POS2041: Ch. 12

A

The superdelegates accounted for almost 20% of the votes at the 2008 Democratic Party's presidential nominating convention. A. True B. False

B

Because candidates are the focus of modern political campaigns, A. most fund-raising comes directly from the party machine B. the party's activities are aimed more at helping individual candidates compete more effectively than at promoting the party brand C. they are required to do most of their fund-raising without party assistance D. the candidate's activities are aimed more at helping the party compete more effectively than at promoting the individual's brand

D

In An Economic Theory of Democracy, Anthony Downs defined a political party as A. a collection of like-minded citizens, united in their purpose to advocate relevant policy preferences B. a machine-like apparatus with interchangeable parts (people) C. any organization that seeks to influence the outcomes in elections D. a team of men seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election

A

In today's politics, primaries and caucuses effectively determine the parties' nominees. A. True B. False

A

Modern Democratic and Republican parties can be depicted as pyramidal organizations that function hierarchically. A. True B. False

A

No matter how well organized, electoral alliances fail A. if they cannot get enough people to vote for their candidates B. because there are always too many divisions within an alliance C. due to different goals and different factions competing for power D. if one leader tries to take over

C

One consequence of the electoral reforms of the Progressive Era was to A. implement restrictions on who could vote B. shift the focus of electoral politics from candidates to issues C. shift the focus of electoral politics from parties to candidates D. shift the focus of electoral politics from candidates to parties

B

One implication of our winner-take-all system is ______. A. a larger number of political parties B. a smaller number of political parties C. strange, often comical, legislation introduced into Congress D. unqualified candidates

B

Paradoxically, the Progressive Era left the Republican Party and the Democratic Party organizationally much stronger but in a much weaker electoral position. A. True B. False

A

Party entrepreneurs, for their part, have simply redesigned party organizations to operate more effectively in today's media-based electoral arena. A. True B. False

A

The Federalists, one of the first two major parties, faded as a national force when which of the following occurred? A. Their pro-British leanings put them on the wrong side of the War of 1812. B. President Washington denounced them from the floor of the Senate. C. President Adams resigned from the party while in office. D. Their opposition to judicial review led Congress to ban them.

B

The New Deal coalition of Democrats began to unravel due to which of the following issues? A. the Vietnam War B. all of these C. civil rights for African Americans D. new economic initiatives such as housing subsidies and school nutrition programs

A

The Republicans' competitive status is threatened, however, by demographic trends. The Republican coalition includes a disproportionate share of White (87%), male, older, religiously active, and socially conservative people, all shrinking portions of the electorate. A. True B. False

B

The ______ ballot, introduced during the Progressive Era and still in use today, lists candidates from all parties and is marked in the privacy of a voting booth. A. Pendleton B. Australian C. bipartisan D. Jackson

A

The chief reason for their longevity is that the institutions created by the Constitution make the payoffs for using parties - to candidates, voters, and elected officeholders - too attractive to forgo. A. True B. False

C

The federal system offers powerful incentives for ______ to win and exercise political power. A. candidates B. interest groups C. political parties D. the media

A

The nomination process enables the parties to solve the coordination problem posed by competing presidential aspirants. A. True B. False

B

The parties are the focus of modern political campaigns. A. True B. False

D

Typically more than half of voters tell pollsters that the two major parties A. are a solid representation of American opinions B. need at least one more party to represent minority voters C. do such a great job that a major third party is not needed D. do such a poor job that a third major party is needed

A

When issues arise that split the existing party coalitions in the United States, partisan identities weaken, and the party label may not provide the information voters want. A. True B. False

B

When it comes to voter identification, the Democratic Party supports legislation to require photo identification for voting and to prevent election fraud. A. True B. False

B

Which of the following describes the distribution of those willing to call themselves Democrats or Republicans - that is, partisan identification - from 1952 through 2010? A. It has steadily and sharply increased. B. It remained surprisingly stable. C. It has steadily and gradually declined. D. It fluctuated wildly.

B

Typically only 20% of voters tell pollsters that the two major parties do such a bad job that a third party is needed. A. True B. False

A

President Obama and his Republican Congress are an example of divided government. A. True B. False

C

Despite their expressed disdain for parties, voters still rely heavily on party cues in making their decisions because A. they share identical policy preferences to that of their party B. their membership in the party is a source of pride C. party labels continue to provide useful, cheap information about candidates D. they don't know any better

A

Divided government A. allows each party to block the other party's more extreme proposals and forces both to compromise when making policy B. is such a rare a phenomenon in American politics that it is virtually nonexistent C. has not happened at the federal level since the end of the Progressive Era D. is unconstitutional pursuant to Article II

B

Duverger's law explains A. why office seekers will frequently pursue office as independents or third-party nominees B. why in any election in which a single winner is chosen by plurality voting, there is a strong tendency for serious competitors to be reduced to two C. why the Electoral College is used in presidential elections D. why plurality elections always lead to party systems with more than two major competitors

A

Fractious coalitions are a common thread running across all of the different party systems over the course of U.S. history. A. True B. False

B

Mandating primary elections has weakened the role of parties as official components of the electoral system. A. True B. False

A

Many early observers of the presidential selection process expected the House to make the choice most of the time. A. True B. False

D

Political parties are A. prohibited by the Constitution, although the Supreme Court struck down the prohibition shortly after the first Congress met B. prohibited by the Constitution, although the First Amendment overrides the prohibition C. explicitly provided for in Article II of the Constitution D. not mentioned in the Constitution

D

Political scientist John Aldrich observed, "A new form of party has emerged, one that is in service to its ambitious politicians but not ______ them." A. an agent of B. a product of C. underneath D. in control of

A

Republicans typically favor a smaller, cheaper federal government; they advocate lower taxes, less regulation of business, and lower spending on social welfare. They would be more generous only to the Defense Department. A. True B. False

A

The term party organization refers to one part of a connected three-part system that is A. dedicated to electing the party's candidates B. only the party that is affiliated with the majority of the population C. an alliance of current officeholders cooperating to shape public policy D. composed of those voters who identify with the party and regularly vote for its nominees

A

The threat of collective punishment by the voters gives the majority party a strong incentive to govern in ways that please voters. A. True B. False

A

The two-party system has been strengthened by laws that treat the parties as official components of the electoral machinery. A. True B. False

B

The years of the Monroe presidency were dubbed the Era of Good Feelings because unemployment was low, GDP was high, and there were no international conflicts. A. True B. False

B

Which of the following is true about the two-party system in the United States? A. It is like most other modern democracies in the world. B. It has continued with a few exceptions since shortly after the nation's founding. C. It is mandated by Article II of the Constitution. D. It was a goal of the Framers who believed parties were essential to maintaining democracy.

A

Which of the following was true about the 2012 party platforms, which were statements of the policy positions of each party? A. Few voters learned of the differences between the parties from them; rather, voters learned about the parties' positions through political news and campaign advertising. B. They were most voters' primary sources for learning the differences between the parties. C. They were very similar in the policies advocated by both major parties. D. They avoided controversial topics, such as abortion, same-sex marriage, and guns, in order to appeal to the swing voters.

B

Which of the following weakened traditional party organizations and ended their monopoly control of campaigns? A. none of these B. Progressive Era reforms C. the emergence of national party conventions D. the primary system