Deck 6: Political Parties

Question 1

Realigning elections are also known as __________.

A)special elections
B)critical elections
C)primary elections
D)general elections

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following is true of primaries?

A)They have increased the role of political parties in the nominating process.
B)They vary significantly from state to state.
C)They were first adopted in the 1930s.
D)They have led to a significant increase in voter turnout.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Most people acquire party identification at which age?

A)as children
B)as teenagers
C)in their 20s
D)in their 40s

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Money that can be raised in unlimited amounts for party-building purposes is called __________.

A)soft money
B)hard money
C)party-independent expenditures
D)coordinated expenditures

Question 5

In between party conventions,the body in charge of the national party is the __________.

A)national committee
B)campaign committee
C)national caucus
D)party in government

Question 6

Minor parties are the most successful in __________.

A)multiparty systems
B)winner-take-all systems
C)systems operating under Duverger's Law
D)two-party systems

Question 7

One characteristic of realigning elections is __________.

A)coordination between the major political parties
B)broad public support for policy change
C)intense voter involvement
D)a high level of voter apathy

Question 8

In __________ elections,parties have little opportunity to influence the outcome.

A)nonpartisan
B)parliamentary
C)state-level
D)local

Question 9

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

A)dividing the electorate
B)narrowing voter choice
C)nominating candidates
D)reducing accountability mechanisms

Question 10

What challenge do minor parties often face?

A)constitutional restrictions
B)nomination signature requirements
C)too many young candidates
D)outdated voter registration lists

Question 11

Duverger's Law is associated with which of the following?

A)multiparty systems
B)two-party systems
C)national party committees
D)party identifiers in the electorate

Question 12

For citizens in most states,"party" has a particular legal meaning.What is it?

A)party constitution
B)party government
C)party registration
D)party organization

Question 13

Disputes and riots occurred in relation to which party convention and in what year?

A)Republican Convention in 1972
B)Republican Convention in 1984
C)Democratic Convention in 1968
D)Democratic Convention in 1976

Question 14

George H.W.Bush saying,"Read my lips-no new taxes," foreshadowed __________.

A)keeping a campaign promise
B)a presidential candidate misquoting an opponent
C)how a negative advertisement can backfire
D)a failure to keep a campaign promise

Question 15

While the United States has had several minor parties,only the two major parties have much of a chance to win elections.What features of the U.S.political system contribute to the dominance of two parties?

A)multimember districts and a proportional voting system
B)single-member districts and a nonpartisan blanket primary system
C)multimember districts and a winner-take-all voting system
D)single-member districts and a winner-take-all voting system

Question 16

In the 1840s,the two major parties were the __________.

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

Question 17

The "Grand Old Party" is the nickname of which political party?

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

Question 18

Which of these is an electoral "earthquake," where new issues emerge,new coalitions replace old ones,and the minority party often displaces the majority party?

A)a critical election
B)a decisive election
C)a revolutionary election
D)an upheaval election

Question 19

In the U.S.political system,a vote for a minor party candidate is considered a wasted vote.What election reform would decrease the likelihood of a vote being wasted on an unelectable candidate?

A)runoff elections
B)caucuses
C)single-member districts
D)Duverger's Law

Question 20

Which minor party candidate may have influenced the 2000 election?

A)George Wallace
B)John Anderson
C)Ross Perot
D)Ralph Nader

Question 21

In __________ electoral systems,parties at the extremes are likely to have more influence.

A)majoritarian
B)multiparty
C)plurality
D)two-party

Question 22

Which of the following best corresponds to the three functions of political parties?

A)party activity within the presidential,legislative,and judicial branches of government
B)party identification by voters as Democrats,Republicans,and Independents
C)party platforms,constitutional constraints,and the will of the electorate
D)party control of Congress and the presidency,party organizations,and Democratic and Republican voters

Question 23

Since the 1950s,the parties in government have been characterized as __________ more often than not.

A)autocratic
B)divided
C)inclusive
D)unified

Question 24

Why did the party convention come to replace the caucus as a mechanism to nominate candidates for political office?

A)The caucus system was opaque,favoring party elites and incumbents.
B)The caucus system was inefficient and arbitrary.
C)The caucus system overly favored urban business interests.
D)The caucus system was too clearly controlled by the executive branch.

Question 25

When was the first realigning election in American party history?

A)1800
B)1824
C)1860
D)1896

Question 26

How do party committees typically allocate independent expenditures in campaigns?

A)They focus on a few competitive races.
B)They spend funds equally across races.
C)They focus on candidates who are behind in the polls.
D)They focus on reelecting incumbents.

Question 27

Which of the following was a Progressive Era reform?

A)direct election of senators
B)party conventions
C)establishment of patronage
D)establishment of single-member districts

Question 28

What was unique about the 1896 presidential election and party realignment?

A)The Federalists won.
B)The Democratic Party won.
C)The party in power did not switch.
D)The Fair Deal emerged.

Question 29

Ross Perot's candidacy in 1992 and 1996 demonstrated which of the following?

A)A minor party candidate can win electoral votes with very little popular support.
B)A minor party candidate can receive no electoral votes despite some popular support.
C)A minor party candidate can come very close to winning the presidency.
D)A minor party candidate has a chance at winning the Electoral College,if popular.

Question 30

What has changed between the 1964 and 2008 elections?

A)Men were more likely Democratic in 1964 than in 2008.
B)Men were more likely Democratic in 2008 than in 1964.
C)Women were more likely Republican in 1964 than in 2008.
D)Women were more likely Republican in 2008 than in 1964.

Question 31

How are critical elections and party realignments interrelated?

A)A party realignment occurs before a critical election.
B)A party realignment occurs after a critical election when new voters outnumber old voters.
C)A party realignment occurs before a critical election during periods of national crisis.
D)A party realignment occurs after a critical election.

Question 32

Which of the following changes to the American electoral system would most help minor parties obtain representation?

A)if more elections in America took place in single-member districts
B)if more elections in America were decided with winner-take-all systems
C)if elections in America were based on proportional representation
D)if ballot access requirements were strengthened

Question 33

Approximately how many patronage positions are there in the national government?

A)500
B)1,000
C)3,000
D)10,000

Question 34

Which democratic function of political parties was nonexistent until the early twentieth century and has given voters greater input into politics?

A)party nominations
B)policy coordination
C)critical elections
D)primary elections

Question 35

Two-party systems tend to produce governments that are __________.

A)stable and centrist
B)stable and conservative
C)centralized and ideologically driven
D)decentralized and unstable

Question 36

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

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

Question 37

Who is included in the "party in the electorate"?

A)party officers who educate the public on party policies
B)public officials who are registered with one major party
C)delegates to the national party convention
D)voters registered with the political parties

Question 38

The __________ is the official statement of party policy established by each party every four years.

A)party code
B)party literature
C)party mandate
D)party platform

Question 39

Advocates of the responsible party system believe parties should craft an articulate platform and __________.

A)be consistently held accountable to it
B)be flexible to the will of the electorate
C)do what is in the best interest of the entire nation
D)act in a way that adheres to the Constitution

Question 40

How do party-independent expenditures differ from soft money?

A)Party-independent expenditures are spent by parties,whereas soft money is spent by candidates' campaigns.
B)Unlike soft money,party-independent expenditures can only use funds raised with normal hard money contribution limits.
C)Unlike party-independent expenditures,soft money is subject to disclosure requirements.
D)Party-independent expenditures are limited to party-building activities,whereas soft money can be spent on election communications.

Question 41

Crossover voting is permitted in what type of primary?

A)a direct primary
B)a closed primary
C)an open primary
D)a partisan primary

Question 42

Which of the following is true of the interval following a presidential election known as the honeymoon?

A)During this time,presidents typically ignore any criticism directed at them.
B)This period has grown shorter throughout the past few decades.
C)This period has grown longer throughout the past few decades.
D)During this time,presidents rarely offer legislative proposals.

Question 43

During the Great Depression,the major dividing line between Democrats and Republicans was __________.

A)whether the national federal government should impose mandates on the states
B)whether the national government should play an active role in regulating the economy
C)whether industrialization should be promoted over agrarian-fundamentalist interests
D)whether the civil rights of African Americans should be recognized

Question 44

When did party conventions come into existence?

A)in 1791,after ratification of the Constitution
B)in the 1830s and 1840s
C)in the early twentieth century,during the Progressive Era
D)during the New Deal of the 1930s

Question 45

The number of independent voters increased in the 1970s,indicating a possibility of __________.

A)dealignment
B)critical elections
C)realignment
D)converting realignment

Question 46

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

A)African Americans
B)Catholics
C)men
D)Protestants

Question 47

Historically,realigning elections have tended to __________.

A)occur following U.S.involvement in foreign wars
B)occur cyclically,about every 50 years
C)occur cyclically,about every 32 years
D)occur sporadically,with little forewarning

Question 48

Republican Party reforms in the 1970s focused on which of the following?

A)fairness in delegate selection
B)winner-take-all rules
C)training and recruiting candidates
D)hierarchical realignment

Question 49

Which of the following is an effective counterargument to the party decline argument?

A)The parties still assist candidates with monetary and other resource support.
B)Campaigns have become more candidate-focused in recent years.
C)Television and social media play an important role in modern campaigns.
D)There has been an increase in the number of primaries over the past half century.

Question 50

What is the difference between party regulars and candidate activists?

A)Party regulars are more uncompromising than candidate activists.
B)Party regulars are more concerned with party cohesiveness,while candidate activists tend to be ideologically driven.
C)Party regulars tend to be ideologically driven,while candidate activists are more willing to compromise.
D)Party regulars focus on individual candidates,while candidate activists focus on issues.

Question 51

What is a consequence of direct primaries?

A)Direct primaries increase the influence of political party leaders.
B)Direct primaries increase cohesion within parties.
C)Direct primaries increase the autonomy of elected politicians.
D)Direct primaries increase the electability of party-line candidates.

Question 52

How does the Democratic Party allocate delegates at the national party convention?

A)through a winner-take-all system,with all of a state's delegates going to the winner of the primary
B)through a proportional system,in which candidates receive delegates in proportion to their share of the primary vote
C)through a combination of winner-take-all and proportional voting
D)through a vote of the "superdelegates"

Question 53

Which groups benefited most from reforms within the Democratic Party in the late 1960s?

A)blacks and men
B)blacks and women
C)blacks and the elderly
D)whites and the elderly

Question 54

How has the Democratic Party changed in recent decades?

A)It has become more unified and more liberal.
B)It has become more unified and more moderate.
C)It has become less unified and more moderate.
D)It has become less unified and more liberal.

Question 55

__________ is the only state whose legislature is not organized along party lines.

A)Pennsylvania
B)California
C)Iowa
D)Nebraska

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)virtually anytime

Question 57

What was the significance of the Supreme Court's decision in McCutcheon v.Federal Election Commission?

A)It expanded the ability of parties to raise and spend money.
B)It limited the ability of parties to raise and spend money.
C)It placed new limits on campaign fund-raising by corporations and unions.
D)It increased the transparency of campaigns by imposing strict disclosure requirements.

Question 58

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)realigning or critical election
D)secular realignment

Question 59

Which of the following groups is least likely to participate in politics?

A)Libertarians
B)Democrats
C)Independents
D)Republicans

Question 60

In a winner-take-all system,__________.

A)the candidate with a majority of vote wins
B)the candidate with the most votes wins
C)the party with the most votes wins
D)the party that is able to form a majority coalition wins

Question 61

Minor parties have never won the presidency.

Question 62

Some minor parties focus on a single issue.

Question 63

Party platforms are ratified at national party conventions.

Question 64

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

Question 65

Australia was the first country to adopt the secret ballot in 1857.

Question 66

Under the responsible party system,party members are expected to adhere to the party platform.

Question 67

Party activists are people who invest time and effort in political parties.

Question 68

A(n)__________ is an election in which voters choose party nominees.

Question 69

Progressive movement reforms gave voters leverage over a party's power to control nominations.

Question 70

President Harry S.Truman is most associated with the New Deal.

Question 71

The parties are often evaluated based on their functions as institutions,parties in government,and parties in the electorate.

Question 72

Parties can now spend unlimited amounts for or against candidates as long as these expenditures are independent of the candidate or the party committee.

Question 73

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 74

The __________ was legislation regulating unrestricted soft money in elections.

Question 75

The Libertarian Party usually focuses on the personality and charisma of its presidential candidate.

Question 76

Most scholars believe that we have not experienced a major realignment since __________.

Question 77

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

Question 78

Elections in America tend to be more party-centered than elections in Europe.

Question 79

Most self-identified Independents are really partisans in their voting behavior and attitudes.

Question 80

The method of nominating political candidates for several decades after the United States was established was the __________.