Political Science Midterm Vocabulary

Vocabulary and Concepts for Midterm

• Goal of political parties: Understanding the objectives of political parties.
• Interest groups: The effects and goals of interest groups.
• "Public" vs. "Private" Interest Groups: Differences between these types of interest groups.
• Free riders: Individuals who benefit from a collective good without contributing.
• Public opinion polls: Accuracy, sampling methods, and how to conduct scientifically accurate polls.
• Pollsters, Margin of Error, Sampling Error: Understanding these related terms in polling.
• Random Sampling, Stratified Sampling: Different sampling methods used in research.
• Political socialization: How individuals develop their political beliefs.
• Liberal vs. Conservative Political Ideology: The differences between these political ideologies.
• Stump speech: A short speech given by a candidate to highlight key issues.
• Opinion poll: A survey to measure public opinion on a topic or candidate.
• Referendum: A direct vote by the public on a specific issue.
• Initiative: A method for citizens to propose and vote on legislation.
• Population of Cases/Universe of Cases: Concepts related to research sample sizes.
• Citizens United: A landmark case related to campaign finance.
• Super Pacs: Political committees that can raise and spend unlimited sums of money.
• Voter registration, Voter suppression: Processes related to voting and obstacles to voting.
• Media bias: Potential for media to favor one viewpoint over another.
• Presidential mandate: The perceived public support for a president's agenda.
• Role of states in conducting elections: State level responsibilities in elections.
• Grassroots campaigning/appeal: Methods of building political support at the local level.
• Examples of biggest donors to candidates: Identifying significant contributors to political campaigns.
• Role of interest groups / parties in a democracy: Assessing the function and influence of interest groups and parties in a democracy.
• Disturbance theory vs. pluralist theory of interest group: Different perspectives on interest group influence in society.

Test your understanding of key political concepts for the midterm. This quiz covers topics such as the objectives of political parties, the role of interest groups, differences between public and private interests, and various polling methods. It's a great way to prepare for your upcoming exam!