Chapter 8 &10 gov quiz – Flashcards

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The main goal of the group Rock the Vote is to
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draw young voters into participating politically
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What percentage of eligible voters participated in the 2004 presidential election?
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59%
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Since the 1960's, the percentage of Americans exercising their right to vote has
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decreased
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The main problem with voting as a form of political participation is
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that citizens cannot communicate very much information by only casting a ballot
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Protest and riots, lobbying, and litigation are all ______ forms of political activity
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nonelectoral
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What is the main difference between voting and lobbying?
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Unlike voting, lobbying involves an attempt to directly influence a government official
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When the auto industry produced an advertising campaign against a bill passed to raise fuel economy standards, it was engaged in _____
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public relations
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Litigation can be a form of participation in which people _____
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file lawsuits in order to change public policies
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Nonelectoral forms of participation usually require more ______ than voting
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time, money, and effort (all of the above)
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Which is the most accessible form of political activity?
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voting
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The constitution was amended in ____ to give eighteen-year-olds the right to vote
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1971
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Throughout American history, which of the following was NOT a common restriction the government placed on voting rights?
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occupational requirements
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The term "suffrage" refers to:
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the right to vote
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The Constitution was amended to allow women to vote during all public elections in
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1920
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The Fifteenth Amendment, passed in 1870, mandated that
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no state could prevent the right to vote on account of race
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What was the main cause for dropping the legal voting age to eighteen?
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Government officials hoped it would lead to a decline in disruptive student protests
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Compared with Western Europe, the United States has a ______ turnout in elections
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lower
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The American political community is defined as
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those who are eligible to vote and participate in American political life
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According to the text, the central challenge for establishing a democracy in Iraq has been
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securing Sunni participation in politics
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Which of the following was NOT a critical group that attempted to expand civil rights for African Americans? (choices are: NAACP, DAR, SNCC, SCLC)
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DAR
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The civil rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s used all of the following methods of participation EXCEPT: (choices are: sit-ins and marches, litigation, lobbying and political pressure, the power bloc of southern African American voters)
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The power bloc of southern African American voters
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What bloc of voters has recently been called the "sleeping giant"?
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Latinos
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Forty percent of all Asian americans live in
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California
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Over the pas decade, polls have revealed that Asian American voters are moving toward
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the Democratic party
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The political power of Asian Americans has recently been hindered because of the
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diversity of national backgrounds and cultures
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Which of the following best describes the goal of the EMILY's List organization? (choices: to promote the expansion of pro-choice legislation, to advocate a pro-life position, to raise money for Democratic women candidates interested in running for office, to litigate sex discrimination cases in court)
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to raise money for Democratic women candidates interested in running for office
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T/F: Religion has played an important role in organizing political participation
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T
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Churches and religious groups have been influential in all of the following EXCEPT (choices: the Civil rights movement, antiabortion protests, health care reforms, the mobilization of the Republican Party)
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health care reforms
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Evangelical Protestants are more likely to be associated with what party?
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The Republican Party
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What was the Supreme Court case that ruled prayers in public schools were unconstitutional?
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Engel v. Vitale
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The power of the Christian Coalition in the 1990s was due to
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its success in mobilizing a large grassroots base
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Which group has had the highest levels of political participation?
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senior citizens
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The proportion of young people voting has _____ since 1971
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decreased
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Which of the following is NOT a key factor in indicating one's level of participation?
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geographic region
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Which of the following characteristics does NOT constitute one's socioeconomic status? (choices: level of income, level of education, prestige of occupation, level of political participation)
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level of political participation
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The explanation of political participation that points to characteristics of individuals focuses on
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socioeconomic status
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The socioeconomic status model explains one's political participation by examining an individual's
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level of education, income, and occupational status
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T/F: Young people are far less likely to participate in politics than older people
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T
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The strongest critique of the socioeconomic status model's explanation of political participation is that
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education levels are rising while rates of participation are falling
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An example of _____ was exhibited through the interest group Friends of the Earth issuing a press release blaming the Hurricane katrina devastation on global warming
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public relations
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What was the effect of the National Voter Registration Act (Motor Voter Act)?
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Voter registration rose, but voter turnout did not.
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Political ______ is the process in which large numbers of people are organized for political action
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mobilization
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Studies show that people are more likely to participate in politics when
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someone asks them to get involved
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Studies have discovered ______ to be the key element of successful mobilization efforts
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personal contact
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Which of the following have political parties been doing less of in recent years? (choices: fund-raising, advertising, mobilizing voters, nominating candidates)
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mobilizing voters
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What is the most reasonable explanation for why about 70 percent of the Latino population in the United States voted for Democrats during the 2006 congressional elections?
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They disagreed with Republican immigration policies
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What has been one of the most pressing questions concerning socioeconomic status?
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Why has the level of participation in politics not increased as a result of the rising level of education among Americans?
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A political institution can best be defined as
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any organization that connects people to politics
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_______ democracy arises when there is a decline in political participation, fund-raising becomes the most important task for political organizations, participation levels take on an unequal economic bias
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Checkbook
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One problem arising from wealthy Americans choosing to abstain from participating in public institutions such as schools is that
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important groups of Americans no longer have a stake in the public sector
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What is the main difference between elections in a democracy and elections under an authoritarian regime?
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Democratic regimes allow for viable opposition, while the leaders do not permit themselves to lose under an authoritarian government
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What is the function of an election in a democracy?
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It promotes accountability among the leaders, It helps to politically protect different groups in society, It serves to legitimize the government
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When a congressional election is help that does not coincide with a presidential election, it is called a
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midterm election
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The primary responsibility for conducting public elections rests with
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state and local governments
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During midterm elections, voters are electing
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members of Congress
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In order for a political party to select a candidate to run in the general election, it holds a
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primary election
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_____ is the practice of voting directly for proposed laws
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referendum
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Which of the following is the best example of direct democracy in practice in the United States? (choices: gerrymandering, retrospective voting, referendum, issue advocacy)
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referendum
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Recall elections are an electoral device first used by the
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Populists
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Which of the following political officers are not subject to recall elections? (choices: the president, senators, federal judges, none of the above is subject to a recall election)
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none of the above is subject to a recall election
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If the winner of an election is whoever receives the most votes, regardless of the percentage of votes received, the candidates are running under a ____ system
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plurality
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Most European nations employ what system of elections?
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proportional representation
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________ is the most common electoral system used in general elections in the United States.
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The plurality system
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Smaller and weaker parties are most likely to have electoral success under which system of elections?
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proportional representation system
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A majority electoral system, which is used on a limited basis in the United States, requires that a candidate must win ______ to win an election
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50 percent plus one of all votes cast
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Plurality and majority systems tend to
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decrease the number of political parties
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The boundaries of legislative districts in the United States are to be redrawn every _____ years
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ten
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When the Supreme Court announced the principle of "one person, one vote" what did it mean?
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Within a state, electoral districts must have roughly equal populations
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The practice of ______ means that district boundaries have been purposefully drawn to unfairly advantage on group or party.
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gerrymandering
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When legislature draw district lines made up largely of underrepresented minority groups, the practice is called
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benign gerrymandering
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In what case did the Supreme Court say that purposefully drawing districts where the majority of voters were members of a single minority group, in order to ensure minority representation, was not constitutional?
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Shaw v. Reno
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Before the 1890s, who was responsible for printing election ballots?
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political parties
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What unusual act did the Texas legislature perform in 2002?
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It redistricted without waiting for a new census
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If you voted for a Republican for president and a Democrat for senator, you engaged in
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split-ticket voting
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When American voters support only one party's candidates, they are said to be voting a
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straight ticket
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The result that is produced when voters cast a ballot for the president and then automatically vote for the remainder of the party's candidates is called the
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coattail effect
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Split-ticket voting increases what
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partisan divisions in government
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What event helped lead to a change in the way that the electoral college chose the president and vice president?
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the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr in 1803
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A major factor in John Kennedy's 1960 presidential victory over Richard Nixon was
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that Kennedy had a much stronger performance than Nixon during televised debates
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Who is the incumbent?
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the current officeholder, running for re-election
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Approximately how much money does it take for a candidate to have a reasonable chance of winning a seat in the House of Representatives?
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$500,000
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_________ conduct opinion polls, organize direct mailings, and develop the issues on which the candidate will focus
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Campaign consultants
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When does public opinion polling take place during a campaign?
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throughout the entire campaign
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Which of the following primary battle is the best example of an ideological clash, rather than a personality clash?
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Mike Huckabee and John McCain in 2008
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For their primaries, most but not all state parties use what type of election?
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proportional representation
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During the earliest years of the United States, who nominated the candidates for president?
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Nominations were controlled by each party's congressional caucus
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At a party convention, when an entire state delegation votes for the single candidate supported by the majority of its delegates, it is called the
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unit rule
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Party activists who are elected to vote at a party's national convention are called
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delegates
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When candidates for office sponsor hearings, undertake inspection tours of disaster areas, or meet with foreign dignitaries, the form of publicity they receive is called
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free media
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A _________is a media format where candidates meet with ordinary citizens, without the input of journalists or commentators
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town meeting
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Partisan loyalty is likely to be highest in the election of
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a state legislator
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If a citizen votes for a candidate because he or she approves of the candidates's past record, it is called
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retrospective voting
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The majority of PACs represent
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business and professional groups
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The right of candidates to spend their own money on running for office is
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protected absolutely by the First Amendment, according to the Supreme Court
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What is a common way for interest groups, corporations, and political parties to aid a candidate while avoiding campaign finance laws?
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engaging in issue advocacy
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The term "soft money" refers to
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money donated to a party to sponsor party building and voter registration
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Money contributed directly to a political party, to be used for voter registration or party building, is called
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soft money
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Which of the following were NOT major contributors to George W. Bush's 2000 presidential campaign?
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trial lawyers
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Spot advertisements are useful because they
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permit a candidate's message to be delivered to a target audience before people can tune out
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Which of the following has increased the ability of candidates to raise small contributions from tens of thousands of donars?
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the Internet
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