AP Comparative Government October 4th, 2012

Unit Two (United Kingdom)

Vocabulary Quiz

Fill in the Blank: Correctly fill in the blank with the term or concept from your list which best applies.

  1. “Big Society” is the name for the movement towards more grassroots volunteers and private organizations, no longer harnessed by “big government” under the current leadership of Prime Minister David Cameron.
  1. The first legal document to limit the absolute authority of the British monarch, known as Magna Carta, begins a long, slow transition of power from the crown to the people.
  1. A concept championed by PM Margaret Thatcher in the 1980’s, neoliberalism is a term describing the revival of classic liberal values including individual political and economic freedom.
  1. Due to a fusion of the executive and legislative roles in the British Parliament (and the lack of extensive judicial review by the Supreme Court), the UK functions without much collaboration throughseparation of powers.
  1. Collective consensus was an alliterative concept put forth during the Churchill years which involved bipartisanship and universal adoption of the welfare system.
  1. Shadow cabinet/govt is the name for the group of MP’s assembled by the minority party to mimic the roles of the Prime Minister’s closest advisors in regards to the minority PL.
  1. Trade Union Council is the title of an interest group in Britain who is often consulted by the government on important issues due to their representation of numerous unions and their members.
  1. One of the first political parties to officially form in Britain, the Tories party was defined in large part by their strong support of then King Charles II.
  1. Back benchersis the term used to describe less tenured and less influential members of Parliament, with the name as a poke at their strategic seating arrangement in Parliamentary sessions..
  1. Coalition Government is the term to describe the current governmental structure in the UK, headed by Conservative PM David Cameron and Nick Clegg as Liberal Democrat Deputy PM.

True/False: If the statement is true, write “true”. If the statement is false, correct the statement in a complete sentence to make it true.

  1. Upon his election as Prime Minister in 1997, Tony Blair began implementing a plan to govern Britain with a centralist alternative to both traditional ideas of either party known as the “Big Society.”

False- “Third Way”

  1. Margaret Thatcher is known as the “Iron Lady” due in large part to her uncompromising attempts to expand the welfare state in the UK throughout the 1980’s.

False- roll back welfare state

  1. The common perception within Britain is that, traditionally speaking, the elitist party is the Conservative Party.

True

  1. The electoral process in Britain for MP’s is strictly “first part the post” in each district, making it difficult for smaller parties to acquire representation.

True

  1. Due to their elevated status, the House of Lords holds significant legislative and executive powers that rival that of the House of Commons.

False- holds no significant powers

Describe: Use each of the following terms/concepts in a detailed sentence which demonstrates accurate comprehension of the term/conceptas it pertains to the United Kingdom.

  1. Devolution
  1. Gradualism
  1. Legitimacy
  1. Social cleavages
  1. Unitary system