Chapter 8

Question 1

political parties

Answer 1

coalitions of people who form a united front to win control of government and implement policy

Question 2

partisanship

Answer 2

identification with or support of a particular party or cause

Question 3

proportional representation

Answer 3

a multimember district system that allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote

Question 4

plurality system

Answer 4

a type of electoral system in which, to win a seat in the parliament or other representative body, a candidate need only receive the most votes in the election, not necessarily a majority of votes cast

Question 5

Duverger’s Law

Answer 5

A law that holds that plurality rule elections where the winner has the most votes, but not necessarily a majority within single‐member geographic districts, tend to result in a two‐party system, whereas proportional representation tends to result in a multi‐party system.

Question 6

two party system

Answer 6

a political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control

Question 7

political polarization

Answer 7

the division between the two major parties on most policy issues, with members of each party unified around their party’s positions with little crossover

Question 8

party organization

Answer 8

the formal structure of a political party, including its leadership, election committees, active members, and paid staff

Question 9

political action committee (PAC)

Answer 9

a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns

Question 10

majority party

Answer 10

the party that holds the majority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate

Question 11

minority party

Answer 11

the party that holds the minority of legislative seats in the House or the Senate

Question 12

party identification

Answer 12

an individual voter’s psychological ties to one party or another

Question 13

retrospective voting

Answer 13

voting based on the past performance of a candidate or political party

Question 14

party activists

Answer 14

partisans who contribute time, energy, and effort to support their party and its candidates

Question 15

independents

Answer 15

people not formally aligned with a political party; also called unaffiliated
affective polarization the emotional dislike of members of the other party

Question 16

negative partisanship

Answer 16

a phenomenon in which people form strong opinions against a political party rather than in support of one

Question 17

minor parties

Answer 17

parties that organize to compete against the two major American political parties

Question 18

interest group

Answer 18

an organized group of people or institutions that uses various forms of advocacy to influence public policy

Question 19

pluralism

Answer 19

the theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the government; the outcome of this competition is compromise and moderation

Question 20

collective goods

Answer 20

benefits, sought by groups, that are broadly available and cannot be denied to nonmembers

Question 21

free riders

Answer 21

those who enjoy the benefits of collective goods but did not participate in acquiring or providing them

Question 22

informational benefits

Answer 22

special newsletters, periodicals, training programs, conferences, and other information provided to members of groups to entice others to join

Question 23

material benefits

Answer 23

special goods, services, or money provided to members of groups to entice others to join

Question 24

solidary benefits

Answer 24

selective benefits of group membership that emphasize friendship, networking, and consciousness raising

Question 25

purposive benefits

Answer 25

selective benefits of group membership that emphasize the purpose and accomplishments of the group

Question 26

lobbying

Answer 26

A strategy by which organized interests seek to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on government officials

Question 27

iron triangle

Answer 27

the stable, cooperative relationships that often develop among a congressional committee, an administrative agency, and one or more supportive interest groups; not all of these relationships are triangular, but the iron triangle is the most typical

Question 28

issue network

Answer 28

a loose network of elected leaders, public officials, activists, and interest groups drawn together by a specific policy issue