Chapter 7 and 10 Exam
gerrymandering
drawing the boundaries of the districts in bizarre shapes to favor one district
malapportionment
drawing the boundaries of the districts so that they are unequal in population
Citizens that believe the government listens and reacts to their political views when developing policy have a high level of external political 1. legitimacy 2. attachment 3. effectiveness 4. efficacy 5. party loyalty
efficacy
with respect to the seemingly "negative" tone of today's campaigns, the authors suggest it 1. is not a feature of American politics and it has been much worse 2. is not a new feature of American politics, but it is worse now that it has ever been 3. is a relatively new feature in American politics 4. became a feature of American politics when pro-choice and anti-abortion groups grew in influence 5. tends to disappear when the nation is at war
is not a new feature of american politics, but it is worse now that it has ever been
valence issue
issue in which the public is united and rival candidates adopt similar positions in hope that each will be thought to best represent those shared issues
Which of the following is generally true of the gerrymandering of congressional districts? 1. it results in more democrats being elected to the house 2. it results in more republicans being elected to the house 3. it guarantees that all minority parties will be equally represented 4. it creates districts that favor one political party over another 5. it violates the principle of one person, one vote
it creates districts that favor one political party over another
what has happened recently in regard to children adhering to their parents' political parties
it has declined
A public opinion poll asks whether or not people agree with the following statement: "The federal government should see to it that all people have adequate housing." Which of the following statements best describes the accuracy of the polls? 1. It will not be accurate because a random sample was not used 2. It will not be accurate because the statement is loaded 3. It will not be accurate because of sampling error 4. It may be accurate depending upon how many people are polled 5. There is no way to determine the accuracy of the poll
it will not be accurate because the statement is loaded
civic participation in the United States may be declining for all of the following reasons EXCEPT 1. growing political control of a few powerful groups 2. lack of belief in civic participation among minority groups 3. the rapid expansion of the number of interest groups 4. declining belief that participating will make a difference 5. voter apathy
lack of belief in civic participation among minority groups
between conservative, liberal, and moderate to which do the fewest adhere
liberal
A voter who wants less government control over the economy as well as the personal lives of its citizens is 1. republican 2. democrat 3. independent 4. libertarian 5. populist
libertarian
how many representatives are in the House
435
in 1911, congress fixed the size of the house of representatives at 1. 50 2. 100 3. 435 4. 535 5. 537
435
The electoral college, along with the popular vote of the people determines the winner of a presidential election. What majority of the electoral college vote is needed in order to be declared the winner? 1. 538 2. 435 3. 100 4. 270 5. 271
270
In 1976, the Supreme Court ruled that spending limits established by the Federal Election Campaign Act were unconstitutional. Which Supreme Court case validated this ruling? 1. US vs Nixon 2. Gibbons vs Ogden 3. Buckley vs Valeo 4. McCulloch vs Maryland 5. Harper vs Virginia State Board of Elections
Buckley vs Valeo
Which of the following is the best description of the effect that college education has on political attitudes? 1. College educated people almost always support the Democratic Party 2. College educated people almost always support the more intelligent candidate 3. People who graduate from colleges in the Midwest are usually more liberal that those that graduate from colleges in the Northeast 4. the northeast usually votes democratic because it has more college educated people than other regions have 5. college education often has a liberalizing effect on an individual's political attitudes
College education often has a liberalizing effect on an individual's political attitudes
The government officials directly elected by voters are 1. justices of the Supreme Court 2. the president and vice president 3. Cabinet secretaries 4. House and Senate members 5. members of the Electoral College
House and senate membersq
A conservative would most likely support which of the following measures? I. less government regulation of the economy II. affirmative action programs for underrepresented groups III. increased spending on social programs, such as welfare IV. the death penalty
I and IV
according to Wilson and DiIulio, "the Framers of the Constitution did not try to create a government that would do from day to day 'what the people want' ." Which of the following serve as checks on public opinion? I. federalism II. the House of Representatives III. an independent judiciary IV. separation of powers
I, III, IV
Which of the following factors are most likely to affect voter participation? I. age II. health status III. degree of religious participation IV. number of children V. gender
I, III, V
which of the following is false statement? 1. the first step in running for president of the United States is to explore to possibility of political and financial support 2. Most candidates running for president of the United States make formal announcements as to the seeking of their party's nomination 3. after the national convention, candidates begin campaigning for the general election 4. the purpose of a national nominating convention is to select a party's presidential candidate and write a party platform 5. Presidential primaries provide little help for the American voter in determining a party's political candidate
Presidential primaries provide little help for the American voter in determining a party's political candidate
incumbent
a person already holding an elected office
In polling, a sample could BEST be described as 1. using complex computer programs to determine public opinion 2. a representative group of the total population to be surveyed 3. predetermined criteria for participation 4. picking all of the potential political groups to possibly call 5. using only computers to select who is called
a representative group of the total population to be surveyed
the GREATEST change in the US liberalism has been 1. a shift from advocating for state power to advocating for federal power 2. a shift to the Northeastern port of the country 3. the rise of the Populist Party 4. the rejection of Teddy Roosevelt by the republicans 5. the rise of the women's movement
a shift from advocating for state power to advocating for federal power
which of the following voters will most likely prefer a Republican candidate 1. a black woman with a college degree and high income 2. a middle-class Asian man who belongs to a labor union 3. a southern white male business owner 4. a Hispanic employee of the federal government 5. a white "soccer mom" who lives in the suburbs
a southern white male business owner
campaign finance reform efforts have been minimal because 1. political action committees have actually increased contributions 2. the issues of free speech has limited restrictions 3. lobby and interest groups seem to find ways around spending limits 4. those that win under the current system see little reason for change 5. all of the above
all of the above
US ideas of liberalism and conservatism are grounded in 1. a basic belief in limited government 2. the need for liberty and order 3. ideas concerning political authority 4. support of the Constitutional framework 5. all are true for liberalism and conservatism
all are true for liberalism and conservatism
the gender gap can be explained by major differences in policy views on all of the following issues EXCEPT homelessness gun control abortion the size of government gay rights
abortion
National polling organizations tend to be 1. biased towards parties 2. accurate 3. inaccurate 4. governmental agencies 5. all of the above
accurate
what three ethnic groups form coalitions that support the Democratic Party
african americans, hispanics, jews
a recent trend in presidential campaigns has been 1. an increase in personal attacks on candidates 2. a push from party leaders to return to using state caucuses 3. successful limits being imposed on the raising of funds 4. the rise of successful third-party candidates 5. the critical role of television debates
an increase in personal attacks on candidates
Last minute polls often have results that are different from earlier polls. this is probably due to 1. the use of large numbers of questions 2. the use of different questions 3. an increase in sampling errors 4. the lack of proper questions 5. the lack of random controls
an increase in sampling errors
national party conventions are now primarily used 1. as pep rallies 2. to reward to the party faithful with jobs 3. to set the campaign agenda 4. to support the nominee 5. all of the above
as pep rallies
Which of the following is probably the best techniques for a pollster to use to control the reluctance that most respondents have to admit a lack of knowledge on a topic? 1. ask only easy questions that the most ordinary people can readily understand 2. be sure that the sample accurately reflects the population 3. conduct in-depth interviews rather than using questionnaires 4. conduct a straw poll 5. give "I don't know" or "I haven't thought about it" as an alternative answer
ask only easy questions that the most ordinary people can readily understand
coattails
attendancy of candidates to win more votes in an election because of the presence of a better candidate at the top of the ticket
primaries where voters are presented with a list of candidates from all parties and voters may switch back and forth between parties are called 1. closed primaries 2. caucus primaries 3. blanket primaries 4. candidate primaries 5. run-off primaries
blanket primaries
Which of the following primaries is used by the fewest number of states 1. closed primary 2. open primary 3. blanket primary 4. presidential preference primary 5. runoff primary
blanket primary
which group of people forms a coalition that supports the Republican Party
business
Campaign contributions by PACs generally favor 1. republicans 2. conservatives 3. incumbents 4. supporters of organized labor 5. challengers
challengers
A major difference between elections of presidents and members of Congress is that 1. more voters cast ballots in presidential years 2. congressional races are less competitive 3. presidential races are easier to find 4. presidents must be more partisan e. congressional candidates must be more partisan
congressional candidates must be more partisan
to which party have more women turned, thus widening the gender gap
democrat
Which of the following groups would most likely be to receive direct mail form a conservative candidate? 1. college students and auto worker 2. fundamentalist Christians and business owner 3. teachers and small business owners 4. bankers and Native Americans 5. African Americans and Jews
fundamentalist Christians and business owner
Which of the following is most likely to help an incumbent president get reelected? 1. good economic times 2. a strong vice president 3. his stance on abortion 4. the addition of new groups of voters 5. favorable reporting by the press
good economic times
it is unusual for someone to win a Congressional race for the first time; but then the "sophomore surge" kicks in. What does that mean
increase in votes for congressional candidate once in office
all of the following are part of the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002 EXCEPT 1. "soft money" contributions to national political parties from corporation were banned 2. money given to national parties must be in the form of individual donations and PACs 3. independent organizations cannot use their own money in ads that refer to a clearly identified federal candidate during the sixty days before an election 4. individuals can no longer spend unlimited amounts of their own money on their campaigns 5. "soft money" contributions to national political parties from unions were banned
individuals can no longer spend unlimited amounts of their own money on their campaigns
which of following is NOT a reason commonly presented by political scientists to explain lower voter turnouts in the US than in other democracies 1. the larger numbers of offices to elect in the US 2. weekday, non-holiday voting in the US 3. weak political party effort in the US 4. the difficulty of voting caused by registration and absentee voting requirements 5. lower participation rates among Americans for other types of political activities
lower participation rates among Americans for other types of political activities
random sample
method of selecting from a population in which each person has an equal probability of being selected
why might TV debates and visuals be a disadvantage to the candidate
no time to prepare
opinion saliency
opinions are consistent
Which of the following statements is most true concerning political parties over the past 40 years 1. party loyalty has remained relatively the same 2. party loyalty has decreased 3. party loyalty has increased significantly 4. party loyalty has grown only in urban areas 5. party loyalty has grown significantly in suburban areas
party loyalty has decreased
Which of the following would not be a form of political participation? 1. voting in elections 2. contacting public officials 3. paying taxes 4. forming an interest group 5. protesting government decisions
paying taxes
what is the effect of college education on political attitudes 1. people with college degrees tend to be more conservative, because they have a higher than average incomes 2. people who have attended college tend to vote more as independents because they think more ideologically 3. people with college degrees are not as liberal as their parents 4. people with college degrees describe themselves as liberal 5. there is no correlation between a college education and political attitudes
people with college degrees describe themselves as liberal
a major issue is trying to get elected as president is 1. pleasing party loyalists enough without alienating the majority of the electorate 2. trying to raise funds in all states 3. having to raise funds after the nomination 4. having a debate on television 5. having the right campaign staff that knows all the effective campaign strategies
pleasing party loyalists enough without alienating the majority of the electorate
exit polls
polls based on interviews conducted on election day
which of the following elections can legally use federal money during campaigns? 1. gubernatioral elections 2. local elections 3. presidential elections 4. congressional elections 5. none of the above
presidential elections
Most of the delegates to the Republican and Democratic national conventions at the present times are chosen during 1. precinct caucuses 2. regional caucuses 3. state party conventions 4. local party caucuses 5. presidential primaries
presidential primaries
besides that more people vote in presidential elections as compared to Congressional elections, what other differences between these two races are there
presidential races are more competitive, members of congress can do more for their constituents (people that member of Congress)
all of the following statements about presidential and congressional races are true except 1. presidential races are more competitive 2. more people vote in presidential elections 3. congressional incumbents usually win 4. presidents can rarely take credit for improvements in a district 5. presidents can distance themselves from the "mess " in Washington
presidents can distance themselves from the "mess" in washington
what is the difference between a caucus and a primary
primaries choose each party's candidate. Caucus is a meeting of people who vote for a nominee
a closed primary is 1. primary elections that allows eligible voters to vote only within their district 2. primary open to all voters, who may vote for candidates from any party for each office 3. primary that is for local offices only, not statewide offices 4. primary in which a voter is required to identify a party preference before voting and cannot split the ticket 5. primary in which only presidential preferences are determined and lower are not decided
primary in which a voter is required to identify a party preference before voting and cannot split the ticket
from where do Congressional candidates get their campaign money
private donors
Which of the following best defines a recall? 1. recall allows voters to petition proposed issues presented before them 2. recall is a form of direct primary 3. recall is a form of indirect primary 4. recall is a special election allowing the voters to remove public officials from office before the end of their term 5. recall allows the voter to vote directly on issues and propositition
recall is a special election allowing the voters to remove public officials from office before the end of their term
which of the following is not true concerning the expansion of suffrage in the United States 1. religious qualifications and property ownership requirements were abolished after the Civil War 2. The fifteenth amendment eliminated race disqualifications in voting 3. the nineteenth amendment eliminated gender disqualifications 4. the twenty-sixth amendment lowered the voting age in federal elections to 18 5. the voting rights act of 1965 eliminated literacy tests
religious qualifications and property ownership requirements were abolished after the Civil War
The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 1. limited the number of candidates who could run for any one office 2. restricted the amount of campaign funds that could be spent on a single election 3. restricted the amount of campaign donations to $1 per person 4. restricted the amount of campaign contributions to $400 million for the major political parties allowed for soft money contributions
restricted the amount of campaign funds that could be spent on a single election
Which type of voters has the most impact on an election? 1. prospective voters, who cast their ballots for the person they think has the bets ideas for handling matters in the future 2. ideological voters, who carefully match the candidate to their won views on the issues 3. split-ticket voters, who vote for one party for Congress and the other party for the presidency 4. retrospective voters, who look at how things have gone in the recent past 5. voters who are more interested in foreign affairs that in domestic policy
retrospective voters, who look at how things have gone in the recent past
Which issue is the LEAST controversial among the various regions of the United States 1. abortion rights 2. gay marriage 3. defense spending levels 4. social security 5. public school prayer
social security
The political opinions of the majority of the country have been stable over time about all of the following except 1. support for the two major parties 2. a generally low interest in politics 3. a general emphasis on personal liberties 4. a general level of concern about jobs 5. a general mistrust in government
support for the two major parties
poll
survey of public opinion
Candidates for president have been least likely to come from which of the following sources 1. the vice presidency 2. state governorships 3. the cabinet 4. the house of representatives 5. the senate
the cabinet
The most important determining factor when people select a presidential candidate is 1. a candidate's stance on specific issues 2. a candidate's position on fiscal policies 3. the effectiveness of a candidate's mass media campaign 4. the amount of time a presidential candidate has spent in a voter's district 5. the candidate's political party
the candidate's political party
the GREATEST change in US conservatism has been 1. the move of Dixiecrats to the Republican party 2. the rejection of Progressivism in the 1920s 3. the changes from emphasizing national leadership to local leadership 4. the emergence of religious leadership 5. the rising control of rural and western states
the change from emphasizing national leadership to local leadership
in recent presidential elections the independent vote has usually favored 1. a third party 2. the republicans 3. the democrats 4. no one party 5. male candidates
the democrats
sampling error
the difference between the results of the random samples taken at the same time
Which of the following is a valid criticism of the caucus system? 1. everyday citizens are not welcome to participate 2. caucuses are not held in convenient locations 3. the first caucus is in Iowa, which is not representative of the population as a whole 4. the first caucus is held in new hampshire, which is not representative of the population as a whole 5. caucuses often last several days and become endurance contests
the first caucus is in Iowa, which is not representative of the population as a whole
Which of the following determines the number of the delegates to a national party convention and the rules under which they are chosen? 1. state party conventions 2. the national committee of the particular party 3. state legislatures 4. the state party leadership 5. local party caucuses
the national committee of the particular party
All of the following are characteristics of an accurate random sample EXCEPT 1. the questions must be asked in clear, unemotional language 2. people must have some knowledge of the things they are asked 3. the saple must include at least 10 percent of the population 4. each person must have an equal chance of being interviewed 5. even the most accurate polls have some sampling error
the sample must include at least 10% of the population
the GREATEST change in political behavior of citizens has been 1. their willingness to participate in the system 2. their decreased support given to leaders and their hopes for reform 3. the lack of civil rights reforms sought 4. increasing voter turnouts 5. efforts to amend the constitution to allow for more voter access
their decreased support given to leaders and their hopes for reform
which of the following is true about Americans who regularly attend religious services 1. they generally turn out to vote more in local elections than in national ones 2. they generally do not feel that political participation if necessary 3. they tend to vote infrequently and are not an important factor in elections 4. they tend to vote for independent candidates 5. they are more likely to vote more than those who do not regularly attend religious services
they are more likely to vote more than those who do nor regularly attend religious services
in what three ways to the elites influence public opinion
they influence which issues will capture the public's opinion,they raise and frame political issues, they have access to the media
which of the following best describes the impact of the presidential coattails in recent elections 1. this effect is stronger for Republicans than for Democrats 2. this effects has been increasing over the last half of the 20th century 3. this has rarely affected recent elections due to more tickets splitting 4. this effect is seen more in House rather than Senate races 5. This effect is stronger from Democrats that for Republicans
this has rarely affected recent elections due to more tickets splitting
What is the most common form of political participation in America? 1. voting 2. contributing money for candidates 3. working for a political party 4. running for office 5. forming interest groups
voting
what is a clothespin vote
voting for the least objectionable candidate (less of the two evils)
Which of the following factors is the MOST important for predicting the outcome of congressional elections? 1. the amount of money spent by the candidates 2. voter turnout 3. the success of the parties presidential candidate within the particular congressional district 4. whether or not the candidate is an incumbent 5. whether or not there are some hot button issues raised during the campaign
whether or not the candidate is an incumbent