Federal Government Chapter 8 Quiz

How many major political parties are there in the United States today?

2

What percentage of party activists work within local political party organizations?

95 percent

Which of the following groups are currently most likely part of the Democratic coalition?

African Americans union members 18-29 year olds

What relationship does the national Democratic or Republican Party have with the state and local parties?

All three levels are independent but work together.

The most electorally successful factional party in U.S. history was the ______.

Bull Moose Party

Which of the following result from the fact in the United States candidates rather than parties control their campaigns?

Candidates are free to act as they please once in office, as long as they retain their constituents' support. Candidates don't need the party's approval to seek a nomination via a primary.

The Civil War triggered a party realignment. What were the two major parties following this realignment period?

Democratic Party Republican Party

Which are the major political parties in the United States?

Democratic Party Republican Party

True or false: Local party organizations are stronger today than they were in the days of the political machines.

False

True or false: Local, state, and national party organizations are hierarchical in structure.

False

Which of the following states have closed/partially closed primaries?

Florida Nevada North Carolina

Which president was elected with the promise that he would do something about the Great Depression?

Franklin D. Roosevelt

The fact that more white women than white men vote for the Democratic Party is an example of a(n)

Gender gap

Which two presidential candidates lost by overwhelming landslides in part because they diverged too far from the middle of the ideological spectrum?

George McGovern Barry Goldwater

Which of the following are true of Hispanic voters in the United States? (Choose every correct answer.)

Hispanics tend to be liberal on economic issues and conservative on social issues. They lean heavily toward the Democratic Party, except for Cuban Americans.

What usually happens after a third party is relatively successful in attracting votes during a U.S. national election?

One or both major parties will try to co-opt the issue or issues that made the third party successful.

Which party benefited from the 1896 realignment, which was triggered by an economic depression following a banking crisis under President Grover Cleveland?

Republican Party

The party realignment that began in the 1960s was completed during _____ presidency.

Ronald Reagan's

Which of the following voting blocs migrated to the Republican Party during the 1980s and 1990s?

Southern whites

Which is a reason that some scholars think we have moved into a new party alignment?

The Republican Party has become stronger in the South and the Democratic Party had become stronger in the Northeast.

Which of the following statements is true regarding a single-member district electoral system?

The candidate with more votes than any opponent wins the election in the district.

When a realignment in the electorate occurs, which of the following happens?

The parties reorganize themselves.

Which of the following statements about televised debates in presidential campaigns are true?

They are usually part of presidential campaigns.

Which of the following are true of grassroots parties?

They operate at the local level. The are open to all citizens.

Which of the following are distinct disadvantages of the rise of candidate-centered campaigns? (Choose every correct answer.)

They provide opportunities for powerful interest groups to donate money to candidates. They make it easier for officeholders to deny responsibility for government actions.

How did many of the founders of the United States view political parties?

They viewed political parties with suspicion.

True or false: For the past five presidential elections, voters under 30 years old have preferred the Democratic candidate by a substantial margin.

True

True or false: The median voter theorem helps to explain why a party may lose an election when it veers too far from the middle of the ideological spectrum.

True

State party organizations are usually small and are directed by ______.

a full-time chairperson

Countries with multiparty systems tend to have what kind of electoral system?

a proportional representation system

What three basic elements are usually involved in a party realignment?

a shift in voters' partisan support in elections an enduring change in the parties' policies and coalitions unusually powerful and divisive issues

Current election laws in the United States favor ______.

a two-party system

In order to have the best chance to win in a two-party system, political parties have generally ______.

aligned themselves near the middle of the voting spectrum

Which of the following best describes the voting electorate after the expansion of voting rights during the era of Jacksonian democracy?

all white males

Today's political campaigns rely on which of the following to be successful?

campaign strategists media producers pollsters

Although party organizations still manage many tasks related to elections, the lead role in elections now lies with the ______.

candidate

Political parties and their ability to control politics in the United States.have been weakened by ______-centered campaigns.

candidate

Because of the increasing cost of political campaigns, ______.

candidates must constantly work to raise funds

A state that prevents members of one political party from voting for another party's nominees has which type of primary?

closed

What group was most concerned about what Scammon and Wattenberg called the "social issue"?

conservative Christians

The most important minor parties in the 20th century have been ______ parties.

factional

To date, the Internet has proven itself to be better than television as a medium for which of the following political actions? (Choose every correct answer.)

fundraising mobilizing supporters

Which type of third party is organized around a framework concerning the nature and role of government in society?

ideologically oriented parties

Political parties began to emerge in the United States ______.

in spite of many of the founding fathers' mistrust of them

As compared to those on television, ______ have greater control over campaign messages on the Internet.

individual users

Which theory argues that a party can maximize its vote by placing itself at the location of the middle voter's preference?

median voter theory

Local party organizations generally play an active role ______.

only during campaign periods

A state that permits all registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, to vote in a primary election has what type of primary system?

open

A(n) ______ primary is one in which any registered voter, regardless of party affiliation, may vote.

open

The highlighting of candidates' attributes and policy positions to appeal to voters is called ______.

packaging

Which of the following accurately ranks the amount of media coverage of candidates from highest to lowest?

presidential candidates, Senate candidates, House candidates

Which type of third party arises from a belief that partisan politics is a corrupting influence that needs to be changed?

reform parties

Voting for a candidate's past performance rather than future promises is an example of what is called ______ voting.

retrospective

Third parties formed to promote a stance on a particular issue are known as ______.

single-issue parties

When casting a ______, citizens vote for candidates from different parties.

split ticket

Many voters cast a ______, where they only vote for candidates of one party.

straight ticket

Which of the following led to the political party realignment in the 1930s that benefited the Democratic Party?

the Great Depression

The in-party's chances of staying in power has historically depended primarily on ______.

the condition of the economy

Who oversees the day-to-day operations of the political party's national organization?

the national chair

America's plurality, or winner-take-all, system of electing candidates works to the disadvantage of ______.

third parties

Which of the following are roles that national political parties have?

to seek media coverage of party positions and activities to raise money for presidential campaigns to raise money for congressional campaigns

Primaries in which candidates of both parties are on the same ballot and the first and second finishers compete in the general election are called ______ primaries.

top-two

The U.S. government functions as a(n) ______ system.

two-party

When does a national party committee defer to the president to choose a national chair?

when the party controls the White House

Which group is the largest voting bloc in the Republican Party?

white evangelical Christians

Which of the following are part of the money chase of politics?

raising funds pursuing wealthy patrons

State parties are involved with which of the following activities?

election of U.S. senators voter registration election of governors

Even if a third-party candidate fails to win an election, the candidate will sometimes accomplish which of the following?

encourage one or both major parties to address issues introduced by the third party draw attention to an issue previously ignored by the two major candidates

The rise of candidate-centered campaigns has had which of the following positive effects?

made it easier for political newcomers to win high office encouraged national officeholders to respond to local issues

Organizations that nominate and seek to elect candidates to government office are known as ______.

political parties

Compared to European parties, parties in the United States exercise _____ control over candidates who are running for office.

less

Which of the following are functions of political consultants?

advising on how to run a successful campaign producing promotional materials gathering voter opinions

In a proportional representation system, which of the following is true?

Political parties win a number of seats in the legislature according to the percentage of the vote each party receives.

The national, state, and local organizations of the Republican and Democratic parties are ______.

relatively independent; that is, each level does not have much control over the others