WGU C963 Questions and Answers with Complete Solutions

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WGU C963 Questions and Answers with Complete Solutions Natural Rights ✔✔The right to life, liberty, and property; believed to be given by God; no government may take them away. State of Nature ... ✔✔A theory on how people might have lived before societies came into existence. Due Process ✔✔The requirement that government, when dealing with people, have in place a fair procedure which it equally applies to all. Social Contract ✔✔An agreement between people and government in which citizens consent to be governed so long as the government protects their natural rights. Political Ideologies ✔✔Coherent philosophies about the structure, power, and purpose of government. Bicameral Legislature ✔✔A lawmaking body that consists of two separate chambers. Popular Vote ✔✔An election in which the winner is determined by the number of individual votes obtained. Virginia Plan ✔✔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 ✔✔A plan that called for a one-house national legislature; each state would receive one vote. Great Compromise ✔✔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 ✔✔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 ✔✔The power of the president to reject a law proposed by Congress. Checks and Balances ✔✔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 ✔✔The sharing of powers among three separate branches of government. Federal System ✔✔A form of government which power is divided between state governments and a national government. Enumerated Powers ✔✔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 ✔✔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 ✔✔Coherent philosophies about the structure, power, and purpose of government. Ratification ✔✔The action of signing or giving formal consent to a treaty, contract, or agreement, making it officially valid. Republic ✔✔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 ✔✔The right to know, before a judge, why you have been detained. The Federalist Papers ✔✔A series of 85 essays, written and published in favor of ratifying the Constitution. Faction ✔✔A group who gathers together to advocate for their special interest. Impeachment ✔✔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 ✔✔Rules or orders that are issued by the President and have the force of law. Inherent Power ✔✔The powers neither enumerated nor implied but assumed to exist as a direct result of the country's existence. Oversight ✔✔The right to review and monitor other bodies such as the executive branch. Committees ✔✔A small set of representatives tasked with considering, researching, introducing, and investigating particular policy areas. Discretionary Spending ✔✔Spending that can be altered from year to year through the appropriations process. Budget Resolution ✔✔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 ✔✔Spending on often unnecessary local projects that benefit a specific member of Congress' district or state. Line-item Veto ✔✔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 ✔✔Enumerated power of Congress to regulate commerce and trade that occurs between two or more states. Legal Tender Act ✔✔Act passed in 1862 that allowed Congress the ability to produce paper notes of money not guaranteed by gold or silver. Federal Reserve System ✔✔The central banking system of the United States that sets monetary policies and bank regulations. Advice and Consent ✔✔Under the Constitution, presidential nominations for executive and judicial posts take effect only when confirmed by the Senate, and international treaties become effective only when the Senate approves them by a two-thirds vote. Supermajority ✔✔Also referred to as an absolute majority, any number greater than half or 50%. Filibuster ✔✔A rule only permitted in the US Senate that allows a member of the Senate to prevent action on a bill or vote by continuously speaking. Administrative Agencies ✔✔Bodies c [Show More]

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