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Recruiting candidates is

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easier for higher offices with more prestige.

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The people who wanted to be the Republican candidate in the 2012 presidential campaign first needed to raise enough funds to

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tour the nation to see if they had enough local supporters.

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As detailed in the Constitution, the formal requirements for the office of president include that he or she must be

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at least thirty-five years old.

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As detailed in the Constitution, the formal requirements for the office of senator include that he or she must be

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a resident of the state from which elected.

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The qualifications for state legislators are

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set by the state constitutions.

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Holders of political office in the United States are predominantly

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white and male.

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As a result of ______, the number of African American public officials has increased throughout the United States.

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major civil rights legislation in the 1960s

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With regard to candidates for office, all of the following are true EXCEPT

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today, only 35 percent of Americans say they would vote for a qualified woman for president.

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______ may be more likely to campaign for and hold political office because they have more flexible schedules, and political involvement can make a valuable contribution to their careers.

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Lawyers

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State and national candidates are typically nominated through a

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primary election.

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Before the advent of ______, a strong party organization at the local, state, or national level could furnish most of the services candidates needed

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television campaigning

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One of the reasons that campaigns no longer depend on political parties is

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that fewer people identify with them.

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In 1954, fewer than 20 percent of adults identified themselves as ______, whereas today that share is about 40 percent.`

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independetns

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Today, in national elections, most campaign tasks are handled by

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paid professionals.

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The job of a political consultant may include all of the following EXCEPT

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nominating a candidate for office.

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If a candidate is a highly visible incumbent seeking reelection,

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there may be little need for campaigning except to remind the voters of the officeholder's good deeds.

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Tracking polls are

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taken on a nearly daily basis as the election approaches.

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A ______ is when professional consultants organize a discussion about candidates or certain political issues among small groups of ordinary citizens.

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focus group

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In 2008, total campaign spending for ______ reached $2.4 billion

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the presidential candidates alone

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The series of acts passed by Congress in an attempt to limit and regulate the size and sources of contributions and expenditures in political campaigns are known as the

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corrupt practices acts.

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The Hatch Act of 1939 is best known for

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restricting the political activities of civil servants.

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he ______ limited the amount that candidates could spend on their own campaigns, a limit later ruled unconstitutional.

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Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971

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Reforms to the Federal Election Campaign Act in 1974 did NOT

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provide public funding for congressional elections.

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Candidates who accept federal financing for presidential general elections

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can raise an equal amount of funds privately as provided by the government.

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In Buckley v. Valeo, the Supreme Court

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ruled that it was unconstitutional to restrict in any way the amount congressional candidates could spend on their own behalf.

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A committee set up by and representing a corporation, labor union, or special interest group to raise campaign donations is a

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political action committee.

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The number of political action committees (PACs)

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grew significantly after 1976 but has leveled off since the 1990s.

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Soft money refers to

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campaign contributions to political parties that escaped limits of federal or state election law.

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The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 banned

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soft money contributions to national parties.

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Independent expenditures by special interests are

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unregulated political expenditures by PACs, organizations, and individuals that are not coordinated with candidate campaigns or political parties.

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The organizations that came to be known as \"527s\"

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run issue ads to energize voters.

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Advertising paid for by interest groups that support or oppose a candidate (or a candidate's position on an issue) without mentioning voting or elections is called

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issue advocacy advertising.

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Under the 2010 Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. FEC,

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corporations and unions are allowed to spend whatever they wish on issue ads.

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Primary elections were first mandated

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in 1903 in Wisconsin.

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A meeting of party members designed to select candidates and propose policies is called

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a caucus.

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Superdelegates are

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party leaders or elected officials who are given the right to vote at the party's national convention.

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Most candidates in state and local elections are chosen by

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direct primaries.

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In 2008, all Democratic Party presidential primaries and caucuses allocated delegate

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on a proportional basis.

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When only declared party members can vote in a primary election, it is called

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a closed primary.

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When voters can vote in either party primary without disclosing their party affiliation, it is called

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an open primary.

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When the top two candidates in a primary compete in another primary for a majority of votes, it is called

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a run-off primary.

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The process in which more and more states move their primaries into the first months of the year is known as

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front-loading.

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At the national convention, each political party uses a ______ to determine which delegates may participate.

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credentials committee

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The selection of electors is governed by

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state laws.

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The number of members each state will have in the Electoral College

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equals that state's number of senators plus its number of representatives.

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A secret ballot prepared, distributed, and tabulated by government officials at public expense is known as the

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Australian ballot.

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The two major parties prefer a(n) ______ ballot because it encourages straight-ticket voting.

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party-column

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Some observers argue that an excessive concern with voting fraud makes it harder for

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minorities and poor people to vote.

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The number of eligible voters who cast ballots on Election Day is referred to as the

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voter turnout.

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Felons and ex-felons, and new immigrants who are not yet citizens, are included in the

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vote-eligible population.

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Regarding voter requirements, each state

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has different qualifications for voting and registration.

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The public tends to emphasize problems that are

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immediate.

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Today, ______ of Americans use television news as their primary source of information.

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90 percent

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By far, the greatest number of radio and television hours are dedicated to

answer

entertaining the public.

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The public agenda is

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issues that are perceived by the political community as meriting public attention and governmental action.

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For the most part, the media depend on ______ for their revenues.

answer

advertisers

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A brief, memorable comment that can easily be fit into news broadcasts is a

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sound bite.

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Negative political ads can backfire when

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they decrease the profitability of television station owners.

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A political advisor who tries to convince journalists of the truth of a particular interpretation of events is called a

answer

spin doctor.

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Blogs and the Internet have

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made it more difficult for candidates to manage the news coverage of their campaigns.

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In 1996, Congress passed the ________ that had far-reaching implications for the communications industry.

answer

Telecommunications Act

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An inclination or preference that interferes with impartial judgment is called

answer

bias.

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Studies of bias in the media have reached

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different conclusions: some found a liberal bias, while others found a conservative bias.

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A political party is a group of political activists who

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organize to win elections, operate the government, and determine public policy.

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A political party differs from an interest group in that

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political parties want to operate the government and interest groups do not.

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A movement that represents the demands of a large segment of the population for political, economic, or social change is called a

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social movement.

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More interest groups are formed to represent ______ interests than any other set of interests.

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economic

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\"Umbrella groups\" represent

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collections of businesses or other entities.

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Which types of interest groups are defined as economic interest groups?

answer

business, labor, and professional organizations.

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All of the following statements about public-interest groups are true EXCEPT

answer

public-interest groups work for issues that will benefit only the narrow interests of a particular group.

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______ are a shorthand way of describing congressional members' voting records for interested citizens.

answer

Ratings

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A voter or a candidate who does NOT identify with a political party is called

answer

an independent.

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Which of the following is TRUE regarding political party membership?

answer

Nothing is required to be a member of a political party.

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A group or bloc in a legislature or political party acting in pursuit of some special interest or position is called a(n)

answer

faction.

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Functions of political parties in the United States include all of the following EXCEPT

answer

signing up large numbers of committed, dues-paying members.

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A political system in which only two parties have a reasonable chance of winning is called

answer

a two-party system.

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The first partisan political division in the United States was between

answer

the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists.

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George Washington viewed political parties as a

answer

threat to national unity and the concept of popular government.

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All of the following statements about the early Republican Party are true EXCEPT

answer

it was initially led by Thomas Jefferson.

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The years from 1817 to 1825, when James Monroe was president and there was, in effect, no political opposition, came to be known as the

answer

Era of Good Feelings.

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All of the following statements about the early Democratic Party are true EXCEPT

answer

it came into existence when the Republican Party split in two.

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The modern Republican Party was founded when the issue of ______ divided both existing political parties.

answer

slavery

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A large-scale, lasting change in the types of voters who support each of the major political parties is ca

answer

realignment.

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Under Woodrow Wilson, the Democratic Party

answer

began a radical change by becoming at least as receptive as the Republicans to government action in the economy.

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Which of the following is TRUE regarding politics and the Great Depression?

answer

The Great Depression shattered the working-class belief in Republican economic competence.

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After 1968, there was a slow-motion realignment that left the nation

answer

almost evenly divided in politics.

question

A major development in the run-up to the 2010 elections was the growth of the ______ movement.

answer

Tea Party

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The party organization is

answer

the formal structure and leadership of a political party.

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As part of the national party organization, the national convention

answer

officially nominates the presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

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The document drawn up at each national convention outlining the policies, positions, and principles of the party is called the

answer

party platform.

question

For a political party, the national committee

answer

directs and coordinates party activities between national party conventions.

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The practice of rewarding faithful party workers and followers with government employment and contracts is called

answer

patronage.

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Divided government is best understood as

answer

the situation when the presidency and Congress are controlled by different parties.

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What is a plurality system?

answer

Whoever gets the most votes wins.

question

The ______ is a rule by which all of a state's electoral votes are cast for the presidential candidate who receives a plurality of the votes in that state.

answer

unit rule

question

Many political scientists believe that third parties

answer

have acted as safety valves for dissident groups, preventing major confrontations and political unrest.

question

One of the main ways third parties have influenced American politics is by

answer

sometimes determining the outcome of an election by pulling votes from one of the major-party candidates.

question

Which of the following is TRUE regarding voting habits?

answer

The number of voters who identify as independents has never been greater.

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