Ch. 9 AP Gov

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

Candidates rely too heavily on professional consultants.

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) ?

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

When contributing to congressional campaigns, political action committees (PACs) are most likely to contribute to

incumbents of both major parties

In response to the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act), the United States Supreme Court, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), ruled that

independent campaign expenditures by corporations and unions are protected by the First Amendment

The process known as front-loading refers to

the tendency of states to choose an early date on the primary calendar

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

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

The use of direct primaries instead of the convention system in selecting presidential candidates results in which of the following?

I and III only

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

They make campaign contributions to gain access to legislators.

Which of the following is a type of primary election that requires registration as a party affiliate to vote?

Closed

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold) did which of the following?

It banned soft money donations to national parties.

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

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

The data displayed in the table above best support which of the following statements?

House seats are safer from election turnover than are Senate seats.

Which of the following describes the Twenty-Fourth Amendment?

It eliminated poll taxes.

A voter's decision to support the incumbent president in an upcoming election is based on recent economic growth and record low unemployment. Which of the following models of voting behavior best characterizes this voter's decision?

Retrospective voting

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

The candidate's personal characteristics

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

A candidate's incumbency status

Which of the following is NOT an explanation for low voter turnout?

Laws protecting minority voting rights

Which of the following best explains why the winner of a presidential election usually claims to have a mandate from voters?

The allocation of electoral votes in the winner-take-all system exaggerates the margin of victory.

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.

The advantages of incumbency in congressional elections include which of the following?

I and II only

In the United States, which of the following is a rule on voting found in the Constitution or its amendments?

No person eighteen years of age or older may be denied the right to vote on account of age.

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 is most directly related to the large amount of money spent by outside groups in the 2012 election?

The use of super PACs as a mechanism to raise money and influence elections

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.

When party members meet to nominate a candidate for office, they participate in which of the following?

Caucus

Which of the following scenarios is most closely related to the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) ?

A labor union spends millions of dollars to independently run negative advertisements about a presidential candidate shortly before the election.

Which of the following is NOT a way in which the federal government regulates campaigns?

By prohibitions on negative advertising

Which of the following statements is true regarding political advertisements in 2012 based on the information graphic?

Few advertisements appealed to positive emotions.

Which of the following is a significant trend in the presidential nominating process over the past three decades?

Increasing importance of presidential primaries rather than state conventions

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.

All of the following contribute to the success of incumbent members of Congress in election campaigns EXCEPT:

Incumbents tend to understand national issues better than do their challengers.

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

Individuals in small-population states have a greater impact on the electoral college than individuals in large-population states.

Which of the following best describes the concept of political efficacy?

It is the belief that one can make a difference in politics by expressing an opinion and acting politically.

Which of the following is true based on the information graphic?

Over 75% of the population is eligible to vote, but only about half the electorate actually voted in the 2016 presidential election.

Which of the following best explains how political parties are likely to respond to the data in the chart?

Political parties will adapt their positions and find ways to appeal to voters from growing demographic groups.

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?

Prospective voting

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

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

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

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.

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?

To study the expansion of voting rights

Typically, presidential candidates implement their campaign strategies by

focusing on larger, competitive states, because they might tip the balance of the electoral college

Which of the following amendments to the United States Constitution addresses the grievance that a woman is not permitted "to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise"?

Nineteenth Amendment

A number of 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?

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

Which of the following best describes the difference between an open and closed primary?

Only voters who register as members of a political party may vote in that party's closed primary, while independents and others may be eligible to vote in open primaries.

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold) was designed to curtail which of the following?

Soft money

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

The effect of recent economic conditions on the voters

Which of the following scenarios explains how demographic factors affect voter participation in elections?

Wealthier individuals are more likely to become involved in campaigns because they believe that their actions may influence the candidates.

Which of the following statements about voting patterns is best supported by the table?

Women were more likely than men to vote Democratic.

Given the information in the graph, in which of the following states would an individual's vote likely have more influence?

Wyoming

All of the following are reasons incumbents in the House of Representatives enjoy an electoral advantage over challengers EXCEPT that incumbents

get substantial financial support from their party's national committee

Interest groups use political action committees (PACs) to

raise and spend money on election campaigns

Which of the following is a likely effect of the trend depicted in the bar graph on voting and elections?

The Democratic Party will win more elections, based on current voting trends.