Unit 3 Vocab

Question 1

“friend of the court” brief filed by an interest group to influence a Supreme Court decision.

Answer 1

Amicus curiae brief

Question 2

contention that parties are less meaningful to voters, who have abandoned the parties in greater numbers to become independents.

Answer 2

Dealignment argument

Question 3

government in which one party controls the presidency while another party controls the Congress.

Answer 3

Divided government

Question 4

theory that upper class elites exercise great influence over public policy

Answer 4

Elite theory

Question 5

term used by Madison to denote what we now call interest groups

Answer 5

Factions

Question 6

FCC rule (no longer in effect) that required broadcasters to air a variety of viewpoints on their programs

Answer 6

Fairness Doctrine

Question 7

Just as sharks engage in a feeding frenzy when they sense blood in the water, the media “attack” when they sense wrongdoing or scandal in government, and devote great amounts of coverage to such stories

Answer 7

Feeding frenzy

Question 8

the problem faced by interest groups when citizens can reap the benefits of interest group action without actually joining, participating in, or contributing money to such groups

Answer 8

Free rider problem

Question 9

the tendency of the media to report on an election campaign as if it were a horse race, i.e., who is ahead, who is behind, who is gaining ground

Answer 9

Horse race coverage

Question 10

an informal association of federal agency, congressional committee, and interest group that is said to have heavy influence over policy making

Answer 10

Iron triangle

Question 11

the act or process of carrying out a lawsuit

Answer 11

Litigation

Question 12

attempting to influence policy makers

Answer 12

Lobbying

Question 13

elections in which candidates are not identified by party membership on the ballot

Answer 13

Nonpartisan elections

Question 14

ballot in which candidates are arranged by office rather than party. Encourages split ticket voting

Answer 14

Office column ballot

Question 15

ballot in which candidates are arranged by party rather than office. Encourages straight ticket voting

Answer 15

Party column ballot

Question 16

a staged campaign event that attracts favorable visual media coverage, e.g., a candidate reading to a group of school children

Answer 16

Photo opportunity

Question 17

theory that policy making is the result of interest group competition

Answer 17

Pluralism

Question 18

an interest group that raises funds and donates to election campaigns

Answer 18

Political Action Committee (PAC)

Question 19

appointing loyal party members to government positions

Answer 19

Patronage

Question 20

the cycle in which a person alternately works for the public sector and private sector, thus blurring the individual’s sense of loyalty

Answer 20

Revolving door

Question 21

the practice of selectively choosing media sources which are in harmony with one’s own beliefs

Answer 21

Selective exposure

Question 22

the practice of perceiving media messages the way one wants to

Answer 22

Selective perception

Question 23

a short, pithy comment that is likely to attract media attention, e.g., Ronald Reagan saying, “A recession is when your neighbor loses his job, a depression is when you lose your job, and recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his job.”

Answer 23

Sound bite

Question 24

placing a certain slant on a story to deflect negative public attention against a candidate or office holder

Answer 24

Spin control

Question 25

an abandoned rule of the Democratic Party national convention in which the candidate with the most delegates from a state won all of that state’s convention votes

Answer 25

Unit rule