POLI 2051 - Christopher Kenny - Exam 2 (Practice Quizzes 6-9)

Occupy Wall Street's main target has been A. the widening income gap between the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans and the rest of society. B. the undue influence of the Tea Party in national politics. C. the high taxes paid by America's poor. D. the need to have better regulation of stock trading. E. the necessity of overthrowing capitalism and replacing it with socialism.

A. the widening income gap between the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans and the rest of society.

To accurately poll the citizens of the United States as opposed to the citizens of a single state, A. a much larger sample size will be required. B. the sample requirements will be nearly the same. C. a smaller sample size will be required. D. less randomization will be needed because the sample size will be larger. E. a larger sampling error can be accepted.

B. the sample requirements will be nearly the same.

In the United States, A. the federal government prevents states from forcing residents to register in advance of the election instead of on Election Day. B. voter registration requirements have usually been set by the states. C. voter registration periods and locations are highly publicized by the states, but registration requirements prevent many from taking advantage of them. D. most states automatically register a person to vote when he or she acquires a driver's license. E. states with easier registration laws have shown no higher turnout rates than states with restrictive registration requirements.

B. voter registration requirements have usually been set by the states.

In which of the following countries is the rate of protest the LOWEST? A. Sweden B. Germany C. France D. The United States E. Spain

D. The United States

National party organizations can dictate the day-to-day decisions of A. local party organizations only. B. state party organizations only. C. local and state party organizations. D. neither local nor state party organizations. E. party leaders in Congress.

D. neither local nor state party organizations.

What term do scholars use for a purported opinion offered by a respondent who is unfamiliar with the specific issue? A. uniformed response B. faulty opinion C. invalid answer D. confused answer E. nonopinion

E. nonopinion

Students are most likely to hear stories about America's heroes and greatness when they are in A. Elementary School B. Middle School C. High School D. An undergraduate college program E. Graduate School

A. Elementary School

You are LEAST likely to find a "blue state" in which region? A. South B. Northeast C. Northern Midwest D. West Coast E. Pacific Northwest

A. South

What condition must be met if a PAC spends money to support a particular candidacy? A. The spending effort cannot be coordinated with the candidate. B. The money must be used to support a general party or issue, not the individual candidate. C. The money has to be spent or donated in amounts equal to or less than $2,500. D. The PAC cannot be affiliated with a political party. E. The money must go toward purchasing media ads only.

A. The spending effort cannot be coordinated with the candidate.

The second-largest number of PACs are those associated with A. citizens' groups. B. labor C. business D. agriculture E. Foreign Governments

A. citizens' groups.

An amicus brief A. is a written document in which a group explains to a court its position on a legal dispute the court is handling. B. is a written document in which an interest group lays out its policy preference for targeted lawmakers. C. prevents a lobbyist group from making campaign donations to policymakers over a specific issue. D. provides evidence for prosecutors of an illegal monetary relationship between a lawmaker and an interest group or PAC. E. prevents PACs from donating more than $5,000 to a single candidate during a primary election.

A. is a written document in which a group explains to a court its position on a legal dispute the court is handling.

Under federal law, PACs can contribute up to ________ per candidate for federal office in a primary election. A. $1,000 B. $5,000 C. $25,000 D. $50,000 E. $100,000

B. $5,000

A properly drawn sample of one thousand individuals has a sampling error of roughly plus or minus A. 1 percent B. 3 percent C. 5 percent D. 8 percent E. 10 percent

B. 3 percent

Some analysts predict that soon the most important medium of election politics will be A. Television B. The Internet C. Radio D. Newspaper E. Magazines

B. The Internet

One of the reasons voter turnout is lower in the United States than in western European countries is that A. Americans pay less attention to politics. B. U.S. registration laws place a greater burden on the individual. C. the U.S. population is not as well educated. D. Europeans must pay a huge fine if they fail to vote. E. None of these answers are correct.

B. U.S. registration laws place a greater burden on the individual.

Political protests A. have recently seen success in changing policy, primarily with liberal or leftist protest groups. B. are seen by most Americans as something to be accepted but not admired. C. are more common in the United States today than in most European democracies. D. have become more spontaneous and unlawful in recent years. E. are today mostly aimed at local laws and local political targets.

B. are seen by most Americans as something to be accepted but not admired.

In terms of party identification, slightly more than half of adults call themselves A. Liberals B. fully republican or democrat C. republicans D. fully independent E. democrats

B. fully republican or democrat

A conservative is opposed to government intervention A. in both the economic and social spheres. B. in the economic but not the social sphere C. in the social sphere, but not the economic sphere. D. in neither the social sphere nor the economic sphere E. only with regard to affirmative action.

B. in the economic but not the social sphere

The air we breathe is an example of a A. Private Goods B. Negative externality C. Material Goods D. Mass-Produced Good E. Collective good

E. Collective good

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 to launch a competitive bid for reelection? A. $300 B. $3,000 C. $30,000 D. $300,000 E. $3,000,000

C. $30,000

In 20th-century American history, the most important minor parties were ________ parties. A. Ideological B. Single-Issue C. Factional D. Reform E. Non-Aligned

C. Factional

Which of the following countries has had the LOWEST estimated voter turnout in major national elections in recent decades? A. Denmark B. Germany C. The United States D. Belgium E. Canada

C. The United States

Andrew Jackson's contribution to the development of political parties was the A. forging of a coalition of Democrats and Whigs. B. introduction of primary elections. C. formation of a new type of grassroots party organization. D. formation of the Federalist Party. E. formation of the Republican Party.

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

A main difference between iron triangles and issue networks is that A. an iron triangle includes members of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, while issue networks bypass the judicial branch. B. issue networks involve a stable group of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists, while iron triangles exclude lobbyists in an attempt to reach impartial decisions. C. issue networks are generally less stable than iron triangles, in that the members of an issue network may change as the issue develops. D. issue networks, being less formal, rely on outside lobbying only, while iron triangles use inside lobbying only. E. All these answers are correct.

C. issue networks are generally less stable than iron triangles, in that the members of an issue network may change as the issue develops.

The first American political parties emerged from the conflict between A. slave states and free states. B. the older eastern states and the newer western states. C. small farmers and states' rights advocates, and those favoring commercial and wealthy interests. D. business and labor E. protestants and catholics

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

The dominant labor interest group is A. the Teamsters Union. B. United Auto Workers. C. the AFL-CIO. D. the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. E. the Communication Workers of America.

C. the AFL-CIO.

________ lost the 1964 presidential election in large part because his views were seen as too extreme. A. James Weaver B. Jimmy Carter C. George McGovern D. Richard Nixon E. Barry Goldwater

E. Barry Goldwater

Which of the following states has a relatively low turnout in elections? A. Idaho B. Maine C. Minnesota D. Indiana E. These four states have similar turnout rates compared to the national average.

D. Indiana

Which of the following statements about Americans and ideology and political thinking is true? A. Liberalism and conservatism have such imprecise meanings that it is not useful to think about politics in these terms. B. Americans overwhelmingly identify themselves as liberals. C. Americans' political ideologies tend to go through one major left-to-right or right-to-left switch in their lives. D. Most Americans do not demonstrate blind faith in their party of choice. E. Americans are highly consistent in party identification and are rarely influenced by policies or candidates.

D. Most Americans do not demonstrate blind faith in their party of choice.

Democrats and Republicans have endured as the two major U.S. parties primarily due to A. the stability of their ideologies. B. the lack of good third-party candidates. C. a high degree of party discipline. D. their ability to adapt to changing circumstances. E. their ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

D. their ability to adapt to changing circumstances.

The history of democratic government is virtually inseparable from the history of A. High voter turnout B. The separation of powers C. Economic recessions D. Protest Movements E. Political Parties

E. Political Parties

________ elections tend to draw the largest percentage of voters in the U.S. A. Primary B. Mayoral C. Congressional D. Gubernatorial E. Presidential

E. Presidential

An interest group like the National Rifle Association would be an example of a(n) A. philosophical interest group. B. Ideological group C. Professional group D. Business group E. Single-Issue group

E. Single-Issue group

Why have issue networks become more prevalent? A. the increasing power of corporate lobbying B. the increasing diversity of interest groups C. the increasing influence of PACs D. the instability of candidates' positions E. the increasing complexity of policy problems

E. the increasing complexity of policy problems

In terms of the direction of public opinion on gun control, A. gun rights advocates are in the majority. B. gun rights and gun control advocates are in agreement. C. gun control advocates feel more deeply about the issue than gun rights advocates. D. gun rights advocates feel more deeply about the issue than gun control advocates. E. the majority favors stricter gun control laws.

E. the majority favors stricter gun control laws.

The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) A. allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on campaigns as long as there is no coordination with the candidate. B. limits PACs by reducing the amount of money they can raise through contributions made by small donors. C. has forced candidates for office and elected officials to make public the amounts of campaign contributions they have received from PACs and which PACs make those donations. D. has strengthened the argument that PACs constitute a better system of campaign finance than one based on wealthy donors. E. has forced corporations and labor unions to legally divorce themselves from the PACs they sponsor.

A. allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on campaigns as long as there is no coordination with the candidate.

Voter registration in the United States A. was introduced as a means of keeping white males without property from voting. B. began as a way of preventing voters from casting more than one ballot on Election Day. C. is the responsibility of the government, which adds legally qualified individuals automatically to the registration rolls. D. applies to voting in general elections but not in primary elections. E. has vastly increased voter turnout.

B. began as a way of preventing voters from casting more than one ballot on Election Day.

Which of the following statements is true? A. Franklin Roosevelt had little faith that public opinion would preserve the Social Security program; he expected it to be dismantled within a few decades. B. Public opinion on the usefulness of the Social Security system tends to swing back and forth dramatically with the health of the national economy. C. George W. Bush attempted to privatize aspects of Social Security, only to back down in the face of determined resistance. D. Franklin Roosevelt attempted to increase the size of the Social Security system, but backed down in the face of strong public opinion against any expansion. E. The increase in tougher crime and sentencing laws in the 1990s went into effect despite indications that public opinion strongly opposed the trend.

C. George W. Bush attempted to privatize aspects of Social Security, only to back down in the face of determined resistance.

In the United States, the primary responsibility for registration of the individual voter rests with the A. State and Local Governments B. Local Courts C. Emplorer D. Individual E. Federal Government

D. Individual

To have great influence, an outside lobbying group must generally have one of two things: a lot of money or A. detailed policy information. B. a strong legal team C. high visibility D. a committed membership E. close relationships with executive branch officers.

D. a committed membership