Part 2 (Chapters 7-12 so far)

Question 1

blog

Answer 1

series, or log, of discussion items on a page of the World Wide Web

Question 2

sound bite

Answer 2

a radio or video clip of someone speaking

Question 3

equal time rule

Answer 3

an FCC rule that if a broadcaster sells time to one candidate, it must sell equal time to other candidates

Question 4

trial balloon

Answer 4

information leaked to the media to test public reaction to a possible policy

Question 5

loaded language

Answer 5

words that imply a value judgment, used to persuade a reader without having made a serous argument

Question 6

routine stories

Answer 6

media stories about events that are regularly covered by reporters

Question 7

feature stories

Answer 7

media stories about events that, though public, are not regularly covered by reporters

Question 8

insider stories

Answer 8

media stories about events that are not usually made public

Question 9

selective attention

Answer 9

paying attention only to those news stories with which one already agrees

Question 10

adversarial press

Answer 10

the tendency of the national media to be suspicious of officials and eager to reveal unflattering stories about them

Question 11

background

Answer 11

a public official’s statement to a reporter that is given on condition that the official not be named

Question 12

public opinion

Answer 12

how people think or feel about particular things

Question 13

poll

Answer 13

a survey of public opinion

Question 14

random sample

Answer 14

method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal probability of being selected

Question 15

sampling error

Answer 15

the difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time

Question 16

exit polls

Answer 16

polls based on interviews conducted on Election Day with randomly selected voters

Question 17

political socialization

Answer 17

process by which background traits influence one’s political views

Question 18

elite

Answer 18

people who have a disproportionate amount of some valued resource

Question 19

gender gap

Answer 19

difference in political views between men and women

Question 20

political ideology

Answer 20

a more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to pursue

Question 21

political elites

Answer 21

persons with a disproportionate share of political power

Question 22

norm

Answer 22

a standard of right or proper conduct

Question 23

interest group

Answer 23

an organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy

Question 24

incentive

Answer 24

something of value one cannot get without joining an organization

Question 25

solidary incentives

Answer 25

the social rewards (sense of pleasure, status or companionship) that lead people to join political organizations

Question 26

material incentives

Answer 26

money or things valued in monetary terms

Question 27

purposive incentive

Answer 27

a benefit that comes from serving a cause or principle

Question 28

ideological interest groups

Answer 28

political organizations that attract members by appealing to their political convictions or principles

Question 29

public-interest lobby

Answer 29

a political organization whose goals will principally benefit nonmembers

Question 30

social movement

Answer 30

a widely shared demand for change in some aspect of the social or political order

Question 31

political cue

Answer 31

a signal telling a legislator what values are at stake in a vote, and how that issue fits into his or her own political views on party agenda

Question 32

ratings

Answer 32

assessments of a representative's voting record on issues important to an interest group

Question 33

voting-age population

Answer 33

citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement

Question 34

registered voters

Answer 34

people who are registered to vote

Question 35

literacy test

Answer 35

a requirement that citizens pass a literacy test in order to register to vote

Question 36

poll tax

Answer 36

a requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote

Question 37

grandfather clause

Answer 37

a clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867

Question 38

white primary

Answer 38

the practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states' primaries through arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation

Question 39

Australian ballot

Answer 39

a government-printed ballot of uniform dimensions to be cast in secret that many states adopted around 1890 to reduce voting fraud associated with party-printed ballots cast in public

Question 40

activists

Answer 40

people who tend to participate in all forms of politics

Question 41

political party

Answer 41

a group that seeks to elect candidates to public office

Question 42

mugwumps or progressives

Answer 42

Republican party faction of the 1890s to the 1910s, composed of reformers who opposed patronage

Question 43

critical or realignment period

Answer 43

periods when a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties

Question 44

split ticket

Answer 44

voting for candidates of different parties for various offices in the same election

Question 45

straight ticket

Answer 45

voting for candidates who are all of the same party

Question 46

office-bloc ballot

Answer 46

a ballot listing all candidates of a given office under the name of that office; also called a "Massachusetts" ballot

Question 47

party-column ballot

Answer 47

a ballot listing all candidates of a given party together under the name of that party; also called an "Indiana" ballot

Question 48

national convention

Answer 48

a meeting of party delegates held every four years

Question 49

national committee

Answer 49

delegates who run party affairs between national conventions

Question 50

congressional campaign committee

Answer 50

a party committee in Congress that provides funds to members and would-be members

Question 51

national chairman

Answer 51

day-to-day party manager elected by the national committee

Question 52

superdelegates

Answer 52

party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses

Question 53

political machine

Answer 53

a party organization that recruits members by dispensing patronage

Question 54

ideological party

Answer 54

a party that values principled stands on issues above all else

Question 55

solidary incentives

Answer 55

the social rewards (sense of pleasure, status, or companionship) that lead people to join political organizations

Question 56

sponsored party

Answer 56

a local or state political party that is largely supported by another organization in the community

Question 57

personal following

Answer 57

the political support provided to a candidate on the basis of personal popularity and networks

Question 58

two-party system

Answer 58

an electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections

Question 59

plurality system

Answer 59

an electoral system in which the winner is the person who gets the most votes, even if he or she does not receive a majority; used in almost all American elections

Question 60

caucus

Answer 60

a meeting of party members to select delegates backing one or another primary candidate

Question 61

incumbent

Answer 61

the person already holding an elective office

Question 62

coattails

Answer 62

the alleged tendency of candidates to win more votes in an election because of the presence at the top of the ticket of a better-known candidate, such as the president

Question 63

political action committee (PAC)

Answer 63

a committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

Question 64

malapportionment

Answer 64

drawing the boundaries of legislative districts so that they are unequal in population

Question 65

gerrymandering

Answer 65

drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in bizarre or unusual shapes to favor one party

Question 66

sophomore surge

Answer 66

an increase in the votes congressional candidates usually get when they first run for relection

Question 67

position issues

Answer 67

an issue about which the public is divided and rival candidates or political parties adopt different policy positions

Question 68

valence issues

Answer 68

an issue about which the public is united and rival candidates or political parties adopt similar positions in hopes that each will be thought to best represent those widely shared beliefs

Question 69

general election

Answer 69

an election held to choose which candidate will hold office

Question 70

primary election

Answer 70

an election held to choose candidates for office

Question 71

closed primary

Answer 71

a primary election in which voting is limited to already registered party members

Question 72

open primary

Answer 72

a primary election in which voters may choose in which party to vote as they enter the polling place

Question 73

blanket primary

Answer 73

a primary election in which each voter may vote for candidates from both parties

Question 74

runoff primary

Answer 74

a second primary election held when no candidate wins a majority of the votes in the first primary

Question 75

independent expenditures

Answer 75

spending by PACs, corporations, or labor unions that is done to help a party or candidate but is done independently of them

Question 76

soft money

Answer 76

funds obtained by political parties that are spent on party activities, such as get-out-the-vote drives, but not on behalf of a specific candidate

Question 77

527 organizations

Answer 77

organizations that, under section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, raise and spend money to advance political causes

Question 78

prospective voting

Answer 78

voting for a candidate because you favor his or her ideas for handling issues

Question 79

retrospective voting

Answer 79

voting for a candidate because you like his or her past actions in office