american cit exam
Terms
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- Market economy
- system in which individuals own the factors of production and make economic decisions through free interaction
- International tribunals
- court with authority to hear cases about human right violations
- Mayflower
- one of three boats Christopher Columbus used in his expedition to the new world
- Human Rights
- fundamental freedoms of individuals
- Suffrage
- the right to vote
- Legislative branch
- the lawmaking branch of government
- Jurisdiction
- a court's authority to hear and decide cases
- Law of supply
- suppliers will normally offer more for sale at higher prices and less at lower prices
- Role of media
- The media plays an important "watchdog" role over government activities.
- Capitalist system
- a system in which private citizens own most, if not all, of the means of production and decide how to use them within legislated limits
- Supply schedule
- table showing quantities supplied at different possible prices
- Precedent
- a ruling that is used as the basis for a judicial decision in a later, similar case
- Steps to become a citizen
- sign a declaration of intent, be filed with the immigration and naturalization service, live in the United States for 5 years, interview with an INS agent, take exam, pledge oath of allegiance to the United States
- Secretary General
- the chief executive officer of the UN. He/she is appointed by the General Assembly after recommendations from the Security Council.
- Supply
- the amount of goods and services that producers are able and willing to sell at various prices during a specified time period
- Card stacking
- a method of propaganda that presents only one side of the issue, often by distorting the facts.
- Concurrent powers
- powers shared by the state and federal governments
- Factor markets
- a market where productive resources are bought and sold
- Bill rights
- the first 10 amendments to the Constitution
- Judicial branch
- the branch of government that interprets laws
- Expressed powers
- powers that Congress has that are specifically listed in the Constitution
- Trade off
- the alternative you face if you decide to d one thing rather than another
- Voluntary exchange
- the act of buyers and sellers freely and willingly engaging in market transactions
- George Washington
- The first president of the United States. He was chosen to preside over the Constitutional Convention because he was widely respected for his leadership during the American Revolution.
- Court of justice
- also known as the world court, is the judicial arm of the Untied Nations.
- Workfare
- programs that require welfare recipients to exchange some of their labor in return for benefits
- Security Council
- The UN's peacekeeping arm. It has 5 permanent memberthe United States, Great Britain, France, Russia, and China.
- Parliamentary system
- a system of government in which both executive and legislative functions reside in an elected assembly
- Cost benefit analysis
- economic model that compares the marginal costs and marginal benefits of a decision
- Balance of trade
- the difference between the value of a nation's exports and its imports
- Devolution
- the surrender of powers to local authorities by a central government
- Totalitarian
- a system in which government control extends to almost all aspect of people's lives
- Complements
- product often used with another product
- FOMC
- FEDERAL OPEN MARKET COMMITTEE: the most powerful committee of the Fed, because it makes decisions that affect the economy as a whole by manipulating the money supply
- Great compromise
- agreement providing a dual system of congressional representation
- Capital
- previously manufactured goods used t make other goods and services
- Public opinion poll
- :a survey in which individuals are asked to answer questions about a particular issue or person
- Intolerable acts
- same as the Coercive acts
- Discrimination
- unfair treatment based on prejudice against a certain group
- Demand inelastic
- This means that price changes have little effect on the quantity demanded. The demand for goods with very few or no substitutes is likely inelastic.
- Glittering Generality
- method of propaganda that is a statement that sounds good that is essentially meaningless.
- 14th Amendment
- It defines a United States citizen as "anyone born or naturalized in the United States," a definition that included most African Americans. It also required every state to grant its citizens "equal protection of the laws." Forbid state governments from interfering with the privileges or immunities of citizens of the Untied States.
- FCC
- also called the Federal Communications Committee. A group that makes broadcasting rules for the nation's television and radio stations.
- Dictators
- rulers who exercise complete control over a state
- Multinationals
- firm that does business or has offices in many countries
- Subsidy
- a government payment to an individual, business, or group in exchange for certain actions
- Demand elasticity
- measure of responsiveness relating change in quantity demanded to a change in price
- Natural resources
- gifts of nature that make production possible
- Speaker of the house
- the most powerful leader within the House of Representatives. He/she is part of the majority party and steers legislation through the House.
- Lobbyist
- representative of an interest group who contacts lawmakers or other government officials directly to influence their policy making
- Exchange rate
- the price of one nation's currency in terms of another nation's currency
- Tariffs
- a customs duty; a tax on an imported good
- communism
- economic system in which the central government directs all major economic decisions
- Opportunity cost
- the cost of the next best use of time and money when choosing to do one thing or another
- Special interest groups
- an organization of people with some common interest who try to influence government decisions
- Aliens
- noncitizens
- Specialization
- when people, businesses, regions, and/or nations concentrate of goods and services that they can produce better than anyone else
- Implied powers
- powers that Congress has that are not stated explicitly in the Constitution
- Price ceiling
- a government set maximum price that can be charged for goods and services
- Fixed Cost
- Expenses that are the same no matter how many units of a good are produced
- Antifederalists
- those who opposed ratifications of the Constitution
- Labor
- human effort directed toward producing goods and services
- Demand curve
- downward sloping line that graphically shows the quantities demanded at each possible price
- Incentives
- reward offered to try to persuade people to take certain economic actions
- Supply elasticity
- responsiveness of quantity supplied to a change in price
- Free trade
- policy of reduced trade barriers
- Reserved powers
- powers that the Constitution does not give to the national government that are kept by the states
- Demand elastic
- This means that each change in price causes a relatively larger percentage change in quantity demanded. When there are attractive substitutes for a good or service, demand tends to be elastic.
- Protectionism
- policy of trade restrictions to protect domestic industries
- President protempore
- the chairperson of the Senate
- Constitutional monarchies
- the power of the hereditary ruler is limited by the country's constitution
- GDP
- GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT: total dollar value of all final goods and services produced in a country during a single yea
- Immigrants
- a person who moves permanently to a new country
- Republic
- a representative government in which no leaders inherit office
- 3/5s Compromise
- agreement providing that enslaved persons would count as three/fifths of other persons in determining representation in Congress.
- Dynasties
- lines of rulers from the same family
- Sanction
- measure such as withholding economic aid used to influence a foreign government's actions
- Reserve requirement
- rule that member banks must keep a certain percentage of their money if Federal Reserve Banks as a reserve against their deposits
- Electoral college
- a group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president
- Interest group
- a group of people who share a point of view about an issue and united to promote their beliefs
- Name calling
- a method of propaganda that is an attempt to turn people against and opponent or an idea by using unpleasant labels or descriptions for that person or idea
- Patriotism
- love for one's country
- House of lords
- Highest court of appeal, the seats are inherited
- Plainfolks
- method of propaganda in which the idea is to make people think that the candidate is just like them with the same desires and concerns
- House of commons
- Lawmaking body of British Parliament, the prime minister comes from this group, they are elected
- Economics
- the study of how individuals and nations make choices about ways to use scarce resources to fulfill their needs and wants
- Common law
- a system of law based on precedent and customs
- Monetary policy
- policy that involves changing the rate of growth of the money supply in circulation in order to affect the cost and availability of credit
- Affirmative Action
- programs intended to make up for pas discrimination by helping minority groups and women gain access to jobs and opportunities
- Genocide
- a mass murder of a people because of their race, religion, ethnicity, politics, or culture
- Utility
- the amount of satisfaction one gets from a good or service
- Civics
- the study of the rights and duties of citizens
- Public opinion
- the ideas and attitudes the most people hold about elected officials, candidates, government, and political issues
- Supply curve
- upward sloping line that graphically shows the quantities supplied at each possible price
- Demand schedule
- table showing quantities demanded at different possibly prices
- Substitutes
- a competing product that consumer can use in place of another
- Supply inelastic
- if the quantity of a good changes very little when the price goes up
- Townshend Acts
- Acts passed by British Parliament that levied new taxes on goods imported to the colonies.
- Scarcity
- not having enough resources to produce all the things we would like to have
- Inflation
- sustained increase in the general level of prices
- Direct democracy
- a form of democracy in which people vote firsthand
- Internationalism
- involvement in world affairs
- Declaratory Act
- an act passed by British Parliament that said Parliament had the right to tax and make decisions for the American colonies "in all cases."
- Censorship
- the banning of printed materials or films due t alarming or offensive ideas
- Apartheid
- system of laws that separated racial and ethnic groups and limited the rights of blacks in the south
- Popular sovereignty
- the notion that power lies with the people
- Price
- cost of goods, that help to answer WHAT to produce, HOW to produce, and FOR WHOM to produce
- Consumer sovereignty
- the role of consumer as the ruler of the market, determining what products will be produced
- Constitution
- a detailed written plan for government
- Federalism
- a form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or nation, government and the states
- 24th Amendment
- made poll taxes illegal in state and national elections (Back then, African Americans had the right to vote, however, people were charged to vote (poll tax) and many African Americans could not afford this making it impossible for them to vote.)
- Coercive acts
- a set of laws passed by British Parliament, also called the Intolerable Acts, that restricted colonists' rights, including the right to a trial by jury. It also allowed British soldiers to search and even move into colonists' homes.
- Mixed economy
- system combining characteristics of more than one type of economy
- Original jurisdiction
- the authority to her cases for the first time
- Communist party
- believe in communism
- Authoritarian
- a government in which one leader or group of people holds absolute power
- Globalization
- individuals and nations working across barriers of distance, culture, and technology
- Medium
- any mechanism of communication
- Shortage
- situation in which quantity demanded is greater than quantity supplied
- Satellites
- nation politically and economically dominated by another, more powerful country
- Citizenship
- is being a citizen in a country
- Constitutional convention
- meeting of state delegates in 1787 leading to adoption of new Constitution
- EITC
- EARNED INCOME TAX CREDIT: a program that gives tax credits and even cash payment to qualified workers
- Checks and balances
- a system in which each branch of government is able to check, or restrain, the power of others
- Profit
- the money a business receives for its products after
- United Nations
- A group of countries that's main purposes are to maintain international peace, develop friendly relations among nations, promote justice and cooperation, and seek solutions to global problems.
- Productivity
- the degree to which resources offer goods and services for sale
- Acid Rain
- rain containing high amounts of chemical pollutants
- Division of labor
- the breaking down of a job into separate, smaller tasks to be performed individually
- Prime minister
- the leader of the executive branch of a parliamentary government
- Public policy
- the course of action the government takes in response to an issue of problem
- Segregation
- the social separation of the races
- Trade deficit
- situation in which the value of the products imported by a country exceeds the value of its exports
- Price floor
- a government set minimum price that can be charged for goods and services
- Bandwagon
- a method of propaganda that appeals to people who want to be on the winning team. It convinces people that everyone else agrees with the interest group's point of view or that everyone is going to vote a certain way.
- Labour party
- the equivalence to our democratic party in America
- Needs
- requirements for survival, such as food, clothing, and shelter
- Global interdependence
- people and nations all over the world now depend on one another for many goods and services
- Libel
- written untruths that are harmful to someone's reputation
- Executive branch
- the branch of government that carries out laws
- Naturalization
- a legal process to obtain citizenship
- Product markets
- a market where producers offer goods and services for sale
- Mercantilism
- the theory that a country should sell more goods to other countries than it buys
- Discount rate
- the interest rate the Fed charges on its loans
- Socialism
- economic system in which government owns some factors or production and distributes the products and wages
- Standard of living
- the material welling being of an individual, group, or nation measured b how well their necessities and luxuries are satisfied
- Variable cost
- expenses that change with the number of products produced
- Civil liberties
- freedoms to think and act without government interference or fear of unfair legal treatment
- Electoral vote
- votes of the electoral college
- Articles of confederation
- the first constitution of the United States
- Bicameral
- a legislature consisting of two parts, or houses
- Competition
- the struggle that goes on between buyers and sellers to get the best products at the lowest prices
- Endorsements
- A method of propaganda that uses celebrities or famous people to promote a cause or candidate. It hopes that people will see their role model doing something and want to do the same.
- Unitary system
- government that gives all key powers to the national or central government
- Collective farm
- a farm in which the land is owned by the government but rented to a family
- Surplus
- situation in which quantity supplied is greater than quantity demanded; situation in which government spends less than it collects in revenues
- Symbols
- method of propaganda that use symbols to appeal to the pubic
- Absolute Monarchy
- a monarch that has complete and unlimited power to rule his or her people
- Environmental distruction
- The distruction or destroying of our natural environment.