POL 201

1. Personal freedoms that all citizens and non-citizens enjoy thanks to the Bill of Rights are known as

2. Which of these examples is not a hallmark of political parties under the “responsible party model”?

3. From 1890 to 1950, the idea that individuals were treated fairly and had equal protection under the U.S. Constitution fell under an approach known as

4. What is the typical percentage of voter turnout in the United States during presidential elections?

5. What basic function do elections not serve in the United States?

6. Which constitutional amendment provided for newly free slaves to be eligible to vote after the Civil War?

7. According to political scientist V. O. Key Jr., what type of election is a critical election, representing a massive and durable shift in party loyalty?

8. The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, which are fundamental to individual freedoms, are known as

9. __________________________ is an essential ingredient to a fair trial.

10. What term is used to describe deep divisions between different people’s worldviews and the political ideologies on which those worldviews are

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After reading the article “How Political Opinions Change” by Pärnamets and Van Bavel, respond to the following in 250 words or more:

1. What is “choice blindness” and how do the article’s authors explain its significance to political opinions?

2. Take the ideas presented in the article into account. In an era of political polarization in the “new media environment” do you see polarization increasing, decreasing, something else? Explain.