Chapter 8 AP Gov Practice Test

Which of the following represents a consequence of candidate-centered electoral campaigns? A. A decrease in the role of political parties in campaign management B. A decrease in the number of third-party candidates on the ballot C. A decrease in the amount of money spent on political campaigns D. A decrease in voter outreach and mobilization efforts

A. A decrease in the role of political parties in campaign management

Which of the following describes the result in a winner-take-all, single-member-district plurality system? A. The candidate who receives the most votes in the election wins. B. The candidate must receive at least 51% of the votes to win. C. The top two vote-getters compete in a run-off election. D. A political party must receive 51% of the votes to win all of the seats in the district. E. The party that receives the most votes in the election wins the seat and selects the party member who will fill the seat.

A. The candidate who receives the most votes in the election wins.

Based on the data in the chart, which of the following best explains a likely impact of third-party votes in the 2016 election? A. The third-party vote in the three states depicted in the chart helped Donald Trump acquire enough electoral votes to win the election. B. The third parties were able to gain seats in Congress because of the large number of votes they received in the three states depicted in the chart. C. The third-party vote counts in the three states depicted in the chart forced the election to a tie, forcing the House of Representatives to cast the deciding vote. D. The third-party vote counts forced the three states depicted in the chart into runoff elections to decide who would be the winner of each state.

A. The third-party vote in the three states depicted in the chart helped Donald Trump acquire enough electoral votes to win the election.

Since 1972, voters in presidential elections have A. become more focused on individual candidates B. increasingly based their votes on televised candidate debates C. become more influenced by party platforms D. become more likely to focus on local rather than national conditions E. become more likely to rely on print media for information

A. become more focused on individual candidates

All of the following are examples of a linkage institution influencing the policy process EXCEPT A. the president delivering the State of the Union speech B. the Sierra Club lobbying the Environmental Protection Agency C. the outcome of a congressional election D. an exposé by the national media on the housing crisis E. the Republican Party pursuing a balanced budget amendment

A. the president delivering the State of the Union speech

Which of the following best accounts for the lack of success generally encountered by minor political parties in electing members to the House or Senate? A. Political action committee (PAC) contributions are restricted by law to the two major parties. B. General elections in the United States are based on the winner-take-all principle. C. House and Senate rules exclude members of minor parties from organizing coalitions with the major parties. D. The public has great faith in the two major political parties. E. Some states outlaw minor political parties.

B. General elections in the United States are based on the winner-take-all principle.

Which of the following describes a fundamental difference between political parties and interest groups? A. Political parties are prohibited from sponsoring campaign advertisements, and interest groups are not. B. Political parties represent broad arrays of issues, whereas interest groups are more likely to focus on narrow sets of issues. C. Political parties are more likely to focus on national politics, whereas interest groups focus on local politics. D. Political parties tend to have strength in particular regions, whereas the power of interest groups is more consistent across states. E. Political parties are required to disclose their campaign finance activities, whereas interest groups are not.

B. Political parties represent broad arrays of issues, whereas interest groups are more likely to focus on narrow sets of issues.

Which of the following statements regarding political parties is true based on the graphic? A. The Democratic Party has consistently favored states' rights. B. The Republican Party initially emerged as an antislavery political party. C. Regional interests have not played a major role in any of the party systems. D. The Democratic and Republican Parties were the two major parties during the First Party System.

B. The Republican Party initially emerged as an antislavery political party.

Which of the following is the most accurate statement about political parties in the United States? A. Parties increasingly identify themselves with coherent ideologies to attract large blocs of voters. B. The percentage of voters identifying themselves as either Democrats or Republicans has been declining since the 1970's. C. National party organizations are generally the strongest party organizations. D. It is increasingly difficult for third parties to gain more than two percent of the popular vote. E. Most candidates prefer to run as independents rather than as Democrats or Republicans.

B. The percentage of voters identifying themselves as either Democrats or Republicans has been declining since the 1970's.

Since the early 1980s, the Republican Party platform has been increasingly influenced by A. environmental activists B. evangelical Christians C. civil libertarians D. labor unions E. active military officers

B. evangelical Christians

The concept of realignment refers to changes in A. the United States system of international alliances B. the social bases of the parties' voting support C. the media's criticism of the president and Congress D. spending priorities in the federal budget E. the rate of voter participation

B. the social bases of the parties' voting support

Source: The National Election Studies, Center for Political Studies, University of Michigan. The table above supports which of the following conclusions? I. A plurality of the people has consistently supported the Democrats. II.Support for the two major parties increased slightly between 1952 and 1994. III. The largest percentage increase in political identification between 1952 and 1994 occurred among independents. A. I only B. II only C. III only D. I and II only E. I, II, and III

C. III only

Which of the following is the best explanation for the trend in voting behavior after the 2000 election? A. Many states lowered their voting age after 2000, which led to an increase in Democratic Party voters. B. Most younger voters who were Democrats in the 1980s became more conservative as they grew older and ended up supporting Republicans after 2000. C. The events that shaped the generation turning 18 after the year 2000 tended to create more liberal-minded voters who supported Democrats. D. Most younger voters after 2000 adopted political positions that were opposed to their parents' point of view.

C. The events that shaped the generation turning 18 after the year 2000 tended to create more liberal-minded voters who supported Democrats.

The graphic illustrates which of the following statements about political parties? A. Federalism leads to a multiparty system in which at least three parties generally compete for control of local, state, and national governments. B. The founders refused to join political parties because they agreed that parties were contrary to the public interests, so parties did not form until well after the ratification of the Constitution. C. There is an ongoing debate between political parties over the power and scope of the federal government, even as economic and demographic changes have altered party coalitions. D. The Constitution settled the debate over the power of the federal government, but political parties formed nonetheless to help Congress organize itself over regional interests.

C. There is an ongoing debate between political parties over the power and scope of the federal government, even as economic and demographic changes have altered party coalitions.

Based on the data in the chart and your knowledge of presidential elections, which of the following is the best strategy that Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump could have used to pull votes away from the third-party candidates, Jill Stein and Gary Johnson? A. Trump or Clinton could have promised to work with members of third parties in Congress if elected. B. Trump or Clinton could have agreed to appoint Stein or Johnson to Cabinet positions after the election. C. Trump or Clinton could have adopted issues that were popular with Stein's and Johnson's voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin as part of their campaigns. D. Trump and Clinton could have agreed to include Stein and Johnson in presidential debates to show that they were open to discussing issue important to third parties.

C. Trump or Clinton could have adopted issues that were popular with Stein's and Johnson's voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin as part of their campaigns.

An election involving more than two candidates in which the person who receives the most votes is the winner is called A. a majority election B. a proportional election C. a plurality election D. a simple election E. an indirect election

C. a plurality election

The primary reason for the current existence of only two major political parties in the United States is that A. the Constitution puts severe restrictions on other parties B. third parties are usually far to the right or left, and Americans are moderates C. a winner-take-all electoral system makes it difficult for new parties to emerge and survive D. voters naturally think of themselves as either liberals or conservatives E. presidential electors can vote for only two candidates

C. a winner-take-all electoral system makes it difficult for new parties to emerge and survive

Interest groups and political parties both promote United States democracy by A. expressing detailed, ideologically distinct programs B. centralizing public authority C. linking citizens to the political process D. increasing domination of the political process by elites E. lobbying members of Congress

C. linking citizens to the political process

A major difference between political parties and interest groups is that A. interest groups typically shift their positions on issues over time, while political parties tend to keep the same position on issues over time B. interest groups usually recruit candidates for office, while political parties usually limit themselves to making campaign contributions to candidates C. political parties seek to gain control of government, while interest groups seek to influence public policy D. political parties tend to have narrow coalitions of support, and interest groups tend to have broad coalitions of support E. political parties usually focus on one issue, while interest groups focus mainly on many issues

C. political parties seek to gain control of government, while interest groups seek to influence public policy

One reason for the persistence of a two-party system in the United States is A. the lack of divisive issues in United States politics B. the separation of powers C. the single-member district electoral system D. the lack of a strong labor movement E. low voter turnout in most elections

C. the single-member district electoral system

An election in which there is a significant shift in the bases of electoral support from one political party to another is called a A. deviating election B. maintaining election C. dealigning election D. primary election E. realigning election

E. realigning election

Political parties serve which of the following functions in the United States? I. Informing the public about political issues II. Mobilizing voters and getting them to the polls III. Organizing diverse interests within society IV. Establishing the rules governing financial contributions to political candidates A. II only B. I and II only C. III and IV only D. I, II, and III only E. I, III, and IV only

D. I, II, and III only

Which of the following statements is best supported by the data in the table above? A. Latinos are fairly homogeneous in their party identification. B. Latinos have become substantially more supportive of the Democratic Party than they were in the 1950s. C. The majority of Latinos probably voted for Bill Clinton in 1992. D. Latinos of Cuban descent are more supportive of the Republican Party than are Latinos of Mexican or Puerto Rican descent. E. Latinos of Mexican descent are less likely to consider themselves independent than are Latinos of Cuban or Puerto Rican descent.

D. Latinos of Cuban descent are more supportive of the Republican Party than are Latinos of Mexican or Puerto Rican descent.

Critical elections in the United States typically have occurred A. as a result of a temporary shift in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties B. whenever a third party has secured more than fifteen percent of the presidential vote C. each time a Republican has been elected President D. when voter turnout has declined significantly from the previous election E. when groups of voters have changed their traditional patterns of party loyalties

E. when groups of voters have changed their traditional patterns of party loyalties

Based on the data in the chart, which of the following strategies would best help third-party candidates like Jill Stein and Gary Johnson increase their chances of winning elected office? A. Allowing third-party candidates to create political action groups to raise money when campaigning in swing states B. Employing campaign managers to develop get-out-the-vote strategies for campaigns in swing states C. Developing strong party platforms that would attract independent and undecided voters in swing states D. Lobbying state legislatures to shift from a winner-take-all system to a proportional voting system

D. Lobbying state legislatures to shift from a winner-take-all system to a proportional voting system

An electoral system based on single-member districts is usually characterized by A. strong, centralized political parties and a weak executive B. higher rates of voter turnout than are common in other systems C. legislative representation of each party in proportion to the number of votes it receives D. domination of the legislature by two political parties E. ideological rather than mass-based parties

D. domination of the legislature by two political parties

The development and persistence of the two-party system in the United States is best accounted for by A. the Twelfth Amendment B. proportional representation C. multimember legislative districts D. single-member legislative districts E. strong party loyalty of elected representatives

D. single-member legislative districts

Which of the following factors best accounts for the rise of interest groups and the decline of political parties in recent years? A. National parties have become too closely identified with controversial issues. B. Court decisions have restricted the political parties' abilities to recruit new-members. C. It is less expensive to join an interest group than to join a political party. D. Interest groups have been more successful in avoiding negative press coverage than have political parties. E. Interest groups are better able to articulate specific policy positions than are political parties.

E. Interest groups are better able to articulate specific policy positions than are political parties.

The concept of "critical elections" is most closely associated with A. the electoral college process B. elections during wartime C. the nomination process D. economic recession E. party realignment

E. Party realignment

Which of the following statements best describes the organization of the two major political parties in the United States? A. Parties have no organization except at the national level. B. Parties are centrally organized to provide a smooth transition from one national campaign to the next. C. Parties are organized much like a large corporation, in that decisions flow from national to state and local levels. D. Local and state parties have virtually no power in the party system. E. Separate and largely independent party organizations exist at national, state, and local levels.

E. Separate and largely independent party organizations exist at national, state, and local levels.

Which of the following statements about political parties and the United States Constitution is true? A. According to the Constitution, only two major political parties may exist at any time. B. The Constitution requires political parties to be restricted by both federal and state law. C. The Constitution indicates that political party leaders at the national level be elected by political party leaders at the state level. D. The Constitution specifies that political party leaders must be native-born United States citizens. E. The issue of political parties is not addressed in the Constitution.

E. The issue of political parties is not addressed in the Constitution.

Which of the following is LEAST characteristic of the history of political parties in the United States during the twentieth century? A. An increase in the number of organized interest groups B. An increase in the influence of political action committee (PAC) money in congressional elections C. State adoption of direct primary elections D. The loss of party patronage power E. The splitting of the two major parties into a multiparty system

E. The splitting of the two major parties into a multiparty system

Since the 1960s, support for the Democratic Party has declined the most among which of the following groups? A. Labor union members B. Business leaders C. African Americans D. Native Americans E. White southerners

E. White Sotherners

Which of the following is an accurate comparison between the relative functions and electoral success of the two major political parties (Democratic and Republican) and third parties?

Major Parties----the rules of electoral college favor the majority candidates in presidential elections. Third parties----winner-take-all voting districts hinder the electoral success of third party candidates.