Congress passed the Inflation Reduction Act in both chambers with a straight party line vote. When Republicans vote with other Republicans and Democrats vote with fellow Democrats, and they oppose the other party, this is an illustration of
political polarization
Much of the national news published in local newspapers is provided by
the Associated Press.
What is the gender gap?
The difference in support for Republicans and Democrats among men and women.
Who is an incumbent?
the current officeholder running for re-election
The main goal of political parties is to
control the government
A political ideology is best defined as
a cohesive set of beliefs that form a general philosophy about the government
What is the two-party system?
a system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control
Joe Biden won the state of California in the 2020 election. In 2020, California had 53 representatives in the House of Representatives. How many electoral votes from California did Biden win?
55
The process of allocating congressional seats among the 50 states is called
apportionment.
It is likely that eliminating state-level voter registration laws would __________ voter turnout among __________ voters.
increase; younger
If the Rules Committee adopts a closed rule for a bill in the House, what does that mean for the bill?
There cannot be any amendments added on the floor
Carlos joins a debate club at their college because they are interested in meeting new friends and socializing with people who are similarly interested in debating political issues. This is an example of what kind of benefit?
solidary
A state with a roughly equal number of Democrats and Republicans in the population is often referred to as a __________ state.
battleground
The Senate passed the Inflation Reduction Act in 2022 with all 50 Democrats supporting the bill and all 50 Republicans opposing the bill. Vice President Kamala Harris cast the tie-breaking vote. This is an example of
a party unity vote.
Which of the following could well constitute an iron triangle?
the Sierra Club interest group + the Senate’s Environment and Public Work Committee + the Environmental Protection Agency
Duverger’s law states that
a political system with single-member districts and plurality rule elections will tend to result in a two-party system.
On average, women tend to vote for __________ candidates and men tend to vote for __________ candidates.
Democratic; Republican
During the 2020 Democratic presidential primary elections, candidate and former vice president Joe Biden received favorable national coverage showing his lead in the South Carolina polls. Despite losses in the previous four states, Biden went on to become the party’s presumptive nominee in weeks. The increased public support for Biden is partly explained by
the bandwagon effect
Which statement best distinguishes between the journalism of assertion and the journalism of affirmation?
Assertion focuses on presenting information or opinion quickly, minimizing fact-checking, whereas affirmation is tailored to fit consumers’ preexisting beliefs.
A(n) ________ sample is a method used by pollsters to select a representative sample in which every individual in the population has an equal probability of being selected as a respondent
simple random
Which Supreme Court case introduced the idea that money is a form of speech, and therefore subject to First Amendment protections?
Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
If a presidential candidate went on the news and attacked his opponent for an alleged affair, would the news station be required to permit the candidate to respond to the attack?
Yes, the candidate has a right to rebuttal if they have been personally attacked.
Which of the following statements about the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans in the public is the most accurate?
Membership in either the Democratic or Republican parties is one of the most important factors affecting political attitudes.
Imagine four political parties—Parties A, B, C, and D—ran candidates for office under a proportional representation system with 12 seats up for grabs. If Party A wins 51 percent of the vote and Party D wins 16 percent of the vote, how many seats would those two parties win?
Party A wins 6 seats; Party D wins 2 seats.
Imagine that in the next presidential election Wisconsin voters vote as follows: 56 percent for the Democratic presidential candidate and 44 percent for the Republican candidate. Under the current electoral college system, how would Wisconsin’s 10 electoral college votes be allocated to candidates?
The Democrat gets all 10