Multiple Choice Review for Unit V

1. Multiple Choice Review for Unit V Chapters 9-11

2. One reason why party identification has declined in recent years is that: • young voters have weaker party identification. • Party identification, today, is no longer influenced by parents’ party identification. • Today, there are more parties with which voters may identify. • Voters tend to lose their party identification as they grow older, and today’s population is aging. • Party identification is increasingly seen as a sign of closed-mindedness.

3. The general pattern of public-opinion cleavages (differences in ideology) in this country has been: • Horizontal, based on class. • Vertical, based on many variables. • Vertical on economic issues and horizontal on social issues. • Impossible to analyze clearly. • Cross-cutting, based on many variables including a variety of social and economic issues

4. The experience with 527 organizations in the 2004 elections and SuperPACs in recent elections suggests campaign finance laws: • Are an effective way to minimize interest group participation. • Are an effective way to reduce campaign spending. • Facilitate coordination of efforts between candidates and groups. • Are not likely to take money out of politics. • Have restricted speech considerably.

5. One effect of the way that federal matching funds are made available to candidates for presidential campaigns is to: • Give candidates an incentive to raise money from small donorsinstead of self-financing • Encourage candidates to use more of their own financing. • Strengthen the role that the party plays in raising campaign funds. • Increase the chances of an ideologically-oriented candidate wining the election. • Encourage a large number of third party candidates to run.

6. In the 1980 presidential election, many voters 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 spin vote. • a clothespin vote. • a prospective vote. • an informed vote. • an inclined vote.

7. A major difference between presidential campaigns and congressional campaigns is that: • fewer people vote in presidential elections. • presidential incumbents can better serve their constituents. • presidential incumbents can more easily avoid responsibility. • presidential races are generally more competitive. • congressional incumbents are more likely to be defeated.

8. The disadvantage of the new primary system that has developed in the United States is that it: • Increases the role of rank-and-file party members to exert an influence over the party’s candidate choice. • Increases the chances that the party will nominate a candidate who is unappealing to the average voter (too ideological) • Decreases the opportunity for those with strong policy preferences to play a role in the party. • Decreases the likelihood that one party or the other will gain control of the presidency for several terms. • Increases the likelihood of interest groups supporting candidates who are appealing to single-issue voters.

9. Many strong social movements in the United States (e.g. the antiwar movement of the late 1960s) never produced a significant third party. One reason for this is that: • Most states have laws against the formation of third parties. • Dissident elements were able to influence elections through party primaries and national conventions instead. • The size of these social movements was never large enough to encourage the formation of parties. • Formation of a third party would undermine the goals of these movements. • Such movements typically failed to generate significant interest in mainstream politics.

10. This cartoon would be more likely to be seen in a political system with a two party system rather than a multiparty system. Why? • Coalitions are formed before the general election so the party nominee is often a compromise choice. • Two party systems do not allow parties to have a large voice in selecting presidential candidates. • Multiparty systems have a greater variety of candidates running for each party seat. • I. • II. • III. • I and II. • II and III.

11. Which of the following statements about the formula for selecting delegates to the national conventions is correct? • Both Democrats and Republicans give extra delegates to large states. • Both Democrats and Republicans give extra delegates to loyal states. • The Democrats and Republicans use different formulas but tend to use proportional representation in each state • The formula reflects a movement to the center by both Democrats and Republicans. • Formulas have had no noticeable impact on the selection of delegates to the conventions.

12. Which of the following best describes a multi-party system? • Membership in the party of choice is not generally voluntary. • There is usually a general consensus of agreement as to basic principles of government. • Multi-party systems usually give the voters meaningful choices rather than moderate candidates/parties • Parties tend to avoid extreme ideologies. • Minor parties have little effect on most elections.

13. 12. Which of the following would be a true statement regarding public opinion? • Public opinion teaches patriotism. • Public opinion allows citizens to become aware of politics, learn facts and form political values. • Public opinion is shaped by an individual’s political culture and political socialization. • A change in public opinion is always a slow proceΩss. • Public opinion is usually based on the ideas of small select groups within a given political socialization area.

14. 13. A method of lobbying where interest group members and others outside the organization write letters, send emails, and make telephone calls to influence policymakers is known as: • Litigation lobbying • Grassroots lobbying • Direct lobbying • Coalition lobbying • Influential lobbying

15. 14. Those media executives and news editors who decide which events to present and how to present the news are called: • Content regulators • Gatekeepers • Technical regulators • Telecommunication regulators • Media representatives

16. 15. Which of the following best describes the practice of “ticket splitting?” • A presidential nominee selects a running mate who can appeal to voter groups. • A voter chooses the presidential nominee of one major party, but chooses Congressional nominees of the other major party. • A mayor orders the local police force to hand out fewer parking violations in the weeks leading up to the general election. • A delegate to a national party convention supports the front-runner but remains uncommitted on the party platform. • A member of Congress votes against legislation proposed by his or her party leader.

17. 16. The primary function of political action committees (PACs) is to: • Contribute money to candidates for election. • Coordinate local get-out-the-vote campaigns • Promote the defeat of incumbents in the federal and state legislatures • Organize protest demonstrations and other acts of civil disobedience. • Contact Congress to suggest legislation

18. 17. Successful candidates for the Republican presidential nomination tend to be more conservative than rank-and-file Republicans because: • Moderate Republicans are less likely than conservative Republicans to gain widespread support in the general election. • Most moderate Republicans have approved of the Democratic presidential candidate • Most rank-and-file Republicans do not care whether their party’s nominee shares their political views. • Party activists, whose political participation is disproportionate to their numbers, tend to be very conservative. • The Republican party does not allow rank and file members to participate in the selection of the party’s nominee.

19. 18. A member of which of the following demographic groups is most likely to support a Republican presidential candidate? • White male • White female • African American, male or female • Youths below the age of 25, male or female. • Individuals earning below poverty-level wages, male or female.

20. 19. Which of the following statements is true of congressional incumbents who run for reelection? • Incumbent senators are more likely to be reelected than are incumbent members of the House of Representatives. • Incumbents are prohibited by law from spending more on their reelection campaigns than their challengers spend. • Incumbents have a great advantage over challengers because they are better known and can raise campaign funds more easily. • Ever since the 1994 election, the majority of congressional incumbents have failed in their reelection attempts. • Most incumbents who run for reelection are unopposed in the general election.

21. 20. The spoils system of awarding civil service jobs was replaced by the merit system as a result of the • Truman Doctrine • Fair Labor Standards Act of 1961 • Hatch Act of 1939 • Civil Rights Act of 1964 • Pendleton Act of 1883

22. 21. Two party systems tend to dominate in the United States because of all of the following EXCEPT: • People feel as if a vote for a third party is a wasted vote • Voters tend to have moderate opinions on issues and the two major parties are never too radical • Congressional districts and the electoral votes from each state run by a plurality– candidates only need more votes than the other in their state or district • Voters have strong opinions on most issues • Our history tends to favor two sides of an issue

23. 22. The purpose of primary elections and caucuses is to • Choose the party chairperson • Plan the national party convention • Choose the party nominee for the presidential election • Choose the congressmen and women for districts throughout the state • Choose the governors of each state

24. 23. Which of the following has NOT had an impact on campaign fundraising and/or spending? • Tinker v. DeMoines • Buckley v. Valeo • Citizens United v. FEC • The Bi-Partisan Campaign and Reform Act of 2002 (McCain/Feingold) • The Federal Election and Campaign Act of 1972 *Do you know what each of these refers to?

25. 24. Which of the following is not controlled by FEC campaign finance limits? • Political Action Committee contributions to candidates • 527 contributions to candidates • Personal contributions to one’s own campaign (if candidate accepts federal funding) • SuperPAC fundraising • Hard money contributions from party committees to campaigns

26. 25. Which of the following is an issue that most Americans can agree on? • Abortion • Equality of opportunity, but not necessarily equality of result • Socialization of the economy • Military intervention in foreign affairs • Heavier taxation of the wealthy