Chapter 8: Public Opinion And Voting

Question 1

Public Opinion

Answer 1

The views of the citizenry about politics, public issues, and public policies; a complex collection of opinions held by many people on issues in the public arena

Question 2

Political Socialization

Answer 2

The learning process through which people acquire their political attitude, opinions, beliefs, and knowledge

Question 3

Agent Of Political Socialization

Answer 3

People and institutions that influence the political views of others

Question 4

Media

Answer 4

Newspaper, magazines, television, radio, internet, and any other printed or electronic means of communication

Question 5

Peer Group

Answer 5

Associates, often close in age to one another; may include friends, classmates, co-workers, club members, or religion group members

Question 6

Public Opinion Poll

Answer 6

A survey of the public’s opinion on a particular topic at a particular moment

Question 7

Sample

Answer 7

In the context of opinion polling, a group of people selected to represent the population being studied

Question 8

Straw Poll

Answer 8

Nonscientific poll in which there is no way to ensure that the opinion express are representative of the large population

Question 9

Biased Sample

Answer 9

A poll Sample that does not accurately represent the population

Question 10

Random Sample

Answer 10

In the context of public opinion, a sample in which each person within the entire population being polled has an equal chance of being chosen

Question 11

Sampling Error

Answer 11

In the context of public opinion, the difference between what the sample result show and what the true results would have been had everybody in the relevant population been interview

Question 12

Push Poll

Answer 12

A campaign tactic used to feed false or misleading information to potential voters, under the guise of talking an opinion poll, with the intent to push voters away from one candidate and towards another

Question 13

Gender Gap

Answer 13

The difference between percentage of voters cast for a particular candidates by women and the percentage of voters cast for the same candidate by men

Question 14

Solid South

Answer 14

A term used to describe the tendency of the southern state to vote democratic after Civil War

Question 15

Literacy Test

Answer 15

A test given to voters to ensure that they could read and write and thus evaluate political information

Question 16

Poll Tax

Answer 16

A fee of several dollars that had to be paid before a person could vote

Question 17

Grandfather Clause

Answer 17

A clause in a state law had the effect of restricting voting rights to those whose ancestors had voted before the 1860s. Prevent African Americans from exercising their right to vote

Question 18

White Primary

Answer 18

A primary election in which African Americans were prohibited from voting. Banned by the Supreme Court in 1944