Quiz 8: Political Parties

________ are independent, nonprofit groups that receive and distribute funds to influence the nomination, election, and/or defeat of a candidate.

527 committees

Since the 1930s, most African Americans have identified as

Democratic

From the end of the Civil War to the 1890s, the ________ Party was the party of the North, while the ________ Party was the party of the South.

Republican; Democratic

During the late 1840s and early 1850s, both the Democratic and Whig parties were divided by

conflicts over slavery.

The Progressive movement of the early 1900s was motivated, in large part, by the

excessive power, corruption, and abuses of party machines and their bosses.

Political scientists have found that on economic issues, both the Democratic and Republican parties are

more responsive to the preferences of the upper and middle classes than the lower class.

Under federal election law, only

parties that receive more than 5 percent of the national presidential vote are entitled to federal election funds.

During the nineteenth century, party machines depended heavily on ________ in order to reward loyal party supporters.

patronage

An individual who identifies a problem as a political issue and brings a policy proposal into the political agenda is referred to as a(n)

policy entrepreneur.

The three most important tasks accomplished at a party's national convention are nominating the party's

presidential and vice-presidential candidates, drafting the party's campaign platform, and approving changes in the rules governing party procedures.

Third-party candidates are better off under

proportional representation.

Voters who prefer third-party candidates but vote for the major-party candidate whom they regard as the "lesser of two evils" are engaged in

strategic voting.

Which of the following statements about parties in Congress is true?

All members are allowed to take part in the election of the Speaker of the House.

Under a system of ranked-choice voting

a candidate is declared the winner if he or she wins a majority of first-place votes.

External mobilization occurs when

a group of politicians outside government organizes popular support to win governmental power.

All of the following are responsibilities of a party's national committee EXCEPT

determining committee assignments for members of Congress.

Which of the following occurs when one party replaces another party that has dominated national politics for a lengthy period of time?

electoral realignment

One of the earliest activities in which party workers engage once the general election campaign for Congress begins is

ensuring that citizens are registered to vote.

According to political scientist John Aldrich, which of the following problems found in democratic governments do political parties help solve?

how to incorporate young people into the political system, how to convince citizens to trust the government, and how to minimize fiscal shortfalls

The Federalist Party disappeared, in part, as a result of

the War of 1812