| Question |
Answer |
| Republic: |
A government in which elected representatives make the decisions. |
| Great Compromise: |
Plan to have a popularity elected House based on state population and a state-selected Senate, with two members for each state. |
| Judicial Review: |
The power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional. |
| Federalism: |
Government authority shared by national and state governments. |
| Checks & Balances: |
Authority shared by three branches of government. |
| Enumerated powers: |
Powers given to the national government alone. |
| Concurrent powers: |
Powers shared by the national and state governments. |
| Separation of powers: |
Constitutional authority is shared by three different branches of government. |
| Reserved powers: |
Powers given to the state government alone. |
| Bill of Rights: |
First ten amendments to the constitution. |
| Police power: |
State power to enact laws promoting health, safety, and morals. |
| Mandates: |
Terms set by the national government that states must meet whether or not they accept federal grants. |
| Political Culture: |
A coherent way of thinking about how politics and government ought to be carried out. |
| Prior restraint: |
Censorship of a publication. |
| Clear-&-present danger test: |
Law should not publish speech unless there was a clear and present danger of producing harmful actions. |
| Symbolic speech: |
An act that conveys a political message. |
| Exclusionary rule: |
Improperly gathered evidence may not be introduced in a criminal trial. |
| Probable cause: |
Reasonable cause for issuing a search warrant or making an arrest; more than mere suspicion. |
| Strict Scrutiny: |
A Supreme Court test to see if a law denies equal protection because it does not serve a compelling state interest and is not narrowly tailored to achieve that goal. |
| Separate-but-equal doctrine: |
The doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) that African Americans could constitutionally be kept in separate but equal facilities. |
| Equality of result: |
Making certain that people achieve the same result. |
| Equality of opportunity: |
Giving people an equal chance to succeed. |
| Random sample: |
Method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal probability of being selected. |
| Sampling error: |
The difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time. |
| Split ticket: |
Voting for candidates of difference parties for various offices in the same election. |
| PAC (political action committee): |
A committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations. |
| Incumbent: |
The person already holding an elective office. |
| Malapportionment: |
Drawing the boundaries of legislative districts so that they are unequal in population. |
| Gerrymandering: |
Drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in bizarre or unusual shapes to favor one party. |
| Primary election: |
An election held to choose candidates for office. |
| Soft Money: |
Funds obtained by political parties that are spent on party activities, such as get-out-the-vote drives, but not on behalf of a specific candidate. |
| Background: |
A public official’s statement to a reporter that is given on condition that the official not be named. |
| Filibuster: |
An attempt to defeat a bill in the Senate by talking indefinitely, thus preventing the Senate from taking action to the bill. |
| Marginal districts: |
Political districts in which candidates elected to the House of Representatives win in close elections, typically by less than 55 percent of the vote. |
| Whip: |
A senator or representative who helps the party leader stay informed about what members are thinking. |
| Pork-barrel legislation: |
Legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return. |
| Grid lock: |
The inability of the government to act because rival parties control different control different parts of the government. |
| Cabinet: |
The heads of the fifteen executive branch departments of the federal government. |
| Line-item veto: |
An executive’s ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature. |
| Impeachment: |
Charges against a president approved by a majority of the House of Representatives. |
| Lame duck: |
A person still in office after he or she has lost a bid for reelections. |
| Plaintiff: |
The party that initiates a lawsuit. |
| Brief: |
A written statement by an attorney that summarizes a case and the laws and rulings that support it. |
| Stare decisis: |
“let the decision stand.” or allowed prior rulings to control the current case. |
| Amicus Curiae: |
A brief submitted by a “friend of the court.” |
| Logrolling: |
A legislator supports a proposal favored by another in return for support of his or hers. |
| Entitlements: |
A claim for government funds that cannot be changed without violating the rights of the claimant. |
Beef Production
