Poli Sci Exam 2

Question 1

Intermediaries

Answer 1

The media acts as a bridge between citizens and government

Question 2

Straw poll

Answer 2

informal polls conducted in places like taverns, public meetings, militia office

Question 3

Probability sample

Answer 3

very member of a population has a known and equal chance of being selected (basically impossible)

Question 4

Selection bias

Answer 4

a distortion in a measure of association due to a sample selection that does not accurately reflect the target population.

Question 5

Social desirability bias

Answer 5

Survey respondents give answers they believe researchers want to hear

Question 6

Attitude

Answer 6

“organized and consistent manner of thinking, feeling, and reacting with regard to people, groups, social issues, or, more generally, any event in one’s environment.”

Question 7

Political ideology

Answer 7

Elaborately organized sets of political attitudes

Question 8

Partisanship

Answer 8

is distinctive from ideology | bias for a particular cause

Question 9

Heuristic

Answer 9

mental shortcuts that people use to make decisions, solve problems, and form judgments

Question 10

Non-ignorable non-response bias

Answer 10

Occurs when the likelihood of non-response is directly related to the variable being measured, leading to systematic differences between respondents and non-respondents. (people don’t want to answer accurately due to their answers)

Question 11

Pluralism

Answer 11

all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the United States. Outcome is compromise/moderation.

Question 12

Selective benefits

Answer 12

Informational (news), Material (discounts), solidarity (community), and purposive (participating in something bigger). | Benefits associated with group formation

Question 13

Inside lobbying

Answer 13

When interest groups testify in congress, contact officials, draft legislation, make campaign contributions, serve on advisory boards, and participate in litigation.

Question 14

Outside lobbying

Answer 14

When interest groups “go public”: Talk to press, mobilize members, letter writing, publicize voting records, endorse candidates, protest, advertise, contribute personnel to campaigns.

Question 15

Political party

Answer 15

A group of candidates and elected officials organized under a common label for the purpose of attaining positions of public authority.

Question 16

Parties-in-government

Answer 16

Alliance of current officeholders cooperating to shape public policy

Question 17

Parties-as-organizations

Answer 17

Dedicated to electing the party’s candidate

Question 18

Parties-in-the-electorate

Answer 18

Composed of voters who identify with the party and regularly vote for its nominees

Question 19

Affective polarization

Answer 19

Voters have increasingly negative views of other parties and their candidate. Out Party hate.

Question 20

Calcification

Answer 20

In politics, calcification refers to the hardening or entrenchment of political divisions, ideologies, or systems, making it difficult to adapt, compromise, or implement change | People do not change their views easily

Question 21

Duverger’s Law

Answer 21

Number of effective political parties depends on the electoral system

Question 22

Electoral mandate

Answer 22

“an urgent message from the electorate that confers special authority on the president or other elected officials

Question 23

Single member district

Answer 23

only one winning candidate per election

Question 24

First-past-the-post

Answer 24

highest polling candidate (even if no majority) wins

Question 25

Paradox of voting

Answer 25

Trying to understand why people vote (Riker and Ordershook)

Question 26

Retrospective voting

Answer 26

vote as referendum on incumbent party’s performance (2024 election)

Question 27

Advertising

Answer 27

Build a brand name in district for a congress member

Question 28

Credit claiming

Answer 28

When congress does this that constituents like. Casework and constituent service. Earmarks provide visuals for a congress members’ work

Question 29

Position taking

Answer 29

Making a public statement on an issue likely to be popular with your constituents

Question 30

Going public

Answer 30

When a president “goes public” with information, in an attempt to persuade congress, other elected officials, of foreign powers to do somethings

Question 31

Executive order

Answer 31

A declaration by the President of the United States that has the force of law and manages the federal government

Question 32

Originalism

Answer 32

Neutral and heuristic tool for understanding the constitution and its identity and tradition. What would the public have understood the words to mean at the time of the constitution

Question 33

Cabinet Departments

Answer 33

Constitutional role to advise the president (direct report). Employment heavily at discretion of president | State Dept, DOJ, DOD, DOT

Question 34

Independent Agencies

Answer 34

Est. by congressional statutes to exist outside cabinet depts. Pres. generally subject to greater restriction on appointment and removal | EPA, NASA

Question 35

Government corporations

Answer 35

Federally owned, but carry out business-like tasks. Expected to generate revenue (with public interest goals) | Amtrak, USPS

Question 36

Spoils system

Answer 36

Andrew Jackson | Rotation in office: staff government with party loyalists as reward for support

Question 37

Pendelton Act

Answer 37

Created merit system (competitive exams, job sec) | Covers 10% of fed workers, pres. auth. To expand | By 1933 covers 80% of fed workers | Made it so that people actually stayed in bureaucracy

Question 38

Living Constitution

Answer 38

The constitution has the ability to be changed (judicial action, precedent, congressional action).

Question 39

Writ of certiorari

Answer 39

a request that the Supreme Court order a lower court to send up the record of the case for review.

Question 40

Rule of four

Answer 40

certiorari petition granted when 4 justices support hearing a case

Question 41

Judicial review

Answer 41

Supreme Court has authority to overrule any act of Congress that violates the Constitution

Question 42

Stare decisis

Answer 42

For the Supreme Court to “stand by things decided”. AKA, follow prescedent of previous cases.