1. The origins of political parties in the United States can be found first in the
a. Constitution, in Article I
b. Revolutionary War, when colonists sided with either Whigs or Tories
c. first cabinet, when Jefferson and Hamilton argued opposing point of view in guiding the new nation
d. era before the Civil War, when the Republicans opposed slavery and the Democrats did not
e. era after the Civil War, when the southern states formed the Democratic party in opposition to the Radical Republicans
2. All of the following are purposes of political parties in the United States EXCEPT:
a. to provide alternate interpretations of constitutional law, as it applies to political campaigns
b. to serve as linkage institutions between the people and their government
c. to pick policymakers and run campaigns
d. to articulate policies and give cues to voters
e. to coordinate governmental policy-making that would be more fragmented otherwise.
3. All of the following are true about the two-party system in the United States EXCEPT:
a. The system has been characterized by long periods of dominance by one party followed by a long period of dominance by the other.
b. Until the past 30 or 40 years, the government tended to be "divided"; that is, when the president was one party, Congress was the other. Since the 1960s the trend has been broken.
c. A two-party system is relatively rare in the world today with only about fifteen countries having it.
d. Even though third party challengers have appeared in American history, the country always seems to go back to a two-party system.
e. Both major parties today, the Democrats and the Republicans, emerged during the eighteenth century.
4. All of the following won presidential elections in American history EXCEPT:
a. Federalists
b. Democratic Republicans
c. Whigs
d. Democrats
e. Progressives
5. During which period in history did the Democrats first advocate a strong central government?
a. the era of Jacksonian Democracy
b. during the Progressive era of the early 20th century
c. during the 1930s, with Roosevelt's New Deal
d. during the 1960s, with Lyndon Johnson's Great Society
e. never; Democrats have never supported a strong central government
6. All of the following were a part of the Republican's new campaign tactics starting in the late 1960s EXCEPT:
a. paying more attention to electronic media
b. raising more campaign money more efficiently
c. emphasizing "whistle-stop" campaigns
d. hiring of more professional advisors
e. using computerized mailings to raise money and communicate with voters
7. The McGovern-Fraser Commission recommended to the Democratic party after the election of 1968 that they should
a. increase the number of superdelegates to conventions
b. imitate the Republicans and become more sensitive to electronic media
c. decrease the number of extremely liberal delegates that were attending conventions.
d. get back to their "grass roots" and bring delegates from underrepresented groups to the convention.
e. control the demonstrations at the convention so voters would not get the impression that Democrats were factionalized.
8. All of the following are reasons for the decline in the importance of political parties EXCEPT:
a. decline in the power of party machines and in the acceptance of patronage
b. establishment of primary elections to choose party candidates
c. the growth of the "personalized campaign", specific to individual candidates
d. the increasing influence of electronic media in determining voter choices
e. the tendency of parties to avoid new campaign techniques resulting in a lack of adequate campaign funds
9. All of the following are important functions of elections in the United States EXCEPT:
a. They remind Americans just how conflictual our political culture is.
b. They provide the means for selecting political leaders.
c. They make elected officials accountable for their actions.
d. They are an important part of political participation for citizens.
e. They legitimize positions of power in the political system.
10. Which of the following best describes an important role of political parties in American elections?
a. Parties in the U.S. generally play a more important role in elections than they do in most other democracies.
b. Running for the presidency requires candidates to take little initiative; the party does most of the work.
c. American parties raise money for campaigns, but the candidate is also responsible for raising money on his or her own.
d. Party leaders generally select candidates for major offices.
e. The Democratic party usually much more financial support to its candidates than do the Republicans.
11. All of the following describe the terms of national elected officials in the U.S. EXCEPT:
a. The Constitution sets term limits for the presidency but not for members of Congress.
b. Presidents' terms are four years, representatives are two, and senators are six.
c. Terms of office are fixed for virtually all elected national political leaders.
d. Terms of office for the president, vice president, and members of Congress are set by the Constitution.
e. Election dates in the United States are left open until the president sets them.
12. The most important single reason why the United States has a two-party system is
a. voting by proportional representation
b. the winner-take-all system of voting
c. the lack of different points of view present within the political culture
d. the run-off system in which the top two vote getters face one another in another election
e. the efficient organization of both Democratic and Republican parties
13. Which of the following is the most common method for a party today to select its candidates for office?
a. open primaries
b. blanket primaries
c. caucuses
d. closed primaries
e. general elections
14. All of the following are characteristics of congressional elections EXCEPT:
a. Elections in the House of Representatives are more competitive than are presidential elections.
b. A lower percent of those eligible vote in off-presidential years than during years when a president is elected.
c.Presidential popularity often affects the results of congressional elections.
d. Candidates for congressional seats can rely on more direct communication with constituents than a presidential candidate can.
e. A candidate for a congressional seat can more easily blame what's wrong with government on "the other guy."
15. Which of the following is a common characteristic of parties, interest groups, and PACs?
a. All run slates of condidates for public office
b. All have a narrow policy focus.
c. All exist outside the structure of government, but heavily influence the workings of government.
d. All have much broader concerns that funding candidates for public office.
e. All influence Congress, but none have much effect on the presidency or the judicial branch
16. Which of the following describes an important result of the Campaign Reform Act of 1974?
a. Fewer people have contributed to political campaigns than before.
b. The number of PACs mushroomed from about 250 to over 4000
c. Limits on campaign funding have caused less money to be available to campaigns.
d. Public interest groups became the most influential, largest groups.
e. PAC contributions drastically declined, but since then they have recovered.
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