Federal Government Chapter 8 Exam 2

28. Ticket splitting was most prominent during which decade?

a. 1970s

43. MoveOn and Swift Boat Veterans for Truth are both examples of

a. 527 groups.

14. The Democratic Party's long-time regional stronghold"the Solid South" stemmed from a realignment during which historical period?

a. Civil War era

46. Which of the following statements about the patronage system is true?

a. It was a means of rewarding party workers for their loyalty.

51. The vicious character to which current political ads are prone may be gauged by a 2002 ad that associated disabled war veteran ________ with Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden.

a. Max Cleland

30. Most states conduct ________ primaries.

a. closed

39. Organizationally the U.S. major parties are

a. decentralized and fragmented.

50. Roughly how much of campaign spending is devoted to producing and airing televised political advertisements?

a. one-half

49. The function that the national party organizations perform in relation to congressional candidates can best be described as a

a. service role—helping candidates conduct their personal campaigns.

4. Proportional representation systems encourage the formation of smaller parties by enabling parties to

a. win legislative seats even though they do not receive a majority of votes in elections.

54. Abraham Lincoln was first elected in 1860 with ________ percent of the popular vote.

b. 40

33. In the 2008 presidential election________ used the Internet most successfully to attract followers and raise donations.

b. Barack Obama

23. What party has made big gains in recent decades among white fundamentalist Christians based on its positions on topics like abortion and school prayer?

b. Republican

18. ________ is based on judgment about the past performance of an elected official or political party.

b. Retrospective voting

37. James Carville Dick Morris and Roger Ailes are all examples of

b. campaign strategists who have earned legendary reputations.

48. In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) the Supreme Court

b. found corporations and unions could not be banned from spending money on campaigns.

38. Regarding state party organizations the day-to-day operation is usually the responsibility of the

b. state chairperson.

41. Which of the following represents the greatest blow to the organizational strength of U.S. parties?

b. the direct primary

21. Most European parties on the political left tend to appeal mainly to

b. working-class voters.

45. On average how much money must a U.S. senator raise every week of his or her six-year term in order to acquire enough money to launch a competitive bid for reelection?

c. $20,000

52. The election of ________ was a realigning election.

c. 1932

6. In 1912 a candidate for which minor party managed to earn more votes than one of his major party opponents?

c. Bull Moose

29. ________ was the only Republican elected president from 1932-1964.

c. Dwight Eisenhower

22. ________ warned Americans of the "baneful effects" of factions (political parties) in his 1797 farewell address.

c. George Washington

53. ________ is associated with the Era of Good Feeling.

c. James Monroe

42. Which of the following is an accurate representation of the public's opinion about leaders and their accountability?

c. Most citizens have a low opinion of Congress as a whole, but say they have confidence in their local representative in Congress.

12. The issue of slavery gave birth to the ________ party as a major political party.

c. Republican

56. In 1992 ________ won 19 percent of the popular vote in the presidential election.

c. Ross Perot

36. ________ provides no free television time to political parties and allows candidates to purchase air time.

c. The United States

27. In twentieth-century American history the most important minor parties were ________ parties.

c. factional

3. Andrew Jackson's contribution to the development of political parties was the

c. formation of a new type of grassroots party organization.

44. Candidate-centered politics encourages all of the following EXCEPT

c. long-term consistency in policymaking.

55. State central committees

c. provide only general policy guidance for the state organizations.

2. The first American political parties emerged from the conflict between

c. small farmers and states' rights advocates, and those favoring commercial and wealthy interests.

15. Which of the following is an indication of strong party loyalty?

c. straight-ticket voting

8. The major reason for the persistence of the American two-party system is

c. the existence of single-member election districts.

47. About 95 percent of all political activists in the United States work at

c. the local level.

25. Which of the following groups is most closely aligned with the Democratic Party voting about 85 percent Democratic in presidential elections?

d. African Americans

57. Populist ________ won electoral votes in six states in the presidential election of 1892.

d. James B. Weaver

20. ________ does not have a competitive multiparty system.

d. The United States

10. All of the following are characteristic of a party realignment EXCEPT

d. a very close electoral result.

31. American party organizations

d. are still important, but their role in campaigns is secondary to that of candidates.

17. Prospective voting is characterized by

d. choices based on what candidates promise to do if elected.

32. National party organizations can dictate the day-to-day decisions of

d. neither local nor state party organizations.

7. If a minor party gains a large following it is almost certain that

d. one or both major parties will absorb its issue, and the minor party will lose support.

5. Democrats and Republicans have endured as the two major U.S. parties primarily due to

d. their ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

1. Political parties serve to

e. All these answers are correct.

35. Which of the following are key players in the modern campaign?

e. All these answers are correct.

40. During the twentieth century American parties lost their complete control over

e. All these answers are correct.

19. ________ lost the 1964 presidential election in a landslide because his views were seen as too extreme.

e. Barry Goldwater

34. Which of the following is NOT an example of an ideological party?

e. Greenback Party

13. Political parties in the United States originated partly as a political feud between

e. Hamilton and Jefferson.

16. Party dealignment is

e. None of these answers is correct.

24. Which of the following events/phenomena do some analysts consider to have cost Al Gore the presidential election in 2000?

e. a poor televised debate performance

26. Which of the following groups is NOT typically a part of the Democratic coalition?

e. fundamentalist Christians

9. The history of democratic government is virtually synonymous with the history of

e. political parties.

11. Which of the following encourages the two major parties to build broad coalitions?

e. the two-party system and the need to gain a plurality