Deck 7: Political Parties

Question 1

In the mid-1820s, the Jeffersonian Republicans split into two groups, the and the .

A) Constitutional Union Party; States' Rights Democrats.
B) Democrats; National Republicans.
C) Federalists; Whigs.
D) American Independent Party; Reform Party.
E) Bull Moose Progressive Party; Henry Wallace's Progressive Party.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The Federalist Party

A) argued against ratification of the Constitution.
B) supported a strong central government that would encourage the development of commerce and manufacturing.
C) believed that the nation's welfare would be best served if the states had more power than the central government.
D) generally thought that a republic should be ruled by the "common man."
E) was led by Thomas Jefferson.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The Jeffersonian Republicans dominated politics

A) for twenty years.
B) until the Civil War.
C) for only two elections.
D) until the Realignment of 1854.
E) until the Great Depression.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

of Americans identify themselves as conservative.

A) Fifteen percent
B) Twenty percent
C) Twenty-five percent
D) Thirty percent
E) Forty percent

Question 5

of Americans identify themselves as Republicans.

A) Fifteen percent
B) Twenty percent
C) Twenty-five percent
D) Thirty percent
E) Forty percent

Question 6

is the process by which as substantial number of voters change their political party allegiance to the major parties.

A) Factionalization
B) Dealignment
C) Tipping
D) Power shift
E) Realignment

Question 7

A political party is best defined as

A) a group of people who promote the public good but differ essentially on the means of promoting that good.
B) a group of people who organize to win elections, operate government, and determine policy.
C) an institution of rule.
D) an organized group of people sharing common objectives, who actively attempt to influence public policy.
E) an association formed to develop common standards and goals.

Question 8

The Constitution

A) created the two-party system in Article IV.
B) delegated to Congress the power to establish political parties in Article II.
C) does not mention political parties.
D) grants the power to establish political parties to the states in the Tenth Amendment.
E) specifies the powers that political parties may exercise in Article V.

Question 9

The Jeffersonian Republicans thought that should dominate the government.

A) the president
B) the wealthiest and best-educated citizens
C) the courts
D) Congress
E) commercial and manufacturing interests

Question 10

By the mid-1850s, the Whig coalition had fallen apart, and most northern Whigs were absorbed into the new Party, which opposed the extension of slavery into new territories.

A) Democratic
B) Constitutional Union
C) Green
D) American Independent
E) Republican

Question 11

The Party emerged in 1828, when Andrew Jackson ran against John Quincy Adams and won the presidency.

A) Reform
B) Republican
C) Whig
D) People's
E) Democratic

Question 12

Two major political factions, the and , were formed even before the Constitution was ratified.

A) Republicans; Democrats
B) Populists; States' Rights Democrats
C) Whigs; National Republicans
D) Free Soilers; Tea Party
E) Federalists; Anti-Federalists

Question 13

After the election of 1896, the established themselves in the minds of many Americans as the party that knew how to manage the nation's economy, and they remained dominant in national politics until the onset of the Great Depression.

A) Democrats
B) States' Rights Democrats
C) Libertarians
D) Whigs
E) Republicans

Question 14

The Jeffersonian Republican party

A) argued against ratification of the Constitution.
B) supported a strong central government that would encourage the development of commerce and manufacturing.
C) believed that the nation's welfare would be best served if the central government had more power than the states.
D) generally thought that government policies should serve farming interests.
E) was led by Alexander Hamilton.

Question 15

In the 1890s, the Democrats allied themselves with the movement, which advocated inflation as a way of lessening the debts of farmers in the South and West.

A) Green
B) Socialist
C) Populist
D) Tea Party
E) Reform

Question 16

Throughout the 1840s and 1850s, both political parties, the and the , were large, with well-known leaders and supporters across the nation.

A) Federalists; National Republicans
B) Democrats; Republicans
C) Whigs; Republicans
D) Federalists; Democrats
E) Whigs; Democrats

Question 17

When the former Confederate states rejoined the Union after the Civil War, the Republicans and the were roughly even in strength, although the Republicans were more successful in presidential contests.

A) Whigs
B) Populists
C) Federalists
D) Democrats
E) Libertarians

Question 18

The Great Depression of the 1930s destroyed the belief that the could better manage the economy, and contributed to a realignment in the two-party system.

A) Democrats
B) Republicans
C) Libertarians
D) Whigs
E) Federalists

Question 19

The Whig Party had the support of

A) small farmers.
B) the growing class of urbanized workers.
C) bankers, business owners, and many southern planters.
D) Andrew Jackson.
E) Henry Wallace.

Question 20

After Thomas Jefferson won the presidency and his party won control of Congress, the never returned to power and became the first American political party to go out of existence.

A) People's Party
B) Whigs
C) Federalists
D) National Republicans
E) Constitutional Union Party

Question 21

The task of teaching citizens about the issues is the party role of .

A) coordinating policymaking
B) informing the public
C) selecting candidates for office
D) managing campaigns
E) checking the power of the governing party

Question 22

By 2014, 42 percent of the electorate claimed to be independent. This trend is known as .

A) rolling realignment
B) dealignment
C) misalignment
D) alignment
E) realignment

Question 23

In 1964, a coalition of and crafted major civil rights legislation.

A) southern Democrats; northern Democrats
B) northern Democrats; Republicans
C) Populists; Libertarians
D) Republicans; Socialists
E) southern Republicans; States' Rights Democrats

Question 24

In 1948, for the first time ever, the Democrats adopted a(n) plank as part of the party platform at their national convention.

A) civil rights
B) states' rights
C) environmental protection
D) anti-immigration
E) populist

Question 25

Until the 1930s, African Americans had been overwhelmingly .

A) Democratic
B) Republican
C) Populist
D) Socialist
E) Libertarian

Question 26

After the 2010 elections, many of the new Republican members of Congress were pledged to the Tea Party philosophy of

A) finding common ground with those on the Democratic side to solve national problems.
B) breaking political deadlock in Washington.
C) moving the Republican party toward more liberal positions.
D) no-compromise conservatism.
E) reducing the polarization in Congress.

Question 27

Exit polls in 2012 showed that families making $100,000 to $200,000 per year were

A) more likely to vote for Obama.
B) had cosmopolitan attitudes toward civil liberties issues.
C) more likely to vote independent.
D) more likely to support the Republican party.
E) ideologically divided.

Question 28

Beginning with the presidential elections of 2000, the press has made much of the supposed cultural differences between the

A) "red" states that vote for the Democratic candidate and the "blue" states that vote for the Republican candidate.
B) "red" states that vote for the Republican candidate and the "blue" states that vote for the Democratic candidate.
C) "red" states that vote for the Democratic candidate and the "white" states that vote for the Republican candidate.
D) "scarlet" states that vote for the Republican candidate and the "gray" states that vote for the Democratic candidate.
E) "maize" states that vote for the Republican candidate and the "blue" states that vote for the Democratic candidate.

Question 29

During the 1970s and 1980s, a large bloc of Democrats in Congress, mostly from the South, sided with the Republicans on almost all issues. In time, these conservative Democrats were replaced by conservative Republicans. This shift is best described as a

A) partisan rollover.
B) roller coaster.
C) reassessment.
D) rolling realignment.
E) dealignment.

Question 30

In the 2012 presidential elections, Mitt Romney carried almost all of the rural parts of Ohio. Barack Obama, however, won Ohio by a margin of approximately percentage points.

A) 3
B) 2
C) 5
D) 7
E) 9

Question 31

Migration and other demographic trends can make a particular type of voter more numerous, shifting the balance of support between the major political parties. This process is known as .

A) slanting
B) flipping
C) misalignment
D) turnover
E) tipping

Question 32

Which of the following statements best describes the way in which political parties perform the function of coordinating policymaking?

A) The political party is usually the major institution through which the executive and legislative branches cooperate with each other.
B) Political parties help educate the public about important political issues.
C) The "out party" does what it can to influence the "in party" and its policies.
D) Political parties are essentially coalitions-alliances of individuals and groups with a variety of concerns and opinions who join together to support the party's platform, or parts of it.
E) Political parties take care of a large number of small and routine tasks that are essential to the smooth functioning of the electoral process.

Question 33

In many states, cannot participate in primary elections.

A) Democrats
B) Republicans
C) conservatives
D) independents
E) liberals

Question 34

The election of 1932 brought Franklin D. Roosevelt to the presidency and the back to power at the national level.

A) Democrats
B) Republicans
C) People's Party
D) Reform Party
E) Whigs

Question 35

The elections of 1860, 1896, and 1932 are each considered to represent , a process in which the minority party may emerge as the majority party, or the majority party is reestablished with a different coalition of supporters.

A) a realignment
B) tipping
C) a dealignment
D) a reapportionment
E) a rollover

Question 36

Which of the following statements best describes the way in which political parties perform the function of selecting candidates?

A) The political party is usually the major institution through which the executive and legislative branches cooperate with each other.
B) Political parties help educate the public about important political issues.
C) Political parties narrow the field of candidates through primary elections.
D) Political parties are essentially coalitions-alliances of individuals and groups with a variety of concerns and opinions who join together to support the party's platform, or parts of it.
E) Political parties take care of a large number of small and routine tasks that are essential to the smooth functioning of the electoral process.

Question 37

Which of the following statements best describes the way in which political parties perform the function of balancing competing interests?

A) The political party is usually the major institution through which the executive and legislative branches cooperate with each other.
B) Political parties help educate the public about important political issues.
C) Political parties take the large number of people who want to run for office and narrow the field.
D) Political parties are essentially coalitions-alliances of individuals and groups with a variety of concerns and opinions who join together to support the party's platform, or parts of it.
E) Political parties take care of a large number of small and routine tasks that are essential to the smooth functioning of the electoral process.

Question 38

In the 2012 presidential elections, all over the United States, the more the county, the more likely it was to vote Democrat.

A) urban
B) rural
C) white
D) wealthy
E) ideologically divided

Question 39

Franklin Roosevelt's programs to fight the Depression were called the .

A) Great Society
B) War on Poverty
C) New Frontier
D) New Deal
E) Bridge to the New Century

Question 40

Primary elections tend to attract a electorate.

A) more ideological
B) more centrist
C) more apathetic
D) less partisan
E) more independent

Question 41

Currently, largely determine the identity of candidates for state legislatures.

A) moderates
B) independents
C) personalities
D) ideological activists
E) labor union activists

Question 42

The largest component of parties, consisting of all the people who describe themselves as Democrat or Republican, is known as

A) the party organization.
B) the party in the electorate.
C) the party in government.
D) party identifiers.
E) a patronage network.

Question 43

When it was founded in 1972, the Green Party was

A) an issue-oriented party.
B) a splinter party.
C) an ideological party.
D) a personality party.
E) a cult.

Question 44

The first major political division in the United States, between the and the , established a precedent that contributed to the domination of the two-party system.

A) Federalists; Anti-Federalists
B) Whigs; Federalists
C) Jeffersonian Republicans; National Republicans
D) Populists; Democrats
E) Republicans; Democrats

Question 45

To describes a solidarity incentive for joining a political party.

A) express agreement with the views of other like-minded people
B) benefit through better employment
C) be allowed to vote
D) actively promote a set of ideals and principles
E) seek career advancement

Question 46

Voting for governors and members of the electoral college takes place on a basis, which hurts third-party candidates.

A) multi-member district
B) proportional
C) bi-yearly
D) statewide, winner-take-all
E) district

Question 47

Political parties in the United States

A) are composed of tight-knit leadership groups.
B) have obligatory membership for citizens who want to get ahead in their careers.
C) run a highly corrupt and largely unregulated spoils system.
D) are fragmented and decentralized.
E) are centrally run and controlled by the national party organization.

Question 48

The mascot of the Democratic Party is the .

A) bald eagle
B) zebra
C) elephant
D) mule
E) donkey

Question 49

Which of the following functions is performed at the national party conventions?

A) Managing the grassroots foundation of party supporters
B) Directing the work of the national committee
C) Writing a party platform
D) Helping elect party members to Congress
E) Serving as administrative head of the national party

Question 50

When a third party splits the vote, taking electoral victory away from one party and handing it to another, the third party is playing the role.

A) spoiler
B) progressive
C) reformist
D) regressive
E) ideological

Question 51

The structure of each party's national organization includes four major elements:

A) the national convention, the national chairperson, the state central committees, and the congressional campaign committees.
B) state party organizations, the state central committees, the national chairperson, and the national committee.
C) the national convention, the national committee, the national chairperson, and the congressional campaign committees.
D) wards, precincts, state central committees, and the national convention.
E) the presidential candidate, the state party chairpersons, the congressional campaign committees, and the delegates.

Question 52

The United States has a two-party system. This means that

A) only two parties nominate candidates to run in general elections.
B) the two major parties-the Democrats and the Republicans-dominate national politics.
C) third parties may not be formed in this country.
D) all voters identify with either the Democratic or Republican parties.
E) only candidates of the two major parties can run in presidential elections.

Question 53

An example of a personality party in the United States is the Party.

A) Socialist Labor
B) Free Soil
C) Republican
D) American Independent Party
E) Prohibition

Question 54

An example of a splinter party in U.S. history is the Party.

A) Green
B) Socialist Labor
C) States' Rights (Dixiecrats)
D) Free Soil
E) Libertarian

Question 55

Which of the following statements is accurate?

A) Joining a political party to express mutual agreement with the views of friends or other like-minded people describes a purposive incentive for belonging to the party.
B) The party precinct is the document drawn up by each party at its national convention that outlines the policies and positions of the party.
C) A ward is a local unit of a political party's organization, consisting of a division or district within a city.
D) The party ticket is the proof of registration that voters need to show at the polling place before they are allowed to vote.
E) Patronage is a system of punishing a party identifier who does not vote for the party's candidate in a presidential election.

Question 56

Some commentators contended that Green Party candidate Ralph Nader "spoiled" the chances of in the 2000 presidential election, because many of those who voted for Nader would have voted Democratic had Nader not been on the ballot.

A) George H. W. Bush
B) George W. Bush
C) Jesse Ventura
D) Al Gore
E) H. Ross Perot

Question 57

An example of an issue-oriented third party in U.S. history is the Party.

A) Free Soil
B) Libertarian
C) Whig
D) Reform
E) Bull Moose

Question 58

An issue-oriented third party

A) is formed to support a particular political doctrine.
B) develops out of a split within a major party.
C) is usually formed around a leader with a strong personality.
D) is formed to promote a particular cause.
E) is usually long-lived.

Question 59

An example of an ideological third party in the United States is the Party.

A) Democratic
B) Libertarian
C) Free Soil
D) Prohibition
E) Whig

Question 60

Most third parties

A) have been short-lived.
B) focus on the politics of particular regions of the country.
C) have focused on a single issue.
D) are usually trying to be all things to all people so that they can win elections.
E) have avoided taking bold stands on issues.