VOCAB Test ONE AP GOVERNMENT 2015-16
Note: there may be some words you encounter now, which I have not put on this list, but that we will cover in more
depth later. So pay attention to all vocab you come across, but see if it is on this list before you spend a long time
committing it to memory.
Concepts and terms Comparative and US
Anarchism
Authoritarian regime
autonomy
bicameral
cabinet
civil liberties
civil rights
civil society
comparative method
confederal
consent of the governed
constituency
constitution
co-optation
correlation/causation
democratic regime
democratization
direct/indirect democracy
electoral system
executive
fascism
federalism
Foreign Direct Investment
GDP
Gini index
Globalization
Government (comp meaning—
not crash course meaning)
head of government
head of state
Hobbes
Independent courts
inductive/deductive reasoning
Inductive/deductive reasoning
initiative
institutions
judicial review (concrete vs
abstract)
legitimacy
Liberal/illiberal democracy
Locke
lower/upper house
Marx
mixed electoral system
Montesquieu
multi-member district
nation
nation-state
natural rights
parliamentary vs presidential vs
semi -presidential systems
party system
political culture
political ideology
politics
popular sovereignty
proportional representation (as
an electoral system)
Public goods
Purchasing power parity
qualitative vs quantitative
referendum
Regime/political regime
republic
rule of law
separation /fusion of powers
single member district
Social Contract
Social democracy
sovereignty
State
strong/weak/ failed states
substantive/procedural dem.
suffrage
traditional/charismatic/rational
legal legitimacy
unicameral
unitary/unitary states
vote of no confidence
More specific to US (Acorn topic I) terms and concepts
"Marble cake" federalism
“Layer cake" federalism
10th amendment
3/5 compromise
ADA
Anti- federalist/federalist
Articles of Confed.
Baker v Carr
Bill for raising revenue
Bill of Attainder
Bill of Rights
Block grants
Categorical grants
Checks and balances
Commerce clause
Concurrent powers
Connecticut Comp.
Constitution
Constitutional republic
Continental Congress
Contract with America
Cooperative federalism
Declaration of Independence
Devolution (US meaning)
DOMA
Dual federalism
Elastic clause
Elections clause
Electoral College
Enumerated powers
Ex post facto laws
Exclusive powers
Extradition
Factions
Federal Government
federalism
Federalist Papers
Fiscal federalism
Formula grant
Formula grants
Full faith and credit clause
Gibbons v. Ogden
Gonzales vs Raich (medical
marijuana)
Grants in aid
Great Compromise
Impeach
Implied powers
infrastructure
Interstate/Intrastate
Judicial review
Jurisdiction
Legitimacy
Line item veto
Mandates/regulated federalism
Marbury v. Madison
McCulloch v. Maryland
National Federation of
Independent Business v. Sebelius
(obamacare)
Natural rights
New Deal
New federalism
New Jersey Plan /Virginia Plan
Nullification doctrine
Patent
Pocket veto
Police powers
Power of the purse
privileges and immunities
Project grant
Republican Revolution
reserved powers
Shay's Rebellion
Social Contract
Speaker of the House
state's rights
supermajority
Supremacy clause
Tariffs
Trustee v delegate role
Tyranny of the majority
unfunded mandates
US v Morrison
US v. Lopez
Welfare reform
Writ of habeas corpus