US Citizenship Test: American Government Flashcards

Question 1

Define U.S. Constitution.

Accepted Answer

The founding document, signed in 1787, that forms the federal government, defines its powers and parts, and protects the rights of the people. It is the supreme law of the land.

Question 2

What is Republic?

Accepted Answer

A form of government in which citizens elect representatives to make laws and run the government for them, instead of a monarch holding power by birth.

Question 3

Define Representative Democracy.

Accepted Answer

A system in which voters choose officials to make decisions on their behalf, and those officials answer to the voters at regular elections.

Question 4

Define Constitution-Based Federal Republic.

Accepted Answer

The full description of the U.S. form of government: elected representatives govern under a written constitution, with power shared between a national government and the states.

Question 5

Define Popular Sovereignty.

Accepted Answer

The idea that a government's power comes from the people it governs, so the people are the final source of political authority.

Question 6

Define Consent of the Governed.

Accepted Answer

The principle that a government is legitimate only when the people it rules have agreed to it, usually by voting and electing leaders.

Question 7

Define Social Contract.

Accepted Answer

The idea that people agree to form a government and follow its laws in exchange for protection of their rights, and may replace a government that breaks that deal.

Question 8

What is Self-Government?

Accepted Answer

A system in which people rule themselves by making their own laws through voting and elected representatives, rather than being ruled by an outside power.

Question 9

What is Amendment?

Accepted Answer

A formal change or addition to the U.S. Constitution, which must be proposed and then ratified before it takes effect. The Constitution currently has 27.

Question 10

Define Bill of Rights.

Accepted Answer

The first ten amendments to the Constitution, ratified in 1791, which protect the basic rights of Americans and of people living in the United States.

Question 11

Define Declaration of Independence.

Accepted Answer

The document adopted on July 4, 1776, that said the American colonies were free from British control and that all people are created equal with inherent rights.

Question 12

Define Natural Rights.

Accepted Answer

Rights that people hold simply by being human, which a government does not grant and should not take away, such as life and liberty.

Question 13

Define Limited Government.

Accepted Answer

The principle that a government has only the powers the people give it in a constitution, and it may not act beyond those written limits.

Question 14

Define Rule of Law.

Accepted Answer

The principle that everyone, including leaders and the government itself, must follow the law and no person is above it.

Question 15

Define Articles of Confederation.

Accepted Answer

The first governing document of the United States, in force from 1781 until 1789, which created a weak national government and was replaced by the Constitution.

Question 16

Define Federalist Papers.

Accepted Answer

A series of 85 essays by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay, published under the name Publius in 1787 and 1788 to urge ratification of the Constitution.

Question 17

Define Separation of Powers.

Accepted Answer

Dividing the federal government's authority among three branches, legislative, executive and judicial, so that no single part becomes too powerful.

Question 18

Define Checks and Balances.

Accepted Answer

The system that lets each branch of government limit the others, keeping power balanced so no branch can act entirely on its own.

Question 19

Define Legislative Branch.

Accepted Answer

The branch of the federal government that writes laws. It is the U.S. Congress, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Question 20

Define U.S. Senate.

Accepted Answer

The upper chamber of Congress, with two senators from each state, 100 in total, each elected by the citizens of their state for a six-year term.

Question 21

Define House of Representatives.

Accepted Answer

The lower chamber of Congress, with 435 voting members elected for two-year terms by citizens in their congressional districts, with seats divided among states by population.

Question 22

Define Great Compromise.

Accepted Answer

The 1787 agreement, also called the Connecticut Compromise, that gave every state two senators while basing House seats on population, balancing large and small states.

Question 23

Define Executive Branch.

Accepted Answer

The branch of the federal government that carries out and enforces laws. It is led by the president and includes the vice president, the Cabinet and federal agencies.

Question 24

Define Commander in Chief.

Accepted Answer

The president's role as the top leader of the U.S. military, which places the armed forces under civilian control.

Question 25

What is Veto?

Accepted Answer

The president's power to reject a bill passed by Congress so that it does not become law, unless both chambers override it by a two-thirds vote.

Question 26

Define President's Cabinet.

Accepted Answer

The group of senior officials, such as the Secretary of State and the Attorney General, who lead federal departments and advise the president.

Question 27

Define Electoral College.

Accepted Answer

The process in which electors from each state cast the votes that decide who is elected president, a compromise between a popular vote and selection by Congress.

Question 28

Define Judicial Branch.

Accepted Answer

The branch of the federal government made up of the Supreme Court and other federal courts, which reviews and explains laws and resolves disputes about them.

Question 29

Define Supreme Court.

Accepted Answer

The highest court in the United States, with nine seats held by justices who are appointed by the president, confirmed by the Senate and serve for life.

Question 30

What is Federalism?

Accepted Answer

The sharing of power between the national government and the state governments, with some powers given only to one level and some shared by both.

Question 31

Define 10th Amendment.

Accepted Answer

The amendment, part of the Bill of Rights, stating that powers not given to the federal government by the Constitution belong to the states or to the people.

Question 32

Define 22nd Amendment.

Accepted Answer

The amendment, ratified in 1951, that limits a president to being elected twice, to keep any president from becoming too powerful.