 18

Bicameral legislature

Answer 18

lawmaking body with two parts

Question 19

Bill of attainder

Answer 19

a law that declares a person guilty without trial
(unconstitutional in the U.S.)

Question 20

Bill of rights

Answer 20

list of individual rights and liberties
first 10 amendments

Question 21

Blanket primary

Answer 21

All voters can choose candidates from a political party

Question 22

Block grants

Answer 22

grants from federal government to states for a broad category

Question 23

Boycott

Answer 23

effort to get people to stop buying goods/services

Question 24

Brief

Answer 24

legal document representing a party before the court

Question 25

Bubble standard

Answer 25

regulation on total air pollution from a factory

Question 26

Budget

Answer 26

document containing the government’s revenue (in taxes), expenditure and allocation of its expenditures

Question 27

Budget deficit

Answer 27

government spends more money than it takes in

Question 28

Budget resolution

Answer 28

proposal by the House and Senate budget committees with a total budget ceiling and a ceiling for each of the spending areas