AP Review Vocab

1. Apportionment- distribution of representatives among the states based on the population of each state.

2. Politics- method of maintaining, managing, and gaining control of government.

3. Elastic Clause- the necessary and proper clause, article 1, section 8, clause 18 that allows Congress to pass laws to carry out it's powers.

4. General election- voters choose officeholder from among all the candidates nominated by political parties or running as independents.

5. Direct primary- party members vote to nominate their candidate for the general election.

6. Extradition- states may return fugitives to a state from which they have fled to avoid criminal prosecution at the request of the states governor.

7. Amicus curiae brief- friend of the court; interested groups may be invited to file legal beside supporting or rejecting arguments of the case.

8. Watergate- break-in at the democratic national committee headquarters at the watergate building in 1972 that resulted in a cover-up and the subsequent resignation of president Nixon.

9. Majority leader- the elected leader of the party with the most seats in the house of reps or senate.

10. Off-year election- an election taking place in a year when no presidential elections are occurring; midterm election.

11. Gridlock- when opposing parties and interests often block each others proposals, creating a political stalemate or inaction between the executive and legislative branches of government.

12. Legislative veto- to reject the actions of the president or executive agency by a vote of one or both houses of congress without the consent of the president; ruled unconstitutional by the supreme court on immigration and naturalized services v. Chadha.

13. Impoundment- refusal of the president to spend money congress has appropriated.

14. Front- loading- choosing an early date to hold the primary election.

15. Marbury v. Madison- established the principle of judicial review.

16. Initiative- allows voters to petition to propose legislation and then submit I for a vote by qualified voters.

17. Political ideology- a consistent set of beliefs about politics and public policy that sets the framework for evaluating government and public policy.

18. Limited government- basic principle of US government cannot take away.

19. Media event- a speech or photo opportunity staged to give a politicians view on an issue.

20. Discretionary spending- spending set by the government through appropriations bills, including operating expenses and salaries of government employees.

21. Popular sovereignty- basic principle of US government which holds that he people are the source of al governmental power.

22. Democracy- a system whereby the people rule either directly or by elected representation

Supreme Court Vocab

1. Amicus curiae: a brief submitted by a "friend of the court"

2. Brief: a written summary by an attorney that summarizes a case and the laws and rulings that support it

3. Class-action Suit: a case brought by someone to help him or her and all other who are simarly situated

4. Sovereign Immunity: The rule that a citizen cannot sue the government without the government consent

5. Concurring Opinion: a signed opinion in which one or more members agree with the majority view but for different reasons

6. Courts of Appeals: federal courts that hear appeals from district courts; no trials

7. Dissenting Opinion: a signed opinion in which one or more justices disagree with the majority view

8. Constitutional Courts: A federal court authorized by Article III of the constitution that keeps judges in office during good behaviour and prevenst their salaries from being reduced. Supreme courts, appellate and district courts are all examples.

9. District Courts: The lowest federal courts; federal trials can be held only here

10. Judicial Review: the power of courts to declare laws unconstitutional

11.Litmus Test: An examination of the political idealogy of a nominated judge

12. Writ of certiorari: an order by a higher court drecting a lower court to send up a case fo review

13. Marbury v. Madison: upheld judicial review of congressional acts

14. Writ of mandamus: an extraordinary writ commanding an official to perform a ministerial act taht the law recognizes as an absolute duty and not a matter for the official's discretion

15. Senatorial courtesy: The president nominates a "qualified" person to be a judge, and the senate approves or rejects the nomination based on those qualifications

16. Adversarial System: the tendency of the national media tobe suspicious of officials and eager to reveal unflattering stories about them

17. Political Question: an issue the Supreme Court will allow the executive and legislative branches decide

18. Judicial Activism: The steps that a federal courts takes toward correcting injustices

19. Judicial Restraint: the view that judges should decide cases strictly on the basis of the language of the laws and the Constitution

20. plaintiff: the party that initiates a lawsuit

21. Stare desisis: "let the decision stand", or allowing prior rulings to control the current case

22. remedy: a judicial order enforcing a right or redressing a wrong

Reading Review #2 Definitions

1.	John Locke	16.	Federalist Papers	31.	Ex post facto law
2.	social contract	17.	Virginia Plan	32.	Bill of Rights
3.	Natural Rights	18.	New Jersey Plan	33.	Proportional Representation
4.	State of Nature	19.	The Great (or Connecticut Compromise	34.	Enumerated Powers
5.	unalienable rights	20.	Republic	35.	Separated Powers
6.	Thomas Hobbes	21.	judicial review	36.	Necessary and Proper Clause
7.	Democracy	22.	separation of powers	37.	Apportionment
8.	Oligarchy	23.	federalism	38.	Supremacy Clause
9.	Monarchy	24.	Popular sovereignty	40.	Treason
10.	Mixed Government	25.	Federalists  and Antifederalists	41.	Fugitive Slave Clause
11.	Articles of Confederation	26.	James Madison	42.	Veto
12.	Constitutional Convention	27.	Alexander Hamilton	43.	Electoral College
13.	Shays’s Rebellion	28.	Federalist Nos. 10 and 51	44.	Original Jurisdiction
14.	Northwest Ordinance	29.	Coalition	45.	Appellate Jurisdiction
15.	factions	30.	Bill of Attainder	46.	Line-item veto

Reading Review #1 Questions

Reading Questions for Chapter Four “American Political Culture”
1. What are the elements that the book identifies with our political culture? What is the difference between a political culture and a political ideology?

-The book says our American culture believes in democracy and that it is a good thing and that we favor majority rule, and we respect all minority rights.

-The difference is political culture is how people think political and economic life should be carried out and political ideology are peoples set beliefs about policies the government ought to pursue.

2. What is the difference between equality of opportunity and equality of results?

-Equality of opportunity gives people a chance to succeed in an equal way and equality of result is making sure people get the same results.

3. Be familiar with the differences between American political culture and other countries’ political cultures?

-America and France both have a written Constitution and Great Britain does not.

-The USA separates powers between three branches of government, but in contrast the United Kingdom has a parliamentary system.

4. Summarize what the book says about the culture war in America.

• There are two cultural classes locked in a war over values.
• Orthodox people think morality is as important as, if not more important than self-expression and that moral rules derive from the commands of God.
• Progressive people think personal freedom is important just like certain traditional moral rules and that under certain circumstances those rules are changeable.
• Orthodox people are mainly Protestants and Christians.
• Progressive people are more liberals and people with no strong religious beliefs.

5. What is the difference between internal and external efficacy?

-In internal efficacy people believe they can take part in politics and in external efficacy people believe the government will respond to the citizenry.

Reading Questions for Chapter Seven “Public Opinion”
1. What was the Founders’ attitude towards public opinion? Give examples of how we see that attitude reflected in how they wrote the Constitution.

-They did not want to create a government that would do what the people wanted. We see this because they created the Constitution to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessing of liberty.

2. Identify three problems in assessing public opinion.

1. Some people care more about certain issues than other people do.
2. On some issues opinions are pretty steady, while on others they tend to be more volatile.
3. On some issues the government seems largely in sync with popular views and statements while on other issues the government is very out of sync with the public.

3. The book gives four factors that affect political attitudes. Identify those four factors and summarize the conclusions about how those factors affect people’s political attitude.

• Family- Like if your parents are more democratic then you as their child would be more democratic.
• Religion- People tend to vote more for some one who is of the same religious background as them.
• Gender Gap- Women are more likely to vote for Democrats, while men are more likely to vote for Republicans.
• Schooling- People who were born during the baby boomer age were the ones who wen t to college and are therefore more educated about politics.

4. The book discusses the cleavages which may divide various demographic groups ideologically. The author give three factors that divide people’s political beliefs.

• Social Class- most people that belong to a higher social class vote differently than those of a lower class because they come from different professions

• Race and Ethnicity- there is no certain race or ethnicity that votes a specific way
• Religion-geographic regions affect political attitudes

5.

• Because of mass ideologies and liberal and conservatives elites. They affect them by changing people’s views.

6.

• Influence public opinion by first raising and framing political issues. Then, they state the norms by which issues should be settled.
• They can only affect what we as the public can see.

Review #1 Chapter 8
1.

• Because we do vote but the effect or the turnout is small

2.

• Congress passed the literacy test
• The result of this law is

3.

• Literacy Test- A requirement that citizens show that they can read before registering to vote
• Poll Tax-A requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote
• Grandfather Clause-A clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867
• White Primary-The practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states’ primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation

4.

• Good effects, more people are voting ever since these amendments were established

5.

• Because the voter eligibility population was low

Reading Review #1 Definitions

1. Political Culture- what people believe and feel about government and how they think
2. Political Ideology- a more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to purse
3. Equality of Opportunity- all persons regardless of social class, age, race, or gender should have equal rights to compete for and attain positions in society
4. Equality of Results- making certain that people achieve the same result
5. Civic Duty- a belief that one has obligation to participate in civic and political affairs
6. Progressive Culture- a belief that personal freedom and solving social problems are more important than religion
7. Orthodox Culture- a belief that mortailty and religion ought to be of decisive importance
8. Political Efficacy- a belief that you can take part in politics or that the government will respond to the citizenry
9. Middle America- the middle class in the U.S
10. Silent Majority- an unspecified large majority of people who do not express their opinions publicly
11. Social Status- position in social hierarchy
12. Christian Coalition- U.S Christian advocacy group
13. Gender Gap- difference in political views between men and women
14. Liberal- open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values
15. Conservative- averse to change and holds to traditional values and attitudes
16. Libertarian- adherent of libertarianism and advocates civil liberty
17. Populist- a member or adherent of a political party that represents the interests of ordinary people
18. Political Elite- persons with a disproportionate share of political power
19. New Class- the privileged ruling class of bureaucrats and Communist Party
20. New Deal Coalition- the alignment of interst groups and voting blocs that supported the New Deal and voted for Democratic presidential candidates
21. Random Sample- method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal probability of being selected
22. Sampling Error- the difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time
23. Weighting- adjustments made in order to take account of special circumstances
24. Quota Sample- sample created by gathering a predefined number of participants from each of several predetermined categories
25. Focus Groups- demographically diverse group of people assembled to participate in a guided discussion about a particular product before it is launched
26. Instant Response Polling- polling used by media and online
27. Push Polls- a political campaign technique in which an indivual or org. attemps to influence or alter the view of respondents under the guise of conducting a poll
28. Bandwagon Effect- a popular trend attracting even greater popularity
29. Refusal Rate - the percentage of people contacted who decline to participate in the research study
30. Exit Polls- polls based on interviews conducted on Election Day with randomly selected voters
31. Tracking Poll- an opinion poll in which the same sample is questioned periodically to measure shifts in opinions
32. Skewed Question- to suddenly change opinion in the questions
33. Context Effect- describes the influence of environmental factors on one's perception of a stimulus
34. Question Framing- statistical surverys used to collect quantitative information about items in a population
35. Saliency-
36. Help America Vote Act 2002- a federal program that reformed aspects of the U.S election system
37. Motor-Voter Law 1993- enables prospective voters to register when they obtain or renew a driver's license
38. Fifteenth Amendment- guaranteed blacks the right to vote
39. Literacy Test- a requirement that citizens show that they can read before registering to vote
40. Poll Tax- a requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote
41. Grandfather Clause- a clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before
42. White Primary- the practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states' primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation
43. Voting Rights Act 1965- outlawed discriminatory voting practices
44. Nineteenth Amendment 1920- granted women the right to vote
45. Voting Rights Act 1970, 1982- extended the Voting Rights Act for five years
46. Twenty-Sixth Amendment 1971- standardized the voting age to 18
47. Twenty-Third Amendment 1961- permited citizens in the District of Columbia to vote for Electors
48. Disfranchisement- the discontinuation of a franchise or of the right to vote
49. Australian Ballot- a government-printed ballot of uniform dismensions to be cast in secret that many states adopted to reduce voting fraud
50. Activist- people who tend to participate in all forms of politics
51. Demographics- statistical data relating to the population

Crisis In Japan

Due to the crisis in Japan, thousands who where told to evacuated thier homes may not be allowed to return for weeks, or even months.  It is said to be no end in sight to this nuclear crisis that has occured. 

 

From seawater and groundwater, to beef and other meats , the alarming radiation levels seem to be a big concern to numerous people.  The radiation levels detected in beef were found to be slightly above the required guidelines.  Due to this finding, meat was banned; authorities banned the sale and transport of many vegetables grown in this area as well.

Many radioactive elements has been found to reach the ocean and sea.  Recently, samples taken from the Pacific Ocean showed levels 4,000 times above the required standard.  Fishing has been banned within a 12 miles radius of the power plant until further notice. 

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/04/01/japan.nuclear.reactors/index.html?hpt=T2