Deck 9: Political Parties

Question 1

What is done at the national party conventions when they meet every four years?

A) Delegates are assembled so the party can assess their future political potential based on their writing of the party platform.
B) Presidential and vice presidential candidates are nominated, a party platform is written, and party rules are revised.
C) Candidates are sworn to adhere to both the letter and the spirit of the party platform once they are elected to office.
D) Elections are held to determine the new party leaders, who then appoint the members of the national and state committees.
E) Presidential and vice presidential candidates are nominated, and nominations for state and local party candidates are approved.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

How do minor parties facilitate democracy in the United States?

A) by bringing more citizens into the political process with issue awareness
B) by challenging the constitutional supports for the two-party system
C) by sending important delegates to the major parties' national conventions
D) by thwarting the major party that is most ideologically distant
E) by winning a disproportionate number of local elections

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The U.S. electoral system is capable of producing a major minor party. What features largely account for it failing to do so?

A) multi-member districts and a proportional voting system
B) single-member districts and a nonpartisan blanket primary system
C) multi-member districts and a plurality (first-past-the-post) voting system
D) single-member districts and a plurality (first-past-the-post) voting system
E) multi-member districts and a nonpartisan blanket primary system

Answer 3

D

Question 4

How are minor political parties usually significant?

A) They distract from important policy debates.
B) They effectively disprove Duverger's law.
C) They intentionally alter election wins by their ideologically closest major party.
D) They push major parties to incorporate new ideas or elucidate current ones.
E) They win elections in crucial swing states.

Question 5

What are the key functions of political parties that differentiate them from other political organizations?

A) fund-raising, mobilizing voters, and creating media ads
B) nominating candidates, mobilizing voters, and promoting ideas about public policies
C) promoting a defining issue, disseminating information, and mobilizing voters
D) nominating candidates, winning political power, and promoting ideas about public policies
E) winning political power, promoting a defining issue, and fund-raising

Question 6

How did the party demographics change toward the end of the New Deal coalition and at the beginning of dealignment?

A) Southern whites, blue-collar workers, and religious conservatives switched to the Republican Party; minorities became more loyal to the Democrats.
B) Southern whites, union families, and minorities switched to the Republican Party; academics and upper-middle-class professionals joined the Democrats.
C) Academics and upper-middle-class professionals began to join the Republican Party; southern whites, union families, and lower-income voters became Democrats.
D) Union families, minorities, and academics switched to the Republican Party; upper-middle-class professionals and higher-income voters joined the Democrats.
E) Upper-middle-class professionals and religious conservatives moved to the Republican Party; southern whites, union families, and lower-income voters became Democrats.

Question 7

How many periods of identifiable party eras have there been over the course of U.S. history, and which years did they cover?

A) six, 1860 to present
B) seven, 1816 to present
C) five, 1894 to present
D) six, 1816 to present
E) seven, 1860 to present

Question 8

What are two barriers to minor-party political success?

A) Although minor parties have no problem getting the signatures they need, they must attract 25 percent of the votes in the general election to get public funding.
B) There are variations in ballot access requirements between states, and some states require a large number of signatures to get on the ballot.
C) Public funding is not available to minor-party candidates, and it is difficult to get the large number of signatures required to get on the ballot.
D) There are variations in ballot access requirements between states, and public funding is not available to minor-party candidates.
E) Minor parties are usually radical and lack respectability in the views of most Americans.

Question 9

Which of these creates an opportunity for bridging the inherent conflict between different branches of government, such as the president and Congress?

A) democratic government
B) divided government
C) federalist government
D) partisan government
E) unified government

Question 10

Which of the following combine both social and economic dimensions and hold that the federal government should play a substantial role in providing economic justice and opportunity?

A) moderates
B) independents
C) conservatives
D) leaners
E) liberals

Question 11

Which of the following developments triggered the change in the party system during the dealignment era following the New Deal coalition?

A) Democratic Party support for civil rights and equal rights, and opposition to the Vietnam War
B) the historic victory of the Republicans in the congressional elections of 1994
C) Republican Party support for industrial workers and farm laborers
D) fierce debate about the doctrine of separation of church and state, which the Republicans supported
E) Ross Perot's crusade for a balanced budget, which upset the Republican coalition

Question 12

The Economist blamed the 2011 Standard and Pour downgrade in America's credit rating on which of the following?

A) bipartisanship
B) incivility
C) moderates
D) partisanship
E) the Tea Party

Question 13

Increasing partisanship in government at all levels since the 1980s has resulted in which of the following?

A) voters becoming active in the business of their party
B) an increase in the number of competitive districts in House races
C) undermining of civil liberties and a turn toward socialism
D) an increase in the use of conference committees to iron out differences
E) bitter debates, incivility, and difficulty in reaching agreements

Question 14

Which of these is most likely to lead to gridlock?

A) Democratic dominance in Congress
B) divided government
C) Republican dominance in Congress
D) dealignment
E) unified government

Question 15

In what year was the United States on the edge of default due to the election of a large number of conservative party members who had promised to slash federal spending, regardless of consequences, resulting in bitter acrimony between the president and congressional leaders?

A) 2010
B) 2001
C) 2011
D) 1999
E) 2005

Question 16

How are most party candidates nominated today?

A) in district, state, and national conventions
B) through manipulations by party officials
C) in primaries or grassroots caucuses
D) in grassroots caucuses and national conventions
E) in national primaries and conventions

Question 17

Party identification helps political parties identify their __________ so they can start a campaign by mobilizing these core supporters.

A) party base
B) campaign centers
C) party leaners
D) party committees
E) geographical base

Question 18

One of the various ways in which political parties contribute to democratic governance is by __________.

A) dividing the electorate
B) narrowing voter choice
C) ensuring majority rule
D) reducing accountability mechanisms
E) encouraging inter-party cooperation

Question 19

What institutional feature helps prevent the rise of minor parties?

A) a constitutional restriction
B) the electoral college
C) multi-member districts
D) proportional representation
E) open-primary systems

Question 20

How do party presidential nominees who go on to win the office in November elections often reward supporters and contributors?

A) by appointing them to positions in the executive branch
B) by encouraging official party organizations to promote them
C) with thank-you letters that include invitations to the White House
D) through doing the best job they possibly can while in office
E) by acknowledging them publicly through the media

Question 21

In __________ political systems, coalition governments are common.

A) majoritarian
B) multiparty
C) unified
D) polarized
E) two-party

Question 22

How are national and state party organizations interrelated?

A) They are part of a hierarchical structure, with the national convention at the top, the national organizations in the middle, and the state organizations at the bottom.
B) They are independent of each other except for the fact that they are all expected to follow the party rules set at the national convention every four years.
C) National organizations finance state organizations, so while they are not officially in charge of them, they often control them through funding.
D) National organizations are in charge of overseeing state organizations and enforcing party rules at all levels of the party.
E) They are independent except for ties in terms of ideologies, campaign money, and party rules.

Question 23

Which president forged the New Deal coalition?

A) Lyndon Johnson
B) William McKinley
C) Teddy Roosevelt
D) Franklin Roosevelt
E) Harry Truman

Question 24

Polls concerning party identification might lead a political scientist trying to understand voter behavior to believe that the increase in the percentage of people claiming to be independent is because of what?

A) the rise in the number of minor parties offering alternatives
B) the decline of the parties because they have become less well-organized
C) the decline in the economy, since people become less political during such times
D) the incivility and ineffectiveness in government because of intense partisanship
E) the ineffectiveness of the parties in campaigning because of lack of funds

Question 25

The years 1860-1928 saw the ascendency of which party?

A) Democratic-Republicans
B) Democrats
C) Federalists
D) Republicans
E) Whigs

Question 26

The presidential nominee need not adhere to either the letter or the spirit of the __________, although most nominees stay fairly close.

A) party code
B) party literature
C) party mandates
D) party platform
E) party preferences

Question 27

Ross Perot's Reform Party signified __________ of the party system.

A) corruption
B) dealignment
C) polarization
D) raiding
E) realignment

Question 28

How does the presidential primary system contribute to the intense partisanship of American politics today?

A) It allows minor parties to compete against the major parties, forcing the main parties into extremism.
B) The time leading up to the primaries is intensely competitive, so candidates become more and more extreme.
C) It takes power out of the political parties and puts it into the hands of the candidates, who react by taking their positions to the extreme.
D) The conventions create an artificial emotionalism that appeals to extreme elements.
E) It forces candidates to play the most ideologically extreme elements within their party.

Question 29

Because the numbers of Americans who identify with the Democratic and Republican parties are closer than they have been for a long time, which of the following has become more important to candidates in recent elections?

A) grassroot caucuses
B) campaign financing
C) independent leaners
D) active partisans
E) party nominations

Question 30

Which of the following is one of the contributing factors to the increase in partisanship at all levels of government since the 1980s?

A) the increase of moderates within the political parties
B) tension over the debt ceiling bill introduced into Congress
C) the increase in the number of competitive districts in House races
D) the explosion of advocacy groups that demand unity on issues
E) the gridlock created by extreme views and unwillingness to compromise

Question 31

What major concern about minor parties was highlighted by the 2000 presidential election between Gore and Bush?

A) ineffective planning and organization
B) lack of media attention
C) poor access to ballots
D) poor choices of candidates
E) possibility of altering of elections

Question 32

What caused a large increase in the amount of Democratic-Republican cooperation in late 2001 and early 2002?

A) a shared threat and approval from the American public
B) a sense of patriotism and American public approval
C) a shared threat and a new foreign policy
D) a shared threat and a sense of patriotism
E) a new foreign policy on which everyone could agree

Question 33

Which of the following describes realignment?

A) awarding legislative seats to political parties according to percentages of the popular vote
B) the process by which one party supplants another as the dominant party in a two-party system
C) a gradual reduction in the dominance of one political party without another supplanting it
D) the process by which parties gain approximately equal representation in a multiparty system
E) the unification of various factions in a political party to represent a united front during a campaign

Question 34

What binds national and state parties?

A) Article I of the U.S. Constitution
B) federal statutes and campaign money
C) ideology, sentiment, and campaign money
D) shared policies and sentiments
E) fundamental beliefs and federal statutes

Question 35

Over which of the following do official party organizations have no control?

A) national party conventions
B) nomination of candidates
C) national party committees
D) direct mail campaigns
E) state party organizations

Question 36

Which of the following combine both social and economic dimensions and hold that the federal government should play a very small role in economic regulation and social justice?

A) moderates
B) independents
C) conservatives
D) leaners
E) liberals

Question 37

The year 1968 in the United States brought the beginning of a new political era and __________.

A) dealignment
B) evenly matched parties
C) "good feelings"
D) realignment
E) the Reagan Democrats

Question 38

The __________ is the formal governing body of both major parties.

A) national party assembly
B) national party committee
C) national party convention
D) national party delegation
E) national party legislature

Question 39

When political parties mobilize voters, bring issues to the public attention, educate the public on issues of interest to the party, and compete with each other by expanding the scope of conflict, what else do they accomplish?

A) They stimulate political interest among citizens, and thus contribute to democracy by increasing democratic participation by the American public.
B) They demonstrate that politicians will say and do anything to get elected and that campaign promises do not indicate what they will do once elected.
C) They show the American public what true patriotism is through their candidates' willingness to do what they believe is in the best interests of the entire nation.
D) They gain political power under the guise of educating Americans on public policy issues, thus contributing to the appearance of democratic governance.
E) They carry out constitutional directives about the way the leaders of the country should behave and what they should accomplish.

Question 40

How do voter attitudes serve as a barrier to minor parties in government?

A) Americans increasingly identify as Republican or Democrat.
B) Americans overwhelmingly favor a two-party system.
C) Americans often believe a minor-party vote is a wasted vote.
D) Americans fear the federal penalty for breaking Duverger's law.
E) Americans largely fail to realize the barrier is merely psychological.

Question 41

Why does the United States have a two-party system?

A) The Framers wanted competition between political parties.
B) The Framers wanted to avoid the mistakes of Europe.
C) It was a compromise between a unitary system's efficiency and a multiparty system's diversity.
D) It developed in the struggle between slave owners and abolitionists.
E) It developed in the struggle between Federalists and Democratic-Republicans.

Question 42

Which demographic group currently identifies most closely with the Democratic Party?

A) African Americans
B) Catholics
C) Hispanics
D) Protestants
E) whites

Question 43

What is the main effect the rise in advocacy groups in recent years has had on political parties and their candidates?

A) Political parties have had additional sources for campaign funds.
B) It has made campaigns more manipulative and less honest.
C) It has given candidates increased opportunities for media appearances.
D) Advocacy groups have distorted issues and confused voters.
E) It has pushed them into more ideological and partisan directions.

Question 44

Why don't political parties take stronger policy positions and make them into law?

A) Party discipline may be high, but ideological differences continue to divide.
B) Party membership is too moderate.
C) Parties have no way to bind their elected officials to the party platform.
D) Party powers are limited by the Constitution.
E) Party opposition from outside is too great.

Question 45

Which of the following would most likely be viewed differently by various members of the Democratic Party depending on whether they fell into the liberal or centrist camp?

A) civil rights
B) equal pay for equal work
C) war on drugs
D) affirmative action
E) education

Question 46

People do not choose a party because they identify with its views and approve of its candidates for elected office; rather, party identification shapes people's views about issues and their selection of candidates for elected office.

Question 47

A __________ results after fissures develop in each party's coalition, which begins to fracture after new issues appear, dividing the electorate. Each party forms a new coalition-one that endures for years.

A) dealignment
B) national party convention
C) nonpartisan election
D) realignment
E) secular realignment

Question 48

Which statement best describes what E. E. Schattschneider meant by the claim that "political parties created democracy"?

A) Political parties mobilize majorities for the purpose of taking over government, which is the very definition of democracy.
B) Through party platform creation, political parties give democratic voters a clear idea of the kind of people they are electing to represent them.
C) In nominating candidates, political parties narrow voter choice and thus make an otherwise confusing democratic process understandable.
D) By organizing the election process, political parties make it possible for voters to go to the polls and vote, thereby maintaining democracy.
E) Political parties facilitate voter choice through their campaigns on public issues about which democratic voters would otherwise have no knowledge.

Question 49

Why were Republicans able to pass so many laws after they came to power in 2001 in spite of their small majorities in Congress?

A) The Republicans were disciplined and acted out of party unity, so they were able to control the legislative agenda.
B) The Democrats were distracted by 9/11 and focused on terrorism, so they did not pay much attention to what the Republicans were doing.
C) The president was Republican, so the legislators had his full support for their programs, especially after 9/11.
D) The president was Democrat, but the Republicans were extremely focused, disciplined, and displayed remarkable party unity.
E) The Democrats had no party unity and tended to be undisciplined, so the Republicans could control the agenda.

Question 50

Which of the following best describes how political parties help to keep elected officials responsive to citizens' needs?

A) by reducing tension between Congress and the president when both are from the same party
B) by allowing voters to determine which office holder is responsible for a success or failure
C) by creating a coalition government in which officials of both parties share credit and blame
D) by allowing voters to hold office holders accountable in a collective fashion
E) by creating competition that attracts attention and gets people involved in politics

Question 51

Which of the following best describes why the Federal Emergency Management Agency failed during Hurricane Katrina?

A) The agency was headed by a political contributor of George Bush, not an emergency relief specialist, so the leader was unprepared.
B) The agency had been merged into the Department of Homeland Security in 2003, so it was unclear who was in charge.
C) The agency surprised everyone by its poor response, since it had successfully handled previous disasters in California and Florida.
D) The head of the agency had been appointed by Bill Clinton because he was one of Clinton's supporters, and he had no experience with disaster relief.
E) The agency had been merged into the Commerce Department, and its funds had been depleted by that department, leaving it without resources.

Question 52

To be a member of the Republican Party or the Democratic Party or to be an independent is, in reality, a matter of __________.

A) attending meetings
B) identifying with a party's sentiments
C) doing volunteer work
D) organizational membership
E) supporting a candidate

Question 53

Dealignment is associated with the end of the __________.

A) Christian coalition
B) Democratic-Republicans
C) Federalists
D) New Deal coalition
E) Whigs

Question 54

State and local party organizations may nominate __________.

A) whomever they choose, regardless of the wishes of the national committee
B) whomever they choose as long as he or she follows a majority of the party platform
C) whomever they choose, as long as he or she polls favorably among the local electorate
D) whomever they choose, subject to national committee approval
E) whomever they choose from a list provided by the national committee

Question 55

The percentage of people claiming to be independent has increased from a percentage in the low 20s during the 1960s to approximately 34 percent today.

Question 56

When can a party change its platform?

A) after a federal census
B) at the start of each fiscal year
C) during the national party convention
D) every two years
E) virtually anytime

Question 57

Although Democrats and Republicans often appoint party activists and financial contributors to agencies in the executive branch in return for their support, they do so only when the appointees are qualified for the positions.

Question 58

What important power do national party committees wield?

A) direction for campaign media and funding
B) direction for policy in legislation and the platform
C) direction and confirmation of presidential nominees
D) veto wielder over presidential nominations
E) veto wielder over policy platform items

Question 59

Which of the following would be most likely to tolerate a government shutdown to achieve their goals?

A) Tea Party Republicans
B) Democratic centrists
C) Republican social conservatives
D) Republican economic conservatives
E) Democratic liberals

Question 60

Which of the following best describes the key issue that led to serious disagreements between the president and Congress and resulted in damage to America's credit rating because of worries about the dysfunctional qualities of the governing process?

A) health care reform
B) national debt
C) discretionary spending
D) defense programs
E) federal taxation

Question 61

Though a large majority of Americans identify with one of the two major parties, party polarization is increasing, primarily because partisans vote more than independents and participate more in campaigns.

Question 62

Tea Party candidates running on the Republican ticket in 2010 demonstrate Duverger's law: that minor parties in a first-past-the-post system will usually converge with a major party.

Question 63

The form of change in which a dominant party declines and is replaced by another dominant party is called dealignment.

Question 64

Attitudinal barriers, such as fear of wasting a vote or electoral preference for policy moderation, have thwarted the rise of __________.

Question 65

The only minor party in the United States that ever managed to replace a major party is the __________ Party.

Question 66

Most Western democracies have a two-party political system.

Question 67

The __________ is the site for the writing of the party platform every four years.

Question 68

The __________ coalition began to slowly disintegrate in the 1968 election.

Question 69

An active partisan is a person who claims to be independent but consistently favors one party over another.

Question 70

In the political system used in most Western democracies, governing power is often shared among two or more parties in a coalition government.

Question 71

Franklin D. Roosevelt's __________ ushered in a forty-year period of Democratic Party dominance.

Question 72

One reason for the tensions and bitter disputes in government today is the decline in the number of moderates within the political parties.

Question 73

Electoral realignments occur exclusively as a result of a critical election.

Question 74

Partisanship has been increasing since the 1980s, and seems likely to rise even more in the near future.

Question 75

Lately, the ideological rift between the two major parties has narrowed, as the parties have begun to target the moderate vote.

Question 76

Minor parties have played a more important role in the United States than in virtually any other democratic nation, and have become even more important.

Question 77

The __________ Party has many more moderate supporters and elected officials than its counterpart.

Question 78

A __________ is an organization that tries to win control of government by electing people to office who carry its label.

Question 79

Though controversy remains over whether party __________ occurs every thirty to forty years, there are identifiable party eras over the course of American history.

Question 80

Categorization of leaners when determining which party is leading in numbers of supporters can make a significant difference in the outcome of a poll.