Chapter 13-16 APGOV Test
The use of direct primaries instead of the convention system in selecting presidential candidates results in which of the following? 1. A weakening of party control over nominations 2. A reduction in the costs of election campaigns 3. An increase in the number of people involved in the choice of candidates 4. An increase in voter turnout in midterm elections
1 and 3 only
The table above supports which of the following conclusions? 1. A plurality of the people has consistently supported the Democrats. 2. Support for the two major parties increased slightly between 1952 and 1994. 3. The largest percentage increase in political identification between 1952 and 1994 occurred among independents.
3 only
Which of the following scenarios best represents an example of party-line voting?
A citizen casts votes for all Republicans based solely on the candidates' affiliation with the Republican Party.
Which of the following represents a consequence of candidate-centered electoral campaigns?
A decrease in the role of political parties in campaign management
Which of the following activities by interest groups best illustrates attempts to educate members of Congress on public policy?
A green energy group sending a research report to congressional offices
Which of the following scenarios is most closely related to the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) ?
A labor union spends millions of dollars to independently run negative advertisements about a presidential candidate shortly before the election.
If a researcher were interested in understanding how much the NRA spent in each state, what visual could be created to accurately display this information in the bar graph?
A map showing the dollar amounts spent by the NRA in each state since 1992
The bar graph shows the National Rifle Association's spending on Democratic and Republican candidates over several decades of election cycles in support of gun ownership rights. How could a visual best be created to better understand how the spending of the NRA compares to that of gun control proponents?
A pie chart that tallies total spending by both the NRA and gun control proponents since 1992
Which of the following exemplifies the free-rider problem for interest groups?
A teacher who does not join the local teachers union but receives a salary negotiated by the union
Which of the following scenarios is most related to the Twenty-Sixth Amendment?
An eighteen-year-old votes in a presidential election.
Which best describes a likely reason for the information depicted in the graph?
An increase in concerns over media bias
Which of the following is NOT a way in which the federal government regulates campaigns?
By prohibitions on negative advertising
A 2017 study in The American Economic Review found that watching Fox News during an election cycle increased a Democrat's chances of voting Republican by 28 percent. Conversely, by watching MSNBC Republicans were more inclined to vote Democrat by 8 percent. This scenario best illustrates which of the following about the media?
Cable news programming is oftentimes ideologically driven and effective in persuading citizens to adopt their point of view.
For which of the following tasks would using the bar graph as currently designed be the LEAST helpful?
Calculating the election cycle spending based on the intervals shown on the vertical axis
Which of the following is a result of the electoral college system?
Candidates focus on the states with the largest populations.
Which of the following criticisms of political campaigns is the author of the political cartoon most likely to agree with?
Candidates rely too heavily on professional consultants.
When party members meet to nominate a candidate for office, they participate in which of the following?
Caucus
The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC, has raised over $50 million dollars, which it plans to spend on advertising in the next midterm election. It plans to target its spending in competitive districts in the days leading up to Election Day. Which of the following court cases decision is most likely to protect the right of the group in the scenario?
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)
Which of the following Supreme Court cases is most related to the topic in the cartoon?
Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010)
Which of the following is a type of primary election that requires registration as a party affiliate to vote?
Closed
Which of the following provides the most accurate explanation of how consumer-driven media increases partisan polarization?
Consumer-driven media reinforces existing political biases in individuals.
Which of the following is a true statement about the role of the media in providing citizens with information?
Demand for instantaneous news reporting has led to the growth of 24-hour news operations and a shift to online media consumption.
Which of the following would result from the direct election of presidential candidates?
Each vote would count equally in determining which candidate won the election.
Which of the following form an "iron triangle"?
Executive department, Congressional committee, interest group
Which of the following statements is true regarding political advertisements in 2012 based on the information graphic?
Few advertisements appealed to positive emotions.
A chief executive officer (CEO) of a corporation believes that the Republican candidate for president will enact policies that are more beneficial to her business. The CEO donated the maximum amount allowed by law directly to the candidate's campaign fund. To increase the candidate's chances for election, the CEO also directed her corporation to donate funds to an independent political action committee to create ads criticizing the opposing candidate. According to the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), which provision of the Constitution protects her actions?
Freedom of speech in the First Amendment
Which of the following best accounts for the lack of success generally encountered by minor political parties in electing members to the House or Senate?
General elections in the United States are based on the winner-take-all principle.
Which of the following describes the activities represented by data in the table?
Groups in American society form political action committees (PACs) so they can influence policy.
The data displayed in the table above best support which of the following statements?
House seats are safer from election turnover than are Senate seats.
Political parties serve which of the following functions in the United States? 1. Informing the public about political issues 2. Mobilizing voters and getting them to the polls 3. Organizing diverse interests within society 4. Establishing the rules governing financial contributions to political candidates
I, II, and III only
Which of the following explains how The Federalist 10 relates to the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) ?
In both, a limited approach to government regulation was argued for.
Which of the following statements is true based on the data in the line graph?
In the 2000 election, the gap between voters 65 and older and 18-29 years old was 2%, with voters older than 65 preferring the Democratic candidate.
The table best supports which of the following statements about the two elections for which data are provided?
Independent-leaning Republicans were the Republicans least likely to cross party lines.
The data in the graph best illustrate which of the following common criticisms of the electoral college?
Individuals in small-population states have a greater impact on the electoral college than individuals in large-population states.
The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) urges its members to take action in support of what they term "animal friendly" legislation through their website. In addition to providing information about important issues that legislators may vote on, the nonprofit organization also describes the best ways to contact a legislator and tips on how best to interact with lawmakers. Which of the following is being illustrated in the scenario?
Interest groups sometimes form around a narrow set of issues with the goal of impacting policy making.
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold) did which of the following?
It banned soft money donations to national parties.
Which of the following statements about Americans' trust in the mass media is best supported by the data in the graph?
It generally decreased over time.
Which of the following statements is best supported by the data in the table above?
Latinos of Cuban descent are more supportive of the Republican Party than are Latinos of Mexican or Puerto Rican descent.
The National Education Association (NEA) is an organization of teachers, administrators, and other educators who work together to advance the interests and impact of public education. One of the NEA's goals is to support public education by ending government funding of voucher programs that promote school privatization. Vouchers give parents financial incentives to send their children to private schools rather than having children attend local public schools. Which of the following strategies would be the most effective way to achieve the NEA's goal of furthering the interest of public education?
Lobby members of congressional committees to vote against all legislation that would support school voucher programs.
Which of the following scenarios depicts the concept of an iron triangle?
Lobbyists from the energy industry provide information to the Department of Energy before the department head testifies before the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House of Representatives.
Which of the following is an accurate comparison between the relative functions and electoral success of the two major political parties (Democratic and Republican) and third parties?
Major Parties The rules of the electoral college favor the major-party candidates in presidential elections. Third Parties Winner-take-all voting districts hinder the electoral success of third-party candidates.
Which of the following is the best interpretation of the political cartoon?
Members of Congress receive political contributions from many special interest groups.
Which of the following statements can be supported by the data in the line graph?
Members of the House of Representatives are more likely to be reelected than defeated.
Which of the following most accurately describes media coverage of elections?
Network news coverage is usually dominated by reporters who offer relatively short sound bites from the candidates.
Which of the following portrays an accurate example of horse race media coverage?
News media outlets report the results of public opinion polls that show the relative popularity of presidential candidates.
Which of the following amendments to the United States Constitution addresses the grievance that a woman is not permitted "to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise"?
Nineteenth Amendment
In the United States, which of the following is a rule on voting found in the Constitution or its amendments?
No person eighteen years of age or older may be denied the right to vote on account of age.
A number of states, including Georgia and Ohio, have passed laws that revoke voter registration if a person did not vote in recent election cycles. Which of the following is a likely consequence of these laws?
Occasional voters will not be able to vote on election day, which could influence election results.
Which of the following best describes the difference between an open and closed primary?
Only voters who register as members of a political party may vote in that party's closed primary, while independents and others may be eligible to vote in open primaries.
Which of the following is an accurate statement about political participation in the United States today?
Over 75% of Americans vote in presidential elections.
Which of the following statements about political action committees (PACs) is true?
PAC spending makes up a higher percentage of congressional campaign funds than of presidential campaign funds.
Which of the following best explains how parties link citizens to the electoral process?
Parties send volunteers to knock on doors to register voters.
In which of the following ways do political parties primarily rely on to finance their election activities?
Parties solicit funds from private donors who oftentimes contribute large sums of money.
Which of the following is the most important influence on the choice made by voters in presidential elections? q1
Partisan identification
While the central goal of political parties is to win elections, parties can also support democracy. Which of the following scenarios best illustrates this relationship?
Political parties use the social media site Instagram to reach out to younger voters to inform them about upcoming elections and encourage them to register to vote.
An advertisement airs on television attacking a candidate running for office. The advertisement was produced and distributed by a group that was not affiliated with nor funded by any political campaign. Which of the following statements explains why this expenditure is not prohibited by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 ?
Political spending by groups not directly affiliated with a campaign is a form of protected speech.
A person votes for Democratic candidates based on the belief that the policies of the Democratic Party will be personally beneficial. This type of voting matches which of the following voting behavior models?
Prospective voting
Which of the following is most frequently reported in the media during a presidential election?
Results from public opinion polls that indicate which candidates are most likely to win
A voter's decision to support the incumbent president in an upcoming election is based on recent economic growth and record low unemployment. Which of the following models of voting behavior best characterizes this voter's decision?
Retrospective voting
Senator Hoffman is campaigning for reelection in her state. Her campaign message emphasizes how the policies she has supported have benefited her constituents. She has spotlighted job creation and an overall improvement in the standard of living in the state in the past six years. Senator Hoffman is hoping to appeal to which of the following voting behavior models?
Retrospective voting
Which of the following statements about voting behavior in national elections is most accurate?
Senior citizens are more likely to vote than are college students.
Which of the following statements best describes the organization of the two major political parties in the United States?
Separate and largely independent party organizations exist at national, state, and local levels.
An emerging third party is struggling to get congressional candidates elected to office. Which of the following is a feature of the American political system that would explain why the party is struggling to achieve its goal?
Single-member districts
Which of the following arguments best supports a claim that the electoral college violates democratic principles?
Smaller states are disproportionately advantaged by the two additional electoral votes granted to each state for its senators.
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold) was designed to curtail which of the following?
Soft money
If the state is similar to most other states, how will the electoral votes most likely be allocated?
The Democratic candidate will receive all 11 electoral votes.
In 2002, Congress passed the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act in an effort to regulate campaign finance by limiting the ability of corporations and unions to spend their general treasury funds on election communications. In 2010, the Supreme Court invalidated this provision of the act. Which of the following statements accurately describes the majority decision of the case?
The First Amendment allows corporations and unions to make independent expenditures regarding candidates for office.
Which of the following statements regarding political parties is true based on the graphic?
The Republican Party initially emerged as an antislavery political party.
Which of the following statements about the bar graph on voter turnout in the 2014 California general election is correct?
The age group that voted at a rate closest to the average is 45-54.
Which of the following best explains why the winner of a presidential election usually claims to have a mandate from voters?
The allocation of electoral votes in the winner-take-all system exaggerates the margin of victory.
Which of the following is a correct statement about political action committees (PAC's)?
The amount of money that PAC's can contribute directly to an individual candidate is limited by law.
Two interest groups are competing for influence in Congress. One group represents banking institutions, while the other advocates for consumer protections. A critic of the influence of interest groups would make which of the following claims?
The banking interest group likely has greater financial resources and access to policy makers than the consumer protection group.
Which of the following describes the result in a winner-take-all, single-member-district plurality system?
The candidate who receives the most votes in the election wins.
If voters are acting according to the retrospective model of voting, which of the following will be the most important consideration in their decision?
The effect of recent economic conditions on the voters
An important Senate race takes place in the state of Georgia. Rather than focus on the issue positions taken by the candidates, a 24-hour cable news station instead focuses primarily on poll results and campaign strategies using a "big board" to show the counties where each candidate has the most support. Which of the following is an effect of this type of new coverage?
The electorate will be less able to accurately compare the policy platforms of candidates running in the election.
Which of the following describes the potential impact on the electorate when daily media coverage of elections focuses primarily on the newest poll results?
The electorate will be less able to accurately compare the policy platforms of candidates running in the election.
Which of the following is the best explanation for the trend in voting behavior after the 2000 election?
The events that shaped the generation turning 18 after the year 2000 tended to create more liberal-minded voters who supported Democrats.
Over the past 20 years, reforms of the presidential nomination process have had which of the following effects?
The number of female delegates and minority-group delegates at Democratic national conventions has grown substantially.
Which of the following is the most accurate statement about political parties in the United States?
The percentage of voters identifying themselves as either Democrats or Republicans has been declining since the 1970's.
Which of the following is LEAST characteristic of the history of political parties in the United States during the twentieth century?
The splitting of the two major parties into a multiparty system
The America First Action is a super PAC led by former administrator of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon. Which of the following best explains how the organization can operate to influence elections, according to the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010) ?
The super PAC can spend unlimited money on issue-advocacy advertisements that are not coordinated with the campaign.
Based on the data in the chart, which of the following best explains a likely impact of third-party votes in the 2016 election?
The third-party vote in the three states depicted in the chart helped Donald Trump acquire enough electoral votes to win the election.
Which of the following best describes César Chávez' view on the use of violence versus nonviolence?
The use of nonviolent actions allows more people to be involved in the movement and effect change.
Which of the following is most directly related to the large amount of money spent by outside groups in the 2012 election?
The use of super PACs as a mechanism to raise money and influence elections
Which of the following is true of voter turnout in the United States?
The voter-participation rate is one of the lowest of any industrialized nation.
Critics of the winner-take-all aspect of the electoral college are most likely to make which of the following arguments?
The winner-take-all system of the electoral college encourages presidential candidates to focus their time and effort disproportionately on battleground states with larger populations.
Which of the following describes a consequence of the growing concentration of ownership of the news media?
There is increased similarity of network news coverage.
Which of the following best characterizes the influence of the news media on public opinion in the United States?
They affect which issues the public thinks are important.
Which of the following is true of amicus curiae briefs?
They are used by interest groups to lobby courts.
Which of the following is true of political action committees (PACs) ?
They make campaign contributions in hopes of gaining access to legislators.
Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the data in the graphs?
Those with greater political efficacy have a more positive view of government; as a result, they are more likely to vote in elections.
A political science professor is researching the effects that the Fifteenth and Twenty-Sixth Amendments have had on the American political system. Which of the following is the most likely reason the professor is researching these amendments?
To study the expansion of voting rights
Based on the data in the chart and your knowledge of presidential elections, which of the following is the best strategy that Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump could have used to pull votes away from the third-party candidates, Jill Stein and Gary Johnson?
Trump or Clinton could have adopted issues that were popular with Stein's and Johnson's voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin as part of their campaigns.
Supporters of voting restrictions are most likely to make which of the following arguments?
Voting restrictions are needed to prevent voter fraud.
Given the information in the graph, in which of the following states would an individual's vote likely have more influence?
Wyoming
A primary election in which voters are required to identify a party preference before the election and are not allowed to split their ticket is called
a closed primary
Since 1972, voters in presidential elections have
become more focused on individual candidates
In 1987 the cooperation among the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Organization for Women (NOW), and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to defeat Robert Bork's nomination to the United States Supreme Court was an example of
coalition building
The term "horse-race journalism" refers to the tendency of the media to
cover campaigns by emphasizing the relative standings of the candidates in the polls rather than the issues they discuss
The largest amount of political coverage in newspapers during presidential campaigns is devoted to
day-to-day campaign activities
The agenda-setting function of the media refers to the power to
decide which issues are important enough to bring to public attention
An electoral system based on single-member districts is usually characterized by
domination of the legislature by two political parties
Typically, presidential candidates implement their campaign strategies by
focusing on larger, competitive states, because they might tip the balance of the electoral college
When contributing to congressional campaigns, political action committees (PACs) are most likely to contribute to
incumbents of both major parties
In response to the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act), the United States Supreme Court, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), ruled that
independent campaign expenditures by corporations and unions are protected by the First Amendment
The media's effect on public opinion can best be described as
influencing which issues the public sees as important
An interest group is most likely to have influence in Congress when the issue at stake
is narrow in scope and low in public visibility
One of the best strategies that interest groups can use to achieve their goals is
lobbying members of Congress to make small changes in existing policy
Compared to the general population, delegates to presidential nomination conventions are
more ideological
An interest group would likely have the greatest influence on policy matters involving
narrow issues, only a few interest groups, and technical information
In the process and structure of public policymaking, "iron triangles" refer to the
networks of congressional committees, bureaucratic agencies, and interest groups that strongly influence the policy process
All of the following are commonly used by interest groups to influence the political process EXCEPT
nominating candidates
The free rider problem occurs when
people benefit from an interest group's efforts without making any contribution
Lobbyists try to influence legislators mainly through
providing legislators with information on technical issues
Interest groups use political action committees (PACs) to
raise and spend money on election campaigns
The primary function of political action committees (PAC's) is to
raise campaign funds to support favored candidates
An election in which there is a significant shift in the bases of electoral support from one political party to another is called a
realigning election
Tom believes that the government should be limited in its regulation of the economy, but he wants to find out more about economic policy. As he researches the topic, he increasingly relies on a well-respected conservative blog as his main source of information. Tom's actions demonstrate the tendency of individuals to seek out information from sources that
reinforce existing political beliefs
The development and persistence of the two-party system in the United States is best accounted for by
single-member legislative districts
Interest groups engage in all of the following activities EXCEPT
using the franking privilege
Which of the following is a significant trend in the presidential nominating process over the past three decades?
Increasing importance of presidential primaries rather than state conventions
Which of the following factors contributes most to the data in the line graph?
Incumbents have an advantage over challengers because of name recognition.
Based on the table, which of the following political action committees (PACs) is most partisan in its allocation of contributions to candidates?
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Which of the following describes the Twenty-Fourth Amendment?
It eliminated poll tax
Which of the following is true of the electoral college system?
It encourages candidates to concentrate their campaigns in competitive, populous states.
The primary election system of selecting presidential candidates has had which of the following effects?
It has loosened the hold of party leaders over the nomination process.
Of the following, which is the most important reason that voter turnout is lower in the United States than in most other industrial democracies.
It has traditionally been more difficult to register to vote in the United States than in most other industrial democracies.
Which of the following is an accurate statement about the voter turnout rate in the United States?
It is lower than in most other Western democracies.
Which of the following is an accurate statement about the voter turnout rate in the United States? q2
It is lower than in most other Western democracies.
Which of the following makes a correct comparison between political parties and interest groups in the United States?
Political Parties Political parties recruit and run candidates in elections. Interest Groups Interest groups seek to influence public policy.
Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the graphs?
Political efficacy is a major factor in shaping political views about government, but political ideology also plays a role.
Which of the following best explains how most candidates are recruited to run for office?
Political parties usually recruit and train people at the local level they believe are most fit to run for office.
In 1980, a small group of parents personally affected by drunk driving formed the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Over the past four decades, they have grown in number and have lobbied on state and local levels promoting legislation such as stricter limits on blood alcohol levels for drivers. MADD is an example of which of the following?
Single-issue group with the goal of impacting policy making
There is an ongoing debate over the role of money in elections. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002 banned soft money and restricted advertisements in the weeks before an election. Parts of this act were challenged and struck down in the Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010). Which of the following was a consequence of that ruling?
Super PACs may spend unlimited funds on advertisements that are not coordinated with the campaign because they are protected by the freedom of speech.
Which of the following statements most accurately compares elections in the United States with those in most other Western democracies?
Te voter turnout rate in the United States is usually lower
The graphic illustrates which of the following statements about political parties
There is an ongoing debate between political parties over the power and scope of the federal government, even as economic and demographic changes have altered party coalitions.
An election involving more than two candidates in which the person who receives the most votes is the winner is called
a plurality election
The primary reason for the current existence of only two major political parties in the United States is that
a winner-take-all electoral system makes it difficult for new parties to emerge and survive
Based on the map above, a prediction that could be made about the 2016 election in Texas (TX) is that
the number of eligible voters decreased in the 2016 election
All of the following are examples of a linkage institution influencing the policy process EXCEPT
the president delivering the State of the Union speech
One reason for the persistence of a two-party system in the United States is
the single-member district electoral system
The concept of realignment refers to changes in
the social bases of the parties' voting support
The process known as front-loading refers to
the tendency of states to choose an early date on the primary calendar
The most common form of political activity undertaken by United States citizens is
voting in political elections
The most widely performed act of political participation in the United States is
voting in presidential elections
A citizen who uses the rational choice model of voting behavior selects candidates for office based on
what is thought to be in the citizen's own self-interest
