Gov
Freedom of speech in the First Amendment
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?
A federal judge in whose court a case important to the corporation is being heard
A corporate lobbyist would be LEAST likely to have an informal discussion about a pending policy matter with which of the following?
To study the expansion of voting rights
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?
the president delivering the State of the Union speech
All of the following are examples of a linkage institution influencing the policy process EXCEPT
The electorate will be less able to accurately compare the policy platforms of candidates running in the election.
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 third-party vote in the three states depicted in the chart helped Donald Trump acquire enough electoral votes to win the election.
Based on the data in the chart, which of the following best explains a likely impact of third-party votes in the 2016 election?
more ideological
Compared to the general population, delegates to presidential nomination conventions are
a decline in party competition in the South
During the past twenty-five years, all of the following changes in public opinion and political behavior have occurred in the United States EXCEPT
Wyoming
Given the information in the graph, in which of the following states would an individual's vote likely have more influence?
A map showing the dollar amounts spent by the NRA in each state since 1992
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?
The First Amendment allows corporations and unions to make independent expenditures regarding candidates for office.
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?
networks of congressional committees, bureaucratic agencies, and interest groups that strongly influence the policy process
In the process and structure of public policy-making, "iron triangles" refer to the
raise and spend money on election campaigns
Interest groups use political action committees (PACs) to
Political parties will rely increasingly on social media advertising to reach different coalitions of voters.
Julia Carrie Wong, "'It Might Work Too Well:' the Dark Art of Political Advertising Online," The Guardian, March 19, 2018. Which of the following scenarios reflects the most direct effect of the practice described in the passage on the electoral process?
The young with low education levels
Of the following groups of eligible voters, which is LEAST likely to vote?
Soft money
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold) was designed to curtail which of the following?
Lobby members of congressional committees to vote against all legislation that would support school voucher programs.
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?
Incumbents receive more campaign contributions than do challengers; Incumbents are able to provide important services for individual voters.
The advantages of incumbency in congressional elections include which of the following?
The gender gap among those who identified with the Republican party was narrowest for those between 25 and 34 years of age.
The chart above supports which of the following conclusions?
party realignment
The concept of "critical elections" is most closely associated with
Individuals in small-population states have a greater impact on the electoral college than individuals in large-population states.
The data in the graph best illustrate which of the following common criticisms of the electoral college?
people benefit from an interest group's efforts without making any contribution
The free rider problem occurs when
raise campaign funds to support favored candidates
The primary function of political action committees (PAC's) is to
reinforce existing political beliefs
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
The banking interest group likely has greater financial resources and access to policy makers than the consumer protection group.
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?
House of Representatives only
When none of the presidential candidates receives a majority of the votes in the electoral college, the winner is chosen by the
Caucus
When party members meet to nominate a candidate for office, they participate in which of the following?
A green energy group sending a research report to congressional offices
Which of the following activities by interest groups best illustrates attempts to educate members of Congress on public policy?
Political parties usually recruit and train people at the local level they believe are most fit to run for office.
Which of the following best explains how most candidates are recruited to run for office?
Conservative Republicans have been more successful at winning seats in the South, replacing many of the conservative Democrats.
Which of the following best explains the ideological shifts of the Southern Democrats, as shown in the line chart?
Candidates rely too heavily on processional consultants.
Which of the following criticisms of political campaigns is the author of the political cartoon most likely to agree with?
African Americans
Which of the following demographic groups has voted most consistently for the Democratic Party in national elections over the last three decades?
There is increased similarity of network news coverage.
Which of the following describes a consequence of the growing concentration of ownership of the news media?
Political parties represent broad arrays of issues, whereas interest groups are more likely to focus on narrow sets of issues.
Which of the following describes a fundamental difference between political parties and interest groups?
Groups in American society form political action committees (PACs) so they can influence policy.
Which of the following describes the activities represented by data in the table?
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?
A candidate's incumbency status
Which of the following has the most influence on the outcome of a congressional election?
The splitting of the two major parties into a multiparty system
Which of the following is LEAST characteristic of the history of political parties in the United States during the twentieth century?
Increasing importance of presidential primaries rather than state conventions
Which of the following is a significant trend in the presidential nominating process over the past three decades?
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 an accurate comparison between the relative functions and electoral success of the two major political parties (Democratic and Republican) and third parties?
The use of super PACs as a mechanism to raise money and influence elections
Which of the following is most directly related to the large amount of money spent by outside groups in the 2012 election?
The California state government is more likely to address issues that affect older voters.
Which of the following is most likely an effect of the data reported in the chart?
The events that shaped the generation turning 18 after the year 2000 tended to create more liberal-minded voters who supported Democrats.
Which of the following is the best explanation for the trend in voting behavior after the 2000 election?
Members of Congress receive political contributions from many special interest groups.
Which of the following is the best interpretation of the political cartoon?
The percentage of voters identifying themselves as either Democrats or Republicans has been declining since the 1970's.
Which of the following is the most accurate statement about political parties in the United States?
Over 75% of the population is eligible to vote, but only about half the electorate actually voted in the 2016 presidential election.
Which of the following is true based on the information graphic?
They make campaign contributions in hopes of gaining access to legislators.
Which of the following is true of political action committees (PACs) ?
News media outlets report the results of public opinion polls that show the relative popularity of presidential candidates.
Which of the following portrays an accurate example of horse race media coverage?
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 scenarios depicts the concept of an iron triangle?
Wealthier individuals are more likely to become involved in campaigns because they believe that their actions may influence the candidates.
Which of the following scenarios explains how demographic factors affect voter participation in elections?
A labor union spends millions of dollars to independently run negative advertisements about a presidential candidate shortly before the election.
Which of the following scenarios is most closely related to the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) ?
Incumbent senators are less likely to be reelected than are incumbent members of the House of Representatives.
Which of the following statements about incumbent senators running for reelection is correct?
Republicans with a low level of political efficacy are the most likely group to say that government needs major reforms.
Which of the following statements can best be supported by the survey data displayed in the bar graphs?
The winning candidate took office after receiving less than 50% of the popular votes cast.
Which of the following took place after presidential candidates Truman in 1948, Nixon in 1968, and Clinton in 1992 won only pluralities of the popular vote?
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.
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?
evangelical Christians
Since the early 1980s, the Republican Party platform has been increasingly influenced by
focusing on larger, competitive states, because they might tip the balance of the electoral college
Typically, presidential candidates implement their campaign strategies by
It eliminated poll taxes.
Which of the following describes the Twenty-Fourth Amendment?
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 is a true statement about the role of the media in providing citizens with information?
Political Parties: Political parties recruit and run candidates in elections. Interest Groups: Interest groups seek to influence public policy.
Which of the following makes a correct comparison between political parties and interest groups in the United States?
Interest groups tend to over-represent elite interests.
Which of the following statements about interest groups would the author most likely agree with?
PAC spending makes up a higher percentage of congressional campaign funds than of presidential campaign funds.
Which of the following statements about political action committees (PACs) is true?
The ideological difference between Southern and Northern Democrats in the House of Representatives has decreased since 1973.
Which of the following statements about the trend is correct according to the line chart?
Women were more likely than men to vote Democratic.
Which of the following statements about voting patterns is best supported by the table?
