Name: ______________________________
Midterm Study Guide
Unit 1 – Citizenship and Government - Chapters 1 & 27 – pages 2-25, 586-606
Civics: is the study of rights and duties of citizens.
Dictatorship: a government controlled by one person or a small group of people
Governmental Levels: local government is the closest level of government to American citizens.
Budget: is a plan for collecting and spending money
Popular Sovereignty: government by the consent of the governed.
Free Elections: allow people to choose their leaders and voice their opinions on issues
Absolute Monarchs: are hereditary rulers with unlimited authority to do as they wish.
Republic: is a representative government in which no leaders inherit office
Prime minister: the head of a parliamentary government
Parliamentary system: the system of government that most countries follow, based off the British model
People’s Republic of China: a communist party that has controlled China since 1949
Public Policy: a course of government action to achieve community goals
Totalitarian government: governmental control extends to almost every aspect of people’s lives.
Constitutional monarchy: the king or queen is limited by a constitution and laws.
Politburo: the group that makes China’s national policy.
Unit 2 – The Constitution – Chapter 3 – pages 50-95
British House of Lords: is non elected body and has relatively little power.
English Bill of Rights- written in 1689 by parliament, it would help to establish rights for the people of
England.
Common Law: a system of law based on precedent and customs
Popular Sovereignty: the notion that governmental power lies with the people
Precedent: a ruling that is used as the basis for a judicial decision in a later, similar case.
The Declaration of Independence states: That all men are entitled to the idea of “Life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness.”
Magna Carta: guaranteed that not even the king or queen was above the law
Articles of Confederation: the first constitution of the United States of America
Made for a weak congress; they could not regulate trade, collect taxes, or enforce its own laws.
The Great Compromise: called for congress to have a house of representatives and a senate.
Three-fifths compromise: proposed that every five enslaved persons would count as three free persons.
Federalism: a form of government where power is divided between the national government and state
government.
Rule of Law: the law applies to everyone, even those who govern
Reserved Powers: powers given to the state governments but not to the national government.
Electoral College: a group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice
president.
Article I of the Constitution: details how the legislative branch works
Powers the legislative branch has under the constitution: the power to tax, regulate commerce and
confirm presidential appointments
Unit 3 – The Bill of Rights – Chapter 4 – pages 96-117
Censorship: the term for banning printed materials or films merely because they contain alarming or
offensive ideas
Libel: a crime that involves harming a person’s reputation by printing lies about him or her
Search Warrant: is a court order allowing police to search a suspect’s home or business and take specific
items as evidence.
Double Jeopardy: a person judged not guilty cannot be put on trial again for the same crime.
Sixth Amendment: You have the right to an attorney
Second Amendment: you have the right to bear arms and to have a well-regulated militia
Segregation: the social separation of the races
Affirmative Action: encourages the hiring and promoting of minorities and women in the fields that are
traditionally closed to them.
Discrimination: the unfair treatment of someone based on prejudice against a certain group
Nineteenth Amendment: gave women the right to vote
Civil Liberties: is the freedom to think and act without government interference or fear of unfair
treatment.
Petition: the right to express one’s ideas to the government
Fourth Amendment: protects Americans from unreasonable searches and seizures
Eminent Domain: the right of the government to take away private property for public use
Twenty-fourth Amendment: no poll taxes to vote
Racial profiling: a term referring to when a police officer singles out a person as a suspect based on the
way they look
Unit 4 – The Judicial Branch – Chapter 8 – pages 190-212
Exclusive Jurisdiction: refers to the fact that only federal courts can hear and decide cases
Original Jurisdiction: the authority to hear federal cases first, found in the district court level
Appellate Jurisdiction: allows a court to hear appeals from a lower court
Remand : to send a case back to a lower court to hear it again
Subpoena: a document that requires someone to appear in court
Marbury v. Madison: case that ruled that the power of judicial review lies within the Supreme Court
Brief: a written document that explains one side’s position on a case.
Dissenting Opinion: an opinion written by a justice who disagrees with the majority decision
Precedent: a previous case that gives guidance to other judges hearing similar cases.
Federal Courts and exclusive jurisdiction: they have it over cases involving maritime law
Jurisdiction: a court’s authority to hear and decide cases
Concurrent jurisdiction: a case that can be heard in either the federal or state courts
Appeals Court: reviews decisions made in the lower district courts
Opinion: offers a written, detailed explanation of the legal thinking behind a court’s decision
Circuit: the geographic area covered by an appeals court
Stare decisis: the guiding principal for all judges
Unit 5- The Executive Branch – Chapter 7 – pages 164 – 188
Order of Succession: Vice President, Speaker of the House, President Pro Tempore of the Senate,
Secretary of State
Reprieve: to delay a person’s punishment until a higher court can hear the case
American Foreign Policy: is designed to help improve national security, it is the countries plan for dealing
with other nations
Executive Agreement: a way for the president to by-pass the senate, it is when the president makes an
agreement with the leader of another country
Government Corporation: a corporation run by the government, an example would be the United States
Postal Service
Federal Budget: offers the clearest statement of the administration’s plans and goals for the coming
year.
Electoral Votes: a state has as many electoral votes as it does senators and representatives
Executive order: a rule or command that has the force of law
Amnesty: to grant a pardon to a group of people
Treaty: a formal agreement between two or more countries
Merit System: hiring people into government jobs based on their qualifications. The civil service system
is a merit system
Unit 6 – The Legislative Branch – Chapter 6 – pages 134 - 162
Constituents: people from a representative’s district
Speaker of the House: most powerful member of the House of Representatives
Impeach: the term used for when an official is formally accused of misconduct in office
Ex post facto laws: laws that make an act a crime after the act has been committed
Lobbyists: hired to try to influence government decision makers
Pork-barrel projects: a term that refers to government projects and grants that primarily benefit a
Congress member’s home state.
Special interest groups: groups that try to influence government decisions
Filibustering: a tactic of delaying a vote until a bill’s sponsor withdraws the measure
Census: a population count taken every 10 years
Elastic Clause: clause 18, the necessary and proper clause
Writ of Habeas Corpus: requires police to explain to a court why they are holding a prisoner.
Franking privilege: allows congress members to send mail without paying postage.