Deck 7: Political Parties,Participation,and Elections

Question 1

A political party is an organization

A)that falls under section 501(c)(4)of the United States tax code.
B)established by the Constitution to nominate candidates.
C)that tries to influence the government by getting its members elected to office.
D)that collects fees from its members in order to pay the salaries of government officials.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

During the early nineteenth century,the Jeffersonian Party's main base of strength was in

A)the South.
B)the West.
C)New England.
D)the western territories.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The establishment of the Republican Party is a good example of

A)external mobilization.
B)internal mobilization.
C)elite bargaining.
D)proportional representation.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The United States has had ________ party systems since 1789.

A)2
B)6
C)9
D)12

Question 5

Throughout its history,American politics has been dominated by

A)one major political party.
B)two major political parties.
C)three major political parties.
D)four major political parties.

Question 6

A serious candidate for a U.S.House of Representatives race must raise at least ________
While a serious candidate for a U.S.Senate race must raise at least ________.

A)several thousand dollars; several hundred thousand dollars
B)several hundred thousand dollars; several thousand dollars
C)several hundred thousand dollars; several million dollars
D)several million dollars; several hundred thousand dollars

Question 7

Political party leaders are

A)usually willing to provide financial backing to all candidates running for their party,regardless of whether the candidate has raised funds on their own.
B)not willing to provide financial backing to candidates who are unable to raise substantial funds on their own.
C)prevented by federal campaign contribution laws from providing financial backing to any candidate.
D)only allowed to provide financial backing for candidates that have served at least two terms in elected office.

Question 8

External mobilization occurs when

A)conflicts within the government create divided factions that try to mobilize popular support.
B)party leaders try to rally support for their platforms once they are in the government.
C)citizens deemed to be undesirable outsiders are excluded from the party.
D)a group of politicians outside government organizes popular support to win governmental power.

Question 9

The Federalist Party disappeared,in part,as a result of

A)Lincoln's election in 1860.
B)the War of 1812.
C)Alexander Hamilton's death in a duel with Aaron Burr.
D)the Civil War.

Question 10

What is the ultimate goal of a political party?

A)raising the most money
B)creating the party platform
C)winning elections
D)nominating candidates

Question 11

Political parties hold primary elections or caucuses in order to

A)take nominations for leadership positions within the party.
B)vote on the party's platform.
C)select a single candidate to represent the party in the general election.
D)raise money to spend on the party's preselected candidate for the general election.

Question 12

An advertisement emailed only to evangelical Christian voters about a Democratic candidate's
Support for abortion would be an example of

A)winnowing.
B)micro-targeting.
C)redlining.
D)message bundling.

Question 13

One of the earliest activities party workers engage in once the general election campaign begins is

A)re-drawing each congressional district's lines.
B)forming a committee within Congress to determine campaign strategy.
C)recruiting additional candidates to run for office.
D)ensuring that citizens are registered to vote.

Question 14

Internal mobilization occurs when

A)conflicts within the government create divided factions that try to mobilize popular support.
B)party leaders try to rally support for their platforms once they are in the government.
C)citizens deemed to be undesirable outsiders are excluded from the party.
D)a group of politicians outside government organizes popular support to win governmental power.

Question 15

Which statement best characterizes the influence average citizens and party elites have over
The nomination process in the United States?

A)Although average citizens have some influence in the nominations process,party elites play an outsized role in selecting the candidates who will compete in the general election.
B)Although party elites have some influence in the nominations process,average citizens play an outsized role in selecting the candidates who will compete in the general election.
C)Party leaders and average citizens play roughly equal roles in selecting the candidates who will compete in the general election.
D)Party leaders are legally prohibited from playing any role in the nominations process.

Question 16

Emerging in the late 1780s,America's first two political parties were

A)the Federalists and the Washingtonian Democrats.
B)the Whigs and the Antifederalists.
C)the Federalists and the Whigs.
D)the Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans.

Question 17

Which of the following parties originated from internal mobilization?

A)Jeffersonian Party
B)Green Party
C)Reform Party
D)Republican Party

Question 18

The Jeffersonian Republicans were best known for their support of

A)a weak national government,with the states retaining most powers.
B)a strong national government,with little role for state governments.
C)women's suffrage.
D)abolishing slavery.

Question 19

Who is an incumbent?

A)the current officeholder,running for reelection
B)the candidate who raises the most money during the campaign
C)whoever is leading in the polls on the day of the election
D)a candidate who is running against a current officeholder in an election

Question 20

________ is the practice of tailoring campaign messages to individuals in small,homogenous
Groups.

A)Micro-targeting
B)Winnowing
C)Message bundling
D)Redlining

Question 21

Historically,electoral realignments occur

A)when new issues combine with economic or political crises to mobilize new voters
And persuade large numbers of voters to reexamine their traditional partisan loyalties.
B)when Congress approves of them.
C)after midterm congressional elections but not after presidential elections.
D)only when the Constitution is amended.

Question 22

During the 1980s,the Republicans added ________ to their coalition.

A)religious conservatives and working-class whites
B)African Americans and upper-class intellectuals
C)Latinos and the business community
D)Jews and unionized workers

Question 23

Which of the following statements about the current Republican Party is most accurate?

A)There are currently no important divisions within the Republican Party.
B)The Republican Party is divided between libertarians,who favor more government regulation of the economy,and far-right conservatives,who demand higher levels of immigration.
C)The Republican Party is divided between pro-business conservatives,who favor high tariffs,and libertarians,who want more government regulation of the economy.
D)The Republican Party is divided between pro-business conservatives,who favor global free trade,and far-right conservatives,who are opposed to U.S.involvement in the global economy.

Question 24

Reconstruction after the Civil War was led by the ________ Party.

A)Democratic
B)Republican
C)Whig
D)Free Soil

Question 25

The Populist Party appealed to which of the following groups?

A)western mining interests,small farmers,and urban workers
B)eastern bankers,southern planters,and wealthy merchants
C)northern bankers,landowners,and factory workers
D)eastern mining interests,southern merchants,and small farmers

Question 26

What issue led to the demise of the Whig Party?

A)slavery
B)the admission of California into the Union
C)the death of Andrew Jackson
D)industrialization

Question 27

In which of the following years was there an electoral realignment?

A)1864
B)1896
C)1942
D)1976

Question 28

When Richard Nixon employed his "southern strategy," he

A)used the FBI to help collect secrets and blackmail southern Democratic leaders.
B)ignored the southern states in favor of voters in the Midwest and Northeast.
C)appealed to disaffected white voters in the South.
D)appealed to black southerners who had recently mobilized for civil rights.

Question 29

From the end of the Civil War to the 1890s,the ________ Party was the party of the North,
While the ________ Party was the party of the South.

A)Democratic; Republican
B)Republican; Democratic
C)Federalist; Whig
D)Whig; Federalist

Question 30

In 1964,Republican Party presidential nominee ________ was in favor of less taxation and
Less government regulation of the economy,two ideas that became major themes for the
Modern Republican Party.

A)Richard Nixon
B)Barry Goldwater
C)Ronald Reagan
D)Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Question 31

State ballot-access laws,such as registration fees and petition requirements,have the effect of

A)increasing the number of people who are willing to vote for third-party candidates.
B)reducing the number of people who are willing to vote for third-party candidates.
C)reducing the number of third-party and independent candidates who can run for office.
D)increasing the number of third-party and independent candidates who can run for office.

Question 32

The two major parties in the United States during the 1830s and 1840s were the ________
And the ________.

A)Federalists; Jeffersonians
B)Federalists; Whigs
C)Democrats; Whigs
D)Democrats; Republicans

Question 33

________ occurs when one party controls the presidency while another party controls one or
Both houses of Congress.

A)An electoral realignment
B)Divided government
C)Internal mobilization
D)External mobilization

Question 34

Which of the following occurs when one party replaces another party that has dominated
National politics for a lengthy period of time?

A)an electoral realignment
B)proportional representation
C)divided party government
D)external mobilization

Question 35

As a third-party candidate,Ross Perot captured approximately ________ percent of the popular
Vote in the 1992 presidential election.

A)10
B)20
C)30
D)40

Question 36

Which of the following groups was NOT part of the New Deal coalition?

A)Jews
B)Catholics
C)Asian Americans
D)African Americans

Question 37

Between 1812 and 1830,the United States had

A)three political parties: the Federalists,the Jeffersonian Republicans,and the Whigs.
B)two political parties: the Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans.
C)one political party: the Jeffersonian Republicans.
D)one political party: the Federalists.

Question 38

From 1896 to 1932,the ________ Party was the nation's majority party.

A)Republican
B)Democratic
C)Populist
D)Whig

Question 39

"Me too" Republicanism refers to

A)the tendency of Republican politicians during the New Deal to support popular programs such as Social Security rather than advocate alternative policies.
B)the tendency of southern Republican politicians after the Civil War to demand that all federal laws apply equally to the northern and southern states.
C)the tendency of northern Republican politicians after the Civil War to demand that all federal laws favor the northern states over the southern states.
D)an ideology that argues a strong federal government should promote economic equality.

Question 40

The New Deal coalition was severely strained and ultimately broken apart by the

A)popularity of Dwight Eisenhower.
B)end of the Great Depression.
C)political views of Ronald Reagan.
D)Vietnam War and the issue of civil rights.

Question 41

Which three types of factors influence the decisions of voters at the polls?

A)wealth,education,and issues
B)advertising,partisan loyalty,and personality
C)partisan loyalty,issues,and the characteristics of candidates
D)advertising,debates,and issues

Question 42

Which of the following statements concerning third parties is true?

A)Third parties are often long-lived.
B)Third parties often have their programs adopted by one of the two major parties.
C)The earliest third parties in the United States arose as a result of the Great Depression.
D)Third parties almost always win at the national level.

Question 43

Politicians attempt to "balance the ticket" with members of many important groups because

A)interest groups frequently engage in direct lobbying to enhance diversity in campaigns.
B)affirmative action legislation from the 1960s requires proportional representation in all elections.
C)voters tend to prefer candidates who are closer to themselves in terms of race,ethnicity,religion,gender,geography,and social background.
D)the Constitution requires at least minimal levels of representation in election campaigns.

Question 44

Which of the following characteristics constitutes one's socioeconomic status?

A)level of income,level of education,and prestige of occupation
B)level of income,level of political participation,and number of friends
C)level of income,level of political participation,and level of intelligence
D)level of education,number of friends,and age

Question 45

Third parties in the United States typically represent

A)extremist religious groups.
B)recent immigrants.
C)the political interests of America's allies,who attempt to influence the American decision-making process because U.S.policies can affect their futures.
D)social and economic interests that are disregarded by the two major parties for certain reasons.

Question 46

Which of the following statements about age and political participation is true?

A)Young people are far less likely to participate in politics than older people.
B)Young people are just as likely to participate in politics as older people.
C)Neither young people nor older people participate much in politics.
D)Both old people and young people participate in politics at a very high level.

Question 47

Dealignment refers to

A)the decline of partisan attachment within the electorate,the growth in the number of voters identifying themselves as independents,and the rise of split-ticket voting.
B)the point in history where a new party becomes the dominant political force by supplanting the ruling party.
C)conflicts within the government that create divided factions,each of which tries to mobilize popular support.
D)attempts by politicians outside of government to mobilize popular support in order to win governmental power.

Question 48

________ states currently require all voters to show some form of ID before voting at the polls.

A)Sixteen
B)Twenty-seven
C)Thirty-four
D)Fifty

Question 49

Partisan loyalty is likely to be highest in the election of

A)the president.
B)a state legislator.
C)a U.S.senator.
D)a governor.

Question 50

An individual's psychological attachment to one party or another is called a party

A)ideology.
B)opinion.
C)identification.
D)tradition.

Question 51

Voter turnout in state and local elections is generally

A)much higher than turnout in national elections.
B)slightly higher than turnout in national elections.
C)much lower than turnout in national elections.
D)about the same as turnout in national elections.

Question 52

Which statement about the over-time trend in party identification in the United States is most accurate?

A)The number of people identifying as Republicans has outnumbered Democratic identifiers for a long time.
B)The number of people identifying as Democrats has outnumbered Republican identifiers for a long time.
C)The number of people identifying as Democrats outnumbered Republican identifiers between 1960 and 2008,but more people have identified as Republicans than Democrats since 2008.
D)The number of people identifying as Republicans outnumbered Democratic identifiers between 1960 and 2008,but more people have identified as Democrats than Republicans since 2008.

Question 53

Political scientists call voters' choices that focus on future behavior ________ voting,while
Those based on past performances are called ________ voting.

A)prospective; retrospective
B)retrospective; prospective
C)partisan; issue
D)issue; partisan

Question 54

________is the single-most important political act for most Americans.

A)Peaceful protest
B)Writing a letter to the editor
C)Contributing to political campaigns
D)Voting

Question 55

It is likely that eliminating state-level voter registration laws would ________ voter turnout
Among ________.

A)decrease; younger people
B)decrease; older people
C)decrease; all voters
D)increase; younger people

Question 56

In a proportional representation electoral system,

A)seats in the legislature are allocated to political parties based on their share of the total vote cast in the election.
B)each political party receives an equal number of seats in the legislature.
C)every candidate that receives above a certain percentage of the vote (usually set at 20 percent)is awarded a seat in the legislature.
D)candidates can only win an election if they receive a majority of the overall votes.

Question 57

What is the MOST important factor in predicting whether an individual votes?

A)sexual orientation
B)race
C)education level
D)religious affiliation

Question 58

________ states currently allow voters to register and cast a ballot on the same day.

A)Two
B)Fifteen
C)Thirty-four
D)Forty-eight

Question 59

Which statement about party identification and gender in the United States is MOST accurate?

A)Men are significantly more likely than women to identify with the Democratic Party,whereas more women identify as independents.
B)Women are significantly more likely than men to identify with the Democratic Party,whereas more men identify as independents.
C)A majority of men and women identify as Republicans,but more men than women identify with the Republican Party.
D)There are no significant differences between men and women in terms of their political partisanship.

Question 60

Approximately ________ percent of eligible voters turn out for midterm congressional elections.

A)10
B)35
C)60
D)75

Question 61

A(n)________ occurs when a voter can wait until the day of the primary to choose which
Party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election.

A)open primary
B)closed primary
C)majority system
D)Referendum

Question 62

In order to win the presidency,a candidate must win

A)at least 270 electoral votes.
B)a majority of the popular vote.
C)at least 26 state-level presidential elections.
D)at least 300 electoral votes.

Question 63

Primary elections were introduced by

A)the Federalists in the late eighteenth century.
B)the Democrats in the 1830s.
C)the Republicans in the 1870s.
D)Progressive reformers at the start of the 1900s.

Question 64

What is a referendum?

A)It is the congressional election held between presidential elections.
B)It is the power to remove an elected official from office during the middle of his or her term.
C)It is the practice of referring a proposed law passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection.
D)It is the process by which a party selects its candidates for the general election.

Question 65

Which of the following is the best example of direct democracy in the United States?

A)gerrymandering
B)retrospective voting
C)prospective voting
D)a referendum

Question 66

National elections are held in the United States on the first Tuesday of November ________
Year(s).

A)every
B)every other
C)every three
D)every four

Question 67

When Hillary Clinton won the plurality of votes in California during the 2016 election,and
California had 53 representatives in the House of Representatives,how many electoral votes
From California did she win?

A)53
B)55
C)62
D)77

Question 68

The ________ is the last example of indirect voting in national elections.

A)referendum
B)electoral college
C)open primary
D)closed primary

Question 69

Generally speaking,a recall effort begins with a

A)petition campaign.
B)lawsuit.
C)law passed by the state legislature.
D)decree by the governor.

Question 70

Which of the following political officers is/are subject to recall elections?

A)the president
B)members of the House of Representatives
C)federal judges
D)the governor of the state of California

Question 71

Which of the following would be an example of a ballot initiative?

A)A vote on whether recreational marijuana usage should be legalized in the state of California.
B)A vote on whether the governor of the state of Wisconsin should be recalled from office.
C)A vote on who will serve on the Los Angeles city council.
D)A vote on whether to overturn a law passed by the New York state legislature and signed by the governor of New York that imposes higher taxes on wealthy residents.

Question 72

Which of the following statements about primary elections is MOST accurate?

A)The United States is one of the few nations in the world to hold primary elections.
B)About half of the countries in the world hold primary elections.
C)Approximately,three-quarters of the countries in the world hold primary elections.
D)Every country in the world holds primary elections.

Question 73

Which of the following politicians was recalled from office?

A)President Warren Harding (1921)
B)New York City mayor David Dinkins (1993)
C)California governor Gray Davis (2003)
D)President Richard Nixon (1972)

Question 74

Currently,there are ________ states that have the legislative referendum and ________ states
That provide for the initiative process.

A)24; 50
B)50; 24
C)24; 24
D)50; 50

Question 75

A citizen can currently give no more than ________ per candidate for federal office per
Election in a given two-year election cycle.

A)$1,000
B)$2,700
C)$5,000
D)$25,000

Question 76

A proposed law or policy change that is placed on the ballot by citizens or interest groups
For a popular vote is called a

A)ballot initiative.
B)grassroots amendment.
C)people's compact.
D)popular directive.

Question 77

Which of the following would be an example of a referendum?

A)A vote on whether recreational marijuana usage should be legalized in the state of California.
B)A vote on whether the governor of the state of Wisconsin should be recalled from office.
C)A vote on who will serve on the Los Angeles city council.
D)A vote on whether to overturn a law passed by the New York state legislature and signed by the governor of New York that imposes higher taxes on wealthy residents.

Question 78

A(n)________ occurs when a voter must be registered with a party prior to voting in that
Party's election.

A)open primary
B)closed primary
C)majority system
D)Referendum

Question 79

The winner of the electoral college vote has NOT won the popular vote ________ time(s)in
American history.

A)One
B)Four
C)Ten
D)thirty-four

Question 80

Which of the following was NOT an election in which the person elected president failed to
Receive more popular votes than his opponent?

A)1876
B)1888
C)1912
D)2000