Deck 11: Political Parties

Question 1

Party get-out-the-vote efforts are critical for overcoming:

A)the general lack of knowledge in the electorate
B)the tendency to vote only in primary elections
C)Americans' native distaste for parties
D)the free-rider problem in voting
E)the prisoner's dilemma of voter competition

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Political parties effectively lower the information costs of voter participation because they provide:

A)a media blitz for each candidate
B)a forum for candidates to debate issues
C)brand-name recognition
D)a clearinghouse for disseminating position papers and policy analyses
E)a "ground game" of yard signs,bumper stickers,and door hangers

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The Republican Party's traditional support of lower taxes is an example of an issue associated with the party's:

A)media savvy
B)connection to populist sentiment
C)brand name
D)general support of an active government on social issues
E)continuation of the policies of Jimmy Carter

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What is the name of the process by which a party selects a single candidate to run for each elective office?

A)enlistment
B)winnowing
C)recruitment
D)appointment
E)nomination

Question 5

When recruiting candidates,parties typically look for candidates who have an unblemished record and:

A)a cheerful temperament
B)a pleasant physical appearance
C)a record of military service
D)the ability to raise money
E)an unknown family name

Question 6

When recruiting candidates,parties consider that,at the very least,a serious candidate for a seat in the U.S.House of Representatives must be able to raise several ________ dollars.

A)hundred
B)thousand
C)hundred thousand
D)million
E)billion

Question 7

Unlike interest groups,political parties are organizations that seek to influence government by:

A)encouraging citizens to vote
B)electing its members to office
C)influencing administrative procedures
D)taking public stands on various policy issues
E)coordinating citizens with similar preferences

Question 8

What are nonprofit voter mobilization groups like America Votes and MoveOn,with their legions of volunteers,known as?

A)nonpartisan groups with nonpartisan goals
B)nonpartisan groups legally but actually are shadow appendages
C)party subsidiaries
D)antipartisan groups
E)funded by federal government grants

Question 9

Which nomination process is more conducive to new issues and new candidates?

A)caucus
B)presidential appointment
C)convention
D)conference committee
E)primary

Question 10

Which of the following explains why parties form?

A)to adhere to the mandate of Article IV of the Constitution
B)to confuse voters and thereby win their support
C)to resolve collective action problems
D)to weaken the link between elections and governing
E)to seek the collective good of the country

Question 11

The first step in the process of getting out the vote involves:

A)voter registration
B)primary elections
C)nominating conventions
D)submitting required campaign finance information
E)transporting voters to the polls

Question 12

The United States has a(n)________ system.

A)anarchic
B)multiparty
C)one-party
D)three-party
E)two-party

Question 13

As opposed to interest groups,political parties are composed mainly of ________ seekers.

A)vote
B)office
C)policy
D)benefit
E)money

Question 14

The type of primary election most conducive to strong political parties is the ________ primary.

A)open
B)run-off
C)closed
D)blanket
E)jungle

Question 15

By what process does a political party attempt to identify strong candidates and interest them in entering the campaign for public office?

A)candidate enlistment
B)candidate assessment
C)candidate nomination
D)candidate recruitment
E)drafting

Question 16

Which term best describes a nominating process composed of a formal caucus bound by a number of rules that govern participation and nominating procedures?

A)direct primary
B)nominating convention
C)selective congregation
D)party assembly
E)party congress

Question 17

A political party is an organization seeking:

A)grants and other funds from the government
B)influence over government by electing its members to office
C)to influence the government through lobbying
D)the greater good of the nation
E)to promote its ideology throughout the world

Question 18

When recruiting candidates,parties consider that,at the very least,a serious candidate for a U.S.Senate seat must be able to raise several ________ dollars.

A)hundred
B)thousand
C)hundred thousand
D)million
E)billion

Question 19

A primary election in which voters can participate in the nomination of candidates only for the party in which they have previously registered is called a(n)________ primary.

A)open
B)run-off
C)closed
D)blanket
E)exclusive

Question 20

In modern American politics,how are most candidates nominated to elected office?

A)through petitions
B)by party caucuses
C)through primary elections
D)through nominating conventions
E)by presidential appointment

Question 21

In American presidential elections,women are somewhat more likely to support the:

A)Democrats
B)Libertarians
C)Republicans
D)Reform Party
E)Green Party

Question 22

In addition to leading the executive branch,the president also has responsibilities to:

A)preside over the Senate and break tie votes
B)settle disputes over religious doctrine
C)set the docket of the Supreme Court through the solicitor general
D)schedule legislation for debate in the House of Representatives
E)be the leader of his or her party

Question 23

Party leaders seek ideas and programs that will expand their party's base of support while eroding that of the opposition through their role as:

A)party facilitators
B)partisan catalysts
C)advocacy boosters
D)policy entrepreneurs
E)strategic guides

Question 24

Which of the following is part of today's Democratic Party coalition?

A)opponents of immigration
B)organized labor and members of racial minorities
C)businesses and fundamentalist religious organizations
D)supporters of school prayer and opponents of affirmative action
E)former members of the Anti-Masonic Party

Question 25

Since they began focusing on abortion and other social issues in the 1970s,the Republican Party has been very successful in winning the votes of:

A)females
B)Catholics
C)Unitarians
D)Christian evangelicals
E)Protestants

Question 26

Which of the following is true about political party labels and parties' ability to simplify electoral choice in the general election?

A)Party labels tend to simplify choice in the general election among Republican voters but not voters who think of themselves as Democrat.
B)Party labels do not simplify choice among independents since Democrats and Republicans pursue similar policy goals.
C)At least for independents,many do not derive value from the party labels.
D)Since government can never get anything done,most Americans do not attach themselves to any party label.
E)While most Americans identify with one of the two major parties,party labels simplify choice among independent voters.

Question 27

Currently,about what percentage of African Americans describe themselves as Democrats?

A)50 percent
B)60 percent
C)70 percent
D)80 percent
E)90 percent

Question 28

The committee system of both houses of Congress is organized by:

A)the Electoral College
B)the parties
C)the executive bureaucracy
D)Article I,Section 9,of the U.S.Constitution
E)Joint Congressional Rule 5

Question 29

Presidents are more likely to get their legislative proposals through Congress if:

A)they make speeches to joint sessions of Congress
B)they are supported by the president's party and party leaders in Congress
C)they donate personal funds to the campaigns of congressional incumbents
D)they offer executive branch jobs to members of Congress
E)the FBI collects dossiers of embarrassing material about each member of Congress

Question 30

Committee assignments in Congress are made by:

A)party groups
B)seniority standards
C)the president
D)the president pro tempore
E)random selection

Question 31

When Jason Rae worked for the Democratic Party for several years on get-out-the-vote drives,attended their meetings,and supported party efforts,he behaved as a party:

A)activist
B)ideologue
C)reformer
D)extremist
E)aficionado

Question 32

Since the New Deal,which group among the Democratic Party has been the most loyal constituent?

A)Jews
B)Catholics
C)Protestants
D)Christian fundamentalists
E)Mormons

Question 33

The actual selection of the Speaker of the House is made by the:

A)president
B)vice president
C)Electoral College
D)major party caucus
E)House Rules Committee

Question 34

Which term best describes party members who are strong party identifiers,and who also contribute their time,energy,and effort to party affairs by ringing doorbells,stuffing envelopes,attending meetings,and contributing money to the party cause?

A)party activists
B)party loyalists
C)party reformers
D)party extremists
E)party aficionados

Question 35

As part of its brand name,the national leadership of the Republican Party supports:

A)increases in social programs
B)regulation of business and industry
C)environmental protection programs
D)increased restrictions on abortions
E)a more progressive tax system

Question 36

Exit polls revealed that Barack Obama overwhelmingly captured which of the following potential voting blocs in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections?

A)Latinos
B)Libertarians
C)American Indians
D)Protestants
E)Canadian immigrants

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT a part of today's Republican Party coalition?

A)firearms owners
B)business interests
C)social conservatives
D)evangelical Christians
E)African Americans

Question 38

Which term describes an individual voter's psychological tie to one party?

A)political ego
B)long-term polarity
C)partisan fixation
D)political orientation
E)party identification

Question 39

Upper-income Americans tend to affiliate with the Republican Party because:

A)the stock market does much better under Republican policies than Democratic policies
B)upper-income Americans are concentrated in the South,a region of traditional Republican support
C)they have a concern about protecting their foreign assets with a strong U.S.military
D)they desire to use their wealth to fund social programs
E)they have an economic self-interest in lower taxes

Question 40

In American electoral politics,the differences between men and women in presidential voting is known as:

A)the "sex breach"
B)the "gender gap"
C)"sexual disparity"
D)the "battle of the sexes"
E)"feminine favoritism"

Question 41

Upper-income Americans are considerably more likely to affiliate with:

A)the Republicans
B)the Democrats
C)the Green Party
D)no political party
E)the Libertarian Party

Question 42

The Reconstruction program collapsed in the 1870s primarily as a result of:

A)divisions within the Democratic Party
B)economic resistance by Northern industries
C)violent resistance by the newly freed slaves
D)divisions among congressional Republicans
E)civil disobedience by Northern antislavery activists

Question 43

At the national level,the most important organization for the Democratic and Republican parties for raising campaign funds,heading off factional disputes,and endeavoring to enhance the party's media image is the national:

A)caucus
B)congressional campaign committee
C)convention
D)campaign commission
E)supreme soviet

Question 44

The organizational genius behind the Jacksonian movement who established a party central committee,state party organizations,and party newspapers was Jackson's vice president and eventual successor:

A)John Tyler
B)James Polk
C)John C.Calhoun
D)William Henry Harrison
E)Martin Van Buren

Question 45

In 1840,the Whigs won their first presidential election under the leadership of General William Henry Harrison,a military hero known as:

A)Old Hickory
B)Old Ironsides
C)Old Tippecanoe
D)Old Rough and Ready
E)Old Kinderhook

Question 46

The divisions during the fourth-party system were primarily between:

A)North and South
B)urban business interests and rural farmers
C)Protestant and Catholic
D)reformers and machine politicians
E)Eastern landowners and Western settlers

Question 47

The Federalist Party disappeared altogether after some Federalist leaders:

A)worked toward the abolition of slavery in the Southern states
B)demonstrated pro-British sympathies during the War of 1812
C)became involved in highly publicized voter fraud and electoral scandals
D)compromised on key states' rights issues immediately preceding the Civil War
E)set tariffs so low that the government had to default on its debts

Question 48

The Whigs formed primarily:

A)around antislavery issues
B)around economic issues
C)to oppose the Jacksonian Democrats
D)to oppose Lincoln and the Republicans
E)to balance the federal budget

Question 49

The New Deal Coalition most closely associated with which of the following party systems?

A)First-party System
B)Third-party System
C)Fourth-party System
D)Fifth-party System
E)Sixth-party System

Question 50

Among the youngest group of Americans today,the majority describe themselves as:

A)Democrats
B)Libertarians
C)Republicans
D)independents
E)apathetic

Question 51

The Republican Party was initially motivated by:

A)limiting the practice of homesteading
B)commercial and antislavery interests
C)containment of transcontinental railroad construction
D)removal of protective tariffs and agricultural price supports
E)personality conflicts and patronage politics

Question 52

From the collapse of the Federalists until the 1830s,a period called the "Era of Good Feeling," America had only one political party,the:

A)Whigs
B)Populists
C)Republicans
D)Democratic-Republicans
E)Anti-Masons

Question 53

The American two-party system emerged for the first time with the:

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

Question 54

The National Republican Campaign Committee is an example of a:

A)national committee
B)national convention
C)congressional campaign committee
D)home committee
E)political action committee

Question 55

During the Great Depression,President Franklin D.Roosevelt developed a program for economic recovery that would substantially increase the size and reach of America's national government.He named this program the:

A)New Deal
B)New Frontier
C)Great Society
D)New Covenant
E)Fair Deal

Question 56

The divisions between Republicans and Democrats at the beginning of the third-party system revolved primarily around:

A)slavery issues only
B)economic issues only
C)foreign policy issues
D)the expansion of the union
E)economic issues and slavery

Question 57

The parties have evolved today into:

A)minor political entities
B)service organizations
C)institution crafters
D)policy repositories
E)nonprofit purveyors of branding merchandise,like T-shirts and keychains

Question 58

The body that runs the day-to-day business of the national parties is the:

A)national convention
B)national committee
C)congressional campaign committees
D)national congregation
E)supreme soviet

Question 59

The primary purpose of national party conventions is to:

A)select the party's presidential nominee
B)select the party's vice-presidential nominee
C)select the party's slate of House and Senate candidates
D)choose a new party chair
E)allow party activists to screen congressional candidates

Question 60

The first Republican president was:

A)George Washington
B)Andrew Jackson
C)Abraham Lincoln
D)Theodore Roosevelt
E)James Buchanan

Question 61

An electorate that selects several candidates from a single electoral district is called a(n)________ district.

A)third-member
B)single-member
C)multiple-member
D)all-or-nothing,winner-take-all
E)plurality

Question 62

In the United States,third parties are usually influential for only a short time because their:

A)electoral support is geographically dispersed
B)ideas are usually ignored by the major parties
C)electoral support is demographically dispersed
D)ideas are usually absorbed by one of the major parties
E)leaders run out of money and enthusiasm

Question 63

Ross Perot's 1992 campaign for president is an example of a(n):

A)third-party candidacy
B)fourth-party candidacy
C)anti-incumbent candidacy
D)antilabor candidacy
E)favorite son candidacy

Question 64

Third parties rarely win elective office in the United States because:

A)they lack sufficient membership concentration in any one district to win a plurality of votes
B)American multiple-member districts disadvantage third-party candidates
C)they consistently offend large numbers of mainstream Americans
D)congressional statutes prohibit nonmajor party candidates from winning elections
E)they rarely offer interesting or popular policy proposals

Question 65

Typically,third parties in the United States have represented social and economic interests that:

A)appeal to the wealthy
B)were not given voice by the two major parties
C)have ultimately proved extremely unpopular with the general public
D)tend to work specifically against an existing program or party platform
E)defy the tenets of organized religion

Question 66

Closed primaries prohibit anyone who is not a registered party member from participating.

Question 67

Political parties generally shy away from trying to get candidates to run for office,preferring instead to support whoever is actually elected.

Question 68

Hispanics are increasing in importance and policy relevance in the United States.

Question 69

Political parties organize to resolve the collective action problems associated with successful election campaigns.

Question 70

The Republican Party gained the votes it needed to end Democratic dominance of the political process through Richard Nixon's:

A)Southern strategy
B)evangelical appeal
C)pro-civil rights agenda
D)peace with honor plan
E)share-the-wealth agenda

Question 71

The United States is referred to as having a two-party system because:

A)only two parties have a serious chance to win national elections
B)only Democratic and Republican candidates run for national office
C)the national government subsidizes only the Republican and Democratic parties
D)each state allows only two presidential candidates to run during an election year
E)only two parties can satisfy the constitutional requirements for a political party

Question 72

Political parties seek to influence the government.

Question 73

Political parties are effective at mobilizing voters.

Question 74

During elections,interest groups usually sponsor candidates directly.

Question 75

Ralph Nader's 2000 campaign for president is an example of a(n):

A)third-party candidacy
B)Southern strategy
C)anti-incumbent campaign
D)antilabor campaign
E)favorite son candidacy

Question 76

Richard Nixon's "Southern strategy" refers to Nixon's appeal to:

A)disaffected white Southerners
B)disenfranchised African-American Southerners
C)sunbelt industries in the growing American South
D)politically powerful senior citizens relocating to the American South
E)the growing number of Latino voters

Question 77

During the 1964 presidential election,arguments in favor of substantially reduced levels of taxation and spending,less government regulation of the economy,and elimination of many federal social programs were advanced by:

A)Milton Friedman,author of a book titled Free to Choose
B)Richard M.Nixon,author of a book titled Hope and Peace
C)John F.Kennedy,author of a book titled Profiles in Courage
D)Barry Goldwater,author of a book titled The Conscience of a Conservative
E)Ronald Reagan,author of a book titled The Right Course for America

Question 78

Most candidates for office are nominated in primary elections.

Question 79

Political parties organize with the goal of serving the national interest.

Question 80

Open primaries are less conducive to strong parties.