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WorksheetsSpring Test 2: Political Parties, Mass Media, & Elections
Total questions: 29
Worksheet time: 21mins
Public Opinion
the use of public platforms, such as social media, as a platform for political issues.
an act of giving one's public approval or support to someone or something
the ideas and attitudes that people hold about elected officials, candidates, government, and political issues.
the use of language to defame, demean, or degrade individuals or group
Mass media
a mechanism of mass communication, including television, radio, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, books, recordings, and movies
to measure public opinions and attitudes about a particular issue, person, or topic
the media's ability to focus public attention on particular issues
the use of language to defame or promote individuals or groups.
interest group
a group of people who share a point of view about an issue and unite to promote their beliefs
a meeting at which local members of a political party register their preference among candidates running for office
a group that focuses on elections and getting the candidate who bests represents their interests elected by slandering & exposing flaws of opponents
make the public feel that the candidate is just like them and has their best interest at heart
public opinion poll
surveys that are used to get information from constituients on their likes and dislikes of public places
sample of voter opinions that set the norm for public expectations
poll that government uses to track what constituients are willing to spend their money on
a survey in which individuals are asked to answer questions about a particular issue or person
Why is public opinion important in a democracy?
for lobbyists to supply information to lawmakers that will help them in their work
to make citizens feel like thier voice is constantly being heard
when you join an interest group, you pool your resources and increase your influences
allows citizens to influence the decicsions leaders make and lawmakers can accurately represent the views oif their constituents.
What are three sources (influences) of public opinion?
social media personalities, musicians, parents
The president, state governors, and local politicians
personal background, mass media, and interest groups
Pastors, teachers, and coaches
How can newspapers and other media influence public opinion?
by hosting contests and giveaways
by running commerial ads with celebrities that are popular
by exposing all the truths and scandles of government
by deciding what issues to report to the public and how much coverage the issues will get
How do interest groups influence public opinion?
Indirectly through electors
by campaigning and gaining seats in office
lobby to promote their interests, nominate cadidates & fund poliitical agendas that support their cause
the role played by a media organization that exposes illegal practices or waste
How does the media influence the public agenda?
a propaganda technique that presents only one side of the issue, often distorting the facts
They might use it to gain the approval of the public and/or manipulate the public.
Because the media has the power to focus the public's attention on a particular issue.
the use of language to defame, demean, or degrade individuals or groups
How do public officials and the media depend on each other?
media helps recruit candidates for public roles that will protect them from slander lawsuits so they can report on wrongdoings
public officials need the media for campaign ads and media needs officals for funding
media needs information to write articles. Public officials need the media to get their message out to the voters.
An electoral partnership that controls what, how, and when issues will reported to the public
What is an advantage that mass media has on government?
They are exercising their 1st Amendment right of free association
media can influence an uprising and promote overthrowing a government if it does not like an elected official
There is no advantage! Media has to play by government's rules or they will get cancelled
media has resources availble to expose wrongdoing in office by elected officials
Why might a public official "leak" secret information?
to see how the public reacts or to shape public opinon
to destroy opponents
to cause mass panic
to expose the crooks in government
Lobbyist
a representative to a meeting
representative of an interest group who contacts lawmakers or govt. officials directly to influence their policy making
a representative of a country's govt. who takes part in talks with representatives of other nations
the one who opposes official or commonly held views
Bandwagon
tries to persuade the reader to do, think, or buy something because it is popular or everyone is doing it
the use of language to defame, demean, or degrade individuals or groups
an act of giving one's public approval or support to someone or something
associating a patriotic symbol with a candidate
Stacked Cards
makes the public feel that the candidate is just like them
a propaganda technique that presents only one side of the issue, often distorting the facts
an act of giving one's public approval or support to someone or something
the use of language to defame, demean, or degrade individuals or groups
Just Plain Folk
tries to persuade the reader to do, think, or buy something because it is popular or everyone is doing it
the use of language to defame, demean, or degrade individuals or groups
an act of giving one's public approval or support to someone or something
make the public feel that the candidate is just like them
Name Calling
tries to persuade the reader to do, think, or buy something because it is popular or everyone is doing it
the use of language to defame, demean, or degrade individuals or groups
an act of giving one's public approval or support to someone or something
make the public feel that the candidate is just like them
Endorsement
tries to persuade the reader to do, think, or buy something because it is popular or everyone is doing it
the use of language to defame, demean, or degrade individuals or groups
an act of giving one's public approval or support to someone or something
make the public feel that the candidate is just like them
platform
an electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections
the stage a candidate stands on to take their oath of office
political party's formal statement of basic principles, stands on major issues, and objectives
an interest group that raises funds for campaign support
Match the following
open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values
liberal
liberal
another name for democrat
holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation, typically in relation to politics or religion
conservative
conservative
another name for republican
George Washington supported the idea of political parties
True
False
What does a Presidential Candidate have to accomplish to win an election?
majority of electoral votes = 270 or higher
popular vote of American citizens = 60%
win electoral votes in 2/3 of the 50 states = 9 states
win popular votes in 2/3 of the 50 states = 9 states
If none of the Presidential Cadidates running for election win by majority, what happens?
The top two candidates will have a run off election
The Supreme Court will decide the winner
The House of Representatives will decide the winner
Popular vote will decide the winner instead of electoral votes
Match the following
Named so because they have never won an election
minor parties
Seek to gain control of government
political parties
Seek to influence public policy
interest groups
Sought out by presidential candidates to secure a win
swing states
Match the following
an election in which only the declared members of a party are allowed to vote for that party's nominees
closed primary
an election in which voters need not to declare their party preference
open primary
a meeting of political party members to conduct party business, like nominating a cadidate to represent their party
caucus
allows people to register to vote when they renew their driver's license
National Voter Registration Act
lawmakers base their decisions and actions on this
public opinion
______ was/were formed because voters had different opinions about the roles of government.
Electoral College
Third Parties
Political Parties
Caucuses
Match the following
a political party that challenges the two major parties
third party
an association of voters with broad common interests who want to influence or control decision making in govt.
political party
a series of statements expressing the party's principles, beliefs, and positions on election issues
platform
an electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections
two-party system
Match the following
digital recordings of audio broadcasts that are content specific and available for download from the internet
podcast
government censorship of information before it is published or broadcast
prior restraint
journalism focusing on exposing corrupt business and govt practices
muckraking
electronic media that allows people with similar interests to network
social media
the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation
slander
Match the following
requires govt docs and decision making processes to be available to the public
Sunshine Law
designed to protect reporters from being forced to reveal their news sources
Shield Laws
role of investigating political personalities and exposing scandals
watchdog
opinion or commentary on a particular subject area (political analysis)
political pundit
