Political Science 12

1. The statement that third parties are irrelevant in modern-day politics is

Truer than ever in today’s political landscape

Less accurate than in the past due to the Tea Party victories of the 2010 midterm elections.

Has only ever applied to Europe.

False and has always been false.

2. Senator Harry Reid was a vulnerable candidate in the 2010 midterm elections because

He helped Obama push through the stimulus and health care bills, both of which were unpopular in his home state.

He was such a conservative Republican

He was a member of the Tea Party.

He was too critical of President Obama.

He was a member of the Green Party.

3. According to James Madison, political parties were

The organizations that would link citizens to government.

A dangerous version of factions.

Not likely to become influential until after the writers of the Constitution died.

Unlikely to become influential in American politics.

4. Electioneering refers to

The process of getting a person elected to public office.

The false counting of votes conducted by many party machines in the Third Party Era.

The use of the courts to decide a close election.

The process of a president campaigning for members of his political party.

5. In a(n) _______, registered party members rather than party bosses nominate party candidates.

General party election

Referendum

Party primary

Initiative

6. All of the following statements concerning party identification in the electorate are true EXCEPT

The percentage of the electorate identifying themselves as independents grew substantially in the 1970s and 1980s.

Most people who are registered members of a party work actively for their party organization

Most voters who identify with a party identify with the same party as their parents.

The percentage of voters identifying with the Democratic Party has dropped significantly from its high in the 1950s.

7. The rank-and-file members who carry out the party's electioneering efforts are the

Party activists.

Party bosses.

Party radicals.

Party-in-the-electorate.

8. The party that usually gets the most votes is the party that

Best appeals to moderate voters.

Best appeals to its base.

Has the most innovative program.

Appeals to a mix of conservative and liberal voters.

9. The Democratic Party has become more liberal and the Republican Party more conservative because of the

Growing influence of the Republican Party in the industrial Midwest.

Growth of Democratic influence with liberals of the Rocky Mountain area.

Movement of conservative New Englanders and New Yorkers into the Republican Party.

Movement of conservative, southern Democrats to the Republican Party.

10. Realignment refers to a

Substantial and long-term shift in party allegiance by individuals and groups, usually resulting in a change in policy direction.

Period of time when party activists become less ideological.

Trend among voters to identify themselves as third-party members rather than as members of a major party.

11. The system in which successful party candidates reward supporters with jobs or favors is called

The civil service system.

Patronage.

Electioneering.

Party benefits

12. The two main advantages of incumbents in elections are that they have name recognition and

Are more likely to have the president's support.

Have the time to start a campaign early.

Have previously assembled a winning coalition in their district.

Usually have a closer relationship with the media than their challengers.

13. Parties help to overcome the problem of _______ created by the Constitution.

An overly powerful national government

A weak national government

Overly powerful state governments

Fragmented government

14. The major source of money for party fundraisers comes from

Individual donors and political action committees.

Economic interest groups.

Public interest groups.

Individual donors and party officials

15. The party _______ are the members of a political party who consistently vote for that party's candidates.

Base

Organization

Core

Loyalists

16. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of the responsible party model?

17. The current party era is characterized by all of the following EXCEPT

The massive migration of white southerners to the Republican Party.

A weakening in party identification among voters.

A shift among African Americans from limited support of the Democratic Party to overwhelming support of that party.

18. Since the 1960s,

Republicans and Democrats have become more consistent with respect to their ideologies.

E. the Republican Party has been much less consistent than the Democratic Party with respect to ideology.

Both Republicans and Democrats have leaned liberal.

Southern Democrats have grown in number, making the Democratic Party more liberal.

19. Primary voters, party activists, and big-money donors

Are less likely than independent voters to vote.

Make up the party organization.

Tend to be more ideological and issue oriented than the voters in the general election.

20. An election signaling the significant change in popular allegiance from one party to another is a ________ election.

Party era

Critical

Dealignment

Realignment

21. Parties appeal to moderate voters by all of the following EXCEPT

Publically denouncing the more extreme wing of their own party

Not publically endorsing positions they may like but know that moderates reject.

Emphasizing issues they know are popular with moderates.

Changing positions that have been rejected by moderates.

22. In America's First Party Era,

Parties were primarily an elite phenomenon.

Little ideological difference existed between the parties

Many parties emerged, and eventually our political system focused on two main parties.

The Democratic and Republican Parties were formed

23. Southern Democrats, Catholic immigrants, blue-collar workers, and farmers made up

The Jacksonian coalition.

The People's Party.

The New Democrat coalition.

The New Deal coalition.

Today's Democratic Party.

24. The advent of mass communication has changed the role of the party organization in the general election from _ to _.

Serving special interests; serving the national interest

Providing services to candidates; organizing and mobilizing voters

Efining the policy agenda; creating campaign commercials

Organizing and mobilizing voters; providing services to candidates

25. All of the following statements concerning "party machines" are true EXCEPT

They were characterized by central control by a party leader or “boss.”

They were exceptionally strong in urban areas.

They dominated party primary elections.