Deck 9: Political Parties

Question 1

Political parties can do a number of things to contribute to political equality including

A) keep elected officials responsive.
B) include a broad range of groups.
C) stimulate political interest.
D) help make government work.
E) all of the above

Answer 1

E

Question 2

The Era of Good Feelings involved virtual one-party rule by the ?A) Republican-Democrats
B) Whigs
C) Independents
D) Federalists
E) Anti-Federalists

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The first political party was loosely organized and took the name

A) Democrat.
B) Republican.
C) Anti-Federalist.
D) Federalist.
E) Liberty.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The Era of Good Feelings took place during which party system??A) The First
B) The Second
C) The Third
D) The Fourth
E) The Sixth

Question 5

The Founders were hostile to political parties,

A) but soon after they left office, their successors started to form into two parties.
B) even though they themselves formed into two distinct parties.
C) but they welcomed the creation of a single-party state.
D) even though the Constitution mandated the existence of parties.
E) even though they knew parties would quickly develop.

Question 6

Political parties engage in which of the following activities?

A) They influence the public by regulating the mass media.
B) They influence the policy process by lobbying legislators to support their positions.
C) They affect government procedures by exerting pressures on elected and appointed officeholders.
D) They gain control over government by electing officials to public office who carry the party label.
E) none of the above

Question 7

Political parties can contribute to democracy by

A) narrowing the scope of conflict.
B) slowing down majority legislation.
C) making officeholders accountable to voters.
D) letting anyone run under the party label.
E) limiting accountability

Question 8

Which political party disappeared during the First Party System??A) Republicans
B) Whigs
C) Independents
D) Federalists
E) Anti-Federalists

Question 9

How can political parties help make officeholders more accountable?

A) Political parties simplify the task of voters in determining how to place blame or credit by allowing for collective responsibility.
B) Political parties allow for greater input by party leaders who are far more aware of the public's policy preferences than are elected officials.
C) Political parties allow for a more decentralized system of decision making.
D) Political parties make it possible for only well-informed voters to take part in the political process.
E) Political parties strive to take similar positions in elections as their opponents.

Question 10

When political parties are working properly, they do a number of things that make popular sovereignty possible. For example, political parties

A) provide a mechanism for keeping elected officials responsive and responsible.
B) allow voters to directly elect the president.
C) insist that all elections should be nonpartisan in nature.
D) increase their impact by funneling more campaign contributions to candidates.
E) all of the above

Question 11

The first political party was formed in the 1790s by

A) George Washington.
B) Alexander Hamilton.
C) Thomas Jefferson.
D) James Madison.
E) John Adams.

Question 12

During a realignment

A) one party dominates American politics, usually for about 30-40 years.
B) parties tend to agree on issues, promoting bipartisan policy making.
C) there are usually more than three parties vying for majority control.
D) dealignment is highly likely.
E) none of the above

Question 13

Political parties are by nature

A) exclusive.
B) elitist.
C) inclusive.
D) restrictive.
E) populist.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a way in which political parties can encourage popular sovereignty and political equality?

A) They can encourage officeholders to be accountable when things go wrong
B) They can help inform voters about candidates or issues.
C) They include a broad range of groups
D) They encourage political interest among the public
E) They can run fair elections.

Question 15

The only true no-party or one-party era in national politics took place

A) in the 1890s.
B) by 1816.
C) in the 1920s.
D) in the first decade of the nineteenth century.
E) between 1832 and 1860.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT a primary function of political parties?

A) recruiting political candidates
B) organizing the activities of government officials
C) running candidates in elections
D) lobby elected officials for preferred policies
E) none of the above

Question 17

Political parties are organizations that try to

A) manipulate the public by regulating the mass media.
B) influence government by contributing large sums of money to the campaigns of candidates who support certain policies.
C) affect government procedures by exerting pressures on elected and appointed officeholders.
D) gain control over government by electing officials to public office who carry the party label.
E) all of the above

Question 18

According to your text, which of the following factors does not account for intense partisanship of recent politics??A) The influence of liberal and conservative advocacy groups.
B) The decline in the number of competitive districts in House race.
C) Our presidential primary system forces candidates for party presidential nominations to play to the most ideologically extreme elements within each of the parties.
D) The party's demand for unity on bedrock issues such as abortion and Iraq.
E) The importance of federalism to political parties.

Question 19

The United States has the most "pure" ________ in the world.

A) democracy
B) parliamentary system
C) proportional representation system
D) two-party system
E) government

Question 20

Who do the authors of your text identify as a Democrat who has been hurt for reaching across the aisle and supporting Republican positions?

A) Hillary Clinton
B) Joe Lieberman
C) Arlen Specter
D) Nancy Pelosi
E) Harry Reid

Question 21

The Civil War contributed to a party realignment in which

A) the Whigs became the majority party.
B) the Whigs fell to the minority party.
C) the Democrats became the majority party.
D) the Republicans became the majority party.
E) the Republicans became the minority party.

Question 22

Which groups were part of the New Deal coalition?

A) southerners
B) Catholics
C) racial minorities
D) small- and medium-sized farmers
E) all of the above

Question 23

Party realignment means

A) a new political party controls the presidency.
B) voters switch party loyalties briefly and then return to their former party.
C) a new political party controls the Congress.
D) a new party system takes the place of the old.
E) new political parties form.

Question 24

After Andrew Jackson become president Henry Clay helped form the

A) Department of State.
B) Whig Party.
C) modern Democratic Party.
D) Department of Treasury.
E) Republican Party.

Question 25

The outcome of the 1896 election led immediately to

A) the full right of blacks to vote in the South.
B) silver coinage.
C) heavy regulation of corporations in the United States.
D) Republican dominance of national politics.
E) Republican dominance of southern politics.

Question 26

The New Deal coalition refers to the coalition

A) between Democrats and Progressives.
B) among a broad range of population groups, including workers, Southerners, farmers, and blacks.
C) between manufacturers and farmers.
D) of special interest groups, including doctors, teachers, small business owners, and farmers.
E) between southerners and northerners on agricultural issues.

Question 27

The political party formed in Congress by Jefferson, Madison, and others to oppose many Federalist policies was the

A) Republican.
B) Democratic-Republican.
C) Anti-Federalist.
D) Socialist.
E) Whig.

Question 28

"Free coinage of silver" relates to which presidential election?

A) 1828
B) 1860
C) 1896
D) 1932
E) 1968

Question 29

According to the text, which of the following did NOT happen during the 1896 presidential election?

A) Conservative Democrats deserted their party to join the Republicans.
B) Businesses warned each other and their workers in no uncertain terms about the dangers of a Populist-Democratic victory.
C) Newly formed business organizations, such as the National Association of Manufacturers, spread the alarm about a possible Democratic victory.
D) Southern conservatives tended to vote for the Republican party.
E) Efforts to intimidate potential black voters increased dramatically.

Question 30

Between 1896 and 1932, the ________ won control of both houses of Congress in 15 out of 18 elections, and control of the presidency in 7 out of 9 elections.

A) Democrats
B) Progressives
C) Free-Soilers
D) Republicans
E) Populists

Question 31

Andrew Jackson faced __________ in the 1828 presidential election.

A) John Adams
B) John Quincy Adams
C) Henry Clay
D) John Calhoun
E) John Tyler

Question 32

The GOP is another name for the

A) Democratic party.
B) Socialist party.
C) Republican party.
D) Progressive party.
E) Great Old Party.

Question 33

The Free-Soilers were a fragment of the

A) Democrat Party.
B) Republican Party.
C) Anti-Federalist Party.
D) Whig Party.
E) Liberty Party.

Question 34

The ________ party arose to counter Jackson and the Democrats

A) Democrat
B) Republican
C) Anti-Federalist
D) Whig
E) Liberty

Question 35

A party realignment typically occurs every

A) 10-20 years.
B) 20-30 years.
C) 30-40 years.
D) 40-50 years.
E) 100 years.

Question 36

Realignments seem to occur when the old party system is unable to accommodate or solve problems that develop

A) during a war.
B) when a new political party appears.
C) when there is a surge in the economic system, during periods of rapid industrialization.
D) during substantial social, economic, and cultural change.
E) when voter turnout increase.

Question 37

According to the authors there have been ________ relatively stable periods in the history of the two-party system in the United States.

A) 3
B) 7
C) 10
D) 20
E) no

Question 38

The 1896 election was a dramatic victory for the ________ party, setting the stage for its domination for several decades.

A) Republican
B) Democratic
C) Populist
D) Progressive
E) New

Question 39

Figure 9.1 reveals that

A) realignments occur in one election.
B) realignments can take place across many years, from four to twelve.
C) there were only two party eras in the twentieth century.
D) Republicans have benefited more from realignments than Democrats.
E) all of the above

Question 40

The Sixth Party Era signaled the end of

A)the New Deal Coalition.
B) realignment.
C) the electoral college.
D) competitive presidential elections.
E) third party dominance.

Question 41

Republican and Democratic parties are organized

A) as well-organized and centralized groups.
B) to run a national convention every four years, and little else.
C) as a loose collection of campaign committees, officeholders, and local, state and national parties.
D) as a collection of interest groups to influence election outcomes.
E) none of the above

Question 42

One important reason the U.S. has a two-party system is

A) plurality, single-member-district elections.
B) proportional representation.
C) the extension of public opinion.
D) unlimited access by minor parties.
E) its system of checks and balances.

Question 43

Which of the following statements is correct?

A) The United States has a two-party system at the state and local levels, but it has been moving in the direction of a one-party system at the national level.
B) In most presidential elections in the last half century, there has been a spread of at least 20 percentage points between the winning and losing candidates.
C) Competition on the national level between the two dominant parties had been remarkably close since the end of the Civil War.
D) Although Democrats and Republicans have controlled the presidency and Congress since 1860, minor and third parties have polled a significant percentage of popular votes in nearly one-fourth of the elections.
E) The United States has a two-party system at the state and local levels, but it has been moving in the direction of a multi-party system at the national level.

Question 44

Third parties do not typically organize under

A) proportional representation systems.
B) proportional, winner-take-all systems.
C) multi-member districts with proportional representation.
D) plurality, winner-takes-all, single member districts.
E) all of the above

Question 45

According to the authors of your text, the seventh party era is called the

A) era of Dealignment and Parity.
B) New Deal Era.
C) post-war era.
D) parties at war era.
E) partisan politics era.

Question 46

The United States

A) has had a two-party system for about a century.
B) has had a two-party system for nearly all of its history.
C) had a one-party system until about 1860.
D) had a multiparty system until about 1920.
E) has had a multiparty system recently.

Question 47

In the 2006 congressional elections,

A) Republicans won control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years.
B) Democrats regained control of both houses of Congress, due mainly to the war in Iraq.
C) Republicans won control of the House of Representatives, and the Democrats retained control on the Senate.
D) Democrats won control of the House of Representatives, and the Republicans won control of the Senate.
E) Republicans won control of Congress, but lost the White House to the Democrats.

Question 48

According to the authors of your text, the sixth party era is called

A) the era of Dealignment and Parity.
B) the New Deal Era.
C) the post-war era.
D) the parties at war era.
E) the partisan politics era.

Question 49

Most democratic nations elect their representatives on the basis of

A) plurality, "winner-take-all" systems.
B) single-member-district systems.
C) proportional representation systems.
D) random choice systems.
E) direct democracy.

Question 50

In the American electoral system, a party gathering 22 percent of the popular vote across the whole nation would control about ________ percent of Congress.

A) 50
B) 25
C) 22
D) 20
E) no answer-it depends on the distribution of votes

Question 51

In the 1994 congressional elections,

A) Republicans won control of both houses of Congress for the first time in 40 years.
B) Democrats retained control of both houses of Congress, despite charges of gridlock in the previous years.
C) Republicans won control of the House of Representatives, and the Democrats retained control on the Senate.
D) Democrats won control of the House of Representatives, and the Republicans won control of the Senate.
E) Republicans won control of Congress, but lost the White House to the Democrats.

Question 52

A plurality, winner-take-all electoral system tends to

A) discourage the formation of minor parties.
B) encourage the formation of new major parties.
C) encourage many voters to support minor parties as protest votes.
D) discourage voters from voting.
E) encourage the formation of a third party.

Question 53

Which of the following developments helped change the party system from the fifth to sixth eras??A) Democrats became the party of the civil rights movement.
B) Conservatives left the Democratic party.
C) Democrats began to welcome feminists, gay men, and others into the party.
D) The Democrats opposed the Vietnam war.
E) all of the above

Question 54

The Framers of the U.S. Constitution

A) favored the development of political parties as a means to protecting liberty.
B) were fearful of parties and considered them to be divisive.
C) did not consider the effects of parties because they were not familiar with their activities.
D) made provisions in the Constitution for the control and regulation of political parties.
E) established parameters to ensure the development of a two-party system.

Question 55

Very small parties tend to benefit in

A) purely proportional representation systems.
B) relatively proportional representation systems.
C) two-party representation systems.
D) plurality representation systems.
E) winner-take-all representation systems.

Question 56

Divided government is most closely associated with which party era?

A) First
B) Second
C) Fourth
D) Fifth
E) Sixth

Question 57

Most democratic nations elect their representatives on the basis of

A) plurality, winner-take-all systems.
B) single-member-district systems.
C) proportional representation systems.
D) random choice systems.
E) relative choice systems.

Question 58

Which type of party system is most common among western democracies??A) multiparty systems.
B) two-party systems.
C) winner-take-all party systems.
D) unitary legislatures.
E) three-party systems.

Question 59

Elections that are organized on a plurality, winner-takes-all, single-member-district basis

A) contribute to democracy by providing representation for third parties and minority groups.
B) discourage the development of minority parties because a party will have no representation at all if its candidate does not receive a plurality of the vote.
C) are used primarily in European nations with parliamentary forms of government.
D) developed in the United States in reaction to the first presidential election in 1788.
E) encourage multi-party systems.

Question 60

Elections in the United States are organized on a ________ basis.

A) mostly proportional representation
B) winner-take-all
C) single-member-district
D) formulatic distribution
E) both B and C above

Question 61

The chairperson of an American political party national committee usually has more control over the party

A) when his or her party controls the presidency.
B) than a president from his or her party.
C) when his or her party does not control the presidency.
D) than his or her European counterparts.
E) when his party controls Congress.

Question 62

Democrats tend to have strong electoral support from each of the following except

A)lower income people.
B) people living on the West Coast and the Northeast.
C) southerners.
D) African Americans and Jews.
E) government employees at the state level.

Question 63

________ may be understood as an organized set of beliefs about the fundamental nature of the good society and the role government ought to play in achieving it.

A) Ideology
B) Political socialization
C) Political efficacy
D) Political party
E) Political culture

Question 64

The national party committee

A) conducts party business during the four years between national conventions.
B) is made up of elected committee members from each state.
C) is run by the party chair.
D) rarely meets.
E) all of the above

Question 65

During George W. Bush's second term, a significant number of previously loyal Republican members of Congress abandoned support for Bush's policies concerning

A) Iraq.
B) energy.
C) immigration.
D) tax cuts.
E) A & C

Question 66

Which of the following is true about American political parties?

A) Parties are well-structured organizations, led by professionals.
B) Parties are undisciplined.
C) Parties have clearly defined membership requirements.
D) Parties have centralized control over party nominations and electoral financing.
E) Parties are strong and influential.

Question 67

______________ is very important in how one thinks about issues and decides who to vote for.

A) party volunteerism.
B) party organization.
C) grass roots organization.
D) party identification.
E) none of the above

Question 68

In general, leaders of American political parties

A) cannot issue orders to those down the chain of command.
B) are directly accountable to party members.
C) meet regularly to hammer out party ideology.
D) have tight control over party nominations.
E) take clear policy positions that all candidates follow in their individual campaigns.

Question 69

The Democrats and Republicans each have a(n) ________, whose purpose is to conduct the business of the party during the four years between national conventions.

A) national convention
B) national committee
C) congressional caucus
D) electoral college
E) state caucus

Question 70

In the entire history of the U.S., only a single minor party, the ________, has managed to replace one of the major parties.

A) Republican
B) Democratic
C) Socialist
D) American Independent
E) Whig

Question 71

For the party that controls the White House,

A) the national committee chair is stronger.
B) the national committee chair is weaker.
C) the Speaker of the House plays a primary role in party organization and leadership.
D) the White House becomes less important to party activities, including fundraisers.
E) none of the above

Question 72

The national committees are comprised of

A) members of the House of Representatives.
B) members of the Senate.
C) the president's cabinet.
D) elected committeemen and committeewomen from each of the states.
E) members of the Electoral College.

Question 73

What is the name given to a party that forms when a faction leaves one of the major political parties to run its own candidate for president?

A) single-issue parties
B) ideological parties
C) protest parties
D) splinter parties
E) faction parties

Question 74

Which of the following is an example of a "protest" minor party?

A) Socialist Labor party
B) Populist
C) Bull Moose party
D) Republican
E) all of the above

Question 75

Minor parties in the United States

A) face many obstacles to competing in national elections.
B) face few restrictions on their activities.
C) have won the presidency only three times.
D) dominate at the state level.
E) dominate at the local level.

Question 76

Compared with those in most other countries, American political parties are

A) undisciplined.
B) led by party professionals.
C) well organized.
D) rigidly hierarchical.
E) strong and influential.

Question 77

Belonging to or identifying with a political party is known as

A) party volunteerism.
B) party organization.
C) grass roots organization.
D) party identification.
E) none of the above

Question 78

________ are the people who do the most important organizational work of the parties.

A) Party irregulars
B) Party officeholders
C) Party activists
D) Party voters
E) Party in government

Question 79

It is more difficult for minor parties to win elections in the United States than (in many parliamentary systems because

A) parliamentary systems provide funds only for minor party candidates in order to "level the field" with major party candidates.
B) the dominant parties in the United States have established rules that make it difficult for other parties to get on the ballot.
C) the strong labor movement in the United States has contributed to divisiveness and low voter turnout.
D) minor parties in the United States do not nominate their candidates until close to the election, which reduces any effectiveness they might otherwise have had.
E) there are not enough good candidates for third parties to attract.

Question 80

The purpose of the national committees of both major parties is to

A) determine the ideology or political positions of the party for the next national convention.
B) conduct the business of the party during the four years between national conventions.
C) keep local parties and candidates in line with the national party during presidential election years.
D) recommend potential party candidates for Congress and the presidency.
E) pick selection criteria for the party's nomination process.