3rd trimester practice exam help

Which of the choices above makes a correct comparison between political parties and interest groups?

a.

Which of the following represents a consequence of candidate-centered electoral campaigns?

a. A decrease in the role of political parties in campaign management

The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) urges its members to take action in support of what they term "animal friendly" legislation through their website. In addition to providing information about important issues that legislators may vote on, the nonprofit organization also describes the best ways to contact a legislator and tips on how best to interact with lawmakers. Which of the following is being illustrated in the scenario?

a. Interest groups sometimes form around a narrow set of issues with the goal of impacting policy making.

Which of the following best explains how parties link citizens to the electoral process?

a. Parties send volunteers to knock on doors to register voters.

A person votes for Democratic candidates based on the belief that the policies of the Democratic Party will be personally beneficial. This type of voting matches which of the following voting behavior models?

a. Prospective voting

In 2002, Congress passed the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act in an effort to regulate campaign finance by limiting the ability of corporations and unions to spend their general treasury funds on election communications. In 2010, the Supreme Court invalidated this provision of the act. Which of the following statements accurately describes the majority decision of the case?

a. The First Amendment allows corporations and unions to make independent expenditures regarding candidates for office.

A citizen who uses the rational choice model of voting behavior selects candidates for office based on

a. what is thought to be in the citizen's own self-interest

Based on the map above, a prediction that could be made about the 2016 election in Texas (TX) is that:

b

The data in the graph best illustrate which of the following common criticisms of the electoral college?

b

Which of the comparisons shown above is an accurate comparison between the relative functions and electoral success of the two major political parties (Democratic and Republican) and third parties?

b.

Which of the following explains how The Federalist 10 relates to the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)?

b. In both, a limited approach to government regulation was argued for.

Which of the following is an effect of the Seventeenth Amendment?

b. People could participate in the political process by directly electing the senators.

While the central goal of political parties is to win elections, parties can also support democracy. Which of the following scenarios best illustrates this relationship?

b. Political parties use the social media site Instagram to reach out to younger voters to inform them about upcoming elections and encourage them to register to vote.

Any candidate using Facebook can put a campaign message promising one thing in front of one group of voters while simultaneously running an ad with a completely opposite message in front of a different group of voters. The ads themselves are not posted anywhere for the general public to see (this is what's known as 'dark advertising'), and chances are, no one will ever be the wiser. That undermines the very idea of a 'marketplace of ideas,' says Ann Ravel, a former member of the Federal Election Commission who has long advocated stricter regulations on digital campaigning. 'The way to have a robust democracy is for people to hear all these ideas and make decisions and discuss," Ravel said. 'With microtargeting, that is not happening.'" Julia Carrie Wong, "'It Might Work Too Well:' the Dark Art of Political Advertising Online," The Guardian, March 19, 2018. Which of the following scenarios reflects the most direct effect of the practice described in the passage on the electoral process?

b. Political parties will rely increasingly on social media advertising to reach different coalitions of voters.

Which of the following best explains why eligibility criteria vary by state as shown on the information graphic?

b. States can create criteria for voting rights so long as they do not violate the United States Constitution.

Which of the following statements regarding political parties is true based on the graphic?

b. The Republican Party initially emerged as an antislavery political party.

Which of the following factors that influence voters' decision making during an election is the cartoonist poking fun at?

b. The candidate's personal characteristics.

A political science professor is researching the effects that the Fifteenth and Twenty-Sixth Amendments have had on the American political system. Which of the following is the most likely reason the professor is researching these amendments?

b. To study the expansion of voting rights.

Supporters of voting restrictions are most likely to make which of the following arguments?

b. Voting restrictions are needed to prevent voter fraud.

Which of the following is the best interpretation of the political cartoon?

c

Which of the following scenarios best represents an example of party-line voting?

c. A citizen casts votes for all Republicans based solely on the candidates' affiliation with the Republican Party.

Which of the following scenarios is most related to the Twenty-Sixth Amendment?

c. An eighteen-year-old votes in a presidential election.

Which of the following describes the activities represented by data in the table?

c. Groups in American society form political action committees (PACs) so they can influence policy.

Based on the table, which of the following political action committees (PACs) is most partisan in its allocation of contributions to candidates?

c. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

Which of the following best explains how most candidates are recruited to run for office?

c. Political parties usually recruit and train people at the local level they believe are most fit to run for office.

In 1980, a small group of parents personally affected by drunk driving formed the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Over the past four decades, they have grown in number and have lobbied on state and local levels promoting legislation such as stricter limits on blood alcohol levels for drivers. MADD is an example of which of the following?

c. Single-issue group with the goal of impacting policy making.

Which of the following arguments best supports a claim that the electoral college violates democratic principles?

c. Smaller states are disproportionately advantaged by the two additional electoral votes granted to each state for its senators.

Two interest groups are competing for influence in Congress. One group represents banking institutions, while the other advocates for consumer protections. A critic of the influence of interest groups would make which of the following claims?

c. The banking interest group likely has greater financial resources and access to policy makers than the consumer protection group.

If voters are acting according to the retrospective model of voting, which of the following will be the most important consideration in their decision?

c. The effect of recent economic conditions on the voters

The America First Action is a super PAC led by former administrator of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon. Which of the following best explains how the organization can operate to influence elections, according to the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010)?

c. The super PAC can spend unlimited money on issue-advocacy advertisements that are not coordinated with the campaign.

The graphic above illustrates which of the following statements about political parties?

c. There is an ongoing debate between political parties over the power and scope of the federal government, even as economic and demographic changes have altered party coalitions.

"Any candidate using Facebook can put a campaign message promising one thing in front of one group of voters while simultaneously running an ad with a completely opposite message in front of a different group of voters. The ads themselves are not posted anywhere for the general public to see (this is what's known as 'dark advertising'), and chances are, no one will ever be the wiser. That undermines the very idea of a 'marketplace of ideas,' says Ann Ravel, a former member of the Federal Election Commission who has long advocated stricter regulations on digital campaigning. 'The way to have a robust democracy is for people to hear all these ideas and make decisions and discuss," Ravel said. 'With microtargeting, that is not happening.'" Julia Carrie Wong, "'It Might Work Too Well:' the Dark Art of Political Advertising Online," The Guardian, March 19, 2018. The practice of "microtargeting" described in the passage is an even more powerful campaign tool for parties if they are able to:

c. collect and manage large databases of information on specific groups of voters.

Which of the following criticisms of political campaigns is the author of the political cartoon most likely to agree with?

d. Candidates rely too heavily on professional consultants.

A chief executive officer (CEO) of a corporation believes that the Republican candidate for president will enact policies that are more beneficial to her business. The CEO donated the maximum amount allowed by law directly to the candidate's campaign fund. To increase the candidate's chances for election, the CEO also directed her corporation to donate funds to an independent political action committee to create ads criticizing the opposing candidate. According to the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), which provision of the Constitution protects her actions?

d. Freedom of speech in the First Amendment.

Which of the following describes an effect of the Twenty-Fourth Amendment?

d. It eliminated poll taxes.

Several states, including Georgia and Ohio, have passed laws that revoke voter registration if a person did not vote in recent election cycles. Which of the following is a likely consequence of these laws?

d. Occasional voters will not be able to vote on election day, which could influence election results.

In which of the following ways do political parties primarily rely on to finance their election activities?

d. Parties solicit funds from private donors who oftentimes contribute large sums of money.

An important Senate race takes place in the state of Georgia. Rather than focus on the issue positions taken by the candidates, a 24-hour cable news station instead focuses primarily on poll results and campaign strategies using a "big board" to show the counties where each candidate has the most support. Which of the following is an effect of this type of new coverage?

d. The electorate will be less able to accurately compare the policy platforms of candidates running in the election.

"...If we resort to violence then one of two things will happen: either the violence will be escalated and there will be many injuries and perhaps deaths on both sides, or there will be total demoralization of the workers. Nonviolence has exactly the opposite effect. If, for every violent act committed against us, we respond with nonviolence, we attract people's support. We can gather the support of millions who have a conscience and would rather see a nonviolent resolution to problems. We are convinced that when people are faced with a direct appeal from the poor struggling nonviolently against great odds, they will react positively. The American people and people everywhere still yearn for justice. It is to that yearning that we appeal. ...When victory comes through violence, it is a victory with strings attached. If we beat the growers at the expense of violence, victory would come at the expense of injury and perhaps death. Such a thing would have a tremendous impact on us. We would lose regard for human beings. Then the struggle would become a mechanical thing. When you lose your sense of life and justice, you lose your strength...." César Chávez, "He Showed Us the Way," 1978 Which of the following best describes César Chávez' view on the use of violence versus nonviolence?

d. The use of nonviolent actions allows more people to be involved in the movement and effect change.

Critics of the winner-take-all aspect of the electoral college are most likely to make which of the following arguments?

d. The winner-take-all system of the electoral college encourages presidential candidates to focus their time and effort disproportionately on battleground states with larger populations.