AP Gov Unit 5 study guide
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
Which of the following represents a consequence of candidate-centered electoral campaigns?
A decrease in the role of political parties in campaign management
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
Which of the following demographic groups has voted most consistently for the Democratic Party in national elections over the last three decades?
African Americans
Which of the following scenarios is most related to the Twenty-Sixth Amendment?
An eighteen-year-old votes in a presidential election.
Which best describes a likely reason for the information depicted in the graph?
An increase in concerns over media bias
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.
Which of the following provides the most accurate explanation of how consumer-driven media increases partisan polarization?
Consumer-driven media reinforces existing political biases in individuals.
Which of the following is a true statement about the role of the media in providing citizens with information?
Demand for instantaneous news reporting has led to the growth of 24-hour news operations and a shift to online media consumption.
When none of the presidential candidates receives a majority of the votes in the electoral college, the winner is chosen by the
House of Representatives only
Political parties serve which of the following functions in the United States? 1. Informing the public about political issues 2. Mobilizing voters and getting them to the polls 3. Organizing diverse interests within society 4. Establishing the rules governing financial contributions to political candidates
I, II, and III only
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 is an accurate comparison between the relative functions and electoral success of the two major political parties (Democratic and Republican) and third parties?
Major Parties: The rules of the electoral college favor the major-party candidates in presidential elections. Third Parties: Winner-take-all voting districts hinder the electoral success of third-party candidates.
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
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?
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
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'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 statements about voting behavior in national elections is most accurate?
Senior citizens are more likely to vote than are college students
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.
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?
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?
The effect of recent economic conditions on the voters
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?
The electorate will be less able to accurately compare the policy platforms of candidates running in the election
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
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
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
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.
The three points of an iron triangle include
an administrative agency, an interest group, and a congressional committee
The term "horse-race journalism" refers to the tendency of the media to
cover campaigns by emphasizing the relative standings of the candidates in the polls rather than the issues they discuss
In the last thirty years, the single most important variable in determining the outcome of an election for a member of the House of Representatives has been,
incumbency
The media's effect on public opinion can best be described as
influencing which issues the public sees as important
Compared to voters in a general election, voters in presidential primary elections are
more likely to be affluent
The free rider problem occurs when
people benefit from an interest group's efforts without making any contribution
The primary function of political action committees (PAC's) is to
raise campaign funds to support favored candidates
All of the following are examples of a linkage institution influencing the policy process EXCEPT
the president delivering the State of the Union speech
The most widely performed act of political participation in the United States is
voting in presidential elections
One reason for the persistence of a two-party system in the United States is
the single-member district electoral system
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
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.
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.
The graphic illustrates which of the following statements about political parties?
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.
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
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 is true of the electoral college system?
It encourages candidates to concentrate their campaigns in competitive, populous states.
Which of the following portrays an accurate example of horse race media coverage?
News media outlets report the results of public opinion polls that show the relative popularity of presidential candidates.
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
Which of the following makes a correct comparison between political parties and interest groups in the United States?
Political Parties: Political parties recruit and run candidates in elections. Interest Groups: Interest groups seek to influence public policy
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
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
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.
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.
Which of the following describes the potential impact on the electorate when daily media coverage of elections focuses primarily on the newest poll results?
The electorate will be less able to accurately compare the policy platforms of candidates running in the election.
Which of the following is the best explanation for the trend in voting behavior after the 2000 election?
The events that shaped the generation turning 18 after the year 2000 tended to create more liberal-minded voters who supported Democrats.
Given the information in the graph, in which of the following states would an individual's vote likely have more influence?
Wyoming
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
Which of the following describes an effect of the Twenty-Fourth Amendment?
It eliminated poll taxes.
Which of the following describes a fundamental difference between political parties and interest groups?
Political parties represent broad arrays of issues, whereas interest groups are more likely to focus on narrow sets of issues.
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
"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?
Political parties will rely increasingly on social media advertising to reach different coalitions of voters.
