political science exam #2 review Flashcards
The definition of political parties is purposefully
broad
What is true about the modern Republican Party?
It emerged as a major party as a result of the Civil War
Which political party wanted to reduce favored primary elections to replace nominating conventions, strict voter registration requirements, and civil service reform.
Progressives
A period when a lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties is called a
realignment
What was the major issue in the 1860 realignment period?
Slavery
There are two main types of primary elections:
closed and open primaries
The plurality system can be described as
winner-take-all
A voter’s stable, long-term attachment to a political party is known as a
partisan identification
Political scientists think of parties as consisting of the following parts EXCEPT
an individual leader
A consistent set of beliefs about what policies governments ought to pursue is referred to as
political ideology
It is suggested that Americans view the concept of “social class” in their country with a sense of
embarrassment
Several studies have shown that government policy is often more responsive to the preferences of
The economic elite
What group did Madison and other Framers look to “as a defense to the people against their own temporary errors and delusions.”?
The Senators
What group did Madison and other Framers look to “as a defense to the people against their own temporary errors and delusions.”?
The Senators
Individuals with a disproportionate share of political power are called
political elites
True or False: Asians are now the largest minority group in the United States.
False
One reason that public policy often differs from public opinion is that
the U.S. Constitution places many checks on the influence of public opinion
True or False: Most high school students share the same political party identification as their parents.
True
If any given voter has a chance of being selected to participate in a survey, the sample is best described as a
Random sample
Serena has grown up hearing her parents talk about their views on immigration and often observed their support for politicians embracing immigration reform. When she is eligible to vote, Serena decides that she supports these candidates, too. Serena’s political views are a result of
Political Socialization
Which constitutional amendment extended the right to vote to those 18 years and older?
Twenty-sixth (26) Amendment
Today, voter turnout rates in American are ____________ they were for previous generations.
Lower than
Joining civic associations, supporting social movements, and writing to legislators, are examples of
political participation
Federal elections in the United States are always held in
November
What legislation significantly increased political participation among seniors?
Social Security Act
What law requires citizens to show a government-issued ID in order to vote?
voter identification law
The most common form of political participation is
voting
Cassandra likes to get involved in political efforts. She works the phones, hands out flyers for her favorite candidate, and she always votes. Cassandra is an example of a
campaigner
William does not enjoy the conflict that goes along with a senatorial campaign. He would much rather find a cause at the local level—forming and joining organizations to deal with local problems. William is an example of a
communalist
Participation in politics is driven by all of the following factors EXCEPT:
being asked to participate
diminished civic skills
access to resources
experiences with government programs
diminished civic skills
During elections, what type of voters decide based on punishment or reward for the health of the nation?
retrospective voters
What type of issue is one in which the rival candidates have opposing views on a question that also divides the voters?
positional issue
As a result of the Watergate investigation, a new law was passed affecting
campaign financing
In 1911, Congress decided the House be fixed at how many members?
435
Today, individuals may give the federal limit of $2700 to as many candidates as he or she likes.
True
Most of the money for congressional candidates comes from
Individuals
What was the single biggest expenses in every recent presidential campaign?
campaign advertising
Which of the following is sometimes referred to as a “dark money” group?
501(c)4 group
The following are all primary factors that typically shape presidential elections, EXCEPT
political party affiliation
campaign funds
the state of the economy
the character of the candidates
campaign funds
The most significant legal constraints on interest groups comes from
the tax code and campaign finance law
Which Amendment protects the activities of lobbyists?
First (1st) Amendment
As people leave the federal government to take more lucrative positions, there is concern that this “revolving door” may
giver private interests as improper influence on government decisions
Although Congress officially banned earmarks in 2011, members of Congress still work to influence government agencies associated with special funds in a process called
lettermarking or phonemarking
True or False: Today, union membership is largely comprised of government workers.
True
Interest groups are an important way for people to have their voices heard because of
the large size and diversity of our country
True or False: The number and size of interest groups is positively correlated to the size of government.
True
A person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of an interest group is known as a
lobbyist
In 2016, how much did interest groups spent over on lobbying?
1 Billion
Americans are more likely to join _________ than are citizens of other democracies.
labor unions
Newspapers are limited in the amount of slanting they can get away with in part because
they have to satisfy many different people, from advertisers to editors, to make money
The medium that first allowed public officials to reach the public in a relatively unfiltered manner was
Radio
The term yellow journalism was coined to describe media sensationalism in what era?
The turn of the century
A policy leaked to the press to see how it plays out with the public is known as
A trail balloon
Compared to other democratic nations, The United States restricts the press
much less than
America has a long standing tradition of media that are
privately owned
Horse-race journalism concerns the critics because they feel such coverage
ignores the importance of issues
In places where a local paper has closed, citizens
know less about the issues and are less politically active
The ability of the media to influence which issue the public uses to asses its political leaders is
priming
True or False:
Some people may have voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election because they read a story on Facebook about Hillary Clinton selling weapons to ISIS.
True
