Free Praxis 5004 Exam Flashcards

Government gets its legitimate power from the people. Voting is a primary way citizens express that authority.

A system that divides governmental powers between a national government and state governments. Each level has powers of its own.

The Constitution assigns legislative, executive, and judicial powers to separate branches so no single branch holds all three.

Each federal branch can limit parts of the others' power. For example, Congress passes bills, the president may veto them, and courts may review laws.

Congress is the federal legislative branch. Its central job is making federal laws; it includes the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The president leads the executive branch, which carries out and enforces federal laws through executive departments and agencies.

Federal courts interpret laws and resolve cases under the Constitution. The Supreme Court is the highest federal court.

The power of courts to decide whether a law or government action conflicts with the Constitution. Marbury v. Madison established this principle for the Supreme Court.

The 1776 document announcing the colonies' separation from Great Britain. It argued that people have natural rights and governments derive power from the consent of the governed.

The national government could not reliably tax or regulate interstate trade. Those limits made it difficult to pay debts and act effectively as one nation.

The Constitutional Convention agreement creating a bicameral Congress: representation by population in the House and equal representation for states in the Senate.

The first ten amendments to the Constitution. They protect specified individual liberties and limit government power.

Protects freedoms of religion, speech, press, peaceful assembly, and petition. These freedoms are not a license to violate every other law.

Protects people against unreasonable searches and seizures. Warrants generally require probable cause and must describe what is to be searched or seized.

Its Equal Protection Clause requires states to apply the law equally, and its Due Process Clause protects against certain unfair state actions.

Actions that support democratic self-government, such as staying informed, voting when eligible, serving on a jury when called, and obeying laws.

The nineteenth-century growth of the United States toward the Pacific. It brought migration and economic opportunity while also causing displacement and conflict for Indigenous peoples.

The shift toward machine-based factory production. It increased output and urban growth, while changing work, transportation, and living conditions.

A severe economic downturn beginning in 1929. Bank failures, unemployment, and falling production showed how economic crises can affect households nationwide.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt's programs responding to the Great Depression. They aimed to provide relief, support economic recovery, and reform parts of the financial system.

The war centered on the Union's secession crisis and slavery. Its outcome preserved the Union and led to the constitutional abolition of slavery.

The Thirteenth abolished slavery, the Fourteenth established citizenship and equal protection, and the Fifteenth barred denying the vote because of race.

The 1954 Supreme Court decision holding that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional because separate schools are inherently unequal.

An exact position on Earth, commonly expressed with latitude and longitude coordinates. It differs from a description based on nearby landmarks.

Lines that measure distance north or south of the Equator. They run east-west and are called parallels.

Lines that measure distance east or west of the Prime Meridian. They run north-south and meet at the poles.

Shows the relationship between a distance on a map and the corresponding distance on Earth. It lets a reader estimate real-world distance.

A method for representing Earth’s curved surface on a flat map. Every projection distorts at least one property, such as area, shape, distance, or direction.

An area grouped by one or more shared traits, such as climate, language, landforms, economy, or political boundaries.

Physical features occur naturally, such as rivers and mountains. Human features result from people’s activity, such as roads, cities, and farms.

Weather is the short-term condition of the atmosphere. Climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a place.

A material or condition from nature that people use, such as water, soil, forests, minerals, sunlight, or wind. Some are renewable and some are not.

The two-way relationship between people and their surroundings: people adapt to, depend on, and modify environments, while environments shape choices and settlement.

Shared learned beliefs, practices, language, values, and traditions of a group. Culture is learned and changes over time.

The spread of ideas, customs, technologies, or products from one culture to another through trade, migration, communication, or other contact.

The lifelong process through which people learn social norms, values, roles, and behaviors. Families, schools, peers, and media all influence it.

A shared expectation for behavior in a group or society. Norms guide behavior but are not necessarily formal laws.

The number of people living in a given unit of area. It helps compare how concentrated populations are across places of different sizes.

Ancient societies, including Egypt, Greece, and Rome, whose political, cultural, artistic, and technological contributions influenced later societies.

The Nile’s predictable flooding deposited fertile soil, supporting agriculture. Its waterway also helped connect communities and trade.

In ancient Athens, eligible citizens participated directly in public decision-making. It was not inclusive by modern standards because many residents could not participate.

Rome influenced later societies through ideas about republican government and citizenship, as well as through law, engineering, roads, language, and architecture.

A period when mechanized production expanded, first in Britain and then elsewhere. It changed work, transportation, cities, and the global demand for resources.

The growing connection among people and places through trade, migration, communication, culture, and technology. It can spread both opportunities and challenges across borders.

The basic economic problem that resources are limited while wants are unlimited. Scarcity requires individuals and societies to make choices.

The value of the next best alternative given up when a choice is made. It is the trade-off, not simply the money spent.

The amount of a good or service producers are willing and able to offer at various prices. Other things equal, a higher price tends to encourage more supply.

The amount of a good or service consumers are willing and able to buy at various prices. Other things equal, a lower price tends to increase quantity demanded.

A point where quantity supplied and quantity demanded are equal. A price above it can create a surplus; a price below it can create a shortage.

Goods are tangible items, such as books or bicycles. Services are activities people perform for others, such as teaching, repairing, or delivering care.