APGov Unit 2 Exam Review

A comprehensive set of flashcards for reviewing key concepts and vocabulary from Unit 2 of AP Government, covering Congress, the Presidency, the Judiciary, and the Bureaucracy.

What is pork barrel spending?

Legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states.

What does logrolling refer to in Congress?

The trading of votes on legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation.

Define constituency.

A body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator.

What is the purpose of congressional oversight?

To ensure that executive branch agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments, as well as their officials, are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals.

What is apportionment?

The process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data.

What does redistricting involve?

States’ redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census.

What is gerrymandering?

The intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters.

Differentiate between partisan gerrymandering and regular gerrymandering.

Partisan gerrymandering is drawing district boundaries into odd shapes specifically to benefit a political party.

Define majority-minority district.

A district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority.

What is malapportionment?

The uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts.

What is incumbency?

Being already in office as opposed to running for the first time.

Explain incumbency advantage.

Institutional advantages held by those already in office who are trying to fend off challengers in an election.

Who is the Speaker of the House?

The leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by an election of its members.

What role does the House majority leader play?

The person who is the second in command of the House of Representatives.

What is the function of a whip in Congress?

To ensure party unity and discipline among members.

Who is the minority leader?

The head of the party with the second-highest number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party’s members.

Describe the Senate majority leader's role.

The person who has the most power in the Senate, leading the party with the most seats.

What is a committee chair?

Leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee’s agenda.

What is a discharge petition?

A motion filed by a member of Congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote.

Define the House Rules Committee.

A powerful committee that determines when a bill will be debated and voted on, how long the debate will last, and if amendments will be allowed.

What is the Committee of the Whole?

Consists of all members of the House and meets in the House chamber with different rules to consider complex legislation.

What is a hold in the legislative context?

A delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill.

What is a unanimous consent agreement?

An agreement in the Senate that sets the terms for consideration of a bill.

What is a filibuster?

A tactic allowing a senator to use unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on legislation.

What does cloture do?

Ends debate on a bill and proceeds to action, requiring the agreement of 60 senators.

What is a veto?

The power of the president to reject a bill passed by Congress.

Describe an entitlement program.

A program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income.

What is mandatory spending?

Spending required by existing laws that is 'locked in' the budget.

What is discretionary spending?

Spending for programs and policies at the discretion of Congress and the president.

Explain the delegate role of a member of Congress.

The main duty of a member of Congress to carry out constituents’ wishes.

What is the trustee role in Congress?

Members of Congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their knowledge and judgment.

Define the politico role.

Representation where members of Congress balance their choices with the interests of their constituents.

What is bipartisanship?

Agreement between the parties to work together in Congress to pass legislation.

What is gridlock in Congress?

A slowdown or halt in Congress' ability to legislate and overcome divisions.

Define divided government.

Control of the presidency and one or both chambers of Congress split between the two major parties.

What is the lame duck period?

Period at the end of a presidential term when Congress may block presidential initiatives.

What is the executive branch responsible for?

Charged with putting the nation’s laws into effect.

What are formal (enumerated) powers?

Powers expressly granted in the Constitution.

Define informal powers.

Powers not laid out in the Constitution but used to carry out presidential duties.

What is a treaty in the context of presidential powers?

An agreement with a foreign government requiring a two-thirds vote in the Senate to ratify.

What is the State of the Union Address?

The annual speech from the president to Congress updating that branch on national affairs.

What is a pocket veto?

An informal veto caused by the president not signing a bill within ten days during adjournment of Congress.

What is a presidential pardon?

Presidential authority to forgive a crime and set aside punishment.

Define executive privilege.

A right claimed by presidents to keep certain conversations and records confidential.

What is an executive agreement?

An agreement between a president and another nation that does not require Senate ratification.

What is a signing statement?

Written comments issued by presidents while signing a bill into law.

What is an executive order?

Policy directives issued by presidents that do not require congressional approval.

What does the War Powers Resolution do?

Restricts the president's ability to maintain troops in combat without congressional authorization.

What is impeachment?

The process of removing a president from office through articles issued by the House followed by a Senate trial.

What is the Executive Office of the President?

A collection of offices within the White House designed to provide information to the president.

What are bargaining and persuasion used for by the president?

Informal tools to persuade Congress to support policy initiatives.

What is the bully pulpit?

Presidential appeals to the public to press other government branches to support policies.

What does going public mean in a presidential context?

A tactic where presidents reach directly to the American people for support on policy goals.

What is the federal judiciary?

The branch of the federal government that interprets and applies the laws of the nation.

Define the Supreme Court.

The highest level of the federal judiciary established in Article III of the Constitution.

What is original jurisdiction?

The authority of a court to be the first to hear a case.

What is appellate jurisdiction?

The authority of a court to review decisions made by lower courts.

What is Federalist #78?

An argument by Hamilton that the federal judiciary would protect rights and liberties.

What was the significance of Marbury v. Madison (1803)?

It established judicial review over federal laws.

Define judicial review.

The authority to strike down a law or executive action that conflicts with the Constitution.

What is criminal law?

A category of law covering actions determined to harm the community.

What is civil law?

A category of law covering cases involving private rights between individuals and groups.

What are federal district courts?

The lowest level of the federal judiciary with original jurisdiction for federal cases.

What are federal courts of appeals?

The middle level of the federal judiciary reviewing appeals from federal district courts.

What is precedent?

A judicial decision that guides future courts in handling similar cases.

What does stare decisis mean?

The rule of precedent binding on judges when the same question is presented.

What is majority opinion?

Binding Supreme Court opinions that serve as precedent for future cases.

What is concurring opinion?

An opinion that agrees with the majority decision but offers different reasoning.

Define dissenting opinion.

An opinion that disagrees with the majority opinion and does not serve as precedent.

What is judicial restraint?

A philosophy that justices should be cautious in overturning laws.

What is judicial activism?

A philosophy that justices should wield the power of judicial review to create new policies.

What is the federal bureaucracy?

Departments and agencies within the executive branch that carry out the laws.

Define bureaucrat.

An official employed within a government bureaucracy.

What is political patronage?

Filling administrative positions as a reward for support rather than solely on merit.

What is the Pendleton Act?

An act that created the first U.S. Civil Service Commission to enforce hiring and promotion rules.

What is the Federal Civil Service?

The merit-based bureaucracy excluding armed forces and political appointments.

Describe the spoils system.

A system of public employment based on rewarding party loyalists.

What is the merit system?

A system of hiring and promotion based on qualifications rather than connections.

What is an iron triangle?

The coordinated activities of the bureaucracy, Congress, and interest groups to achieve shared goals.

Define issue network.

Webs of influence between interest groups, policymakers, and advocates.

What does implementation mean in the context of the bureaucracy?

The role of the bureaucracy in putting laws passed by Congress into action.

What is bureaucratic discretion?

The power to decide how a law is implemented.

What is regulation in terms of bureaucratic powers?

The process through which the federal bureaucracy makes rules that have the force of law.

What is bureaucratic adjudication?

When the federal bureaucracy settles disputes over the implementation of laws.

What is a department within the federal government?

Usually the largest organization in government with the highest rank in federal hierarchy.

Define independent (stand-alone) agency.

A government entity that operates independently of the three government branches.

What is an independent regulatory commission?

A government agency with regulatory power whose independence is protected by Congress.

What is a government corporation?

A government agency that operates like a business corporation.

What does the Hatch Act do?

Bars federal employees from active participation in certain kinds of politics.

What is oversight in the context of government?

Legislative or executive review of a government program.

Define public policy.

A specific course of action that government takes to address a problem.

What is a policy agenda?

The list of issues that the federal government pays attention to.

What is a think tank?

A nongovernmental organization that influences public policy through research and education.