AP Review Definitions #1

1.Political Culture- what people believe and feel about government and how they think

2.Political Ideology- a more or less consistent set of beliefs about what policies government ought to purse

3.Equality of Opportunity- all persons regardless of social class, age, race, or gender should have equal rights to compete for and attain positions in society

4.Equality of Results- making certain that people achieve the same result

5.Civic Duty- a belief that one has obligation to participate in civic and political affairs

6.Progressive Culture- a belief that personal freedom and solving social problems are more important than
religion

7.Orthodox Culture- a belief that mortality and religion ought to be of decisive importance

8.Political Efficacy- a belief that you can take part in politics or that the government will respond to the citizenry

9.Middle America- the middle class in the U.S

10.Silent Majority- an unspecified large majority of people who do not express their opinions publicly

11.Social Status- position in social hierarchy

12.Christian Coalition- U.S Christian advocacy group

13.Gender Gap- difference in political views between men and women

14.Liberal- open to new behavior or opinions and willing to discard traditional values

15.Conservative- averse to change and holds to traditional values and attitudes

16.Libertarian- adherent of libertarianism and advocates civil liberty

17.Populist- a member or adherent of a political party that represents the interests of ordinary people

18.Political Elite- persons with a disproportionate share of political power

19.New Class- the privileged ruling class of bureaucrats and Communist Party

20.New Deal Coalition- the alignment of interest groups and voting blocs that supported the New Deal and voted for Democratic presidential candidates

21.Random Sample- method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal probability of
being selected

22.Sampling Error- the difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time

23.Weighting- adjustments made in order to take account of special circumstances

24.Quota Sample- sample created by gathering a predefined number of participants from each of several
predetermined categories

25.Focus Groups- demographically diverse group of people assembled to participate in a guided discussion
about a particular product before it is launched

26.Instant Response Polling- polling used by media and online

27.Push Polls- a political campaign technique in which an individual or org. attempts to influence or alter the
view of respondents under the guise of conducting a poll

28.Bandwagon Effect- a popular trend attracting even greater popularity

29.Refusal Rate - the percentage of people contacted who decline to participate in the research study

30.Exit Polls- polls based on interviews conducted on Election Day with randomly selected voters

31.Tracking Poll- an opinion poll in which the same sample is questioned periodically to measure shifts in
opinions

32.Skewed Question- to suddenly change opinion in the questions

33.Context Effect- describes the influence of environmental factors on one's perception of a stimulus

34.Question Framing- statistical surveys used to collect quantitative information about items in a population

35.Saliency- The condition of a piece of land protruding out into an angle

36.Help America Vote Act 2002- a federal program that reformed aspects of the U.S election system

37.Motor-Voter Law 1993- enables prospective voters to register when they obtain or renew a driver's
license

38.Fifteenth Amendment- guaranteed blacks the right to vote

39.Literacy Test- a requirement that citizens show that they can read before registering to vote

40.Poll Tax- a requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote

41.Grandfather Clause- a clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration
requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before

42.White Primary- the practice of keeping blacks from voting in the southern states' primaries through
arbitrary use of registration requirements and intimidation

43.Voting Rights Act 1965- outlawed discriminatory voting practices

44.Nineteenth Amendment 1920- granted women the right to vote

45.Voting Rights Act 1970, 1982- extended the Voting Rights Act for five years

46.Twenty-Sixth Amendment 1971- standardized the voting age to 18

47.Twenty-Third Amendment 1961- permitted citizens in the District of Columbia to vote for Electors

48.Disfranchisement- the discontinuation of a franchise or of the right to vote

49.Australian Ballot- a government-printed ballot of uniform dimensions to be cast in secret that many states
adopted to reduce voting fraud

50.Activist- people who tend to participate in all forms of politics

51.Demographics- statistical data relating to the population