Political Science 1 - Government of the United States and California » 2019 » Quiz 9

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Question #1
One impact of the Internet on political campaigns is that __________.
A.   Most people are receiving direct mail from candidates
B.   Most people are using the Internet as their only source of campaign information
C.   more people are becoming highly and accurately informed about the candidates
D.   more people are making small political donations
Question #2
A serious presidential candidate must invest in __________.
A.   an international relations specialist to solicit campaign contributions from foreign nations and multinational corporations
B.   staff to handle high-tech and computer technologies
C.   television ads aimed at the 18–29 age group
D.   newspaper ads aimed at the 55-65 age group
Question #3
Thomas Patterson's observation that "today's presidential campaign is essentially a mass media campaign" suggests that __________.
A.   campaigns are for the masses and are mediated by political elites
B.   voters have very little understanding of the campaign apart from what they see and hear in the media
C.   the media exercise little influence over a vast number of citizens' votes
D.   the media control electoral outcomes
Question #4
Prior to being banned in 2002 by the McCain-Feingold Act, unlimited monetary contributions that were earmarked for party-building expenses at the grassroots level or for generic party advertising were known as __________.
A.   matching funds
B.   hard money
C.   soft money
D.   support funds
Question #5
What is the phenomenon that people's beliefs often guide what they pay attention to and how they interpret events?
A.   agenda setting
B.   scorekeeping
C.   frontloading
D.   selective perception
Question #6
Which of the following is a cost of voting?
A.   political efficacy
B.   becoming informed
C.   civic duty
D.   paying money to vote
Question #7
Which of the following helps to explain why voter turnout is lower in the United States than in other democracies?
A.   The United States has a multiple partisan election system.
B.   The United States hold elections midweek.
C.   The United States hold fewer elections
D.   The United States elects fewer officeholders.
Question #8
Which of the following would be the most likely to increase voter turnout in the United States?
A.   minimizing the differences between the parties
B.   holding more elections
C.   electing more officeholders
D.   making registration automatic for all citizens rather than compelling them to register
Question #9
Which of the following statements indicates a high level of political efficacy?
A.   "People like me can influence what the government does."
B.   "I should vote to honor those who sacrificed their lives to make America free."
C.   "Democracy is only democratic if citizens participate in the process."
D.   "Voting in the United States is so easy that there is no excuse for not voting."
Question #10
Why are people with higher-than-average education more likely to vote?
A.   Education increases intolerance, which then encourages turnout.
B.   Education enables voters to calculate the probability that their vote will decide the election.
C.   Education helps voters recognize differences between the candidates.
D.   Education depresses political efficacy, which then encourages turnout.
Question #11
Which group is more likely to vote?
A.   ethnic minorities
B.   low income people
C.   a college degree holders
D.   young age group
Question #12
Why do winning candidates claim a mandate even though political scientists generally discredit the mandate theory of elections?
A.   Politicians think that political scientists do not understand how things actually work.
B.   Voters do not necessarily prefer all of the winning candidate's issue positions.
C.   Winning candidates are not well versed in the political science literature.
D.   Winning candidates want to justify their policy proposals by claiming that the public supports them.
Question #13
A floating voter is someone who __________.
A.   votes based on the candidates and not party loyalty
B.   is elated at the outcome of an election
C.   votes in presidential elections but not in midterm elections
D.   registers to vote on Election Day
Question #14
Which of the following is consistent with the mandate theory of elections?
A.   the belief that a functional democracy mandates electoral participation by a large number of voters
B.   Mitt Romney's claim that Obama won the 2012 presidential election because he had given gifts to various constituency groups
C.   Barack Obama's claim that his victory in 2012 meant that the public wanted to raise taxes on the wealthy
D.   the idea that voter turnout is higher when citizens are required to vote and are fined if they fail to do so
Question #15
How does party identification simplify the voting process?
A.   It reduces the policy differences between the candidates.
B.   It eliminates the need to produce a photo ID in order to vote.
C.   It provides a cue as to which candidate a voter is more likely to prefer.
D.   It enables voters to select from a wider array of candidates.
Question #16
Why do presidential candidates tend to focus their efforts on battleground states?
A.   The winner-take-all system makes battleground states more relevant to a campaign.
B.   Battleground states have the most Electoral College votes.
C.   Battleground states have more electors than they would deserve if electors were allocated by population.
D.   Candidates focus on battleground states in order to increase their media exposure.
Question #17
How many U.S. states employ a winner-take-all presidential election system in which all their electors are awarded to the presidential candidate who wins the most votes statewide?
A.   all 50
B.   48
C.   five
D.   26
Question #18
The Founders created the Electoral College because they wanted the president to be selected by __________.
A.   elites
B.   the Supreme Court
C.   ordinary Americans
D.   Congress
Question #19
If no candidate receives an Electoral College majority, the election is decided in the __________.
A.   Supreme Court
B.   House of Representatives
C.   Elections and Campaigns Committee
D.   Senate

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