STAAR Grade 8 Social Studies: Government and Citizenship

Vocabulary.com's STAAR Grade 8 Social Studies lists cover many of the essential terms and concepts that you'll be expected to know on test day. Boost your confidence and your test score by mastering these important words.
26 words 93 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. amend
    make revisions to
  2. amendment
    a statement that is added to a proposal or document
  3. citizenship
    membership in a state with rights and duties
  4. civil disobedience
    refusal to comply with a law as a form of political protest
  5. compromise
    an accommodation in which both sides make concessions
  6. constitution
    law determining the fundamental principles of a government
  7. constitutional
    sanctioned by or consistent with or operating under the law
  8. due process
    administration of justice according to rules and principles
  9. executive
    someone who manages a government agency or department
  10. federal
    of a government with central and regional authorities
  11. federalism
    government divided between central and regional powers
  12. federalist
    advocate of government with both central & regional powers
  13. grievance
    an allegation that something denies some legal right
  14. impeach
    charge with an offense committed while in office
  15. judicial
    relating to the administration of justice
  16. judicial review
    the court's power to decide whether a law is constitutional
  17. jury
    a body of citizens sworn to give a verdict in a court of law
  18. legislative
    relating to a lawmaking assembly
  19. naturalization
    the proceeding whereby a foreigner is granted citizenship
  20. nullification
    doctrine that a state can refuse to recognize a federal law
  21. petition
    request formally and in writing
  22. representation
    the right to have delegates in some legislative body
  23. republicanism
    belief in government by the people's elected representatives
  24. suffrage
    a legal right to vote
  25. unalienable
    incapable of being repudiated or transferred to another
  26. veto
    a vote that blocks a decision
Created on Wed Jun 23 15:49:18 EDT 2021 (updated Thu Jun 24 10:18:35 EDT 2021)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.