question

A political party is

answer

a team of men and women with similar beliefs seeking legitimate control of the government by through elections.

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The largest segment of an American political party is described as

answer

the party-in-the-electorate.

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In the description of political parties as ʺthree-headed political giants,ʺ which of the following is NOT considered one of those three heads?

answer

the party-out-of-power

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Which of the following is TRUE of political parties in the United States?

answer

To be a member of a party, all you have to do is claim to be one.

question

The key spokespersons for political parties come from which of its major components?

answer

the party-in-government

question

A political party is best defined as

answer

a team of men and women seeking control of the governing apparatus by gaining office in a duly constituted election.

question

According to the ʺthree-headed political giantʺ model of political parties, the largest component of an American party is the

answer

party-in-the-electorate.

question

In the United States, to become a member of a political party you need to

answer

claim to be a member.

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The people who keep the party running between elections and make its rules are members of which ʺheadʺ of the party?

answer

party as an organization

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The ʺparty-in-governmentʺ refers to

answer

winning candidates who become the main spokespersons for the party that nominated them.

question

The political ʺparty-in-the-electorateʺ is defined as people who

answer

identify with a party.

question

Almost all definitions of political parties have which of the following in common?

answer

Parties try to win elections.

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Which is a linkage institution?

answer

none of the above

question

A party's endorsement to officially run for office as the candidate of that party is called

answer

a nomination.

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Political parties perform all of the following tasks EXCEPT

answer

enforce rigid adherence to their policy positions..

question

As ________, political parties serve the role of translating inputs from the public into outputs from policymakers.

answer

linkage institutions

question

Linkage institutions

answer

translate inputs from the public into outputs from the policymakers.

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American political parties tend to take middle-of-the-road stands on major issues

answer

because most of the American electorate are centrist.

question

Rational-choice theory asserts that

answer

the wise party selects policies that are widely favored.

question

The theory that seeks to explain political processes and outcomes as consequences of purposive behavioris called the

answer

rational-choice theory.

question

Compared to 1952, recent polls on party identification have shown that

answer

there are more independents than there are Democrats or Republicans.

question

Ticket-splitting is best understood as

answer

voting with one party for one office and another for other offices.

question

The upsurge of partisan independence among Americans since 1952

answer

has come mostly at the expense of the Democrats.

question

In 2004, Americans were most likely to consider themselves ________, and least likely to consider themselves ________.

answer

Independents; Republicans

question

Most Americans are

answer

moderate.

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In recent elections, the trends in party identification in the United States have been

answer

a decrease in the percentage of Democrats and an increase in the percentage of Independents.

question

Ticket-splitting refers to

answer

voting for one party for one office, and another party for other offices.

question

In terms of organizational structure, American political parties are

answer

decentralized and fragmented.

question

Power in the major United States political parties is

answer

fragmented among local, state,. and national party organizations

question

From the late-nineteenth century through the New Deal years, many of Americaʹs largest cities were dominated by

answer

corrupt but popular party machines.

question

Party machines in large cities relied primarily on ________ to reward friends and punish enemies.

answer

patronage

question

A party machine is a kind of local party organization that

answer

uses specific and material inducements to win party loyalty and power

question

Patronage

answer

was an inducement of jobs and financial rewards given for political reasons by party machines.

question

________ has some of the strongest parties in America.

answer

Pennsylvania

question

Since 1960, state party organizations

answer

have become much more powerful and organized.

question

About which state has it been said that the political parties are so weak as to be almost nonexistent?

answer

California

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In closed primaries,

answer

only voters who have registered in advance with the party can vote.

question

In open primaries,

answer

voters may choose on election day which party primary they want to participate in.

question

Blanket primaries

answer

encourage party loyalty.

question

American national parties are best described as

answer

loose aggression of state parties.

question

Each party hold a national convention every

answer

four years.

question

The supreme power within each of the parties is

answer

the national convention.

question

Keeping the party operating between conventions is the job of the

answer

national committee.

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The chairperson of the party that controls the White House is normally selected by

answer

the president.

question

Keeping the party operating between conventions is the job of the

answer

national committee.

question

Every political party depends upon what the text calls a ________ , meaning a set of individuals or groups supporting it.

answer

coalition

question

The party national committees

answer

keep the party operating between conventions.

question

The day-to-day activities of the national party are the responsibility of the

answer

national chairperson.

question

Voters and coalitions of voters are attracted to different parties largely by

answer

their performance and policies.

question

Political candidates make many promises when running for office.In electing one, the public can expect

answer

that for every broken promise, many more will be kept.

question

The American political parties fall far short of the responsible party model for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

answer

their presidential candidates ignore the party platform.

question

A study of major party platforms by Gerald Pomper found that the parties broke their promises

answer

ten percent of the time.

question

A party era refers to

answer

a period of history in which there is one dominant majority party that wins most elections.

question

A party era begins, or is made more certain, with

answer

a critical election.

question

A critical election involves and accelerates a process called

answer

party realignment.

question

Party realignments in the United States

answer

are rare events in the United States, usually associated with a major national crisis or trauma, in which one party's majority domination is replaced with another's.

question

Realignments are typically associated with

answer

a major crisis or trauma in the nation.

question

The first party system in the United States consisted with

answer

Federalists and Democratic-Republicans.

question

The dominant political party in America's first party system was the

answer

Democratic-Republicans.

question

The Democratic-Republicans were also known as the

answer

Jeffersonians.

question

The last Federalist president was

answer

John Adams.

question

At the beginning of party development in the United States,

answer

parties sought to destroy each other.

question

The first American political party evolved

answer

out of Alexander Hamilton's efforts to get Congress to establish a national bank.

question

The policy positions stated in party platforms are

answer

very important because nearly three-fourths of them result in policy action when the party is in power.

question

Party eras in American politics are period of time in which

answer

one party dominates.

question

"Critical elections" always result in the

answer

formation of new coalitions for each political party.

question

Which of the following statements about party realignment is FALSE?

answer

Party realignments were associated with the Civil War and the Great Depression.

question

America's first and shortest-lived major political party was the

answer

Federalist party.

question

The first party system (1796-1824) was characterized by

answer

the dominance of the Democratic-Republican party

question

Andrew Jackson was the first president identified as a(n)

answer

Democrat.

question

In the second party system in United States history, the election contests were between which two major parties?

answer

Democrats and Whigs

question

During the second party system in United States history, Martin Van Buren argued that

answer

a governing party needed a loyal opposition party to represent parts of society that it could not.

question

The election of 1828 that brought Andrew Jackson to the presidency was significant because it

answer

forged a new political coalition.

question

The Whig party

answer

was only able to win the presidency when it nominated aging, but popular, military heroes.

question

The Republicans emerged as a powerful political party in the

answer

1850s.

question

The Republican party began as the

answer

principal anti-slavery party.

question

The Republicans had a long period as the countryʹs dominant majority party, which ended

answer

in 1932.

question

The Depression of the 1930s gave rise to what is called

answer

the New Deal coalition.

question

The New Deal coalition was responsible for electing and reelecting

answer

Democrats.

question

Who was the president who brought together the original New Deal coalition in support of his candidacy?

answer

Franklin D. Roosevelt

question

The Republican party rose to prominence in the late 1850s as the

answer

Anti-slavery party.

question

The election of 1896 is considered a watershed because it

answer

shifted the party coalitions and entrenched the Republicans in power for another generation.

question

The Republicans lost the election of 1932 primarily due to

answer

President Herbert Hooverʹs handling of the Depression.

question

Which of the following groups was NOT part of the New Deal coalition?

answer

wealthy New Englanders

question

Between the 1930s and the 1960s, people attracted to the Democratic party included

answer

urban working classes and intellectuals.

question

The New Deal coalition made the ________ party the minority party for decades.

answer

Republican

question

Since 1968, American politics has been characterized by

answer

divided government.

question

In elections since 1968,

answer

the Republicans have dominated the presidency, while the Democrats have dominated the Congress.

question

People gradually moving away from both parties is referred to as

answer

dealignment.

question

Party dealignment is symbolized by

answer

the recent pattern of divided government.

question

Loyalty to a political party has ________ overthe past thirty years.

answer

decreased

question

Over the past thirty years, there has been a marked rise in

answer

party neutrality.

question

What sort of realignment has occurred in the current party era?

answer

a Southern realignment

question

In 1968 the Democratic party was torn apart, leaving the door to the presidency open for Republican Richard Nixon primarily due to

answer

President Johnsonʹs Vietnam War policies.

question

From 1968 to 1992,

answer

the Republicans dominated the presidency while the Democrats dominated Congress.

question

Party dealignment means the

answer

decreasing influence of both parties on voters and government

question

Which of the following statements about third parties in the United States is FALSE?

answer

Third parties are a rare phenomena in American history.

question

Ross Perotʹs candidacies for president in 1992 and 1996 were an example of what type of third-party campaign?

answer

a party serving as an extension of one individualʹs candidacy

question

In 2000, Green party candidate Ralph Nader forced more attention on ________ issues and drew away a small percentage of votes from Al Gore.

answer

environmental

question

Which of the following is TRUE about most third-party campaigns in American history?

answer

They almost never win office.

question

An example of a splinter party would be

answer

George Wallaceʹs American Independents.

question

Critically affecting the electoral college vote, bringing new issues to the public agenda, and venting popular discontent are important roles played by

answer

third parties in a two-party system.

question

The first true anti-slavery party was the

answer

Free Soil party.

question

In many other democracies, the system of awarding seats in the national legislature, unlike in the United States, is one of

answer

proportional representation.

question

A proportional representation system for electing members to a nationʹs legislature is more likely to lead to a

answer

greater number of political parties holding seats.

question

If the United States had a multiparty system,

answer

each party would have more distinct policy positions.

question

In a winner-take-all system,

answer

unless a party wins, there is no reward for the votes it gets.

question

In proportional representation systems,

answer

legislative seats are allocated according to each partyʹs percentage of the nationwide vote.

question

The American two-party system promotes

answer

moderation in conflict and ambiguous policy positions.

question

Advocates of the ________ believe that parties should present distinct, comprehensive programs for governing the nation and carry them out

answer

responsible party model

question

The ʺresponsible partyʺ model holds that parties should

answer

present clear alternatives to voters.

question

In what way do weak political parties affect the scope of government?

answer

Since it is harder for them to enact legislation, it is hard for them to either expand or decrease the scope of government.

question

The weakening of party control over American politics

answer

is in part due to the increasing influence of the media

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