Deck 8: Political Parties

Question 1

It is estimated that about ____________ of voters who identify as "independent" still lean toward either the Republican or the Democratic Party.

A) 10 percent
B) 25 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 75 percent
E) 90 percent

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Individuals or interest group members who participate in parties with the goal of seeing certain policies or groups favored is

A) a party official.
B) a party supporter.
C) a policy demander.
D) a legislation coordinator.
E) None of the above.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A political party differs from an interest group in that

A) political parties want to operate the government and interest groups do not.
B) political parties do not want to operate the government and interest groups do.
C) individuals must pay dues to a political party but not to an interest group.
D) individuals in a political party agree on all major policy issues.
E) interest groups select candidates to run for office and political parties do not.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Most candidates for public office in the United States are chosen

A) by party "bosses."
B) by dues-paid party members.
C) as a result of the candidate's hard work and personal organization.
D) at party conventions.
E) in such a way that the party leadership can be sure that the candidates will support the party's platform.

Question 5

The party organization is

A) the members of the general public who identify with a political party.
B) the formal structure and leadership of a political party.
C) all of the elected and appointed officials who identify with a party.
D) the urban machines that distribute social benefits.
E) responsible only for mundane matters such as printing signs and scheduling events.

Question 6

Functions of political parties in the United States include all of the following except

A) operating the government.
B) acting as an organized opposition to the party in power.
C) signing up large numbers of dues-paying committed members.
D) recruiting candidates for public office.
E) presenting alternative policies to the electorate.

Question 7

A voter or a candidate who does not identify with a political party is called

A) a naysayer.
B) an independent.
C) a liberal.
D) a conservative.
E) a libertarian.

Question 8

The two-party system

A) emerged as a consequence of the form of government created by the Constitution.
B) is a requirement in the Constitution.
C) emerged in the twentieth century.
D) was favored by George Washington.
E) Options A and D are true.

Question 9

Examples of party polarization include all of the following except

A) party-line voting.
B) the end of overlapping party ideologies.
C) the rise of extreme ideology in the Republican Party.
D) the rise of liberal Republicans.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 10

The primary goal of an American political party is

A) peaceably influencing the American public.
B) signing up large numbers of deeply committed members.
C) getting the party's candidates elected to office by winning elections.
D) collecting member dues.
E) trying to find the other party doing "bad" things.

Question 11

A two-party system

A) is one in which there are only two legal parties.
B) is one in which only two parties have a reasonable chance of winning.
C) is one in which control of government is divided between two political parties.
D) tends to exist mostly in European democracies.
E) Both A and D.

Question 12

If we chose candidates through a "top two" bipartisan primary election

A) candidates would have to appeal to a wider range of public opinion.
B) it would increase voter participation.
C) the major political parties might lose some of their influence.
D) it would be the end of the open primary system.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 13

The party-in-the-electorate is made up of

A) the members of the general public who identify with a political party.
B) the formal structure and leadership of a political party.
C) all of the elected and appointed officials who identify with a party.
D) the members of the electoral college.
E) the individuals who choose the members of the electoral college.

Question 14

The first partisan political division in the United States was between

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

Question 15

In primary elections

A) candidates appeal to a wide range of opinion to get votes.
B) candidates tend to make moderate stands on issues.
C) partisan campaigning leads to less overall spending on campaigns.
D) candidates try to appeal to the more extreme members of their party.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 16

The lowest layer of official party machinery is

A) the local organization supported by district leaders, precinct or ward captains, and party workers.
B) the state party chairperson and committees.
C) the national campaign chairperson's volunteers.
D) the White House interns.
E) the national convention delegates.

Question 17

A political party is a group of individuals who

A) agree on all policy issues.
B) organize to win elections and operate the government.
C) pay monthly dues to an ideological organization.
D) have been elected to office and have obtained positions of power.
E) accept the decisions of the party's leaders.

Question 18

All of the following are a part of parties' role in organizing and running elections except

A) organizing voter registration drives.
B) recruiting volunteers to work at the polls on election day.
C) providing much of the campaign activity to stimulate election interest.
D) working to increase voter participation.
E) articulating policies and opposing the majority party.

Question 19

The party-in-government

A) is made up of the members of the general public who identify with a political party.
B) is made up of the formal structure and leadership of a political party.
C) is made up of all of the elected and appointed officials who identify with a political party.
D) has pledged to support all of the party's political positions.
E) is no longer significant due to candidate-centered elections.

Question 20

Divided government

A) reflects a situation when a person votes for candidates of two parties for different offices.
B) exists when the presidency and Congress are controlled by different parties.
C) is another name for federalism.
D) increases the control of the winning party in an election.
E) is a strong indication of the emergence of a new third party.

Question 21

Under Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic Party

A) rejected the policies of progressivism.
B) continued to adhere to the same basic policies that it did in the nineteenth century.
C) began a radical change by endorsing the idea that government should become involved in the economy.
D) shattered into three very distinct parties that were extraordinarily antagonistic toward each other.
E) adopted a policy of isolating the United States from the affairs of the rest of the world.

Question 22

In "wave elections"

A) dissatisfaction with the performance of one part or another can produce a wave of support for the other party.
B) the effects of the election results are temporary.
C) support for the major parties realign.
D) the results are landslide victories for Republicans or Democrats.
E) Options A and B are true.

Question 23

From the late 1960s onward, many southern Democrats in Congress

A) were conservatives who commonly voted with Republicans.
B) managed to keep the South balanced between liberal and conservative ideologies.
C) were replaced by Republicans as the retired.
D) led the modern period of progressivism.
E) Both A and C.

Question 24

In general, the Republicans have been known as the party of

A) liberal political ideas.
B) social welfare programs.
C) business.
D) the working class.
E) racial and ethnic minorities.

Question 25

Which of the following is false?

A) The Jewish electorate tends to be heavily Democratic.
B) Hispanics are strongly Republican.
C) Urban people tend to vote Democratic.
D) Rural voters support Republicans.
E) Union members tend to vote Democratic.

Question 26

Which of the following is true?

A) The Great Depression shattered the working-class belief in Democratic economic competence.
B) The Great Depression solidified the Republican Party as the dominant and most trusted party in American government and politics.
C) Roosevelt's relief programs were generally not available to African Americans, resulting in African Americans' antagonism toward the Democratic Party that lasted for decades.
D) The Great Depression shattered the working-class belief in Republican economic competence.
E) Republicans held the presidency from the early 1930s until the late 1960s.

Question 27

Someone who emphasizes the importance of a free market with fewer government-run social programs is likely to be a

A) Democrat.
B) Republican.
C) progressive.
D) Jeffersonian Republican.
E) None of the above.

Question 28

All of the following statements about the early Democratic Party are true except that it

A) was an anti-slavery party.
B) favored federal spending on internal improvements.
C) was the party of the wealthy elites.
D) was a branch of the Anti-Federalist Party
E) None of the above is true.

Question 29

In the period leading up to the Civil War

A) the Whig Party split over the issue of slavery.
B) anti-slavery factions of many parties coalesced to form the Republican Party.
C) the Federalist Party experienced a resurgence of support.
D) Both A and B.
E) Both B and C.

Question 30

After the Civil War, a candidate for office who supported currency inflation as a way to bring down the value of people's debts was likely a

A) Republican.
B) Federalist.
C) populist.
D) progressive.
E) None of the above.

Question 31

In the election of 2010

A) some voters likely blamed Democrats for the continued poor state of the economy.
B) independents turned away from Democrats due to the expanding size of government.
C) Republicans took back the House of Representatives.
D) Democrats held their majority in the U.S. Senate.
E) All of the above.

Question 32

All of the following statements about the early Republican Party are true except

A) it was initially led by Thomas Jefferson.
B) it supported a strong, more active central government.
C) it was supported by artisans and farmers.
D) it supported states' rights.
E) in office, its members acquired Louisiana and established a national bank.

Question 33

Which is (are) true of the New Deal period?

A) President Roosevelt's programs were open to whites and African Americans.
B) The Great Depression shattered working-class voters' confidence in the Republican Party.
C) Roosevelt's coalition of whites and blacks was large enough to establish the Democrats as the majority party.
D) Democrats made major interventions in the economy to combat the Great Depression.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 34

In general, the Democrats have been known as the party of

A) well-educated, professional individuals.
B) economic depression.
C) the economic elite.
D) conservative political ideas.
E) states' rights.

Question 35

Progressivism was

A) a response to the growing power of corporations.
B) embraced by Teddy Roosevelt.
C) a belief that honest, impartial government could regulate the economy.
D) Options A and B are true.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 36

All of the following are true of the election of 2012 except

A) Hispanic voters reached a new high as a percentage of the electorate at 10 percent.
B) President Obama was reelected by a very narrow margin of 1 percent.
C) Republicans lost seats in Congress.
D) Republicans retained control of the U.S. House.
E) President Obama won over 70 percent of Hispanic voters.

Question 37

George Washington viewed political parties as a

A) necessity for the functioning of democracy.
B) tradition from colonial times that would always exist.
C) threat to national unity and popular government.
D) legitimate means for interest groups to attempt to gain control of the government.
E) vestige of politics under Great Britain and thus a thing of the past.

Question 38

All of the following are true except

A) the Republican Party was founded by uniting northern Whigs, anti-slavery Democrats, and members of the Free Soil Party.
B) southerners resented Republicans' role in defeating the South in the Civil War.
C) the Republicans after the Civil War supported business interests and evangelical Protestant cultural values.
D) the Republicans turned to supporting states' rights after the Civil War.
E) the Republicans opposed the prohibition of alcoholic beverages after the Civil War.

Question 39

Someone who emphasizes the need for social welfare and protection of senior citizens is most likely to be a

A) Democrat.
B) Republican.
C) part of the Religious right.
D) social conservative.
E) libertarian.

Question 40

The election of 2000 demonstrated

A) the effectiveness of the electoral college in mirroring the popular vote.
B) that Democratic blue states and Republican red states were largely the same as a century earlier.
C) the close political divisions of the nation.
D) how far the country had swung toward a period of Republican dominance.
E) None of the above.

Question 41

Which of the following is true about third parties?

A) The Green Party favors globalization.
B) The Libertarian Party favors governmental intervention into overseas conflicts.
C) The Progressive Party was an advocate of federal regulation to protect consumers.
D) The Socialist Party favors small business interests and is growing in size.
E) The Populist Party was initiated by businessman Ross Perot in an effort to combat federal budget deficits.

Question 42

Third parties have influenced American politics by

A) refusing to allow their policies to be adopted by a major party.
B) sometimes determining whether the Republicans or Democrats win an election.
C) focusing their efforts on getting judges appointed to the bench rather than winning elections for the executive or legislative branches.
D) winning elections to state legislative bodies.
E) gaining control of several municipal governments.

Question 43

Many political scientists contend that third parties

A) have consistently failed because they never reflect the political mood of the nation.
B) serve as a safety valve for dissident political groups, preventing major confrontations and political unrest.
C) can only come into existence if they are organized around a single charismatic leader.
D) can only come into existence if they split off from one of the major political parties.
E) are incapable of being formed from scratch by individuals who are committed to a particular issue or ideology.

Question 44

Tipping takes place

A) when a substantial group of voters switches party allegiance.
B) when increasing numbers of voters call themselves "independents."
C) when a group that is becoming more numerous over time grows large enough to change the political balance in a state.
D) as a result of immigration or differential birth rates.
E) only in countries that employ a multi-party system.

Question 45

The two-party system has dominated the American political landscape for all of the following reasons except

A) political socialization and practical considerations.
B) the winner-take-all electoral system.
C) state and federal laws favor the two major parties.
D) historical foundations of the system.
E) third parties are illegal in many jurisdictions.

Question 46

Which is true?

A) Straight-ticket voting is now nearly universal.
B) The number of people identifying as independents has grown in recent years.
C) Party identification has been increasing.
D) The rise in Democratic identification may be because of the southern voters.
E) Split-ticket voting is declining.

Question 47

One example of realignment was when

A) anti-slavery Republicans left to join the Democratic Party before the Civil War.
B) working-class voters abandoned the Republican Party in 1896 due to the Republicans' populist politics.
C) the New Deal Democratic Coalition brought African Americans and ardent segregationists into the same party in 1932.
D) cultural conservatives abandoned the Republicans in 1968, especially in the South.
E) evangelical Christians abandoned the Republican Party and voted for Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Question 48

In many European parliamentary systems, prime ministers are elected by __________, whereas in the United States, presidents are elected ___________.

A) the legislature; through the electoral college
B) a popular vote of the people; through the electoral college
C) the legislature; by a popular vote of the people
D) the aristocracy; by a popular vote of the people
E) the aristocracy; through the electoral college

Question 49

Voters who frequently move their support from one party to the other are known as

A) split-ticket voters.
B) swing voters.
C) unattached independents.
D) wedge voters.
E) None of the above.

Question 50

Some of the most successful minor parties have been __________, which have split off from a major party.

A) ideological parties
B) environmentalist parties
C) splinter parties
D) religious parties
E) anti-war parties

Question 51

In the winner-take-all system

A) the candidate who gets the most votes wins.
B) one must get a majority of votes cast to win.
C) votes are allocated on a proportional basis.
D) only parties receiving more than 5 percent of the vote are allocated seats.
E) a party must have competed in a previous election to be placed on the ballot.

Question 52

The theory that large-scale realignments in political party support are no longer likely is known as

A) dealignment theory.
B) electoral stability theory.
C) voter stability theory.
D) rigidity theory.
E) volatility theory.

Question 53

Which is true in regard to cultural politics?

A) Economic conservatism is associated with higher incomes.
B) Social conservatism is more common among lower income groups.
C) Cultural conservatives view themselves as embattled "ordinary Americans" under threat from liberal, cosmopolitan elites.
D) The election of President Obama and a Democratic Congress magnified conservatives fear, resulting in the Tea Party movement.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 54

Which is true of federal and state laws?

A) They have encouraged third parties to get candidates on the ballot.
B) They let third parties get fewer signatures to place their candidates on the ballot than major parties.
C) The two major parties have a clear advantage because the laws have fewer obstacles for them.
D) The federal laws have made it easy for third- or minor-party candidates to get federal matching funds.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 55

Among the different kinds of Republicans, the group that has the least influence on the party is

A) the Religious right.
B) libertarian Republicans.
C) pro-business Republicans.
D) Both A and B.
E) None of the above.

Question 56

Realignment

A) is of necessity tied to specific elections.
B) takes place when a substantial group of voters switches party allegiance.
C) takes place when one dominant party replaces another one.
D) took place on schedule in 2004.
E) has been predicted as inevitable in the foreseeable future.

Question 57

In a proportional representation electoral system

A) candidates for office run in single-seat, winner-take-all districts.
B) political parties win seats in a legislature based on the proportion of the vote they receive.
C) election results are roughly proportional to the amount of money raised by each party.
D) parties win a proportion of seats in a legislature, weighted to give small parties a larger share.
E) the top three parties in an election divide the government proportionally between them.

Question 58

Which of the following is true about the 2012 elections?

A) Fourteen out of the fifteen wealthiest states tended to vote Republican.
B) Southern states voted for Democratic candidates more than for Republicans.
C) Thirteen out of the fifteen poorest states voted Republican.
D) The reverse-income effect proved that those with lower incomes usually vote for independent candidates.
E) In the Democratic presidential primaries, working-class voters voted for Obama rather than for Hillary Clinton.

Question 59

Third parties

A) are minor parties.
B) can act as critics of the major parties.
C) can be spoilers in an election.
D) often start because of an idea or person.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 60

A major reason for the two-party system is the electoral system, which is based on

A) the winner-take-all, or plurality, system.
B) proportional representation.
C) one-party dominance of elections.
D) majoritarianism.
E) multi-member constituencies.

Question 61

Discuss the growth of the Hispanic voting bloc and its effect in recent elections and discuss what effects this trend may have on future elections.

Question 62

Explain the differences between the party-in-the-electorate, the party organization, and the party-in-government.

Question 63

Why do we only have two major parties? Explain the circumstances that have perpetuated the two-party system.

Question 64

Explore the role played by third parties in the United States.

Question 65

Discuss the obstacles faced by third-party and independent candidates in the American two-party system as well as their successes in impacting American elections.

Question 66

Describe the different functions of political parties in our system.

Question 67

George Washington argued that parties were harmful to the United States. Assess his argument, taking a stance either with or against his point of view and providing evidence for your position.

Question 68

Describe the history of political parties in the United States.

Question 69

Explain the phenomenon of "wave elections" and provide examples.

Question 70

Describe the importance of independent voters and provide examples of their impact in recent elections.