AP Review Chapter 7 Quiz
A whole host of questions await you in this AP Review Chapter 7 Quiz, as we test your recently acquired knowledge on various topics such as political parties and their influence, ticket-splitting, policy gridlock, local party organisation and much more. What can you tell us? Let’s find out.
- 1.The influence of political parties has been declining for all of the following reasons EXCEPT
- A.
Candidates can share their views directly with the electorate through television.
- B.
Voters can nominate party candidates in primary elections.
- C.
Candidates largely fund their own campaigns or hire campaign firms.
- D.
The government has failed to enforce party membership among the electorate.
- E.
The electorate is becoming increasingly independent from party affiliation.
- 2.A two-party system differs from a multiparty system in that it
- A.
Encourages moderation in policy-making and discourages change.
- B.
Offers voters no choice among ideologies.
- C.
Usually includes a liberal and a conservative party.
- D.
Relies on popular elections to change the party in power.
- E.
Allows parties to choose their own leaders in the legislature.
- 3.Which of the following statements are generally true of third parties? I. Having a third-party president in the White House would threaten the political standing of the U.S. in the eyes of other nations. II. Third parties expand the political agenda by forcing the candidates of the two major parties to address the issues that it introduces into a campaign. III. Third parties rarely gain enough support in the electorate to win, in part because they tend to focus on narrow issues and have extreme views. IV. Any success that a third party achieves in an election is a measure of public discontent with the major political parties and their platforms.
- A.
I only.
- B.
III only.
- C.
II & III only.
- D.
I & IV only
- E.
II, III, and IV only.
- 4.Political parties play an important role in democracy because they
- A.
Give voters radically different choices of policy initiatives.
- B.
Offer politicians a distinct political identify.
- C.
Connect the public with policy-making institutions.
- D.
Contribute to a centralized federal government.
- E.
Influence policy in each of the three branches of government.
- 5.Which of the following has led to ticket-splitting in recent elections?
- A.
Partisan dealignment
- B.
Open primaries
- C.
Party realignment
- D.
Patronage system
- E.
Closed primaries
- 6.The process through which parties nominate their candidate for the presidency is called
- A.
A critical election.
- B.
A national convention.
- C.
An open primary.
- D.
A closed primary.
- E.
A national committee.
- 7.Policy gridlock is most likely to occur when
- A.
A party wins a significant majority of the seats in Congress.
- B.
There is a third-party candidate in the presidential election.
- C.
A political party forms a coalition around a specific policy.
- D.
The president is of a different party from the majority party in Congress.
- E.
The same party wins the majority in both houses of Congress.
- 8.Local party organizations have little power because
- A.
Party machines no longer control large cities.
- B.
They must turn most of their resources over to state organizations
- C.
Most voters are not able to participate in politics at the local level.
- D.
The Constitution limits the scope of their activities.
- E.
Campaign finance reforms have prevented them from fundraising.
- 9.Which of the following statements accurately describe critical elections? I. Critical elections tend to occur only after significant political or social events. II. After a critical election, the existing minority party usually collapses and a new party forms. III. A critical election ensures that the existing majority party will maintain its position of power. IV. Critical elections usually signal the beginning of a new political era.
- A.
II only.
- B.
IV only.
- C.
I & IV only.
- D.
II & III only.
- E.
I, II, and IV only.
- 10.All of the following were political consequences of the Great Depression EXCEPT
- A.
The Democratic Party forged a new coalition.
- B.
The New Deal greatly expanded the scope of federal activities.
- C.
It defined the Democratic Party that still exists, for the most part, today.
- D.
It began a new party era of Democratic control of the federal government.
- E.
It initiated the current trend of divided government.
- 11.National party conventions were developed as a reform of
- A.
The electoral college.
- B.
Party caucuses.
- C.
Primary elections.
- D.
Direct elections.
- E.
Recall elections.
- 12.The federalist system goes a long way toward explaining why U.S. parties are ______________________ than their European counterparts.
- A.
More ideological
- B.
Less ideological
- C.
More aggressive
- D.
More centralized
- E.
More decentralized
- 13.The Founders saw political parties as
- A.
An important aspect of democracy.
- B.
Effective only in raising money for campaigns.
- C.
Appropriate for a direct democracy but not for a republic.
- D.
A means communicating public opinion to the president.
- E.
Factions motivated by ambition and self-interest.
- 14.The most obvious result of ticket splitting is
- A.
Reform of political institutions.
- B.
Efficiency in government.
- C.
Machine style politics.
- D.
Party realignment.
- E.
Divided government.
- 15.The term superdelegate refers to
- A.
Elected officials and party leaders who are nor required to pledge themselves in advance to a presidential candidate.
- B.
Delegates representing special-interest caucuses.
- C.
Delegates-at-large who are chosen by a vote of the national party leadership.
- D.
Delegates chosen by primary elections and grassroot caucuses,
- E.
Delegates who received more than 80% of the vote in a caucus.
- 16.The late 19th and early 20th centuries are often considered the heyday of the
- A.
Sponsored party.
- B.
Political machine.
- C.
Ideological party.
- D.
Political action committee (PAC).
- E.
Legislative conferences.
- 17.To win in a plurality system such as that in the U.S.. a candidate must
- A.
Exert considerable inside influence.
- B.
Win a runoff election.
- C.
Secure a majority of the votes.
- D.
Secure at least 70% of the vote.
- E.
Finish first.
- 18.An example of a protest party is the
- A.
Communist party.
- B.
Libertarian party.
- C.
American Independent party.
- D.
Populist party.
- E.
Bull Moose party.
- 19.National convention delegates,compared to their respective party members, tend to be
- A.
More liberal if they are Democrats, more conservative if they are Republicans.
- B.
More liberal regardless of party.
- C.
More conservative regardless of party.
- D.
More conservative if they are Democrats, more liberal if they are Republicans.
- E.
None of the above.
- 20.Political parties were seen as factions motivated by ambition and self-interest in the eyes of
- A.
The Founders.
- B.
Early 20th century reformers.
- C.
Most voters in the 1980s.
- D.
Nations around the world.
- E.
The leaders of the Confederacy.
- 21.National party conventions were developed as a reform of
- A.
The electoral college.
- B.
Party caucuses.
- C.
Primary elections.
- D.
Direct elections.
- E.
Recall elections.
- 22.The progressives developed as a reform movement within the
- A.
Republican party.
- B.
Mugwumps.
- C.
Democratic party.
- D.
Whig party.
- E.
Democratic-Republican party.
- 23.Procedures such as the initiative and the referendum arose as efforts to give
- A.
Congress a way of controlling the president.
- B.
Citizens a direct say in making laws.
- C.
Courts a system for prosecuting election fraud.
- D.
Governors more power in relation to legislatures.
- E.
Party regulars a say in nominating candidates.
- 24.The three clearest cases of critical or realigning elections seem to be
- A.
1800, 1828, and 1876.
- B.
1828, 1876, and 1896.
- C.
1876, 1896, and 1932.
- D.
1860, 1896, and 1932
- E.
1932, 1968, and 1984
- 25.The best evidence suggests
- A.
Electoral realignments are an inevitable aspect of American politics.
- B.
An electoral realignment will certainly take place in the next 10 or 15 years.
- C.
Parties are dealigning, not realigning.
- D.
Realignment will occur once again if economic issues are prominent in presidential elections.
- E.
Declining voter turnout increases the possibility of critical or realigning elections.
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