Ch 8 Quiz 10 Political Participation & Parties

Political parties serve to

-offer the public a choice between policies and leaders -provide a way for like-minded leaders and citizens to work together -connect citizens with government -enable people with different backgrounds and opinions to act together

The election of ________ was a realigning election

1932

Abraham Lincoln was first elected in 1860 with ________ percent of the popular vote

40

It is relatively rare for a party nominee to get less than ________ percent of the partisan vote in a presidential or a congressional race

80

The Democratic Party's long-time regional stronghold, "the Solid South," stemmed from a realignment during which historical period?

Civil War era

________ was the only Republican elected president from 1932 to 1964

Dwight Eisenhower

Political parties in the United States originated partly as a political feud between

Hamilton and Jefferson.

________ representation systems are those in which seats in the legislature are allocated according to each political party's share of the popular vote

Proportional

Anti-slavery advocates gave birth to the ________ Party as a major political party

Republican

In 1992, ________ won 19 percent of the popular vote in the presidential election.

Ross Perot

Citizens in which of the following countries are MOST likely to engage in political activities, such as volunteering for political campaigns?

United States

Citizens in which of the following countries are MOST likely to talk to people about politics?

United States

All of the following are characteristic of a party realignment EXCEPT

a very close electoral result

Which of the following was NOT part of the 2016 Republican Party platform?

cuts in military spending

Organizationally, the U.S. major parties are

decentralized and fragmented.

The chief obstacle to Americans' participation in community activities is the

lack of personal motivation to get involved.

National party organizations can dictate the day-to-day decisions of

neither local nor state party organizations.

During the twentieth century, American parties lost their exclusive control over

nominations.

The winner-take-all system is also known as the ________ system.

plurality

Which of the following was NOT part of the 2016 Democratic Party platform?

privatizing social security

At the state level the central committees

provide only general policy guidance for the state organizations.

A(n) ________ party is a minor party that bases its appeal on the claim that the major parties are having a corrupting influence on government and policy.

reform

The first American political parties emerged from the conflict between

small farmers and states' rights advocates, and those favoring commercial and wealthy interests

Regarding state party organizations, the day-to-day operation is usually the responsibility of the

state chairperson.

Which of the following is an indication of strong party loyalty

straight-ticket voting

The MOST obvious sign of the party realignment of recent decades has been the strong tendency of

the South to vote Republican

Which of the following represents the greatest blow to the organizational strength of U.S. parties?

the direct primary

The major reason for the persistence of the American two-party system is

the existence of single-member election districts.

Democrats and Republicans have endured as the two major U.S. parties primarily due to

their ability to adapt to changing circumstances

Proportional representation systems encourage the formation of smaller parties by enabling parties to

win legislative seats even though they do not receive a majority of votes in elections.