American Government units 6-10

Sources of polling error can include A. All these answers are correct. B. respondents' lack of knowledge or interest in the issue. C. unrepresentative samples. D. question order. E. question wording.

A. All these answers are correct

A person who favors government intervention in both social and economic affairs is a(n) A. populist. B. social conservative. C. liberal. D. economic conservative. E. libertarian.

A. populist

Which of the following represents the greatest blow to the organizational strength of U.S. parties? A. the emergence of PACs B. the direct primary C. voter registration D. the national convention E. Jacksonian democracy

B. the direct primary

The major reason for the persistence of the American two-party system is A. regional conflict. B. the existence of single-member election districts. C. that there are naturally only two sides to political disputes. D. proportional representation. E. the existence of state laws prohibiting the placement of a third major party on the ballot.

B. the existence of single-member election districts.

A basic reason for the existence of so many interest groups in the United States is A. All of these answers are correct. B. America's federal system of government. C. the American tradition of free association. D. the separation of powers in American government. E. the extent of diverse interests in American society.

A. All of these answers are correct.

The process by which individuals acquire their political opinions is called A. political socialization. B. popular culture. C. political assimilation. D. socio-economic change. E. social communication.

A. Political Socialization

In general, public opinion A. sets limits on government action. B. determines specific government actions. C. is unrelated to government action. D. generally affects government action only on election issues. E. is strongest during a presidential election.

A. Sets limits on government action

Which of the following is NOT a primary socializing agent? A. peers B. school C.church D. family E. None of these are primary socializing agents

A. peers

Voter turnout is LOWEST in which age group? A. young adults B. middle-aged adults C. senior citizens D. Voter turnout is essentially the same for all age groups E. older adults

A. young adults

The MOST obvious sign of the party realignment of recent decades has been the strong tendency of A. the South to vote Republican. B. the West Coast to vote Democratic. C. the Midwest to vote Democratic. D. the Plains states to vote Republican. E. Colorado to vote Democratic.

A. the South to vote Republican.

Citizens' interest groups are distinguished from economic interest groups by the fact that A. their members receive no direct economic benefit from attainment of the group's goals. B. they always pursue goals in which there is a high level of agreement among society members. C. All of these answers are correct. D. they do not lobby government officials directly, but rely instead on public service announcements to get their views across to society. E. their leaders are elected by secret ballot among the group's members.

A. their members receive no direct economic benefit from attainment of the group's goals.

Political parties serve to All of these answers are correct. link the public with its elected leaders. enable people with different backgrounds and opinions to act together. offer the public a choice between policies and leaders. provide potential leaders an opportunity to attain public office

All of these answers are correct.

An interest group that focuses on policy benefits for senior citizens would be an example of A. a philosophical interest group. B. a single-issue group. C. a business group. D. a professional group. E. an ideological group.

B. a single-issue group.

All of the following are characteristic of a party realignment EXCEPT A. an enduring change in the parties' coalitions. B. a very close electoral result. C. the emergence of unusually powerful and divisive issues. D. an enduring change in the parties' policies. E. an election in which voters shift their partisan support.

B. a very close electoral result.

Party identification refers to A. formal membership in a political party. B. an emotional attachment to a political party. C. a political party's platform—the stances on issues that define its beliefs. D. the percentage of polled individuals that claim membership in a particular party. E. the ability of individual citizens to identify the major issue positions of the major political parties.

B. an emotional attachment to a political party

PACs tend to contribute the most money to A. liberal Republicans. B. incumbents. C. liberal Democrats. D. independents. E. challengers.

B. incumbents.

Economic groups have an advantage over noneconomic groups because A. they are organized primarily for political purposes. B. they have greater access to financial resources. C. their members are committed to their causes. D. they nearly always have larger memberships. E. they have better leadership.

B. they have greater access to financial resources.

Eighteen, nineteen, and twenty-year-old Americans were granted the right to vote by the passage of the __________ Amendment. A. Twenty-First B. Nineteenth C. Twenty-Sixth D. Fifteenth E. Twenty-Third

C. Twenty-Sixth

The Civil Rights Act of 1968 addressed A. work conditions. B. voting. C. housing. D. hiring. E. education.

C. Housing

Change in party identification is uncommon and is almost always a consequence of A. popular satisfaction with a government initiative. B. a change in the policy position of the president. C. major upheaval. D. a change in the law. E. a Supreme Court ruling.

C. Major Upheaval

Compared with U.S. citizens of higher incomes, those of lower incomes are A. None of these answers is correct. B. much more likely to vote in elections. C. much less likely to vote in elections. D. about equally likely to vote in elections. E. much less likely to vote in elections - a pattern that is also true in European democracies.

C. Much less likely to cote in elections

The winner-take-all system is also known as the ________ system. A. proportional B. minority C. plurality D. democratic E. majority

C. Plurality

The history of democratic government is virtually synonymous with the history of A. high voter turnout. B. the separation of powers. C. political parties. D. protest movements. E. economic recessions.

C. Political Parties

The most recent party realignment had a realigning election in A. 2012. B. 1968. C. The most recent party realignment had no single realigning election. D. 1960. E. 1980.

C. The most recent party realignment had no single realigning election.

The term iron triangle refers to A. An informal grouping of officials, lobbyists, and policy specialists who come together temporarily around a policy problem B. a tightly-knit set of lobbying groups. C. a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest. D. the strategy of lobbying all three branches of government simultaneously. E. a corrupt relationship among the president, Congress, and the Supreme Court.

C. a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest.

A general belief about the role and purpose of government is called A.socialization. B.None of these answers is correct. C.an ideology. D.conservatism. E.politicization.

C. an ideology

Some groups pursue collective goods. A collective good is one that A. is secured by the president. B. is secured by Congress. C. cannot be selectively granted or denied to individuals; it must be shared. D. is provided by a public service organization. E. None of these answers is correct.

C. cannot be selectively granted or denied to individuals; it must be shared

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

C. in both the economic and social spheres

The policy of affirmative action arose when A. the Supreme Court rendered its Adarand v. Pena decision in 1995. B. the Supreme Court ruled that de facto discrimination is unlawful. C. it became apparent that disadvantaged Americans would not attain equal employment opportunities through lawsuits that benefited single individuals only. D. the Supreme Court declared in Bakke that the Fourteenth Amendment requires government and large firms to hire more women and minorities. E. private firms decided on their own that a more diverse workforce was actually a more productive and effective workforce.

C. it became apparent that disadvantaged Americans would not attain equal employment opportunities through lawsuits that benefited single individuals only.

When the nation was founded, who was eligible to vote? A. everyone—there was universal suffrage B. all males and females who were at least 21 years of age C. only white males who owned property D. only citizens who had lived in the nation for at least ten years E. all native-born citizens

C. only white males who owned property

Regular voters tend to be characterized by a A. All these answers are correct. B. desire to use government as a vehicle to help other Americans rather than themselves. C. strong sense of civic duty. D. strong sense of alienation, which motivates them to try to change government. E. strong sense of independence, which motivates them to try to defeat incumbents.

C. strong sense of civic duty.

States with the most restrictive voter registration laws also have A. turnout rates comparable to the national average. B. the highest percentage of eligible voters registered. C. turnout rates well below the national average. D. the lowest rates of verified voter fraud. E. the highest rates of verified voter fraud.

C. turnout rates well below the national average.

The frequency of elections in the United States reduces voter turnout by A. creating more complex registration requirements. B. discouraging local politicians from playing an active role in presidential elections. C. focusing too much attention on state and local elections. D. increasing the personal effort needed to participate in all elections. E. increasing the amount of taxes paid at the polls.

D. increasing the personal effort needed to participate in all elections.

Robert Putnam argues in Bowling Alone that A. a proportional representation system in the legislature would increase voter turnout. B. the increase in frequency of elections in the United States has increased the level of general voter apathy. C. voter apathy is only going to increase as long as we maintain a two-party system. D. community participation among young adults has risen in the past two decades because of new media technologies like Internet activism. E. America has been undergoing a long-term decline in its social capital.

E. America has been undergoing a long-term decline in its social capital

The most fully organized interests are those that have which of the following as their primary purpose? A. environmental protection B. labor reform C. reform of government D. civil liberties E. economic activity

E. Economic Activity

Another name for an interest group is A. political party B. constituency. C. coalition. D. cabal. E. pressure group

E. Pressure Group

Conventional forms of political participation include all of the following EXCEPT A. community activities B. lobbying C. voting D. campaigning E. violent protests

E. Violent Protests

In the United States, the primary responsibility for registration of the individual voter rests with the A. local courts. B. federal government. C. employer. D. state and local governments. E. individual.

E. individual

A flaw in pluralism theory is the fact that A. political parties better represent different interests than do interest groups. B. the public interest is never served by policies that promote special interests. C. All of these answers are correct. D. larger groups always prevail politically over smaller groups. E. the interest group system is unrepresentative, because some interests are far better organized and more powerful than others.

E. the interest group system is unrepresentative, because some interests are far better organized and more powerful than others.

Proportional representation systems encourage the formation of smaller parties by enabling parties to A. share in patronage appointments, which serve as an incentive to lure campaign workers. B. receive campaign funds from government in proportion to their support in opinion polls. C. win legislative seats by lottery for parties that have no chance of winning majority support. D. advertise on television. E. win legislative seats even though they do not receive a majority of votes in elections.

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