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Question 1 of 50
0.0/ 2.0 PointsSenators John McCain and Russell Feingold cosponsored legislation that A.mandated a cleaner environment. B.prohibited the sale of certain guns. C.reformed health care provisions. D.discouraged drunk driving. E.reformed campaign finance.
Question 2 of 50
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An election signaling the significant change in popular allegiance from one party to another is a election.
A.dealignment B.realignment C.critical D.transformational E.party era
Question 3 of 50
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Realignment refers to a
A.substantial and long-term shift in party allegiance by individuals and groups, usually resulting in a change in policy direction. B.trend among voters to identify themselves as independents rather than as members of a major party. C.trend among voters to identify themselves as third-party members rather than as members of a major party. D.period of time when party members become more loyal to their political party. E.period of time when party activists become less ideological.
Question 4 of 50
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The party organization is essential because it
A.translates the wishes of voters into policy. B.helps party candidates win elections. C.provides a solid base of support for party candidates. D.increases party discipline. E.prevents strong third parties from emerging.
Question 5 of 50
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Dealignment is an indication that
A.political parties’ bases are weakening. B.party discipline in government is waning. C.people see significant differences between the parties’ platforms. D.party activists are becoming more opposed to the other party’s platforms. E.people are more likely to align with a minor party.
Question 6 of 50
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What is the minimum number of electoral votes needed to win a presidential election?
A.250 B.435 C.270 D.280 E.538
Question 7 of 50
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A party caucus is a meeting of
A.the state party committee to assign delegates to the national convention. B.state politicians who send themselves to the national convention. C.local party members who choose delegates for the national convention. D.voters to decide which parties make it onto the ballot. E.the party national leadership to plan the presidential convention.
Question 8 of 50
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The Constitution dictates that each state has
A.an equal number of electors. B.a choice over how many electors it will have. C.one elector for each senator and representative. D.fewer electors if the presidential or vice presidential candidates are not from their state. E.a minimum of two electors.
Question 9 of 50
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Faithless electors are electors who
A.vote their conscience rather than for the candidate they were pledged to support in the electoral college. B.have a position of trust with the federal government in violation of the Constitution. C.refuse to pledge support to a candidate before the election. D.neglect to vote for any presidential candidate. E.are regular voters who refuse to vote because the lack political efficacy.
Question 10 of 50
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All states except Maine
A.have their state legislatures pick their electors. B.use a winner-take-all system to determine their electors. C.select their electors at the traditional November election. D.must have their electoral college votes be proportionally representative of the vote outcome of their state. E.choose delegates to their parties’ national conventions based on caucuses rather than primary elections.
Question 11 of 50
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The disproportionate amount of attention politicians pay to members of the middle and upper classes may best be attributed to the fact that
A.these voters go to the polls at substantially higher rates than do members of other classes. B.these people are less likely to form interest groups and would otherwise be ignored. C.most politicians themselves are members of these classes. D.political parties have shown a strong bias toward them in the past. E.politicians do not care about poor or blue-collar voters.
Question 12 of 50
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What is a key effect of Electoral College votes being counted on a winner-take-all basis in all but one state?
A.electoral votes are almost too easily won by third-party candidates. B.the electoral vote margin exaggerates the popular vote margin, which legitimizes the winner’s victory. C.despite being different votes, electoral and popular vote margins tend to mirror each other closely. D.candidates are forced to visit all or nearly all states in order to sew up the election. E.candidates have to raise considerable amounts of money during the general election campaign.
Question 13 of 50
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Because of the Electoral College, presidential candidates generally spend most of their time and resources in
A.California, Texas, and New York because they are the biggest states. B.states where they have a comfortable lead, in order to extend that lead. C.competitive states, especially larger ones. D.states where there are competitive local races so that they can raise money for their own general election campaigns. E.coastal and border states because they are the so-called blue states.
Question 14 of 50
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The means of conveying information to large public audiences cheaply and efficiently is known as
A.direct democracy. B.public information systems. C.civic journalism. D.mass media. E.narrowcasting.
Question 15 of 50
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The is the rule that when a station allows a candidate for office to by our use airtime outside of regular news broadcasts, it must allow all other candidates that same opportunity.
A.fairness doctrine B.fair candidate treatment rule C.right of rebuttal D.equal time provision E.equal treatment doctrine
Question 16 of 50
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The power to determine which news stories are covered and which are not is
A.the assignment principle. B.narrowcasting. C.monitoring. D.gatekeeping. E.media discretion.
Question 17 of 50
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When the media bring a news issue to the public’s attention, thereby telling the public that this issue is important, the media engage in
A.news control. B.framing. C.news management. D.agenda setting. E.priming.
Question 18 of 50
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Which of the following is an example of horse-race journalism?
A.a story on the boost in the polls that candidate received after a recent debate B.two news organizations competing to be the first to break a story on a presidential scandal C.a story comparing two presidential candidates’ positions on Social Security D.a persona interest story on the wife of a presidential candidate E.a story on the lack of importance of the parties’ national conventions
Question 19 of 50
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In a voters, not party bosses, nominate party candidates.
A.primary B.referendum C.general election D.straw poll
Question 20 of 50
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A critical election leads to a(n)
A.dealignment. B.increase in political efficacy. C.party machine’s demise. D.responsible party system. E.realignment.
Question 21 of 50
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Realignments are significant because they
A.are an indication that partisanship is weakening. B.usually result in a change of policy direction. C.are a sign that people are happy with the status quo. D.usually benefit the Republican Party. E.show the strength of third parties because third parties often are the reason behind the realignments.
Question 22 of 50
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Major-party presidential nominations are now determined primarily by
A.convention delegates selected in party primaries, caucuses, and state conventions. B.Super Tuesday primaries. C.the public at large in open primaries. D.the party leaders at the parties’ national conventions. E.each party’s slate of electors from the Electoral College.
Question 23 of 50
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All of the following statements concerning the Electoral College are true EXCEPT
A.the rules of the Electoral College give all the states importance in presidential elections. B.critics argue that the Electoral College is undemocratic. C.critics argue that the a close election could be decided by a few “faithless electors.” D.it distorts candidates’ campaign strategies. E.all the proposed alternatives have problems or at least serious criticisms.
Question 24 of 50
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All of the following statements concerning the legal obstacles to voting in the United States are true EXCEPT
A.the requirement that voters must register to vote may decrease participation by 10 to 14 percent. B.politicians have been eager to pass major electoral reforms in order to build a stronger base for their party. C.in many other democracies, the government, not the individual voter, bears the responsibility for registering citizens. D.there are many more elections in the United States than in most other democracies. E.elections are held on weekends in many European democracies, which makes voting more convenient than voting on Tuesday, as is done in the United States.
Question 25 of 50
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The required that stations give free airtime to issues that concerned the public and to opposing sides when controversial issues were covered.
A.fairness doctrine B.fair candidate treatment rule C.right of rebuttal D.equal time provision E.equal treatment doctrine
Question 26 of 50
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The term used to denote the aggregation of many citizens’ views and interests is:
A.civic attention B.public opinion C.popular culture D.community spirit E.crowd wisdom
Question 28 of 50
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The process through which underlying beliefs and values are formed is collectively called political:
A.maturation B.persuasion C.socialization D.development E.indoctrination
Question 29 of 50
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The distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between men and women is termed the:
A.gender gap B.masculine rift C.sexual revolution D.feminine mystique E.Mars/Venus syndrome
Question 30 of 50
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More than any single news source, Americans get their news from:
A.radio B.television C.the Internet D.newspapers E.magazines
Question 31 of 50
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Which of the following is NOT a reason that print newspapers remain an important source of news in the United States today?
A.The broadcast media primarily cover stories already “broken” by the print media. B.The print media provide more detailed coverage than the broadcast media. C.The print media arrive at most homes in the mornings, while most people do not watch the news until the evening. D.The print media are the prime source of news for educated and influential individuals. E.Print news is more profitable than broadcast news.
Question 32 of 50
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American radio and television are regulated by an independent regulatory agency established in 1934 called the:
A.Public Broadcasting Corporation B.National Broadcasting Commission C.National Public Regulation Authority D.Federal Communications Commission E.Federal Broadcast Regulatory Authority
Question 33 of 50
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A federal requirement that broadcasters provide candidates who are running for the same political office an equal opportunity to communicate their messages to the public is called the:
A.equal time rule B.right of rebuttal C.fairness doctrine D.matching time requirement E.balancing mandate
Question 34 of 50
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For many years until the regulation was no longer enforced, broadcasters who aired programs on controversial issues were required to provide time for opposing views under a policy known as the:
A.equal time rule B.right of rebuttal C.fairness doctrine D.matching time requirement E.compensation principle
Question 35 of 50
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When the media focus a great deal on a particular story, people are influenced through the process known as:
A.framing B.priming C.plastering D.overcoverage E.carpet bombing
Question 36 of 50
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When the media choose to present a story from a particular angle to invoke a desired reaction, people are influenced through the process known as:
A.sniping B.priming C.plastering D.overcoverage E.framing
Question 37 of 50
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At the beginning of the Republic, voting rights in most states were restricted to which of the following?
A.white female citizens over the age of 21 B.white, property-owning male citizens over the age of 21 C.white male and female citizens over the age of 21 D.white female citizens over the age of 18 E.white male citizens over the age of 18
Question 38 of 50
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In 1971, the Twenty-sixth Amendment lowered the voting age to:
A.16 B.18 C.20 D.21 E.25
Question 39 of 50
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In presidential elections, every state is allocated votes in the Electoral College equal to the number of:
A.representatives in the House B.senators C.representatives in the House and Senate combined D.states in the Union E.years since the state was granted statehood
Question 40 of 50
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Which term best describes the apportionment of voters in districts in such a way as to give unfair advantage to one political party?
A.el bridging B.gerrymandering C.line drawing D.party mongering E.partisan warfare
Question 41 of 50
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The type of electoral system in which victory goes to the individual who gets more votes than any other candidate is called a:
A.caucus B.plurality system C.majority system D.proportional representation system E.Borda count system
Question 42 of 50
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A political party is an organization seeking:
A.grants and other funds from the government B.influence over government by electing its members to office C.to influence the government through lobbying D.the greater good of the nation E.to promote its ideology throughout the world
Question 43 of 50
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What is the name of the process by which a party selects a candidate for the general election?
A.enlistment B.winnowing C.recruitment D.appointment E.nomination
Question 44 of 50
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In modern American politics, how are most candidates nominated?
A.through petitions B.by party caucuses C.through primary elections D.through nominating conventions E.by presidential appointment
Question 45 of 50
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The is the type of primary election most conducive to strong political parties.
A.open B.run-off C.closed D.blanket E.jungle
Question 46 of 50
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In the United States, third parties are usually influential for only a short time because their:
A.electoral support is geographically dispersed B.ideas are usually ignored by the major parties C.electoral support is demographically dispersed D.ideas are usually absorbed by one of the major parties E.leaders run out of money and enthusiasm
Question 47 of 50
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(2 poitns) Which term describes an organized group of individuals or organizations that makes policy-related appeals to government?
A.political action committee B.527 group C.interest group D.lobbying firm E.corporation
Question 48 of 50
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Which of the following is NOT one of the ways in which interest groups may enhance democracy?
A.Interest groups encourage political participation. B.Interest groups educate their members. C.Interest groups monitor government programs. D.Interest groups lobby to get benefits that are targeted only at their members. E.Interest groups represent their members’ interests in the political arena.
Question 49 of 50
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An attempt by a group to influence the policy process through persuasion of government officials is known as:
A.access B.lobbying C.corridoring D.media management E.going public
Question 50 of 50
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Mobilizing ordinary citizens to write their representatives in support of a group’s position is a specific example of a:
A.media blitz B.mass pressure group C.direct group representation D.public relations campaign E.grassroots lobbying effort
