WGU C963 FINAL
EXAM 2023
Natural Rights - ANSWER The right to life, liberty, and property; believed to be given by
God; no government may take them
... [Show More] away.
State of Nature - ANSWER A theory on how people might have lived before societies
came into existence.
Due Process - ANSWER The requirement that government, when dealing with people,
have in place a fair procedure which it equally applies to all.
Social Contract - ANSWER An agreement between people and government in which
citizens consent to be governed so long as the government protects their natural rights.
Political Ideologies - ANSWER Coherent philosophies about the structure, power, and
purpose of government.
Bicameral Legislature - ANSWER A lawmaking body that consists of two separate
chambers.
Popular Vote - ANSWER An election in which the winner is determined by the number
of individual votes obtained.
Virginia Plan - ANSWER A plan for a two-house legislature; representatives would be
elected to the lower house based on each state's population; representatives for the
upper house would be chosen by the lower house.
New Jersey Plan - ANSWER A plan that called for a one-house national legislature;
each state would receive one vote.
Great Compromise - ANSWER Also known as the Connecticut Compromise. A
compromise between the Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan that created a
bicameral legislature; representation based on population in the House of
Representatives and equal representation of states in the Senate.
Three-Fifths Compromise - ANSWER A compromise between northern and southern
states that called for counting of all a state's free population and 60 percent of its slave
population for both federal taxation and representation in Congress.
Veto - ANSWER The power of the president to reject a law proposed by Congress.
Checks and Balances - ANSWER A system that allows one branch of government to
limit the exercise of power by another branch; requires the different parts of government
to work together..
Separation of Powers - ANSWER The sharing of powers among three separate
branches of government.
Federal System - ANSWER A form of government which power is divided between state
governments and a national government.
Enumerated Powers - ANSWER The powers given explicitly to the federal government
by the Constitution; power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce, raise and
support armies, declare war, coin money, and conduct foreign affairs.
Reserved Powers - ANSWER Any powers not prohibited by the Constitution or
delegated to the national government; powers reserved to the states and denied to the
federal government.
Political Ideologies - ANSWER Coherent philosophies about the structure, power, and
purpose of government.
Ratification - ANSWER The action of signing or giving formal consent to a treaty,
contract, or agreement, making it officially valid.
Republic - ANSWER A system of government in which power is given to the people
through their ability to elect representatives who make laws on their behalf.
Habeas Corpus - ANSWER The right to know, before a judge, why you have been
detained.
The Federalist Papers - ANSWER A series of 85 essays, written and published in favor
of ratifying the Constitution.
Faction - ANSWER A group who gathers together to advocate for their special interest.
Impeachment - ANSWER A process of removing government officials suspected of
criminal activity, including judges and even the president. It requires a majority vote in
the House of Representatives to accept articles of impeachment. Two-thirds of the
Senate must then vote to remove the person.
Executive Orders - ANSWER Rules or orders that are issued by the President and have
the force of law.
Inherent Power - ANSWER The powers neither enumerated nor implied but assumed to
exist as a direct result of the country's existence.
Oversight - ANSWER The right to review and monitor other bodies such as the
executive branch.
Committees - ANSWER A small set of representatives tasked with considering,
researching, introducing, and investigating particular policy areas.
Discretionary Spending - ANSWER Spending that can be altered from year to year
through the appropriations process.
Budget Resolution - ANSWER A model of what the government plans to spend and take
in as revenue over the next fiscal year. Includes a set of budget priorities and
discretionary spending limits.
Pork-barrel Spending - ANSWER Spending on often unnecessary local projects that
benefit a specific member of Congress' district or state.
Line-item Veto - ANSWER The ability of the President to reject specific portions of a
piece of legislation rather than reject an entire piece of legislation. Ruled unconstitutional
by the US Supreme Court.
Interstate Commerce Clause - ANSWER Enumerated power of Congress to regulate
commerce and trade that occurs between two or more states.
Legal Tender Act - ANSWER Act passed in 1862 that allowed Congress the ability to
produce paper notes of money not guaranteed by gold or silver.
Federal Reserve System - ANSWER The central banking system of the United States
that sets monetary policies and bank regulations.
Advice and Consent - ANSWER Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for
executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, [Show Less]