Deck 7: Political Parties

Question 1

The party that controls the White House, the governor's mansion, or city hall gets ___________, which means it can select party members as public officials or judges.

A)caucus
B)honeymoon
C)patronage
D)convention
E)crossover

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In spite of the existence of many minor parties, the United States remains

A)a two party system.
B)a parliamentary system.
C)a third party system.
D)a proportional representation system.
E)a multiparty system.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The party now known as the Democratic Party was originally led by

A)Jefferson.
B) Washington.
C) Hamilton.
D) Adams.
E) Burr.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Party platforms

A)are short, concise statements of party purpose.
B)explain the ideology of the party in specific details.
C)are widely read by party members.
D)give reasons for supporting a particular candidate.
E)are vague, ponderous documents that generally give individuals few reasons for voting against the party.

Question 5

Franklin Roosevelt's promise of a "new deal" for the people became the basis for

A)making government expenditures to stimulate economic growth.
B)sporadic government activity regarding the economy.
C)deregulating financial markets.
D)enacting antitrust legislation.
E)reducing the number of people employed by the national government.

Question 6

The importance of political parties to the operation of local and state government

A)reflects that of the national party's importance.
B)is relatively low.
C)varies quite a bit.
D)is always quite high.
E)is high in the localities, but low in the states.

Question 7

"Grand Old Party" refers to the

A)Grand Federalists.
B)Socialists.
C)Democrats.
D)Whigs.
E)Republicans.

Question 8

Your text asserts that, with regard to political parties, most people trust them.

Question 9

A Republican was first elected president of the United States in 1860.

Question 10

American political parties exercise tight control over who is allowed to run for public office.

Question 11

The __________, a piece of campaign finance reform legislation, sought to restrict soft money at the federal level.

A)Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
B)McCain-Feingold Act
C)Campaign Contribution Reform Act
D)Donation Restriction Act
E)Campaign Finance Reform Act

Question 12

Judges do NOT sit together by party because

A)they have no party affiliation.
B)they are not allowed to by the Constitution.
C)they don't have enough members to form meaningful coalitions.
D)they are forbidden by party leaders.
E)the judicial branch operates in a nonpartisan manner.

Question 13

An organization that seeks political power by electing people to office who will help party positions and philosophy become public policy is called

A)an interest group.
B)a political action committee.
C)an iron triangle.
D)an interest circle.
E)a political party.

Question 14

Parties exist primarily as organizing mechanisms for winning elections.

Question 15

The Republican Party

A)has long had a party organization superior to that of the Democrats.
B)has long been far less organized than the Democratic Party.
C)is organized in much the same way as the Democratic Party.
D)is organized around big city mayors.
E)trails behind the Democrats in organizational aptitude.

Question 16

Political parties do all the following EXCEPT

A)organize electoral competition.
B)unify large portions of the electorate.
C)increase the complexity of democracy for voters.
D)transform individual preferences into policy.
E)provide a mechanism for opposition.

Question 17

Open primaries permit what kind of voting?

A)Electronic only
B)Paper ballot only
C)Crossover
D)Electronic and paper ballot
E)Convention/caucus hybrid

Question 18

Party regulars

A)place the party first.
B)place a candidate first.
C)work with single issues.
D)do not compromise their principles to win elections.
E)None of the above

Question 19

Republicans argued that the government had to act to pull the country out of the Depression; Democrats objected to enlarging the scope of government and intruding into the economy.

Question 20

Turning points that define the agenda of politics and the association of voters within parties during periods of historic change in the economy and society are called

A)historic elections.
B)realigning elections.
C)landslide elections.
D)executive elections.
E)laissez-faire elections.

Question 21

Local and judicial elections are the most likely elections to be

A)non partisan.
B)heavily contested.
C)partisan.
D)open primaries.
E)closed primaries.

Question 22

The winners of the White House have how many patronage jobs to distribute?

A)1000
B)2000
C)3000
D)4000
E)5000

Question 23

A closed primary is one in which

A)no votes are counted whatsoever.
B)voters can only vote if they have made a campaign contribution.
C)nonbinding decisions about party preference are decided.
D)delegates to a party caucus are selected.
E)voters can only vote in their own party's primary.

Question 24

What kind of primary permitted voters to vote for a candidate of one party for one office and for a candidate from another party for another office?

A)Direct primary
B)Open primary
C)Closed primary
D)Crossover primary
E)Blanket primary

Question 25

The supreme authority in both major parties is the national party convention.

Question 26

In general, the rise of television and electronic technology has made parties less relevant in their role of educating the public.

Question 27

With the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act in effect, soft money contributions to the national committees are banned.

Question 28

Local and judicial elections in most states are __________________, which means that no political affiliation is indicated.

A)unipartisan
B)bipartisan
C)tripartisan
D)nonpartisan
E)partisan

Question 29

Most party candidates are nominated by

A)party conventions.
B)party caucuses.
C)blanket primaries.
D)direct primaries.
E)party delegates.

Question 30

Reform in the Democratic Party included the institution of a system of proportionality.

Question 31

This method of nomination operated for several decades after the United States was established.

A)Party convention
B)Caucus
C)Honeymoon
D)Direct primary
E)Crossover vote

Question 32

In states with a(n)_______________, any voter, regardless of party, can participate in the primary of whichever party he or she chooses.

A)direct primary
B)open primary
C)closed primary
D)crossover primary
E)blanket primary

Question 33

The restriction of soft money led to a surge in individual contributions.

Question 34

During the 1830s and 1840s, a new system was instituted in which delegates chosen directly by party members in towns and cities were assigned the task of selecting party candidates.They debated and adopted a platform, and built party spirit by celebrating noisily.This system is called a

A)party caucus.
B)party convention.
C)party primary.
D)party crossover.
E)party congress.

Question 35

When a political party receives a number of legislators corresponding to their percentage of the vote, winners are determined by

A)direct election.
B)winner take all.
C)third parties.
D)proportional representation.
E)coalition.

Question 36

The functions of political parties include all of the following EXCEPT

A)determining the nature of foreign policy.
B)organizing the competition.
C)unifying the electorate.
D)helping organize government.
E)providing loyal opposition.

Question 37

In multiparty systems, which of the following is NOT correct?

A)Parties at the extremes are more likely to have some influence.
B)Parties are more doctrinaire.
C)Parties are more centered on personalities of the candidates.
D)Legislatures more accurately reflect the full range of the views of the electorate.
E)Third, fourth, or additional parties have an incentive to run because they can win some seats.

Question 38

A parliamentary system usually has a head of state and a

A)lack of political parties.
B)single-party system.
C)president.
D)prime minister.
E)problem with party loyalty.

Question 39

Minor parties in the United States have been organized around

A)a candidate.
B)an ideology.
C)an issue.
D)only a candidate or issue.
E)a candidate, ideology, or issue.

Question 40

There is usually a polite interval following an election, known as the ___________, after which the opposition party begins to criticize the party that controls the White House.

A)caucus
B)honeymoon
C)patronage
D)convention
E)crossover

Question 41

The longest persisting minor political parties usually form around

A)a charismatic leader.
B)an ideology.
C)a realigning election.
D)a single issue.
E)None of the above

Question 42

The Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1913, marked the first time that U.S.Senators were

A)not allowed to hold two offices at the same time.
B)selected by the house of representatives.
C)elected by the electoral college.
D)popularly elected.
E)appointed by the various states' legislatures.

Question 43

The first party was organized by

A)George Washington.
B)Thomas Jefferson.
C)Benjamin Franklin.
D)Alexander Hamilton.
E)John Adams.

Question 44

The central issue on which the Republicans and Democrats disagreed in the New Deal era was the role the government should play in ____________________ .

A)the economy.
B)society.
C)the support of arts and culture.
D)the religious life of Americans.
E)All of the above

Question 45

The supreme authority in both major parties is

A)national party chair.
B)national party committee.
C)national platform committee.
D)national party convention.
E)national party president.

Question 46

The modern Republican Party evolved out of the crisis of

A)the drought of 1835.
B)the issue of slavery.
C)the War of 1812.
D)the stock market collapse of 1845.
E)Jackson's third Indian war.

Question 47

Women gained the right to vote in national elections in

A)1812.
B)1820.
C)1860.
D)1920.
E)1948.

Question 48

For the party that controls the White House, the national party chair actually serves at the pleasure of the

A)party leaders.
B)campaign contributors.
C)president.
D)congressional leadership.
E)national platform committee.

Question 49

The top official of each of the two major parties is called the

A)national committee president.
B)national committee chair.
C)national convention chair.
D)White House chair.
E)national party president.

Question 50

Your text asserts that, with regard to political parties, most people

A)don't think parties are necessary.
B)would prefer that party labels were absent from ballots.
C)have most of the new ideas.
D)are critical and distrustful of them.
E)do not identify with any party.

Question 51

When Andrew Jackson lost the election of 1824 he responded by

A)engaging in Democratic party-building activities.
B)starting a new Indian War.
C)helping to elect Henry Harrison in the next election.
D)appealing to the Supreme Court to reign in the electoral college.
E)forming the Federalist Party with Martin Van Buren.

Question 52

Within ____________________ of the ratification of the Constitution, political parties had emerged in America.

A)four decades
B)two decades
C)three decades
D)a decade
E)a century

Question 53

Although the realignment of 1896 did NOT include a change of the party in power, the Republican party did come to be dominated by its

A)conservative wing.
B)liberal wing.
C)progressive wing.
D)secessionist wing.
E)fundamentalist wing.

Question 54

To cure the ills of the Depression, _________ argued that the government had to act to pull the country out of the Depression, but ___________ objected to enlarging the scope of government and intruding it into the economy.

A)Republicans, Democrats
B)Smith, Roosevelt
C)Hoover, Roosevelt
D)Democrats, Republicans
E)Al Smith, Wendell Willkie

Question 55

Realigning elections are characterized by

A)intense voter involvement.
B)disruptions of traditional voting patterns.
C)changes in the relationships of power within the broader political community.
D)the formation of new and durable electoral groupings.
E)All of the above

Question 56

Minor parties

A)are a relatively recent phenomenon.
B)are outlawed in fourteen states.
C)have been a part of American politics since the advent of party politics.
D)are most appealing to conservative voters.
E)None of the above

Question 57

Candidates are selected by their parties largely because of

A)party loyalty.
B) personal appeal.
C) endorsement by party leaders.
D) ideological correctness.
E) None of the above

Question 58

When one party is in charge of the presidency and the other is in charge of one or both houses of Congress, the United States is said to have

A)executive order.
B)split power.
C)divided government.
D)gridlock.
E)realignment.

Question 59

Which of the following was NOT key in reducing the prevalence of the "spoils system," or patronage system, from American politics?

A)Civil service reforms
B)Direct primary elections
C)Ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment
D)The Great Depression
E)The growth of nonpartisan city elections

Question 60

The institutional characteristics of political parties include

A)national party leadership.
B)state and local party participation.
C)party platforms.
D)All of the above
E)national party leadership and party platforms only.

Question 61

When people abandon political parties to become Independents, it is called

A)unalignment.
B)dealignment.
C)nonpartisan.
D)realignment.
E)prealignment.

Question 62

The rise of television and electronic technology and the parallel increase in the number of campaign, media, and direct-mail consultants have made parties

A)more relevant in educating, mobilizing, and organizing the electorate.
B)less relevant in educating, mobilizing, and organizing the electorate.
C)less relevant in educating, but more relevant in mobilizing the electorate.
D)more relevant in educating, but less relevant in organizing the electorate.
E)more relevant in educating, but less relevant in mobilizing the electorate.

Question 63

Which of the following is true about party platforms?

A)They are intentionally ambiguous
B)They are read by most party supporters
C)They are rewritten every year
D)They are designed to confront the other party
E)They require very little compromise

Question 64

With the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act in effect,

A)party contributions to candidates are no longer allowed.
B)soft money contributions to the national committees are banned.
C)individual contributions to candidates are limited.
D)contributions to parties are limited to ten thousand dollars per person.
E)corporations and unions may now contribute as much money as they want to.

Question 65

The county committee of a political party is

A)better organized than the state committee.
B)waning away as the state committee exerts control.
C)in charge of selecting state level candidates.
D)variable, with some very active and organized while others are quiescent.
E)usually flooded with candidates for local offices.

Question 66

Candidate activists

A)place the party first.
B)place a candidate first.
C)work with single issues.
D)compromise their principles to win elections.
E)None of the above

Question 67

Required by some states when one registers to vote, ____________ is the act of declaring party affiliation.

A)party registration
B)realignment
C)proportional representation
D)party identification
E)primary contact

Question 68

The restriction of soft money led to a surge of what kind of contributions?

A)Individual
B)Corporate
C)Illegal
D)Union
E)Federal

Question 69

The Democratic Party's "superdelegates"

A)are positions for elected officials who are not required to run for election as delegates.
B)are positions for party members who win them by way of lottery.
C)were eliminated in 1968 when the party instituted several reforms.
D)were of no significance in the 2008 nomination process.
E)None of the above

Question 70

Television, radio, the Internet, and telephones have

A)weakened the role of candidates.
B)strengthened the role of candidates and lessened the importance of parties.
C)weakened the role of candidates and lessened the importance of parties.
D)strengthened the role of parties.
E)eliminated the need for parties.

Question 71

Members of the congressional majority party always control

A)the chairships of all standing committees.
B)who serves as staff of the minority party.
C)cabinet appointments.
D)White House appointments.
E)the presidency.

Question 72

The judicial branch of the national government, with its lifetime tenure and political independence, is designed to operate in what express manner?

A)Nonpartisan
B)Multipartisan
C)Bipartisan
D)Tripartisan
E)Partisan

Question 73

Money that was donated to a party, as opposed to money spent with the explicit purpose of promoting the election or defeat of a specific candidate, is called

A)soft money.
B)hard money.
C)party money.
D)unregulated money.
E)501C money.

Question 74

In 2000 all parties combined raised how much soft money?

A)100 million dollars
B)200 million dollars
C)300 million dollars
D)400 million dollars
E)500 million dollars

Question 75

The person least likely to vote is a

A) strong Democrat.
B) pure Independent.
C) weak Republican.
D) middle-of-the-road Democrat.
E) Green Party member.

Question 76

Party members who follow a particular candidate, and who see the party as the means to place their candidate in power, are termed

A)party regulars.
B)candidate activists.
C)issue activists.
D)lobbyists.
E)chairmen.

Question 77

The judicial branch of the government is

A)expressly nonpartisan in operation.
B)groups judges by political party.
C)expects large political contributions.
D)often is the source of minor parties.
E)make sure that political parties form.

Question 78

What determines the composition of the party's state committees and regulates them?

A)Party tradition
B)Strict party rules
C)State law
D)National election campaign regulations
E)Local party officials

Question 79

Party registration is accomplished at the

A)local level.
B)state level.
C)national level.
D)Any of the above levels
E)None of the above levels

Question 80

Reform in the Democratic Party included the institution of a system of

A)regional primaries.
B)super caucuses.
C)proportionality.
D)leadership by big city mayors.
E)winner-take-all primaries.