US Gov and Politics

Key Terms: Political Parties/Interest Groups/Media (Underlined terms have appeared on the multiple choice sections of past released AP exams) Amicus curiae brief: ?friend of the court? brief filed by an interest group to influence a Supreme Court decision. Dealignment argument: contention that parties are less meaningful to voters, who have abandoned the parties in greater numbers to become independents. Divided Government: government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls the Congress. Elite Theory: theory that upper class elites exercise great influence over public policy. Factions: term used by Madison to denote what we call now interest groups.

Key Terms: Constitutional Underpinnings (Underlined terms have appeared on the multiple choice sections of past released AP exams) Bicameral legislature: two-house legislature Block grant: 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). Categorical Grant: 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). Centralists: those who favor greater national authority rather than state authority. Checks and Balances: system in which each branch of the government can limit the power of the other two branches (e.g., presidential veto of a congressional law).