WorksheetsUnit 7: Influencing the Government
Total questions: 35
Worksheet time: 53mins
Why did the Founders create the Electoral College?
They trusted the people to vote directly for the president.
To keep the number of candidates running for president to a minimum
They wanted the larger states to dominate the election process.
To compromise between Congress choosing and the people choosing because they didn't trust either of them.
What did the 12th Amendment do to alter the Electoral College?
It required the electors to vote for the president and vice president separately.
It gave each state more electoral votes.
It gave more electoral votes to the smaller states.
It completely got rid of the Electoral College.
How is it determined how many electors are given to each state?
It is based solely on the state's population.
By adding together the number of Representatives and Senators from that state.
By adding together the number of Representatives and Senators from a neighboring state.
The number of electors are randomly assigned to each state by a lottery.
What happens if no candidate wins more than the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency?
The Senate gets to choose the president.
The House of Representatives gets to choose the president.
A runoff election is held between the top two candidates.
The candidate that won the popular vote becomes president.
What is the difference between the popular vote and the electoral vote?
The popular vote elects the President while the electoral vote is made up of electors from each of the states who elect the Vice President.
The popular vote is the number of votes the Vice President gets in the election while the electoral vote is the number of votes the President gets.
The popular vote is the total vote of the people and decides who wins the Presidency and Vice Presidency while the electoral vote is used to elect members of Congress.
The popular vote is the number of votes a candidate receives from the voters while the electoral vote is the votes cast by state electors chosen by the political party of their home state and is what elects the
President and Vice President.
The number of votes that a candidate receives from voters is called the
plurality
poll
electoral college
popular vote
State political parties choose _______ to vote for the party’s candidates for president and vice president.
electors
candidates
leaders
delegates
The _______ chooses the president and vice president.
faithless elector
three-fifths compromise
electoral college
popular vote
What is one way that elections and voting impact citizens at the local, state, and national levels?
by empowering citizens to choose their representatives and contribute to the direction of public policy
by having no influence on policy making or the selection of local, state, and national
leaders
by increasing the number of non-political organizations participating in governance
by removing the need for citizens to participate in the policy-making process
What is a primary election?
An election to determine the final winner of a political office
A nationwide vote to elect the President
and Vice President
An election where the two main political
parties run against each other
An election for party members to choose
their party's nominee for the general
election
Which institution is responsible for formally electing the President and Vice President of the United States?
The Senate
The State Governors
The Electoral College
The House of Representatives
A person or group assigned to supervise, observe, and detect. The media monitors the politicians and make sure they are following the law.
Watchdog
Lobbying
Media
Propaganda
Media technology that is intended to reach a large audience by mass communications include newspapers, television, radio, films, books, magazines, and other forms of communication that transmit information to large numbers of people Examples: Internet, Facebook, CNN, Fox News...
Public media
Public agenda
Mass media
Electronic media
A person or group that acts as a protector or guardian against inefficiency illegal practices in the government
Libel
Watchdog
Political communication
Lobbyist
The use of one object or action to represent or suggest something else. • May refer to symbolic meaning or the practice of investing things with symbolic meaning
Political action committee
Impact
Symbolism
Propaganda
An interest group (also called an advocacy group, lobbying group, pressure group), determined to encourage or prevent changes in public policy (laws) without trying to be elected. • “An organization of people with shared ideas and attitudes who attempt to influence public policy.”
Public opinion
Special interest group
Public media
Lobbyist
Publicity used to influence your opinion • Advertisement, political cartoon, commercial, picture put out by an organization or government to promote a position on a policy, idea, or cause
Political communication
Public agenda
Public media
Propaganda
An organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation, especially at the federal level.
Political action committee
Lobbyist
Public opinion
Media
Someone who is hired by an organized group of people to influence government decisions that relate to particular industry, issue, etc
Political Action Committee
Lobbyist
Special interest group
Watchdog
Which example represents the media acting as watchdog?
A journalist discovers that an office holder held a hearing.
A journalist discovers that an office holder accepted a bribe.
A journalist discovers that an office holder decided to retire.
A journalist discovers that an office holder voted against a bill.
How might a political action committee influence government?
By reporting court procedures
By making political contributions to someone running for office
By investigating illegal business practices
By broadcasting campaign advertisements.
Based on the government system in the United States, which individual activity is used to directly influence legislative decisions?
Watching political debates on television
Discussing political issues at work
Collecting opinions for a yearbook
Organizing a letter-writing campaign
Which phrase accurately describes the actions below:
-Start a petition
-Visit the office of a local member of Congress
-Vote in elections
-Write a letter to the editor of a newspaper
How the media influences government
How lobbyists monitor government officials
How elected officials influence public opinion
How individuals can influence the government
One way the MEDIA can positively impact the government is by __________.
Refusing to interview political candidates.
Petitioning local lawmakers.
Being a Watchdog and investigating and reporting government activity.
Writing untrue stories about potentially bad candidates.
Interest groups hire ________ to work with elected officials to get laws passed.
Ambassadors.
Senators.
Political consultants.
Lobbyists.
This group promotes a particular candidate by raising money, showing advertisements, and helps getting the candidate elected.
Political Action Committee.
Legislative bodies.
Lobbyists.
Propaganda director.
Read the following scenario and answer the question.
A TV news channel runs a piece about Mrs. Black running for Florida Senate. The news states that "so many people came out to support the candidate," even though there were only 25 people. The same news channel ran a story about Mrs. Brown, who is also running for Senate saying, "fewer people than expected showed up even though nearly 200 people attended.
How is media favoritism being used?
The news showed favoritism towards Mrs. Brown side by giving it unbalanced coverage.
The news showed favoritism towards Mrs. Black side by giving it unbalanced coverage.
What type of communication is being used in this image?
biased
accurate
informational
symbolism
True or False: Presidential candidates do not have to be born on U.S. soil.
True
False
True or False: The U.S. constitution states that only U.S. citizens may run for congress.
True
False
Luis is 20 years old and wants to run for political office. What office can he run for?
city mayor
U.S. representative
U.S. senator
president
Tina is 40 years old. She is a naturalized citizen who lives in Florida. She does not have a college degree. What factor could keep Tina from running for the office of the presidency?
her age
her place of birth
her gender
her education
What is a requirement for individuals running for a position in the U.S. Senate?
They must have been born in the United States.
They must have been a citizen for at least 9 years.
They must be older than 25 years old.
They must be younger than 75 years old
What is a requirement for individuals running for a position in the House of Representatives?
They must have been born in the United States.
They must have been a citizen for at least 9 years.
They must be at least 25 years old.
They must have a college degree.
Victor is a naturalized United States citizen. Which office is he NOT allowed to run for?
mayor of Orlando
governor of Florida
U.S. senator for Florida
president
