POLS 1333
American/Texas Government
Exam 2 Review Sheet
Terms You Should Know
You should know any of the bold faced words in your lecture slides and in the text.
Questions You Should be Able to Answer
1. Describe the media’s role in American democracy.
2. Describe the Fairness Doctrine, the Right of Rebuttal, and the Equal Time Rule.
3. Describe the different types of media. You should discuss the difference between broadcast and
subscription media, also discuss the differences between newspapers, television, radio, and the internet,
especially in the context of how they deliver the news.
4. Describe the benefits and limitations of getting news through social media.
5. Describe the three ways in which the media influences public opinion (agenda setting, priming, and
framing).
6. Describe the different sources of political news.
7. Describe Americans’ views of the media.
8. Explain the four main things political parties do.
9. What is the difference between a political party and an interest group?
10. Why are political parties essential for democracy?
11. Describe the differences between proportional representation and a plurality system.
12. Why does the United States have a two-party system? Explain.
13. How do political parties form?
14. Walk through the different political party systems.
15. Describe the modern Democratic and Republican Parties.
16. What is political polarization and how does it affect modern political parties?
17. What roles do political parties play in elections? Describe them.
18. What roles do political parties play in Congress? Describe them.
19. Who is responsible for running elections in the US? In that capacity, what responsibilities do they
have?
20. What is a primary election? Explain the two different types of primaries.
21. Explain the difference between a majority system, a plurality system, and proportional representation.
22. Explain redistricting and gerrymandering. What is partisan gerrymandering?
23. Describe the different stages of presidential elections.
24. Describe the different types of direct democracy elections.
25. What are PACS and how do they distribute money to campaigns?
26. Describe the differences between prospective and retrospective voting.
27. Describe the different types of interest groups.
28. Why are interest groups so common in the US?
29. Why do interest groups form?
30. What types of benefits can interest groups provide? Describe them.
31. What do interest groups do?
32. Explain Iron Triangles.
33. In what ways do interest groups mobilize public opinion?
34. Explain the four characteristics of a successful interest group.
