American Government

100 Concepts & Final Exam Preparation American Government

THE 100 CONCEPTS

QUESTION: What is government? Number 1: ANSWER: Institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policy

QUESTION: Where and when was the Constitution written? Number 2: ANSWER: Philadelphia in Summer of 1787

QUESTION: What is legislative power? Number 3: ANSWER: Power to make laws and to frame public policies

QUESTION: What is executive power? Number 4: ANSWER: Power to execute, enforce, and administer law

QUESTION: What is judicial power? Number 5: ANSWER: Power to interpret laws and to settle disputes that arise within the society

QUESTION: What is “a set of fundamental customs, rules, traditions and laws that set forth the basic way a government is organized and functions”? Number 6: ANSWER: A constitution

QUESTION: What is a form of government in which the leader has absolute power and authority? Number 7: ANSWER: Dictatorship or tyranny

QUESTION: What is a form of government in which the supreme authority rests with the people? Number 8: ANSWER: Democracy or Republic

QUESTION: What is a body of people living in a defined territory who have a government with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority? Number 9: ANSWER: A state

QUESTION: What is defined as having supreme power within its own territory; neither subordinate nor responsible to any other authority? Number 10: ANSWER: Sovereignty

QUESTION: What did Thomas Hobbes believe about man? Number 11: ANSWER: Government is necessary to prevent "the war of every man against every man." (man is inherently evil)

QUESTION: What did John Locke believe about man? Number 12: ANSWER: We give up certain rights and freedoms to promote the safety and well-being of all (man is naturally good)

QUESTION: Which theory of the origins of government claims that states form when one person or group forces others under their control? Number 13: ANSWER: The Force Theory

QUESTION: Which theory of the origins of government claims that states developed naturally out of the early family? Number 14: ANSWER: The Evolution Theory

QUESTION: Which theory of the origins of government claims that God created the state and gave those of royal birth a right to rule? Number 15: ANSWER: The Divine Right Theory

QUESTION: Which theory of the origins of government claims that people within an area gave up power to the state to promote safety of all? Number 16: ANSWER: The Social Contract Theory

QUESTION: What is the largest Wisconsin county? Number 17: ANSWER: Marathon

QUESTION: In which type of government is the power to rule held by a small, usually self-appointed elite? Number 18: ANSWER: An oligarchy or aristocracy

QUESTION: In which type of government do all members of society vote on all issues? Number 19: ANSWER: A direct democracy

QUESTION: In which type of government do members have little or no private domain? Number 20: ANSWER: Totalitarian Dictatorship

QUESTION: Which type of government elects individual members to make decisions for the whole? Number 21: ANSWER: A representative democracy or Republic

QUESTION: Which type of government has a centralized government in which all powers belong to a single, central agency, local governments being appointed by the national government? Number 22: ANSWER: A unitary government

QUESTION: Which type of government divides powers between a central government and several local governments? Number 23: ANSWER: A federal government

QUESTION: What term refers to governmental powers being divided on a geographic basis, first discussed by Montesquieu? Number 24: ANSWER: Division of powers

QUESTION: Which government is an alliance of independent states form the central government? Number 25: ANSWER: A confederation

QUESTION: Which government has executive and legislative branches that are separate, independent, and balanced? Number 26: ANSWER: Presidential government

QUESTION: Which government has an executive that is made up of a prime minister and that official's cabinet? Number 27: ANSWER: Parliamentary government

QUESTION: Which characteristic of democracy did both Patrick Henry and Abraham Lincoln state that this nation was based upon? Number 28: ANSWER: Liberty or Freedom

QUESTION: How many justices are on the Supreme Court? Number 29: ANSWER: Nine if US, 7 if Wisconsin

QUESTION: Which characteristics of democracy state that the largest group of people is generally right, but cannot ignore small groups? Number 30: ANSWER: Majority rule, minority rights

QUESTION: Article VI of the Constitution states that what is the supreme law of the land? Number 31: ANSWER: Federal law, Treaties and the US Constitution

QUESTION: What economic system is characterized by the private ownership of capital goods? Number 33: ANSWER: Free enterprise system or Free Market

QUESTION: Which are unalienable rights, human rights, natural rights? Number 32: ANSWER: Rights given by God that cannot be transgressed (step on) or abrogated (Cancelled, taken away)

QUESTION: What economic law states that when supplies of goods and services become plentiful, prices tend to drop? Number 34: ANSWER: Laws of Supply and Demand

QUESTION: What are civil rights? Number 35: ANSWER: Rights needed to exercise inalienable rights

QUESTION: What type of government is restricted in what it may do, and each individual has certain rights that government cannot take away? Number 36: ANSWER: Limited government or constitutional government

QUESTION: What is a system of government in which public policies are made by officials selected by the voters and held accountable in periodic elections? Number 37: ANSWER: Representative government or Republic

QUESTION: Which document, also known as the Great Charter, was forced upon King John of England and established that the power of the monarchy was not absolute? Number 38: ANSWER: The Magna Carta

QUESTION: Which document, prepared by Parliament and signed by King Charles I of England in 1628, challenged the idea of the divine right of kings and declared that even the monarch was subject to the laws of the land? Number 39: ANSWER: Petition of Right

QUESTION: Which document was written by Parliament and agreed on by William and Mary of England in 1689, designed to prevent abuse of power by English monarchs and served as the basis for American politics? Number 40: ANSWER: English Bill of Rights

QUESTION: What is a bicameral legislature? Number 41: ANSWER: Legislature composed of two houses

QUESTION: What is a unicameral legislature? Number 42: ANSWER: A legislature composed of one house

QUESTION: Which group served as the nation’s first national government? Number 43: ANSWER: The 2nd Continental Congress

QUESTION: What is another term for recalling an act of government? Number 44: ANSWER: Repeal

QUESTION: What document was signed on July 4, 1776, listing grievances against England? Number 45: ANSWER: Declaration of Independence

QUESTION: What basic principle of American government asserts that the people are the source of any and all power, and government can exist only with the consent of the governed? Number 46: ANSWER: Popular sovereignty

QUESTION: What plan of government was adopted by the Continental Congress after the American Revolution, establishing a "firm league of friendship" among the States? Number 47: ANSWER: Articles of Confederation

QUESTION: What is the formal approval of a constitution, constitutional amendment, or treaty? Number 48: ANSWER: Ratification

American Government