public opinion

Question 1

public opinion

Answer 1

the distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues
- difficult to assess

Question 2

public opinion on presidents are usually

Answer 2

higher approval ratings at beginning of their first term and then tend to decline

Question 3

the role of polls in american democracy

Answer 3

help politicians detect the public preference

Question 4

what do critics say about polls

Answer 4

polls make politicisans think more about following than leading the public
by altering the wording of a question, pollsters can usually get the results they want

Question 5

negative impact of polls

Answer 5

they may distort election process

Question 6

bandwagon effect

Answer 6

supporting a candidate simply because they see others doing so

Question 7

exit polls

Answer 7

used by the media to predict election day winner; most widely criticized
may discourage people from voting

Question 8

how are polls conducted

Answer 8

samples are taken where small proportions of people are chosen in a survey to be representative of the whole
random sampling is another key technique where people have an equal probability of being selected
margin of error is calculated

Question 9

push polls

Answer 9

polls that seek to push out a negative information about a candidate rather than seeking to measure public opinion

Question 10

what do polls reveal about americans

Answer 10

they don’t know much about politics
americans dont know how basic beliefs affect the politics of government

Question 11

political socialization

Answer 11

the process through which an individual acquires a particular political or tie ration
orientation grows firmer with age

Question 12

process of political socialization

Answer 12

family
media
school

Question 13

political ideology

Answer 13

a coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose

Question 14

the gender gap in politics

Answer 14

about 51% of population are women
they are less conservative than men
more likely to support democrats

Question 15

meaning of a liberal = classically

Answer 15

a person who favored personal and economic freedom and is against centralized power

Question 16

meaning of conservative = classically

Answer 16

a person who opposed the excesses of the French Revolution
supported a restoration of the power of the state, the catholic church, and the aristocrat
want a small government

Question 17

liberal meaning now

Answer 17

those who support an active federal government
-intervene in the economy
-create social welfare programs
-help certain groups acquire greater bargaining power
-promote equality

Question 18

conservative meaning now

Answer 18

those who support a more limited federal government
favor free market
state’s rights over national supremacy
greater reliance on individual responsibility and choice in economic affairs
traditional jude’s-christian values

Question 19

founding fathers beliefs on political parties

Answer 19

george washington feared that political parties could be forums for corruption and national divisiveness
james madison warned of the mischiefs of factions

Question 20

what is a party

Answer 20

winning elections is a party;s core function
weak and decentralized structure
party in the electorate, party as an organization, party in government

Question 21

party functions: channel of communication

Answer 21

linkage institutions
between voters and their government

Question 22

party functions- pick candidates/run campaigns: \

Answer 22

provide electoral resources
grassroots, mobilization, fundraising, etc

Question 23

party functions - give cues to voters/articulate policies

Answer 23

a canddiate’s party affiliation should make connection to political ideology and policies
foreign policy, entitlements, taxation

Question 24

party functions - coordinate policymaking

Answer 24

branches of government : all major public officials belong to a party

Question 25

why a two party system

Answer 25

winner take all system
single-member districts: only one candidate from each district is elected in house
eliminated any chance of the smaller parties getting any representation

Question 26

proportional represeentation

Answer 26

legislative seats awarded based on votes receivers by the party more votes= more seats

Question 27

coalition governmnet

Answer 27

two or more parties join to form a majority in a national legislatuer

Question 28

why might the two party system be good

Answer 28

serves critical functions with structure
sorts out list of candidates
discourages extreme views
provides stability

Question 29

why might the two party system be bad

Answer 29

contributes to political ambiguity
parties recruit personalities with high names that might not be qualified
divided government

Question 30

third parties

Answer 30

rarely win
are conduits for popular discontent and draw attention to controversial issues
propose innovative solutions to problems
spoiler role

Question 31

green party

Answer 31

environmentalism
corporations exploit average americans
strong federal government
splinter of far left wing

Question 32

libertarian party

Answer 32

very limited government
government has two functions: protect private property and individual liberty
people should choose what they want and live life in their own way

Question 33

party machines

Answer 33

a type of political party organization that relies heavily on material incentives to win votes and to govern
patronage = promotion or contract given for political reasons rather than. merit or competence

Question 34

party eras

Answer 34

historical periods in which a majority of votes cling to the party in power

Question 35

critical election

Answer 35

an electoral earthquake where new issues and new coalitions emerge

Question 36

party realignment

Answer 36

the displacement of majority party by the minority party

Question 37

are parties over

Answer 37

political parties are no longer the main source of information for voters
yet parties play a large role because majority of people still identify with parties

Question 38

Civil Rights Act 1964

Answer 38

prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin

Question 39

grandfather clause

Answer 39

an exemption that allows people or groups to continue with activities or operations that were approved before the implementation of new rules, regulations, or laws

Question 40

literacy test