Political Parties Quiz

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

1, 2 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 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.

Based on the data in the chart, which of the following strategies would best help third-party candidates like Jill Stein and Gary Johnson increase their chances of winning elected office?

Lobbying state legislatures to shift from a winner-take-all system to a proportional voting system

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 describes a fundamental difference between political parties and interest groups?

Political parties represent broad arrays of issues, whereas interest groups are more likely to focus on narrow sets of issues.

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.

Which of the following scenarios reflects the most direct effect of the practice described in the passage on the electoral process?

Political parties will rely increasingly on social media advertising to reach different coalitions of voters.

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.

Which of the following statements about political parties and the United States Constitution is true?

The issue of political parties is not addressed in the Constitution.

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.

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.

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.

Which of the following political processes or behaviors is most directly affected by the development described in the passage?

Voter mobilization

An election involving more than two candidates in which the person who receives the most votes is the winner is called

a plurality election

Since 1972, voters in presidential elections have

become more focused on individual candidates

The practice of "microtargeting" described in the passage is an even more powerful campaign tool for parties if they are able to

collect and manage large databases of information on specific groups of voters

An electoral system based on single-member districts is usually characterized by

domination of the legislature by two political parties

Since the early 1980s, the Republican Party platform has been increasingly influenced by

evangelical Christians

Interest groups and political parties both promote United States democracy by

linking citizens to the political process

The concept of "critical elections" is most closely associated with

party realignment

One reason for the persistence of a two-party system in the United States is

the single-member district electoral system

Critical elections in the United States typically have occurred

when groups of voters have changed their traditional patterns of party loyalties