Political Parties and Elections
Chapter Exam Questions
Course Introduction
This course examines the role and significance of political parties and electoral systems in modern democracies, with a particular focus on their development, organization, and impact on political processes. Students will explore how parties mobilize voters, select candidates, formulate policies, and compete for power in various electoral contexts. Through comparative analysis, the course investigates different electoral systems, party systems, and the influence of historical, social, and institutional factors on party strategies and election outcomes. Emphasis will also be placed on contemporary challenges such as party polarization, campaign finance, and the effects of new technologies on campaigns and voter engagement.
Recommended Textbook Politics in America 2014 Elections and Updates Edition 10th Edition by Thomas R. Dye
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Chapter 1: Politics: Who Gets What,When and How 1
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Q1) A pluralist would be most likely to encourage individuals to __________.
A)refuse to vote in protest of elitism
B)join and support interest groups
C)run for office in order to become one of the elites
D)practice civil disobedience as often as possible
Answer: B
Q2) An organization extending to the whole of society that can legitimately use force to carry out its decisions is a __________.
A)legislature
B)government
C)judicial system
D)corporation
Answer: B
Q3) What is political science?
A)the study of politics
B)the participation in politics
C)public policies
D)the political process
Answer: A
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Page 3
Chapter 2: Political Culture: Ideas in Conflict
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Q1) which of the following is the largest of the non-Christian religious affiliations of Americans?
A)Buddhist
B)Hindu
C)Jewish
D)Muslim
Answer: B
Q2) Where in the United States have most Hispanics traditionally lived?
A)the Midwest
B)the Northeast
C)the Pacific Northwest
D)the Southwest
Answer: D
Q3) Class conflict is not widespread in America because of a general belief in social
Answer: mobility
Q4) One of the theories of __________ is that advanced capitalist countries turned toward war and colonialism to make their own workers relatively prosperous.
Answer: Leninism
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Chapter 3: The Constitution: Limiting Governmental Power
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Q1) Who of the following was most likely to support proposed provisions that strengthened national power?
A)James Madison
B)Patrick Henry
C)George Mason
D)Samuel Adams
Answer: A
Q2) In what year was the U.S.Constitution ratified?
A)1776
B)1788
C)1791
D)1797
Answer: B
Q3) _________ is the primary form of checks and balances used by the Supreme Court.
Answer: Judicial review
Q4) The Bill of Rights was originally designed to limit the power of state governments.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Page 5
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Chapter 4: Federalism: Dividing Governmental Power
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Q1) One benefit of the federal system is the ability of the states to operate as __________ of democracy,experimenting with new solutions to social and economic problems.
A)classrooms
B)churches
C)cradles
D)laboratories
Q2) The New Deal best exemplifies which type of federalism?
A)dual
B)combined
C)competitive
D)cooperative
Q3) Which of the following is an implied power of the federal government?
A)admitting new states
B)establishing a national speed limit
C)declaring war
D)establishing federal courts
Q4) Explain how the federal government has increasingly undertaken direct regulation of areas traditionally reserved to the states.
Q5) ________ democracy can be found today only in state and local governments.
Page 6
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Chapter 5: Opinion and Participation: Thinking and Acting in Politics
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Q1) Which of the following is credited with bringing an end to property qualifications for voting?
A)the support of the nation's leading newspapers
B)the spread of Jeffersonian and Jacksonian principles of democracy
C)the spread of public schools and increased rates of literacy
D)the growing hostility between North and South in the years preceding the Civil War
Q2) When the networks agreed not to use exit polls to call elections in a state until the polls in that state closed,they were responding to the criticism that early calls
A)overstate voter turnout
B)reduce voter turnout
C)"create" public opinion
D)translate into unpopular policy change
Q3) Political __________ appears to be the essential link between opinion and policy.
Q4) Voluntary nonvoting is synonymous with being denied the legal right to vote.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Voter turnout is always higher in years with a(n)__________ election.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Mass Media: Setting the Political Agenda
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Q1) Ironically,the overwhelmingly large number of political Web sites may wind up
A)making voters even more indifferent than they already are
B)causing voters to return to traditional media outlets for more substantial reporting
C)costing most sitting politicians their jobs as voters learn the truth about them
D)reducing the overall amount of influence of the established political parties
Q2) When comparing the usage of the Internet as a news source to television,newspapers,and radio,the Pew Research Center has discovered what trend over the last decade?
A)Internet usage has grown continuously,while all other sources have declined.
B)Internet and television usage have grown,while radio and newspapers have declined.
C)While television remains strong as a news source,all other sources have declined slightly.
D)Radio has grown as a news source as the population has aged,leaving all other sources behind.
Q3) Is the unregulated chaos of the Internet a good thing in a democracy? Explain your answer.
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Chapter 7: Political Parties: Organizing Politics
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Q1) Conservative Republicans aided in the creation of numerous Tea Party organizations,though the Tea Party itself was not a product of the organized Republican Party.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Following the divisive government of the 1990s,what set of circumstances might explain the ability of the subsequent presidency to pass legislation easily?
A)the constitutional checks and balances system
B)media emphasis on cooperative efforts between parties
C)reduced ideological emphasis in both parties
D)single party control of Congress and the presidency
Q3) American political parties consist of which three elements?
A)party activity within the presidency,legislature,and judiciary
B)party identification as Democrats,Republicans,and independents
C)party platform,constitutional constraints,and will of the electorate
D)party voters,party officials,and party committee members
Q4) Some political scientists have theorized that realigning elections occur every __________ years.
Q5) Assess whether dealignment in the American party system has actually occurred.
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Chapter 8: Campaigns and Elections: Deciding Who
Governs
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Questions
Q1) Voters in what states receive a majority of political attention during the presidential election process?
A)western states
B)agricultural states
C)swing states
D)industrial states
Q2) Candidates use __________ to select campaign themes in order to influence voters and frame issues to their advantage.
A)attack ads
B)focus groups
C)franking privilege
D)sound bites
Q3) How many electoral votes are needed to win the presidency?
A)225
B)256
C)270
D)300
Q4) In the Clinton-Dole debates of 1996,viewers judged that __________ won both debates.
Q5) What kinds of campaign finance receive little or no scrutiny?
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Chapter 9: Interest Groups: Getting Their Share and More
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Q1) What is a trade association?
A)a coalition of public interest groups in a specific policy area,such as environmental policy
B)an organization that coordinates exchanges of information and resources among multiple interest groups
C)an organization that represents businesses within a specific industry
D)an organization that represents the federal government during the negotiation of international trade agreements
Q2) Perhaps the most influential conservative Christian organization in the U.S.today is the __________.
A)Southern Christian Leadership Conference
B)National Council of Churches
C)Christian Coalition
D)Anti-Defamation League
Q3) What is a public interest group?
A)a group that conducts research and analysis on public policy issues
B)a group that expresses its political views publicly
C)a group that works to gain benefits for society as a whole
D)a group that represents workers within a particular industry
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Congress: Politics on Capitol Hill
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Q1) "Pork" legislation may aid the district of a member of Congress by __________.
A)diverting unallocated funds to the service sector
B)increasing jobs and revenue with federally funded projects
C)increasing revenue through private market investment
D)taxing corporations less so they provide health insurance for employees
Q2) What best represents the trend of party polarization over the last three decades?
A)Both Republicans and Democrats have become more conservative.
B)Both Republicans and Democrats have become more liberal.
C)Both Republicans and Democrats have become more moderate.
D)Party polarization has increased as bipartisanship has decreased.
Q3) A unanimous consent agreement specifies __________.
A)whether a bill reaches the House floor under a closed rule,restricted rule,or open rule
B)whether a bill reaches the Senate floor under a closed rule,restricted rule,or open rule
C)whether a bill reaches the Senate floor without a discharge petition
D)when a bill will be taken up on the Senate floor,what amendments will be considered,and when a vote will be taken
Q4) Cloture is the only way to end a(n)__________.
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Chapter 11: The President: White House Politics
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Q1) In which institutional resource are leaders both appointed by the president and approved by the Senate?
A)Executive Office of the President
B)White House staff
C)the Cabinet
D)Council of Economic Advisors
Q2) Which best describes the president's constitutional duty to Congress?
A)The president must give Congress an occasional update on the state of the union.
B)The president must have at least one Cabinet member of the opposing party.
C)The president must inform Congress of actions potentially leading to war.
D)The president must inform Congress of the reasoning behind a veto.
Q3) What do presidential box scores show?
A)the number of votes needed to override a veto
B)the number of bills vetoed during a presidency
C)the percentage of the popular votes received during an election
D)the percentages of presidential victories on congressional votes on which the president took a clear-cut position
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Chapter 12: The Bureaucracy: Bureaucratic Politics
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Q1) When a federal agency adjudicates,or issues quasi-judicial decisions about legal disputes,the agency's decisions can be appealed in a federal court.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Special interest groups provide oversight of bureaucracy by focusing their attention on the departments or agencies that function in their chosen policy field.
A)True
B)False
Q3) How do government corporations differ from private companies?
A)Government corporations perform activities that private companies cannot.
B)Government corporations cannot borrow money,whereas private companies can.
C)Government corporations cannot sell stock,whereas private companies can.
D)Government corporations can borrow money,whereas private companies cannot.
Q4) According to Max Weber,bureaucracies are characterized by hierarchical authority structures.
A)True
B)False
Q5) The president appoints,but cannot dismiss,officials who serve on __________.
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Chapter 13: Courts Judicial Politics
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Q1) In order for a case to be heard by the Supreme Court,at least __________ justices must vote to hear the case.
A)two
B)three
C)four
D)a majority
Q2) Where do appeals from state supreme courts go in the judiciary system?
A)state appeals courts
B)federal district courts
C)federal circuit courts
D)the U.S.Supreme Court
Q3) What are the two types of jurisdiction courts can have?
A)original and appellate
B)trial and appeals
C)constitutional and statutory
D)active and restrained
Q4) The doctrine of original intent states that the Constitution should be interpreted in light of modern values.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 14: Politics and Personal Liberty
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Q1) The __________ Court,named after the Chief Justice presiding over the U.S.Supreme Court at the time,supported laws that deterred police misconduct.
A)Burger
B)Rehnquist
C)Warren
D)Kennedy
Q2) Which of the following is responsible for determining whether enough evidence exists to support a conviction against a criminal defendant?
A)trial court
B)defense attorney
C)prosecutor
D)jury
Q3) The Supreme Court,under Chief Justice __________,strengthened Fifth Amendment protections.
A)William Rehnquist
B)Warren Burger
C)John Roberts
D)Earl Warren
Q4) Discuss the evolution of abortion rights.
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Chapter 15: Politics and Civil Rights
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Q1) According to the "Who's Getting What?" feature box,which event triggered the modern gay rights movement?
A)the AIDS epidemic
B)the Stonewall Riots
C)passage of the Defense of Marriage Act
D)adoption of the "Don't Ask,Don't Tell" policy
Q2) The __________ Amendment guarantees African Americans the right to vote.
A)Equal Rights
B)Fourteenth
C)Fifteenth
D)Eighteenth
Q3) In 1964,Congress passed the __________ to help keep the promise of the Fourteenth Amendment.
Q4) Which of the following weakened the Civil Rights Act of 1875?
A)Adarand v.Pena
B)Brown v.Board of Education
C)the Civil Rights Cases
D)the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Q5) The focus of the __________ was to establish women's right to vote.
Q6) Brown v.Board of Education overturned the __________ doctrine.
Page 17
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Chapter 16: Politics and the Economy
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Q1) A system of taxation in which higher-income groups pay a larger percentage of their incomes in taxes than do lower-income groups is called __________.
A)flat taxation
B)means-tested taxation
C)progressive taxation
D)proportional taxation
Q2) From a political standpoint,what may be the most important measure of the economy's performance?
A)the deficit
B)the gross domestic product
C)inflation
D)the unemployment rate
Q3) According to marginal utility theory,each additional dollar of income is slightly more valuable to an individual than the preceding dollar.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The federal government relies on a ___________ tax to fund the Social Security program.
Q5) The __________ is the federal government's largest source of revenue.
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Chapter 17: Politics and Social Welfare
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Q1) Individuals that remain on welfare for more than five years are known as being what?
A)in persistent poverty
B)in temporary poverty
C)street people
D)truly disadvantaged
Q2) What has happened to the poverty rate in the United States since the 1970s?
A)It has steeply declined.
B)It has trended downward.
C)It has steeply increased.
D)It has trended upward.
Q3) What is the public assistance program that provides health care to the poor?
A)Medicare
B)Medicaid
C)Food Stamp program
D)Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
Q4) According to Figure 17.2,"Who's Entitled?" most social welfare entitlement programs benefit the poor.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 18: Politics and National Security
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Q1) Who instituted the Marshall Plan and who benefited directly from it?
A)The Soviet Union instituted the Marshall Plan to benefit Eastern Europe.
B)Germany instituted the Marshall Plan to benefit the United States.
C)Italy instituted the Marshall Plan to benefit Western Europe.
D)The United States instituted the Marshall Plan to rebuild Western Europe.
Q2) What is one lesson that some military leaders have taken away from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq?
A)Peacekeeping and nation building are important and should be planned for in advance of any invasion into a country.
B)Quick,decisive military actions are not possible,so any military action should be planned with that in mind.
C)Protracted commitments involving peacekeeping and nation building are best avoided in favor of quick,decisive military actions.
D)The United States should always act in its own best interests,regardless of whether it has support from other countries.
Q3) The __________ was the U.S.effort to help rebuild Western Europe after World War II.
Q4) __________ has the constitutional power to declare war.
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