Purposes of Government
The government builds roads, operates public schools, and maintains water systems.
What is providing public services?
A sizable group of people who believe they are united by common bonds such as language, customs, religion, or ethnicity.
What is a nation?
Rights people possess simply because they are human rather than because government gives them those rights.
What are natural rights?
Citizens directly participate in making major political decisions.
What is direct democracy?
Generally, when political power becomes concentrated among fewer decision-makers, decisions can become ______.
What is faster/quicker?
Police enforce laws and courts settle disputes between citizens.
What is maintaining order?
A political community occupying a definite territory and having an organized government.
What is a state?
The idea that people give government some authority in exchange for protection, order, and other benefits of organized society.
What is the social contract?
Citizens elect officials who make political decisions on their behalf.
What is representative democracy?
Generally, when political power is distributed among more people, citizen influence tends to ______.
What is increase?
The United States government takes action to protect the country from a foreign military attack.
What is providing national security?
In the terminology from our textbook, this word generally has the same meaning as state.
What is a country?
Government's legitimate authority ultimately comes from the people being governed.
What is consent of the governed?
Political power is controlled by a small group, often connected by wealth, family, military influence, or social status.
What is an oligarchy?
A government's decision is unpopular, but citizens can vote officials out, challenge government action in court, and publicly criticize the decision.
What concept is being demonstrated?
What is accountability?
Government provides food assistance, housing assistance, or other support to people experiencing financial hardship.
What is providing economic security and economic assistance?
This theory argues that states developed gradually as families grew into clans, tribes, and larger political communities.
What is Evolutionary Theory?
Government may exercise power, but its power is restricted by laws, principles, and protections.
What is limited government?
One ruler exercises extremely concentrated political power and citizens generally have little formal ability to remove or challenge that ruler.
What is a dictatorship?
A direct democracy may give citizens tremendous influence but struggle during an emergency because thousands or millions of people disagree about what should happen first.
What tradeoff does this demonstrate?
Expected answer: Greater participation/citizen influence can make decision-making slower or more difficult.
Congress must decide how much money should be spent, what programs should receive funding, and what national priorities should come first.
What is providing leadership?
Identify the theory:
A powerful group conquers other people and forces them to accept its authority.
What is Force Theory?
A government repeatedly violates people's rights and refuses to respond to the people it governs.
Which TWO ideas from this category are most directly being violated?
What are natural rights and consent of the governed?
*Accept limited government as part of a well-defended response, but require students to explain their reasoning.
During an emergency, one government makes a decision almost immediately. Citizens have almost no formal input and few ways to challenge the decision afterward.
What does this scenario demonstrate about concentrated political power?
Expected answer: Concentrated power can increase decision-making speed, but it can reduce citizen influence and accountability.
*Do not accept simply “dictatorship.” They need the trade-off.
Which presents the greater danger?
A government too weak to perform its responsibilities or a government powerful enough to perform them but capable of abusing that power?
There is no automatic correct side.
To earn the points, you must: