Chapter 11: Public Opinion and Political Socialization (362 – 385)
364-375
1. Define: public opinion, sample, random sampling, sampling error, random-digit dialing
2. What was the result of the Literary Digest poll in 1936? What were the errors?
3. What is an exit poll? Push poll?
4. What decisions must pollsters or polling firms make before polling the public?
5. What is random sampling? Stratified sampling?
6. What are the shortcomings of polling?
375-383
7. What is political socialization?
8. What is political culture? Political ideology?
9. What are the demographic characteristics that affect political values?
10. Explain the influence of family, peer, and school on political socialization.
11. What is the “bully pulpit?”
12. How do political knowledge and political participation affect each other?
13. What effects does public opinion have on politics?
Chapter 13: Elections and Voting (418 – 449) & 452-455
418-429
1. Define: primary election, closed primary, open primary
2. What are the arguments in favor of the closed primary?
3. Define general election, initiative, referendum, recall
4. What 3 methods are used by state party organizations to elect convention delegates? Summarize each.
5. What has been the biggest change in the system used to select a candidate?
6. What are arguments in favor of primary elections? Against?
7. Define front loading. What are its effects on the nomination process?
8. Summarize the Framers’ reasons for the design of the Electoral College.
9. How is the number of electors each state has determined? What is winner-take-all?
10. What is reapportionment?
11. What was the result of the 12th amendment?
12. What are the 2 major proposals to reform the Electoral College?
430-446
13. What is the incumbency advantage? What are reasons for the incumbency advantage?
14. What are the four major reasons incumbents lose elections?
15. What are mid-term elections?
16. What is the most common form of conventional political participation?
17. What are examples of unconventional political participation?
18. How has the influence of party identification on voting changed since the 1950s?
19. What factors affect citizens’ choices about which candidates to support? Briefly explain each. Which is most
powerful?
20. How does each of the following affect voter turnout: Income and education, race and ethnicity, gender, age, civic
engagement, interest in politics?
21. What percentage of Americans vote in midterm elections? Presidential?
22. Why don’t Americans vote? Which reason is the most common given?
23. What is the Motor Voter Act?
24. What are some suggestions to improve voter turnout?
pp. 452 – 455
25. What is a danger for a candidate during the nomination campaign?
26. Which votes are “up for grabs” in a general election? What does that mean for the candidate?
Definitions:
Minority Majority – a majority of people in an area belong to a minority group
Paradox of mass politics – The American system works as well as it does given the lack of public knowledge about
politics
Mandate Theory - idea that a winning candidate has a mandate from the people to carry out his or her platforms and
politics
What is policy voting?
 Voters must have a clear view of their own positions
 Voters must know where the candidates stand on these issues
 They must see the differences between the candidates on these issues
 They must actually cast a vote for the candidate whose policy interests coincide with their own