Deck 7: Political Parties: Winning the Right to Govern

Question 1

The emotional and intellectual commitment to one party is called ___.

A) party loyalty
B) party identification
C) party discipline
D) partisanship

Answer 1

B

Question 2

National Party Organizations do the following ___.

A) Discipline elected officials who deviate from the party platform
B) Regulate voters at the polls
C) Provide services for their incumbent members
D) All of the above

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A legal way to remove sitting officeholders before the end of her or his term is called ___.

A) initiative
B) primary
C) referendum
D) recall

Answer 3

D

Question 4

How many party periods have there been in American political history?

A) Five
B) Six
C) Seven
D) Eight

Question 5

During the pre-party period, who was the leader of the strong national government faction within Washington's Cabinet?

A) Washington himself
B) Secretary of War Henry Knox
C) Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson
D) Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton

Question 6

What were the parties involved in the period of American party history that fell between 1828 and 1856?

A) The Jacksonian Democrats versus the Whigs
B) The Federalists versus the Jeffersonian Republicans
C) The Democrats versus the Republicans
D) The Democratic-Republicans versus the National Republicans

Question 7

What characterizes the party period that we currently live in?

A) Unified Government
B) Divided Government
C) Split Control Government
D) None of the above

Question 8

What did the Civil War System have in common with the period of divided government?

A) Both were times of rough party parity
B) Both were times of persistent divided government
C) Both were times of civil insurrection
D) The periods had nothing in common

Question 9

Historically, conflict between the American major political parties has followed what pattern?

A) 15-20 years of one-party dominance followed by 15 years of party competition
B) 15 years of one-party dominance followed by 15-20 years of party competition
C) 10 years of one-party dominance followed by 10 years of party competition
D) There was no sustained pattern involving the level of conflict between the two major parties

Question 10

What is a political party?

A) An organization designed to influence government
B) A larger version of a public interest group
C) An organization designed to elect government officeholders under different labels
D) An organization designed to elect government officeholders under a given label

Question 11

What did the two party periods falling between 1800 and 1856 have in common with respect to the character of their inter-party conflict?

A) Rough party parity
B) Intense party competition throughout
C) The ongoing struggle of limited versus big government
D) One-party dominance throughout

Question 12

Define the concept "party in the electorate."

A) The voters who identify with a political party
B) The permanent structure of party offices and officials
C) The officeholders who ran under or have been associated with a party label
D) All of the above

Question 13

Define the concept "party organization."

A) The voters who identify with a political party
B) The permanent structure of party offices and officials
C) The officeholders who ran under or have been associated with a party label
D) All of the above

Question 14

Define the concept "party in government."

A) The voters who identify with a political party
B) The permanent structure of party offices and officials
C) The officeholders who ran under or have been associated with a party label
D) All of the above

Question 15

What is party identification?

A) The intellectual commitment of a voter to his or her preferred party
B) Another name for the concept of "ideology"
C) The emotional commitment of a voter to his or her preferred party
D) Both a and c

Question 16

What is "presidential support" as reported by the Congressional Quarterly?

A) CQ does not report presidential support.
B) The proportion of votes in Congress, on legislative proposals on which the President took a clear position, which were in support of the president's position
C) The proportion of executive orders upheld through congressional legislation
D) The proportion of vetoes sustained within the Congress

Question 17

According to the Let's Compare section, what is Duverger's Law?

A) Another name for "first-past-the post"
B) Another name for "single member district plurality"
C) Electoral rules have a significant influence on party systems. For example, proportional representation rules tend to encourage multiparty systems
D) Electoral rules have a significant influence on party systems. For example, proportional representation rules tend to encourage two-party systems

Question 18

Do we in America have a first-past-the post electoral system?

Question 19

What type of party is the Green Party?

A) It is a major party
B) It is a minor party
C) It cannot be classified under standard categories

Question 20

Which groups in the electorate supported Obama over McCain at higher levels in the 2008 presidential election?

A) Men, conservatives, whites, higher income, and older people
B) Women, liberals, blacks, lower income, and younger people

Question 21

Do Americans exhibit high levels of partisanship?

A) Yes, but most are in fact weak or independent leaning partisans
B) No, party identification is relatively low in America
C) Yes, most Americans are strong partisans and behave accordingly
D) No, low voter turnout keeps partisanship down in America

Question 22

What has been the historical role of minor parties in America?

A) To replace one of the two major parties, usually after they field a candidate who successfully wins a presidential election
B) Normally they attempt and succeed in raising issues associated with the major parties
C) Normally they attempt but fail in raising issues ignored by the major parties
D) Minor parties have no impact whatsoever

Question 23

In addition to the electoral system, what are two other constraints placed on minority parties seeking to win elections in America?

A) State electoral rules and inequitable access to campaign funds
B) Federal electoral rules and inequitable access to campaign funds
C) Presidential debate restrictions and major party absorption of minor party issues
D) All of the above

Question 24

What is the role of the congressional party that does not control the presidency?

A) To serve as the loyal opposition by offering dissent when in the congressional minority and alternative governance when in the congressional majority
B) To serve as the loyal opposition by offering alternative governance when in the congressional minority and dissent when in the congressional majority
C) To try to impose gridlock on the governmental system
D) To try to work with the President in a completely cohesive fashion by following his lead

Question 25

Within party organizations, where has organizational power flowed from and to over its historical development?

A) From the national level to the state level
B) From the state level to the national level
C) From the local level to the national level
D) From the local level to the state level

Question 26

Which of these statements most accurately describes the party identification of black Americans?

A) Since the Civil War, blacks have been strongly committed to the Democratic Party
B) Although they used to be Whigs, blacks today tend to strongly support the Republican Party
C) Although they were strongly committed to the Republican Party for about 100 years after the Civil War, they have been strongly committed to the Democratic Party at least since the 1960s
D) Today, black Americans are not strongly committed to either party

Question 27

Which party was associated with Henry Clay's "American System"?

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

Question 28

Which party emphasized the importance of a limited government?

A) Jeffersonian Republicans
B) Jacksonian Democrats
C) Both of the above
D) None of the above

Question 29

What is the difference between an initiative and a referendum?

A) With an initiative, the people get to vote directly on a question of public policy, whereas with a referendum, the people are only allowed to elect a representative who will vote on ("refer to") a question on their behalf.
B) An initiative is an election for selecting ("initiating") a candidate who will represent a party in the general election, whereas a referendum is a vote by the people on a question of public policy. (Initiatives strengthen parties while referenda weaken parties.)
C) In both initiatives and referenda, the people vote directly on a question of public policy placed on a ballot. The difference is that, in initiatives, government places ("initiates") the question on the ballot, whereas in referenda, the people themselves control what goes on the ballot.
D) In both initiatives and referenda, the people vote directly on a question of public policy placed on a ballot. The difference is that, in referenda, government places the question on the ballot, whereas in initiatives, the people themselves control ("initiate") what goes on the ballot.

Question 30

In 2012, Barack Obama won re-election to the presidency, while the Republicans ___.

A) added majority control of the Senate to their control of the House
B) added majority control of the House to their control of the Senate
C) lost majority control of the House although maintained control of the Senate
D) lost majority control of the Senate although maintained control of the House

Question 31

In the 2016 presidential election, approximately how many minor party candidates ran for president?

A) Only two minor candidates
B) Only half a dozen minor candidates
C) Only ten minor candidates
D) More than a dozen minor candidates

Question 32

An alternative to the big tent view of parties is the ___. "

A) supportive party model
B) identity politics view
C) responsible party model
D) broad spectrum view

Question 33

While well-defined parties may give voters clear electoral choices, they may be too _______to govern.

A) rigid
B) ideological
C) loose
D) disorganized

Question 34

In the 2016 presidential campaign, Donald Trump's nomination and election have often been described as a "___" of the Republican Party.

A) convulsive occupation
B) hostile takeover
C) sympathetic seizure
D) welcomed rejuvenation

Question 35

A "partisan conflict index" shows that partisan conflict in the United States has _______since 1891.

A) increased steadily
B) steadily decreased
C) experienced ups and downs
D) None of the above, because the United States has never experienced partisan conflict

Question 36

The "partisan conflict index" spiked in 2019 after Democrats retook the House of Representatives and ___.

A) sparred with Republicans over repeal of Obamacare
B) confronted Donald Trump over impeachment
C) criticized the Federal Reserve Board over higher interest rates
D) increased corporate taxes over labor discrimination

Question 37

As a result of the 2020 elections, ___.

A) both houses of Congress are controlled by the Republican Party
B) both houses of Congress are controlled by the Democratic Party
C) the Republican Party controls one house of Congress, while the Democratic Party controls the other house of Congress
D) None of the above

Question 38

In the presidential election of 2020, Joe Biden did better than Donald Trump among ___.

A) women and minorities
B) the poor and the young
C) city folks and the lightly churched
D) All of the above

Question 39

In the presidential election of 2020, Donald Trump did better than Joe Biden among ___.

A) men and whites
B) middle income earners and older voters
C) rural folks and regular churchgoers
D) All of the above

Question 40

Sharp division between the parties, often called ___, may often lead to ___.

A) concentration
B) gridlock
C) polarization
D) drift

Question 41

One danger of political parties as _______is that they become so porous and easily penetrable that they come to stand for ___.

A) social networks
B) almost everything
C) well-defined
D) hardly anything

Question 42

The presidential election of 1876 had the _______turnout election in American history at _______percent.

A) highest
B) 81.8
C) lowest
D) 41.8

Question 43

In 2017, Doug Jones won a special U.S. Senate election in _______as a ___.

A) Republican
B) Alabama
C) Democrat
D) New York

Question 44

In 2018, _______recruited unprecedented numbers of female candidates and took majority control of the ___.

A) Republicans
B) Democrats
C) House of Representatives
D) Senate

Question 45

Candidate personalities and capital has overtaken the importance of party mobilization.

Question 46

Party Identification is no longer a significant factor in American voter behavior.

Question 47

Minor parties are frequently successful in placing their candidates in Senate offices.

Question 48

Open party primaries allow members of either party to vote for that party's general election candidate.

Question 49

The United States has the highest proportion of women represented in their national congress.

Question 50

Countries with more major parties tend to have a higher percentage of female representation.

Question 51

Independent identification amidst the electorate is higher today than in the 1950s and 1960s.

Question 52

A minor party is the name given to the party that currently lacks a majority in government.

Question 53

A party primary is an election in which voters identified with a political party select the candidates who will run for election under the party label in a subsequent general election.

Question 54

In 2010, the Democrats in Congress passed a major health care bill, which had been a priority of theirs since the 1930s.

Question 55

After Reconstruction ended, the presidential election of 1876 had the highest voter turnout in American history.

Question 56

Recent figures show that 37 percent of voters identify themselves as independents, whereas only 35 percent identify themselves as Democrats and 27 percent as Republicans.

Question 57

More than half of all registered voters are Republicans.

Question 58

A "partisan conflict index" shows that partisan conflict in the United States is at historic lows.

Question 59

The once formidable political machine of the Democratic Party in Chicago no longer exists.

Question 60

The founding generation of the American republic believed that political parties, or factions more generally, both reflect and aggravate unhealthy divisions within the public and make discovery of the public interest more difficult.

Question 61

In the presidential election of 2020, women accounted for 53 percent of total votes cast with Joe Biden winning 56 percent to Donald Trump's 43 percent among women.

Question 62

During the first year of the Trump administration, the Republican and Democratic parties became more deeply divided than at any time in the seven decades that such records have been kept.

Question 63

What reasons might African Americans have for voting more often with the Democratic Party than with the Republican Party?

Question 64

Compare and contrast the role of minor and major political parties in American politics and elections.

Question 65

What are the major barriers to minor party electoral success?

Question 66

What are the potential benefits of open party primaries?

Question 67

Discuss the evolution of the political parties from the Civil War System to the New Deal Realignment in 1932.

Question 68

Discuss the relationship between the concepts of "party in government," "party organization," and "party in the electorate" in as nuanced a manner as possible supporting your contentions with evidence drawn from the text.

Question 69

How strong is partisanship in this country? Be sure to employ evidence from the text in your answer.

Question 70

As completely but succinctly as you can discuss the New Deal (party) System.

Question 71

Think about the party period we are currently in and compare it with a previous period.

Question 72

What was the "System of '96?"

Question 73

Contrast the party coalitions of interest involved during the period 1828-56.

Question 74

In the 2016 presidential election, discuss how it was possible for Hillary Clinton to win the popular vote and yet still lose to Donald Trump. Do you believe this outcome was fair? Why or why not?

Question 75

Discuss the voting behavior by those who identify strongly with a particular political party.

Question 76

Today, some prominent analysts suggest the potential for a divided Republican Party to spawn a new third party. Do you believe this is likely? Why or why not?

Question 77

Discuss why it is very important that parties and party leaders manage or protect their brand.

Question 78

Is the evolution of American elections from labor-intensive enterprises to capital-intensive enterprises the same as the evolution of American elections from party-centered enterprises to candidate-centered enterprises? Why or why not?

Question 79

Discuss the ways in which President Trump encouraged the breakdown of traditional separation of powers norms and undermined congressional oversight of the executive branch.

Question 80

How has the role of political parties in American politics changed over the course of the nation's history?