Deck 10: Elections and Campaigns

Question 1

In 2000, George Bush chose __________ as a theme for his campaign.

A) the need for change
B) trust
C) compassionate conservatism
D) competence
E) strength

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Each state is entitled to two U.S. Senators that serve __________ terms.

A) six-year
B) two-year
C) four-year
D) five-year
E) life

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Most of the money that individual candidates spend during the course of a campaign is directed toward

A) media-related activities.
B) campaign staff and advisors.
C) travel-related expenses.
D) campaign literature.
E) the national convention.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

When Hubert Humphrey won the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 1968, he did so

A) without spending money on advertising.
B) with considerable assistance from Republican voters.
C) without raising money.
D) in spite of opposition from party bosses.
E) without competing in a single state primary.

Question 5

By the time the 2012 presidential election was completed, the Obama campaign and the Romney campaign, together with a dozen other contenders for the presidency, had raised and spent approximately

A) $600 million.
B) $4 billion.
C) $1.3 billion.
D) $800 million.
E) $500 million.

Question 6

Who said, "All politics is local"?

A) Will Rodgers
B) William Jennings Bryan
C) Henry Lodge
D) Huey Long
E) "Tip" O'Neill

Question 7

After party caucuses when national nominating conventions dominated, the real power, in selecting presidential nominees, was wielded by

A) the voters in primary elections.
B) local party leaders.
C) political pundits.
D) nonpartisan groups that sought to pick the best candidates.
E) the voters in caucus elections.

Question 8

Originally, presidential candidates were chosen by

A) lottery.
B) conventions.
C) congressional caucus.
D) state legislatures.
E) governors.

Question 9

The apportionment of seats in the U.S. House of Representatives is detailed in

A) Article I, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution.
B) Article II, Section 2 of the U.S. Constitution.
C) Article IV, Section 1 of the U.S. Constitution.
D) Article I, Section 5 of the U.S. Constitution.
E) Article III, Section 3 of the U.S. Constitution.

Question 10

When a district is so unequal that the votes of citizens are significantly diluted, it is

A) malapportioned.
B) reapportioned.
C) regressed.
D) gerrymandered.
E) disbarred.

Question 11

Which of the following statements best summarizes the value of presidential coattails to congressional candidates of the same party?

A) They have never been a significant factor.
B) They remain a significant factor today.
C) They are increasingly significant for the Republicans.
D) They are becoming more significant today.
E) They are becoming much less significant today.

Question 12

After the last two census adjustments, which state has benefited the most by gaining the highest number of seats in the House?

A) California
B) New York
C) Florida
D) Texas
E) Illinois

Question 13

Who decides the number of U.S. House of Representatives?

A) Congress
B) The Supreme Court
C) The President
D) State legislatures
E) Party leaders

Question 14

Since 1962, over __________ of House incumbents who sought reelection have won it.

A) 60 percent
B) 65 percent
C) 75 percent
D) 80 percent
E) 90 percent

Question 15

Voters tend to prefer a presidential candidate that has served in this type of elected office.

A) Governor
B) Member of the House of Representatives
C) Ambassador
D) Member of the Senate
E) Supreme Court justice

Question 16

A comprehensive study on political advertisements found that the largest number emphasized

A) stirring positive emotions.
B) voters' fears.
C) civic duty.
D) nonpartisan cooperation.
E) candidates' personal qualities.

Question 17

A major difference between presidential campaigns and congressional campaigns is that

A) fewer people vote in presidential elections.
B) presidential incumbents can better serve their constituents.
C) presidential incumbents can more easily avoid responsibility.
D) presidential races are generally more competitive.
E) congressional incumbents are more likely to be defeated.

Question 18

When a district is drawn in a bizarre or unusual shape to assist a candidate, it is

A) malapportioned.
B) reapportioned.
C) regressed.
D) gerrymandered.
E) disbarred.

Question 19

To win the presidential nomination as opposed to the general election, candidates generally present themselves as

A) more conservative.
B) more liberal.
C) more liberal if Republican, more conservative if Democratic.
D) more liberal if Democratic, more conservative if Republican.
E) moderate.

Question 20

The text suggests that the term campaigning has become a synonym for

A) calculating.
B) mobilizing.
C) communicating.
D) reflecting.
E) fundraising.

Question 21

You must declare in advance that you are a registered member of a political party in a(n) __________ primary.

A) blanket
B) open
C) closed
D) runoff
E) static

Question 22

In recent elections, candidates have relied increasingly on

A) appearances at malls to reach potential voters.
B) large parades and rallies to reach potential voters.
C) whistlestop train tours to reach potential voters.
D) appearances at factories to reach potential voters.
E) broadcasting to reach potential voters.

Question 23

Democrats who participate in the Iowa caucus tend to be

A) more liberal than Democrats generally.
B) more conservative than Democrats generally.
C) less likely to win the nomination compared to other candidates who do not participate.
D) more moderate than Democrats generally.
E) None of the above is True.

Question 24

A __________ issue is one in which the rival candidates have opposing views on a question that also divides the voters.

A) valence
B) primary
C) secondary
D) residual
E) position

Question 25

__________ issues have increased in importance in campaigns over the last half-century.

A) Valence
B) Primary
C) Secondary
D) Position
E) Residual

Question 26

In the 1980 presidential election, many people voted for Ronald Reagan over Jimmy Carter as a vote against Carter, not out of loyalty to Reagan. Such a vote is referred to as a(n)

A) spin vote.
B) "clothespin" vote.
C) prospective vote.
D) informed vote.
E) inclined vote.

Question 27

Members of the House and Senate can remove fellow members by a __________ vote.

A) plurality
B) majority
C) two-thirds
D) three-fourths
E) unanimous

Question 28

In __________, voters pick delegates and indicate their preferences among presidential candidates, but the delegates are not legally bound to observe these preferences.

A) Delegate selection only
B) Delegate selection with advisory presidential preference
C) Binding presidential preference
D) Nonpartisan delegate
E) Jungle election

Question 29

Short television ads are called

A) visuals.
B) networking.
C) spots.
D) message pieces.
E) packaging.

Question 30

Disputed congressional elections are decided by

A) the Supreme Court.
B) the state supreme courts.
C) Congress.
D) the state legislatures.
E) state governors.

Question 31

In a(n) __________ primary, you can vote for candidates of either party.

A) blanket
B) open
C) closed
D) runoff
E) static

Question 32

In a(n) __________ primary, you decide when you enter the voting booth which party's primary you wish to participate in.

A) blanket
B) open
C) closed
D) runoff
E) static

Question 33

The first real test of a candidate vying for the nomination comes in

A) Florida.
B) California.
C) Pennsylvania.
D) Rhode Island.
E) Iowa.

Question 34

Nearly everyone is in agreement over a __________ issue, and the candidate fully supports the public's view.

A) valence
B) primary
C) secondary
D) position
E) residual

Question 35

Of the following states, which has a blanket primary?

A) Minnesota
B) Georgia
C) Kentucky
D) Vermont
E) Alaska

Question 36

To be president, a person must be

A) a natural born citizen.
B) 45 years old.
C) a legalized citizen.
D) 40 years old.
E) a veteran.

Question 37

To be a member of the House of Representatives, a person must be

A) 20 years old.
B) 25 years old.
C) 30 years old.
D) 35 years old.
E) 40 years old.

Question 38

The Constitution's doctrine of "privileged speech" has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to mean

A) that members of Congress cannot be sued or prosecuted for anything that they say or write in connection with their legislative duties.
B) that members of Congress do not have privileged status protecting their legislative speech.
C) that members of Congress can issue press releases that are libelous.
D) that members of Congress can issue press releases with information from classified documents.
E) that members of Congress can be sued or prosecuted for what they have read into the Congressional Record.

Question 39

In 1981, the Supreme Court ruled that _________ have the right to decide how delegates to national conventions are selected.

A) political parties
B) state legislatures
C) Congress
D) governors
E) secretaries of state

Question 40

The following is an example of a valence issue.

A) Richard Nixon being more supportive of anticrime measures than his rival
B) Jimmy Carter appearing to favor honesty in government more than his opponent
C) Ronald Reagan being more closely identified with a strong economy than his opponent
D) George H. W. Bush being more closely linked to patriotism than his opponent
E) All of above are True.

Question 41

Presidential candidates were first nominated by national conventions.

Question 42

Which of the following does the text suggest is a critical factor in presidential elections?

A) The vice-presidential nominee
B) Political reporting
C) The religion of the candidates
D) The candidates' positions on abortion
E) None of the above is True.

Question 43

Most of the money for congressional candidates comes from

A) PACs.
B) major corporations.
C) small businesses.
D) multinational corporations.
E) individuals.

Question 44

Which type of voting requires a lot of information about candidates and issues?

A) Issueless voting
B) Ideological voting
C) Prospective voting
D) Retrospective voting
E) Sociotropic voting

Question 45

Funding of congressional elections comes from

A) public sources only.
B) private sources only.
C) party sources only.
D) a combination of public, party, and private sources.
E) the parties and public sources.

Question 46

Which party tends to be more loyal to its candidate in presidential elections?

A) Democratic
B) Republican
C) Independent
D) Green
E) No clear-cut difference exists among the parties.

Question 47

The campaign finance law created in the 1970s was the direct by-product of

A) the Watergate scandal.
B) the passage of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment.
C) decreasing vote turnout.
D) wage and price controls.
E) riots in Chicago.

Question 48

The experience with 527 organizations in the 2004 elections suggests that campaign finance laws

A) are an effective way to minimize interest group participation.
B) are an effective way to reduce campaign spending.
C) facilitate coordination of efforts between candidates and groups.
D) are not likely to take money out of politics.
E) have restricted speech considerably.

Question 49

In 2012, this Republican candidate for the Senate decided to "go digital" by extensively using Facebook and other social media in his campaign.

A) Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz
B) Chris Christie
C) John McCain
D) Marco Rubio
E) Howard Dean

Question 50

Democrats could be predicted to win every presidential election if the only factor were

A) candidate appeal.
B) campaign issues.
C) debate performance.
D) money spent.
E) party identification.

Question 51

The text argues that the U.S. constitutional system was designed to make the adoption of radical departures in policy

A) efficient.
B) easy.
C) impossible.
D) unnecessary.
E) difficult.

Question 52

The text suggests that political junkies are more likely to engage in __________ voting.

A) issueless
B) ideological
C) prospective
D) retrospective
E) sociotropic

Question 53

It was somewhat unusual for Richard Nixon to agree to debate John Kennedy in 1960 because

A) the setting and guiding rules gave a strong advantage to Kennedy.
B) the number of viewers was almost certain to be low.
C) the Republican Party objected to the debates.
D) polls indicated Nixon was well ahead of Kennedy.
E) Kennedy was less well known than Nixon.

Question 54

When a voter votes for the candidate whom he or she considers more likely to do a better job in office, that voting is referred to as

A) "clothespin" voting.
B) ideological voting.
C) prospective voting.
D) retrospective voting.
E) sociotropic voting.

Question 55

An advantage of direct-mail appeals is that they

A) cost very little.
B) can be directed at specific subgroups of the population.
C) can blanket the entire electorate.
D) reach only the literate.
E) can convince strong partisans to change their perspectives.

Question 56

Many scholars argue that the foremost factor in determining how people vote is

A) debate performance.
B) perception of the best candidate.
C) campaign spending.
D) a candidate's image.
E) party identification.

Question 57

One advantage that incumbents always have over challengers is

A) their larger share of federal campaign monies.
B) the political advantage of riding the president's coattails.
C) their use of free mailings, or franks.
D) their freedom from FEC regulations.
E) their freedom from libelous laws.

Question 58

Based on research, presidential debates seem to

A) determine elections.
B) be pivotal events.
C) be watched by only a few insiders.
D) have little effect on election results.
E) help incumbents.

Question 59

In 1976, President Ford had a slip of tongue when he erroneously implied

A) that inflation was low.
B) that budget deficit was not growing.
C) that Poland was not part of the Soviet bloc.
D) that Congress was not controlled by Democrats.
E) that Reagan was the Governor of Texas.

Question 60

Soft money is money that is obtained by

A) political parties.
B) incumbents.
C) challengers.
D) party leaders.
E) party leaders' PACs.

Question 61

In the 1800s, most people voted straight party ticket.

Question 62

If you run for a seat in the House against the incumbent, the odds are very much against you.

Question 63

The type of primary that allows a voter the greatest freedom to vote for candidates of different parties is the blanket primary.

Question 64

Malapportionment is when districts are drawn for pure political reasons.

Question 65

Discuss how presidential candidates have to fundraise more today than in the past. Be sure to reference the 2012 election.

Question 66

Most of the money that candidates spend today is media related.

Question 67

In recent decades, most successful presidential candidates were former governors.

Question 68

Valence issues have increased in importance in recent years.

Question 69

Research has found that highly emotional ads have the most effect on people who know the least about politics.

Question 70

Presidential campaigning has changed drastically; and fundraising has lost its importance.

Question 71

In Israel and the Netherlands, the names of candidates for the legislature do not even appear on the ballot.

Question 72

A position issue is an issue that does not divide voters.

Question 73

The authors suggest that the four Ts of developing a campaign strategy are tone, theme, timing, and targets.

Question 74

Since 1860, many of the great party realignments have been based on differing position issues.

Question 75

States were generally aggressive about malapportionment until courts restricted their ability to address the problem.

Question 76

The current size of the House at 435 members was set in the year 1911.

Question 77

A higher percentage of Democrats than Republicans vote in elections.

Question 78

A U.S. Senator must be at least 30 years old.

Question 79

The text suggests that members of Congress run for Congress by running against it.

Question 80

The Constitution says nothing about congressional districts.