Posc 100 CH 10 MC

In order for a political party to select a candidate to run in the general election, it holds a a. primary election. b. midterm election. c. exploratory committee. d. referendum. e. franchise vote.

A

Campaign consultants do all of the following except a. develop the issue messages on which the candidate will focus. b. organize direct mailings. c. conduct public opinion polls. d. produce television commercials. e. print ballots for the election.

E

Incumbents usually have an easier time successfully campaigning for office than nonincumbents

T

During midterm elections, voters are voting for a. members of Congress. b. federal judges. c. the secretary of state. d. the president. e. national-level referendums.

A

Smaller and weaker parties are most likely to have electoral success under which system of elections? a. the proportional representation system b. the plurality system c. the unitary system d. the majority system e. the referendum system

A

When does public opinion polling take place during a campaign? a. throughout the entire campaign b. at the very beginning c. Most campaigns do not use public opinion polling. d. only toward the end of the campaign e. only at the very beginning and the very end of the campaign

A

When state legislators concentrate the members of one party in as few districts as possible in order to ensure that their opponents will elect as few representatives as possible, it is called a. packing. b. redlining. c. a referendum. d. caucusing. e. lobbying.

A

Partisan loyalty is likely to be highest in the election of a. a U.S. senator b. the president. c. members of the House of Representatives. d. a state legislator. e. a governor.

D

Private groups that raise and distribute funds for election campaigns are called a. executive agencies. b. corporations. c. political parties. d. political action committees (PACs). e. political consulting firms.

D

The practice of _____ means that district boundaries have been purposefully drawn to unfairly advantage one group or party a. recall b. proportional representation c. incumbency d. gerrymandering e. balloting

D

Three types of factors, ______, influence the decisions of voters at the polls. a. wealth, education, and issues b. advertising, debates, and issues c. advertising, partisan loyalty, and personality d. partisan loyalty, issues, and the characteristics of candidates e. honesty, partisan loyalty, and wealth

D

When a congressional election is held that does NOT coincide with a presidential election, it is called a(n) a. franchise vote. b. referendum. c. closed primary election. d. midterm election. e. open primary election.

D

When a voter must be registered with a party prior to voting in that party's election, it is called a(n) a. referendum. b. open primary. c. majority system. d. closed primary. e. Australian ballot.

D

Which of the following statements about campaign spending in House elections is true? a. The amount of money spent by incumbents has increased since 1980 but has grown at a much slower rate than the amount spent by challengers. b. The amount of money spent by challengers and incumbents has decreased at the same rate since 1980. c. The amount of money spent by incumbents has increased since 1980 and has grown at the same rate as the amount spent by challengers. d. The amount of money spent by incumbents has increased since 1980 and has grown at a much faster rate than the amount spent by challengers. e. The amount of money spent by incumbents has decreased since 1980 and has decreased at a much faster rate than the amount spent by challengers.

D

Which of the following statements about campaign spending in Senate elections is true? a. Incumbents and challengers generally spend the same amount of money in Senate campaigns. b. Incumbents and challengers in Senate campaigns are legally limited to spending only $2 million. c. Incumbents generally spend less money than challengers in Senate campaigns. d. Incumbents generally spend more money than challengers in Senate campaigns. e. Incumbents and challengers in Senate campaigns are legally limited to spending only $5 million.

D

If George W. Bush won the plurality of votes in Texas during the 2000 election, and Texas had thirty representatives in the House of Representatives, how many electoral votes from Texas did Bush win? a. 30 b. 44 c. 50 d. 0 e. 32

E

Money contributed directly to a political party used for voter registration or party building is called a. housekeeping dollars. b. funny money. c. graft. d. a bribe. e. soft money.

E

The boundaries of legislative districts in the United States are to be redrawn every ___ years a. six b. two c. twelve d. four e. ten

E

What is the first step in running for president? a. participating in party debates b. attending the party's national convention c. enrolling in the electoral college d. running in party primaries and caucuses e. forming an exploratory committee

E

Which of the following statements is true? a. The Supreme Court has ruled that elections using electronic voting machines are unconstitutional. b. Federal law since 2002 requires that all states use the same type of voting equipment. c. The Supreme Court has mandated that all voting machines provide a paper ballot. d. Since 2000, all voting equipment has been required to use a butterfly ballot. e. Voting equipment varies from county to county throughout the United States.

E

While traditional party conventions were ___, contemporary party conventions are a. financed solely by the federal government; financed by interest groups, private donors, and corporations b. held on the year before the presidential election; held one week before the presidential election c. simple ratifications of nominations that had already been determined; deliberative assemblies to determine nominations d. financed by interest groups, private donors, and corporations; financed solely by the federal government e. deliberative assemblies to determine nominations; simple ratifications of nominations that have already been determined

E

A major factor in John Kenned's 1960 presidential victory over Richard Nixon was a. Kennedy's strategic use of "soft money" and 527 committees. b. Kennedy's aggressive use of push polls, especially in the Northeast. c. the fact that, unlike Nixon, Kennedy had hired a professional political consultant. d. that Kennedy had a much stronger performance than Nixon during televised debates. e. Nixon's failure to develop infomercials.

D

If you voted for a Republican for president and a Democrat for senator, you engaged in a. the coattail effect. b. an open primary. c. split-ticket voting. d. a referendum. e. a closed primary.

C

The right of candidates to spend their own money on running for office a. is limited by a cap of $50 million. b. was forbidden by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002. c. is protected absolutely by the First Amendment, according to the Supreme Court. d. is allowed only if the candidate can match every personal dollar with a dollar from outside donations. e. was forbidden by the Campaign Reform Act of 1974.

C

When states vie for influence by holding their nominating processes earlier, it is called a. gerrymandering. b. open caucusing. c. frontloading d. closed caucusing. e. the winner-take-all system.

C

Who is the incumbent? a. the name given to a candidate who is running against a current officeholder in an election b. the candidate who raises the most money during the campaign c. the current officeholder, running for re-election d. the label for whoever is leading in the polls on the day of the election e. the official candidate for a political party, running in the general elections

C

Which of the following statements is most accurate? a. When voters are dissatisfied with their economic prospects, they tend to vote for Republican candidates. b. Economic considerations do not affect the decisions that voters make about who to vote for. c. When voters are dissatisfied with their economic performance, they tend to vote for Democratic candidates. d. When voters are satisfied with their economic prospects, they tend to vote for the party in power. e. When voters are dissatisfied with their economic prospects, they tend to vote for the party in power.

D

Party activists who are elected to vote at a party's national convention are called a. incumbents. b. delegates. c. nominees. d. electors. e. whips.

B

Political scientists call voters' choices that focus on future behavior ______, while those based on past performances are called ______. a. issue voting; prospective voting b. prospective voting; retrospective voting c. partisan voting; issue voting d. issue voting; partisan voting e. retrospective voting; prospective voting

B

The effort by political candidates and their staff to win backing and support by voters in the quest for political office is known as a(n) a. caucus. b. campaign. c. incumbency. d. national convention. e. platform.

B

The primary responsibility for conducting public elections rests with a. the federal government. b. state and local governments. c. political parties. d. the candidates running for office. e. privately owned and operated election companies.

B

The themes, issues, and messages that candidates present during a campaign are generally based on a. the size of the constituency they are seeking to represent. b. polls and focus groups. c. an objective assessment of what the most important problems facing the country are. d. the election rules passed by Congress each year. e. legally binding orders that are issued from the national party organizations.

B

When the Supreme Court announced the principle of "one person, one vote," what did it mean? a. Voting was an individual right, not a group right. b. Within a state, electoral districts must have roughly equal populations. c. Voters may only vote once in an election. d. No one could be denied suffrage on the basis of race or gender. e. Compulsory voting is constitutional.

B

PACs can make larger campaign contributions than individuals are legally allowed to make

T

Party conventions are held once every four years

Tc