AP Gov Unit 3 Test

Which of the following form an "iron triangle"?

Executive department, Congressional committee, interest group

The boundaries of United States congressional districts are usually determined by

the state legislature

Which of the following groups would be LEAST likely to maintain a national lobbying organization in Washington, D.C. ?

. Public housing tenants

how many parties are prominent in the us? have we ever had a multi party system?

2 and never

Which of the following has the most influence on the outcome of a congressional election?

A candidate's incumbency status

According to James Madison, which of the following best controls the effects of faction?

A large republic

Political action committees (PAC's) representing which of the following groups have increased in number most substantially since the mid-1970's?

Business

The advantages of incumbency in congressional elections include which of the following? I. Incumbents receive more campaign contributions than do challengers. II. Incumbents are able to provide important services for individual voters. III. The government provides campaign funds for incumbents. IV. The President usually endorses incumbents for reelection. V. Most American voters believe Congress does a good job.

I and II only

The use of direct primaries instead of the convention system in selecting presidential candidates results in which of the following? I. A weakening of party control over nominations II. A reduction in the costs of election campaigns III. An increase in the number of people involved in the choice of candidates IV. An increase in voter turnout in midterm elections

I and III only

Public monies are used to help finance which of the following campaigns? I. Presidential II. Congressional III. Gubernatorial

I only

Which of the following statements about incumbent senators running for reelection is correct?

Incumbent senators are less likely to be reelected than are incumbent members of the House of Representatives.

Which of the following is true about the line-item veto?

It is used by many state governors.

The clear-and-present-danger test devised by the Supreme Court was designed to define the conditions under which government could

Limit Free Speech

Which of the following is a concern about the influence of lobbyists on government?

Many lobbyists are former federal officials who gave up their positions in government to work for interest groups.

(This may be outdated, but I did teach it) Which of the following statements about political action committees (PACs) is true?

PAC spending makes up a higher percentage of congressional campaign funds than of presidential campaign funds.

Which of the following best explains why delegates to both the Republican and Democratic Conventions in 1996 were much more likely to have college and postgraduate degrees than was the rest of the voting population?

Political activism increases with education levels.

Which of the following is an accurate statement that could be used to refute the argument that a realignment took place in the 1980's?

Republican dominance in presidential elections did not extend to congressional, state, and local elections

Which of the following is most frequently reported in the media during a presidential election?

Results from public opinion polls that indicate which candidates are most likely to win

Which of the following statements best describes the organization of the two major political parties in the United States?

Separate and largely independent party organizations exist at national, state, and local levels

In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court established which of the following principles?

States cannot interfere with or tax the legitimate activities of the federal government.

Which of the following is a correct statement about political action committees (PAC's)?

The amount of money that PAC's can contribute directly to an individual candidate is limited by law.

Considering all elections at all levels of government, which of the following best describes electoral behavior in the United States?

The majority of the electorate does not vote in most elections.

Over the past 20 years, reforms of the presidential nomination process have had which of the following effects?

The number of female delegates and minority-group delegates at Democratic national conventions has grown substantially.

Which of the following is the most accurate statement about political parties in the United States?

The percentage of voters identifying themselves as either Democrats or Republicans has been declining since the 1970's.

Which of the following is LEAST characteristic of the history of political parties in the United States during the twentieth century?

The splitting of the two major parties into a multiparty system

Which of the following is true of amicus curiae briefs?

They are used by interest groups to lobby courts.

Which of the following is true of political action committees (PACs)?

They make campaign contributions in hopes of gaining access to legislators.

When 18 to 21 year olds received the right to vote in 1971, in the 1972 national elections they did which of the following?

Turned out at a lower rate than the rest of the electorate.

Since the 1960s, support for the Democratic Party has declined the most among which of the following groups?

White southerners

Elections for the House of Representatives provide

approximately equal representation for every voter

Why are lobbyists useful to members of Congress in considering legislation?

because members of Congress are policy generalists and lobbyists are policy specialists with expert knowledge in their area

What is a trial balloon?

campaign leaks an idea to see how it does on the media

What was madisons opinion on factions?

cant eliminate factions

Presidential and congressional races differ in all of the following ways EXCEPT

congressional elections receive more national funding than presidential elections

Supporters of granting the President a line-item veto would most likely argue that this power would increase a President's ability to

control federal spending

The "wall of separation" doctrine refers to the

division of church and state

political activism increases with

education

Socialist, libertarian, and green parties are all examples of ___________ parties

ideological

Interest groups and political parties both promote United States democracy by

linking citizens to the political process

committee chairs in the house of reps are always going to belong to which party?

majority

The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to

make most rights contained in the Bill of Rights applicable to the states

An interest group would likely have the greatest influence on policy matters involving

narrow issues dealing with technical information

All of the following are commonly used by interest groups to influence the political process EXCEPT

nominating candidates

in a critical election we see what occur?

party membership realigns

Lobbyists try to influence legislators mainly through

providing legislators with information on technical issues

The government can use all of the following tools to encourage positive stories and constrain negative stories written by journalists EXCEPT

revoking the licenses of stations that give unfavorable coverage

All of the following are examples of a linkage institution influencing the policy process EXCEPT

the president delivering the State of the Union speech

what does it mean when i say the media serves an agenda setting function?

they pick and choose whats important