Unit 4

Question 1

Political party

Answer 1

According to Anthony Downs, a “team of men seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duty constituted election”

Question 2

Rational-choice theory

Answer 2

A popular theory in political science to explain the actions of voters as well as politicians. It assumes that individuals act in their own best interest, carefully weighing the costs and benefits of alternatives

Question 3

Party Identification

Answer 3

A citizen’s self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other

Question 4

Social Welfare Policies

Answer 4

Policies that provide benefits, cash or in kind, to individuals based on either entitlement or means testing

Question 5

Laissez-Faire

Answer 5

The principle that government should not meddle in the economy

Question 6

Keynesian Economic Theory

Answer 6

Named after English economist John Maynard Keynes, the theory emphasizes that government spending and deficits can help the economy deal with its ups and downs. Proponents of this theory advocate using the power of government to stimulate economy when it is lagging

Question 7

Supply-Side Economics

Answer 7

An economic theory, first applied during the Reagan administration, holding that the key task for fiscal policy is to stimulate the supply of goods, as by cutting tax rates

Question 8

Entitlement programs

Answer 8

Government programs providing benefits to qualified individuals regardless of need

Question 9

Progressive Tax

Answer 9

A tax by which the government takes a greater share of the income of the rich than of the poor–For example, when a rich family pays 50 percent of its income in taxes, and a poor family pays 5 percent

Question 10

Third Parties

Answer 10

Electoral contenders other than the two major parties. American third parties are not unusual, but they rarely win elections

Question 11

Proportional Tax

Answer 11

A tax by which the government takes the same share of income from everyone, rich and poor alike

Question 12

Regressive Tax

Answer 12

A tax in which the burden falls relatively more heavily on low-income groups than on wealthy taxpayers. The opposite of a progressive tax, in which tax rates increase as income increases.

Question 13

Party Realignment

Answer 13

The displacement of the majority party by the minority party, usually during a critical election period.

Question 14

Medicare

Answer 14

A program added to the Social Security system in 1965 that provides hospitalization insurance for the elderly and permits older Americans to purchase inexpensive coverage for doctor fees and other medical expenses

Question 15

Medicaid

Answer 15

A public assistance program designed to provide healthcare for poor Americans and funded by both the states and the national government

Question 16

Responsible Party Model

Answer 16

A view about how parties should work, held by some political scientists. According to the moel, parties should offer clear choices to the voters and once in office, should carry out their campaign promises.

Question 17

Melting Pot

Answer 17

A term often used to characterize the United States, with its history of immigration and mixing of cultures, ideas, and peoples.

Question 18

Party Image

Answer 18

The voter’s perception of what the Republicans or Democrats stand for, such as conservation or liberalism.

Question 19

Minority Majority

Answer 19

The situation, likely beginning in the mid-twenty-first century, in which the non-Hispanic whites will represent a minority of the U.S. population and minority groups together will represent a majority.

Question 20

Party Dealignment

Answer 20

The gradual disengagement of people from the parties, as seen in part by shrinking party identification

Question 21

Public Opinion

Answer 21

The distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues.

Question 22

Demographic

Answer 22

The science of population changes

Question 23

Census

Answer 23

An “actual enumeration” of the population, which the Constitution requires that the government conduct every 10 years. The census is a valuable tool for understanding demographic changes.

Question 24

Random Sampling

Answer 24

The key technique employed by survey researchers, which operates on the principle that everyone should have an equal probability of being selected for the sample

Question 25

Political Culture

Answer 25

An overall set of values widely shared within a society

Question 26

Reapportionment

Answer 26

The process of relocating seats in the House of Representatives every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census.

Question 27

Sample

Answer 27

A relatively small proportion of people who are chosen in a survey so as to be representative of the whole

Question 28

Sampling Error

Answer 28

The level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll. The more people interviewed, the more confident one can be of the results

Question 29

Exit Poll

Answer 29

Public opinion surveys used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and precision

Question 30

Political Ideology

Answer 30

A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose, which helps give meaning to political events

Question 31

Coalition

Answer 31

A group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends

Question 32

Patronage

Answer 32

One of the key inducements used by party machines. A party job, promotion, or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone.