Deck 9: Campaigns, Elections, and the Media

Question 1

Advertising paid for by interest groups that support or oppose a candidate (or a candidate's position on an issue) without mentioning voting or elections is called

A) a PAC advertisement.
B) a soft-money contribution.
C) issue advocacy advertising.
D) a hard money expenditure.
E) payola profiteering and pilfering.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

One of the reasons that campaigns no longer depend on political parties is

A) recent changes in election laws have stripped parties of their power over elections.
B) resentment that candidates feel about the control that parties demand regarding the kinds of campaigns the candidates will run.
C) fewer people identify with them.
D) the fact that so many candidates are choosing to run as independents, rejecting the labels of both Democrat and Republican.
E) the control of interest groups over campaign regulations.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following statements is false?

A) Campaign fund-raising has grown due to a reduction in limits on the process.
B) Recent Supreme Court decisions have made it easier to raise large donations.
C) The media play a minor role in the political process.
D) Newspapers have become less important as new media have become involved in the political process.
E) Political campaigns are long, bitter, and expensive.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Political parties

A) have difficulty finding candidates for some local offices.
B) have difficulty finding candidates to run for office in some regions of the country.
C) have difficulty finding candidates when winning that office is unlikely.
D) have an easier time finding candidates when the office has prestige.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 5

Tracking polls are used

A) on a daily basis to determine last-minute changes in the mood of the electorate.
B) by the government to determine if a candidate is receiving illegal campaign contributions.
C) to encourage voter turnout.
D) primarily in countries that have a multiparty political structure.
E) by the media throughout the election year.

Question 6

If a candidate is a highly visible incumbent seeking reelection,

A) the strategy will be to get the incumbent's name before the voters as much as possible.
B) a front porch campaign has been proven most effective.
C) there may be little need for campaigning except to remind the voters of the officeholder's good deeds.
D) the strategy will be to keep as low a profile as possible.
E) the incumbent must devote almost every moment to campaigning to avoid seeming overly confident and arrogant.

Question 7

Independent expenditures are

A) funds spent by the party independent without permission of the candidate.
B) personal funds spent by the candidate on campaign activities.
C) funds spent by political action committees that are not coordinated directly with a candidate's campaign.
D) funds spent by the Federal Election Commission.
E) funds spent by groups of independent voters.

Question 8

The 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act

A) created the Federal Election Commission.
B) placed limits on the sums that individuals and committees can contribute to candidates.
C) created an effective way to enforce campaign rules.
D) Options A and B are true.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 9

With regard to candidates for office, all of the following are true except

A) until recently, women were usually considered to be appropriate candidates only for lower-level office.
B) the number is evenly divided between men and women.
C) most candidates are white and male.
D) the number of women and minorities running for office is increasing.
E) candidates are likely to be professionals, especially lawyers.

Question 10

Naturalized citizens are constitutionally barred from running for the office of

A) United States senator.
B) United States representative.
C) President of the United States.
D) governor.
E) chief justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Question 11

Which campaign financing reform was best known for restricting the political activities of civil servants?

A) Corrupt Practices Act
B) Federal Election Campaign Act
C) Supreme Court decision in Buckley v. Valeo
D) Hatch Act
E) McCain-Feingold Act

Question 12

Political Action Committees

A) are not covered by federal election laws.
B) are committees created under federal or state law for the purpose of collecting political donations.
C) coordinate all expenditures directly with the candidate.
D) collect funds from the candidate and transfer them to the political party.
E) are limited in how much they spend.

Question 13

A striking feature of today's political campaigns is the

A) large number of people who are willing to volunteer their time.
B) positive theme that most candidates use exclusively through the election.
C) lack of money contributed to candidates for major political office.
D) importance of paid professionals rather than volunteers.
E) refusal of so many candidates to take advantage of the media.

Question 14

Facts show that

A) there is a connection between money and elections.
B) the new lower limits on campaign donations are having a positive effect on election outcomes.
C) spending in the 2011-2012 election cycle was lower than in previous election cycles.
D) All of the above are true.
E) Options A and C are true.

Question 15

The 2010 Supreme Court decision, Citizen's United v. FEC

A) increased the political power of corporations.
B) was supported by Republicans on the basis of free speech.
C) was opposed by Democrats because it gave corporations some political rights given to individual citizens.
D) ruled that corporations, unions and nonprofits may spend freely to support or oppose candidates as long as those expenditures are not coordinated with the candidate campaigns.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 16

All of the following are reasons why many candidates for office are lawyers except

A) lawyers have a more flexible work schedule.
B) holding office is good publicity for their law practice.
C) political connections can help a lawyer later in his/her career.
D) lawyers have trouble finding work in most states.
E) lawyers may have long-term career aspirations for positions that require political appointment such as judgeships or jobs in federal agencies.

Question 17

Candidates for president face obstacles to winning for all of the following reasons except

A) they must have great personal wealth in order to win.
B) they must be able to garner enough support to win the early primaries.
C) they must be able to organize, staff ,and fund a campaign organization.
D) they must be must be able to find local volunteers in each state to win primary votes.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 18

All are true except

A) since 1994 the number of people who read a daily newspaper has dropped.
B) more people now obtain their national and international news from the Internet.
C) what you see online is very different from what you see in print.
D) some major newspapers have gone bankrupt in recent years.
E) if newspapers disappear, people will get their news from cable stations and the Internet.

Question 19

Holders of political office in the United States today are usually

A) representative of the general public.
B) evenly divided between men and women.
C) white and male.
D) younger than the candidates elected in the 1800s.
E) Roman Catholics.

Question 20

All of following are true except

A) today's campaigns are centered on the candidate rather than on the party.
B) the goal of a campaign is to convince voters to choose the party's candidate.
C) to run a successful campaign the candidate's organization must be able to raise funds, produce political commercials, and get voters to the polls.
D) campaigns are concerned with getting the support of their party members, but not too concerned with independent voters.
E) campaigns no longer depend on parties because fewer people identify with political parties.

Question 21

The number of members each state will have in the electoral college

A) cannot exceed fifty members.
B) cannot be changed without a Constitutional amendment.
C) changes every four years.
D) is determined by adding the number of representatives and the number of senators a state has in Congress.
E) is the same so as to ensure that each state plays an equal role in selecting the president of the United States.

Question 22

With regard to presidential candidates,

A) Iowa and New Hampshire have the first caucus and primary, respectively, in voting for presidential candidates.
B) many states are moving their primaries to earlier dates in order to have more input into the selection of presidential candidates.
C) moving state primaries into the first months of the year is known as front-loading.
D) in 2008, twenty-four states had primaries on the same day.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 23

Which statement about primaries is true?

A) Candidates for the presidency go through two elections-the primaries and the general election.
B) Most delegates to the national party conventions are chosen in primary elections.
C) Most primaries are winner-take-all.
D) In recent years, the Democrats have used a proportional system in the presidential primaries.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 24

When the top two candidates in a primary compete in a second primary for the majority of votes, it is called

A) a closed primary.
B) an open primary.
C) a run-off primary.
D) a blanket primary.
E) a caucus.

Question 25

Voter fraud

A) is regularly suspected but seldom proved.
B) was more common in the 1800s when votes were openly purchased than today.
C) is the argument frequently cited by supporters of voter I.D. laws.
D) may be overstated by some.
E) All the above are true.

Question 26

In the presidential elections

A) electors meet in the state's capital in December to cast their votes for the president.
B) a joint session of Congress meets in early January (after the presidential election) and the electoral votes are counted.
C) one can win the majority of the popular vote and not become president.
D) one can win the electoral college vote without winning the majority of the popular vote.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 27

Which of the following statements about the electoral college is true?

A) Although it is theoretically possible for a candidate to win the electoral vote while losing the popular vote, this has never happened in our history.
B) The Framers ensured that it would be impossible for a candidate to win the electoral vote without also winning the popular vote.
C) The Constitution requires that the members of the electoral college vote in a manner consistent with their states' popular vote.
D) The only way that our nation could cease to use the electoral college is through the process of constitutional amendment.
E) The members of the electoral college are required by the Constitution to be at least thirty-five years old and of good moral character.

Question 28

The manner in which members of the electoral college are selected within each state is currently governed by

A) state laws.
B) the Federal Electoral Selection Act.
C) Article II of the United States Constitution.
D) congressional oversight.
E) federal district court judges.

Question 29

The difference between a closed primary and an open primary is that in a closed primary

A) all people can vote for either party's candidates.
B) party leaders meet to choose the candidates.
C) candidates from both parties are on the same ballot.
D) only pre-registered party members can vote.
E) people can vote in the primary even if they are independents.

Question 30

In presidential elections,

A) voters elect the president directly.
B) the number of electors equals each state's number of senators (two) plus its number of representatives.
C) electors have always voted for the candidate who won their state's vote.
D) Options A, B, and C are true.
E) None of the above is true.

Question 31

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

A) bans soft money contributions to national parties.
B) bans campaign ads by special interest groups.
C) bans independent expenditures.
D) bans the practice of lobbying.
E) eliminated the Federal Election Commission.

Question 32

Which of the following are true of superdelegates?

A) A superdelegate is a party leader or elected official who is given the right to vote at the national convention.
B) Their votes are ceremonial and do not count in the delegate total.
C) They are members of the media who cover the national convention.
D) They are elected at the state level.
E) They participate as delegates to the state convention.

Question 33

The 2010 Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC allows

A) corporations, unions, and individuals to donate unlimited funds to presidential campaigns.
B) corporations, unions, and individuals to donate unlimited funds to entities that are "independent" of the candidates.
C) corporations, unions, and individuals to donate unlimited funds to political parties.
D) political parties to create special funds to donate to candidates from federal monies.
E) Options A and B are true.

Question 34

The organizations that came to be known as "527s"

A) have become eclipsed in importance since the rise of super PACs.
B) were set up by political parties for anonymous donors' contributions.
C) run ads that are coordinated with the candidate's campaign ads.
D) are more powerful than super PACs.
E) Options B and C are true.

Question 35

A party-column ballot is a form of general election ballot

A) that is used by only a few states today.
B) that focuses attention on the office instead of the party.
C) in which the candidates are arranged in one column under their respective party.
D) that was held to be unconstitutional in 1948.
E) in which all candidates for each elective office are grouped under the title of the office.

Question 36

Independent expenditures

A) must be made from the candidate's personal funds.
B) are unregulated funds spent by interest groups on advertising or other campaign activities.
C) were banned by the Supreme Court decision, Citizens United v. FEC.
D) were less important in the 2012 presidential election than in previous years.
E) were widely supported by the McCain-Feingold Act.

Question 37

Super PACs

A) allow America's millionaires and billionaires to donate unlimited funds to influence elections.
B) are political advertising councils that design political campaigns.
C) are limited to raising no more than ten million dollars per campaign cycle.
D) raise money to run both positive and negative campaign ads.
E) Options A and D are true.

Question 38

When voters can vote in either party primary without disclosing their party affiliation, it is called

A) a closed primary.
B) an open primary.
C) a run-off primary.
D) a blanket primary.
E) a caucus.

Question 39

At the national convention,

A) upon arrival most delegates are undecided as to whom they would like to see as the party's candidate.
B) the delegates from those states that had early primaries and caucuses are seated closest to the front of the convention center.
C) the presidential candidate is chosen by the party delegates.
D) elites within the political parties are entrusted with making the determination of an appropriate candidate based upon electability.
E) it usually take three ballots for the party to choose the presidential candidate.

Question 40

When only declared party members can vote in a primary election, it is called

A) a closed primary.
B) an open primary.
C) a run-off primary.
D) a blanket primary.
E) a caucus.

Question 41

Reported voter turnout _________ as education __________.

A) increases, decreases
B) randomly swings, increases
C) stabilizes, increases
D) decreases, decreases
E) stabilizes, decreases

Question 42

Reported voter turnout _________ as age __________.

A) increases, increases
B) increases, decreases
C) stabilizes, increases
D) stabilizes, decreases
E) decreases, increases

Question 43

In midterm elections

A) voters choose all members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
B) national elections are held in which candidates for president are not on the ballot.
C) voters choose one-third of the members of the U.S. Senate.
D) Options A and B are true.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 44

Voter registration drives

A) are a noncontroversial political activity.
B) became political issue when Acorn, a community organizing group was accused of violating election laws.
C) operate under very loose laws in Republican-controlled states.
D) are organized by public-interest and political organizations in the week before an election.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 45

Studies of bias in the media have reached

A) different conclusions: some found a liberal bias, while others found a conservative bias.
B) a clear conclusion: there is a liberal bias in the media.
C) a clear conclusion: there is a conservative bias in the media.
D) a clear conclusion: there is no bias in the media.
E) different conclusions: there is an ideological bias but there is no racial bias.

Question 46

The right to vote

A) has been expanded since the writing of the Constitution.
B) has not been extended to those without property.
C) has been given to aliens as long as they are registered to vote.
D) can never be taken away.
E) is taken away if one doesn't vote in five elections.

Question 47

Some observers believe the following about low voter turnout:

A) Too few individuals are wielding too much political power.
B) Low turnout is a sign of satisfaction with the status quo.
C) Low turnout is a sign of political apathy in the voting public.
D) Potential voters do not want to take the time to learn about the issues.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 48

News blogs

A) are a dangerous new invention.
B) are only produced by paid journalists.
C) can be produced inexpensively.
D) provide the same high quality information as traditional newspapers.
E) are the main source of news to a majority of Americans.

Question 49

The mass media perform all of the following functions except

A) funding media watchdog groups.
B) entertainment.
C) making profits.
D) socializing new generations.
E) reporting the news.

Question 50

A campaign advisor who tries to convince journalists of the truth of a particular interpretation of events is called a

A) news consultant.
B) flip-flopper.
C) spin doctor.
D) fact checker.
E) win engineer.

Question 51

Newspapers online

A) sell enough advertising to cover their costs.
B) cover all of their costs by requiring all viewers to buy a subscription.
C) lose advertising revenue to services like Google and Yahoo.
D) provide content for free to services like Google and Yahoo.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 52

Campaign blogs and podcasts

A) have improved candidates' ability to deliver their message to voters without media filter.
B) have made it more difficult for candidates to control their campaigns.
C) are not followed by mainstream news media.
D) are sometimes created for the candidate by professional strategists.
E) Options A and D are true.

Question 53

To become a critical news viewer, you must

A) develop a critical eye for stories given prominence at the top of newspaper Web sites.
B) visit the sites of publications with specific contrasting points of view.
C) investigate the source of information in blogs.
D) analyze news programs for time spent on news versus happy talk.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 54

All of the following statements about low voter turnout are true except

A) people do not vote because they feel the media is too focused on who is winning, rather than on policy.
B) it is much more common in most other countries to have low voter turnout than in the United States.
C) people feel their vote will not impact the election.
D) it results in the election of candidates who have received the votes of a small part of the voting-age population.
E) negative advertising turns people off to voting.

Question 55

All of the following statements are true except

A) Voter I.D. laws are likely to suppress the vote of low-income voters.
B) The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Indiana voter ID law.
C) Voter I.D. laws are favored by Republicans.
D) Voter I.D. laws are favored by Democrats.
E) Voter I.D. laws are likely to suppress the vote of minority voters.

Question 56

The concerns about concentrated media ownership include

A) concentration could lead to a decline in the democratic debate.
B) media owners might steer the debate.
C) cable news viewers will be lost to newspapers owned by the parent company.
D) Options A and B are true.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 57

Which of the following groups tends to be overrepresented in the electorate?

A) Wealthier people
B) People under the age of sixty-five
C) Very young voters aged eighteen to twenty-four
D) The poor and homeless
E) Hispanics

Question 58

Today (2012), most Americans obtain their national and international news from

A) television news.
B) newspapers.
C) news radio.
D) the Internet.
E) news magazines.

Question 59

Government control of media content

A) has evolved over time.
B) is limited by the First Amendment.
C) includes a limited ability to control indecent programming.
D) includes greater control over electronic media than print media.
E) All of the above are true.

Question 60

Becoming a critical news viewer requires that you

A) compare and contrast news from one source.
B) compare and contrast news from many different sources.
C) analyze the news from your ideological vantage-point.
D) analyze the news for foreign influences.
E) compare and contrast the news only from American outlets.

Question 61

Explain the ways in which new media (Internet, blogs, podcasts) are used in campaigns.

Question 62

Describe the steps you can take to become a critical news consumer.

Question 63

What are the theories of media bias? Is there evidence to support the claims of media bias?

Question 64

What should be the qualifications for voting in the United States? How tight should election rules be to prevent voter fraud? What would you do to prevent voter fraud?

Question 65

Explore the strategies devised by interest groups and parties to get around campaign finance reform legislation.

Question 66

Which people are least likely to vote? How does this affect government policies?

Question 67

How has the advent of online fundraising changed the process of raising campaign funds? Which candidates have used the technique with great success?

Question 68

Describe the evolution of campaign regulation in the United States. Include details about efforts by Congress to reform the ways in which campaigns are financed.

Question 69

Explain how the electoral college works, the situations in which it has produced controversial results, and the criticisms leveled against it.

Question 70

How has the right to vote been expanded since the Constitution was written?