POL 1015 Chapter 10-Oakland Community College – Flashcards
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The beginning of this chapter discusses Aaron Schock's gateway to American politics through elections and campaigns. He was elected A. to the Peoria School Board B. President of the Peoria School Board C. to the Illinois House of Representatives D. to the U.S House of Representatives E. All of the above are true
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E. All of the above are true
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_____ provide(s) the most common (and easiest) gateway for people to express their opinions and to hold elected officials accountable. A. Elections B. Interest group C. Newspaper D. Political protests E. the internet
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A. Elections
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The requirements regarding elections that are in the U.S Constitution indicate that the Farmers wanted to set up barriers against A. corruption B. direct democracy C. revolution D. theocracy E. elitism
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B. direct democracy
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According to the U.S constitution, only the ____ was (were) to be elected directly by the people. A. chief justice of the supreme court B. House of Representatives C. president D. Senate E. state governors
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B. House of Representatives
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The formal selection of the president of the United States is in the hands of the A. chief justice of the supreme court B. electors in the Electoral College C. House of Representatives D. president E. Senate
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B. electors in the Electoral College
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Who originally elected the members of the Electoral College? A. House of Representatives B. The people of the state C. Senate D. State legislature E. State governors
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D. State legislature
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Who currently elects the members of the Electoral College? A. House of Representatives B. The people of the state C. Senate D. State legislature E. State governors
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B. The people of the state
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How many electoral votes does each state get? A. 1 B. 2 C. 10 D. One for every 10,000 residents E. Equal to the number of senators and members of the House of Representative.
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E. Equal to the number of senators and members of the House of Representative.
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How many electoral votes did Vermont have in 2008? A. 2 B. 3 C. 10 D. 27 E. 55
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B. 3
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How many electoral votes did California have in 2008? A. 2 B. 3 C. 10 D. 27 E. 55
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E. 55
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There are two exceptions to the winner-take-all system in Presidential elections:___ allocate votes by congressional district and so can split their electoral votes. A. Colorado and Louisiana B. Louisiana and Montana C. Nebraska and Maine D. Montana and West Virginia E. Vermont and Washington
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C. Nebraska and Maine
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To win the presidency, a candidate needs to win ____ electoral votes. A. 25 B. 50 C. 100 D. 270 E. 538
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D. 270
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When was the last time no one won the majority of electoral votes? A. 1824 B. 1872 C. 1928 D. 1976 E. 2000
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A. 1824
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The ____ Amendment combined the vote for president and Vice president into one ballot, with the person running for each office named. A. Ninth B. Twelfth C. Seventeenth D. Twenty-First E. Twenty-Second
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B. Twelfth
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The biggest problem with the Electoral College occurs when winning the nation's popular vote does not automatically translate into a win the Electoral College, meaning that the individual who received fewer popular votes could become the president with the win of the Electoral College votes. This actually happened in the ____ presidential election. A. 1824 B. 1876 C. 1888 D. 2000 E. All of the above are true.
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E. All of the above are true
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The ____ has never worked as the Farmers had envisioned, as an institution that would allow a group of independent decision makers to get together in the many states and deliberate over who would make the best president. A. House of Representatives B. Senate C. Electoral College D. White House E. Supreme Court
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C. Electoral College
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Tally of the total votes from individual citizens, as opposed to the electoral vote is known as the A. popular vote B. electoral vote C. secret vote D. blanket vote E. redistricting
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A. popular vote
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In 2001, more than _____ percent of the public wanted to do away with Electoral College completely. A. 32 B. 51 C. 60 D. 65 E. 75
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C. 60
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In January 2001, just a few days before George W. Bush was to be sworn in as president, _____ perfect of the public felt he had won the presidency "legitimately" A. 23 B. 41 C. 51 D. 67 E. 75
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C. 51
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In 2008, only ____ percent of American had doubts about theater his or her vote had not been counted. A. 5 B. 12 C. 21 D. 36 E. 41
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A. 5
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In the case of bush v. Gore (2000) the Supreme Court had ruled by a ____ vote that the absence of specific standards for gauging the intent of the voter was so arbitrary as to violate the equal protection clause. A. 5-4 B. 4-5 C. 2-7 D. 7-2 E. 6-3
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D. 7-2
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In the case of Bush v. Gore (2000) the Supreme Court ruled a 7-2 vote that the absence of specific standard for gauging the intent of the voter was so arbitrary as to violate the ____clause. A. Establishment B. Equal Protection C. Full faith and credit D. Interstate commerce E. Presentment
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B. Equal Protection
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The ___ Amendment in 1913 took the choice of senators from the state legislatures and gave it to the people. A. Eleventh B. Thirteenth C. Seventeenth D. Twenty-First E. Twenty-Second
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C. Seventeenth
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The Constitution requires that members of the House of Representatives be apportioned, within each state, according to population, which is counted in a(n) A. Caucus B. Census C. Election D. Initiative E. Primary
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B. Census
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How many members of the House of Representatives were there in 1789? A. 65 B. 120 C. 237 D. 435 E. 535
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A. 65
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Depending on patterns of population growth or declined, states win or lose congressional seats with each new census. State legislature are responsible for drawing the district lines, in a process known as A. bundling B. consolidation C. ducking D. pushing E. redistricting
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E. redistricting
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Originally each member was to represent no more than 30,000 people. As the population grew, the House of Representatives, in 1857, would be at ____ members. A. 237 B. 435 C. 65 D. 152 E. 100
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A. 237
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Today, U.S. citizens directly elect A. senators B. members of the House of Representatives C. governors D. state legislators E. All of the above are true
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E. All of the above are true
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In October 2008, ____ percent of the electorate paid at least some attention to the presidential contest between John McCain and Barack Obama. A. 47 B. 54 C. 69 D. 85 E. 95
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E. 95
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Many have expressed concern over what has been called the ___, a worry that politicians, especially presidents, spend too much time working toward reelection and not enough time governing. A. front porch campaign B. permanent campaign C. strategic politician hypothesis D. winner-take-all hypothesis E. All of the above are true.
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B. permanent campaign
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Once a candidate decides to run for president, he or she enters what has been called the _____. No votes are cast, but candidates are jockeying for position so they can be ready to do well in the initial primaries and caucuses. A. front porch campaign B. invisible primary C. midterm election D. permanent campaign E. strategic primary
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B. invisible primary
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The 2008 election was "open," meaning that neither the sitting president nor vice president was seeking the nomination of his party, the first time since A. 1936 B. 1944 C. 1952 D. 1964 E. 1980
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C. 1952
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Which two states failed to follow the rules of the Republican National Committee regarding primaries in 2012? A. Arkansas and Florida B. Florida and Arizona C. Georgia and Mississippi D. Louisiana and Maine E. Montana and Wyoming
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B. Florida and Arizona
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About ___ percent of the states use some form of primary election, an election in which citizens go to the polling booths and vote for their favorite party candidates. A. 30 B. 40 C. 60 D. 70 E. 95
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D. 70
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The____ caucus, the nation's first and most famous caucus, requires that people attend a meeting of about two hours in which they indicate their preferences and then try to convince those who are undecided to join their candidate'e group. A. Arkansas B. Iowa C. New Hampshire D. New Mexico E. Washington
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B. Iowa
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At the party conventions the ____ is formally adopted, laying out the plan for government. A. Mandate B. Party platform C. political agenda D. predictable modle E. strategic agenda
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B. Party platform
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Today presidential debates and Vice-presidential debate are managed by the nonpartisan, nonprofit _____, which was established in 1987. A. Commission on Presidential Debates B. Federal Bureau of Investigation C. Federal Election Commission D. Rand Foundation E. State Department
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A. Commission on Presidential Debates
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The first televised presidential debate was between. A. Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush in 1992 B. George Washington and John Adams in 1789 C. Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter in 1976 D. John Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960 E. Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter in 1980
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D. John Kennedy and Richard Nixon in 1960
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In 1971, congress tried to put candidates on an equal financial footing and make them less beholden to special interest though the A. American Election Act B. Campaign Finance Reform Act C. Election and Campaign Finance Act D. Equal Footing Act E. Federal Election Campaign Act
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E. Federal Election Campaign Act
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Who monitors campaign finance? A. congress B. Electoral College C. Federal Election Commission D. Political Action committees E. Political Parties
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C. Federal Election Commission
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_____ are group formed with the express purpose of donating money to candidates who agree with a specific policy agenda. A. Electoral Colleges B. Federal Election Committees C. Interest Groups D. Political Action Committees E. Political parties
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D. Political Action Committees
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In 2012, the limit per contributor cap was ____ million for the primary and $91.2 million for the general election. A. 2.4 B. 2.5 C. 12.5 D. 20 E. 45.6
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E. 45.6
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In the 2012 presidential election, serious candidates for the nomination and eventual nominees will almost surely not use federal funds, raising and spending their own money instead. As a result, the key constraint will be the approximate $_____ limit an individual can contribute to a campaign. A. 2,400 B. 5,000 C. 10,000 D. 20,000 E. 50,000
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B. 5,000
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Based on the amounts raised in the 2008 election, the total amount to be spent on the next presidential campaign can be expected to approach A. $200,000 B. $750,000 C. $2 billion D. $5 billion E. $2 trillion
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C. $2 billion
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Though the number of swing voters varies from year to year, it is usually about ____ percent of the electorate. A. 2 B. 12 C. 20 D. 27 E. 30
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C. 20
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In 2012, both Romney and Obama campaigned hard in Pennsylvania, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Nevada, and Wisconsin because these were _____ states that each though they had a chance to win. A. battleground B. safe C. strategic D. wedge E. winner-take-all
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A. battleground
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In 2008 nearly _____ percent of presidential campaign visits were to battleground states. A. 60 B. 70 C. 80 D. 90 E. 100
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D. 90
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The technique of _____ includes identifying and tracking potential supporters so that campaign strategies can design specific political messages tailored for each of the "voting profiles" found from the data. In 1996, for example, President Bill Clinton's reelection campaign sought to reach soccer mom - "busy suburban woman devote to their jobs and kids, who had real concerns about real presidential politics." A. bundling B. gerrymandering C. microtargeting D. polling E. typecasting
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C. microtargeting
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In 2008, the economy dominated the discussion between McCain and Obama with over ___ percent of the appeals made by these two contenders dealing with this issue alone according to one estimate. A. 40 B. 50 C. 60 D. 70 E. 80
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B. 50
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A _____ issue is a vague claim to a goal, such as a "strong economy," "improved education," or "greater nation security." These are goals all candidates talk about and votes seek. A. position B. salient C. swing D. valence E. wedge
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D. valence
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To look beyond a single case, political scientists have developed _____ that yield specific estimates of the vote share in presidential elections. The goal is to provide a general understanding of who wins and why. A. conceptual models B. prediction models C. multiple issue hypotheses D. multiple issue polls E. strategic politician hypothese
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B. prediction models
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The congressional elections that occur in between the four year presidential election cycles are called A. Caucuses B. invisible elections C. midterm elections D. non-presidential elections E. primary election
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C. midterm elections
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In congressional elections, national political parties A. pay for campaign training for candidates and their staffs B. hold general party fundraisers C. buy campaign advertisements that attack the opposing candidate so long as they do not mention their party's candidate. D. share lists of campaign doors and party members who are likely to volunteer their time to candidates' individual campaigns. E. All of the above
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E. All of the above
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______ almost always win congressional elections. A. Challengers B. Democrats C. Incumbents D. Progressives E. Republicans
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C. Incumbents
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The effect of _____ is when a popular president running for reelection brings additional party candidates into office. A. bundling B. Front Porch campaigning C. Microtargeting D. Presidential Coattails E. pushing
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D. Presidential Coattails
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The effect that the strength of the economy and the popularity of the sitting president have n the decision to run for congress is known as A. Strategis Politician hypothesis B. Landslide C. Mandate D. Microtargeting E. Presidential coattails
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A. Strategis Politician hypothesis
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Elections are supposed to send signals to politicians about what policies should be pursued, and winning candidates like to claim that their election constitutes a _____, a clear signal from the public about the policies government should pursue. A. Census B. Landslide C. Mandate D. Narrow Defeat E. Popular vote
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C. Mandate
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Overwhelming victory by a presidential candidate that demonstrates their political support and increases the ability to govern is known as a(n) A. Landslide B. Mandate C. Gerrymandering D. establishing E. Interstate commerce
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A. Landslide
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In 1964, Lyndon Johnson received a landslide ___ percent of the vote. A reporter for the New York Times asked, "How will (Johnson) used the mandate to lead and govern that has been so overwhelmingly tendered by the American people?" A. 45 B. 50 C. 62 D. 72 E. 75
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C. 62
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Perhaps the most famous breaking of a promise occurred in 1991, when President George H.W Bush agreed to a ____ as part of budget deal with congressional democrats. A. Tax decrease B. Tax increase C. wage increase to the middle class D. wage increase to the representatives E. none of the above
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B. Tax increase
