AP Exam Flashcards

4286537895	majority rule	A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire be respected.	0
4425095990	checks and balances	A major principle of the American system of government. Helps maintain separation of powers so that no one branch gets too powerful. Explained in Federalist 51. Examples: President vetos laws; Senate confirms appointments & treaties; Congress impeaches president & judges...	1
4425099919	unitary system	System of government in which all power is invested in a central government.	2
4425101670	federalism	A system of government in which a written constitution divides power between a central, or national, government and several regional governments	3
4425105218	expressed powers	Powers specifically granted to the federal government by the Constitution. For example, the Constitution gives Congress the power to coin money, impose taxes, and regulate interstate commerce. Expressed powers are also called enumerated powers.	4
4425110596	implied powers	Powers of the federal government that go beyond those enumerated in the Constitution. Implied powers are derived from the elastic or necessary and proper clause.	5
4425112316	reserved powers	Powers not specifically granted to the national government or denied to the states. Reserved powers are held by the states through the Tenth Amendment.	6
4425117935	cooperative federalism	Situations in which the national and state governments work together to complete projects. Also called fiscal federalism.	7
4425120850	categorical grant	Funds provided for a specific and clearly defined purpose.	8
4425123765	block grant	These are broad state grants to states for prescribed activities—welfare, child care, education, social services, preventive health care, and health services—with only a few strings attached. States have greater flexibility in deciding how to spend block grant dollars, but when the federal funds for any fiscal year are gone, there are no more matching federal dollars.	9
4425127843	mandates	Rules telling states what they must do to comply with federal guidelines. Unfunded mandates require state and local governments to provide services or comply with regulations without the provision of funds.	10
4425130970	devolution	A movement to transfer the responsibilities of governing from the federal government to state and local governments.	11
4425134594	political culture	A set of widely shared political beliefs and values. America's political culture is characterized by strong support for individual liberty, political equality, legal equality, the rule of law, and limited government.	12
4425137571	political socialization	The process by which political values are formed and passed from one generation to the next. The family is the most important agent of political socialization.	13
4425141273	public opinion	Attitudes about institutions, leaders, political issues, and events.	14
4425143943	political ideology	A cohesive set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and the role of government.	15
4425146539	political efficacy	The belief that one's political participation makes a difference.	16
4425150486	split-ticket voting	Voting for candidates of different parties for different offices in the same election. Recent elections have witnessed a significant increase in split-ticket voting as the number of voters who identify themselves as independents increases.	17
4425152898	political party	A group of citizens who organize to win elections, hold public offices, operate governments and determine public policy.	18
4425155805	plurality election	The winning candidate is the person who receives more votes than anyone else, but less than half the total.	19
4425159241	single-member district	An electoral district from which one person is chosen by voters for each elected office. This type of electoral system typically leads to legislatures dominated by two political parties.	20
4425162226	party era	An historical period dominated by one political party.	21
4425164452	critical election	An election when significant groups of voters change their traditional patterns of party loyalty.	22
4425166639	party realignment	The majority party is displaced by the minority party, thus ushering in a new party era. For example, in 1932, Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) led the New Deal coalition of blue-collar workers, racial minorities, Southerners, and farm laborers to a sweeping electoral victory.	23
4425170535	divided government	A government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls Congress. The pattern of divided government has dominated U.S. politics since the early 1970s.	24
4425173509	interest group	An organization of people whose members share views on specific interests and attempt to influence public policy to their benefit. Unlike political parties, interest groups do not elect people to office.	25
4425176350	political action committee	A committee formed by business, labor, or other interest groups to raise money and make contributions to the campaigns of political candidates whom they support.	26
4425178596	free riders	People who benefit from an interest group without making any contributions. Labor unions and public interest groups often have a free-rider problem because people can benefit from the group's activities without joining.	27
4425183004	power elite theory	The theory that a small number of very wealthy individuals, powerful corporate interest groups, and large financial institutions dominate key policy areas.	28
4425186358	pluralist theory	The theory that many interest groups compete for power in a large number of policy areas.	29
4425189432	hyperpluralist theory	The theory that government policy is weakened and often contradictory because there are so many competing interest groups.	30
4425192701	mass media	Means of communication such as newspapers, radio, television, and the Internet that can reach large, widely dispersed audiences.	31
4425195980	linkage institutions	Institutions that connect citizens to government. The mass media, interest groups, and political parties are the three main linkage institutions.	32
4425200058	horse-race journalism	The tendency of the media to cover campaigns by emphasizing how candidates stand in the polls instead of where they stand on the issues.	33
4425204768	congressional redistricting	The reallocation of the number of representatives each state has in the House of Representatives.	34
4425206348	gerrymandering	The legislative process by which the majority party in each state legislature redraws congressional districts to ensure the maximum number of seats for its candidates.	35
4425209590	incumbent	An officeholder who is seeking reelection.	36
4425216292	franking privilege	The right of members of Congress to mail newsletters to their constituents at the government's expense.	37
4425464481	standing committees	Permanent subject-matter congressional committees that handle legislation and oversee the bureaucracy.	38
4425467923	conference committees	Temporary bodies that are formed to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of a bill.	39
4425473434	House rules committee	The House Rules Committee sets the guidelines for floor debate. It gives each bill a rule that places the bill on the legislative calendar, limits time for debate, and determines the type of amendments that will be allowed.	40
4425478486	House Ways and Means committee	House committee that handles tax bills.	41
4425482885	seniority	Unwritten rule in both houses of Congress reserving committee chairs to members of the committee with the longest records of continuous service.	42
4425482898	filibuster	A strategy unique to the Senate whereby opponents of a piece of legislation try to talk it to death, based on the tradition of unlimited debate. Today, 60 members present and voting can halt a filibuster.	43
4425490152	cloture	A Senate motion to end a filibuster. Cloture requires a three-fifths vote.	44
4425492870	logrolling	Tactic of mutual aid and vote trading among legislators.	45
4425494768	oversight	Congressional review of the activities of an executive agency, department, or office.	46
4425499655	delegate role of representation	When members of Congress cast votes based on the wishes of their constituents.	47
4425501615	closed primary	A primary in which voters are required to identify a party preference before the election and are not allowed to split their ticket.	48
4425504029	frontloading	The recent pattern of states holding primaries early in order to maximize their media attention and political influence. Three-fourths of the presidential primaries are now held between February and mid-March.	49
4425505526	soft money	Contributions to political parties for party-building activities. Soft money contributions are used to circumvent limits on hard money.	50
4425511251	527 Group	A tax-exempt organization created to influence the political process; 527 groups are not regulated by the Federal Election Commission because they do not coordinate their activities with a candidate or party.	51
4425513429	veto	Chief executive's power to reject a bill passed by a legislature	52
4425517943	line-item veto	The power to veto specific dollar amounts or line items from major congressional spending bills. The Supreme Court struck down the line-item veto as an unconstitutional expansion of the president's veto power.	53
4425520029	executive agreement	A pact between the president and a head of a foreign state. Executive agreements do not have to be approved by the Senate. However, unlike treaties, executive agreements are not part of U.S. law and are not binding on future presidents.	54
4425524520	executive privilege	The president's power to refuse to disclose confidential information. In United States v. Nixon (1974), the Supreme Court ruled that there is no constitutional guarantee of unqualified executive privilege.	55
4425529145	lame-duck period	The period of time in which the president's term is about to come to an end. Presidents typically have less influence during a lame-duck period.	56
4425876722	bureaucracy	A large, complex organization composed of appointed officials	57
4425879635	executive order	A directive, order, or regulation issued by the president. Executive orders are based on constitutional or statutory authority and have the force of law.	58
4425882574	iron triangle	An alliance among an administrative agency, an interest group, and a congressional committee. Each member of the iron triangle provides key services, information, or policy for the others.	59
4425889294	issue network	A network that includes policy experts, media pundits, congressional staff members, and interest groups who regularly debate an issue.	60
4425891543	policy agenda	A set of issues and problems that policy makers consider important. The mass media play an important role in influencing the issues which receive public attention.	61
4425894124	appellate jurisdiction	The authority of a court to hear an appeal from a lower court.	62
4425898313	senatorial courtesy	An unwritten tradition whereby the Senate will not confirm nominations for lower court positions that are opposed by a senator of the president's own party from the state in which the nominee is to serve.	63
4425902586	writ of certiorari	Order by the Supreme Court directing a lower court to send up the records of a case for review	64
4425904945	rule of four	The Supreme Court will hear a case if four justices agree to do so.	65
4426122004	solicitor general	The solicitor general is responsible for handling all appeals on behalf of the United States government to the Supreme Court.	66
4426125835	amicus curiae brief	A friend of the court brief filed by an interest group or interested party to influence a Supreme Court decision.	67
4426129487	stare decisis	"Let the decision stand"; the principle that cases should be decided in ways consistent with similar prior cases. Promotes consistency & fairness.	68
4426137316	judicial restraint	Philosophy that the Supreme Court should use precedent and the Framers' original intent to decide cases.	69
4426144922	judicial activism	A judicial philosophy in which judges make bold policy decisions, even charting new constitutional ground. Advocates of this approach emphasize that the courts can correct pressing needs, especially those unmet by the majoritarian political process.	70
4426157082	monetary policy	Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling the money supply and thus interest rates.	71
4426160300	fiscal policy	Raising and lowering taxes and government spending programs. Fiscal policy is controlled by the executive and legislative branches.	72
4426166364	entitlement program	A government-sponsored program that provides mandated benefits to those who meet eligibility requirements. Social Security and Medicare are the government's largest entitlement programs.	73
4426169662	Office of Management and Budget	EOP agency that helps the President prepare annual budget proposal and evaluates budget priorities and effectiveness of federal agencies (oversight)	74
4426172397	civil liberties	Legal and constitutional rights that protect individuals from arbitrary acts of government. Civil liberties include freedom of speech and guarantees of a fair trial.	75
4426176142	civil rights	Policies designed to protect people against arbitrary or discriminatory treatment by government officials or individuals. These include laws prohibiting racial and gender discrimination.	76
4426192926	selective incorporation	The case-by-case process by which liberties listed in the Bill of Rights have been applied to the states using the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.	77
4426984056	establishment clause	A provision of the First Amendment that prohibits Congress from establishing an official government-sponsored religion.	78
4426987415	free exercise clause	A provision of the First Amendment that guarantees each person the right to believe what he or she wants. However, a religion cannot make an act legal that would otherwise be illegal.	79
4426990538	clear and present danger test	Interpretation of the First Amendment that holds that the government cannot interfere with speech unless the speech presents a clear and present danger that it will lead to evil or illegal acts.	80
4426993718	writ of habeas corpus	A court order directing that a prisoner be brought before a court and that the court officers show cause why the prisoner should not be released.	81
4426996222	bill of attainder	A legislative act that provides for the punishment of a person without a court trial.	82
4426998275	ex post facto law	A law applied to an act committed before the law was enacted.	83
4427002742	exclusionary rule	Supreme Court guideline that excludes the use of illegally obtained evidence in a criminal trial.	84
4427006408	miranda warnings	Warnings that police must read to suspects prior to questioning that advises them of their rights.	85
4427008130	strict scrutiny	Supreme Court guideline for determining if government can make racial distinctions. According to this guideline, such distinctions are highly suspect and are allowed only if they are narrowly tailored to serve a compelling government interest.	86
4427011572	affirmative action	A policy requiring federal agencies, universities, and most employers to take positive steps to remedy the effects of past discrimination.	87