4.0 Final Exam Review
This review packet is your guide to doing well on
the final exam. Remember that the final exam
counts for a significant percentage of your final
grade. Read, review and remember the following
concepts and you will perform well.
DEMOCRACY
 The distinguishing feature of democracy is that government
authority is derived from the people
 The system of government wherein leaders get and retain
authority as a result of winning free elections in which all
adult citizens are allowed to participate is called a republican
government:
CONSTITUTIONS
 The constitutional principle that limits the power of the
national government is known as the separation of powers,
meaning that legislative, executive, and judicial powers
should be divided
 The following are examples of checks and balances under
the US Constitutional system:
 The President’s veto power
 The Senate approves treaties negotiated by the
President
 Congress’ power of impeachment
 The Supreme Court’s power of judicial review
 Data from the census is used to determine the number of
members of the House of Representatives each state gets
in Congress and the number of Electoral College votes
each state gets
FEDERALISM
 Federalism is the division of governmental power between
the national and state governments
 One of the reasons why a federal structure of government
was the obvious choice of the Framers instead of a unitary
structure was that most Americans in the late 18th century
were deeply loyal to their state governments and feared an
all powerful central government.
 Under the 10th Amendment in our federal system, the
powers of the states included education, marriage, driver’s
licenses, drinking age
 Over time, the federal government has become more and
more powerful, while the state governments have become
comparatively less powerful.
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
 The head of the executive branch at both the federal and
state level has the power to:
o grant pardons or reprieves to convicted criminals;
o command their respective armed forces;
o sign legislation;
o represent their government as the head of state
 In government, executive power, generally means the
power to carry out the law and administer the
government
 The President is the head of the federal executive
branch
 The Governor is the head of the state executive branch.
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
 At the federal level, the branch of government that
consists of representatives elected directly by the
people is the legislative branch
 The officer that has the power to control the legislative
agenda in the US Senate is the Majority leader; for the
House of Representatives it is the Speaker of the House
 In Pennsylvania’s state government, the nearest
equivalent of the United States Congress is the General
Assembly
 A Standing Committee decides whether or not a bill will
come to the Floor for debate and a vote, and a
Conference Committee works out a compromise
between House and Senate versions of the same bill.
JUDICIAL BRANCH
 In Pennsylvania, a local judge who deals with summary
offenses and criminal arraignments is called a Magisterial
District Judge
 Most serious criminal and civil cases in Pennsylvania are
first tried in the Court of Common Pleas
 Felonies are major criminal matters (murder, arson,
assault, etc.)
 The Supreme Court’s power to decide whether laws are
constitutional or not is called Judicial Review
 State judges in Pennsylvania are elected by the public,
while federal judges are appointed by the President
 The idea that everyone must follow the laws and that no
one is above the law is most closely related to the “rule of
law.”
RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
 The 1st Amendment to the US Constitution protects
your right to freedom of expression
 The U.S. Bill of Rights lists the basic rights and
freedoms of the American people.
 The Pennsylvania Declaration of Rights protects your
right to clean air and water
 The 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution protects
your right to own a gun.
 Civic responsibilities include:
o
o
o
o
responding to the U.S. Census;
paying taxes;
serving on a jury
obeying the laws
 The most common way for Americans to express
their views about their representatives in this
republican form of government is voting in elections
 All eighteen (18) year old, male, United States citizens
are required to register for Selective Service
 In order to vote in Pennsylvania you must:
o
o
o
o
be at least 18 years of age;
a resident of Pennsylvania;
vote in your registered voting ward / district;
be a US citizen
IDEOLOGY
 The primary means by which most individuals develop
their political awareness and ideological beliefs is through
the family
 One who favors government involvement in the economy
and a belief in progress as a social goal could be
described as a liberal
 Conservatives would generally believe “There are already
too many government regulations protecting the
environment. Many of these regulations are unnecessary
and should be eliminated.”
 When it comes to social change, conservatives are less
likely to accept social change than liberals.
.
TAXES
 The chief source of income for local governments today is
the property tax
 The national income tax system is set up as a progressive
tax system
 The assessed value for the home a resident owns
determines the amount of taxes being paid on the property
to local governments
 Most Pennsylvania school districts get the majority of their
funding from local property taxes
EDUCATION
 The administrator who is the day-to-day head of a school
district is the Superintendent
 The original reasons for providing public education to all
citizens were to:
 promote tolerance and understanding by educating
children of all backgrounds together in a common
schoolhouse;

use schools to teach about the role of responsible
citizens in a democracy;

provide all students with a shared experience and
some common socialization;

promote a strong economy by increasing the level of
education in society
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
 The largest political subdivision (counties) of Pennsylvania
provide services such as property records, voters’
registration lists, courts, and some roads and bridges
 Examples of local governmental entities are counties,
townships, boroughs and school districts
 Suburban sprawl contributes to:
o
o
o
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increased dependence on oil;
Increased pollution and loss of habitat for animals;
increased separation of people by income;
decay of existing towns and cities
 Local governmental responsibilities include:
o
o
o
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collecting trash
providing police and fire protection
passing zoning ordinances
and maintaining parks
 Zoning laws are used to influence or to control the way
development happens in a community