| A | B |
|---|
| a political organization that tries to put its ideas into law by nominating candidates and winning elections | political party |
| political philosophy that supports the use of increased government power to provide for the common good | liberal |
| political philosophy that supports limited government | converative |
| having at least 50% of the vote in an election | majority |
| the process of selecting candidates to run for office | nominate |
| a written statement of the beliefs that a political party officially stands for | platform |
| the vote of the people | popular vote |
| the vote cast by states for the purpose of electing a president | electoral vote |
| an election that allows voters to approve or reject a bill or amendment that has been passed by their state legislature | referendum |
| a group of people that try to influence politicians and public policy | interest group |
| common name given to interest groups that are only interested in a particular issue | special interests |
| fundraising committee formed by an interest group to help them get candidates elected that support their cause | PAC |
| individual who works for an interest group by attempting to influence politicians | lobbyist |
| primary election | an election used to nominate a party's candidates to run for political office |
| ballot that enables citizens to vote by mail when they cannot be present for an election | absentee ballot |
| What do researchers use to survey public opinion? | polls |
| What are news organizations that report on public issues and events called? | media |
| an independent or minor political party | third party |
| What does a candidate need to receive in order to win a presidential election? | a majority (270) in the electoral college |
| Which constitutional principle is reflected in the Preamble when it says "We the people...do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America"? | popular sovereignty |
| Which constitutional principle divides powers between the different branches of government? | separation of powers |
| Which branch of government makes laws? | legislative (U.S. Congress) |
| What constitutional principle enables one branch to counteract the powers of another branch? | checks & balances |
| Which branch of government enforces or carries out the law? | executive (President and executive agencies) |
| Which branch of government interprets the law? | judicial (Supreme Court and lower federal courts) |
| What constitutional principle enables the Supreme Court to strike down a law or government action that it has determined to be unconstitutional? | judicial review |
| How can the president's power to select federal judges and executive officials be limited or blocked? | majority vote in the Senate |
| What enumerated powers are specifically delegated to Congress in Article I, Sec. 8 of the Constitution? | tax, declare war, borrow, coin money, regulate interstate commerce |
| What powers are delegated to Congress by the “necessary and proper” or "elastic" clause? | implied powers |
| According to the 10th Amendment, who do the reserved powers belong to? | the states |
| Which clause in the U.S. Constitution makes the national government and all laws made under it the "supreme law of the land"? | the supremacy clause |
| Which clause in the U.S. Constitution requires each state to honor any public acts, records, or legal contracts that are made in another state? | "full faith and credit" |
| Which power enables the House of Representatives to bring charges against the president for "high crimes or misdemeanors"? | impeachment |
| Which constitutional protection limits government by preventing people from being jailed without charge? | writ of habeus corpus |
| Which power of the president can be used to forbid a bill passed by Congress? | veto |
| Which two legislative bodies make up the U.S. Congress? | the House of Representatives and the Senate |
| What is the most basic function of the U.S. Congress? | to make laws |
| How can the Constitution be changed? | amendment process |
| How are amendments to the U.S. Constituion normally proposed? | passage by a 2/3 majority in each house of Congress |
| How are amendments to the U.S. Constitution normally ratified? | by a majority vote in 3/4 of the state legislatures |
| Which constitutional principle divides powers between the national government and the states? | federalism |
| What freedoms are guaranteed by the 1st Amendment? | expression (speech), the press, assembly, religion, petition |
| Which freedom is protected by the principle of “separation of church and state”? | religious freedom |
| What right is protected by the 2nd Amendment? | right to bear arms |
| What freedom is protected by the 4th Amendment? | no unreasonable searches and seizures |
| What rights for the accused are guaranteed by due process in the 5th Amendment? | no double jeopardy, right to remain silent, indictment by grand jury |
| What features of the 6th Amendment protect the rights of the accused? | right to an attorney and trial by jury |
| Which Amendment guarantees “equal protection” under the law? | Fourteenth Amendment |
| Which court case upheld the principle of "separate but equal"? | Plessy v. Ferguson |
| Which court case overturned the principle of “separate but equal” by declaring that segregation in schools was unconstitutional? | Brown v. Board of Education |
| What enables school officials to search the personal belongings of students, based on the ruling of the Court in New Jersey v. T.L.O.? | reasonable suspicion |
| Which court case protected students' freedom of expression to wear armbands in protest against the Vietnam War? | Tinker v. DesMoines |
| Which court case expanded the rights of criminal suspects by requiring law enforcement officers to inform them of their rights? | Miranda v. Arizona |
| What court case confirmed that the right to an attorney is guaranteed by the 6th Amendment? | Gideon v. Wainwright |
