Voting
Which of the following is an effect of the Seventeenth Amendment?
A. State legislatures gained more power over national and local elections.
B. People could participate in the political process by directly electing the senators.
C. Suffrage for women greatly expanded in national elections.
D. African American males could vote in national and state elections.
B. People could participate in the political process by directly electing the senators.
The concept of realignment refers to changes in:
A. the United States' system of international alliances
B. the social bases of the parties' voting support
C. the media's criticism of the president and Congress
D. spending priorities in the federal budget
E. the rate of voter participation
B. the social bases of the parties' voting support
Which of the following is true of amicus curiae briefs?
A. They are used by interest groups to lobby courts.
B. They are used exclusively by liberal interest groups.
C. They are used exclusively by conservative interest groups.
D. They are now unconstitutional.
E. They are the means by which a litigant seeks Supreme Court review of a lower court decision.
A. They are used by interest groups to lobby courts.
Which of the following is NOT a way in which the federal government regulates campaigns?
A. By requirements for disclosure of campaign donations
B. By establishment of federal agencies to regulate campaign finance activities
C. By limits on the distribution of soft money
D. By limits on individual donations to campaigns
E. By prohibitions on negative advertising
E. By prohibitions on negative advertising
The agenda-setting function of the media refers to the power to:
A. endorse specific candidates for political office
B. favor the position of one interest group over another
C. counter the censorship activities of media watch groups
D. mobilize economic interests in favor of a particular candidate
E. decide which issues are important enough to bring to public attention
E. decide which issues are important enough to bring to public attention
Of the following, which best predicts the likelihood that citizens will vote?
A. Their race
B. Their religion
C. Their educational level
D. Their gender
E. Their region of residence
C. Their educational level
Which of the following statements about political parties and the United States Constitution is true?
A. According to the Constitution, only two major political parties may exist at any time.
B. The Constitution requires political parties to be restricted by both federal and state law.
C. The Constitution indicates that political party leaders at the national level be elected by political party leaders at the state level.
D. The Constitution specifies that political party leaders must be native-born United States citizens.
E. The issue of political parties is not addressed in the Constitution.
E. The issue of political parties is not addressed in the Constitution.
A corporate lobbyist would be LEAST likely to have an informal discussion about a pending policy matter with which of the following?
A. A member of the House in whose district the corporation has a plant
B. A member of the White House staff concerned about the issue
C. A member of the staff of the Senate committee handling a matter of concern to the corporation
D. A federal judge in whose court a case important to the corporation is being heard
E. A journalist for a major newspaper concerned about the issue
D. A federal judge in whose court a case important to the corporation is being heard
When party members meet to nominate a candidate for office, they participate in which of the following?
A. General election
B. Caucus
C. Blanket primary
D. Open primary
E. Closed primary
B. Caucus
Which of the following provides the most accurate explanation of how consumer-driven media increases partisan polarization?
A. Consumer-driven media tends to avoid discussing controversial political topics.
B. Consumer-driven media reinforces existing political biases in individuals.
C. Consumer-driven media relies heavily on corporate advertising.
D. Consumer-driven media is overwhelmingly conservative.
B. Consumer-driven media reinforces existing political biases in individuals.
In the United States, which of the following is a rule on voting found in the Constitution or its amendments?
A. No person may be denied the right to vote merely for lack of either state or federal citizenship.
B. No person eighteen years of age or older may be denied the right to vote on account of age.
C. No person may be denied the right to vote merely because he or she has previously served a prison sentence.
D. A state may not establish a residency requirement for voting.
E. A state may require a person to pay a poll tax in order to register to vote.
B. No person eighteen years of age or older may be denied the right to vote on account of age.
Which of the following best accounts for the lack of success generally encountered by minor political parties in electing members to the House or Senate?
A. Political action committee (PAC) contributions are restricted by law to the two major parties.
B. General elections in the United States are based on the winner-take-all principle.
C. House and Senate rules exclude members of minor parties from organizing coalitions with the major parties.
D. The public has great faith in the two major political parties.
E. Some states outlaw minor political parties.
B. General elections in the United States are based on the winner-take-all principle.
Which of the following activities by interest groups best illustrates attempts to educate members of Congress on public policy?
A. A green energy group sending a research report to congressional offices
B. A law-reform group sending alerts to its members encouraging them to contact their representatives
C. A single-issue group holding a rally in Washington to show support for their cause
D. A PAC giving contributions to the reelection campaigns of members of Congress
A. A green energy group sending a research report to congressional offices
A primary election in which voters are required to identify a party preference before the election and are allowed to split their ticket is called:
A. an open primary
B. a blanket primary
C. a closed primary
D. a runoff primary
E. a presidential preference primary
C. a closed primary
Which of the following describes the potential impact on the electorate when daily media coverage of elections focuses primarily on the newest poll results?
A. The electorate will be increasingly divided along partisan lines.
B. The electorate will be less likely to turn out to vote on Election Day.
C. The electorate will be more likely to have expanded knowledge of the electoral process.
D. The electorate will be less able to accurately compare the policy platforms of candidates running in the election.
D. The electorate will be less able to accurately compare the policy platforms of candidates running in the election.
Explanations for low voter turnout include all of the following EXCEPT:
A. registration requirements
B. weak party affiliation
C. laws protecting voting rights for minorities
D. weekday elections
E. frequency of elections at the state and local level
C. laws protecting voting rights for minorities
Since 1972, voters in presidential elections have:
A. become more focused on individual candidates
B. increasingly based their votes on televised candidate debates
C. become more influenced by party platforms
D. become more likely to focus on local rather than national conditions
E. become more likely to rely on print media for information
A. become more focused on individual candidates
The free rider problem occurs when:
A. interest groups seek public funding to advance their special interests
B. people benefit from an interest group's efforts without making any contribution
C. elected officials provide government services for those who have helped their campaigns
D. political campaigns manipulate the news media in order to obtain free advertising
E. congressional candidates win elections because they belong to the party of a popular president
B. people benefit from an interest group's efforts without making any contribution
All of the following are reasons incumbents in the House of Representatives enjoy an electoral advantage over challengers EXCEPT that incumbents:
A. get substantial financial support from their party's national committee
B. are better known to voters than are challengers
C. find it much easier to raise campaign funds than do challengers
D. can use staff members to do constituent service
E. often serve on committees that enable them to help the constituency
A. get substantial financial support from their party's national committee
Which of the following describes a consequence of the growing concentration of ownership of the news media?
A. Newspaper prices have gone down.
B. Coverage of political events has gotten more liberal over time.
C. Prices for televised campaign ads have gone down.
D. Candidates get more free airtime.
E. There is increased similarity of network news coverage.
E. There is increased similarity of network news coverage.
Of the following, which is the most important reason that voter turnout is lower in the United States than in most other industrial democracies?
A. American citizens are more apathetic than are citizens in other democracies.
B. There are fewer elections in the United States than in other democracies.
C. It has traditionally been more difficult to register to vote in the United States than in most other industrial democracies.
D. United States elections receive less media attention than do elections in other democracies.
E. Unlike other industrial democracies, the United States has a two-party system.
C. It has traditionally been more difficult to register to vote in the United States than in most other industrial democracies.
Which of the following factors best accounts for the rise of interest groups and the decline of political parties in recent years?
A. National parties have become too closely identified with controversial issues.
B. Court decisions have restricted the political parties' abilities to recruit new members.
C. It is less expensive to join an interest group than to join a political party.
D. Interest groups have been more successful in avoiding negative press coverage than have political parties.
E. Interest groups are better able to articulate specific policy positions than are political parties.
E. Interest groups are better able to articulate specific policy positions than are political parties.
Which of the following is the main reason interest groups are often successful in getting legislation passed to benefit their members?
A. It is easy to garner support from most members of Congress on any issue.
B. All members of society desire the legislation that special interests pursue.
C. It is very easy to get legislation passed in Congress.
D. A narrow constituency derives the benefits from such legislation but the costs are spread broadly across the population.
E. Interest group activity represents the democratic process at work because individual interest groups often represent more than half the population.
D. A narrow constituency derives the benefits from such legislation but the costs are spread broadly across the population.
Which of the following is true of political action committees (PACs)?
A. They make campaign contributions in hopes of gaining access to legislators.
B. They are a part of political party organizations.
C. They are allowed to contribute to only one candidate in any election.
D. They nominate candidates for president at national party conventions.
E. They operate at the state level but not at the national level.
A. They make campaign contributions in hopes of gaining access to legislators.
Which of the following is most frequently reported in the media during a presidential election?
A. Results from public opinion polls that indicate which candidates are most likely to win
B. The official platforms of each of the major political parties
C. Financial strategies and management of the campaigns
D. Comparisons of candidates' positions on foreign and domestic policy issues
E. Information about the candidates' experience in government and record in office
A. Results from public opinion polls that indicate which candidates are most likely to win