GOV Ch. 5

How would you describe the era of American government since 1968? a. an era of divided government b. an era of Democrats c. an era of Republicans d. an era of third parties

A

What is an important purpose of a major party's national convention? a. to select the party's candidates for Congress b. to determine policy stands for all party candidates c. to select the party's presidential and vice-presidential candidates d. to draw attention away from the opposing party's activities

C

What is one advantage minor parties have over the major parties? a. They are better able to please more moderate voters. b. They have a better chance of winning elections. c. They can take clear-cut stands on controversial issues. d. They can usually raise much more money for their campaigns.

C

What role does the President play in the organization of his or her party? a. In addition to his other duties, the President directs the work of the party's headquarters in Washington. b. The President and his staff organize the national convention for his or her party. c. The President's leadership generally makes his or her party more organized than the other major party. d. The national party machinery makes the President's role relatively unimportant.

C

What usually happens to economic protest parties? a. They evolve into major parties. b. They win just a few elections before losing power. c. They fade away after the economic crisis is over. d. They choose new issues as old issues become less relevant.

C

Which is a true statement about political parties in the United States? a. Two-party system began only in recent times. b. Political parties are described in the Bill of Rights. c. The Framers did not want political parties. d. Throughout its history, the U.S. has been controlled by one party.

C

Which of the following is an example of an ideological party? a. the Free Soil Party b. the Greenback Party c. the Socialist Party d. the Bull Moose Party

C

Which party has dominated the federal government in recent decades? a. the Republican Party b. the Democratic Party c. neither of the major parties d. a coalition of Democrats & Republicans

C

About what main issue did the Federalists and Anti-Federalists disagree? a. how strong the central government should be b. whether or not to replace the Articles of Confederation c. whether or not political parties should be allowed to exist d. how the President and members of Congress should be elected

A

How did the Democratic Party gain power in the 1930s? a. by providing economic help during the Great Depression b. by promising voting rights for all white males c. by gaining the support of the Progressive Party d. by gaining the support of the Anti-Federalist Party

A

How do elected officials in a multiparty system get anything done when no single party has a majority? a. by forming coalitions b. by taking turns being in charge c. by splitting the branches of government between the different parties d. by agreeing to have just two parties

A

Most splinter parties a. form around a strong personality and tend to fade when that leader steps aside. b. disappear when the country climbs out of the difficult economic conditions in which those parties were formed. c. seldom win many votes, though they tend to be long-lived. d. are unwilling to take clear-cut stands on controversial issues.

A

The Federalists were the first American political party. What was their main political goal? a. to build a stronger central government b. to make the United States into a world power c. to create strong, independent states d. to give more power to the states and to common people

A

What does the national committee of each party do between presidential elections? a. It raises money and recruits new voters. b. It stages annual conventions. c. It writes the party's platform. d. It proposes new legislation to Congress.

A

What is the main job of congressional campaign committees? a. to re-elect party officeholders and capture new seats b. to lobby members of Congress to adopt party policies c. to fund the campaigns of those seeking state offices d. to stage national conventions

A

What is true about splinter parties? a. They take away supporters from a major party. b. They lose support when the economy improves. c. They seldom win many votes, though they tend to be long-lived. d. They are unwilling to take clear-cut stands on difficult issues.

A

In general, when has control of the government switched from one party to another? a. whenever a new party became popular b. during an economic or political crisis c. when a President has died in office d. when new ideas split the party in power

B

Many Americans are familiar with a form of the one-party system because a. one party has dominated the national political landscape over many decades of U.S. history. b. in many States one of the two major parties consistently wins most of the elections. c. the Democratic Party has been dominant in the southern States for the past 40 years. d. the Democratic and Republican parties are so similar that they can be considered one party.

B

The Free Soil Party was primarily concerned about the spread of slavery. What kind of party was the Free Soil Party? a. an ideological party b. a single-issue party c. an economic protest party d. a splinter party

B

What determines party structure at state and local levels? a. federal law b. state law c. the governor of each state d. customs adopted over time

B

What helped a two-party political system to develop? a. It was encouraged by the Constitution. b. The battle over the Constitution gave rise to two political parties. c. It was required by law in most states. d. George Washington preferred two parties over many parties.

B

What is the main purpose of a political party? a. to raise campaign funds b. to control government by winning elections c. to ask the government to make changes d. to come up with ways of organizing gov't

B

Which of the following is most likely to bring together a political party? a. the nominating process b. having a member of the party in the White House c. state central committees d. local party organizations

B

The Democratic Party barely survived as a national party after a. Thomas Jefferson was elected in 1800. b. it was challenged by the Whig Party. c. the issue of slavery split the party. d. the Great Depression devastated the country's economy.

C

Why do Democrats and Republicans take similar stands on many issues? a. because of the way the two-party system got started b. because there are so few cultures in the United States c. because the American people share many ideals and beliefs d. because of the lack of minor parties in American politics

C

Historically, minor American political parties have been most important a. in bringing disaffected Americans into the political process. b. in winning State and local elections. c. as "spoilers" in national elections. d. in their roles of critic and innovator.

D

The party out of power criticizes the policies and behaviors of the party in power. What is this called? a. the governing function b. the bonding agent function c. the nominating function d. the watchdog function

D

Who is the leader of a party's national committee? a. the President b. the national chairperson c. the Senate majority leader d. the Senate minority leader

B

In what way is a minor party most likely to influence an election? a. by gathering the majority of votes and winning an election outright b. by encouraging greater voter participation c. by serving as a "spoiler" and denying one or another candidate a victory d. by discouraging voter participation

C

One function of a political party is to make sure that its candidates are well qualified and of good character. What is this called? a. the watchdog function b. the governing function c. the bonding agent function d. the nominating function

C

Wards and precincts are party election units at what level? a. the national level b. the regional level c. the local level d. all levels

C

What is likely to happen when minor parties are successful? a. They become major parties. b. They are able to elect their candidates to national offices. c. Their ideas are adopted by one of the major parties. d. They are more willing to compromise.

C

What is true about the major political parties? a. They have a strong central structure. b. They both have a national director. c. They are not well organized. d. They seldom disagree on issues and candidates.

C

What is one way minor parties affect American politics? a. They get voters to vote for major party candidates. b. They get the attention of newspapers, television, and radio. c. They win state and local elections. d. They influence the outcome of elections.

D

What is a reason that the two major political parties do not have a strong central structure? a. federalism b. poor leadership skills c. the Constitution d. international influences

A

Which party system exists in a nation ruled by a dictatorship? a. one-party system b. two-party system c. multiparty system d. modified one-party system

A