chapter 10 assessment

21) What new way to register to vote was implemented with the passage of the Motor Voter Act? A) By checking a box on your driver's license application or renewal form. B) In an approved drive-through motor vehicles' bureau. C) When you buy or lease a car, by checking off a voter registration form. D) After you take driver's education classes. E) By filling out a form that is driven to your house.

A) By checking a box on your driver's license application or renewal form.

23) Which of the following countries has the lowest voter turnout rate? A) United States B) France C) Australia D) Italy E) Bulgaria

A) United States

16) The most frequent reason nonvoters give me for not voting on election day is that they A) could not take time off from work or school to go vote. B) forgot that it was Election Day. C) did not know where their polling place was. D) believed their vote would not make a difference. E) did not have transportation to their polling place.

A) could not take time off from work or school to go vote.

7) When ________ is high, as it is in the U.S., even losers of elections accept the results peacefully. A) legitimacy B) the degree of clarity of he idea in a party platform C) policy voting D) voter participation E) voter registration

A) legitimacy

10) The presidential election of 1800 was A) the first transition of power between parties accomplished by voters' ballots in the history of the world. B) notable for the importance of key convention speeches to swing the votes in the Electoral College. C) influenced by media intent on forcing the incumbent out of office. D) decided by the House of Representatives after a tie in the electoral college. E) the first use of direct primaries in the United States.

A) the first transition of power between parties accomplished by voters' ballots in the history of the world.

14) According to exit polls, __________ was a major reason voters selected Bush in 2004. A) the war on terrorism B) freedom of speech C) strategic voting D) welfare reform E) health care reform

A) the war on terrorism

15) The high point of voter turnout in the United States was in A) 1960. B) 1896. C) 1968. D) 1932. E) 1972.

B) 1896.

19) The election of 1800 was A) decided by the direct vote of the people. B) decided by the House of Representatives. C) overturned by the Supreme Court. D) decided by the full Congress.

B) decided by the House of Representatives.

17) A major reason cited for America's level of voter turnout compared to other industrialized countries is A) registration is more cumbersome in other nations. B) registration is more cumbersome in the United States. C) Americans' high sense of political efficacy. D) greater interest in democracy in the United States. E) bad weather in certain parts of the United States on election day.

B) registration is more cumbersome in the United States.

12) Of the following, which is the most direct form of democracy? A) Recall B) Referendum C) Initiative D) Direct primary E) Presidential election

C) Initiative

1) Which of the following functions do elections LEAST serve? A) Providing legitimacy to the political system B) Selecting public officials C) Making and coordinating public policy D) Providing regular access to political power E) Connecting citizens to government offcials

C) Making and coordinating public policy

18) Among the states that allow voter registration at the polls on Election Day, voter turnout rates are A) impossible to compute. B) no different than in other states. C) higher than in other states. D) lower than the national average. E) declining over time and at a higher rate than in other states.

C) higher than in other states.

22) Political efficacy refers to the belief that A) the costs of voting outweigh the benefits. B) government is very inefficient and needs to be streamlined. C) ordinary people can influence the government. D) significant policy differences exist between the parties. E) one should always support democratic government.

C) ordinary people can influence the government.

3) Studies have shown that during the 1960s and 1970s, A) voting according to political party identification increased. B) large numbers of people who has been eligible to vote but never voted surged into the electorate. C) the hold of the parties on voters eroded substantially. D) political party identification no longer affected voting behavior. E) Democrats voted along party lines more than Republicans.

C) the hold of the parties on voters eroded substantially.

6) Elections serve the purpose of A) providing a legitimate means to replace leaders. B) providing regular access to political power. C) socializing and institutionalizing political activity. D) All of the above. E) None of the above.

D) All of the above.

13) The election of 2000 hinged on who had won A) Ohio. B) Pennsylvania. C) New York. D) Florida. E) Tennessee.

D) Florida

24) Which of the following characteristics would make one more likely to vote in an election? A) Having a low income B) Being a young adult C) Being a welfare recipient D) Having a college degree E) Being a college student

D) Having a college degree

20) Which of the following is TRUE about American elections over the past 100 years? A) The suffrage has narrowed, and the turnout has increased. B) The suffrage has broadened, and the turnout has increased. C) The suffrage has narrowed, and the turnout has decreased. D) The suffrage has broadened, and the turnout has decreased. E) Suffrage has broadened, but there has been no change in turnout.

D) The suffrage has broadened, and the turnout has decreased

9) A referendum is A) a form of primary election. B) a process in states whereby voters may put proposed changes in the state constitution to a vote. C) a constitutional provision for policy questions to be decided by a nationwide vote. D) a state level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or a constitutional amendment. E) Either A or B.

D) a state level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or a constitutional amendment.

4) The "electors" in the Electoral College are A) the members of Congress from each state, who vote strictly according to who won the majority of their state's votes. B) a bipartisan group of political scientists, public officials, jurists, and other respected individuals chosen by the governor of each state. C) the members of the House from each state, who vote strictly according to who won the majority of their district's votes. D) selected by state parties, usually as a reward for faithful service to the party over the years. E) selected by state legislatures well in advance of the presidential election, and each elector votes his or her own conscience as to who would be the best president.

D) selected by state parties, usually as a reward for faithful service to the party over the years.

5) Retrospective voting refers to voting for A) a candidate because of his or her past stands on the issues. B) different parties and candidates election after election. C) the same party and candidates election after election. D) candidates for nostalgic reasons because they promise to return the country to some golden age in its past. E) a candidate who promises to continue policies that have made you feel better off.

E) a candidate who promises to continue policies that have made you feel better off.

11) In the original constitutional system, A) each presidential elector cast one ballot for one of the president/vice president teams running. B) the Senate elected the president and the House of Representatives elected the vice president. C) the state legislatures elected the president and vice president, with the candidate getting the second most votes becoming vice president. D) the president, once elected by the Electoral College, chose the vice president. E) each presidential elector cast two ballots and the top vote-getter was named president and the runner-up became vice president.

E) each presidential elector cast two ballots and the top vote-getter was named president and the runner-up became vice president

2) Research on voting behavior has shown that A) policy voting has become harder than in the past. B) a candidate's image is not as important today as it was in the past. C) Americans tend to identify with the underdog. D) party identification has become more important in voting decisions. E) policy voting has become somewhat easier than in the past.

E) policy voting has become somewhat easier than in the past.

8) The three kinds of elections in the U.S. are A) primary elections, competitive elections, and noncompetitive elections. B) primary elections, secondary elections, and tertiary elections. C) primary elections, ancillary elections, corollary elections. D) primary elections, general elections, and competitive elections. E) primary elections, general elections, and elections on specific policy questions.

E) primary elections, general elections, and elections on specific policy questions.

25) The mandate theory of elections is the idea that A) a candidate must get at least sixty percent of the vote to win. B) a candidate must get at least 75 percent of the vote to win. C) in order to improve turnout rates in the United States, voting must be made a legal requirement of all citizens, with the failure to vote resulting in a small fine. D) a candidate must get a majority of the votes cast (fifty percent plus one) in order to take office. E) the election winner has authorization from the voters to carry out his or her promised policies.

E) the election winner has authorization from the voters to carry out his or her promised policies.