Unit 2 Federal Government
When an election elicits a change in the existing patterns of party loyalty among voters, it is called a _____ election.
Critical
___ is an example of unconventional political participation, after individuals were prevented from participating.
1965 march from Selma
The Internet was started in
1983, by IBM for use on its mainframes.
Of all the social and economic variables affecting political participation, ________ is the strongest single factor.
Education
Which independent federal agency regulates interstate and international communication by radio, television, telephone, cable, and satellite?
FCC
At the time the Constitution was written, groups that pursued some common political interest were called _______, and they were considered dangerous in terms of governmental control.
Factions
What amendment blocks states from denying the right to vote because of race, color, or previous condition of servitude
Fifteenth
The most long-lasting single-issue party is the ________, which was founded for one reason, but has recently shifted its platform towards other conservative positions.
Prohibition Party
The system by which legislative seats are awarded to a party in proportion to the vote that party wins is called
Proportional Representation
In 2014, the daily paper with the largest circulation was
USA Today.
The media executives, news editors, and prominent reporters who decide which events to report and how to report them are
gatekeepers.
People who ___________ are most likely to belong to interest groups.
have the most urgent need for government benefits
News reporters who practice watchdog journalism tend to
highly critical of inaccuracies in fact & weaknesses in arguments
When a citizen contributes money to a candidate's campaign, he or she is engaging in
influencing behavior
Organizing public relations campaigns and sponsoring research are examples of
information campaigns.
A story that contains no policy content and is not related to the day's events but that commonly discusses popular personalities and is designed to draw greater viewer interest is called
infotainment.
The first step in using a ___ to propose an issue to the legislature is to gather signatures from registered voters.
initiative
The number of electoral votes needed to win the presidency
is 270.
The most common form of grassroots lobbying is
letter writing.
Available evidence seems to indicate that there are _________ among journalists and reporters.
liberal leanings
The available evidence, including an analysis of network coverage and a survey of journalists, seems to confirm that reporters in the major news media tend to have
liberal leanings.
Large interest groups are often difficult to organize because
many potential members let others shoulder the groups' financial burden.
A review of ''particularized'' political participation finds that it
may favor private interests over those of the majority
During the 2016 presidential campaign, some candidates sent messages to the smartphones of selected voters. An ex of ___
microtargeting.
Authors say that the majority of voters are ideologically more _______ than the vote records of members of Congress
moderate
Which primaries allow all those not already registered with a party to choose any party ballot and vote?
modified open primaries
Incumbents in the House of Representatives historically have won
more than 95 percent of the time.
Research indicates since 1952, _______ of electorate decides how to vote before the party conventions end in the summer.
more than half
One key difference between the two parties is that Republicans tend to approve of _______, while Democrats tend to approve of ___________.
national defense spending; social welfare spending
A voter who determines which candidate he/she will vote for early in the campaign most likely based that decision on
party identification.
What is the most important longterm force affecting US elections, particularly in those who make early voting decisions?
party identification
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text as an important function of the news media in our political system?
polarizing the news
The acronym PAC stands for
political action committee.
Which practice is sometimes used by lobbying groups to get attention, but had the disadvantage of being very short-lived?
protesting
A(n) _______ is a direct vote by the people on either a proposed law or an amendment to a state constitution.
referendum
The main focus of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was to
relax the rules governing media ownership.
The purpose of a trade association is to
represent firms within a particular industry
In evaluating the media and its effect on government, the text concludes that contemporary mass media
resist government attempts to infringe on freedom of press to promote order
The strengths, capabilities, and influence of an interest group depend in large part on its
resources.
Of the four main functions of mass media in its coverage of the political system, which one do scholars believe gives the media their greatest influence on politics?
setting the political agenda
In a survey people only identified ___ as conventional political participation.
signing petitions
___ refers to a person's education, income, and occupation and connects to their political involvement
standard socioeconomic model of participation
Some - ads promote + qualities of other candidate; however, there are - ads that advocate nothing +. These are ___ ads
attack
Which of the following is an example of high-initiative behavior?
attending a congressional hearing
Group leaders who follow news in specific policy areas are called _____ policy elites.
attentive
What is the main criterion generally used when judging whether a story can be considered newsworthy?
audience appeal
A primary election in which voters must declare their party affiliation before given the primary ballot is a __________ primary
closed
When several interest groups band together in order to lobby an issue, it is called
coalition building.
An important series of 2003 surveys about perceptions of the Iraq war found that the most misperceptions and misunderstandings about the war were held by people who relied on __________ for their news.
commercial television networks
In modern elections, candidates __________ to learn about voters& apos; interests
commission public opinion polls
The process of transmitting information from one individual to another is called _____
communication
Which current trend increases the risk that a few powerful individuals could control the news flow to promote their own political interests, the same way political parties influenced the content of early American newspapers?
concentrated ownership
What kinds of advertisements both criticize an opponent and advocate policies of the sponsoring candidate?
contrast ads
Voting in free elections to choose leaders is the main way that citizens
control government.
A strategy that relies on a group representative's personal contact with policymakers is
direct lobbying.
Some scholars believe that stronger parties would not only strengthen democratic government, but also coordinate policies after the election. But what acts as a barrier to this policy?
divided government
Technically, we elect a U.S. president in a _______ election.
federal
What term describes the tendency for states to move their primaries earlier to gain attention from candidates & media?
front-loading
What is the purpose of bipartisan contributions by PACs?
to increase access no matter who is in power
The majoritarian model of democracy favors
voting as the primary means of participation.
The majoritarian model would agree that _____ is the most logical way to garner government responsiveness.
voting in elections
While the courts typically strike down government attempts to restrain the press from disseminating information, the one exception to this is restricting information related to
wartime.
What tactic is most commonly used by grassroots lobbyists?
writing letters
We elect presidents via 50 state combined into electoral college; presidential elections are best described as _____.
unfair
The text defines suffrage and franchise as the right to
vote
Economists refer to economic models of rational behavior, which cause them to wonder why people ____
vote at all since it has no personal payoff
A voter who voted for a Republican for senator and Hillary Clinton (note: Democrat) for president in 2016
voted a split ticket.
The percentage of eligible voters who actually vote in a given election is called
voter turnout
Studies of the party identification and ideological orientation of voters show that
voters tend to identify with parties that most reflect ideological orientation
A lobby can be described as an organization that
is not a voluntary membership organization, but has access to resources without any membership.
Almost all political contributions made by unions go to
Democrats.
How much can a PAC legally give to a congressional candidate's election?
$5,000
The current limit for PAC contributions to candidates in an election is
$5,000
In the early days of America, the president was chosen by
A group of political elites in the Electoral College
In the discipline of political science, party identification refers to
A sense of psychological attachment to a party
__________ was the first candidate elected as a Republican
Abraham Lincoln
In the U.S. political system, the most important function of minor parties is that they
Act as Safety Valves
The South still casts many votes for Democrats because of the high proportion of
African Americans
The literacy tests that were used in the southern states after 1870 worked primarily against
African Americans
Who was the leader of the Federalists?
Alexander Hamilton
A favorable early evaluation of interest groups can be found in the writings of
Alexis de Tocqueville.
Which of the following are among the most prominent American interest groups?
American Farm Bureau Federation, Common Cause, AFL-CIO
Most democratic theorists agree that a modern nation-state cannot practice democracy without
At least two political parties regularly contesting elections
Which piece of legislation that took effect in 2004 raised campaign spending limits for individuals, but not groups?
BCRA
Content analysis of the 2012 presidential campaign, suggests that more "good press" focused on
Barack Obama.
Which type of minor party is formed by factions that have split off from one of the major parties such as the Progressive Party in 1912 and the American Independent Party in 1968?
Bolter Party
Which of the following was the first known act of unconventional participation in America?
Boston Tea Party
In the early days of the nation, members of political parties met in secret meetings called a(n)____ to decide questions of policy and propose candidates for office.
Caucus
A country where the government heavily censors Internet news and search engines is
China
Which event helped to shape the partisan patterns of the North and South for nearly a century?
Civil War
A _______ campaign committee is an organization that raises funds to support its candidates in congressional elections
Congressional
Which political party has a strong claim to being the oldest political party in existence?
Democratic
Black Americans shifted significantly to the Democratic Party in the 1960s largely in response to
Democratic Party support for civil rights legislation
People who have lower incomes and less education are more likely to consider themselves
Democrats
Which election purpose discourages people from demonstrating in the streets and therefore preserves government stability?
Elections socialize political activity.
Some elections stand out in history due to a sharp change in the existing party voting patterns. What situation then occurs that persists for subsequent elections?
Electoral realignment
What factors represent the two most convincing reasons why the United States has only two political parties?
Electoral system and political socialization
Campaign finance laws are challenged as a violation of the _________ Amendment.
First
Which of the following describes the democratic ideal?
Government ought to be run by the people.
___ involves an interest group's rank-and-file membership as well as outreach to ordinary people outside the organization.
Grassroots lobbying
What criteria can be used to classify President George Washington as a Federalist?
He supported the Constitution
Why was the nomination of Hubert Humphrey at the 1968 Democratic convention said to be rigged?
Humphrey had never run in a primary.
________ is considered "soft news," a mix of information and diversion oriented to personalities or celebrities, and usually unrelated to the day's events or public policies.
Infotainment
When a voter selects candidates from diff. parties for various offices ex: Democratic president but a Republican senator?
It allows the people to decide rather than a representative system to
Which of the following accurately describes voter turnout in the United States?
It is lower than in most European countries even at its highest points
What function does the Iowa caucus traditionally serve during a presidential election?
It narrows the field of candidates.
What strong argument supports presidential selection by electoral votes, rather than by popular vote?
It reduces the risk of a nationwide recount.
What was the purpose of the Twelfth Amendment?
It required the elcetoral college to vote separately for president and vice
_______ journalism is an attempt to increase ratings through a process involving both reporting news and running commercials geared to a target audience.
Market-driven
_______ is the means by which information is transmitted to large, heterogeneous, widely dispersed audiences.
Mass media
As the American population grew and the electorate expanded by the 1820s, political parties invented the _______ as a new way to nominate presidential candidates, the first of which was held in 1831.
National Convention
What state traditionally holds a primary almost immediately following Iowa caucus during a presidential election year?
New Hampshire
Which amendment prohibits states from denying the right to vote on account of a person's sex?
Nineteenth Amendment
The amendment granting women's suffrage is the
Nineteenth Amendment.
The four most important functions of a political party are structuring the voting choice in elections, proposing alternative government programs, coordinating the actions of government officials and
Nominating candidates for election to public office
How many American political parties existed when the Constitution was written?
None
The Socialist Party has been the most successful party of ideological protest in American history. How many states have been won by Socialist Party candidates for president?
None
A meeting to select party leaders and decide committee assignments, held at the beginning of a Congress session is called
Party Conference
What term is used to describe a person's psychological attachment to a party, or state of mind about a party?
Party Identification
A centralized organization that dominated local politics by controlling elections, sometimes illegally, is known as a
Party Machine
At one time, both major parties were aligned with _________, the centralized organizations that dominated local politics by controlling elections and providing jobs and services in return for votes.
Party Machines
The acronym PAC stands for
Political Action Committee
______ is the actions of private citizens by which they seek to influence or support government and politics.
Political Participation
Which type of organization sponsors candidates for political office, specifically under the organization's name?
Political Party
A(n) _______ is a set of inter related institutions that link people with government.
Political System
During the 1890s depression until the stock market crash in 1929, presidential elections were dominated by what party?
Republican
The four parties named below all played a part in the critical election of 1860. Which one nominated Abraham Lincoln?
Republican Party
_______ is a set of principles formalizing the ideal role of parties in a majoritarian democracy.
Responsible party government
If someone formed the "Second Amendment Party," based on removing regulations on gun ownership, that would be a ____ party
Single-Issue
The Republican Party was established in response to the issue of
Slavery
Which of the following accurately describes the interest group system in the United States?
Some sectors of society are much better represented than others.
The term "Soild South" refers to the
South's consistent Democratic voting record for much of the 20th century
"Independent, expenditures-only political committees" are a legal term by the Federal Elections Committee (FEC) aka
Super PACs.
The _____ Party is not considered a political party.
Tea
The march from Selma demonstrated to the nation the seriousness of
The Civil Rights Problem
Which party of ideological protest is best known for arguing against government action in society?
The Libertarian Party
The framers of the Constitution left the issue of voter enfranchisement to
The States
By law, the U.S. presidential election occurs
The first Tuesday after the first Monday in November
When it was first ratified, the Constitution provided that the vice president would be
The runner-up in the electoral college
What role do interest groups play in educating policymakers about political issues?
They are an important source of political information
Where in the Constitution are political parties discussed?
They are not discussed in the Constitution
James Madison's Federalist papers foreshadowed today's interest groups when he wrote about FACTIONS. What did he conclude?
They should be controlled & opposing factions and mediated by the government.
The early Republicans (also known as the Democratic Republicans) were led by
Thomas Jefferson
Who was the first person to lead the Republicans, also nicknamed the Democratic Republicans?
Thomas Jefferson
Democratic theory says the primary means by which citizens control their government is through
Voting in free elections
Acording to the text, interest groups cannot exist without __ foundation.
a financial
Which of the following best fits the definition of an interest group?
a body of people who share political goals and try to influence policy
If lobbyist is trying to convince legislator to support a bill, one valuable resource an interest group can have is
a large, politically active membership.
The television hypothesis is used to explain the fact that the citizenry has
a low level of knowledge about public affairs.
When Cesar Chavez tried to organize California farm workers in the 1960s, which of his tactics got sympathy and support from the public, giving him credibility and momentum?
a march to the state capitol
In general today, women politically participate
about the same as men.
By definition, the actions of Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City bombing and the 9/11 attackers are considered
acts of terrorism
Which primary role of interest groups brings new issues into the political limelight, making the government aware of problems and seeing that they get solved?
agenda building
By national law, _______ of seats in the House of Reps & ____ of seats in the Senate are filled in a general election
all; one-third
One way to determine that a system is NOT democratic is when citizens
are forced to operate outside institutions to influence policies
The "revolving door" associated with politics refers to when members of Congress leave office and
become a lobbyist.
A media event is a situation that is
believed too newsworthy for the mass media to pass up.
Research suggests that "negative ads" appear to
benefit challengers more than incumbents.
The fairness doctrine required
broadcast stations to provide fair coverage of all views on public issues.
There are more _______ lobbies in the U.S. than any other type of interest group.
business
The money from PAC donations comes disproportionately from
business and professional interests.
Which example below demonstrates the free-rider problem?
business owners deciding not to join the Chamber of Commerce
Most lobbyists would agree that compared to other things, ________ help significantly when trying to gain audience with a member of Congress.
campaign contributions
According to your text, the most important recent change in American elections is that
candidates don't campaign just to get elected anymore.
Unlike conventional participation, unconventional participation in government
challenges or defies established institutions instead of using them
A group that has as its purpose issues unrelated to its members' vocations is known as a(n)
citizen group.
The _________ defied conventional wisdom regarding political change through a broad and sustained series of protests and unconventional actions.
civil rights movement
Allowing voters to control the nomination of candidates for office, usually through open primaries, is a factor in the
decentralization and weakening of political parties.
The most distinguishing characteristic of Americanpolitical parties has always been the
decentralization of power.
Each state has one vote in the electoral college for
each of its representatives and senators.
Which social and economic variable has the greatest influence on most conventional political participation?
education
What role has social networking played for modern candidates?
encouraged candidates to personalize campaign messages
Which of the following is the key objective of paid advertising during the primary season?
ensuring the candidate's name recognition
Political scientist Robert Salisbury compares the role of an interest group leader to that of a(n)
entrepreneur.
The __________ required any broadcast station that gave or sold time to a candidate for a public office to make equal amount of time available under the same conditions to all other candidates for that office.
equal opportunities rule
Elections serve the ideal of _____ better than any other means of political participation, one person one vote
equality
Research shows that using direct action as a participation tactic appeals to those who distrust the political system and
feel they can affect political decisions
The first newspapers in the United States were
financed by political parties that advocated party causes.
The phenomenon of ______________ is referred to as the"revolving door."
former elected officials taking lobbying jobs
In analyzing the platforms expressed by the two parties at their 2016 conventions, it was found that Republicans mentioned the words ________ more than five times as often as Democrats, and Democrats mentioned the words ________ more than three times as often as Republicans.
free or freedom; equal or equality/inequality
Based on normative theory, citizens should be
free to participate or not participate in government
Which process is demonstrated when media executives, news editors, and prominent reporters direct the flow of news, deciding which events to report and how to handle the elements involved, while also upholding journalistic standards?
gatekeeping
Research on bias in the media suggests that in response to polarization, today's political leaders increasingly
go to ideologically friendly media outlets & criticize the rest of the media.
Which term describes the strategy whereby a president seeks to get media coverage and influence policy elites by appealing directly to the American people?
going public
Communication in a democracy must move from government to citizens and from citizens to
government
What term is used by the media to describe an important event that has happened within the past twenty-four hours?
hard news
Election coverage by the mass media often focuses on which candidate is ahead and which has raised the most money, rather than the candidates' opinions on key issues. What concept does this represent?
horse race journalism
During a presidential election, the tendency of journalists to limit coverage of campaigns to the candidate who is leading or behind in the polls at the time, rather than chiefly covering the issues, is known as
horse race journalism.
The key question about interest groups that determines their success or failure is
how well their interests are represented.
Almost all elections but particularly in congressional elections, _____ enjoy great advantages & are difficult to defeat
incumbents
The Federal Communications Commission is a(n) ______ that is insulated from political control by the Congress or president.
independent regulatory commission
The primary goal of interest groups is to...
influence public policy
When Bernie Sanders campaigned in 2016 against WallStreet & wealth inequality, he was pursuing a _______ strategy.
issue-oriented
The main drawback of protest activity as a tool in influencing the policymaking process is that
it is basically a short-term tool, but policymaking is a long-term process.
Political scientists know less about unconventional forms of political participation because
it is easier to collect data on conventional practices
The three most important campaign issues in 2016 were national security, immigration, and
jobs.
Another name for an interest group is a(n)
lobby
It is the job of __ to make sure that people in government know what their members want and that their organizations know
lobbyists
The text cites a survey that asked respondents how they ranked the ethical standards of people working in twenty-two different professions. Which of these professions ranked last in this survey?
lobbyists
Characteristics frequently associated with nonvoters are
low education, low income, and being relatively young
___ primaries weaken parties more because it allows voters to float between parties rather than require voters to participate
open
Progressivism was a political philosophy that trusted the goodness and wisdom of
ordinary citizens
It is the job of the Federal Election Commission to
oversee financing of national election campaigns.
The lobbyist's primary job involves
passing information on to their employers and policymakers.
According to democratic theory, the most important factor in determining voter choice in an election should be
past performance and proposed policies
The free-rider problem increases the difficulty of attracting
paying members.
A key aspect of ________ is the belief that new interest groups will naturally form when the need arises.
pluralism
American political parties operate more in keeping with the ____________ model of democracy.
pluralist
The ability of groups to make government respond to their special problems is best related to ________ theory.
pluralist
In the past, ________ conducted all phases of the election campaign.
political parties
A direct primary is a
preliminary election to choose party candidates
A ______ election is a preliminary election conducted within a political party to select candidates to run for office.
primary
The traditional division of mass media into _________ has been made problematic by the Internet.
print and broadcast
Ownership of the broadcast media in the United States is
private, except for public TV and radio stations
The majoritarian model of democracy says that political parties are essential to making the government responsive to
public opinion
The first media technology to make broadcast journalists into household names was
radio.
What special statewide election was established to remove an individual from office, though it has rarely been used?
recall
When it comes to interest groups, the internet has become an increasingly important means of
soliciting new members
When citizens place the American flag on the front of their house on Veteran's Day it is an example of _____ behavior
supportive
In an election campaign, _____ determine(s) the content of the messages and the way they are delivered.
synergy
If no presidential candidate receives a majority of the electoral college votes, the election is decided by
the House of Representatives.
Which form of mass media has no gatekeepers and therefore no checks, constraints, or standards affecting its content?
the Internet
All of the following are correct regarding the presence of the Internet in media EXCEPT
the Internet made it more difficult for media outlet to communicate message
What is one of the nation's oldest and largest environmental groups, one that has a long history of protecting national parks?
the Sierra Club
For years, the broadcast media only were federally regulated under three rules that promoted the public interest. Which one was repealed in 1987, freeing broadcasters to air more controversial and ideological viewpoints?
the fairness doctrine
Compared to the United States, nearly every other democratic country places the burden of voter registration on
the government
Mass media refers to
the means of communicating to audiences.
Suffrage and franchise both refer to
the right to vote
Candidates today often buy a "polling package" consisting of the four elements below. Which one begins in October and conducts short nightly interviews with selected respondents?
tracking poll
An organization that represents firms within a particular industry is known as a(n) ____ association.
trade
When journalists consider it their job to be critical of politicians, searching for inaccuracies in fact and weaknesses in argument, this is called
watchdog journalism.
Unlike Democratic presidential primaries, most Republican primaries prior to 2012 have been
winner-take-all.
