Civics - 2nd Nine Weeks Assessment
Study Guide
Spring 2008
1. The United States is said to have a ____ system.
2. A ____ party is an association of voters with broad common interests who want to elect candidates that share those interests.
3. ____ parties rarely win major elections, and have never won a presidential election.
4. A ____ is a series of statements expressing a party’s principles, beliefs, and positions on election issues.
5. What is the term for an individual part of a party’s platform?
6. ____ represent their state at their party’s national convention.
7. Each party chooses its convention delegates through a combination of primary elections and
8. Local party leaders try to build support for their party at the ____, or neighborhood, level.
9. Tammany Hall is a notorious example of a political
10. A ____ is a voting district.
11. At what location is voting carried out?
12. People who cannot go to the polls can request an ____ ballot in advance.
13. Many people think ____, or lack of interest, is the main reason for low voter turnouts.
14. What term refers to all of the people who are eligible to vote?
15. Elections are a two-part process involving primary races and
16. Citizens can vote to remove a public official from office in a
17. The ____ is a way that citizens can propose new laws or state constitutional amendments.
18. What provides a way for citizens to approve or reject state or local laws?
19. If neither presidential candidate wins a majority of electoral votes, who elects the president?
20. If enough people sign a petition for it, a ____ is put on the ballot at the next general election.
21. In a ____ system, the central government and the state governments share power.
22. State governments may exercise ____ powers, as outlined by the Tenth Amendment.
23. What powers are shared by the state governments and the federal government?
24. State electoral districts must be equally ____, or based on population.
25. A(n) ____ usually manages elections and maintains the state’s official records.
26. Governors have the power to grant a prisoner a ____, or early release from prison.
27. In a civil case, the person being sued is the
28. ____ usually set(s) out the powers and duties of local governments.
29. ____ allows cities to write their own charters and manage their own affairs.
30. What is the term for a central city and its surrounding suburbs?
31. Where is the county courthouse located?
32. Normally, the ____ is the largest territorial and political subdivision of a state.
33. The ____ keeps official government records and often supervises elections within a county.
34. Still practiced in New England states, ____ are an exercise in direct democracy.
35. What is the smallest unit of local government?