American Government MO4 Study Guide

How many major political parties are there in the United States today?

2

Which of the following result from the fact in the United States candidates rather than parties control their campaigns?

Candidates don't need the party's approval to seek a nomination via a primary. Candidates are free to act as they please once in office, as long as they retain their constituents' support.

What group was most concerned about what Scammon and Wattenberg called the "social issue"?

Conservative Christians

Which two political parties were competitive during the first party system?

Democratic-Republicans Federalists

______ refers to the selection of the individual who will run as the party's candidate in the general election. Multiple choice question.

Nomination

A(n) ______ primary is one in which any registered voter, regardless of party affiliation, may vote.

Open

The _____ Party formed in the 1850s as the main challenger to the Democratic Party.

Republican

Opposition to slavery gave rise to which party?

Republican Party

The Civil War triggered a party realignment. What were the two major parties following this realignment period?

Republican Party Democratic Party

Which of the following voting blocs migrated to the Republican Party during the 1980s and 1990s?

Southern whites

When a realignment in the electorate occurs, which of the following happens?

The parties reorganize themselves.

Which of the following statements describe how U.S. campaigns are both party centered and candidate centered?

The same parties are represented nationwide. Candidates organize their own campaigns.

In politics, what do linkage institutions do?

They connect citizens with government

What has happened to the New England states since the 1980s? Multiple choice question.

They have shifted toward the Democrats.

True or false: The median voter theorem helps to explain why a party may lose an election when it veers too far from the middle of the ideological spectrum.

True

The main opposition to the Democratic Party in the 1830s and 1840s was the _____ Party, which eventually died out.

Whig

Countries with multiparty systems tend to have what kind of electoral system?

a proportional representation system

Which three basic elements are usually involved in a party realignment?

a shift in voters' partisan support in elections unusually powerful and divisive issues an enduring change in the parties' policies and coalitions

In order to have the best chance to win in a two-party system, political parties have generally ______.

aligned themselves near the middle of the voting spectrum

A state that prevents members of one political party from voting for another party's nominees has which type of primary?

closed

The groups and interests that support a political party are collectively referred to as a party ______.

coalition

Even if a third-party candidate fails to win an election, the candidate will sometimes accomplish which of the following?

encourage one or both major parties to address issues introduced by the third party draw attention to an issue previously ignored by the two major candidates

The most important minor parties in the 20th century have been ______ parties.

factional

In the era of Jacksonian democracy, the efforts of local party organizations, along with the extension of voting rights to citizens without property, contributed to an almost ______ increase in election turnout.

fourfold

Which type of third party is organized around a framework concerning the nature and role of government in society?

ideologically oriented parties

When casting a ______, citizens vote for candidates from different parties.

split ticket

Who oversees the day-to-day operations of the political party's national organization?

the national chair

What is another name for the plurality system?

winner take all system

African Americans are an important part of the Democratic Party's coalition; nearly ______ percent of them regularly vote for Democrats.

90

True or false: Local party organizations are stronger today than they were in the days of the political machines.

False

A permanent shift in party allegiances or electoral support is known as a party ______.

Realignment

Which is a reason that some scholars think we have moved into a new party alignment?

The Republican Party has become stronger in the South and the Democratic Party had become stronger in the Northeast.

How did many of the founders of the United States view political parties?

They viewed political parties with suspicion

What percentage of voters today cast a split ticket?

less than 20 percent

A ______ political system is made up of at least three political parties.

multiparty

A state that permits all registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, to vote in a primary election has what type of primary system?

open

Which type of third party arises from a belief that partisan politics is a corrupting influence that needs to be changed?

reform parties

Many voters cast a ______, where they only vote for candidates of one party.

straight ticket

America's plurality, or winner-take-all, system of electing candidates works to the disadvantage of ______.

third parties

The U.S. government functions as a(n) ______ system.

two-party

Which president was elected with the promise that he would do something about the Great Depression?

Franklin D. Roosevelt

State party organizations are usually small and are directed by ______.

a full-time chairperson

What percentage of party activists work within local political party organizations?

95 percent

The party realignment in 1896 was in part caused by _____.

A banking crisis that led to a depression

What relationship does the national Democratic or Republican Party have with the state and local parties?

All three levels are independent but work together.

Which of the following best describes the voting electorate after the expansion of voting rights during the era of Jacksonian democracy?

All white males

The most electorally successful factional party in U.S. history was the ______.

Bull Moose Party

Although party organizations still manage many tasks related to elections, the lead role in elections now lies with the _____.

Candidate

Which of the following are true of Hispanic voters in the United States? (Choose every correct answer.)

Hispanics tend to be liberal on economic issues and conservative on social issues. They lean heavily toward the Democratic Party, except for Cuban Americans.

In a proportional representation system, which of the following is true?

Political parties win a number of seats in the legislature according to the percentage of the vote each party receives.

The strongest reform party in U.S. history was the ______.

Progressive Party

True or false: Rather than being the result of an abrupt shift in response to a single disruptive issue, the most recent party realignment was caused by gradual changes in response to several issues.

True

Which of the following statements are true of young voters?

Young voters who initially voted Democratic in presidential elections have remained loyal to the Democratic Party. Voters under 30 have preferred the Democratic candidate for the past five presidential elections.

In Israel's March 2020 election, the Blue and White Party received roughly 27 percent of the national vote and, therefore, roughly 27 percent of the seats in the Knesset, which is Israel's legislature. This is an example of a _____ system.

proportional representation

Which of the following led to the political party realignment in the 1930s that benefited the Democratic Party?

the Great Depression

Which of the following voting blocks migrated to the Republican Party during the 1980s and 1990s?

Southern whites

All party organizations have a responsibility to ______.

build support among voters

Compared to European parties, parties in the United States exercise _____ control over candidates who are running for office.

less

Primaries in which candidates of both parties are on the same ballot and the first and second finishers compete in the general election are called ______ primaries.

top-two

Which of the following groups are currently most likely part of the Democratic coalition?

union members 18-29 year olds African Americans

State parties are involved with which of the following activities?

voter registration election of governors election of U.S. senators

What usually happens after a third party is relatively successful in attracting votes during a U.S. national election?

One or both major parties will try to co-opt the issue or issues that made the third party successful.