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CIVICS AND ECONOMICS
POLITICS AND POLITICAL SYSTEMS
STUDY GUIDE
PART I: You should be able to identify the following terms:
Ward
Caucus
Open primary
Platform
Electorate
Propaganda
Public opinion
Prior restraint
Precinct
Grassroots
Runoff election
Plank
Absentee ballot
Soft money
Interest group
Delegates
Closed primary
Political party
Single-issue party
Apathy
Pollster
Mass media
PART II: You must be able to answer the following questions.
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What is a third party? Do they normally win elections?
What kind of political system does the United States have?
What type of committee is made up of representatives from every state?
What are the individual parts of a party’s platform?
How do independent candidates get on a state’s ballot?
What is a third-party that is formed to promote social, economic or moral issues?
What is the largest political unit in a state?
If you vote for candidates from both parties, what type of ticket are you voting?
What are donations given to political parties and not designated for a particular
candidate’s campaign called?
Who do most political action committees give their money to?
What are the two types of mass media? What do each contain?
Why do some elected officials leak information to press?
Why does the mass media play the watchdog role?
What propaganda technique is an attempt to turn people against a candidate or idea by
using an unpleasant label or description?
What is a public opinion poll? Why are they given?
What is protected under the 1st Amendment, which guarantees that government cannot
censor material before it is published?
What is glittering generality/
What are some things that affects a person’s public opinion?
What are the qualifications to vote?
What is one of the lobbyists’ most important resources?
What is the role of a challenger in elections?
What party was formed because the members opposed slavery?
PART III (HONORS ONLY): You will need to be able to answer AT LEAST ONE of the
following questions.
1. Do political parties help protect democracy in America? Take a position and support it
with at least five facts about political parties.
2. Do you think American teenagers should join political parties? Take a position and
support it with at least five facts about political parties.
3. Explain the viewpoints of supporters of polling and critics of polling. Then, write a
paragraph explaining your own views on polling.
4. Describe the difference between reliable and unreliable media sources, using examples.
Then, explain why reliable media sources are important to a well functioning democracy.