155 pols

1.Over time, people are most likely to change their beliefs about which of the following?

a. banking regulations

b. liberty and freedom

c. abortion

d. the death penalty

2.Voters who carefully follow public affairs are known as which of the following?

a. attentive electorate

b. attentive public

c. active public

d. active electorate

3.An individual’s propensity to perceive, interpret, or act toward a particular object in a particular way is a(n) ___________.

a. ideology

b. belief

c. value

d. attitude

4.An election in which voters elect officeholders is which type of election?

a. general

b. primary

c. presidential

d. midterm

5.An election in which voters determine party nominees is which type of election?

a. general

b caucus

c. primary

d. midterm

6.What is the term for the proportion of the voting-age public that votes?

a. participatory segment

b. electoral segment

c. turnout

d. mobilization

7.An informal and subjective affiliation with a political party that most people acquire over the course of their lifetime is known as what?

a. party identification

b. voter identity

c. electoral socialization

d. platform identification

8.In public opinion research, the _________ is the group of people whose preferences the researcher wants to measure.

a. subject group

b. demographic group

c. sample

d. universe

9.Which American president once said, “What I want is to get done what the people desire to be done, and the question for me is how to find that out exactly.”

a. Andrew Jackson

b. Abraham Lincoln

c. Theodore Roosevelt

d. Bill Clinton

10.Two major schools of political ideology dominate American politics. What are they?

a. conservatism and liberalism

b. conservatism and libertarianism

c. liberalism and progressivism

d. socialism and nationalism

11.What percentage of Americans currently view themselves as extremely conservative?

a. 2 to 4 percent

b. 4 to 8 percent

c. 8 to 12 percent

d. 12 to 16 percent

12.Typically, how many people attempt to influence how another person votes?

a. less than 1 percent

b. fewer than one in ten

c. about 10 percent

d. fewer than one in four

13.How are intensity of public opinion and salience related?

a. They are often correlated on the same issue.

b. They are essentially the same.

c. As intensity increases, salience goes down.

d. Intensity is a precondition for salience.

14.When is voter turnout lowest?

a. municipal primaries

b. midterm primary elections

c. midterm general elections

d. special elections

15.Issues that people believe are important to them are __________.

a. intense

b. core values

c. salient

d. ideological issues

16.Which of the following is the most influential factor when voters develop the political attitudes they take into elections?

a. family

b. school

c. mass media

d. self-reflection

17.Voters who hold the belief that government can bring about justice and equality of opportunity subscribe to what political ideology?

a. liberalism

b. conservatism

c. libertarianism

d. socialism

18.Voters who hold beliefs in private property rights and free enterprise, and who want to enhance individual liberty by keeping government small, subscribe to what political ideology?

a. liberalism

b. conservatism

c. communism

d. fascism

19.Social conservatives differ from traditional conservatives in that they support which of the following?

a. social controls

b. economic controls

c. deregulation

d. military expenditures

20.Why do conservatives favor cutting taxes for the wealthy?

a. They believe the wealthy will spend and invest more money, benefiting the economy.

b. They believe the wealthy will contribute more to charity, benefiting people in need. 

c. They believe that all taxes should be eliminated.

d. They believe the wealthy will contribute more to political campaigns, thus helping to elect conservatives.

21.Which state was the first to grant women’s suffrage?

a. Pennsylvania

b. Wyoming

c. Texas

d. Rhode Island

22.Which U.S. constitutional amendment granted women the right to vote on the national level?

a. Sixth

c. Twelfth

d. Nineteenth

e. Twenty-Third

23.Congress granted citizenship and voting rights to which group in 1924?

a. ex-Confederate soldiers

b. Japanese immigrants

c. Native Americans

d. railroad workers

24.Voting was extended to those 18 years of age or older through which constitutional amendment?

a. Ninth

b. Twenty-Sixth

c. Twenty-First

d. Fifteenth

25.Federal law prevents a state from closing voter registration more than __________ before a federal election.

a. 15 days

b. 30 days

c. 2 months

d. 6 months

26.Since 1952, there have been an equal number of Democratic and Republican presidents. Beyond party identification, the main factor that accounts for this is __________.

a. candidate appeal

b. electoral appeal

c. platform appeal

d. party appeal

27.People tend to belong to the same political party as __________.

a. their parents

b. their peers

c. their neighbors

d. their close friends

28.In terms of their ideology, most people in the United States are __________.

a. slightly liberal

b. slightly conservative

c. moderate

d. non-ideological

29.What is the key to ensuring that a relatively small number of people can accurately represent the opinions of a larger population?

a. random sampling

b. indexing

c. question format

d. response rate

30.What factor is associated with fluctuations in party identification?

a. involvement in foreign wars

b. political corruption

c. congressional gridlock

d. economic conditions

31.Candidate appeal focuses on which of the following questions?

a. What interest groups have endorsed the candidate?

b. Does the candidate have religious or spiritual commitments?

c. What is the candidate’s position on health care policy?

d. What party does the candidate belong to?

32.There is considerable disagreement about how to interpret low voter turnout. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, what is the principal reason that people do not vote?

a. registration problems

b. too busy

c. political ideology

d. no interest

33.Of the following factors, which is usually correlated with a propensity to vote?

a. ambition

b. ethical orientation

c. gender

d. geography

34.Libertarians support which of the following?

a. repealing laws regulating abortion

b. instituting a public jobs program

c. creating programs to protect children from drugs

d. taxing the wealthy more heavily

35.Political scientists have identified three main elements of the voting choice. What are they?

a. candidate appeal, issues, and party identification

b. candidate appeal, issues, and intensity

c. issues, intensity, and intelligence

d. issues, party identification, and social class

36.How do elections in America compare with those in other democracies of the world?

a. Americans vote more frequently than citizens in other democracies of the world.

b. Americans vote less frequently than citizens in other democracies of the world.

c. Americans vote more frequently, but for fewer offices, than citizens in other democracies of the world.

d. Americans vote more frequently and for more offices than citizens in other democracies of the world.

37.The 2010 elections, where the GOP picked up congressional seats, was which type of election? 

a. presidential

b. representative

c. primary

d. midterm

38.Both political parties hope to register and mobilize __________, who comprise the largest minority group in the United States.

a. African Americans

b. Hispanics

c. Arab Americans

d. Asian Americans

39.As a result of the Voting Rights Act and the ban on the poll tax, __________.

a. there was a dramatic expansion of registration and voting by African Americans

b. the Republican Party became stronger in the South

c. the Democratic Party became stronger in the South

d. registration increased, but overall voter turnout decreased

40.What impact has the “Motor Voter” law had? 

a. It has had no impact on voter registration or voting.

b. It has led to more new voters registering, most of whom claim to be Independents.

c. It has led to more new voters registering, most of whom claim to Democrats.

d. It has increased voter turnout by approximately 10 percent.

41.Enacted in 2002, the __________ established accessibility standards for voting systems in the United States.

a. Americans with Disabilities Act

b. Voting Rights Act

c. Help America Vote Act

d. Electoral Integrity Act

42.The lowest rate of voter turnout is among __________.

a. Independent-leaning Democrats

b. Pure Independents 

c. Independent-leaning Republicans 

d. Libertarians 

43.Jennifer grows up in a politically active household, where both her parents vote, contribute to campaigns, listen to nightly news broadcasts, and read weekly news magazines. They involve Jennifer in their discussions of the political events of the day, often commenting about the social and economic policies that they favor. In time, Jennifer learns that her parents favor government bailouts of troubled national industries and that government should act to improve public education. As she matures, she adopts the political party affiliation of her parents. What process has Jennifer undergone?

a. political assimilation

b. political definition

c. political identification

d. political socialization 

44.The Pew Research Center publishes survey data that indicate that 54 percent of college students plan to vote in the next presidential election. If the margin of error is 3 percent, what should the candidates expect the lowest turnout rate among college students to be?

a. 57 percent

b. 54 percent

c. 51 percent 

d. less than 51 percent

45.Gabriel is a white middle-class father of two, who works as a librarian in the public library system of a large city in the American West. He is 57 years old. Although Gabriel is generally inclined to support Democratic candidates whose policies provide an economic safety net for those hardest hit by recessions, he will occasionally vote Republican or as an Independent. He is especially concerned about equal access to health care and is inclined to support more aggressive measures to protect the environment from careless polluters. In terms of political ideology, how is Gabriel likely to self-classify himself?

a. conservative

b. liberal

c. extremely liberal

d. non-ideological

46.When Representative Barbara M. Calhoun left office in the middle of her fourth term, she did so at the behest of the president, who appointed her to be U.S. ambassador to Chile. As soon as she had accepted the post, she informed state officials in Georgia of her plans. What did they immediately organize to fill her vacant seat?

a. a midterm election

b. a primary election

c. a replacement election

d. a special election

47.Why are latent opinions important?

a. These opinions help to explain low rates of political participation in the United States.

b. These opinions are highly salient and thus influence people’s political attitudes and behaviors. 

c. These opinions are formed early in life and comprise people’s core values.

d. Politicians can make these opinions salient to voters and can use them to build public support for their policies. 

48.Compared to liberals, conservatives take a more __________ view of human nature.

a. optimistic

b. pessimistic

c. holistic

d. biased

49.The __________ of public opinion means the proportion of the population that holds a particular view.

a. distribution

b. intensity

c. level

d. margin

50.The statements of a Libertarian voter that the government should not regulate social choices of adults and that the free market is a better supplier of goods and services than a centralized government are representative of his or her what?

a. intensity

b. latency

c. ideology

d. salience

51.How does contemporary liberalism differ from classical liberalism?

a. Contemporary liberals place greater emphasis on individualism.

b. Unlike classical liberals, contemporary liberals believe that government intervention in the economy is necessary.

c. Contemporary liberals focus more on morality and lifestyle.

d. Unlike classical liberals, contemporary liberals favor limited government involvement in foreign affairs. 

52.A country that has complete state ownership of property, no relevant property rights, and does not allow for political opposition or voter choice has which type of political system?

a. socialist

b. fascist

c. communist

d. oligarchy

53.Which of the following is an advantage of open-ended questions in public opinion polls?

a. They allow respondents to express their views more clearly.

b. They are easier to interpret and analyze than other types of questions.

c. They reduce the margin of error in public opinion polls.

d. They allow survey researchers to increase their sample sizes.

54.Protest is a form of political participation, including Rosa Parks’s civil disobedience, Tea Party demonstrations, and Occupy Wall Street marches. In extreme cases, people may feel so strongly about an issue that they would rather fight than accept the verdict of an election. The most extreme example from American history of voters rejecting the outcome of an election is which of the following?

a. Jim Crow laws

b. the civil rights movement

c. Vietnam protests

d. the American Civil War

55.Of the following, which is more closely associated with social capital?

a. attitudes

b. awareness 

c. interests

d. networks

56.Which type of survey question is best formulated to address concerns about errors in public opinion polling resulting from difficulty in measuring intensity?

a. yes-or-no questions

b. approve-or-disapprove questions

c. scale questions

d. close-ended questions

57.In what way do libertarians and conservatives differ?

a. Unlike conservatives, libertarians favor government regulation of the financial markets.

b. Unlike conservatives, libertarians oppose restrictions on illicit drugs.

c. Unlike libertarians, conservatives favor deregulation.

d. Unlike libertarians, conservatives cherish individual liberties.

58.Why are some people opposed to vote-by-mail?

a. They believe that vote-by-mail alters the turnout in presidential general elections.

b. They believe that vote-by-mail is subject to potential fraud.

c. They believe that Independents unfairly benefit from the practice of voting by mail.

d. They believe that vote-by-mail makes it easier for states to purge voters from the rolls.

59.Race and ethnic background are linked with different levels of voting, largely because they correlate with what third factor?

a. education

b. political ideology

c. salience

d. voter awareness

60.Although as a group, African Americans vote at lower rates than white Americans, when are African Americans likely to vote at the same rate as Caucasians?

a. when they are part of two-earner families

b. when their income levels mirror those of white Americans

c. when they have college degrees

d. when they live in geographic zones other than the Deep South

p True-False Questions

61.Social conservatives focus less on economics and more on morality and lifestyle.

62.Socialism is the belief that the state owns property in common for all people and a single political party that represents the working classes controls the government.

63.The National Voter Registration Act allows people to register to vote while applying for or renewing a driver’s license.

64.Random sampling is a technique that can eliminate the margin of error in public opinion polls.

65.As people get older, they are less likely to vote.

66.Most political scientists agree that issues, though important, have less influence on how people vote than does party identification or candidate appeal.

67.Every state has some kind of voter registration rules.

68.Oregon is the only state to have switched to vote-by-mail as its means to conduct elections and has suffered lower voter turnout because of it.

69.Political socialization is a process that continues throughout our lives.

70.When a substantial percentage of a sample selected to give opinions on an issue agrees on that issue, researchers say that there is a polarization of opinion.

71.In a state where the level of education is higher than the national average, voter turnout will be lower than the national average.

72.Retrospective voting is more common than prospective voting.

73.Intensity of public opinion refers to the degree to which people feel strongly about their opinions.

74.As a retrospective issue voter, you are likely to vote against incumbents during a bad economy.

 Fill-in-the-Blank Questions

75.When people come together, listen to each other, exchange ideas, and learn to appreciate each other’s differences, they are engaging in __________.

76.The Twenty-Fourth Amendment prohibited the use of ____________ in federal elections.

77.The electoral process during which voters replace members of the House of Representatives who have died or left office is called a(n) _______________.

78.A common element of political socialization in most cultures is __________, a consciousness of the nation-state and of belonging to it.

79.__________ are issues that motivate particular segments of the electorate to vote and on which the opposing candidate or party is less popular.

80.In a recent Pew Research Center Global Attitudes Survey, corruption was seen as a bigger problem for most people in India, Nigeria, Japan, and Mexico than in __________, which allows neither the free expression of public opinion nor free elections.

81.Voters who cast their ballots in the 2014 election did not vote for a president and therefore voted in a(n) _____________ election.

82.As a group, African Americans vote ___________ than Caucasians, although this is beginning to change.

83.After passage of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, which increased the number of eligible voters by lowering the voting age to18, voter turnout between 1968 and 1972 ___________.

84.Because public opinion can change from day to day and even from hour to hour, polls are really only __________ of opinion at a particular point in time.

85.Conservatives who focus less on economics and more on morality and lifestyle are known as __________.

86.__________ believe that people are the architects of their own success or failure.

87.The United States compares favorably with other nations in political interest and awareness, but for a variety of institutional and political reasons, about ____________ percent of all eligible citizens fail to vote.

88.The fact that today’s Americans are not well informed about politics is consistent with the conclusions of scholars who have found that users of _________ “are no more knowledgeable about politics (in general and about the field of presidential candidates) than are their counterparts and, in fact, seem to be less so.”

8

Campaigns and Elections

Multiple-Choice Questions

1.Elections for members of Congress occur __________.

a. on the second Tuesday in November

b. every two years in odd-numbered years

c. on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years

d. in the first week of November in odd-numbered years

2.The term of office for senators is __________.

a. 2 years

b. 4 years

c. 6 years

d. 8 years

3.Which candidate in 2000 lost the Electoral College vote and did not become president?

a. Al Gore

b. George H. W. Bush

c. Bill Clinton

d. John McCain

4.California has 53 seats in the House of Representatives. How many Electoral College votes does it have?

a. 12

b. 25

c. 53

d. 55

5.Women in what two states were allowed to vote well before women throughout the country were granted the right to vote?

a. Colorado and New York

b. New Jersey and Wyoming

c. Pennsylvania and Virginia

d. Massachusetts and Missouri

6.Barack Obama’s successful campaigns for president in 2008 and 2012 resulted in __________ in both elections.

a. a gain of House seats for Republicans 

b. a gain of seats in the House and a loss of seats in the Senate for Democrats 

c. a loss of House seats and a gain of Senate seats for Republicans 

d. a gain of both House and Senate seats for Democrats 

7.How often do candidates for House seats have to campaign?

a. every year

b. every 2 years

c. every 4 years

d. every 6 years

8.Incumbent senators are able to outspend their challengers by what ratio?

a. 2:1

b. 3:1

c. 5:1

d. 10:1

9.What states did the Democratic National Committee attempt to punish in 2008 for moving their primaries to January?

a. California and Maine

b. Ohio and Georgia

c. Washington and South Carolina

d. Florida and Michigan

10.Which candidate in 1964 gave an acceptance speech that included the words, “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice”?

a. Lyndon Johnson

b. John Kennedy

c. Richard Nixon

d. Barry Goldwater

11.Which constitutional amendment requires presidential electors to vote for one person for president and another for vice president?

a. the Twelfth

b. the Fifteenth

c. the Nineteenth

d. the Twenty-Second

12.What organization was created in 1974 to administer new campaign reform laws?

a. U.S. Electoral Commission (USEC)

b. Federal Finance Commission (FFC)

c. Federal Election Commission (FEC)

d. Electoral Finance Commission (EFC)

13.The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act is also known as the __________.

a. McCain-Kerry bill

b. Palin-Biden Act

c. McCain-Feingold bill

d. Reid-Boehner bill

14.The Supreme Court decision in which case rejected the longstanding ban on unions and corporations using their general funds on ads about the election or defeat of a candidate?

a. Citizens United v. FEC

b. McConnell v. FEC

c. McCain v. Buckley

d. Buckley v. Valeo

15.Reformers who want more aggressive reforms than those found in BCRA are most eager to control what kinds of groups?

a. 527s

b. PACs

c. Democratic action groups

d. Super PACs

16.Some critics of state presidential primaries argue in favor of __________.

a. a national presidential runoff race

b. a national presidential primary

c. a regional caucus

d. eliminating primaries altogether

17.Competition in congressional elections is most likely when __________.

a. both candidates have adequate funding 

b. Super PACS spend money on campaign advertising

c. both candidates accept federal matching funds

d. electoral districts have been subject to partisan gerrymandering

18.In most parliamentary democracies, the party in power calls elections __________.

a. at a time of the party’s choosing

b. every five years on average

c. at fixed intervals of two years

d. only when the government receives a no-confidence vote

19.Term limits for members of the U.S. Congress can be imposed only by __________.

a. state legislatures

b. congressional legislation

c. a public referendum

d. constitutional amendment

20.The constitutional amendment limiting presidents to two terms was adopted in __________.

a. 1791

b. 1865

c. 1920

d. 1951

21.How many times has the House of Representatives determined the outcome of a presidential election?

a. 0

b. 2

c. 5

d. 10

22.In the early years of the United States, suffrage was a right for __________.

a. white male property owners over 21

b. all white males

c. all property owners

d. all adults over 21

23.Which of the following was a source of controversy in the 2012 and 2014 elections?

a. the move by some states to allow noncitizens to vote

b. the move by some states to ban advertising funded by Super PACs

c. the move in some states to reduce the number of early voting days

d. the move in some states to eliminate primaries

24.According to political scientist Gary Jacobson, coattail effects are __________.

a. large and unusual

b. modest and predictable

c. erratic and modest

d. large and predictable 

25.When running for the House of Representatives, a candidate’s main hurdle is gaining __________.

a. ballot access

b. coalition support

c. visibility 

d. support from his or her family

26.The tendency in elections to focus on the personal attributes of a candidate, such as his or her strengths, weaknesses, background, experience, and visibility, is known as __________.

a. candidate appeal

b. the incumbency advantage

c. party platforms

d. issue-oriented voting

27.An election with no incumbent running is called __________.

a. a toss-up

b. party polling

c. an open seat

d. a referendum

28.Following the 1972 election, an effort was made to give more influence in the selection of the presidential candidate to party leaders and elected officials, leading to the creation of __________.

a. Super PACs

b. superdelegates

c. strong electors

d. primary delegates

29.To win the general election, presidential candidates have to win support from __________ who often do not vote in primaries.

a. intensely conservative voters

b. committedly liberal voters

c. moderate and pragmatic voters

d. Evangelical Christians

30.Which of the following probably has the MOST bearing on who wins a presidentialelection?

a. the current state of the economy

b. the state of foreign affairs

c. which candidate has aired the most ads

d. which candidate is backed by unions

31.What does it mean for the party leadership to “clear the field” in campaigns?

a. to the purge the voter rolls of people who are ineligible to vote

b. to discourage some candidates from running while endorsing a preferred candidate

c. to discourage minor parties from running candidates in the general election

d. to discourage the opposing campaign from running negative ads

32.Ads that typically attack a candidate but allow the sponsor to avoid disclosure and contribution limitations because the ads do not use electioneering language such as “vote for” or “vote against” are classified as __________.

a. soft money

b. hard money

c. issue advocacy

d. independent expenditures

33.Money spent by individuals or groups who are not associated with candidates to elect or defeat candidates for office is known as __________.

a. self-financing

b. outside intervention

c. independent expenditures

d. soft money

34.What did all serious contenders for president in 2012 have in common?

a. They all came out in opposition to Super PACs.

b. They all appealed to moderate voters during the primary campaigns.

c. They all announced their candidacies before the end of 2010.

d. They all turned down federal matching funds.

35.Which state has a system in which the presidential candidate who carries each congressional district gets that electoral vote?

a. Maine

b. New Jersey

c. Alaska

d. California

36.Early in the nation’s history, presidential candidates were selected by __________. 

a. electors chosen by the party in power

b. political bosses

c. party caucuses

d. governors of individual states

37.In which of the following situations would an election MOST likely be decided by the House of Representatives?

a. during a time of war

b. when there are three or more strong candidates running

c. when Democrats control the House but Republicans control the Senate

d. when the same party controls both Congress and the White House

38.If you were an official in the Democratic Party in a state that typically goes Republican, you might be in favor of changing the election system to __________.

a. winner-take-all

b. single-member representation

c. straight election

d. proportional representation

39.One of the reasons it is a challenge to count votes in the United States is that__________.

a. computer technology is not sophisticated enough to handle the volume of votes on election day

b. poll workers are often not trained well enough

c. the technology used in Ohio may not be the same as the technology in New York

d. every state votes on a different day

40.Which of the following is a likely consequence of proportional representation systems?

a. They lead to greater stability in government.

b. They encourage greater turnout among voters who support minor parties.

c. They lead to lower overall voter turnout.

d. They lead to lower overall spending on campaigns.

41.In a midterm election year, the economy is doing very well. How would you expect the president’s party to do?

a. The president’s party is likely to lose a number of seats in the House.

b. If the president’s popularity remains the same, his or her party will likely lose seats in the House.

c. The president’s party will neither gain nor lose seats in the House.

d. If the president’s popularity remains the same, his or her party will likely gain seats in the House.

42.If you were a campaign manager and determined that your party was experiencing a backlash against immigration policies, what would be your strategy?

a. Suggest to your candidate that she speak to party leaders about moderating their stance.

b. Advise your candidate to distance herself from the party line to avoid the national tide.

c. Run a series of attack ads on the opponents of your party’s immigration policies.

d. Go along with the national tide as a loyal party member.

43.Which of the following is a major criticism of Super PACs?

a. It is questionable whether they are truly independent of candidates.

b. They have little influence on elections, compared to other types of PACs and interest groups.

c. They are overwhelmingly biased in favor of Democrats.

d. They have little knowledge of the electoral process.

44.The fact that some states have moved their primaries earlier in the election year suggests that __________.

a. they don’t believe that caucuses should have as much impact as primaries

b. they want to have a real impact on the selection of the candidate

c. they have no fear of the Democratic or Republican National Committee

d. all primaries should take place on the same day

45.One strategy you could use as a candidate during the primaries to manage media expectations would be to __________.

a. claim you will probably not do very well so that your actual results look “better than expected”

b. claim that you will probably do very well so that your actual results will not get much attention

c. enlist the media in critiquing your opponents’ positions

d. avoid as much media attention as possible

46.If you’d attended the 2008 Democratic Convention as a delegate, you would have found that women made up approximately what percentage of your fellow delegates?

a. 10 percent

b. 20 percent

c. 40 percent

d. 60 percent

47.If your candidate has broad support and has no trouble raising money, you would most likely advise him to __________.

a. accept federal matching funds despite the spending limitations they impose

b. accept state matching funds and spending limitations

c. bypass federal matching funds because of the spending limitations they impose

d. accept matching funds from states where he is likely to do well

48.Which of the following is a key difference between House and Senate races?

a. Overall spending on Senate races surpasses overall spending on House races.

b. Super PACs are more involved in House races than in Senate races.

c. House elections are more seriously contested than Senate elections.

d. Senate elections are more seriously contested than House elections.

49.The Framers of the U.S. Constitution created the Electoral College because they __________.

a. wanted a proportional representation system for the presidency

b. desired to make it impossible for candidates from large states to become president

c. wanted to encourage states to use multimember districts for their legislatures

d. did not trust the choice of president to a direct vote of the people

50.The project “Americans Elect,” launched in 2012, would best be described as __________. 

a. an successful effort to increase voter turnout

b. a failed experiment in online politics

c. an example of the power of money in elections

d. a well-intentioned, but unsuccessful effort to defeat incumbent politicians 

51.Which of the following could have a serious impact on whether a close presidential election could actually be decided on Election Day?

a. absentee voting

b. the number of candidates on a ballot

c. efforts to ensure that all counties in a state use the same voting technology

d. voter registration laws

52.Which of the following would be a likely disadvantage of regional primaries in the nomination of presidential candidates?

a. They would retain the current emphasis on money and media.

b. They would create an even more complicated nominating process.

c. They would put small states at a significant disadvantage in the nominating process.

d. They would likely lead to lower voter turnout in the primaries.

53.A “permanent Congress” is a result of __________.

a. advantages held by incumbents

b. coattail effects

c. high levels of competition in House elections

d. the Supreme Court’s ruling in Pelosi v. Constituents

54.The Pew Global Attitudes survey asked people how they feel about women and men serving as political leaders. Which of the following was a major finding of this research?

a. People in Britain believe that men and women make equally good leaders and favor women over men.

b. People in the United States do not believe that men and women make equally good leaders.

c. People in Nigeria believe that men make better leaders than women do.

d. People in Japan believe that women make better leaders than men do.

55.To win their parties’ nominations, presidential candidates __________.

a. must win the Iowa caucus

b. must raise more money than any of their opponents

c. typically have to appeal to the more ideologically intense individuals in their parties

d. try to adopt policy platforms most appealing to moderate, independent voters

56.If no candidate gets a majority of the Electoral College vote for vice president, __________.

a. the candidate with the most Electoral College votes wins

b. the House votes between the top three candidates, with each state casting one vote

c. the House votes between the top three candidates, with each representative casting one vote

d. the Senate chooses between the top two candidates, with each senator casting one vote

57.Supreme Court decisions in 2010 and 2014 __________ the effects of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act in reducing the influence of money in campaigns.

a. slightly limited

b. reversed 

c. dramatically broadened

d. legitimated

58.Which of the following is a requirement for third-party candidates to participate in presidential debates?

a. They must officially register as presidential candidates with the Commission on Presidential Debates.

b. They must meet a minimum fund-raising threshold.

c. They must be on the ballot in enough states to be able to win the election.

d. They must have an average of 5 percent or higher in five major election polls.

59.Which of the following was a success of the Federal Election Campaign Act?

a. For 20 years, presidential candidates accepted limitations on fund-raising and campaign spending to receive federal matching funds.

b. Since the law was passed, virtually all campaign fund-raising and spending has been fully disclosed.

c. Since the law was passed, minor parties have had greater success in getting candidates elected.

d. For 20 years, challengers in congressional elections have had greater success in getting elected, thanks to limitations on campaign fund-raising and spending.

60.Critics of the proposal to switch to direct election of the president contend that it would lead to ___________.

a. an election system in which recounts are the norm

b. an unfair advantage to the Democratic Party 

c. an increase in political extremism

d. an unstable political system

True-False Questions

61.All states limit the terms of state legislators.

62.The technology used in voting varies greatly from state to state and in different parts of the same state.

63.In most midterm elections between 1934 and 2008, the party controlling the White House lost seats in the House.

64.Candidates generally formally announce their plans to run for the presidency in March or April of the election year.

65.Overall spending in House races surpasses overall spending in Senate races.

66.In 1996, the Clinton-Gore campaign chose to raise soft money by offering nights in the Lincoln Bedroom to donors.

67.Voters in primaries and caucuses tend to be less ideological than voters generally.

68.All House members are up for election at the same time every two years.

69.In most states, you do not have to be registered to vote. 

70.Most incumbent members of Congress are reelected.

71.Primaries are the oldest method of choosing delegates.

72.The rising costs of elections mean that incumbents spend more time raising funds and less time actually doing their jobs.

73.If you belonged to an independent or minor party, you might favor a change to proportional representation.

74.As a candidate for election in today’s campaigns, you could expect to take off the time between the convention and Labor Day to rest up for the rest of the campaign.

75.If election reformers have their way, candidates in the future can expect to have to disclose more information about who donates to campaigns and how much has been contributed.

Fill-in-the-Blank Questions

76.The __________ is the inclination to focus on national issues, rather than local issues, in an election campaign.

77.Until the election in the year __________, most voters assumed they could cast a vote and have it counted correctly.

78.A __________ is a person chosen by local partisans to represent them in selecting nominees, party leaders, and party positions.

79.In the __________ system of allocating delegates, the candidate with the most votes gets all of the state’s delegates.

80.The outcome of the contest between George Bush and Al Gore was ultimately determined by the __________.

81.In the 2010 midterm elections, the __________ party won a net gain of 6 Senate seats and 64 House seats.

82.A __________ is a presidential elector who does not vote for his or her state’s 

popular vote winner.

83.In a(n) __________ system, political parties secure legislative seats and power according to the number of votes they receive in the election.

84.__________ is the process of drawing districts in ways that enhance party control and incumbent reelection. 

85.Delegates to the national party conventions decide on the __________, a statement of party perspectives on public policy.

86.The Supreme Court’s 1976 __________ decision overturned several of FECA’s provisions on grounds that they violated freedom of speech.

87.Proposals that suggest popular election usually provide that, if no candidate receives at least 40 percent of the total popular vote, a(n) __________ would be held between the two contenders with the most votes.

88.If you were running for Congress in the same year a president from your party was running, you would not necessarily be able to rely on the __________ to win your own seat.

89.As a candidate for the __________ Party, you would expect to receive a number of delegates proportional to the number of votes you won in a primary.

90.If you were a CEO and wanted to use your corporate funds to support a candidate, you would be able to donate unlimited amounts to a(n) __________.

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