Random AP Gov Khan
Which of the following scenarios is an example of how the media can act as a linkage institution?
A television network airs the results of public opinion poll projecting the winner of the 2016 presidential election
"The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States . . ." -Article 1, Section 2 of the United States Constitution Which of the following statements best explains the Framers' rationale for this constitutional provision?
All members of the House must stand for reelection every two years in order to better serve the immediate needs of constituents in their districts
Which of the following is a consequence of consumer-driven media outlets?
An increase in sensational stories and attack journalism rather than factual reporting
". . . without debate, without criticism, no administration and no country can succeed—and no republic can survive . . . that is why our press was protected by the First Amendment--the only business in America specifically protected by the Constitution . . . " President John F. Kennedy, The President and the Press: Address before the American Newspaper Publishers Association, April 27, 1961 Based on the excerpt above, which of the following statements would Kennedy have most likely agreed with in terms of both the ideals of, and challenges for, the US republic? Choose 1 answer:
An independent media must provide accurate information and commentary that uphold democratic principles and civil society
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of an open primary and closed primary?
Any person can participate in this election Limited to registered members of a political party
Which of the following best explains the danger that "attack journalism" poses to political participation?
By treating government officials and candidates as targets to be stalked in pursuit of scandal, attack journalists create the impression that all politicians are ineffective and untrustworthy
Based on the information in the graphic, which of the following claims would an opponent to the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010) most likely make?
Campaign finance laws allow a small proportion of the US population to influence elections unfairly through unlimited political contributions
Which statement accurately summarizes how constituencies affect the campaign strategy of candidates running for the US Senate or House of Representatives?
Candidates for House districts must consider specific needs and critical issues that characterize a relatively small number of voters
Based on your knowledge and the infographic, which of the following is true regarding the role of social media in modern elections?
Candidates have used social media as an avenue to tailor their political messages and reach out to voters directly.
Based on the information in the bar chart, which of the following is the most likely implication of long election cycles in the United States?
Candidates running for reelection spend a significant portion of their terms campaigning for reelection.
Which of the following Supreme Court cases is most relevant to the topic of the cartoon?
Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010)
Like the old Progressive Party, a new generation third-party called the Working Families Party (WFP) has successfully competed in specific geographies in recent years, forging opportunistic alliances with either of the major parties while building a precinct-level organization and support. Based on this information and current election rules, which of the following is the best strategy for the WFP to influence public policy in the United States?
Concentrate on "grass roots" campaigns in local elections lacking two-party competition
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the political impact of both policy-creating decisions?
Decreased role of "soft money" in political campaigns First Amendment allows corporations and unions to fund independent political advertising
Which two interest group sectors in the chart show the greatest percentage difference between their contributions to each of the two major parties?
Energy/Natural Resources and Labor
Which aspect of the 2016 presidential election has fueled a debate about how democratic the constitutional process is for electing US presidents?
Even though Democrat Hillary Clinton outpolled Donald Trump by nearly 2.9 million popular votes, Trump won with a majority of electoral votes
Of these six states, which of the following pairs would have swung the 2016 election the other way if they had both voted Democrat?
Florida and Ohio
Contributions listed in the chart above include "hard" and "soft" money donations. Which best explains the difference between hard and soft money contributions?
Hard money donations go straight to the party or candidate, while soft money can only be used for general "party-building" activities
"If you start from the understanding that important party decisions are made before the voters weigh in, the question 'who's winning?'—or, alternately, 'who is the party choosing, and which people are making that choice?'—becomes one of the best ways to give ordinary citizens who want to become more active political participants the information they need. (If you're not a party member, meanwhile, knowing the process by which the party made its choice—rather than just the outcome it arrived at—can still help inform your own political participation.)" -Greg Marx, "In Defense of (the Right Kind of) Horse Race Journalism," Columbia Journalism Review, September 6, 2011. Regarding the above excerpt, which of the following statements would the author most likely agree with?
Horse race journalism is a more effective tool for informing voters and attracting their participation when applied to primary elections instead of general elections
Which of the following is a potential consequence of the trend in the chart?
Increased uncertainty among consumers over the credibility of news sources and information
Based on this election spending table for House races in 2016, which is the best conclusion one can make about the significance of this data?
Incumbent House members have an overwhelming advantage over challengers
Which type of organization is specifically excluded from the Federal Election Commission's contribution limitations chart, based on Supreme Court and appellate First Amendment rulings in the 2010s?
Independent-expenditure-only political committees or super PACs
Which statement accurately summarizes the impact of the Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) decision?
It allows corporations and unions to spend unlimited amounts of money on political activities that are independent of a party or candidate
Which of the following statements best explains how the 17th Amendment increased democratic participation in the United States?
It changed the election process for US senators
Which of the following provides the most accurate explanation of how increased media choices have affected partisan polarization?
It gives people several options of where they get their news from, leading them to choose media that aligns with their ideological beliefs.
Which of the following impacts on political participation has resulted from the decrease in barriers to publishing on the internet?
It has allowed people with little or no political experience or connections to have significant influence on elections
Which of the following is an accurate comparison of the political impact of both policy-creating decisions?
Led to an increase in power for the national government to restrict freedom of speech Led to the creation of independent expenditure-only committees (Super PACs)
Which of the following is an accurate conclusion based on a comparison of the trends in the chart and your knowledge of political beliefs and behavior?
Media coverage and commentary on political events influence political beliefs and behavior
Which of the following is a likely effect of the trend depicted in the line graph on elections?
Members of Congress have to spend a significant portion of their time fundraising to win reelection.
Which of the following is an accurate statement about the information in the graph?
Members of the House typically had higher incumbency rates than Senators in this period
If a campaign strategist in 2017 were projecting turnout for the 2018 midterms, which of the following would be the best prediction based on the data presented in the graph?
Midterm turnout in 2018 is likely to rise to the high 30s or low 40s
Which of the following statements best describes the information in the infographic?
Most candidates use social media at high rates to engage with voters directly.
Which of the following statements accurately describes the information presented in the line graph?
Newspapers started mentioning the use of political consultants in 1970, and it has continued to increase.
The 2012 redistricting process in Pennsylvania resulted in the map shown above, even though Democratic candidates won 50.5% of the total votes cast in the 2012 congressional elections. Which of the following terms best applies to this scenario?
Partisan gerrymandering
The presidential election of 1968 was conducted against a backdrop of assassinations, race riots, widespread demonstrations against the Vietnam war, and violent confrontations between police and anti-war protesters at the Democratic National Convention. It also included a strong third party effort by former Alabama Governor George Wallace, a pro-segregation Democrat running as independent. The election outcome was a victory for GOP candidate Richard Nixon, with Wallace receiving 46 electoral votes from southern states. Which of the following terms accurately characterizes this election and political era?
Party realignment
Which of the following best explains the function of the platforms of the two major US political parties?
Platforms are a set of general principles, goals, and strategies designed to give voters a sense of what candidates believe in and will address if elected
Solange attended her political party's precinct meeting to discuss the top presidential nominees of her party and select delegates for upcoming district and state conventions. After some intense lobbying, the registered party members separated to different sides of the room to designate and count how many supporters each candidate had. Which of the following accurately describes the term for this political activity?
Presidential caucus
Which of the following accurately compares the presidential and midterm election trends from 1972 to 2014?
Presidential election turnout has increased, while midterm election turnout has remained relatively constant at lower percentages
Which of the following statements is reflected in the data in the table?
Registered voters are more likely to turn out for open primaries than for a caucus
The data displayed in the infographic best supports which of the following statements?
Since 1983, American news sources have become concentrated in the hands of a few companies
A campaign advertisement appears on TV and in social media that says, "Candidate Smith has a record that includes policies that will hurt all Americans. If these policies are put into place, much of your hard-earned savings will be taxed away, and your well-paying job will be moved overseas. Be sure to vote on election day." Which statement below best explains what limitations, if any, might be placed on this campaign message?
Smith's opponent could use "soft money" to pay for the ad and does not have to claim support for it
Based on the information in the graphic, which of the following claims would an opponent of the use of social media most likely make?
Social media and how candidates use it takes attention away from policy issues and towards political scandals.
"Since polls conducted for the press must be simplified for comprehension by the general public, poll takers typically measure opinions crudely and analyze the data superficially. For example, measurement often involves yes/no, approve/disapprove, or agree/disagree dichotomies rather than finely calibrated scales that would more precisely reflect shades of opinion." -Charles Atkins, James Gaudino, "Polling and the Democratic Consensus," Annals of the American Academy of Politics and Social Sciences Vol. 472, 1984, p. 128. In reference to the above excerpt, which of the following events most clearly supports the criticism of how public opinion polls are typically used during political campaign news coverage?
The 2016 presidential election
Which statement best summarizes a central criticism in the ongoing debate surrounding the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)?
The Supreme Court has extended First Amendment protection of political speech at the expense of election fairness
Contributions legalized by the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) are listed in the graph's "soft/outside money" column, referring to funds not subject to federal campaign finance regulations. Which of the following is the best explanation for the change in contributions from 2010 to 2016?
The Supreme Court's 2010 decision appears to have had a positive impact on soft/outside contributions to single issue or partisan recipients, leading to a significant funding increase
Which of the following statements is reflected in the data in the chart?
The United States election cycle lasts significantly longer than other countries around the world.
Which of the following statements best explains how the winner-take-all allocation of Electoral College votes works?
The candidate who wins the popular vote in a state wins all of its Electoral College votes
Which of the following generalizations is best supported by data in the table?
The characteristics of the candidates can dictate who voters support in an election
Which of the following statements reflects a pattern in the line graph?
The cost of congressional campaigns has risen over the past thirty years.
Which of the following best explains why direct primaries have become a mainstay of American politics since the early 1900s?
The democratic merits of giving the electorate more influence in choosing candidates outweigh the benefits of depending on party leaders' expertise
Based on the information in the graph, which of the following statements is true about congressional elections over this period?
The majority of incumbents in both houses won their races in every election
Based on the data shown in the table, which of the following statements is true about the Electoral College?
The person who is elected to office may win the majority of Electoral College votes, but lose the popular vote
Which of the following is a potential consequence of the change illustrated in the infographic?
The range of viewpoints expressed in news coverage has diminished
The data in the graph best illustrates which of the following common criticisms of modern elections?
The rising costs of political campaigns make it harder for unknown challengers to beat incumbents who have had years to fundraise for their reelection campaigns.
Which of the following statements best explains how this 1894 political cartoon of reporters rushing their stories to print applies to news reporting today?
There is no such thing as completely objective journalism
Which of the following statements accurately summarizes what the National Rifle Association, American Association of Retired Persons, the National Right to Life Committee, Reproductive Rights Action League, and Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) all have in common?
They all represent cause groups representing members that care intensely about a single issue or small group of related issues
Based on the Federal Election Commission's chart, how do contribution limits from non-multicandidate political action committees compare with those from individual donors?
They are the same as those for individual contributors across all types of recipient
Which best explains why the health sector showed almost an equal percentage of contributions to both major parties in this period?
They gave equally to both sides to retain influence with whichever party holds each chamber of Congress and the presidency
"The Electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves...and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote . . ." Excerpt from Amendment XII of the US Constitution Which of the following statements would the constitutional founders most agree with in regards to this excerpt from the Twelfth Amendment?
This indirect method prevents voters across the country from ignoring better qualified candidates outside their region, and allows less populous states greater influence in presidential selection
"As is now well known, political parties in recent years have built databases to facilitate targeting strategies. These databases list the names and contact information for all voters in a district, along with information about their personal traits, their neighborhoods, and their history of political participation. Politicians and their campaigns use these lists to perceive the electorate. The lists help them understand who their supporters are, what issues different voters care about, and how they should present themselves to voters in their campaign appeals. This large-scale collection of data influences how politicians perceive voters, and in turn, it affects how they interact with voters." -Source: Eitan D. Hersh, Hacking the Electorate: How Campaigns Perceive Voters, 2015 Which of the following statements best summarizes the author's argument on how political parties use voter data?
To clarify political messages and enhance mobilization efforts
Which of the following is an accurate statement about the information shown in the chart?
Trump and Clinton voters consumed most of their campaign news from different sources
Which of the following statements is supported by the data shown in the graph?
Voters turn out at a higher rate for presidential elections than in midterm election
At what point in the federal budget process does the Defense Department have the most input?
When executive branch agencies submit budgets for review before the president's proposal is submitted to Congress
Horse race journalism is best defined as which of the following?
When the media focuses on who is winning an election rather than on policy agendas and debates
Based on the data presented in the graph, which of the following is the best conclusion one can make about the significance of presidential and midterm election turnout rates in this period?
With lower overall turnout in midterm elections, groups that are more likely to vote had more impact on their outcomes
Based on the information in the line graph, which of the following is the most likely implication of the increasing dependence on political consultants?
a change in how candidates work with political parties and interact with voters
Which of the following makes a correct comparison between interest groups and social movements in the United States?
aim to influence the formulation and implementation of policy aim to influence which problems the government prioritizes
Which of the following is a potential consequence of the trend illustrated in the bar chart?
an increase in campaign costs as candidates tend to run for at least a year before the election
Which of the following makes a correct comparison between political parties and interest groups in the United States?
indirectly influence public policy through party members are one of the three participants that make up an iron triangle
The Department of Education, the American Federation of Teachers, and the House Committee on Education and Labor work together to improve public education outcomes. This scenario illustrates which of the following concepts?
iron triangles
Which of the following makes a correct comparison between political parties and protest movements in the United States?
offer packages of policies to attract voters bring attention to issues in the agenda-setting stage
At what stage in the policy process are social movements most successful at impacting policy?
the agenda-setting stage
Which of the following is a potential consequence of the trend illustrated in the line graph?
the professionalization of elections as most candidates have relied on political consultants