UNIT 3 AP GOV MC
The use of direct primaries instead of the convention system in selecting presidential candidates results in which of the following? I. A weakening of party control over nominations II. A reduction in the costs of election campaigns III. An increase in the number of people involved in the choice of candidates IV. An increase in voter turnout in midterm elections
. I and III only
Which of the following is true about the line-item veto?
. It is used by many state governors.
Which of the following is most frequently reported in the media during a presidential election?
. Results from public opinion polls that indicate which candidates are most likely to win
Why are lobbyists useful to members of Congress in considering legislation?
. because members of Congress are policy generalists and lobbyists are policy specialists with expert knowledge in their area
What type of primary favors main stream party candidates?
Closed primaries
Which of the following provides the most accurate explanation of how consumer-driven media increases partisan polarization?
Consumer-driven media reinforces existing political biases in individuals.
What happens to the approval rate of the president at the end of their presidency?
Decreases
Which party has strong urban support?
Democrats
Eliminating Party Column Ballot (Straight ticket voting) leads to?
Divided government
Which of the following form an "iron triangle"?
Executive department, Congressional committee, interest group
Who do factions higher to support certain campaigns?
Lobbyists
What form of media has declined over time?
Newspapers and EVENING NEWS ON TV.
(This may be outdated, but I did teach it) Which of the following statements about political action committees (PACs) is true?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.
Nominate high level campaign manager from somewhere else is called?
Patronage (spoil)
What is it called when many factions compete for power?
Pluralism
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.
Which of the following groups would be LEAST likely to maintain a national lobbying organization in Washington, D.C. ?
Public housing tenants
Which of the following is an accurate statement that could be used to refute the argument that a realignment took place in the 1980's?
Republican dominance in presidential elections did not extend to congressional, state, and local elections.
In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court established which of the following principles?
States cannot interfere with or tax the legitimate activities of the federal government.
Which type of delegates support mainstream democratic candidates?
Super delegates
Which form of media is most popular (moist used) in politics?
TV
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.
Two interest groups are competing for influence in Congress. One group represents banking institutions, while the other advocates for consumer protections. A critic of the influence of interest groups would make which of the following claims?
The banking interest group likely has greater financial resources and access to policy makers than the consumer protection group.
Which of the following describes the potential impact on the electorate when daily media coverage of elections focuses primarily on the newest poll results?
The electorate will be less able to accurately compare the policy platforms of candidates running in the election.
Long term relationship between agencies, congressional committees, and interest groups are called?
The iron triangle
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.
Which of the following is the most accurate statement about political parties in the United States?
The percentage of voters identifying themselves as either Democrats or Republicans has been declining since the 1970's.
Which demographics is under represented by interest groups?
The poor
A nonprofit advocacy group seeks to block an expensive subsidy to what it believes is an environmentally destructive project. Which of the following accurately depicts the free-rider problem in this scenario?
The public can expect to reap the benefits of blocking the subsidy without making any contribution to the nonprofit group.
Which of the following is LEAST characteristic of the history of political parties in the United States during the twentieth century?
The splitting of the two major parties into a multiparty system
Which of the following is true of amicus curiae briefs?
They are used by interest groups to lobby courts.
Which of the following is true of political action committees (PACs)?
They make campaign contributions in hopes of gaining access to legislators.
Since the 1960s, support for the Democratic Party has declined the most among which of the following groups
White southerners
The primary reason for the current existence of only two major political parties in the United States is that
a winner-take-all electoral system makes it difficult for new parties to emerge and survive
The tobacco Division of the Department of agriculture, interest groups representing cigarette manufacturers, interest groups representing farmers, and the subcommittees in the house of representatives and Senate work to create tobacco policy. this is an example of
an iron triangle
Presidential and congressional races differ in all of the following ways EXCEPT
congressional elections receive more national funding than presidential elections
Since 1968, American politics has largely been characterized by
divided government.
Interest groups and political parties both promote United States democracy by
linking citizens to the political process
One of the best strategies that interest groups can use to achieve their goals is
lobbying members of Congress to make small changes in existing policy
Which of the following has the most influence on the outcome of a congressional election?
A candidate's incumbency status
According to James Madison, which of the following best controls the effects of faction?
A large republic
"Not so long ago, we had a superb public school system, but now we trail most countries. In math, we're thirty-eighth in the world among developed countries in terms of how 15-year-olds perform. And it's getting worse, not better." The excerpt is an example of the role of the media in
Agenda setting.
Political action committees (PAC's) representing which of the following groups have increased in number most substantially since the mid-1970's?
Business
Which of the following is a true statement about the role of the media in providing citizens with information?
Demand for instantaneous news reporting has led to the growth of 24-hour news operations and a shift to online media consumption.
What is it called when one house of congress differs from the party of the president?
Divided government
Which of the following important functions of democracy would most likely be more difficult without political parties?
Educating the public about upcoming elections
Volunteers calling phone numbers trying to persuade you to vote for candidates is an example of which form of lobbying?
Grassroot lobbying
What is most frequently reported on the media during elections?
Horse race coverage
The advantages of incumbency in congressional elections include which of the following? I. Incumbents receive more campaign contributions than do challengers. II. Incumbents are able to provide important services for individual voters. III. The government provides campaign funds for incumbents. IV. The President usually endorses incumbents for reelection. V. Most American voters believe Congress does a good job.
I and II only
Public monies are used to help finance which of the following campaigns? I. Presidential II. Congressional III. Gubernatorial
I only
Which form of media has grown in popularity over 30 years?
Internet
The clear-and-present-danger test devised by the Supreme Court was designed to define the conditions under which government could
Limit Free Speech
Which of the following is a concern about the influence of lobbyists on government?
Many lobbyists are former federal officials who gave up their positions in government to work for interest groups.
Which linkage institution recruits and runs candidates?
Parties
What is it called when former congressmen work in the private sector for lobbying firms?
Revolving door
Consuming media sources you agree with thus reinforcing the political views is called?
Selective exposure
Which of the following statements best describes the organization of the two major political parties in the United States?
Separate and largely independent party organizations exist at national, state, and local levels.
Which parties want to get rid of straight ticket voting?
Third parties
When 18 to 21 year olds received the right to vote in 1971, in the 1972 national elections they did which of the following?
Turned out at a lower rate than the rest of the electorate
Elections for the House of Representatives provide
approximately equal representation for every voter
Supporters of granting the President a line-item veto would most likely argue that this power would increase a President's ability to
control federal spending
The "wall of separation" doctrine refers to the
division of church and state
Long-standing third parties, such as the Socialist, Libertarian, and Green parties, are examples of
ideological parties
The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to
make most rights contained in the Bill of Rights applicable to the states
An interest group would likely have the greatest influence on policy matters involving
narrow issues dealing with technical information
The concept of "critical elections" is most closely associated with
party realignment
Lobbyists try to influence legislators mainly through
providing legislators with information on technical issues
The government can use all of the following tools to encourage positive stories and constrain negative stories written by journalists EXCEPT
revoking the licenses of stations that give unfavorable coverage
All of the following are examples of a linkage institution influencing the policy process EXCEPT
the president delivering the State of the Union speech
The boundaries of United States congressional districts are usually determined by
the state legislatures