PSC 101 UPDATED PRACTICE QUESTIONS WITH
DETAILED EXPLANATIONS 2026
◉ agency loss.
Answer: the difference between what a principal would like an agent
to do and the agent's performance
◉ free media.
Answer: coverage of a candidate's campaign by the news media
◉ Popular Sovereignty.
Answer: A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.
◉ voter registration.
Answer: A system adopted by the states that requires voters to
register well in advance of Election Day. A few states permit Election
day registration.
◉ voter turnout.
Answer: the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an
election
,◉ voting eligible population.
Answer: citizens who have reached the minimum age to be eligible
to vote, excluding those who are not legally permitted to cast a ballot
◉ Voter ID laws.
Answer: laws requiring that voters show government made ID at
polls, done by Republicans to decrease voter fraud but also deters
lots of Democrats from voting because elderly and poor are less
likely to get a good enough ID
◉ Australian ballot.
Answer: 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
◉ voter mobilization.
Answer: a party's efforts to inform potential voters about issues and
candidates and to persuade them to vote
◉ median voter theorem.
Answer: a proposition predicting that when policy options can be
arrayed along a single dimension, majority rule will pick the policy
most preferred by the voter whose ideal policy is to the left of half of
the voters and to the right of exactly half of the voters
,◉ paradox of voting.
Answer: the notion that people still vote despite the fact that the
individual costs of voting often outweigh the individual benefits
◉ Help America Vote Act of 2002.
Answer: a federal law meant to reduce barriers to participation in
elections
◉ socioeconomic status (SES).
Answer: A division of population based on occupation, income, and
education.
◉ ballot roll off.
Answer: When voters do not cast votes for a set of races with which
they are not familiar and for which they may not have traditional
cues
◉ direct primary.
Answer: A primary where voters directly select the candidates who
will run for office
◉ Election Day Registration (EDR).
, Answer: the option in some states to register on the day of the
election, at the polling place, rather than in advance of the election
◉ voting-age population.
Answer: citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the
minimum age requirement
◉ Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Answer: a law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to
African-American suffrage
◉ vote by mail.
Answer: a program in many states that allows voters to mail in their
ballots rather than appearing in person at a polling place
◉ political participation.
Answer: All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection
of political leaders or the policies they pursue
◉ preferences.
Answer: the outcomes or experiences people want or believe they
need
DETAILED EXPLANATIONS 2026
◉ agency loss.
Answer: the difference between what a principal would like an agent
to do and the agent's performance
◉ free media.
Answer: coverage of a candidate's campaign by the news media
◉ Popular Sovereignty.
Answer: A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.
◉ voter registration.
Answer: A system adopted by the states that requires voters to
register well in advance of Election Day. A few states permit Election
day registration.
◉ voter turnout.
Answer: the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an
election
,◉ voting eligible population.
Answer: citizens who have reached the minimum age to be eligible
to vote, excluding those who are not legally permitted to cast a ballot
◉ Voter ID laws.
Answer: laws requiring that voters show government made ID at
polls, done by Republicans to decrease voter fraud but also deters
lots of Democrats from voting because elderly and poor are less
likely to get a good enough ID
◉ Australian ballot.
Answer: 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
◉ voter mobilization.
Answer: a party's efforts to inform potential voters about issues and
candidates and to persuade them to vote
◉ median voter theorem.
Answer: a proposition predicting that when policy options can be
arrayed along a single dimension, majority rule will pick the policy
most preferred by the voter whose ideal policy is to the left of half of
the voters and to the right of exactly half of the voters
,◉ paradox of voting.
Answer: the notion that people still vote despite the fact that the
individual costs of voting often outweigh the individual benefits
◉ Help America Vote Act of 2002.
Answer: a federal law meant to reduce barriers to participation in
elections
◉ socioeconomic status (SES).
Answer: A division of population based on occupation, income, and
education.
◉ ballot roll off.
Answer: When voters do not cast votes for a set of races with which
they are not familiar and for which they may not have traditional
cues
◉ direct primary.
Answer: A primary where voters directly select the candidates who
will run for office
◉ Election Day Registration (EDR).
, Answer: the option in some states to register on the day of the
election, at the polling place, rather than in advance of the election
◉ voting-age population.
Answer: citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the
minimum age requirement
◉ Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Answer: a law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to
African-American suffrage
◉ vote by mail.
Answer: a program in many states that allows voters to mail in their
ballots rather than appearing in person at a polling place
◉ political participation.
Answer: All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection
of political leaders or the policies they pursue
◉ preferences.
Answer: the outcomes or experiences people want or believe they
need
