Unit 7 Influencing the Government
Which of the following is generally considered to be the MAJOR shortcoming of the Electoral College system of electing a US President?
A candidate can win the popular vote but lose the Presidency
Which of the following BEST describes party realignment?
A shift in party loyalty
What is the intended message of this political cartoon?
A single vote doesn't typically make much of a difference
Which interest group would most likely oppose eliminating the social security system?
American Association of Retired Persons
Which of these is an example of lobbying by a special interest group?
An animal rights organization presents its views to a legislator
Which statement is TRUE regarding the Internet's influence over politics?
By 2008, half of all Americans were getting their news from the Internet
Expenditures have generally been on the rise
Expenditures have generally been on the rise
chart
Expenditures have generally been on the rise
Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth. -President Abraham Lincoln, 1863 Which is the BEST conclusion about Lincoln's quotation?
He supported a republic
Which of the following are considered linkage institutions?
I, II, IV, V
Jack works at a store where the manager oftentimes hands power over to employees while he sits in the back messing around on the company's computer. The manager is usually unaware of what his employees do while he is at work. Which type of leadership style is shown by the manager?
Laissez-faire
Among Libertarians, Greens, Socialists and Democrats, which political party is known for being more conservative?
Libertarians
Which of the following statements about media and politics is supported by the graph?
Only half as many young people read newspapers as they did in 1970
How have electronic media improved the democratic process?
People can communicate quickly and easily with their representatives
The quotation above from Madison's Federalist Paper 10 is referring to
Political Parties
Which headline describes an action MOST likely to have a positive effect on a presidential candidate's campaign?
Presidential candidate raises record amount of campaign funds
Since the 1960s, which political party in the United States MOST closely represents the views of conservative voters?
Republican
Which of the following is NOT a function of political parties?
Support unpopular causes
Which of the following is NOT a reason why the Founding Fathers desired the Electoral College over a popular vote?
The Founding Fathers believed democracy was the best form of government
Which passage from the US Constitution reflects the principle of popular sovereignty?
The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states"
What happens if no presidential candidate wins the majority of the electoral votes?
The decision is passed down to the House of Representatives
Which statement is supported by the chart above?
The greatest gender gap was seen on the topic of health care
Which of the following BEST describes how the president of the United States is elected to office?
The votes casted by a slate of electors, based on the general population vote, determines who becomes President
Which statement BEST describes the function of an interest group?
They advocate for citizens who have similar ideas about issues
Which statement is TRUE of labor union Political Action Committees (PACs)?
They give more than 90% of their money to Democrats
In what way do political action committees heavily influence Congress?
Through financial contributions
What is the MAIN message of the cartoon above?
Well-funded special interest groups have privileged access to Congress
Which statement BEST completes the diagram above?
coalitions among parties
In a presidential form of government, the head of the executive branch is
elected independently from the legislative branch and serves a fixed term
A MAJOR objection to many lobbying groups is that they
have too much influence on government
In the US, the MOST significant way that political party primaries have helped to increase public interest in the political process is by enabling voters to
help select party candidates
Which characteristic BEST completes the diagram above?
implement petitions and surveys
The MAIN purpose of lobbying is to
influence legislation on behalf of special interest groups
Environmentalists have MOST often opposed government policies that
lease public land to mining companies
The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second year by the people of the several states"
lobbying elected officials to enact new education laws
An interest group has a better chance of successfully influencing Congress if the issue at hand is
low in visibility
Which term BEST describes a person who takes a position in the political center?
moderate
The MAJOR role of political parties in the United States is to
nominate candidates for public office and conduct campaigns
Which of the following describes a political action committee (PAC)?
organization with a specific political motive engaged in raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates
Which term BEST describes a list of principles/beliefs held by a political party?
party platform
The national convention is held to accomplish all of the following EXCEPT
select the party's delegates
Traditionally, third parties have had the GREATEST impact on US politics by
supporting issues often ignored by the major parties
Many people criticize special interest groups because they
tend to represent causes with a narrow focus that only affects a small part of the overall population
Due to the National Rifle Association's efforts, the Assault Weapons Ban expired in 2004. This is an example of
the influence of special interest groups on public policy
Which of these describes the MAIN purpose of an interest group?
to influence government officials on specific issues
