Ap Gov Chapter 13 Practice Test--- Ari Cerja
The chart above supports which of the following conclusions? (Line graph about age and party identification for men and women that are republican)
The gender gap among those who identified with the Republican party was narrowest for those between 25 and 34 years of age.
The America First Action is a super PAC led by former administrator of the Small Business Administration Linda McMahon. Which of the following best explains how the organization can operate to influence elections, according to the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010) ?
The super PAC can spend unlimited money on issue-advocacy advertisements that are not coordinated with the campaign.
The advantages of incumbency in congressional elections include which of the following?
(I & II only). I: Incumbents receive more campaign contributions than do challengers. II: Incumbents are able to provide important services for individual voters.
The use of direct primaries instead of the convention system in selecting presidential candidates results in which of the following?
(I and III only). I: A weakening of party control over nominations and III: An increase in the number of people involved in the choice of candidates.
Which of the following has the most influence on the outcome of a congressional election?
A candidate's incumbency status
Which of the following scenarios best represents an example of party-line (when most or all politicians vote with their party on a proposal) voting?
A citizen casts votes for all Republicans based solely on the candidates' affiliation with the Republican Party.
Which of the following generalizations about group voting tendencies is true?
African American Democrats tend to support the more liberal candidates within their party.
Which of the following demographic groups has voted most consistently for the Democratic Party in national elections over the last three decades?
African-Americans
Which of the following scenarios is most related to the Twenty-Sixth Amendment? (26th Amendment simplified: "The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age.)
An eighteen-year-old votes in a presidential election.
Which of the following is NOT a way in which the federal government regulates campaigns?
By prohibitions on negative advertising
Which of the following is a result of the electoral college system?
Candidates focus on the states with the largest populations
Which of the following criticisms of political campaigns is the author of the political cartoon most likely to agree with? (Political cartoon roasting Abraham Lincoln? A guy is also sitting with Lincoln in an office.)
Candidates rely too heavily on professional consultants.
When party members meet to nominate a candidate for office, they participate in which of the following?
Caucus
Which of the following Supreme Court cases is most related to the topic in the cartoon?
Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission (2010). "Corporations are people too. Donating to campaigns is free speech."
Voter turnout tends to be highest among
College-educated voters
Which of the following statements is true regarding political advertisements in 2012 based on the information graphic? (Infographic about ad data)
Few advertisements appealed to positive emotions.
Typically, presidential candidates implement their campaign strategies by...
Focusing on larger, competitive states, because they might tip the balance of the electoral college
All of the following are reasons incumbents in the House of Representatives enjoy an electoral advantage over challengers EXCEPT that incumbents
Get substantial financial support from their party's national committee
Which of the following describes the activities represented by data in the table? (PAC donations and percentages distributed to each party)
Groups in American society form political action committees (PACs) so they can influence policy.
When none of the presidential candidates receives a majority of the votes in the electoral college, the winner is chosen by the... (Hint: A branch of congress)
House of Representatives only!!
The data displayed in the table above best support which of the following statements? (Table showing data about congress re-election statistics)
House seats are safer from election turnover than are Senate seats.
Which of the following statements is true based on the data in the line graph? (Line graph about age gap of supporting a democratic candidate)
In the 2000 election, the gap between voters 65 and older and 18-29 years old was 2%, with voters older than 65 preferring the Democratic candidate.
The main intent of "motor voter" laws is to
Increase voter registration
Which of the following is a significant trend in the presidential nominating process over the past three decades?
Increasing importance of presidential primaries rather than state conventions
In the last thirty years, the single most important variable in determining the outcome of an election for a member of the House of Representatives has been,
Incumbency
Which of the following statements about incumbent senators running for reelection is correct?
Incumbent senators are less likely to be reelected than are incumbent members of the House of Representatives.
Which of the following factors contributes most to the data in the line graph? (Table about House of Representative re-election percentages)
Incumbents have an advantage over challengers because of name recognition.
When contributing to congressional campaigns, political action committees (PACs) are most likely to contribute to
Incumbents of both major parties
All of the following contribute to the success of incumbent members of Congress in election campaigns EXCEPT:
Incumbents tend to understand national issues better than do their challengers.
In response to the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act), the United States Supreme Court, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), ruled that
Independent campaign expenditures by corporations and unions are protected by the First Amendment
The table best supports which of the following statements about the two elections for which data are provided?
Independent-leaning Republicans were the Republicans least likely to cross party lines. (D on college board test)
The data in the graph best illustrate which of the following common criticisms of the electoral college? (Residents per electoral college vote in 2010's in select states)
Individuals in small-population states have a greater impact on the electoral college than individuals in large-population states.
Based on the table, which of the following political action committees (PACs) is most partisan (extremely strong supporter) in its allocation of contributions to candidates?
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold) did which of the following?
It banned soft money donations to national parties.
Which of the following describes an effect of the Twenty-Fourth Amendment?
It eliminated poll taxes
Which of the following describes the Twenty-Fourth Amendment?
It eliminated poll taxes
The primary election system of selecting presidential candidates has had which of the following effects?
It has loosened the hold of party leaders over the nomination process.
Of the following, which is the most important reason that voter turnout is lower in the United States than in most other industrial democracies.
It has traditionally been more difficult to register to vote in the United States than in most other industrial democracies.
Which of the following is an accurate statement about the voter turnout rate in the United States?
It is lower than in most other Western democracies.
Citizens who believe that their votes will have no effect on the outcome of an election have a
Low level of political efficacy. Political efficacy def.- A citizen's capacity to understand and influence political events
Which of the following is the best interpretation of the political cartoon? (The cartoon has U.S. Senators arriving with shirts marked with corporation logos on everything)
Members of Congress receive political contributions from many special interest groups.
Which of the following statements can be supported by the data in the line graph? (Table about House of Representative re-election percentages)
Members of the House of Representatives are more likely to be reelected than defeated.
Compared to the general population, delegates to presidential nomination conventions are
More ideological
Compared to voters in a general election, voters in presidential primary elections are
More likely to be affluent
A number of states, including Georgia and Ohio, have passed laws that revoke voter registration if a person did not vote in recent election cycles. Which of the following is a likely consequence of these laws?
Occasional voters will not be able to vote on election day, which could influence election results.
Which of the following is true based on the information graphic? (Infographic about constitutional voting requirements and the data around voting in recent elections and states rights).
Over 75% of the population is eligible to vote, but only about half the electorate actually voted in the 2016 presidential election.
Which of the following statements about political action committees (PACs) is true?
PAC spending makes up a higher percentage of congressional campaign funds than of presidential campaign funds.
Which of the following is the most important influence on the choice made by voters in presidential elections?
Partisan/Party identification
Which of the following is the leading predictor of how an individual will vote in a congressional election?
Partisanship (What party they're registered to)
The table above supports which of the following statements about partisanship and the 1984 presidential election? (Table about citizens party and the percentage voting for either candidate for the presidential election).
Partisanship was a good predictor of the way a person voted.
Which of the following statements is supported by the information in the table? (Table of different types of citizens and their political affiliation and how they are voting for 2012 presidential elections).
Partisanship was a good predictor of the way a person voted.
Which of the following is an effect of the Seventeenth Amendment? ("gave people the right to vote for their senators instead of the state legislature; this is called direct election, where the people choose who is in office.")
People could participate in the political process by directly electing the senators.
The table best supports which of the following statements about party identification and voting behavior? (Table analyzing support for democratic candidates for Congress based on all levels of political efficacy)
People with strong Democratic party identification tend to vote for the Democratic party.
Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the graphs? (Graph detailing multiple efficacies in a political sense and how it affects different thoughts about the current government. How good of a job done, reforms, anger with government,. etc)
Political efficacy is a major factor in shaping political views about government, but political ideology also plays a role.
Which of the following best explains how political parties are likely to respond to the data in the chart? (Population of different ethnicities and future projections by the year 2060)
Political parties will adapt their positions and find ways to appeal to voters from growing demographic groups.
A person votes for Democratic candidates based on the belief that the policies of the Democratic Party will be personally beneficial. This type of voting matches which of the following voting behavior models?
Prospective voting
Interest groups use political action committees (PACs) to
Raise and spend money on election campaigns
The primary function of political action committees (PAC's) is to
Raise campaign funds to support favored candidates
Which of the following statements can best be supported by the survey data displayed in the bar graphs? (Graph detailing multiple efficacies in a political sense and how it affects different thoughts about the current government. How good of a job done, reforms, anger with government,. etc)
Republicans with a low level of political efficacy are the most likely group to say that government needs major reforms.
A voter's decision to support the incumbent president in an upcoming election is based on recent economic growth and record low unemployment. Which of the following models of voting behavior best characterizes this voter's decision?
Retrospective voting
Senator Hoffman is campaigning for reelection in her state. Her campaign message emphasizes how the policies she has supported have benefited her constituents. She has spotlighted job creation and an overall improvement in the standard of living in the state in the past six years. Senator Hoffman is hoping to appeal to which of the following voting behavior models?
Retrospective voting ("A form of election in which voters look back at the performance of a party in power and cast ballots on the basis of how well it did in office.")
The franking privilege refers to the
Right of members of Congress to send mail to their constituents at the government's expense
Which of the following statements about voting behavior in national elections is most accurate?
Senior citizens are more likely to vote than are college students.
Which of the following is an accurate statement about political participation in the United States today?
Similar proportions of eligible men and women vote in presidential elections.
Which of the following arguments best supports a claim that the electoral college violates democratic principles?
Smaller states are disproportionately advantaged by the two additional electoral votes granted to each state for its senators.
The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (McCain-Feingold) was designed to curtail which of the following?
Soft money
Which of the following best explains why eligibility criteria vary by state as shown on the information graphic?
States can create criteria for voting rights so long as they do not violate the United States Constitution.
Which of the following is most likely an effect of the data reported in the chart? (Data on graph reporting the age demographics of a California election).
The California state government is more likely to address issues that affect older voters.
Which of the following is a likely effect of the trend depicted in the bar graph on voting and elections? (Population of different ethnicities and future projections by the year 2060)
The Democratic Party will win more elections, based on current voting trends.
A state has 11 electoral votes. In a presidential election, the Democratic candidate receives 48 percent of that state's popular vote, the Republican candidate receives 40 percent of the vote, and an independent candidate receives 12 percent of the vote. If the state is similar to most other states, how will the electoral votes most likely be allocated?
The Democratic candidate will receive all 11 electoral votes.
How is a president chosen when none of the candidates receives a majority of the electoral college vote?
The House chooses a new president by a majority vote of its state delegations.
Which of the following statements about the bar graph on voter turnout in the 2014 California general election is correct? (Kind've in the graph Ari, pay attention to the averages).
The age group that voted at a rate closest to the average is 45-54.
Which of the following best explains why the winner of a presidential election usually claims to have a mandate from voters?
The allocation of electoral votes in the winner-take-all system exaggerates the margin of victory.
Which of the following factors that influence voters' decision-making during an election is the cartoonist poking fun at? (Political cartoon roasting Abraham Lincoln? A guy is also sitting with Lincoln in an office.)
The candidate's personal characteristics
If voters are acting according to the retrospective model of voting, which of the following will be the most important consideration in their decision?
The effect of recent economic conditions on the voters.
The differences shown in the table demonstrate which of the following? (Table about opinions regarding affirmative action)
The gender gap
Which of the following best describes the relationship between socioeconomic status and participation in politics?
The higher ones socioeconomic status, the greater the probability of active involvement in the political process.
Considering all elections at all levels of government, which of the following best describes electoral behavior in the United States?
The majority of the electorate does not vote in most elections.
Based on the map above, a prediction that could be made about the 2016 election in Texas (TX) is that...(Graph about states with first time voting restrictions)
The number of eligible voters decreased in the 2016 election
Over the past 20 years, reforms of the presidential nomination process have had which of the following effects?
The number of female delegates and minority-group delegates at Democratic national conventions has grown substantially.
The process known as front-loading refers to
The tendency of states to choose an early date on the primary calendar
Which of the following is most directly related to the large amount of money spent by outside groups in the 2012 election?
The use of super PACs as a mechanism to raise money and influence elections.
Which of the following is true of voter turnout in the United States?
The voter-participation rate is one of the lowest of any industrialized nation.
Critics of the winner-take-all aspect of the electoral college are most likely to make which of the following arguments?
The winner-take-all system of the electoral college encourages presidential candidates to focus their time and effort disproportionately on battleground states with larger populations.
Which of the following took place after presidential candidates Truman in 1948, Nixon in 1968, and Clinton in 1992 won only pluralities of the popular vote?
The winning candidate took office after receiving less than 50% of the popular votes cast.
Of the following groups of eligible voters, which is LEAST likely to vote?
The young with low education levels
Of the following, which best predicts the likelihood that citizens will vote?
Their educational level
Which of the following is true of political action committees (PACs)?
They make campaign contributions in hopes of gaining access to legislators.
According to the bar graph, which of the following statements will be true in the year 2060? (Population of different ethnicities and future projections by the year 2060)
Those identifying as White alone will remain a majority.
Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the data in the graphs? (Graph detailing multiple efficacies in a political sense and how it affects different thoughts about the current government. How good of a job done, reforms, anger with government,. etc)
Those with greater political efficacy have a more positive view of government; as a result, they are more likely to vote in elections.
When people vote for some candidates from one party and other candidates from another party, it is called
Ticket Splitting
A political science professor is researching the effects that the Fifteenth and Twenty-Sixth Amendments have had on the American political system. Which of the following is the most likely reason the professor is researching these amendments?
To study the expansion of voting rights
Since 1960 the presidential election process has been affected by an increase in all of the following EXCEPT the
Turnout of votes
"Voting is partly a matter of habit: the more frequently a person has voted in the past, the more likely she or he is to vote in the current election." All of the following support the observation above EXCEPT:
Unmarried persons over the age of 65 are less likely to vote than are married persons in that age group
The most common form of political activity undertaken by United States citizens is
Voting in political elections
The most widely performed act of political participation in the United States is
Voting in presidential elections
Supporters of voting restrictions are most likely to make which of the following arguments?
Voting restrictions are needed to prevent voter fraud.
A citizen who uses the rational choice model of voting behavior selects candidates for office based on
What is thought to be in the citizen's own self-interest
Which of the following is true of the electoral college system?
It encourages candidates to concentrate their campaigns in competitive, populous states.
Which of the following best describes the concept of political efficacy?
It is the belief that one can make a difference in politics by expressing an opinion and acting politically.
Which of the following is NOT an explanation for low voter turnout? (Not a valid reason for low voter turnout).
Laws protecting minority voting rights
Explanations for low voter turnout include all of the following EXCEPT (Isn't a reason for low voter turnout...not a valid explanation).
Laws protecting voting rights for minorities
Quote: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and to insist upon the institution of a new government . . ." ". . . Such has been the patient sufferance of the women under this government, and such is now the necessity which constrains them to demand the equal station to which they are entitled. The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. He has never permitted her to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise. He has compelled her to submit to laws, in the formation of which she had no voice. He has withheld from her rights which are given to the most ignorant and degraded men. . . . Having deprived her of this first right of a citizen, the elective franchise, thereby leaving her without representation in the halls of legislation, he has oppressed her on all sides. He has made her, if married, in the eye of the law, civilly dead. He has taken from her all right in property, even to the wages she earns." Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Seneca Falls Convention, 1848 Question: Which of the following amendments to the United States Constitution addresses the grievance that a woman is not permitted "to exercise her inalienable right to the elective franchise"?
19th Amendment ("Makes it illegal to deny the right to vote to any citizen based on their sex, which effectively granted women the right to vote.")
A primary election in which voters are required to identify a party preference before the election and are not allowed to split their ticket is called
A Closed primary
During the past twenty-five years, all of the following changes in public opinion and political behavior have occurred in the United States EXCEPT
A decline in party competition in the South
Which of the following scenarios is most closely related to the Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) ?
A labor union spends millions of dollars to independently run negative advertisements about a presidential candidate shortly before the election.
Which of the following is a type of primary election that requires registration as a party affiliate to vote?
Closed. Usually primaries
Which of the following statements about voting behavior in the United States is correct?
College graduates are more likely to vote than are those who have at most a high school diploma.
Which of the following would result from the direct election of presidential candidates?
Each vote would count equally in determining which candidate won the election.
A chief executive officer (CEO) of a corporation believes that the Republican candidate for president will enact policies that are more beneficial to her business. The CEO donated the maximum amount allowed by law directly to the candidate's campaign fund. To increase the candidate's chances for election, the CEO also directed her corporation to donate funds to an independent political action committee to create ads criticizing the opposing candidate. According to the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), which provision of the Constitution protects her actions?
Freedom of speech in the First Amendment
Which of the following explains how The Federalist 10 relates to the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)? Federalist 10 summary: "deals with the danger of "faction" in a democratic government and argues that the federal system that the Constitution created was the best solution to this problem"
In both, a limited approach to government regulation was argued for.
Given the information in the graph, in which of the following states would an individual's vote likely have more influence? (Residents per electoral college vote in 2010's in select states)
Wyoming
In the United States, which of the following is a rule on voting found in the Constitution or its amendments?
No person eighteen years of age or older may be denied the right to vote on account of age.
Which of the following best describes the difference between an open and closed primary?
Only voters who register as members of a political party may vote in that party's closed primary, while independents and others may be eligible to vote in open primaries.
The most common criterion that people use when voting for a presidential candidate is the candidate's
Party Identification
Which of the following best explains why delegates to both the Republican and Democratic Conventions in 1996 were much more likely to have college and postgraduate degrees than was the rest of the voting population?
Political activism increases with education levels.
There is an ongoing debate over the role of money in elections. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002 banned soft money and restricted advertisements in the weeks before an election. Parts of this act were challenged and struck down in the Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010). Which of the following was a consequence of that ruling?
Super PACs may spend unlimited funds on advertisements that are not coordinated with the campaign because they are protected by the freedom of speech.
Which of the following is a correct statement about political action committees (PAC's)?
The amount of money that PAC's can contribute directly to an individual candidate is limited by law.
The data in the table provide clear evidence that... (Gallup Poll about voting within presidential elections up 1992 and sorted into different categories)
The vote in the Midwest predicted the outcome rather consistently.
Which of the following statements most accurately compares elections in the United States with those in most other Western democracies?
The voter turnout rate in the United States is usually lower
Which of the following scenarios explains how demographic factors affect voter participation in elections?
Wealthier individuals are more likely to become involved in campaigns because they believe that their actions may influence the candidates.
Which of the following statements about voting patterns is best supported by the table? (Gallup Poll about voting within presidential elections up 1992 and sorted into different categories)
Women were more likely than men to vote Democratic.
