Chapter 9 quiz review

In the video Third Parties, what is the PRIMARY reason given why third parties rarely win the presidency?

The Electoral College's "winner-take-all" system

How are a party's candidates who run in the general election selected?

They are elected through party caucuses or primary elections.

Which of the following statements best describes how national party conventions have changed over time?

Though national conventions prior to World War II were primarily devoted to debating and negotiating about who the party's nominee would be, today's conventions serve mostly as media events to promote the candidate the party has already selected.

Which of the following best describes the role of political parties in government?

Congress is organized by political parties with party leaders exercising considerable power over the bills that receive votes and helping form cohesive coalitions that pass legislation.

The following are two groups of former Presidents:Group 1: John F. Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Barrack ObamaGroup 2: Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, George W. BushThe Presidents in Group 1 were from the ______ while those in Group 2 were from the _____.

Democratic Party; Republican Party

Which of the following statements concerning minor or third parties is true?

Minor parties often have their programs adopted by one of the two major parties.

Which of the following is true regarding pure independents?

Pure independents are often less interested, less engaged with, and less emotionally charged over political issues.

Why do some political observers argue that the dominant two-party system healthy for the country's democracy?

Two parties make for more stable government.

Despite the strength of the Republican Party in the South, Democrats have been able to retain some southern congressional seats due to the

Voting Rights Act of 1965

How does age relate to partisanship?

Younger Americans tend to associate with the Democratic Party, although there is also a growing number who identify as independents.

An individual who supports reducing health care costs and addressing the criminal justice system is most likely to identify as

a Democrat.

What is the two-party system?

a system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control

When Richard Nixon employed his "southern strategy," he

appealed to White voters in the South.

A major benefit of ranked-choice voting is that it

eliminates the "spoiler" effect that occurs when votes for a third-party or minor candidate are discarded.

Which list of issue positions is most likely to be supported by the national leadership of the Democratic Party?

expanding funding for education, public spending for infrastructure, and raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations

The typical Democratic voter, statistically, is more likely to be ____________, economically more likely to be a _____________, and ethnically more likely to be (a) ______________.

female than male; union member; racial or ethnic minority

What is partisanship?

identification with or support of a particular party

The party ________________ refers to members of a political party who hold political office and how they organize themselves to pursue policies in government.

in government

The party _______________ consists of voters who tend to identify with the particular political party

in the electorate

The party _______________ consists of voters who tend to identify with the particular political party.

in the electorate

The liberal, progressive, and/or socialist side of the political spectrum is often referred to as the:

left.

The BEST explanation of why political partisanship is increasingly weak in the United States is that the U.S. has:

loosely organized political parties and politics is becoming more issue-based.

When Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House in 2018, her selection was made by the

majority party

An advertisement emailed only to gunowners about a Democratic candidate's support for restricting the ownership of firearms would be an example of

micro-targeting.

The political party that holds fewer seats in the Senate than any other party is known as the

minority party.

Political party leaders are

not willing to provide financial backing to candidates who are unable to raise substantial funds on their own.

The party ________________ describes the employees and volunteers of the party organization who are actively engaged in party activities and play a crucial role in organizing and contesting elections.

organization

The formal structure of a political party including its leadership, election committees, active members, and paid staff are the

party organization.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, surveys showed that Democrats were more likely than Republicans to believe that the virus was a serious problem. Which of the following best explains this division?

party polarization

During the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump, all Republicans except one voted against impeachment. This illustrates the power of

party polarization.

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

patronage

A party's ________ contains its philosophy, principles, and policy positions.

platform

President Donald Trump's primary campaign issue called for the U.S. to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border. This is an example of him acting as a

policy entrepreneur.

The division between the two major parties on most policy issues, with members of each party unified around their party's positions with little crossover, is called

political polarization.

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.

Elections held within the parties to choose candidates for public office are called:

primary elections.

During the 1980s, the Republicans added ________ to their coalition.

religious conservatives and working-class Whites

As the parties in the U.S. House of Representatives have become more divided,

representatives have given more authority to their leaders.

Characteristics of a ______________ party model are: (1) parties have clear policy platforms and offer distinct choices to the voters, (2) voters must be aware of the differences in parties and vote based on party platforms, and (3) once elected, members of each party must actively work to enact their party's platform.

responsible

Stanley is displeased with the policies that the Democrats have passed while in the majority in Congress, so he has decided to vote for the Republican candidates this election. This is an example of

retrospective voting.

The American system for electing members of Congress is often referred to as "winner take all" because

runners-up do not gain seats in government

Minor or third parties in the United States typically represent

social and economic interests that are disregarded by the two major parties for certain reasons.

Men in the United States are ________ the ________ Party.

somewhat more likely to support; Republican

While Democrats won control of both chambers of Congress and the presidency in 2020,

the Democrats were unable to pass any legislation due to the filibuster.

The majority party

the party that holds the majority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate

Trump's victory in the 2016 Republican primaries is evidence that

there are limits to party insiders' control of the presidential nomination process.

Between 1812 and 1830, the United States had

three political parties: the Federalists, the Jeffersonian Republicans, and the Whigs.

The act of voting for candidates from different parties for different offices in a general election is called ________________ and is evidence of _______________.

ticket-splitting; weak party identification

In 2020, the DNC used performance polls to determine which candidates could participate in televised presidential debates. Despite objections from candidates, the DNC could do this in its capacity

to set the rules for primary and caucus elections as a national committee

At any given time in American politics, how many parties have tended to dominate politics?

two

Suppose you are working as a data analyst for one of the two major parties during a presidential election. Which approach should you use to micro-target independent voters over the age of 65 who live in suburban areas and regularly shop at Target?

use voter registration file data in combination with Census and commercial data

Given historical trends in partisan identification and voting, Democrat Joe Biden's campaign strategy would likely be to energize and mobilize which group to increase his likelihood of success?

African American voters

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.

Which statement best characterizes the influence average citizens and party elites have over the nomination process in the United States?

Although average citizens have some influence in the nominations process, party elites play an outsized role in selecting the candidates who will compete in the general election.

What is a political party?

An organization that tries to influence the government by getting its members elected to office.

What effect did third party candidate Ralph Nader have in the 2000 presidential election?

Nader acted as "spoiler" by taking enough votes away from Democrat Al Gore in Florida to give Republican George W. Bush the state's electoral votes and the presidency.

"Our party supports ending government financial support of public schools. We believe that ALL public schools should be privatized with tax credits for tuition." This statement most likely comes from the platform of which political party?

Neither of the major political parties

What is the PRIMARY motivation for the formation of a third party?

People become dissatisfied with the two major parties.

Which of the following statements about political parties is true?

Political party coalitions consist of not only the formal Republican and Democratic party organizations but also media, interest groups, think tanks, donors, and Super PACs affiliated with the parties.

After the Civil War, African American men were more likely to vote for which party?

Republican

One political party originally formed to oppose slavery and its extension into the territories, was often referred to as the GOP or Grand Old Party, and its first presidential candidate was Abraham Lincoln. Another political party claims the Democratic-Republican party of Thomas Jefferson as its political beginning and organized in support of agricultural interests, strong states' rights, and a strict interpretation of the Constitution. The first party refers to the ______ and the second party refers to the ______.

Republican Party ; Democratic Party

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

"Our party insists on the appointment of constitutionalist judges; men and women who will not distort our founding documents to deny the people's right to self-government, endorse federal powers that violate our liberties, or inject foreign law into American theory or philosophy of law." This statement most likely comes from the platform of which political party?

The Republican Party

"We support free market competition and entrepreneurship, corporate deregulation and cutting entitlement spending." This statement most likely comes from the platform of which political party?

The Republican Party

Which statement about party identification in the United States is most accurate?

The number of people identifying as independent has increased, though many still tend to vote for the Democratic or Republican Party.

Which of the following is MOST likely to contribute to the dominance of the two-party system?

The single-member district system