POLS 207 Ch. 4-7 Multiple Choice

The gender gap is evidenced by which of the following differences?

Women are: more likely than men to vote for Democratic candidates, more likely than men to be affiliated with the Democratic Party, and legislators tend to give children's issues a higher priority than men.

Which of the following explanations is NOT a reason why historically fewer women participated in politics than men?

Women were forbidden to hold elective office in accordance with the US Constitution.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 accomplished all of the following EXCEPT

a ban on poll taxes.

The major drawbacks to voting online include all of the following EXCEPT

a possible decrease in voter turnout.

The increased influence of the media and single-issue interest groups in the electoral process has contributed to

a rise in candidate-centered elections.

Often the objective of a protest is to

acquire bargaining power by otherwise powerless groups.

An obstacle to greater representation of women in state legislative office is

all of the above.

Those involved in a party's organization include all of the following EXCEPT

apathetic voters.

Party competition is most likely to produce policy differences when there exists a

bimodal distribution of opinion.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2000 that ________ primaries were unconstitutional.

blanket

A form of protest that involves breaking "unjust" laws and actively seeking punishment to emphasize the injustices of the law is known as

civil disobedience.

Primary elections that only allow a party's registered voters access to the ballot are considered

closed.

Like their male counterparts, female legislators tend to have all of the following background characteristics EXCEPT women

come from a lower social status than their constituents.

An election in which the losing candidate receives at least one-third of the votes in labeled a

competitive election.

Republican party activists tend to be more _______ than the general public, and Democratic party activists tend to be more ________ than the general public.

conservative, liberal

Professional media campaigns are predominately used in statewide races to

contact more potential voters through television, radio, and newspaper advertising.

The power structure of American political parties is

decentralized.

Because of the belief that money has a corrupting influence on the electoral process, campaign finance laws attempt to

define limits on the size of campaign contributions.

Popular participation in government is the very definition of..

democracy.

All of the following are intrinsic rewards of voting EXCEPT

direct personal benefits.

States where one political party controls one or both house of the legislature and the other political party controls the governorships have a

divided party government.

Overall, what interest groups are most numerous in state politics?

economic interests

Supporters often characterize political parties as

essential to democracy.

Party control over governorships and state legislatures has

fluctuated over time.

Taking advantage of their political experiences, many successful professional lobbyists are

former elected officials.

In recent years an increasing number of state legislators are considering themselves to be

full-time representatives.

Interest group strength in the states can be attributed to all of the following explanations EXCEPT

governmental unification

One of the effects of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment has been

greater turnout among college students compared to young workers.

Legislative gridlock often occurs in states with divided government when the proposed legislation is

highly controversial.

The diversification of state economies

highly correlates with weaker interest group systems.

The primary responsibility of national committees in both political parties is to

hold national conventions to formally select the party's presidential candidate.

A major factor contributing to the growing strength of interest groups in the states can be explained by the

increasing role in campaign finance.

PAC contributions are heavily weighted in favor of

incumbents over challengers.

When comparing different interest group systems throughout the states,

interest groups vary in their level of policy impact categorized as either dominant, complementary, and subordinate systems.

State party affairs are governed largely by the

laws of the states.

Grassroots lobbying is often very effective in bringing specific issue positions to a legislator's attention because

legislators pay attention to their constituents.

Party activists often become candidates themselves for all the following reasons EXCEPT

limited access to key campaign contributors.

Get-out-the-vote efforts with mostly volunteer workers are usually coordinated through

local party organizations.

Voter participation rates among Hispanics are

lower than those for African Americans.

The real key to success in protest activity is found in the

media coverage of protest group activity.

The level of party competition in a state may be measured by all of the following EXCEPT

media favoritism.

Lobbyists spend the bulk of their time on

monitoring the content and progress of bills affecting

Most state legislators are

more educated than the general population.

Party identification has been declining because

more people are not self-identifying with either political party.

At the founding of this country, voting was limited to males who met all of the following qualifications EXEPT

occupations in the legal profession.

Modern professional media campaigns involve all of the following techniques EXCEPT

on-the-job training opportunities.

The fundamental flaws with the responsible party model consist of all of the following EXCEPT

parties eliminate the elite classes from their campaign efforts.

The primary objective of a professional media campaign is to highlight a candidate's

personal image.

An increasingly important source of campaign financing at the state level most directly comes from

political action committees.

Most states require some kind of voter registration in order to

prevent fraud.

A legislature with higher legislator salaries, full-time responsibilities, and significant resources is referred to as a

professional legislature.

The object of the Fifteenth Amendment was to extend the franchise to former black slaves and

prohibit voter discrimination on the basis of race.

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

prohibits national party organizations from accepting any soft money contributions.

While there is a general impression that all lobbyists have a corrupting influence on the political system, most lobbyists actually

provide an informational service to public officials.

All majority-minority districts

provide greater opportunities for minorities to get elected.

The first significant challenge that legislative candidates face in order to be competitive is

raising money to finance their campaign.

A voter who seeks to maximize personal benefits and minimize costs is viewed as a

rational voter.

Interest groups employ all of the following tactics to influence public policy EXCEPT

running candidates for the purpose of controlling government.

In some states, a plurality winner of the party's primary automatically triggers a second election called a

runoff primary.

Increasing voter turnout may be accomplished by

same day voter registration, personal contacts made by candidates or political parties, increased media coverage of the elections.

The most politically powerful age group in the states is

senior citizens.

State communities have remained very influential in the electoral process by acting by

service providers to candidates.

Campaign spending is generally more influential in the outcome of a race when

spending occurs in larger, more populous areas.

Situations where a voter casts his or her vote for a Democrat in one are and a Republican in another is called

split-ticket voting.

Requiring state lobbyists to register and submit reports about their membership and finances is designed to

spotlight the activities of lobbyists.

The cost of securing public safety during protest activities is the primary responsibility of

state and local governments.

The qualifications for membership in a party and the right to vote in the party's primary election are set by

state law.

States have largely lost their monopoly in determining voting qualifications for all of the following reasons EXCEPT through

state statutes.

Higher voter turnout levels in some states can be attributed to

states with strong party organizations.

The 2000 presidential election demonstrated the need for reform in

states' electoral systems, media coverage because of the flaws in exit polling data used to "call" an election, how ballots are cast and counted.

The political influence of Hispanics in state government is still very limited for all the following reasons EXEPT

strong Hispanic voter unity.

An interesting phenomenon is that weak party states frequently have

strong interest group systems.

Laws with fixed termination dates that call for periodic reexamination by the state legislature are called

sunset laws.

Voting consistently in state and national elections is called

sustained political participation.

One of the most effective ways southern state legislatures legally disenfranchised black voters was through

the "white primary"

One result of the Supreme Court's affirmation that "issue ads" constitute free speech has resulted in

the ability of nonprofit "527" organizations to air television ads until Election Day.

Negative campaigning seems to be the most successful when

the attack focuses on the issues rather than the candidate.

Voters often choose to register with the dominant party in their state for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

the dominant party is the most uninspiring.

Opportunities to put executive administrators "through the wringer" about programs and expenditures falls under

the legislative oversight function.

The textbook defines voter turnout as

the percentage of the voting age population that votes.

State legislatures tend to have more conflicts of interest than Congress largely due to

the sheer number of part-time lawmakers.

Incumbents usually win for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

they face quality challengers.

The amount of money spent in campaigns per state

varies depending on a state's economy and demographics.

The Nineteenth Amendment constitutionally guarantees voting rights for

women.

Nonvoters tend to be

younger less educated Independents

Congressional acts protect the voting strength of racial minorities have included which of the following "tests"?

"Intent" test "Effects" test "Totality of circumstances" test

Legislation mandating states provide people the opportunity to register to vote at drivers' license and welfare agencies is commonly known as the

"Moter Voter" Act

Polling can determine which of the following?

All of the above

The Supreme Court upheld the constitutional right to use one's own personal funds in that individual's campaign with the decision

Buckley v. Valeo

According to the responsible party model, responsible parties perform which of the following actions?

Educate people about issues and simplify their choices, Recruit candidates for public office, Hold their elected officials accountable to deliver on their campaign promises

State party chairpersons are likely to have previous experience in

Elective office, Business, The legal profession

State legislatures are charged with

Enacting laws, Approving the budget, Constituency service

Nonviolent protests are constitutionally protected by the

First Amendment to "peaceably assemble."

___________ campaigning focuses on direct contact with potential voters, while _____________ campaigning focuses on advertising.

Grassroots, media

"Raiding" is a major concern of what type of primaries?

Open

The important functions political parties provide in American politics include which of the following?

Organization of elections and narrowing of political parties, Serving as voting cues, aiding voter choice, Organization of state legislatures

Which of the following is not an example of an organization of people who band together in an attempt to influence public policy?

Partisan politics

What political development "democratized" the nomination process and reduced the power of party bosses?

Primaries

States play an important role in the selection process of a party's presidential nominee through

Primary elections, Caucuses, Frontloading their primary

Although most primary elections are uncontested, a highly competitive primary election is often a sign that the winner may be

Victorious in the general election, Competing in an open seat, Running for office in a professional legislature.