AP Government Midterm Unit 3 – Flashcards
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Which of the following best explains why the U.S. has a two-party system? • The Constitution mandates a two-party system. • Federal laws mandate a two-party system. • In every state except California, state laws mandate a two-party system. • Seats in Congress are awarded on a winner-take-all basis. • Seats in Congress are awarded according to the principles of proportional representation.
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D
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Which of the following statements are generally true of third parties? I. Third-party officeholders threaten the political standing of the U.S. in the eyes of other nations. II. Third parties expand the political agenda. III. Third parties rarely gain enough support in the electorate to win. IV. Third-party success may indicate popular discontent. • I only • III only • II and III only • I and IV only • II, III, and IV only
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E
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Political parties play an important role in democracy because they • guarantee voters radically different choices of policy outcomes. • offer politicians unique identities. • connect the public with policymaking institutions. • contribute to a centralized federal government. • control each of the three branches of government.
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C
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Who is most likely to engage in ticket splitting? • Nonvoters • Primary election voters • Democrats • Republicans • Independents
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E
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The process that parties use to nominate their candidate for the presidency is called • a critical election. • a national convention. • an open primary. • a closed primary. • a national committee.
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B
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Which of the following can be seen as an advantage of divided government? • Divided government creates clear lines of accountability for policy failures and successes • Political parties are better able to enact their policy platforms • Divided government encourages compromises between the parties • The president maintains the upper hand in negotiations with Congress • Increased voter turnout
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C
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When were local party organizations strongest? • When party machines controlled large cities • During the New Deal Coalition • During a realignment • During a dealignment • Immediately after a presidential election
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A
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Which of the following statements accurately describe critical elections? I. Critical elections are often associated with significant political or social events. II. After a critical election, the previously existing minority party usually collapses and a new party forms. III. A critical election ensures that the previously existing majority party will maintain its position of power IV. Critical elections usually signal the beginning of a new political era • II only • IV only • I and IV only • II and III only • I, II, and IV only
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C
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Which of the following defines a team of men (and women) banding together seeking to control the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election? • political parties • political opportunism • political constituency • political agenda • political policy
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A
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All of the following are characteristics of politics EXCEPT • individuals with similar ideas banding together to form political parties. • the means by which individuals and groups get involved. • who gets what, when, how, and why. • the passage of laws that serve to further minority rights. • the interrelationship of individuals and groups.
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D
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Which of the following translate inputs from the public into outputs from the policymakers? • linkage institutions • bureaucratic institutions • agenda setters • policy setters • policy coordinators
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A
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Which of the following philosophies is reflected by the majority of the American electorate? • a middle-of-the-road philosophy • extremely liberal philosophy • extremely conservative philosophy • radical philosophy • reactionary philosophy
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A
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Which of the following best describes the history of American political parties? • America has had a one-party system with two branches. • America has always responded to a multi-partied system. • America has had two parties that have consistently dominated the political arena. • Third political parties have rarely had an impact on the two major parties.
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C
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Which of the following terms means that people are gradually moving away from both parties? • dealignment • realignment • gerrymandering • reevaluation • criticism
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A
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Which of the following molds the values a person develops? • personal ideology • party identification • political socialization • party dealignment • party realignment
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C
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All of the following actions represent the conventional manner people usually participate in the political process EXCEPT • registration to vote. • participating in civil disobedience to achieve political goals. • joining a specific political party. • attending political meetings. • voting in elections.
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B
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The Federal Election Campaign Act established all of the following EXCEPT • a fund to partially fund presidential campaigns. • rules for the disclosure of all campaign financing and spending information. • limits on personal contributions to presidential and congressional candidates. • a fund for public donations to congressional campaigns. • the Federal Election Commission to regulate campaign financing.
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D
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Which state's presidential primary traditionally receives the most media coverage? • Florida • Ohio • Iowa • Pennsylvania • New Hampshire
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E
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All of the following are criticisms raised against the nomination system EXCEPT • few citizens are permitted to participate in the nomination process. • too much weight is placed on early primaries in unrepresentative states. • the campaign process is too long. • it discourages many qualified politicians from running. • the media have too much power to shape the presidential campaigns.
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A
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Which of the following statements is true concerning the use of PACs in political campaigns? • The Constitution requires business to finance campaigns. • Business can channel an unlimited amount of money through a PAC to a given candidate. • The president officially established PACs in a 1974 executive order. • PACs must be registered with and monitored by the FEC. • The Supreme Court has struck down all efforts to regulate campaign finance.
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D
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In addition to officially nominating a party's candidate for the presidency, national conventions perform which of the following tasks? • Select the new chairs of the party's national committee • Raise funds for the general election • Determine the party's platform • Elect delegates to the next convention • Organize new party coalitions in Congress
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C
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Primaries and caucuses are unrepresentative of the electorate's preferences because • they occur in only a few states. • voters in primary elections are usually less politically knowledgeable than the minority. • only college graduates are allowed to vote in them. • they take place early, before voters have a chance to learn about the candidates. • voters in primary elections are usually older and more affluent than the majority.
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E
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Which of the following factors contributes most to the cost of a presidential campaign? • Direct-mail campaigns • Television advertising • Hiring a campaign coordinator • Soliciting donations via the Internet • Printing posters and campaign paraphernalia
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B
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Presidential campaigns in the U.S. differ most from most European campaigns in which of the following ways? • American campaigns cost candidates less in personal contributions. • Candidates in other countries are not allowed to appear on television. • Campaigns in the U.S. are geared toward a general election. • American campaigns are much longer than other campaigns. • Candidates in the U.S. are selected by party elites.
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D
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Media coverage of campaigns tend to focus on • foreign and military policy. • social and environmental policy. • candidate biographies and background. • campaign strategies and the horse race. • accusations of media bias and wrongdoing.
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D
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Currently one of the most effective ways of raising money for an election campaign is • direct mail. • door-to-door sollicitatie. • television advertising. • mass meetings. • Internet.
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E
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Most political coverage by the media during a Presidential campaign • deals with the campaign game; who's ahead in the polls, what candidate's new strategy will be and speculation. • deals with the candidate's personal character flaws and family. • focuses on the substance of the key issues voters care about, and how the candidates stand on them. • is the result of successful manipulation by the campaigns. • is analysis of the interest groups and campaign contributors who are backing each candidate, and why they are backing them.
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A
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In the case of Buckley v. Valeo, the Supreme Court ruled that • the limitation on the amount of money persons could contribute to their own election campaigns violated free speech and was unconstitutional. • the limitation on the amount of money could contribute to their own election campaigns was not a violation of free speech, and was constitutional. • Presidential election campaigns could not be paid for by tax dollars. • the forced disclosure of contributions to federal elections violated freedom of association and was therefore unconstitutional. • Congressional and state legislative districts must be equal population and reapportioned every ten years.
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A
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Many political scientists believe that • politicians underestimate the power of how important a good campaign is to victory. • politicians overestimate the power of how important a good campaign is to victory. • most voters are immune to reinforcement of activation in a campaign, but are susceptible to conversion. • incumbents have not greater advantage in name recognition than most challengers. • the size of a campaign war chest is the sole determinant of who wins elections.
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A
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The fact that national candidates must tailor their appeals to the particular interest of each major state tends to result in • limiting the scope of government. • a more open and democratic process. • numerous campaign promises adding up to new government programs. • increased public interest in the campaign. • a tilt toward states' rights at the expense of the national government.
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C
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The initiative petition • is used to select party nominees for Congressional and state offices. • enables voters to put proposed legislation on the ballot. • is an election in which voters approve or disapprove a legislative act. • is needed for a candidate to get his or her name on the ballot. • is a petition that initiates a recall election to determine whether an elected official shall be removed from office.
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B
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A referendum is an election • in which citizens can propose their own legislation. • for judicial offices. • for choosing party nominees for state offices. • whereby voters are given the chance to approve or disapprove some legislative act or constitutional amendment. • to determine whether to remove an elected official from office before the end of their term.
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D
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Which of the following is NOT true about elections in America society? • They socialize and institutionalize political activity. • They provide regular access to political power. • They are accepted as legitimate, fair, and free methods to select political leaders. • The vast majority of eligible citizens cast ballots, even for local races. • They are regularly scheduled events and are very institutionalized.
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D
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The electoral votes of most states are allocated by which of the following methods? • Each party's candidate receives electoral votes based on his or her percentage of the state's popular vote. • Each elector chooses the candidate whom he or she feels is best suited to represent the needs of the state. • The winner of the popular election in the state receives 75 percent of the state's electoral votes and the loser receives 25 percent. • All of the state's electors cast their votes for whichever candidate won the state's popular vote. • The loser in the popular election receives one electoral vote and the winner receives the rest of the state's electoral votes.
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D
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Which of the following groups usually has the highest voter turnout in a presidential election? • Women • People aged 25 to 44 • Members of minority groups • Single people • People with a college education
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E
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Policy voting requires all of the following conditions EXCEPT • the person must be familiar with each candidate's policy positions. • the person must have developed a pattern of policy voting over several elections. • the person must know his or her own positions on policy issues. • the person must vote for the candidate whose policy positions coincide with her or her own preferences. • the person must be able to determine policy differences among the candidates.
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B
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Suffrage is most likely to be denied to a citizen who is • African American. • disabled. • 18 years old. • a convicted felon. • a pauper.
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D
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Which of the following statements help to explain why voter turnout is lower in the U.S. than in most other democracies? I. Citizens in other democracies vote more often and, therefore, have developed strongest voting habits. II. Citizens in most other democracies are required by law to vote. III. Citizens in most other democracies are not required to register to vote IV. Citizens in other democracies face starker differences between the viable political parties • I and II only • I and III only • II and III only • II and IV only • III and IV only
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E
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What is political efficacy? • The chance that you cast the deciding vote in an election • The belief that one vote can make a difference • The distance between your preferred policy position and the position of the nearest candidate • The belief that good citizens should vote • Any reasons a voter gives for failing to vote
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B
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Which of the following statements about young voters is accurate? • Young voters are more likely to support third-party candidates. • Young citizens are more likely to vote than older citizens. • Young voters are more typically vote through the mail. • Young citizens do not need to register to vote if they live with at least one parent. • Young voters typically vote for president but do not vote for Congress.
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A
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The Motor Voter Act was intended to • expand suffrage to minorities. • lower the voting age. • redistribute state's electoral votes. • increase voter registration. • raise the voting age.
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D
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How are Oregon's elections different from most other elections in the U.S.? • All Oregon elections are nonpartisan. • All Oregon elections are conducted through the mail. • Oregon revokes the driver's licenses of nonvoters. • Oregon allows citizens to vote at 16 years old. • Election Day in Oregon is a state holiday and only emergency or essential employees are allowed to work.
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B
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A voter supporting a candidate based specifically on comparing the candidate's stances on the issues of abortion rights, health care, and government aid to education to the voter's own preferences on such issues is an example of • retrospective voting. • policy voting. • civic duty. • initiative voting. • mandate theory of voting.
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B
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All of the following is true about the electoral college EXCEPT • Whoever wins the most votes in the electoral college wins, even if that isn't a majority. • Maine and Nebraska do not use the "winner-take-all system". • Electors can vote for whomever they want, regardless of how their state's voters voted. • In most states ALL the electors vote for whomever won the most votes in their state, even if that wasn't a majority. • The electors themselves are selected by state parties.
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A
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The greater the policy differences between candidates • the closer the election. • the more likely the voters will be able to steer government policies by their choices. • the lower the turnout in the general election. • the more likely voters will make decisions based on personality traits. • the higher the voter turnout in the election.
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B
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If the presidential election is thrown into the House of Representatives, • each state's House delegation may cast only one vote, regardless of its number of representatives. • each state's House delegation casts as many votes as it has electoral votes. • each House member has one vote and majority rules. • the House votes is subject to veto by the President. • each House member has one vote but a 60% majority is required to win the Presidency.
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A
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All of the following statements about voter participation are true EXCEPT • As people age, their likelihood of voting increases. • Minority groups with high levels of income and education have a higher turnout rate than whites with comparable status. • Men are more likely to vote than women. • Those who participate a lot in special interest group activities tend to vote more. • Individuals who have lived at the same address longer are more likely to vote than those who have moved.
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C
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As registration procedures have been made easier since 1960, • voter turnout has declined. • Americans social and political corrected has increased. • Americans' political interest has increased. • more Americans are going to the polls. • there has been a marked increase in voter fraud.
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C
