History and Government

1. canon: an ecclesiastical or secular law or code of laws; a basis for judgment; any officially recognized set of books. Canon has many specialized meaning in religion and in literature referring to the authoritative list of accepted books.

2. hegemony: leadership; preponderant influence or authority, especially of a government or state.

3. oligarchy: form of government in which the ruling power lies in the hands of a select few

4. peonage: a system by which debtors are bound in servitude to their creditors until debts are paid; the condition of being an unskilled day laborer, especially in Latin America and the southwestern United States. The word peon ultimately is traceable to the Latin word for “walker” and therefore also developed a meaning of “foot soldier”

5. pharisaical: making an outward show of piety but lacking the inward spirit; hypocritical. Originally, Pharisaism referred to the doctrine and practices of the Pharisees, the Hebrew sect that followed the path of withdrawal, separation, and dedication and became the mainstream of Jewish belief. Later chirstological history gave the work a negative connotation.

6. plebiscite: a direct vote of the qualified electors of a state in regard to some important public question. The word is derived form the Latin words plebes scitum (“the people’s decree”)

7. plenipotentiary: invested with or conferring full power; a diplomatic agent fully authorized to represent his government.

8. proxy: an agent or substitute; a document giving one authority to act for another.

9. recession: the act of withdrawing or going back; a moderate and temporary decline in economic activity that occurs during a period of otherwise increasing prosperity.

10. regicide: the killing of a king; one who kills or helps to kill a king.

11. renascent: coming into being again; showing renewed growth or vigor. The word is related to Renaissance, the humanistic revival of classical art, literature and learning that originated in Italy in the fourteenth century and later spread throughout Europe.

12. reprisal: the practice of using political or military force without actually resorting to war; retaliation for an injury with the intent of inflicting at least as much injury in return

13. subversion: ruination or complete destruction; corruption; complete overthrow. As the meaning implied, the original Latin word meant “to turn upside down”

14. surrogate: a substitute; in some states, a judge having jurisdiction over the probate of wills and the settlement of estates. As a verb, the word means “to substitute or to put into the place of another”

15. votary: a person bound by vows to live a life of religious worship and service, as a monk or nun; any person fervently devoted to a religion, activity, or ideal.


Exercises

I. Which Word Comes to Mind?
In each of the following, read the statement, then circle the word that comes to mind.

1. Sharecroppers or migrant workers
(surrogate, proxy, peonage)
2. You can’t judge a book by its cover
(pharisaical, reprisal, renascent)
3. Vox populi
(votary, plebiscite, subversion)
4. A man to be reckoned with
(regicide, canon, plenipotentiary)
5. Times are bad but they could be worse
(oligarchy, recession, hegemony)
6. Holier than thou
(surrogate, canon, regicide)
7. Tit for tat
(proxy, subversion, reprisal)
8. A commitment for life
(votary, renascent, oligarchy)
9. Who’s the boss?
(peonage, hegemony, surrogate)
10. A second chance
(proxy, renascent, surrogate)

II. True or False
In the space provide, indicate whether each statement is true or false.

____ 1. Hegemony refers to the currency of circulation
____ 2. A proxy and a surrogate are similar, both suggesting a substitute
____ 3. A votary is one who keeps his word
____ 4. A regicide favors the restoration of a monarchy
____ 5. Vengeance is an act of reprisal
____ 6. In an oligarchy everyone has an equal share in the government
____ 7. The word “pharisaical” has acquired a derogatory connotation.
____ 8. Subversion is an attempt to change the system that is now in place
____ 9. Working under peonage is a good way to build a future in government.
____ 10. In a plebiscite the people exercise their right of self-determination

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