Unit 09

UNIT 09 POLITICS authority n. Authority is the power to make decisions, direct or control someone, or give orders. In a courtroom, the judge has authority over everyone else. blame v. To blame is to say or think that someone or something is responsible for something bad. The mayor wants to blame the city council for making a mess of the local election. candidate n. A candidate is a person who is trying to get elected to an office. The candidate shook hands with all of his supporters. citizen n. A citizen is a person who legally belongs to a country. My Aunt Essie is a proud citizen of Australia. council n. A council is a group of people who are chosen to make rules, laws, or decisions. Each member of the council had an equal vote. democracy n. A democracy is a form of government in which the people vote for their officials. Elections are the most important way for people to practice democracy. deny v. To deny something is to say it is not true. The man tried to deny that he had anything to do with leaking the information. domestic adj. Domestic means something is found within the home country. The candidate claimed that he will strengthen their domestic market. election n. An election is a vote to choose someone to serve as a public official. I voted in our local election to choose the new mayor. federal adj. Federal means something that has to do with the central government of a country. This building is where federal laws are proposed and voted on.

govern v. To govern is to lead and make decisions that affect a group. People are happy to govern themselves. influence n. Influence is the power to change something without forcing it to happen. The speaker had an influence on the audience's ideas. massive adj. Massive means something is large in size, amount, or degree. There was a massive number of people at the protest. parliament n. A parliament is a group of people who make the laws in some kinds of governments. It was the first meeting of the parliament in the new year. policy n. A policy is an accepted set of ideas or rules about the way things are done. The new policy affected all of the staff. politician n. A politician is someone who is active in government and is usually an elected official. Each politician spoke about how they would change the law. politics n. Politics are the activities involved with the government. My sister decided to enter politics and run for office. regulation n.A regulation is an official law or rule. I looked for a regulation about how the council makes rules. republic n. A republic is a country run by elected officials rather than by a king or queen. India is the largest republic in the world. royal adj. Royal means something that is related to a king or queen. Only a member of the royal family can wear this crown.

Democratic Republics In a democracy, the government works by rule of majority. In other words, no single person rules the country. A republic works in a similar way, but a republic does not work by majority rule. Both types of government are similar in that they have elections to choose representatives. These representatives govern the people. In the US,these representatives make up Congress. Candidates for Congress take part in elections. Once elected, they help make policy and create laws and regulations. The US has federal, state, and city governments. Federallaws affect all states, but some laws may differ from state to state. This system is meant to provide states with more power when it comes to domestic issues. Within the states, cities have groups such as city councils. These groups create policies for those citizens who live there. Some countries, such as Great Britain, elect a parliament that governs the country. The leader of the government is a member of Parliament. That leader is called the prime minister. Great Britain has a royal family as well. The Queen of England is part of the royal family. Although the queen is the Head of State, she stays neutral when it comes to politics.