AP Government: AP Classroom Unit 5

Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the table?

Barriers to registration existed in all of the states in the table but were most significant in Mississippi.

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?

Single-issue group with the goal of impacting policy making

Which of the following features of the data displayed make the use of the bar graph less helpful for a comparison?

The bar showing the spending for the Chamber of Commerce makes comparisons with the other groups more difficult.

In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), the Supreme Court ruled that corporations and labor unions could spend unlimited amounts of money supporting political candidates under certain circumstances. Which of the following was the basis for the Court's ruling?

The freedom of speech in the First Amendment

Which of the following quotes from the Federalist Papers best supports the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) ?

"Liberty is to faction what air is to fire. . . . But it could not be less folly to abolish liberty, which is essential to political life, because it nourishes faction, than it would be to wish the annihilation of air, which is essential to animal life, because it imparts to fire its destructive agency."

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

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

If a researcher were interested in understanding how much the NRA spent in each state, what visual could be created to accurately display this information in the bar graph?

A map showing the dollar amounts spent by the NRA in each state since 1992

The bar graph shows the National Rifle Association's spending on Democratic and Republican candidates over several decades of election cycles in support of gun ownership rights. How could a visual best be created to better understand how the spending of the NRA compares to that of gun control proponents?

A pie chart that tallies total spending by both the NRA and gun control proponents since 1992

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

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

Which of the following is the most likely result of the changes in voter registration rates illustrated in the table?

An increase in the number of African American members of Congress from Georgia

Based on the data in the bar graph and your knowledge of presidential elections, how should Hillary Clinton's campaign have responded if Jill Stein's support in the polls had increased significantly as Election Day approached?

By adopting positions on issues similar to Stein's in an attempt to win over those voters before the election

For which of the following tasks would using the bar graph as currently designed be the LEAST helpful?

Calculating the election cycle spending based on the intervals shown on the vertical axis

The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC, has raised over $50 million dollars, which it plans to spend on advertising in the next midterm election. It plans to target its spending in competitive districts in the days leading up to Election Day. Which of the following court cases decision is most likely to protect the right of the group in the scenario?

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Increases in the amount of money spent on national defense and security contracts, such as those that occurred after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and during the subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, would most likely have which of the following consequences?

Defense contractors would increase their lobbying efforts in order to improve their chances of winning a contract.

Which of the following scenarios best represents the model for party-line voting?

Despite not recognizing the name, a candidate votes for the Democratic Party candidate because he is a Democrat.

Which of the following describes a visual limitation of the bar graph?

Even though the bar graph contains data from 1998 to 2014, there is no illustration of how spending is broken down by specific years or elections.

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

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

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?

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

Which of the following explanations describes the impact of Jill Stein's candidacy on the 2016 election as depicted by the data in the bar graph and your knowledge of presidential elections?

Jill Stein's supporters preferred Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump, hurting the Clinton campaign.

The National Education Association (NEA) is an organization of teachers, administrators, and other educators who work together to advance the interests and impact of public education. One of the NEA's goals is to support public education by ending government funding of voucher programs that promote school privatization. Vouchers give parents financial incentives to send their children to private schools rather than having children attend local public schools. Which of the following strategies would be the most effective way to achieve the NEA's goal of furthering the interest of public education?

Lobby members of congressional committees to vote against all legislation that would support school voucher programs.

Based on the data in the chart, which of the following strategies would best help third-party candidates like Jill Stein and Gary Johnson increase their chances of winning elected office?

Lobbying state legislatures to shift from a winner-take-all system to a proportional voting system

A Pentagon contractor named Daniel Ellsberg stole a report, which later became known as the Pentagon Papers. The report had classified information about the conduct of the war in Vietnam. He gave this report to several major media outlets. The government tried to use prior restraint to prevent the outlets from publishing these excerpts. The Court allowed the media outlets to publish the excerpts in which of the following cases?

New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)

A popular news website obtains transcripts of confidential discussions in the White House regarding how the National Security Agency should collect private data of citizens. Even though the president urges the website not to publish the story, the website does so anyway because it believes the conversation does not reveal information that poses a risk to national security. Which of the following cases would the news website most likely cite if it had to argue the case that it can publish the story without permission from the president?

New York Times Co. v. United States (1971)

Which of the following best demonstrates how political parties serve as linkage institutions?

Parties may organize activities to identify supporters, increase registration, and get out the vote.

Which of the following best explains the role of parties in Congress?

Parties organize government by selecting chamber leadership and determining committee membership.

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

Parties send volunteers to knock on doors to register voters.

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

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

A citizen cast her vote for the candidate in a congressional election based on the candidate's promise to reform the health care system. Which voting behavior model best characterizes the citizen's choice?

Prospective voting

Which of the following statements can best be supported by the survey data displayed in the bar graphs?

Republicans with a low level of political efficacy are the most likely group to say that government needs major reforms.

A voter has seen his income increase by 3% over the past four years. He is encouraged that unemployment is down and the price of gas has remained relatively low. On Election Day, by voting for the incumbent presidential candidate, he has engaged in which type of voting?

Retrospective voting

Senator Hoffman is campaigning for reelection in her state. Her campaign message emphasizes how the policies she has supported have benefited her constituents. She has spotlighted job creation and an overall improvement in the standard of living in the state in the past six years. Senator Hoffman is hoping to appeal to which of the following voting behavior models?

Retrospective voting

Using social media, individuals are increasingly able to communicate their political views to a wide audience. However, some messages over social media have led to certain individuals being arrested for making credible threats. This issue is most related to which of the following cases?

Schenck v. United States (1919)

There is an ongoing debate over the role of money in elections. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002 banned soft money and restricted advertisements in the weeks before an election. Parts of this act were challenged and struck down in the Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010). Which of the following was a consequence of that ruling?

Super PACs may spend unlimited funds on advertisements that are not coordinated with the campaign because they are protected by the freedom of speech.

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?

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

For decades, the National Rifle Association (NRA) has worked closely with members of Congress to successfully curtail the capacity of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to regulate firearms and track gun crimes. Which of the following statements best explains how the NRA maintains its influence in Washington?

The National Rifle Association outspends its competitors in all elections and stages of policy making.

Which of the following conclusions is most supported by the data in the chart?

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 has significantly reduced disparities in voter registration between Whites and African Americans.

What do the data in the bar graph indicate about how Gary Johnson's candidacy affected the 2016 election?

The data in the bar graph show that since Gary Johnson's supporters were split between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, his candidacy did not have an impact on the outcome of the election.

Which of the following best explains how political parties use party platforms?

The platform is used to define the party's general stance on political issues.

Based on the data in the chart, which of the following best explains a likely impact of third-party votes in the 2016 election?

The third-party vote in the three states depicted in the chart helped Donald Trump acquire enough electoral votes to win the election.

Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the data in the graphs?

Those with greater political efficacy have a more positive view of government; as a result, they are more likely to vote in elections.

Based on the data in the chart and your knowledge of presidential elections, which of the following is the best strategy that Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump could have used to pull votes away from the third-party candidates, Jill Stein and Gary Johnson?

Trump or Clinton could have adopted issues that were popular with Stein's and Johnson's voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin as part of their campaigns.

"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.'" Which of the following political processes or behaviors is most directly affected by the development described in the passage?

Voter mobilization

If one were interested in showing how much certain industries spend on lobbying, the best way to change the visual would be to

categorize the data by industry group and combine the data so that a bar represents each group

Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected president in 1932 after running on the Democratic Party platform that included an expansion of federal programs aimed at pulling the United States out of the Great Depression. The expansion plan, known as the New Deal, substantially increased the voting base of the Democratic Party. As a result, the Democratic Party dominated Congress and many state governments for the next half century. The election of 1932 is considered a critical election because it

changed the base of support in each party

The decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) led to the creation of super PACs that can legally raise unlimited amounts of money and engage in electioneering with few limits. Madison argued in The Federalist 10 that factions, like super PACs, would not be detrimental to society because the Constitution

created a large republic with many factions that would cancel each other out

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

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

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?

Freedom of speech in the First Amendment

[W]hile Internet politics may revitalize participation, it may not have the same effect on parties. Instead, the Internet promises to create more customized relationships between candidates and supporters that could strengthen their political bonds. The success of Obama's Internet campaign rested in part on a web presence that users could tailor to suit their needs and wishes so that they could take the initiative, if so inclined, to organize events, write testimonials, give money, volunteer, or persuade friends and neighbors about the strengths of the candidate. . . . Unlike television, Internet communication is individualized and personalized, and candidates who know how to use it can do so to create a loyal following. It is an open question whether the social networking tools made possible by technological advances and effectively employed by the Obama campaigns will continue to engage voters when other candidates try to use them, or whether 2008 and 2012 will stand alone as campaigns featuring a charismatic candidate who understood how to present himself online. Hillary Clinton's struggle to reach Millennial voters speaks to the importance of the messenger over the medium." Which of the following examples best illustrates how the trend in political communications described in the passage will most likely affect campaigns?

Political candidates will seek more data on voters so that their campaigns can create messages designed to attract different demographics.

Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the graphs?

Political efficacy is a major factor in shaping political views about government, but political ideology also plays a role.

"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.'" Which of the following scenarios reflects the most direct effect of the practice described in the passage on the electoral process?

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

An advertisement airs on television attacking a candidate running for office. The advertisement was produced and distributed by a group that was not affiliated with nor funded by any political campaign. Which of the following statements explains why this expenditure is not prohibited by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 ?

Political spending by groups not directly affiliated with a campaign is a form of protected speech.

[W]hile Internet politics may revitalize participation, it may not have the same effect on parties. Instead, the Internet promises to create more customized relationships between candidates and supporters that could strengthen their political bonds. The success of Obama's Internet campaign rested in part on a web presence that users could tailor to suit their needs and wishes so that they could take the initiative, if so inclined, to organize events, write testimonials, give money, volunteer, or persuade friends and neighbors about the strengths of the candidate. . . . Unlike television, Internet communication is individualized and personalized, and candidates who know how to use it can do so to create a loyal following. It is an open question whether the social networking tools made possible by technological advances and effectively employed by the Obama campaigns will continue to engage voters when other candidates try to use them, or whether 2008 and 2012 will stand alone as campaigns featuring a charismatic candidate who understood how to present himself online. Hillary Clinton's struggle to reach Millennial voters speaks to the importance of the messenger over the medium." Given the evolution of campaign communication described in the passage, which of the following is a way that political candidates most likely would use these tools to reach the broadest possible base of supporters?

Using social media tools to target different demographic and political groups with messages designed to appeal to them

"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.'" The practice of "microtargeting" described in the passage is an even more powerful campaign tool for parties if they are able to

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

[W]hile Internet politics may revitalize participation, it may not have the same effect on parties. Instead, the Internet promises to create more customized relationships between candidates and supporters that could strengthen their political bonds. The success of Obama's Internet campaign rested in part on a web presence that users could tailor to suit their needs and wishes so that they could take the initiative, if so inclined, to organize events, write testimonials, give money, volunteer, or persuade friends and neighbors about the strengths of the candidate. . . . Unlike television, Internet communication is individualized and personalized, and candidates who know how to use it can do so to create a loyal following. It is an open question whether the social networking tools made possible by technological advances and effectively employed by the Obama campaigns will continue to engage voters when other candidates try to use them, or whether 2008 and 2012 will stand alone as campaigns featuring a charismatic candidate who understood how to present himself online. Hillary Clinton's struggle to reach Millennial voters speaks to the importance of the messenger over the medium." The new developments in campaigning described in the passage have the greatest impact on which of the following trends?

The rise of candidate-centered campaigns