AP Gov Midterm Review

Branches of Government

100

Three branches of government

What are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches

200

This is the elected office that is established by Article II of the U.S. Constitution.

What is the Office of the President? (Executive branch will also be accepted as an answer)

300

distributing power amongst the branches of government so that one branch of government does not have dominant power in the central government.

What is the system of checks and balances?

400

The branch of government that also includes the bureaucracy

What is the executive branch

500

This branch of government was initially very weak in the Articles of Confederation because the Founders wanted to try to give states more autonomy.

What is the legislative branch?

Constitutional Clauses and Amendments

100

It is also known as the first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution.

What is the Bill of Rights?

200

The amendment that gave African-Americans citizenship following the end of the Civil War. It also created the incorporation doctrine which applied most of the Bill of Rights to protecting residents from their state's government.

What is the 14th Amendment?

300

This constitutional clause was used by Congress to justify passing the Gun Free School Zones Act. The Supreme Court later ruled that this clause did not give Congress the authority to regulate guns in schools. 

What is the Commerce Clause

400

This clause is the basis for implied powers of the U.S. Congress. In this clause, it asserts that Congress may pass any laws that are fundamental to the functioning of the United States.

What is the Necessary and Proper Clause?

500

This amendment gives states all the powers not explicitly delegated to the central government in the original Constitution.

What is the 10th Amendment?

Federalism

100

The organization of government where power is shared between a central government and regional governments. Choices are: federal government, confederal government, or unitary government.

What is federalism?

200

An example of this is the ability of both states and the federal government to pass laws and to impose taxes.

What are concurrent powers?

300

This landmark U.S. Supreme Court case's decision sided with the federal government by asserting that the U.S. Congress had the right to create and regulate national banks.

What is McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)? (Will accept the answer with minor spelling errors, also without the date)

400

The clause in the Constitution that allows for federal laws to trump any laws issued by states. For example, it is argued by some that due to this clause , Attorney General Jeff Sessions has the constitutional right to take legal action against any states who have legalized marijuana since federal law deems it an illegal substance.

What is the Supremacy Clause?

500

Type of funding given to state governments that must be spent on specific projects identified by the federal government

What are categorical grants?

Bureaucracy

100

The minimum number of votes in the Senate needed to confirm a presidential appointee

What is 51 votes

200

The four types of organizations within the bureaucracy

Government corporation, independent executive agency, regulatory agency, Cabinet departments

300

This term refers to bureaucratic hurdles and rules that make it complicated for ordinary citizens to navigate the bureaucracy

What is Red Tape

400

This Cabinet Department is responsible for developing foreign relationships and assisting the president in setting foreign policy

What is the Department of State

500

The heads of these agencies are not allowed to be easily replaced by the president

What are regulatory agencies

Basic Vocabulary

100

When power in the legislative and executive branches are held by members of different political parties

What is a divided government

200

These are the powers explicitly delegated to the different branches of government within the U.S. Constitution. For example, Article I clearly states that it is the job of Congress to deal with pirates and to provide the funds to maintain an army.

What are enumerated powers?

300

The tool/platform used by the president to put pressure on Congress to pass items/legislation related to his agenda

What is the Bully Pulpit

400

This was the plan proposed at the Constitutional Convention that proposed a bicameral and strengthened legislative branch.

What is the Virginia Plan?

500

This late 18th century uprising demonstrated a need to reform the Articles of Confederation in order to create a stronger national government.

What is Shay's Rebellion?