This article comprehensively overviews the most important political terminologies crucial for CSS and PMS aspirants. Learning to write them will enable aspirants to navigate complex political concepts effectively.
Learning to write subject terminologies is always essential for competitive exam students, especially CSS and PMS. This practice gives aspirants a deeper understanding of complex concepts, ultimately helping them articulate their thoughts clearly. Learning to write these terms appropriately not only enhances comprehension but also equips aspirants to engage effectively with exam essays. For example, in fields like political economy, acquaintance with terms such as “globalization” and “trade barriers” helps aspirants confidently analyze and debate relevant issues. After learning these terminologies, aspirants can tackle exam questions more adeptly because they can apply these terms contextually, demonstrating their knowledge and critical thinking skills. Therefore, learning subject-specific terminology is not just about learning words or vocabulary; it’s all about improving exam scores.
I have compiled the following terminologies from various reputable sources: dictionaries, websites, books, and magazines. This compilation is intended to aid my students in enhancing their vocabulary and effectively articulating their thoughts in essays, whether for compulsory or optional subjects.
Important Political Terminologies
| Government |
| The institution that makes and enforces laws. |
| Politics |
| The process of making decisions that apply to a group of people. |
| Power |
| The ability to influence or control others. |
| Authority |
| The right to give orders and expect them to be obeyed. |
| Legitimacy |
| The belief that a government has the right to rule. |
| Democracy |
| A system of government in which the people have the power to choose their leaders. |
| Autocracy |
| A system of government in which one person holds absolute power. |
| Theocracy |
| A system of government in which religious leaders rule. |
| Monarchy |
| A system of government in which a king or queen rules. |
| Republic |
| A system of government in which power is held by the people through elected representatives. |
| Liberalism |
| A political ideology that emphasizes individual liberty and limited government. |
| Conservatism |
| A political ideology that emphasizes tradition, order, and stability. |
| Socialism |
| A political ideology that advocates for public ownership of resources and centralized planning. |
| Communism |
| A political and economic ideology advocating for a classless society. |
| Fascism |
| A political ideology that emphasizes nationalism, authoritarianism, and militarism. |
| Legislature |
| The body that makes laws. |
| Executive |
| The branch of government that carries out laws. |
| Judiciary |
| The branch of government that interprets laws. |
| Bureaucracy |
| A system of government in which most of the work is done by appointed officials. |
| Electoral College |
| A system used in the United States to elect the president. |
| Voting |
| The process of choosing a candidate or party. |
| Elections |
| The process of choosing political leaders. |
| Lobbying |
| The act of attempting to influence government policy. |
| Political Parties |
| Organized groups of people who share similar political beliefs and goals. |
| Interest Groups |
| Groups of people who share a common interest and try to influence government policy. |
| Political Culture |
| The shared beliefs and values of a society. |
| Political Socialization |
| The process by which individuals develop their political beliefs. |
| Public Opinion |
| The collective opinions of the public on political issues. |
| Political Polarization |
| The increasing divergence of political opinions and the formation of opposing political camps. |
| Political Correctness |
| The avoidance of language or behavior that could be seen as offensive or discriminatory. |
| Machiavellianism |
| A political philosophy that emphasizes the importance of power and the use of cunning to achieve political goals. |
| Utilitarianism |
| A political philosophy that emphasizes the greatest good for the greatest number. |
| Social Contract Theory |
| A theory that argues that people give up some of their rights in exchange for the benefits of living in a society. |
| Pluralism |
| A theory that argues that power is distributed among many groups in a society. |
| Absentee Voting |
| A way people can vote when they can’t get to their polling place. They vote on a special form and mail it in. |
| Appropriation |
| An act of Congress that enables Federal agencies to spend money for specific purposes. |
| Assistant Minority Leader |
| Assists the minority leader in the Senate and rounds up votes. |
| Baiting |
| Tormenting or teasing by saying annoying or cruel things. |
| Balanced Budget |
| A balanced budget occurs when total revenues equal total outlays for a fiscal year. |
| Bias |
| A leaning in favour of or against something or someone; partiality or prejudice. |
| Bills |
| A legislative proposal that, if passed by both the House and the Senate and approved by the President, becomes law. Each bill is assigned a bill number. In the US, HR denotes bills that originate in the House and S denotes bills that originate in the Senate. |
| Campaign |
| A series of planned actions for getting someone elected. |
| Candidate |
| A person who seeks or has been suggested for an office or award. |
| Citizen |
| A person who is a member of a country or state; citizens have certain duties and rights. |
| Cloture |
| In the US, a motion generally used in the Senate to end a filibuster. Invoking cloture requires a vote by 3/5 of the full Senate. If cloture is invoked, further debate is limited to 30 hours; it is not a vote on the passage of the piece of legislation. |
| Constituency |
| All of the voters in a particular district. |
| Constituent |
| Having the right to vote or elect; any of the voters represented by a particular official. |
| Debate |
| Face-to-face discussion of candidates’ views on issues. |
| Discharge Resolution |
| In the Senate, a special motion that any Senator may introduce to relieve a committee of consideration of a bill before it. |
| Editorial |
| Expressed opinions intended to persuade viewers and listeners by taking a side. |
| Federal |
| Of or describing a union of states having a central government or pertaining to that government. |
| Filibuster |
| An informal term for extended debate or other procedures used to prevent a vote on a bill in the Senate. |
| Franchise |
| The constitutional right to vote. |
| Germane |
| Relevant to the bill or business either chamber is addressing. The House requires an amendment to meet a standard of relevance, being germane, unless a special rule has been passed. |
| Grassroots |
| The involvement of common citizens. |
| Hopper |
| Box on the House Clerk’s desk where members deposit bills and resolutions to introduce them. |
| The House Calendar |
| A list of all the public bills that do not address money and may be considered by the House of Representatives. |
| Hype |
| Slang for political ads, e.g. slick short TV commercials. |
| Incumbent |
| A person now holding an office. |
| Independent |
| A candidate not belonging to one of the major political parties. |
| Issues |
| Problems; ideas to be talked about; questions decided upon and voted on. |
| Landslide |
| An election in which one candidate defeats the other by a very large margin. |
| Law |
| An act of Congress that has been signed by the President or passed over his veto by Congress. |
| Majority Leader |
| Leads the majority party in Congress. There is a majority and minority leader for each house of Congress. |
| Majority Whip |
| Assists the leader, rounds up votes for the majority party, and heads group of deputy whips. There is one in each house of Congress. |
| Minority Whip |
| In the House, assists the minority leader, rounds up votes, and heads large forum of deputy and assistant whips. |
| Motion to Table |
| A motion that is not debatable and that can be made by any Senator or Representative on any pending question. Agreement to the motion is equivalent to defeating the question tabled. |
| Mudslinging |
| Negative, often personal, frequently inaccurate or exaggerated attacks of the opposition. |
| Nominee |
| The person that a political party chooses to represent it in a general election. This is called nomination. |
| Non-partisan |
| Not supporting or controlled by a group or a cause. |
| Partisan |
| A strong, often emotional supporter of a person or cause; can apply to a group as well as individuals. |
| Platform |
| A public statement of the principles, objectives, and policy of a political party; a plan. |
| Political Action Committee (PAC) |
| An organization created to raise money in support or opposition of a particular candidate or candidates. A PAC must be registered with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) and may be formed by any group, including businesses, labour unions, and special interest groups. |
| Private Bill |
| A bill that is introduced on behalf of a specific individual and that, if enacted into law, only applies to the specific person or organization the bill concerns. Often, private bills address immigration or naturalization issues. |
| The Private Calendar |
| In the US, a list of all the private bills to be considered by the House is called on the first and third Tuesdays of every month. |
| Public Bill |
| A bill that applies to the general public, if enacted into law. |
| Override a Veto |
| If the President disapproves a bill and sends it back to Congress with his objections, Congress may try to override his veto and enact the bill into law. Neither house is required to attempt to override a veto. A veto override requires a recorded vote with a two-thirds majority in each chamber. |
| Poll |
| A place where votes are cast; also refers to a survey to assess public opinion or to forecast an election. |
| Pollster |
| A person or company that researches public opinion. |
| Precinct |
| An administrative division of voters by neighbourhood, the smallest political unit in U.S. politics. Cities and counties are divided into precinct polling districts that have varying numbers of registered voters based on State law. |
| Public |
| Of or having to do with the people as a whole. |
| Quorum |
| The number of Representatives or Senators that must be present before business can begin. In the US, 218 members must be present for a quorum in the House. In the Senate, 51 members must be present; however, the Senate can conduct daily business without a quorum unless it is challenged by a point of order. |
| Ratified |
| Formal approval by voters or other persons. |
| Referendum |
| The legal process of submitting to the voters for their approval or rejection of proposed state or rejection of proposed state of local laws or constitutional amendments. |
| Resolution |
| A type of legislation that is adopted only by the house that introduces it, and deals with issues concerning the operation of that house only. |
| Rhetoric |
| The ability to use language effectively. The undue use of exaggeration or display. The art of influencing others through the use of words. |
| Simple Resolutions |
| A type of legislation designated by H Res or S Res that is used primarily to express the sense of the chamber where it is introduced or passed. It only has the force of the chamber passing the resolution. A simple resolution is not signed by the President and cannot become Public Law. |
| Sponsor |
| The original member who introduces a bill. |
| Substitute Amendment |
| An amendment that would replace the existing language of a bill or another amendment with its own. |
| Suspension of the Rules |
| A procedure in the House that limits debate on a bill to 40 minutes, bars amendments to the legislation and requires a 2/3 majority of those present and voting for the measure to be passed. |
| Unbiased |
| Without favour or blame; objective. |
| Veto |
| A power that allows the President, a governor, or a mayor to refuse approval of a piece of legislation. Federally, a President returns a vetoed bill to Congress, generally with a message. Congress can accept the veto or attempt to override it with a 2/3 majority of those present and voting in both the House and the Senate. |
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