Deck 8: Political Parties,candidates,and Campaigns: Defining the Voters Choice

Question 1

The MOST obvious sign of the party realignment of recent decades has been the strong tendency of

A)the South to vote Republican.
B)the Plains states to vote Republican.
C)the West coast to vote Democrat.
D)Colorado to vote Democrat.
E)the Midwest to vote Democrat.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The 2012 Democratic Party platform included all of the following,EXCEPT

A)creating jobs.
B)protecting the Medicare program.
C)privatizing social security.
D)promoting clean energy.
E)raising taxes on the wealthy.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Andrew Jackson's contribution to the development of political parties was the

A)forging of a coalition of Democrats and Whigs.
B)introduction of primary elections.
C)formation of a new type of grassroots party organization.
D)formation of the Federalist Party.
E)formation of the Republican Party.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Democrats and Republicans have endured as the two major U.S.parties primarily due to

A)the stability of their ideologies.
B)the lack of good third-party candidates.
C)a high degree of party discipline.
D)their ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 5

________ warned Americans of the "baneful effects" of factions (political parties)in his 1797 farewell address.

A)James Madison
B)Thomas Jefferson
C)George Washington
D)Andrew Jackson
E)Abraham Lincoln

Question 6

Abraham Lincoln was first elected in 1860 with ________ percent of the popular vote.

A)20
B)40
C)50
D)60
E)80

Question 7

The first American political parties emerged from the conflict between

A)slave states and free states.
B)the older eastern states and the newer western states.
C)small farmers and states' rights advocates,and those favoring commercial and wealthy interests.
D)business and labor.
E)Protestants and Catholics.

Question 8

All of the following are characteristic of a party realignment EXCEPT

A)sharp divisions between the parties.
B)enduring changes in party coalitions.
C)major policy initiatives by the winning party.
D)a very close electoral result.
E)the disruption of the existing political order.

Question 9

The history of democratic government is virtually synonymous with the history of

A)high voter turnout.
B)the separation of powers.
C)economic recessions.
D)protest movements.
E)political parties.

Question 10

Mitt Romney was the first ______ ever chosen as the presidential nominee of a major party.

A)evangelical Christian
B)Jew
C)Catholic
D)Mormon
E)Muslim

Question 11

The issue of slavery gave birth to the ________ party as a major political party.

A)Federalist
B)Democratic
C)Republican
D)Whig
E)Populist

Question 12

________ was the only Republican elected president from 1932 to 1964.

A)Richard Nixon
B)Barry Goldwater
C)Dwight Eisenhower
D)Herbert Hoover
E)Calvin Coolidge

Question 13

The election of ________ was a realigning election.

A)1840
B)1872
C)1932
D)1960
E)1976

Question 14

The 2012 Republican Party platform included all of the following,EXCEPT

A)increased limits on abortion.
B)expanded offshore drilling.
C)lower taxes.
D)cuts in overall government spending.
E)cuts in military spending.

Question 15

Organizationally,the U.S.major parties are

A)decentralized and fragmented.
B)centralized and weak.
C)decentralized and strong.
D)centralized and strong.
E)no longer in operation.

Question 16

Political parties serve to

A)link the public with its elected leaders.
B)enable people with different backgrounds and opinions to act together.
C)offer the public a choice between policies and leaders.
D)provide potential leaders an opportunity to attain public office.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 17

The most recent party realignment had a realigning election in

A)1960.
B)1968.
C)1980.
D)2012.
E)The most recent party realignment had no single realigning election.

Question 18

The Democratic Party's long-time regional stronghold,"the Solid South," stemmed from a realignment during which historical period?

A)Civil War era
B)1890s
C)Great Depression
D)1980s
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 19

Political parties in the United States originated partly as a political feud between

A)Marshall and Adams.
B)Adams and Jackson.
C)Lincoln and Douglas.
D)Cleveland and Bryan.
E)Hamilton and Jefferson.

Question 20

What was especially unique about the "Era of Good Feeling"?

A)Political parties were banned.
B)President Monroe ran unopposed in 1820.
C)Jefferson's faction adopted the label "Republican."
D)The president and vice president were from competing parties.
E)Federalists won the election of 1820.

Question 21

Which of the following is an indication of strong party loyalty?

A)split-ticket voting
B)an increase in independent voters
C)straight-ticket voting
D)the influence of short-term issues and candidates
E)a focus on candidate charisma and personal style

Question 22

Ticket splitting was MOST prominent during which decade?

A)1990s
B)1980s
C)1970s
D)1960s
E)1950s

Question 23

In twentieth-century American history,the most important minor parties were ________ parties.

A)ideological
B)single-issue
C)factional
D)reform
E)non-aligned

Question 24

________ lost the 1964 presidential election in a landslide because his views were seen as too extreme.

A)James Weaver
B)Jimmy Carter
C)George McGovern
D)Richard Nixon
E)Barry Goldwater

Question 25

Proportional representation systems encourage the formation of smaller parties by enabling parties to

A)win legislative seats even though they do not receive a majority of votes in elections.
B)receive campaign funds from government in proportion to their support in opinion polls.
C)win legislative seats by lottery for parties that have no chance of winning majority support.
D)share in patronage appointments,which serve as an incentive to lure campaign workers.
E)advertise on television.

Question 26

________ representation systems are those in which seats in the legislature are allocated according to each political party's share of the popular vote.

A)Plurality
B)Populist
C)Minority
D)Democratic
E)Proportional

Question 27

Party dealignment is

A)essentially the same as party realignment.
B)a process that has discouraged the formation of third parties.
C)a process that has strengthened the major parties.
D)a process that refers to American political parties in the early 1800s.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 28

In the recent elections,which voting demographic has become a more cohesive voting bloc and has sided heavily with the Democratic Party,seeing it as more closely aligned with their interests?

A)Hispanics
B)African Americans
C)the middle class
D)the affluent
E)seniors

Question 29

What party has made big gains in recent decades among white fundamentalist Christians,based on its positions on topics like abortion and school prayer?

A)Democratic
B)Republican
C)Green
D)Socialist
E)Reform

Question 30

Which of the following MOST encourages the two major parties to build broad coalitions?

A)the need to raise campaign funds
B)the need to have policy "wiggle-room" once elected into power
C)the desire to avoid their policy preferences becoming hijacked by extreme elements
D)fear of demonization by the press
E)the two-party system and the need to gain a plurality

Question 31

If a minor party gains a large following,it is almost certain that

A)the major parties will join together to attack the minor party.
B)Congress will enact legislation to make it difficult for the minor party to get on the ballot.
C)party in-fighting will tear it apart.
D)one or both major parties will absorb its issues,and the minor party will lose support.
E)the media will attack the minor party.

Question 32

About __ percent of voters are true independents in that party loyalty plays little or no part in their voting decisions.

A)3
B)8
C)15
D)24
E)33

Question 33

The major emerging voting blocs are

A)Asians and the elderly.
B)Hispanics and young people.
C)whites and the urban educated.
D)people with college educations and city dwellers.
E)environmentalists and Tea Party supporters.

Question 34

What demographic is key to the future of both parties?

A)Hispanic voters
B)African American voters
C)middle-class voters
D)Jewish voters
E)the senior vote

Question 35

Which of the following groups is NOT typically a part of the Democratic coalition?

A)city dwellers
B)Hispanics
C)union members
D)Jews
E)fundamentalist Christians

Question 36

________ does not have a competitive multiparty system.

A)Germany
B)Italy
C)The Netherlands
D)The United States
E)Sweden

Question 37

The winner-take-all system is also known as the ________ system.

A)plurality
B)majority
C)minority
D)democratic
E)proportional

Question 38

The major reason for the persistence of the American two-party system is

A)that there are naturally only two sides to political disputes.
B)regional conflict.
C)the existence of single-member election districts.
D)the existence of state laws prohibiting the placement of a third major party on the ballot.
E)proportional representation.

Question 39

Which of the following is an example of a single-issue party?

A)Populists
B)Green Party
C)Socialist Workers Party
D)Libertarian Party
E)Greenback Party

Question 40

Which of the following groups is MOST closely aligned with the Democratic Party,voting more than 80 percent Democratic in presidential elections?

A)Latino Americans
B)white Protestants
C)Christian fundamentalists
D)African Americans
E)Roman Catholics

Question 41

Television first became a major medium for campaign ads during the

A)1940s.
B)1950s.
C)1960s.
D)1970s.
E)1980s.

Question 42

In 1912,a candidate for which minor party managed to earn more votes than one of his major party opponents?

A)Socialist
B)Prohibition
C)Bull Moose
D)Reform
E)Populist

Question 43

Negative television campaign ads

A)are less prominent now than three decades ago.
B)now constitute the largest share of political ads.
C)can only be run by the official campaign of a candidate.
D)while negative,are usually factually accurate.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 44

American party organizations

A)are about to die out.
B)are more powerful today than at any time in history.
C)have more power than their Western European counterparts.
D)are still important,but their role in campaigns is secondary to that of candidates.
E)are unimportant in the political system today.

Question 45

Which of the following represents the greatest blow to the organizational strength of U.S.parties?

A)the national convention
B)the direct primary
C)Jacksonian democracy
D)the emergence of PACs
E)voter registration

Question 46

State central committees

A)endorse candidates in their state-wide primaries but do not have formal control over who is chosen.
B)have the final say in who will be chosen as the candidates for national office from their party in their home state.
C)provide only general policy guidance for the state organizations.
D)are prevented from participating in fund-raising and voter registration because they receive government funding.
E)concentrate most strongly on national elections.

Question 47

During the 2012 presidential election,this accounted for the greatest percentage of expenditures of the two campaigns:

A)media.
B)fundraising.
C)research.
D)salaries and administration.
E)travel.

Question 48

James Carville and Roger Ailes are both examples of

A)minor party candidates who earned more than five percent of the vote.
B)campaign strategists who have earned legendary reputations.
C)congressional incumbents whose reelection bids were derailed by smear campaigns.
D)national chairpersons of one of the two major parties.
E)lobbyists jailed for their illegal soft money contributions.

Question 49

In 1992,________ won 19 percent of the popular vote in the presidential election.

A)Bill Clinton
B)George H.W.Bush
C)Ross Perot
D)Pat Buchanan
E)Ralph Nader

Question 50

During the twentieth century,American parties lost their complete control over

A)nominations.
B)financing.
C)platforms.
D)the staffing of government jobs.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 51

Negative campaigning in presidential elections was first used in

A)the early years of the country.
B)Andrew Jackson's campaigns for the presidency.
C)the 1860 election.
D)the Depression years.
E)the 1960s.

Question 52

Regarding state party organizations,the day-to-day operation is usually the responsibility of the

A)central committee.
B)state chairperson.
C)national chairperson who oversees all state party organizations.
D)state governor or top leaders in the legislative branch.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 53

On average,how much money must a U.S.senator raise every week of his or her six-year term in order to acquire enough money to launch a competitive bid for reelection?

A)$200
B)$2,000
C)$20,000
D)$200,000
E)$2,000,000

Question 54

National party organizations can dictate the day-to-day decisions of

A)local party organizations only.
B)state party organizations only.
C)local and state party organizations.
D)neither local nor state party organizations.
E)party leaders in Congress.

Question 55

About 95 percent of all political activists in the United States work at

A)the national level.
B)the state level.
C)the local level.
D)the national and state levels.
E)Republican and Democratic party headquarters.

Question 56

The main reason for the high cost of American political campaigns is the cost of

A)complying with Federal Election Commission rules.
B)actually raising campaign funds.
C)paying campaign managers.
D)paying pollsters.
E)paying for media ads.

Question 57

The main battleground for votes is

A)radio.
B)newspaper ads.
C)magazine ads.
D)television.
E)social media.

Question 58

A(n)________ party is a minor party that bases its appeal on the claim that the major parties are having a corrupting influence on government and policy.

A)third
B)reform
C)single-issue
D)ideological
E)factional

Question 59

Which of the following are key players in the modern campaign?

A)pollsters
B)media producers
C)fundraising specialists
D)campaign consultants
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 60

All of the following use top-two primaries EXCEPT

A)New York.
B)Washington.
C)California.
D)Nebraska.
E)Louisiana.

Question 61

What is a candidate-centered campaign,and how does it differ from a party-centered one? Identify some advantages and disadvantages of candidate-centered campaigns.

Question 62

How many years had Barack Obama served in the United States Senate before he was elected president?

A)zero
B)four
C)eight
D)twelve
E)sixteen

Question 63

________ is based on judgment about the past performance of an elected official or political party.

A)Prospective voting
B)Retrospective voting
C)Split-ticket voting
D)Straight-ticket voting
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 64

Explain why the single-member district system of elections tends to promote a two-party system.Also compare it with proportional representation systems.

Question 65

Prospective voting is characterized by

A)a sudden shift in the vote from one party to another.
B)choices based on party loyalty.
C)choices based on a candidate's past performance.
D)choices based on what candidates promise to do if elected.
E)the symbolism of a candidate's personality.

Question 66

What is meant by a party realignment?

Question 67

Which of the following is an accurate representation of the public's opinion about leaders and their accountability?

A)Most citizens have a high opinion of Congress as a whole,but say they have little confidence in their local representative in Congress.
B)Most citizens have a high opinion of both Congress as a whole and their local representative in Congress.
C)Most citizens have a low opinion of Congress as a whole,but say they have confidence in their local representative in Congress.
D)Most citizens have a low opinion of Congress as a whole and also of their local representative in Congress.
E)Most citizens do not feel that their local representatives in Congress should be held accountable for the votes they have to make in order to stay in line with their party's platform.

Question 68

What are primary elections and what impact have they had on party organizations?

Question 69

Why have the Democratic and Republican parties been so durable since the Civil War? Explain.

Question 70

How do European parties differ from American parties?

Question 71

Explain how party coalitions in the U.S.reflect the nature of party competition.Does coalition formation tend to moderate or radicalize parties? Explain.

Question 72

Some analysts predict that soon the most important medium of election politics will be

A)television.
B)the Internet.
C)radio.
D)newspapers.
E)magazines.

Question 73

The function that the national party organizations perform in relation to congressional candidates can BEST be described as a

A)service relationship-helping candidates conduct their personal campaigns.
B)power relationship-making party assistance conditional upon the candidates' endorsement of the party platform.
C)central relationship-organizing and conducting the campaigns for the candidates.
D)non-participant relationship-staying out of congressional campaigns and assisting only in the presidential campaign.
E)None of these answers is correct.
Essay Questions