AP Government Test #2

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AP Government Quizzes & Trivia

Test on Units II and III.


Questions and Answers
  • 1. 
    Which of the following statements about gerrymandering is true?
    • A. 

      It has been banned by United States Supreme Court decisions beginning with Baker v. Carr.

    • B. 

      It was used traditionally to maintain urban control of the House of Representatives.

    • C. 

      It can be used by a political party to draw boundary lines to control as many districts as possible.

    • D. 

      It guarantees greater constituency control over elected representatives.

    • E. 

      It ensures liberal control of the House of Representatives.

  • 2. 
    Which of the following statements best describes the organization of the two major political parites in the United States?
    • A. 

      Parties have no organization except at the national level.

    • B. 

      Parties are centrally organized to provide a smooth transition from one national campaign to the next.

    • C. 

      Parties are organized much like a large corporation, in that decisions flow from national to state and local levels.

    • D. 

      Local and state parties have virtually no power in the party system.

    • E. 

      Separate and largely independent party organizations exist at national, state, and local levels.

  • 3. 
    The primary election system of selecting presidential candidates has had which of the following effects?
    • A. 

      It has increased the importance of state party organizations.

    • B. 

      It has loosened the hold of party leaders over the nomination process.

    • C. 

      It has reduced the role of citizens in the candidate selection process.

    • D. 

      It has lowered the cost of running for office.

    • E. 

      It has led to a decline in the importance of party voter-registration drives.

  • 4. 
    Considering all elections at all levels of government, which of the following best describes electoral behavior in the United States?
    • A. 

      Primary elections tend to elicit a higher voter turnout than do general elections.

    • B. 

      The majority of the electorate does not vote in most elections.

    • C. 

      Voter turnout plays an insignificant role in election outcomes.

    • D. 

      Adult citizens under the age of 30 tend to have the highest rate of voter turnout.

    • E. 

      Voters with strong party identification vote less regularly than do independents.

  • 5. 
    Which of the following describes a fundamental difference between political parties and interest groups?
    • A. 

      Political parties are prohibited from sponsoring campaign advertisements, and interest groups are not.

    • B. 

      Political parties represent broad arrays of issues, whereas interest groups are more likely to focus on narrow sets of issues.

    • C. 

      Political parties are more likely to focus on national politics, whereas interest groups focus on local politics.

    • D. 

      Political parties tend to have strength in particular regions, whereas the power of interest groups is more consistent across states.

    • E. 

      Political parties are required to disclose their campaign finance activities, whereas interest groups are not.

  • 6. 
    An interest group is most likely to have influence in Congress when the issue at stake
    • A. 

      Is narrow in scope and low in public visibility.

    • B. 

      Is part of the president's legislative package.

    • C. 

      Has been dramatized by the media.

    • D. 

      Engages legislators' deeply held convictions.

    • E. 

      Divides legislators along party lines.

  • 7. 
    Political socialization is the process by which
    • A. 

      The use of private property is regulated by the government.

    • B. 

      Governments communicate with each other.

    • C. 

      Public attitudes toward government are measured and reported.

    • D. 

      Political values are passed to the next generation.

    • E. 

      Children are trained for successful occupations.

  • 8. 
    Which of the following is the most important influence on the choice made by voters in presidential elections?
    • A. 

      Partisan identification

    • B. 

      Party platform adopted at the national convention

    • C. 

      Vice-presidential running mate

    • D. 

      Endorsement by political incumbents

    • E. 

      Appeal of the candidates' spouses

  • 9. 
    Which of the following is the most accurate statement about political parties in the United States?
    • A. 

      Parties increasingly identify themselves with coherent ideologies to attract large blocks of voters.

    • B. 

      The percentage of voters identifying themselves as either Democrats or Republicans has been declining since the 1970s.

    • C. 

      National party organizations are generally the strongest party organizations.

    • D. 

      It is increasingly difficult for third parties to gain more than two percent of the popular vote.

    • E. 

      Most candidates prefer to run as independents rather than as Democrats or Republicans.

  • 10. 
    Which of the following is NOT an explanation for low voter turnout?
    • A. 

      Registration requirements

    • B. 

      Low political efficacy among many voters

    • C. 

      Laws protecting minority voting rights

    • D. 

      Frequent elections at the state and local level

    • E. 

      Weekday elections

  • 11. 
    Which of the following individuals would be most likely to vote in a Republican primary?
    • A. 

      A 25-year-old white male with some high school education who is employed as a laborer in Florida

    • B. 

      A 55-year-old African American saleswoman from Georgia who has a master's degree

    • C. 

      A 65-year-old Hispanic male from California who is retired and lives on social security

    • D. 

      A 35-year-old female secretary from New York with an associate's degree who is a devout Catholic

    • E. 

      A 45-year-old white businessman from South Carolina who attends church weekly

  • 12. 
    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.

  • 13. 
    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

  • 14. 
    The most widely performed act of political participation in the United States is
    • A. 

      Writing letters to public officials

    • B. 

      Voting in local elections

    • C. 

      Voting in presidential elections

    • D. 

      Contributing money to political candidates

    • E. 

      Attending local party meetings

  • 15. 
    Voter turnout tends to be highest among
    • A. 

      College-educated voters

    • B. 

      Working-class voters

    • C. 

      African American voters

    • D. 

      Young voters

    • E. 

      Low-income voters

  • 16. 
    In response to the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold Act), the United States Supreme Court, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), ruled that
    • A. 

      Limits cannot be placed upon candidates' contributions to their own campaigns

    • B. 

      Independent campaign expenditures by corporations and unions are protected by the First Amendment

    • C. 

      Limits on issue advertisements 90 days before an election are unconstitutional

    • D. 

      Limits on campaign contributions by minors are constitutional under the First Amendment

    • E. 

      Requiring endorsement statements in campaign advertisements is unconsitutional

  • 17. 
    One of the best strategies that interest groups can use to achieve their goals is
    • A. 

      Pressing for changes in high-profile public policies

    • B. 

      Lobbying members of Congress to make small changes in existing policy

    • C. 

      Using the judiciary to invalidate federal legislation

    • D. 

      Encouraging states to use their Tenth Amendment rights and ignore federal law

    • E. 

      Running candidates for office

  • 18. 
    Since the 1960s, support for the Democratic Party has declined the most among which of the following groups?
    • A. 

      Labor union members

    • B. 

      Business leaders

    • C. 

      African Americans

    • D. 

      Native Americans

    • E. 

      White Southerners

  • 19. 
    Which of the following is LEAST characteristic of the history of political parties in the United States during the twentieth century?
    • A. 

      An increase in the number of organized interest groups

    • B. 

      A increase in the influence of political action committee (PAC) money in congressional elections

    • C. 

      State adoption of direct primary elections

    • D. 

      The loss of party patronage power

    • E. 

      The splitting of the two major parties into a multiparty system

  • 20. 
    Candidates for political office use public opinion polls for all of the following purposes EXCEPT to
    • A. 

      Assess recognition of the candidate's name

    • B. 

      Measure voters' support for the candidate's issues

    • C. 

      Bring the opposition's opinions into alignment with those of the candidate

    • D. 

      Fine-tune policy stands

    • E. 

      Identify key issues among the voters

  • 21. 
    All of the following are indications of how pervasive the two-party system is in US government EXCEPT
    • A. 

      Lack of effective third parties

    • B. 

      Closed primaries

    • C. 

      The need for the Electoral College

    • D. 

      The way in which members are assigned to Congressional committees

    • E. 

      The way in which the Speaker of the House is selected

  • 22. 
    The major impact third political parties have on presidential elections has been to
    • A. 

      Develop issues that are later adopted by the major political parties.

    • B. 

      Draw enough votes from the major parties to throw the election into the House of Representatives.

    • C. 

      Recruit leaders from the Democrats and Republicans to run for president.

    • D. 

      Encourage a larger voter turnout.

    • E. 

      Generate increased party identification among the electorate.

  • 23. 
    Which of the following best explains why the winner of a presidential elections usually claims to have a mandate from voters?
    • A. 

      The president's party often wins a majority of seats in Congress by riding the president's coattails.

    • B. 

      The allocation of electoral votes in the winner-take-all system exaggerates the margin of victory.

    • C. 

      Presidents are allowed to implement their legislative agendas without interference during their first term.

    • D. 

      The new president is allowed to replace a significant number of justices on the Supreme Court.

    • E. 

      The incoming president automatically gains control of Congress.

  • 24. 
    Establishing the boundaries of United States congressional districts to give one party an advantage over another party is referred to as
    • A. 

      Raiding

    • B. 

      Apportionment

    • C. 

      Reapportionment

    • D. 

      Gerrymandering

    • E. 

      Filibustering

  • 25. 
    Which of the following statements about voting behavior in national elections is most accurate?
    • A. 

      Men are more likely to vote than are women.

    • B. 

      Blue-collar workers are more likely to vote than are professionals.

    • C. 

      Those with less than a high school education are more likely to vote than are college graduates.

    • D. 

      Democrats are more likely to vote than are Republicans.

    • E. 

      Senior citizens are more likely to vote than are college students.

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