Chapter 12 Study Questions
A ______ issue is one on which the parties differ in their perspectives and their proposed solutions. A. position B. valence C. momentum D. wedge
A
A party's effort to inform potential voters and persuade them to vote for that party is known as ______. A. voter mobilization B. issue advocacy C. prompting D. oppo research
A
A valence issue is an issue ______. A. on which most voters and candidates share the same position B. that sharply divides the two candidates C. on which the two candidates agree but on which the public is sharply divided D. that splits voters within one party
A
According to the textbook, for candidates, the goal of presidential campaigns is to ______. A. mobilize their base and entice swing voters to vote for them B. convert voters affiliated with the other party C. convince undecided and swing voters to support them D. destroy their opponent's credibility
A
Barbour and Wright maintain that good campaign staffers are always looking for ways to ______. A. gain their candidates free positive publicity B. allow the media to dictate how events are interpreted C. let gaffes get out of control D. perpetuate the norm of horse-race journalism
A
Because of the Electoral College, presidential candidates generally spend most of their time and resources in ______. A. competitive states, especially large ones B. states where there are competitive local races C. coastal and border states because they are the so-called blue states D. California, Texas, and New York because they are the biggest states
A
Both parties typically have competitive presidential primaries at the same time when ______. A. an incumbent is not running for reelection B. opinion polls show that the two parties are running neck and neck C. public interest in policy issues is especially high D. interest groups view an election as critical, even if the public pays little attention
A
Citizens' feelings of effectiveness in political affairs are called ______. A. political efficacy B. system stability C. power D. legitimacy
A
Front-loading affects the selection of a nominee by ______. A. making success in earlier primaries all the more important in gaining and keeping momentum B. hurting incumbent presidents who cannot contest their party's primaries as easily as challengers C. making the performance of candidates at conventions all the more important D. making money less important in early contests as long as the candidate gets in front of other borrowers for the later primaries
A
Front-loading is the process of ______. A. scheduling presidential primaries earlier in the primary season B. encouraging one's supporters to vote early on the primary election day C. requiring all fund-raising to occur in the year prior to parties' primaries and caucuses D. presidents declaring their candidacy early to scare off potential opponents
A
In Shelby County v. Holder (2013), the Supreme Court ______. A. invalidated part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 B. struck down Indiana's voter identification requirements C. rejected provisions of the Motor Voter Act as unconstitutional D. voided sections of the Help America Vote Act
A
Issue ownership refers to ______. A. the tendency of the public to view one of the parties as more competent in a policy area B. what happens when a candidate successfully addresses an issue before her opponent can C. when the media falsely imputes certain values and policy positions to underdog candidates D. when a candidate makes one particular issue the theme of her campaign
A
Modern campaigns are run by professional staff because ______. A. the party campaign committee cannot provide the technical services needed in the modern campaign B. the party political committees cannot be trusted C. the party organization is too busy trying to win state and local elections D. presidential candidates believe a professional staff reflects better on their credentials for the presidency
A
One of the difficulties faced by the front-runner in presidential primaries is ______. A. the tendency of the other candidates to attack him simultaneously B. attracting media attention to his campaign C. raising enough money to remain competitive D. developing issue positions that appeal to party activists
A
Politicians who are thinking about running for the presidency begin their run by ______. A. testing the waters unofficially B. announcing their candidacy C. acquiring the money to run D. filing with the Federal Election Commission
A
Social connectedness refers to ______. A. citizens' involvement in groups and relationships to their communities and families B. knowing that there is little popular support for such alterations C. a party's efforts to inform potential voters about issues and candidates D. the process of setting rules that define who can vote and how easy it will be
A
The only states that might regularly split their electoral votes between multiple presidential candidates are Maine and ______. A. Nebraska B. New Jersey C. North Carolina D. New York
A
The use of issues in campaign strategy is about ______. A. setting the agenda B. persuading the public of the value of your solutions to problems while ignoring your opponent C. debating issue positions with your opponent D. taking both sides of controversial issues or being as vague as possible
A
Those who are less likely to vote tend to be ______. A. poor rather than wealthy B. older rather than younger C. college graduates D. relatively wealthy
A
Traditionally, the first presidential caucuses are conducted in ______. A. Iowa B. South Carolina C. Nevada D. New Hampshire
A
Wedge issues are controversial matters ______. A. that one party uses to split voters in the other party B. that are generally ignored in campaigns because they are too explosive C. that undecided voters use to choose their preferred candidate D. on which most voters and candidates share the same position
A
______ determine(s) how delegates are distributed by the primaries. A. Party rules B. Federal statutes C. The Constitution D. State statutes
A
A major change in presidential elections that started with the 1972 contest is that ______. A. superdelegates ultimately decide who each party's nominee is B. primaries determine the winner of each party's nomination C. each party's convention is a battleground for determining the nominee D. party leaders dictate the identity of each party's nominee
B
According to the authors of the textbook, which of these is a key advantage of the "political specialization view" of modern democracy? A. It is extremely flexible and prone to change. B. It responds to changes of issues and candidates. C. The electorate as a whole does not care at all. D. It protects the interests of those who are least likely to be the activist or pluralist citizens.
B
According to the textbook, what is considered "winning" in primary elections? A. having an absolute majority of votes in every primary B. beating expectations and gathering momentum, even if the candidate did not come in first in the primary or caucus C. winning only the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary but no other primaries D. taking first place in every primary or caucus on a particular day
B
Compared to the citizens of most other democratic countries, Americans are less ______. A. affected by political apathy B. likely to cast ballots in elections C. prone to cast spoiled ballots D. willing to vote for the major parties in their system
B
Delegates to the national conventions are chosen ______. A. in closed meetings of the party leaders B. in primary elections and caucuses C. by national surveys D. by the party's presidential candidate
B
Faithless electors, as defined by the text, are electors who ______. A. are regular voters who refuse to vote because they lack political efficacy B. vote their conscience rather than for the candidate they were pledged to support C. have a position of trust with the federal government in violation of the Constitution D. refuse to pledge support to a candidate before the election
B
In the presidential nomination process, ______. A. more states use caucuses than use primary elections to choose delegates to the national convention B. front-loading favors the candidate who goes into the nomination process as the front- runner C. the complicated and unpredictable scheduling of primaries and caucuses favors the candidate who goes into the process without a set strategy for winning the nomination D. the national party rules of both major parties require that the states allocate delegates on a proportional basis according to how many votes each candidate won in the state's primary election
B
It seems unlikely that the United States will engage in any major Electoral College reform soon because ______. A. there is little popular support for abolishing the Electoral College B. no consensus exists on how to change it C. the institution is too complicated already D. most public and economic interest groups oppose such alterations
B
The primary impact of state voter registration laws has been to ______. A. make it more expensive to vote B. decrease turnout C. prevent fraud D. improve voter awareness of elections
B
To receive government matching funds in primary elections, candidates must ______. A. reach particular requirements on numbers of petitions signed, funds raised, and public support in the polls B. raise a specified amount of money from at least 20 states C. put up at least 20% of their yearly income as collateral D. submit petitions signed by 5,000 people in 20 states
B
Typically, a party's vice-presidential candidate is ______. A. forced upon the party by the national leadership B. chosen by the party's presidential candidate C. an unsuccessful primary candidate D. selected even before the primaries are over
B
What is a key effect of Electoral College votes being counted on a winner-take-all basis in all but two states? A. Candidates have to raise considerable amounts of money during the general election campaign. B. The electoral vote margin exaggerates the popular vote margin, which then legitimizes the winner's victory. C. Despite being different votes, electoral and popular vote margins tend to mirror each other closely. D. Candidates are forced to visit all or nearly all states in order to sew up the election.
B
When California moved its presidential primary from June to March, the state was engaging in ______. A. pump priming B. front-loading C. momentum building D. front-running
B
______ is the idealized voting behavior, but ______ more realistically reflects how policy considerations influence voters' decisions. A. Swing voting; prospective voting B. Prospective voting; retrospective voting C. Prospective voting; swing voting D. Retrospective voting; prospective voting
B
______ voting occurs when people base their voting decisions on well-informed opinions and consideration of the future consequences of their votes. A. Partisan B. Prospective C. Retrospective D. Wedge issue
B
According to the text, the images that voters have of candidates usually cause voters to ______. A. struggle to perceive any meaningful differences among presidential candidates B. make the presidential contest out to be something akin to a beauty contest C. form clear opinions about candidate qualities that are relevant to governing D. typically ignore candidate qualities that are relevant to governing
C
Barbour and Wright state that ideal citizens who wanted to encourage the government to solve some social or economic problem would normally try to influence it by ______. A. presenting policy options to their legislators B. lobbying the bureaucracy heavily C. voting for the politicians who represent them best D. protesting in front of government buildings
C
In American politics, position issues normally have the effect of ______. A. bringing members of all parties together in the spirit of accomplishing mutual goals B. splitting the parties into warring factions C. creating distance between the candidates of the two major parties D. making some issues so politically toxic that neither party wants to address them
C
In recent presidential elections, voter turnout has been ______. A. dropping B. around 70% C. rising D. around 30%
C
Major-party presidential nominations are now determined primarily by ______. A. each party's slate of electors from the Electoral College B. the public at large in open primaries C. convention delegates selected in party primaries, caucuses, and state conventions D. the party leaders at the parties' national conventions
C
Momentum and electability are important factors in voters' decision-making during primaries because voters ______. A. must determine these characteristics through other ways than the media B. choose candidates almost exclusively based on image, and the most electable candidate is the most articulate and handsome candidate C. cannot rely on partisanship, which is typically the strongest cue they have in voting behavior D. have viewed momentum as an important characteristic in presidents since the Cold War
C
Swing voters are ______. A. the 50% of the electorate who are in play during each election B. those who have changed their political party in the past 10 years C. people who have not made up their minds at the start of the campaign D. so unpredictable that candidates are better off ignoring them
C
The Citizens United case reversed the McCain-Feingold Act. This Supreme Court case says that corporations can now ______. A. contribute no money to interest groups B. contribute no money to advertising for or against presidential candidates C. spend money straight from their treasuries on advertisements for or against political candidates right before an election D. spend money on advertising only if it is from a special PAC fund
C
The Constitution allocates each state ______. A. one elector per 50,000 residents B. a number of electors determined by Congress before each election C. one elector per senator and representative D. an equal number of electors
C
The media interpret election outcomes by ______. A. displaying evidence of "buyer's remorse" and quickly becoming critical of the winner B. lifting assessments of the election from political scientists and historians C. quickly developing a standard, though incomplete, explanation of the complex decision made by the American electorate D. explaining the election outcome based on their ideological biases, which means some claim the winner has a mandate and others claim the winner lacks a mandate
C
The single biggest factor accounting for how people decide to vote is ______. A. gender B. candidate characteristics C. party identification D. the issues
C
The term convention bump refers to ______. A. the danger of a front-runner stumbling badly after the convention B. convincing the candidate's primary election rivals to support him at the convention C. the opinion poll spike that most candidates enjoy immediately after the convention D. persuading delegates assigned to other candidates to vote for the presumptive nominee
C
Traditionally, the first presidential primary takes place in ______. A. New Mexico B. Iowa C. New Hampshire D. Florida
C
Typically, the three important tasks of the presidential convention are to pick the presidential candidate, ______. A. avoid media attention given to the convention, and line up interest group support B. send out a positive message about that candidate, and raise money for the nominee's fall general election campaign C. select the vice presidential candidate, and write the party's platform D. have a good time, and avoid media attention given to the convention
C
What method has increased voter registration? A. registration on the Internet B. registration at one's place of employment C. the Motor Voter Bill D. registration by phone
C
A presidential party caucus is a meeting of ______. A. voters required to select which parties can place candidates on the ballot B. a state's elected leaders to select delegates to the national convention C. the state party committee to assign delegates to a particular candidate D. local party members to choose delegates to the national convention
D
An example of a wedge issue that Republicans have sometimes used against the Democratic Party due to the latter party's composition is ______. A. governmental thrift B. economic growth C. political corruption D. affirmative action
D
As important as money is to an interest group's success at influencing policy, it cannot ______. A. be used to hire staff members or professional lobbyists B. act as a substitute for good leadership or dedicated members C. purchase commercial time for issue advocacy advertisements D. guarantee favorable policymaking outcomes
D
Barbour and Wright contend that the announcement of the creation of a presidential candidate's exploratory committee is an important step in the campaign because it ______. A. is rarely covered by the media B. allows the candidate to travel to early primary states openly C. often intimidates other potential candidates out of the race D. permits the candidate to begin raising money legally
D
Barbour and Wright survey the research concerning nonvoters and conclude that ______. A. attempting to mobilize more voters would increase the opportunity for voter fraud B. most nonvoters do not participate in elections because they are ineligible to vote C. Republicans are right to worry about Democratic efforts to combat voter apathy D. it is unclear whether higher voter turnout would have an effect on election outcomes
D
Current survey research indicates that ______. A. college-educated voters are highly unlikely to vote B. women are considerably less likely to vote than men C. African Americans are much more likely to vote than Whites D. voter turnout increases with age
D
Negative advertising ______. A. is strictly an act of desperation and typically signifies that the candidate using these ads is far behind in the polls B. lacks any informational content, so it attracts only the least well-informed voter C. is used only by challengers because presidents do not want to be seen as lowering themselves to such tactics D. registers more quickly and is remembered longer than information from positive advertisements
D
Oppo research refers to an investigation of the ______. A. opposing party's campaign strategy B. mistakes of past campaigns C. best possible media strategy D. other candidate's background, often to find negative information
D
Party identification is the single most important predictor of how people decide to vote because ______. A. it leads people toward retrospective issue voting B. it leads people toward prospective issue voting C. being a partisan means the voter does not need to register to vote D. it indirectly colors the partisan's perceptions of issues and candidates
D
Presidential debates ______. A. started on the radio with the 1932 election B. regularly feature third-party candidates C. never impact the outcome of campaigns D. often vary in frequency and format
D
Pretend for a moment that you are running for president. An example of where you might employ oppo research in your campaign would be ______. A. paying college students to infiltrate your rival's campaign B. spreading false rumors that your opponent sold drugs C. ensuring that homeless residents of your district get to the polls to vote for you D. revealing your rival's teenage drunk-driving arrest in the middle of a debate
D
Some of the overall decline in voter turnout at the end of the 20th century was likely due to ______. A. increasing citizen involvement in community groups B. the weakened relationship between interest groups and political leaders C. citizens' willingness to pay tax to provide important community services D. larger societal changes rather than to citizens' reactions to political parties
D
The Constitution dictates that each state has ______. A. a minimum of two electors B. fewer electors if the candidates are not from their state C. an equal number of electors D. one elector for each senator and one elector for each representative
D
To win the presidency, a candidate must do which of these? A. raise large amounts of money only after the primaries and caucuses are over B. pick a vice presidential candidate who will win large numbers of votes C. focus only on winning the votes of the base of the party D. win the votes of a large percentage of swing voters
D
Which of these is a true statement concerning the legal obstacles to voting in the United States? A. No election rules determine who can vote and how easy it will be. B. Politicians have been eager to pass major electoral reforms in order to build a stronger base for their parties. C. The government, not the individual voter, is responsible for registering voters. D. In other countries, voting is required by law.
D
Which statement is true concerning who votes and who doesn't? A. Younger citizens vote at higher rates than older citizens. B. Men vote at a higher rate than women. C. The likelihood of voting goes up as income goes down. D. Individuals that are educated are more likely to vote.
D
Which statement reflects a key change in attitude within the American electorate that has likely led to decreased voter turnout? A. The long-term increase in party identification has led to lower participation. B. Political efficiency has increased significantly in recent decades. C. People trust that the government is responsive to citizens' wishes. D. Declining political efficacy has led to lower participation.
D
______ voting occurs when people use their judgment of the current political situation along with the past performance of the incumbents. A. Prospective B. Passive C. Partisan D. Retrospective
D
According to the text, social connectedness has been increasing over the past several decades.
F
In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), the Supreme Court ruled that interest groups could sponsor advertisements in favor of particular candidates
F
Race is the single most important predictor of how people decide to vote.
F
A party's effort to inform potential voters and persuade them to vote for that party is known as voter mobilization.
T
Basing voting decisions on reactions to past performance is called retrospective voting.
T
Generally speaking, wealthier individuals are more likely to vote than poorer ones
T
In recent presidential elections, voter turnout has been rising.
T
In the 2010 midterm, racial and ethnic differences reemerged with turnout among non-Hispanic Whites surpassing African American turnout by 5% and Latino turnout by 17%.
T
Many scholars argue that a democratic system could lose legitimacy if too many voters stop participating in its elections.
T
Prospective voting occurs when people base their voting decisions on well-informed opinions and consideration of the future consequences of their votes.
T