TGHS AP Gov Exam Review (1)
Government - correct answer Institutions and processes through which public policy is made for a
society
Public goods - correct answer Goods, such as schools, that everyone must share; they are open to the
public
Politics - correct answer Process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies
these leaders pursue. It produces authoritative decisions about public issues. Who gets what when and
how.
Political participation - correct answer All activities used by citizens to influence the selection of
political leaders or the polivies they pursue; ways in which people get involved in politics. Ex. Voting,
protest
Single issue group - correct answer Groups that have narrow interests, tend to dislike compromise
and draw membership from people new to poitics
Policymaking system - correct answer Process by which policy comes into being and eolves over time.
People's interests, problems, and concerns create political issues for government. Issues shape policy
which impacts people, generating more interests, problems, and concerns
Linksge institutions - correct answer Political channels through which peoples concerns become
poitical issues on the policy agenda
-elections, political parties, interest groups, media
Policymaking institutions - correct answer Branches of government charged with taking action on
political issues. Us constitution established three of them: congress, the president, and the courts.
Policy agenda - correct answer Issues that attract serious attention of public officials and other people
actually involved in politics at any time. Most serious problems will most likely end up here.
,Political issue - correct answer Issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix
it
Public policy - correct answer Choice government makes in response to a political issue. Its a course
of action taken with regard to some problem.
Democracy - correct answer System of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so policy
represents and responds to the public's preferences
Majority rule - correct answer Fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In democracy,
choosing among alternatives requires the majaoritys desires to be respected.
Minority rights - correct answer Principle of raditional democratic theory. It guarantee rights to those
who dont belong to majorities
Representation - correct answer Basic principle oftrditional democratic theory. Its the relationship
between few leaders and many followers.
Policy gridlock - correct answer Occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and
establish polcy-- nothing gets done.
Political culture - correct answer Overall set of values shared in a society. It holds american
democracy together
Governmental institutions - correct answer Executive, legislative, judicial, media, and bureacracy.
Each institutions we have has processes: executive orders, amendments, court decisions, shaping public
opinion, etc. government decides through public policy who gets what when and how
Origins of democracy - correct answer Aristotle, point of politics, constitutions or
polity( arrangements of magistracies in a state), pluralism contributes to formation of a society, man is
social, community (needed to know yourself), hapiness( goal of society), polity( best solution for
government between democracy ehere everyone has influence)
,Practical challenges to democracy - correct answer Order v. Liberty, majority representEd and
minority is not, increased technical expertise, decreased particiption, devestated access
Tyranny - correct answer When a group has absolute control
Despotism - correct answer Whem someone has power and uses it in an egregious way
American democracy - correct answer Equality, freedom, soverngntry( by people, power resides with
them), progress, individualism (choice), pride (patriotism)
Types of public policy - correct answer 1. Congressional statue- law passed by congress
2. President action- decisiom by prez
3. Court decision- opinion by the court.
4. Budgetary choices- legislature enactment of taxes and expenditures
5. Regulation- agency adoption or regulation
Pluralist theory - correct answer Theory of a contemporary democracy. Politics is mainly a
competition among groups, each pressing for its own preferred policies. Groups with shared interest
influence public policy.
Elite class theory - correct answer Theory of a contemporary democracy. Societies are divided among
class lines, upper class (elite) will rule.
Hyperpluralism - correct answer Theory of a contemporary democracy. Groups are so strong that the
government is weakened' it is an extreme form of pluralism
traditional democracy theory - correct answer rests on the number of key principles that specify how
government decisions are made in a demoocraacy: equality in voting, effecttive participaation (ccitizzens
must have eqqual opportunity to expresss preferencess), englighttened understanding (mmarkeyplacce
of ideas), citizens control of ageendaa (citiizens should have collective right to ccontrol the poolicy
agenda), inclusion (government must include and extennd rights to all)
, public policy - correct answer choice that government makes in response to a political issue. A policy
is a course of action taken with regard to some problem.
Seymour Lipset's Summary of Democracy - correct answer Liberty (Americans rather battle than
submit to the oppression of communist rule), egalitarianism (equal opportunity, everyone has chance to
be rich), individualism ( people can/ should get aahead on their own), lassiez faire, populism (emphasis
on the people)
culture War - correct answer 3 ways in which this is true: loss of traditional values, unfavorable
comparison with citizens of other countries (patriootism), division of society into opposed groups w/
moral differences.
2 fundamental questions about government - correct answer 1. how should we govern? 2. what
should the government do?
what does the national government provide - correct answer national defense, public services,
preserve order, socializes the young, collect taxes
constitution - correct answer nation's basic law, creates political instiutions, assigns or divides powers
in government, and provides some guarantees. it sets broad rules of game of politics and supercedes
ordinary law.
US Constitution - correct answer document written in 1787 that sets forth the institutional structure
of the US government and tasks these institutions perform.
THe Constitution made after the AOC - correct answer Hamiliton and Madison wrote it. The
Federalists wanted to move away from populist tendencies of thhe revolution and articles-more towards
structure. Major tensions: large states v. small states, north states v. south states, and federalists v. anti
federalists
declaration of independence - correct answer document approved by the representative of American
colonies in 1776, it stated the Americaan grievances against King George and declared their
independence. It blamed the king b.c the colonists thought that parliament lacked the power.
