POL 101 Ch 4 Quiz - Burnett

Which of the following is NOT accomplished at a party's national convention?

Nomination of Chief Justices in the Supreme Court

Primary Election

Political parties use these to select a candidate to run in the general election

Which of the following statements concerning the representation of women and minorities in the U.S. Congress is true?

Representation of women and minorities has increased over the past two decades but is not comparable to their proportions in the general population.

Wealthy Americans and men are two groups most likely to support the __ party.

Republican

Congressional leaders form _______ committees when they want to take up an issue that falls between the jurisdiction of existing committees, to highlight an issue, or to investigate a particular problem.

Select

A bicameral legislature is one that has ______.

Two chambers or houses

What is true regarding voting equipment?

Voting equipment varies from county to county in the U.S.

Straight Ticket Voting

When American voters support only one party's candidates

Incumbants have difficulty securing supporters and contributors when...

When they have experienced negative publicity

Adversarial Judicial System

A judicial system in which two parties in a legal dispute each present its case and the court must determine which side wins the disputes and which loses.

Closed Primary

A primary in which only previously registered members of a particular political party can vote

Bill

A proposed piece of legislation

The system that most European nations use is known as...

A system of proportional representation

When can a President's veto be overridden by Congress?

A two-thirds vote by BOTH chambers

Which of the following does NOT typically affect an individual's decision to run for elected office?

the individual'a ability to meet the extensive list of educational requirements defined by local, state, and federal laws

Which three factors influence the decisions of voters at the polls?

1. Partisan loyalty 2. Issues 3. Characteristics of the candidates

3 factors included in a party's platform

1. Philosophy 2. Principles 3. Policy positions

Step 1 in running for President is...

Forming an exploratory committee

National elections in the U.S. are held the first Tuesday of November every __ years.

Four

The boundaries of legislative districts in the U.S. are to be redrawn every __ years.

10

Political Party

An organization that seeks political power by electing people to office so that its positions and philosophy become public policy; they try to influence the government by getting their members elected to office

The process of allocating congressional seats among the fifty states is called _____.

Apportionment

Early presidential primaries and caucuses are more important because they...

Assist a candidate in securing financial support and media attention

When members of the House and the Senate coordinate two versions of the same bill, they will often use a ________ committee to obtain a single unified bill.

Conference

Minorities and women are two groups most likely to support the __ party.

Democratic

Midterm Election

Elections made between presidential elections where voters select members of Congress. Never coincides with the Presidential election.

Which of the following is the best definition of a constituent?

It is a person who lives int he district represented by a member of the legislature.

What is the most common occupation among members of Congress before coming to Congress

Lawyer

State and local party organizations do all of the following EXCEPT...

Litigate against unfavorable policies

Party activists are ________ to contribute time, energy, and effort to party affairs and ________ to hold more extreme views than the party's rank-and-file voters.

MORE likely; MORE likely

The frequency with which they must seek re-election makes members of the U.S. House

More responsive to the needs of local interest groups in the districts they represent

Third parties in the U.S. typically represent...

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

The primary responsibility for conducting public elections rests with...

State and local governments

Incumbant

The current office holder, running for reelection

Campaign

The effort made by political candidates and their staffs to win backing and support by voters in the quest for political office

Who is the speaker of the House?

The elected leader of the majority party in the House is the Speaker.

Referendum

The practice of voting directly for proposed laws

Gerrymandering

The purposeful practice of redrawing district boundaries to unfairly advantage one group or party

A runoff election typically occurs when...

There are only two candidates running in the election

When does public-opinion polling take place during a campaign?

Throughout the entire campaign

Which statement about contemporary U.S. politics is true?

While political elites are highly polarized, most Americans are moderate in terms of public opinion

Two Scoop Tuesdays

are NOT a part of the incumbency advantage