POS 2041 UCF Exam 2 UPDATED
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Amicus Curiae - CORRECT ANSWER "Friend of the Court" or "legal brief" arguments for or
against a law
Alexis de Tocqueville - CORRECT ANSWER French Political historian, who toured the U.S.
and Canada as a young man, and collected his observations in "Democracy in America"
Lobbying - CORRECT ANSWER All of the attempts by organizations or by individuals to
influence the passage, defeat, or contents of legislation or to influence the administrative decisions of
the government
Dealignment - CORRECT ANSWER Among voters, a growing detachment from both major
and political parties
Realignment - CORRECT ANSWER A process in which the popular support for and relative
strength of the parties shift and the parties reestablished with different coalitions of supporters
Interest Groups-- functions - CORRECT ANSWER -To help bridge the gap between citizens
and government and enable citizens to explain their views on policies to public officials
-To help raise public awareness and inspire action on various issues
-Provide public officials with specialized and detailed information that might be difficult to obtain
otherwise
-To serve as another check on public officials to make sure that they are carrying out their duties
responsibly
Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) - CORRECT ANSWER Passed in 1971, in an effort to
curb abuses in the ways political campaigns were financed
-Placed no limit on overall spending but restricted the amount that could be spent on mass media
advertising, including TV
-Limited the amount that candidates and their families could contribute to their own campaigns and
required disclosure of all contributions and expenditures of more than $100
-Limited the role of labor unions and corporations in political campaigns
, Ways to influence public policy - CORRECT ANSWER Direct and Indirect techniques
Direct Techniques - CORRECT ANSWER -Any method used by an interest group to interact
with government officials directly to further the groups goals
-Lobbying and Providing Election Support
Indirect Techniques - CORRECT ANSWER -Any method used by interest groups to influence
government officials through third parties, such as voters
-Advertising, Rating systems, Issue advocacy through independent expenditures, Mobilizing
constituents, going to court, and Organizing demonstrations.
Bi-Partisanship - CORRECT ANSWER When two parties find common ground in a
compromise
Soft Money - CORRECT ANSWER Campaign contributions not regulated by federal law, such
as some contributions that are made to political parties instead of to particular candidates
Primary Election - CORRECT ANSWER An election in which voters choose the candidates of
their party, who will then run in the general election.
Political party structure - CORRECT ANSWER -The Party in the Electorate
-The Party Organization
-The Party in Government
The Party in the Electorate - CORRECT ANSWER -Largest component
-Consists of party identifiers and party activists
-Never work on a campaign
-Made of Democrats and Republicans
The Party Organization - CORRECT ANSWER -A nation-wide party organization
-Has national, state, and local offices
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS
Amicus Curiae - CORRECT ANSWER "Friend of the Court" or "legal brief" arguments for or
against a law
Alexis de Tocqueville - CORRECT ANSWER French Political historian, who toured the U.S.
and Canada as a young man, and collected his observations in "Democracy in America"
Lobbying - CORRECT ANSWER All of the attempts by organizations or by individuals to
influence the passage, defeat, or contents of legislation or to influence the administrative decisions of
the government
Dealignment - CORRECT ANSWER Among voters, a growing detachment from both major
and political parties
Realignment - CORRECT ANSWER A process in which the popular support for and relative
strength of the parties shift and the parties reestablished with different coalitions of supporters
Interest Groups-- functions - CORRECT ANSWER -To help bridge the gap between citizens
and government and enable citizens to explain their views on policies to public officials
-To help raise public awareness and inspire action on various issues
-Provide public officials with specialized and detailed information that might be difficult to obtain
otherwise
-To serve as another check on public officials to make sure that they are carrying out their duties
responsibly
Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) - CORRECT ANSWER Passed in 1971, in an effort to
curb abuses in the ways political campaigns were financed
-Placed no limit on overall spending but restricted the amount that could be spent on mass media
advertising, including TV
-Limited the amount that candidates and their families could contribute to their own campaigns and
required disclosure of all contributions and expenditures of more than $100
-Limited the role of labor unions and corporations in political campaigns
, Ways to influence public policy - CORRECT ANSWER Direct and Indirect techniques
Direct Techniques - CORRECT ANSWER -Any method used by an interest group to interact
with government officials directly to further the groups goals
-Lobbying and Providing Election Support
Indirect Techniques - CORRECT ANSWER -Any method used by interest groups to influence
government officials through third parties, such as voters
-Advertising, Rating systems, Issue advocacy through independent expenditures, Mobilizing
constituents, going to court, and Organizing demonstrations.
Bi-Partisanship - CORRECT ANSWER When two parties find common ground in a
compromise
Soft Money - CORRECT ANSWER Campaign contributions not regulated by federal law, such
as some contributions that are made to political parties instead of to particular candidates
Primary Election - CORRECT ANSWER An election in which voters choose the candidates of
their party, who will then run in the general election.
Political party structure - CORRECT ANSWER -The Party in the Electorate
-The Party Organization
-The Party in Government
The Party in the Electorate - CORRECT ANSWER -Largest component
-Consists of party identifiers and party activists
-Never work on a campaign
-Made of Democrats and Republicans
The Party Organization - CORRECT ANSWER -A nation-wide party organization
-Has national, state, and local offices
