PSC 101 Final Exam Questions And
Correct Answers University at Buffalo
party identification
a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other
agency loss
the difference between what a principal would like an agent to do and the agent's
performance
free media
coverage of a candidate's campaign by the news media
Popular Sovereignty
A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.
voter registration
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
the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election
voting eligible population
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
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
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
a party's efforts to inform potential voters about issues and candidates and to persuade
them to vote
median voter theorem
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
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
a federal law meant to reduce barriers to participation in elections
socioeconomic status (SES)
A division of population based on occupation, income, and education.
ballot roll off
,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
A primary where voters directly select the candidates who will run for office
Election Day Registration (EDR)
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
citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement
Voting Rights Act of 1965
a law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to African-American suffrage
vote by mail
a program in many states that allows voters to mail in their ballots rather than appearing
in person at a polling place
political participation
All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the
policies they pursue
preferences
the outcomes or experiences people want or believe they need
one-party state
a political system in which one party controls the government and actively seeks to
prevent other parties from contesting for power
Politics
Method of maintaining, managing, and gaining control of government (who gets what,
when, and how)
Institutions of Government
Formal policymakers within the government, including the executive, legislature,
judiciary and bureaucracy
federal system
A government that divides the powers of government between the national government
and state or provincial governments
Federalism
A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments
unitary system
A government that gives all key powers to the national or central government
public goods
Goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share.
collective action problem
A situation in which the members of a group would benefit by working together to
produce some outcome, but each individual is better off refusing to cooperate and
reaping benefits from those who do the work.
Virginia Plan
"Large state" proposal for the new constitution, calling for proportional representation in
both houses of a bicameral Congress. The plan favored larger states and thus
prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning
representation.
, Electoral College
A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice
president
Separation of Powers
Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches,
with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law,
and the judiciary interpreting the law
reserved powers
Powers given to the state government alone
Federalists
supporters of the Constitution
private goods
goods that are both excludable and rival in consumption
free riding
enjoying the benefits of some good or action while letting others bear the costs
Prisoner's Dilemma
a particular "game" between two captured prisoners that illustrates why cooperation is
difficult to maintain even when it is mutually beneficial
Government
The institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies
coordination problem
a situation in which two or more people are all better off if they coordinate on a common
course of action, but there is more than one possible course of action to take
transaction costs
the costs that parties incur in the process of agreeing to and following through on a
bargain
conformity costs
The difference between what a person ideally would prefer and what the group with
which that person makes collective decisions actually does. Individuals pay conformity
costs whenever collective decisions produce policy outcomes that do not best serve
their interests.
agenda setting
Determining which public-policy questions will be debated or considered.
New Jersey Plan
A constitutional proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new congress
Bicameralism
The principle of a two-house legislature.
Necessary and Proper Clause
Clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) setting forth the implied
powers of Congress. It states that Congress, in addition to its express powers, has the
right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution
vests in the national government
Checks and Balances
A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other
branches in order to prevent abuse of power
Anti-Federalists
Correct Answers University at Buffalo
party identification
a citizen's self-proclaimed preference for one party or the other
agency loss
the difference between what a principal would like an agent to do and the agent's
performance
free media
coverage of a candidate's campaign by the news media
Popular Sovereignty
A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.
voter registration
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
the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election
voting eligible population
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
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
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
a party's efforts to inform potential voters about issues and candidates and to persuade
them to vote
median voter theorem
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
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
a federal law meant to reduce barriers to participation in elections
socioeconomic status (SES)
A division of population based on occupation, income, and education.
ballot roll off
,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
A primary where voters directly select the candidates who will run for office
Election Day Registration (EDR)
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
citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement
Voting Rights Act of 1965
a law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to African-American suffrage
vote by mail
a program in many states that allows voters to mail in their ballots rather than appearing
in person at a polling place
political participation
All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the
policies they pursue
preferences
the outcomes or experiences people want or believe they need
one-party state
a political system in which one party controls the government and actively seeks to
prevent other parties from contesting for power
Politics
Method of maintaining, managing, and gaining control of government (who gets what,
when, and how)
Institutions of Government
Formal policymakers within the government, including the executive, legislature,
judiciary and bureaucracy
federal system
A government that divides the powers of government between the national government
and state or provincial governments
Federalism
A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments
unitary system
A government that gives all key powers to the national or central government
public goods
Goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share.
collective action problem
A situation in which the members of a group would benefit by working together to
produce some outcome, but each individual is better off refusing to cooperate and
reaping benefits from those who do the work.
Virginia Plan
"Large state" proposal for the new constitution, calling for proportional representation in
both houses of a bicameral Congress. The plan favored larger states and thus
prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning
representation.
, Electoral College
A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice
president
Separation of Powers
Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches,
with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law,
and the judiciary interpreting the law
reserved powers
Powers given to the state government alone
Federalists
supporters of the Constitution
private goods
goods that are both excludable and rival in consumption
free riding
enjoying the benefits of some good or action while letting others bear the costs
Prisoner's Dilemma
a particular "game" between two captured prisoners that illustrates why cooperation is
difficult to maintain even when it is mutually beneficial
Government
The institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies
coordination problem
a situation in which two or more people are all better off if they coordinate on a common
course of action, but there is more than one possible course of action to take
transaction costs
the costs that parties incur in the process of agreeing to and following through on a
bargain
conformity costs
The difference between what a person ideally would prefer and what the group with
which that person makes collective decisions actually does. Individuals pay conformity
costs whenever collective decisions produce policy outcomes that do not best serve
their interests.
agenda setting
Determining which public-policy questions will be debated or considered.
New Jersey Plan
A constitutional proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new congress
Bicameralism
The principle of a two-house legislature.
Necessary and Proper Clause
Clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) setting forth the implied
powers of Congress. It states that Congress, in addition to its express powers, has the
right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution
vests in the national government
Checks and Balances
A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other
branches in order to prevent abuse of power
Anti-Federalists
