AP Gov Master Vocabulary List

Directions: Vocabulary terms from this list will be assigned for each chapter. As you read the assigned chapter, define each term on a yellow 3x5 index card (click here for specific instructions). Your cards will periodically be collected and checked.

    Chapter 1
  1. authority
  2. bureaucratic theory
  3. bureaucrats
  4. democracy
  5. democratic centralism
  6. direct (participatory) democracy
  7. elite
  8. elitist theory
  9. legitimacy
  10. Marxist theory
  11. pluralist theory
  12. political power
  13. power
  14. power elite
  15. representative democracy

    Chapter 2

  16. amendment
  17. anti-federalists
  18. Articles of Confederation
  19. bill of attainder
  20. Bill of Rights
  21. checks and balances
  22. coalition
  23. ex post facto law
  24. faction
  25. federalism [NTS: remove this for 2005-2006]
  26. Federalist Papers
  27. Great Compromise
  28. judicial review
  29. line-item veto
  30. natural rights
  31. New Jersey Plan
  32. separation of powers
  33. Shays' Rebellion
  34. unalienable rights
  35. Virginia Plan
  36. writ of habeus corpus

    Chapter 3

  37. block grants
  38. categorical grants
  39. concurrent powers
  40. conditions of aid
  41. confederal system
  42. devolution
  43. dual federalism
  44. entitlement grants
  45. federalism
  46. grants-in-aid
  47. mandates
  48. nullification
  49. reserved powers
  50. revenue sharing
  51. unitary system

    Chapter 4

  52. Americanism
  53. civic competence
  54. civic duty
  55. class consciousness
  56. culture war
  57. equality of opportunity
  58. external efficacy
  59. internal efficacy
  60. political culture
  61. political efficacy
  62. rights
  63. secular humanism
  64. work ethic

    Chapter 5

  65. conservative
  66. crosscutting cleavage
  67. gender gap
  68. John Q. Public
  69. Liberal
  70. Libertarian
  71. Middle America
  72. new class
  73. norm
  74. party identification
  75. political elites
  76. political ideology
  77. poll
  78. Populist
  79. pure conservative
  80. pure liberal
  81. random sample
  82. religious tradition
  83. sampling error
  84. silent majority

    Chapter 6

  85. activist
  86. australian ballot
  87. campaigners
  88. communalists
  89. complete activists
  90. grandfather clause
  91. inactives
  92. literacy test
  93. Motor-voter bill
  94. parochial participants
  95. poll tax
  96. registered voters
  97. voting specialists
  98. voting-age population
  99. white primary

    Chapter 7

  100. Congressional campaign committees
  101. direct primary
  102. economic protest parties
  103. factional parties
  104. first party system
  105. ideological party
  106. initiative
  107. national chairman
  108. national committee
  109. national party convention
  110. nominating caucus
  111. Old Guard
  112. personal following
  113. plurality system
  114. political machine
  115. political party
  116. second party system
  117. single-issue parties
  118. solidary group
  119. solidary incentive
  120. special-interest caucus
  121. sponsored party
  122. superdelegates
  123. two-party system
  124. unit rule
  125. winner-take-all system

    Chapter 8

  126. blanket primary
  127. BOMFOG speech
  128. closed primary
  129. coattails
  130. electoral coalition
  131. electoral realignment
  132. gaffe
  133. general election
  134. Great Mentioner
  135. incumbent
  136. Iowa Caucuses
  137. negative ad
  138. office-bloc ballot
  139. open primary
  140. party column ballot
  141. political action committee (PAC)
  142. position issue
  143. primary election
  144. prospective voting
  145. public finance law
  146. realigning (critical) election
  147. retrospective voting
  148. runoff primary
  149. split-ticket voting
  150. spots
  151. straight-ticket voting
  152. theme
  153. tone
  154. valance issue
  155. visual

    Chapter 9

  156. cue
  157. direct mail
  158. ideological interest group
  159. incentive
  160. institutional interests
  161. interest group
  162. lobby
  163. lobbyist
  164. material incentive
  165. membership interests
  166. pluralistic political system
  167. public interest lobby
  168. purposive incentive
  169. ratings
  170. social movement

    Chapter 10

  171. adversarial press
  172. attack journalism
  173. background story
  174. confidentiality
  175. equal time rule
  176. fairness doctrine
  177. FCC
  178. feature stories
  179. gatekeeper function
  180. insider stories
  181. loaded language
  182. market
  183. mental tune-out
  184. muckraker
  185. party press
  186. popular press
  187. right-of-reply rule
  188. routine stories
  189. scorekeeper function
  190. selective attention
  191. sound bite
  192. trial balloon
  193. watchdog function
  194. yellow journalism

    Chapter 11

  195. bicameral
  196. Christmas tree bill
  197. closed rule
  198. cloture
  199. committee of the whole
  200. concurrent resolution
  201. conference committee
  202. CBO
  203. congressional caucus
  204. conservative coalition
  205. discharge petition
  206. division vote
  207. double-tracking
  208. filibuster
  209. franking privilege
  210. gerrymandering
  211. honoraria
  212. joint committee
  213. joint resolution
  214. majority leader
  215. majority-minority districts
  216. malapportionment
  217. marginal districts
  218. mark-up
  219. minority leader
  220. multiple referral
  221. open rule
  222. party unity vote
  223. pork barrel
  224. president pro tempore
  225. private bill
  226. proxy vote
  227. public bill
  228. quorum call
  229. restrictive rule
  230. rider
  231. role-call vote
  232. Rules Committee
  233. safe districts
  234. select committees
  235. session
  236. simple resolution
  237. sophomore surge
  238. Speaker of the House
  239. standing committees
  240. teller vote
  241. voice vote
  242. whip

    Chapter 12

  243. cabinet
  244. divided government
  245. electoral college
  246. executive agencies
  247. Executive Office of the President
  248. executive privilege
  249. gridlock
  250. impeachment
  251. impoundment
  252. independent agencies
  253. inherent powers
  254. lame duck
  255. legislative veto
  256. perks
  257. pocket veto
  258. unified government
  259. veto message
  260. White House Office

    Chapter 13

  261. appropriation
  262. authorization legislation
  263. buddy system
  264. bureaucracy
  265. bureaucratic culture
  266. bureaucratic pathology
  267. discretionary authority
  268. Freedom of Information Act
  269. iron triangle
  270. issue network
  271. laissez-faire
  272. open meeting law
  273. oversight
  274. patronage
  275. Pendleton Act
  276. Peter Principle
  277. Privacy Act
  278. spoils system
  279. tenure
  280. Whistleblower Protection Act

    Chapter 14

  281. activist judge
  282. amicus curiae
  283. brief
  284. civil law
  285. class-action suit
  286. concurring opinion
  287. Court of Appeals
  288. criminal law
  289. defendant
  290. dissenting opinion
  291. District Court
  292. in forma pauperis
  293. litmus test
  294. opinion of the court
  295. plaintiff
  296. precedent
  297. remedy
  298. sovereign immunity
  299. standing
  300. stare decisis
  301. strict contruction
  302. writ of certiorari

    Chapter 15

  303. benefit
  304. boycott
  305. client politics
  306. cost
  307. cost argument
  308. deregulation
  309. entrepreneurial politics
  310. here-and-now argument
  311. interest group politics
  312. logrolling
  313. majoritarian politics
  314. policy entrepreneurs
  315. political agenda
  316. process regulation
  317. relative deprivation
  318. values

    Chapter 16

  319. budget
  320. Council of Economic Advisors
  321. deficit
  322. Federal Reserve Board
  323. fiscal policy
  324. Keynesianism
  325. loophole politics
  326. monetarism
  327. monetary policy
  328. peace dividend
  329. price/wage controls
  330. Reaganomics
  331. sequester
  332. supply-side theory
  333. surplus
  334. tariff

    Chapter 17

  335. AFDC
  336. assistance program
  337. homelessness
  338. income strategy
  339. insurance program
  340. means test
  341. service strategy
  342. TANF
  343. welfare

    Chapter 18

  344. clear and present danger test
  345. due process clause
  346. establishment clause
  347. exclusionary rule
  348. free exercise clause
  349. good-faith exception
  350. hate crime
  351. libel
  352. Miranda warning
  353. obscenity
  354. probable cause
  355. public figure
  356. search warrant
  357. symbolic speech

    Chapter 19

  358. affirmative action
  359. civil rights
  360. compensatory action
  361. de facto segregation
  362. de jure segregation
  363. equal protection clause
  364. equality of results
  365. preferential treatment
  366. reverse discrimination
  367. separate but equal doctrine
  368. strict scrutiny
  369. white flight

    Chapter 20

  370. anti-appeasement
  371. Cold War
  372. containment
  373. disengagement view
  374. domino theory
  375. iron curtain
  376. isolationism
  377. spook speak
  378. Third World
  379. two presidencies
  380. worldviews

    Chapter 21

  381. cost overruns
  382. gold plating
  383. Joint Chiefs of Staff
  384. micromanagement
  385. military-industrial complex
  386. National Security Act
  387. SDI
  388. unified commands