Government Terms and Concepts Quiz
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Questions and Answers

What is a state?

A political community that occupies a definite territory and has an organized government with the power to make and enforce laws without approval from any higher authority.

What is a nation?

Any sizable group of people who are united by common bonds of race, language, custom, tradition, and sometimes religion.

Who was Aristotle?

One of the first students in government.

What was the time of artificial borders?

<p>Colonial era.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What do states share?

<p>Population, territory, sovereignty, government.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is consensus?

<p>Agreement about basic beliefs.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is sovereignty?

<p>The state has supreme and absolute authority within its territorial boundaries.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What do states have?

<p>Complete independence, complete power to make laws, shape foreign policy, and determine its own course of action.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is government?

<p>An institution through which the state maintains social order, provides public services, and enforces decisions that are binding on all people living within the state.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What theory states that gods are part of governance?

<p>Divine right theory.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is force theory?

<p>Government emerged when all the people of an area were brought under the authority of one person or group.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the government do?

<p>Maintains social order, provides public services, provides national security and common defense, and controls the economic system.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a nation-state?

<p>A sovereign state whose citizens or subjects are relatively homogeneous in factors such as language or common descent.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was Plato's idea of the social contract?

<p>The idea that everyone was in a triangle: rulers --&gt; warriors --&gt; workers, and had an absolute obligation to obey the government.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was Hobbes' idea of the social contract?

<p>Believed that it was a protection for the state of nature when no government existed between human beings.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was Locke's idea of the social contract?

<p>All citizens have a right to life, liberty, and property.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an autocracy?

<p>A system of government ruled by one person with absolute power.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an oligarchy?

<p>A small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is democracy?

<p>A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state typically through elected representatives.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is direct democracy?

<p>A form of democracy in which people decide policy initiatives directly.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is representative democracy?

<p>People vote for representatives who then decide policy initiatives.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is constitutional democracy?

<p>A system of government based on popular sovereignty in which the structures, powers, and limits of government are set forth in a constitution.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a republic?

<p>A state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, typically led by an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a totalitarian government?

<p>A form of government that subordinates all aspects of its citizens' lives to the authority of the state, with a single charismatic leader as the ultimate authority.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is an authoritarian government?

<p>A form of government based on the principle of requiring obedience to the authority of one person or small group.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a constitution?

<p>A body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which type of government is led by a dictator?

<p>Dictatorship.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What kind of democracy does the USA have?

<p>Representative democracy.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who rules in oligarchies?

<p>A small group of people.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is popular sovereignty?

<p>The principle that the authority of the government is created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why is freedom of speech essential for democracy?

<p>Because that is the only way to really know what people want.</p> Signup and view all the answers

In what ways does the government serve you?

<p>Maintains social order, provides public services, and ensures national security.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Government Terms and Concepts

  • State: A defined territory with an organized government that enforces laws independently.
  • Nation: A large group united by race, language, customs, tradition, or religion.
  • Aristotle: Early scholar and student of government theory.

Historical Context

  • Colonial Era: Time characterized by artificial borders created during colonization.

Components of a State

  • States Share: Population, territory, sovereignty, and government are the core components of a state.
  • Sovereignty: Refers to the supreme authority of a state within its boundaries.
  • Independence of States: States possess complete power to enact laws, shape foreign policy, and determine actions without external interference.

Functions of Government

  • Government Role: Maintains social order, provides public services, ensures national security, and manages the economic system.

Theories of Government

  • Divine Right Theory: Belief that rulers derive authority from a divine source.
  • Force Theory: Government arises when individuals are brought under authority through force.

Social Contract Theories

  • Plato: Proposed a social contract where individuals have obligations to follow the government, structured in a hierarchy.
  • Hobbes: Argued for a social contract as protection against the anarchic state of nature.
  • Locke: Emphasized citizens' rights to "life, liberty, and property" within the social contract.

Types of Government

  • Autocracy: Government led by one person with absolute power.
  • Oligarchy: Control held by a small group.
  • Democracy: System where eligible members vote, often through representatives.
  • Direct Democracy: Citizens make policy decisions directly.
  • Representative Democracy: Citizens elect representatives to make policy decisions.
  • Constitutional Democracy: Based on popular sovereignty with a constitution guiding government powers.
  • Republic: Government by elected representatives and an elected president, with supreme power held by the people.
  • Totalitarian Government: Subordinates all aspects of life to state control, led by a singular authority.
  • Authoritarian Government: Requires obedience to a small ruling group or individual.
  • Dictatorship: A government led by a dictator where power is centralized.

Other Concepts

  • Constitution: Fundamental principles or precedents guiding the governance of a state or organization.
  • Popular Sovereignty: The principle that government's authority comes from the consent of the governed.

Importance of Freedoms

  • Freedom of Speech: Crucial for democracy as it allows understanding of public needs and wants.

U.S. Government Structure

  • U.S. Democracy: A representative democracy where elected officials decide policy.
  • Oligarchies Rule: Governance by a small group of people.

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Description

Test your knowledge on key government terms and concepts, including the definitions of state, nation, and theories of government. This quiz will help reinforce your understanding of the basic components and functions of government. Dive into the historical context that shapes these ideas!

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