Deck 8: Political Parties

Question 1

There are three dimensions to political parties: the party in the electorate,the party as an organization,and the party in government.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The first party system in the United States consisted of the

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

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Linkage institutions

A)help link the three branches of government together to achieve coherent policies.
B)are used to implement public policies.
C)link political parties to the government.
D)translate inputs from the public into outputs from the policymakers.
E)link the president to members of his or her party in Congress so they can coordinate their policies in government.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The Republicans emerged as a powerful political party in the

A)1890s.
B)1790s.
C)1930s.
D)1850s.
E)1820s.

Question 5

The most successful parties throughout American history have been those parties willing to adopt unconventional views.

Question 6

The responsible party model requires parties to meet which of the following conditions?

A)Parties must present distinct,comprehensive programs for governing the nation.
B)Each party's candidates must be committed to its program and have internal cohesion and discipline to carry out its program.
C)The majority party must implement its programs,and the minority party must state what it would do if it were in power.
D)The majority party must accept responsibility for the performance of the government.
E)All of the above are true.

Question 7

Without party competition,there would be no choice,and without choice,there can be no democracy.

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT TRUE of the relationship between party identification and age?
K)As of 2008,young Americans age 18 to 24 were more likely to say they were Independents than were older Americans.
L)As of 2008,older Americans over 65 were more likely to say they were Independents than were younger Americans.
N)More young Americans age 18 to 24 identify as Independents than identify as Democrats or Republicans.
M)As individuals get older,they are more likely to identify with either the Democrats or the Republicans.
O)More Americans age 65 and older identify as Democrats than identify as Independents or Republicans.

Question 9

The supreme power within each of the parties is the

A)state party organizations.
B)president.
C)national chairperson.
D)national convention.
E)national committee.

Question 10

A political party organization that relies on material inducements,such as patronage,to win votes and to govern is a party machine.

Question 11

Fiscally conservative Democrats who are mostly from the South and/or rural parts of the United States are called ________.

A)Democrats in Name Only (DINOs)
B)Blue Dog Democrats
C)Red Dog Democrats
D)Republicans in Sheeps' Clothing
E)Independents

Question 12

A party machine is a kind of local party organization that

A)threatens the efficiency of state and national party organizations.
B)specializes in computerized mass mailings both to raise funds and influence voters on behalf of its candidates.
C)uses specific and material inducements to win party loyalty and power.
D)remains strong in most large American cities.
E)has recently come to depend heavily on ethnic group support.

Question 13

The first party system (1796-1824)was characterized by

A)professional politicians running for office.
B)the dominance of the presidency by the Federalist Party.
C)the dominance of the Republican Party.
D)the dominance of the northern capitalist states.
E)the dominance of the Democratic-Republican Party.

Question 14

The Republican Party began as the

A)party of big business interests.
B)principal antislavery party.
C)principal proslavery party.
D)party of states' rights and silver money.
E)party of the New Deal.

Question 15

From 1968 to 1992,

A)the Republicans dominated the presidency while the Democrats dominated Congress.
B)a realignment occurred that destroyed the New Deal coalition.
C)the Republicans became the majority party.
D)the Republicans dominated the federal government while the Democrats dominated state governments.
E)the Democrats experienced a slow,"creeping ascendance" that culminated in their gaining control of the entire government with the election of Bill Clinton.

Question 16

The party's national committee

A)selects the party's presidential candidate.
B)is composed of each party's members of Congress.
C)meets once every four years.
D)writes and approves the party's platform.
E)keeps the party operating between conventions.

Question 17

People gradually moving away from both parties is referred to as a(n)

A)partisan drift.
B)coalition politics.
C)realignment.
D)dealignment.
E)alignment.

Question 18

What was the issue that brought the Democrats to power in 1932?

A)The Great Depression
B)World War I
C)Slavery
D)Silver coinage
E)Vietnam

Question 19

A voter's perception of what the Republicans or Democrats stand for,such as conservatism or liberalism,is called
F) party identification.
G) ideological position.
H) party image.
I) party in the electorate.
J) party in government.

Question 20

Until the early twentieth century,American political parties selected and nominated candidates for political office with little input from the voters.

Question 21

The largest component of American political parties is the

A)party in government.
B)party in the electorate.
C)party in the Congress.
D)party as an organization.
E)party in the White House.

Question 22

Which group is most likely to engage in ticket splitting?

A)Democrats
B)Republicans
C)Independents
D)Northeasterners
E)Southerners

Question 23

Research suggests that the vast majority of party platform promises are never actually fulfilled.

Question 24

The theory that seeks to explain political processes and outcomes as consequences of purposive behavior is called the

A)rational-choice theory.
B)behaviorism.
C)means-ends theory.
D)cognitive theory.
E)goals theory.

Question 25

Power in the major United States political parties is

A)fragmented among local,state,and national party organizations.
B)concentrated in the state parties,with national and local organizations playing only minor roles.
C)hierarchically distributed from the national to local levels.
D)centralized in national party organizations.
E)concentrated in party machines at the local level.

Question 26

Open primaries allow voters to select which of the two major-party primary contests they want to participate in.

Question 27

The political "party in the electorate" is defined as people who

A)vote for the candidates from one party.
B)register as members of a party.
C)work for a party's candidates.
D)identify with a party.
E)walk door-to-door to meet the voters and personally campaign for their party's candidates.

Question 28

Almost all definitions of political parties have which of the following in common?

A)Parties have formal organizations.
B)Parties have a mass following.
C)Parties try to win elections.
D)Parties are run by elites.
E)Parties have limited policy agendas.

Question 29

Third parties almost never win office in the United States,but they sometimes have an effect on the Electoral College vote and have served as "safety valves" for expressing popular discontent.

Question 30

The first two parties in our nation were the Democrats and the Republicans.

Question 31

The "party in government" refers to

A)registered party voters who hold civil service jobs in the government and are influencing policy.
B)winning candidates who become the main spokespersons for the party that nominated them.
C)coalitions of interests and ideologies that support a party's candidates.
D)party workers who hold patronage jobs in the government and can influence policy.
E)party members who perpetuate the party,make its rules,and keep it running.

Question 32

Which of the following is TRUE of Americans' political party identifications?

A)The number of people identifying as Democrats has declined since 1952.
B)The number of people identifying as Republicans has declined since 1952.
C)The number of people identifying as Independents has declined since 1952.
D)The number of people identifying as Republicans has consistently outnumbered the number of people identifying as Democrats since 1952.
E)There has been little change in Americans' party identification since 1952.

Question 33

Ticket splitting refers to

A)switching membership in political parties.
B)the procedure used to conduct computerized,automated vote counting.
C)voting with one party in one presidential election and another party in the next presidential election.
D)voting for one party for one office and another party for other offices.
E)voting for a party other than the one you identify with.

Question 34

As ________,political parties serve the role of translating inputs from the public into outputs from policymakers.

A)coalitions
B)superdelegates
C)political converters
D)machines
E)linkage institutions

Question 35

The people who keep the party running between elections and make its rules are members of which "head" of the party?

A)Party in the electorate
B)Party in organization
C)Party in government
D)Party in the states
E)Party in the White House

Question 36

A party's endorsement to officially run for office as the candidate of that party is called a(n)

A)ballot.
B)ticket.
C)nomination.
D)confirmation.
E)appointment.

Question 37

The control that parties have over who is selected as their nominee is less now than it was in the 1960s.

Question 38

Which of the following describes Americans' self-reported ideological and partisan positions?

A)A majority of Americans place themselves in the middle,between extreme liberal or conservative views.
B)Most Americans are extremely liberal.
C)Most Americans are extremely conservative.
D)A majority of Americans consider themselves to be conservative-liberals.
E)None of these is true.

Question 39

Which of the following do you need to do to become a Republican or Democrat?

A)Formally join the party
B)Prove that you've voted for the party
C)Add your name to a mailing list
D)Give money
E)Simply believe that you belong to the party of your choice

Question 40

According to rational-choice theory,American political parties tend to adopt middle-of-the-road positions because

A)most Americans are centrist.
B)most Americans are conservatives,pulling both parties toward the right.
C)most Americans are extremists,holding either extremely liberal or extremely conservative views.
D)party leaders have to negotiate what is in effect a cultural war in U.S. politics.
E)party leaders have little incentive to differentiate themselves from one another.

Question 41

Patronage is

A)commonly used by political parties today.
B)an incentive given by national party offices.
C)the deference that elected officials give to their campaign contributors in making policy decisions.
D)based on merit and competence.
E)an inducement of jobs and financial rewards given for political reasons by party machines.

Question 42

Which of the following is FALSE?

A)State parties are on the upswing throughout the country.
B)State parties are on the downswing throughout the country.
C)State parties' budgets have increased dramatically since the late 1970s.
D)Today,almost all state parties have permanent physical headquarters and professional staff.
E)State parties primarily serve to supplement candidates' personal campaign organizations.

Question 43

There are ______ state party systems in the United States.

A)25
B)50
C)75
D)100
E)435

Question 44

Primaries that allow voters to decide on Election Day whether they want to participate in the Democratic or Republican contests are called

A)open primaries.
B)closed primaries.
C)blanket primaries.
D)political primaries.
E)party machine primaries.

Question 45

Party realignments in the United States

A)occur when a party makes dramatic changes in its positions on issues.
B)involve the death of one party and the birth of a brand-new one.
C)are slight adjustments of political allegiance among voters in at least one region of the country.
D)happen after most presidential elections and occasionally in between.
E)are rare events in the United States,usually associated with a major national crisis or trauma,in which one party's majority domination is replaced with another's.

Question 46

Who among the following was NOT a national party chairperson?

A)Bob Dole
B)George H. W. Bush
C)Howard Dean
D)Bill Clinton
E)Tim Kaine

Question 47

What are patronage jobs?

A)Jobs given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence
B)Jobs in the national convention
C)Jobs given on the basis of merit rather than for political reasons
D)A description of anyone who worked in the Daley administration in Chicago
E)Jobs that manage volunteers

Question 48

Which is primarily responsible for crafting the political party's platform and for nominating its candidates for president and vice president?

A)National convention
B)National committee
C)Party in the electorate
D)Party in government
E)Primary committee

Question 49

Which of the following is TRUE?

A)Urban party machines are no longer very active as a rule.
B)Progressive reforms that placed jobs under the merit system weakened the discretion and power of political machines.
C)Regulations concerning fair bidding on government contracts weakened the discretion and power of political machines.
D)Ethnic integration weakened the relevancy of political machines.
E)All of the above are true.

Question 50

Realignments are typically associated with

A)a major reorganization of the executive branch.
B)the creation of new states.
C)one party winning the presidency while the other controls Congress.
D)a major crisis or trauma in the nation.
E)changes in election laws.

Question 51

A group of individuals with a common interest on which every political party depends are called a

A)coalition.
B)national committee.
C)party machine.
D)party ticket.
E)party ballot.

Question 52

The dominant political party in America's first party system was the

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

Question 53

The chairperson of the party that controls the White House is normally selected by

A)members of the party in Congress.
B)a committee of state chairpersons.
C)the presidential nominee.
D)a closed primary.
E)None of the above is true.

Question 54

Each party holds a national convention every

A)year.
B)two years.
C)four years.
D)five years.
E)six years.

Question 55

_____ was once the main political party organization in America.

A)The urban political party
B)Patronage
C)The national convention
D)The coalition
E)The critical election

Question 56

What is one of the reasons that urban party machines are no longer very active?

A)Progressive reforms that placed jobs under the merit system weakened the machines' power.
B)Regulations concerning fair bidding on government contracts were struck down.
C)Ethic integration became less prevalent.
D)Progressive regulations were struck down by the Supreme Court.
E)All of the party bosses died out.

Question 57

When asked about the most important challenge of running party organizations,the national party chairmen of both parties replied

A)"organization."
B)"competent staff."
C)"money."
D)"finding good candidates."
E)"time."

Question 58

Keeping the party operating between conventions is the job of the

A)national committee.
B)regional offices.
C)elected officials.
D)congressional leadership.
E)majority or minority whip.

Question 59

Closed primaries

A)depress voter turnout.
B)encourage party loyalty.
C)discourage party loyalty.
D)cost less than open primaries.
E)have fewer undercounts.

Question 60

Which of the following is NOT a typical ingredient of a critical election?

A)Existing fissures in political parties cause coalitions to begin to fracture.
B)New issues appear and divide the electorate in new ways.
C)Parties form new,enduring coalitions.
D)National crises occur.
E)Voter turnout declines precipitously.

Question 61

The debate between the gold standard and free silver occurred during which time period?

A)1860-1928
B)1968-present
C)1796-1824
D)1932-1964
E)1828-1856

Question 62

Which of the following is FALSE about the Federalist Party?

A)It was the nation's most short-lived party.
B)It quickly faded following John Adam's failed reelection bid in 1800.
C)It was comprised by a group of professional politicians.
D)It was crushed by the Democratic-Republicans.
E)It was created,in part,by Alexander Hamilton's efforts to establish a national bank.

Question 63

Which of the following is FALSE?

A)African Americans identify overwhelmingly with the Democratic Party.
B)Jews identify overwhelmingly with the Republican Party.
C)Most white evangelicals identify with the Republican Party.
D)A majority of Americans with high income identify with the Democratic Party.
E)A majority of Americans with low income identify with the Democratic Party.

Question 64

In the second party system in United States history,the election contests were between which two major parties?

A)Democrats and Whigs
B)Democrats and Republicans
C)Federalists and Whigs
D)Republicans and Whigs
E)Federalists and Anti-Federalists

Question 65

Who among the following was not a Democratic-Republican during our nation's first party system?

A)Alexander Hamilton
B)Thomas Jefferson
C)James Madison
D)James Monroe
E)None of the above; all were Democratic-Republicans.

Question 66

The last Federalist president was

A)Alexander Hamilton.
B)John Adams.
C)Andrew Jackson.
D)Abraham Lincoln.
E)Thomas Jefferson.

Question 67

The battle between political parties for control of public offices is called party competition.

Question 68

Which of the following is FALSE regarding the New Deal coalition?

A)FDR was the first president to enthusiastically support unions,and,as a result,he earned their support.
B)The New Deal coalition did little to win the support of Jews and Catholics.
C)Large cities,such as Philadelphia and Chicago,became bastions of Democratic support during the New Deal.
D)A majority of African Americans supported FDR and the Democrats even though their loyalties historically had been with the Republicans.
E)Poor voters overwhelmingly supported FDR.

Question 69

Which of the following is TRUE about most third-party campaigns in American history?

A)They almost never win office.
B)They occasionally succeed.
C)They usually become major political parties over time.
D)They have been most successful at promoting party dealignment.
E)They frequently are successful.

Question 70

The Republicans lost the election of 1932 primarily due to

A)the nomination of a popular war hero by the Democrats.
B)Hitler's election as chancellor of Germany and the Republicans' failure to prevent it.
C)rising political and economic instability in Europe.
D)the failure of the Republicans to hold onto the support of urban industrialists.
E)President Herbert Hoover's handling of the Depression.

Question 71

What sort of realignment has occurred in the current party era over the past generation?

A)A southern realignment
B)A rural/urban realignment
C)A cultural realignment
D)An entire realignment
E)An age-based realignment

Question 72

The Depression of the 1930s gave rise to what is called

A)econopolitics.
B)party competition.
C)the Era of Divided Government.
D)the New Deal coalition.
E)the Republican resurgence.

Question 73

Which of the following was NOT part of Nixon's "Southern Strategy"?

A)Emphasizing states' rights
B)Emphasizing law and order
C)Emphasizing a strong military posture
D)Breaking the Democrat's long hold over southern conservatives
E)Overturning Brown v. Board of Education

Question 74

Which of the following statements about the coalitions of the two major present-day political parties is FALSE?

A)A majority of Hispanic voters identify as Democrats.
B)A majority of women identify as Republicans.
C)Men are almost split in party identification.
D)A majority of older Americans with low income identify as Democrats.
E)A majority of young Americans with high income identify as Republicans.

Question 75

During the second party system in United States history,Martin Van Buren argued that

A)political parties were harming the country because they promoted factionalism,petty bickering,and disunity.
B)the Whigs should be the sole party,as they were the only legitimate representatives of the people.
C)the Democrats should be the sole party,as they were the only legitimate representatives of the people.
D)the Republicans should be the sole party,as they were the only legitimate representatives of the people.
E)a governing party needed a loyal opposition party to represent parts of society that it could not.

Question 76

In 2000,Green Party candidate Ralph Nader forced more attention on ________ issues and drew away a small percentage of votes from Al Gore.

A)budgetary
B)environmental
C)health
D)national security welfare
E)None of the above is true.

Question 77

Andrew Jackson was the first president identified as a(n)

A)Independent.
B)Democrat.
C)Republican.
D)Democratic-Republican.
E)Whig.

Question 78

What was the major factor that led to the Democrats' loss of power in 1968?

A)Johnson's Vietnam policies
B)The assassination of JFK
C)The beginning of the Cold War
D)The end of World War II
E)The Civil Rights Movement

Question 79

Which of these is NOT part of the responsible party model?

A)The minority party must promote the majority party's platform.
B)The parties must present distinct,comprehensive programs for governing the nation.
C)Each party's candidate must be committed to its program and have the discipline to carry it out.
D)The majority party must implement its programs.
E)The majority party must accept responsibility for the performance of the government.

Question 80

The election of 1828 that brought Andrew Jackson to the presidency was significant because it

A)began the ascendancy of the New Deal coalition around the Democratic Party.
B)marked the rise of the Whigs.
C)was the first time the Republican Party controlled Congress.
D)forged a new political coalition.
E)marked the beginning of the dominance of northern industrialists.