American Government Exam 2
The formal selection of the president of the United States is in the hands of which of the following? a. Supreme Court b. Electors in the electoral college c. House of Representatives d. People e. Senate
answer B
Interest groups recognize that the greatest concern of legislators is which of the following? a. Supporting the principles of their political party b. Getting reelected c. Voting for the ideas of their constituents d. Being totally informed on issues they will have to vote on e. Pleasing the congressional leadership
answer B
An electoral system that assigns one seat in a legislative body to represent citizens who live in a district is known as which of the following? a. Single-member plurality system b. Proportional representation system c. Winner-take-all system d. Disproportional representation system e. Two-party system
answer A
Groups specially formed to raise and contribute funds to support electoral candidates and that are subject to campaign finance laws are known as which of the following? a. Political action committees b. Unions c. Special interests d. 501 (c)(3) organizations e. 501 (c)(4) organizations
answer A
If a group of people supporting housing equity organized themselves and attempted to influence policymakers, they would have formed which of the following? a. An interest group b. A political party c. A lobby d. A civil interest group e. A social movement
answer A
In 1831, which of the following political theorists observed that Americans like to form groups and join associations as a way of participating in community and political life? a. Alexis de Tocqueville b. Patrick Henry c. David Hume d. Thomas Hobbes e. Immanuel Kant
answer A
Someone joining an interest group because they want benefits such as emergency assistance or discounts is joining for which of the following reasons? a. Material incentives b. Solidary incentives c. Purposive incentives d. Philosophical incentives e. Social incentives
answer A
States that are not clearly reliable to vote for one of the two major political parties, but that are of great interest to presidential candidates, are referred to as which of the following? a. Swing states b. Bipartisan states c. Undecided states d. Purple states e. Fly-over states
answer A
The Constitution spells out in some detail the workings of which institution that chooses the president? a. Electoral college b. Federal Election Commission c. House of Representatives d. Senate e. State legislatures
answer A
The manner in which members of the electoral college are selected within each state is currently governed by which of the following? a. State laws b. The Federal Electoral Selection Act c. Article II of the U.S. Constitution d. Congressional oversight e. Federal district court judges
answer A
The relationship among interest groups, members of Congress, and federal agencies is referred to as which of the following? a. Iron triangle b. Iron cross c. The iron law d. The public interest e. The public network
answer A
When a news program begins the broadcast each day with a certain political story and continues to highlight this issue for several days, it suggests to the public that this political story is an important issue. Which function of agenda setting does this? a. Priming b. Sorting c. Replaying d. Factoring e. Blogging
answer A
When state legislatures redraw district lines in order to benefit one political party over another, it is called what? a. Gerrymandering b. Salamandering c. Remaindering d. Redistricting e. Censuring
answer A
Which of the following amendments to the Constitution protects the freedom of the press? a. First Amendment b. Second Amendment c. Fourth Amendment d. Fifth Amendment e. Ninth Amendment
answer A
Which of the following federal regulatory agencies enforces federal campaign laws? a. The Federal Election Commission b. The Department of Elections c. The Congressional Campaign Committee d. The Voting Rights Commission e. The Federal Campaign Commission
answer A
Which of the following is a concern about soft news? a. Visuals may appeal to emotions more than to the intellect. b. The discussion of public policy may overshadow the personal stories. c. Televised debates may be harmful to a candidate's reputation. d. The public may not be able to connect with the content. e. Young people may change the channels too quickly to pay attention
answer A
Which of the following is true of a winner-take-all electoral system? a. The candidate who gets the most votes wins. b. One must get a majority of votes cast to win. c. Votes are allocated on a proportional basis. d. Only parties receiving more than 5% of the vote are allocated seats. e. A party must have competed in a previous election to be placed on the ballot.
answer A
Which of the following was a form of journalism that distorted the presentation of events and could mislead the public in the interest of boosting sales? a. Yellow journalism b. Gold journalism c. Muckraking d. Penny journalism e. Investigative journalism
answer A
In 1934, Congress created which of the following—now a powerful agency that regulates all forms of electronic media, including radio, television and cable television, cell phones, and even wireless networks? a. Central Intelligence Agency b. Federal Communications Commission c. Federal Media Agency d. National Broadcasting Association e. National Broadcasting Commission
answer B
In the past 60 years, the number of competitive congressional elections has been declining, a trend called which of the following? a. Diminishing marginals b. Vanishing marginals c. Incumbency rules d. Seat limitations e. Safe seats
answer B
In the past twenty-five years, Americans' confidence in the press has done which of the following? a. Increased by 50% b. Decreased by 50% c. Remained the same d. Risen slightly e. Declined slightly
answer B
Minor political parties that present an alternative to the two dominant political parties in the American political system are known as which of the following? a. Factions b. Third party c. Alternative parties d. Right wingers e. Choice parties
answer B
Politicians, especially presidents, spending too much time working toward reelection and not enough time governing is called which of the following? a. Front porch campaign b. Permanent campaign c. Strategic politician hypothesis d. Winner-take-all hypothesis e. Horse race campaign
answer B
President Theodore Roosevelt coined which of the following terms for journalists who engaged in investigative reporting that sought to uncover corruption and wrongdoing? a. Yellow journalism b. Muckraking c. Advocacy press d. Opinion making e. Scoop
answer B
Statistics on the changing media environment suggest which of the following? a. Americans invent new media every decade; less attention is focused on international affairs. b. Americans adopt new media quickly; there are more options for getting news than ever before. c. Americans are increasingly less interested in the news; technology cannot make up for the lack of interest. d. Americans adopt new media quickly; they abandon previous options when new technology emerges. e. Americans are resistant to new technology; there are more options for getting news than ever before.
answer B
Successful interest groups and their representatives try to cultivate long-term relationships with which of the following? a. Foreign ambassadors b. Legislators and government officials c. Federal judges d. Business leaders e. Police commissioners and chiefs of police
answer B
The National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) and the National Rifle Association (NRA) are examples of which of the following? a. Economic interest groups b. Single-interest group c. Public-interest group d. Foreign interest group e. Fringe interest group
answer B
The main purpose of a political party is to do which of the following in order to control government and implement its policies? a. Nominate candidates b. Win elections c. Shape the judiciary d. Discuss policy e. Register voters
answer B
Which of the following refers to the ability of the media to alter the public's view on an issue by presenting it in a particular way? a. Agenda setting b. Framing c. Softening d. Sensationalizing e. Investigating
answer B
Which of the following states holds the nation's first and most famous caucus that requires people to attend a meeting of about two hours in which they indicate their preferences and then try to convince those who are undecided to join their candidate's group? a. Arkansas b. Iowa c. New Hampshire d. New Mexico e. Washington
answer B
Which two states do not use a winner-take-all system in the electoral college? a. Maine and Ohio b. Nebraska and Maine c. Nebraska and Delaware d. Michigan and Maine e. Nevada and Nebraska
answer B
According to Gallup Poll data, about half of Americans feel that the news media have what type of bias? a. Conservative b. Libertarian c. Liberal d. Corporate-leaning e. Undetectable
answer C
After winning office in 1828, Andrew Jackson shortened the name of his party to what, signaling that it was a new kind of political party organization? a. Whig Party b. Green Party c. Democratic Party d. Republican Party e. Progressive Party
answer C
An individual who posts outrageous things on blogs merely to get attention is sometimes referred to as which of the following? a. Citizen journalist b. Talking head c. Troll d. Advocate e. Professional journalist
answer C
Currently, about 70% of states use some form of which of the following during the presidential campaign season? a. Caucus b. Town hall meeting c. Primary election d. Advisory referendum e. Proportional representation
answer C
Movement of members of Congress, lobbyists, and executive branch employees into paid positions in each other's organizations is known as which of the following? a. Democratic society b. Iron triangles c. The revolving door d. The interest group window e. Selective benefits
answer C
The congressional elections that occur between the four-year presidential election cycles are called which of the following? a. Caucuses b. Invisible elections c. Midterm elections d. Gubernatorial elections e. Primary elections
answer C
The first partisan political division in the United States was between which of the following? a. The Democrats and the Republicans b. The Whigs and the Democrats c. The Federalists and the Anti-Federalists d. The Whigs and the Tories e. The Whigs and the Republicans
answer C
What most distinguishes political parties from interest groups? a. Political parties focus on multiple issues, whereas each interest group only focuses on one. b. Political parties have more money than interest groups. c. Interest groups do not nominate candidates to run as their avowed representatives. d. Interest groups have no clear political ideology. e. Pluralists do not think interest groups are necessary for democracy to function.
answer C
When the media regularly focus public attention on violent crime, political corruption, or economic woes, they are engaged in which of the following? a. Biased reporting b. Political socialization c. Agenda setting d. Changing public opinion e. Apathy management
answer C
Which of the following almost always win congressional elections? a. Challengers b. Democrats c. Incumbents d. Progressives e. Republicans
answer C
A free rider is which of the following? a. An interest group member b. A participant in a social movement c. Someone granted free passage to Washington DC to demonstrate d. Someone who benefits from the actions of a group without joining it e. A civil rights activist
answer D
A lobbyist from the NRA (National Rifle Association) meeting with a member of Congress to discuss firearms legislation is an example of which of the following? a. The free-rider problem b. A party coalition c. An indirect technique d. A direct technique e. A boycott
answer D
Forms of communication, including radio and television, that have a broad reach to many people are known as which of the following? a. Mass messages b. Journalism c. Popular press d. Media e. News
answer D
In the class video, John Oliver discussed about the benefits of gerrymandering. What are some of these benefits? a. Update census maps to ensure that the population in each district is fairly balanced b. Political advantage for parties c. Connect similar districts for the purpose of having a congress member represent their interest d. All of the above
answer D
One of the consequences of the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. FEC was the rise of which of the following that can raise unlimited funds from such groups as corporations, unions, and individuals? a. PACS b. Interest groups c. Lobbyists d. Super PACs e. Grassroots movements
answer D
The adoption of which of the following would permit multiple parties to acquire seats in Congress because representation would be based on the percentage of votes that they receive in national elections? a. Divided representation b. Patronage c. Australian ballots d. Proportional representation e. Ticket splitting
answer D
To win the modern presidency, a candidate must obtain which of the following? a. A majority of the popular vote b. A plurality of the popular vote c. 100 electoral votes d. 270 electoral votes e. 538 electoral votes
answer D
What types of interest groups are defined as economic interest groups? a. Business, labor, and public interest groups b. Labor, agricultural, and environmental groups c. Business and labor groups and foreign governments d. Business, labor, and professional groups e. Professional and agricultural groups and foreign governments
answer D
When a popular candidate influences the success of other candidates on the same party ticket, it is called which of the following? a. Partisan effect b. Australian ballot c. Butterfly ballot d. Incumbent effect e. Coat-tail effect
answer D
Which of the following best describes the system of patronage? a. Another name for representation b. Only occurred at the national level c. Ended by the time of the Civil War d. Rewarded party faithful with government jobs and contracts e. Guarantees mentors for newly elected officials
answer D
Which of the following lays out the party's core beliefs and policy proposals? a. Agenda b. Charter c. Constitution d. Party platform e. White paper
answer D
Which social networking site is increasingly being used by political candidates and is becoming a more common source of breaking news than Facebook? a. SocialVibe b. Ryze c. Myspace d. Twitter e. GovLoop
answer D
60. Which of the following statements best describes Super PACs? a. They allow very wealthy Americans to donate unlimited funds to influence elections. b. They are political advertising councils that design political campaigns. c. They are limited to raising no more than $10 million per campaign cycle. d. They allow money to be spent on advertising and other political activities. e. They allow America's very wealthy to donate unlimited funds to influence elections and spend money on advertising and other political activities.
answer E
Given the amount of money that PACs spend on campaign support, which of the following is a concern of many people? a. PACs don't represent any public groups. b. PACs are restricted from freely donating money. c. PACs don't share workers' interests. d. PACs are actively engaging in the electoral arena. e. PACs exert a disproportionate influence over legislators.
answer E
The role of the press in monitoring government actions is known as which of the following? a. Watchman b. Trendsetter c. Opinion creator d. Muckraker e. Watchdog
answer E
Today, how many electoral votes does each state get? a. 1 b. 2 c. 10 d. 1 for every 10,000 residents e. A number equal to the state's number of House and Senate members
answer E
What term is used to describe the phenomenon when voters adjust their long-term allegiance from one party to another in response to ideological changes? a. Party identification b. Moving to the center c. Liberalization d. Party alignment e. Realignment
answer E
Which of the following best describes how lobbyists provide advisory assistance to legislators? a. Testifying before legislative committees b. Assisting legislators with the drafting of bills c. Providing technical expertise to legislators d. Providing exotic vacations to legislators e. Testifying before legislative committees, assisting legislators with the drafting of bills, and providing technical expertise to legislators
answer E
Which of the following best describes how the U.S. Constitution protects interest groups? a. Through the First Amendment's right to "petition the Government for a redress of grievances" b. Through the First Amendment's right to "peaceably assemble" c. Through the Fourth Amendment's protection against illegal search and seizure d. Through the Fifth Amendment's right against self-incrimination e. Through the First Amendment's right to "petition the Government for a redress of grievances" and the First Amendment's right to "peaceably assemble"
answer E
