Political Science 101- Introduction to American Politics » Spring 2021 » Chapter 9 Post Test
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Question #1
A political party is an organization
A.
that collects fees from its members in order to pay the salaries of government officials.
B.
established by the Constitution to nominate candidates.
C.
that tries to influence the government by getting its members elected to office.
D.
that falls under section 501(c)(4) of the U.S. tax code.
Question #2
The extremely competitive elections in the United States since the year 2000 suggest the United States has
A.
a system with responsible political parties.
B.
a system that is not partisan.
C.
a patronage system.
D.
a system of interest groups instead of parties.
Question #3
In a proportional representation electoral system
A.
each political party receives an equal number of seats in the legislature.
B.
candidates can only win elections if they receive a majority of the overall votes.
C.
seats in the legislature are allocated to political parties based on their share of the total vote cast in the election.
D.
every candidate who receives above a certain percentage of the vote (usually set at 20%) is awarded a seat in the legislature.
Question #4
What is the two-party system?
A.
a system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control
B.
a system, laid out in the Constitution, that calls for only two major parties to compete in most elections
C.
a system in which political parties tend to form factions within themselves, that is to say, a single political party forming a liberal and a conservative wing
D.
a system in which political parties act at two levels; a local level more responsive to members, and a national level more responsive to country-wide interests and groups
Question #5
The number of political parties there are in a country is determined primarily by
A.
whether the country’s media outlets are publicly or privately owned.
B.
whether election campaigns are publicly or privately financed.
C.
the country’s electoral system and rules.
D.
the political opinions of the country’s citizens.
Question #6
________ is the practice of tailoring campaign messages to individuals in small, homogenous groups.
A.
Winnowing
B.
Redlining
C.
Message bundling
D.
Micro-targeting
Question #7
Which of the following statements best describes how national party conventions have changed over time?
A.
There has been very little change in national party conventions over time, as they have always served mostly as media events to promote the candidate the party has already selected.
B.
Though national conventions prior to World War II were primarily devoted to debating and negotiating about who the party’s nominee would be, today’s conventions serve mostly as media events to promote the candidate the party has already selected.
C.
Although national conventions prior to World War II were primarily media events to promote the candidate the party had already selected, today’s conventions are devoted mostly to debating and negotiating about who the party’s nominee will be.
D.
There has been very little change in national party conventions over time, as they have always been primarily devoted to debating and negotiating about who the party’s nominee will be.
Question #8
During the nineteenth century, party machines depended heavily on ________ in order to reward loyal party supporters.
A.
soft money
B.
patronage
C.
Super PAC committees
D.
caucuses
Question #9
There are very few party machines left today because
A.
the Supreme Court ruled in 1943 that party machines cannot qualify as tax-exempt organizations.
B.
so many Americans identify as so-called independents rather than as members of one of the political parties.
C.
civil service reform and the institution of the merit system mean that party leaders can no longer control who is appointed to government jobs.
D.
local, state, and the federal governments have decreased in size to the point that almost no jobs are available to distribute as patronage.
Question #10
All of the following are responsibilities of a party’s national committee EXCEPT
A.
raising campaign funds for party candidates.
B.
enhancing the party’s media image.
C.
minimizing disputes within various parts of the party.
D.
determining committee assignments for members of Congress.
Question #11
When Nancy Pelosi became Speaker of the House in 2018, her selection was made by the
A.
minority party.
B.
Republican Party.
C.
Speaker of the House.
D.
majority party.
Question #12
At the national level, the Democratic Party currently attempts to appeal to ________, while the Republican Party currently attempts to appeal to ________.
A.
White working-class voters; educated upper-middle-class professionals
B.
C.
racial minorities; government workers
D.
educated upper-middle-class professionals; White working-class voters
E.
White working-class voters; racial minorities
Question #13
Men are more likely than women to prioritize economic and national security issues. Women are more likely to prioritize healthcare and education issues. The difference in who men and women tend to vote for is known as
A.
the gender gap.
B.
party polarization.
C.
the party divide.
D.
the partisan gap.
Question #14
Which of the following groups is most likely to affiliate with the Republican Party?
A.
Latino voters
B.
older White voters
C.
African American voters
D.
young Asian American voters
Question #15
The first party system was characterized by conflict between the ________ and the ________.
A.
Federalists; Jeffersonian Republicans
B.
Whigs; Democrats
C.
Whigs; Federalists
D.
Whigs; Jeffersonian Republicans
Question #16
The two major parties in the United States during the 1830s and 1840s were the ________ and the ________.
A.
Democrats; Republicans
B.
Federalists; Jeffersonians
C.
Democrats; Whigs
D.
Federalists; Whigs
Question #17
The Populist Party appealed to which of the following groups?
A.
eastern bankers, southern planters, and wealthy merchants
B.
eastern mining interests, southern merchants, and small farmers
C.
northern bankers, landowners, and factory workers
D.
western mining interests, small farmers, and urban workers
Question #18
In 1964, Republican Party presidential nominee ________ was in favor of less taxation and less government regulation of the economy—two ideas that became major themes for the modern Republican Party.
A.
Barry Goldwater
B.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt
C.
Ronald Reagan
D.
Richard Nixon
Question #19
The division between the two major parties on most policy issues, with members of each party unified around their party’s positions with little crossover, is called
A.
party unity voting.
B.
party polarization.
C.
divided government.
D.
unified government.
Question #20
Issues such as the environment, health care, retirement benefits, and taxation are on the political agenda in the United States because
A.
the Constitution limits the federal government’s powers to legislate on these issues, necessitating an electoral solution.
B.
these issues are important to the middle class, whose support both parties compete for.
C.
these are the only problems that have yet to be solved by the free market.
D.
these are the only issues that remain to be solved by elected officials.
Question #21
A system that allows voters to rank candidates from the most preferred to the least preferred on the ballot is called
A.
strategic voting.
B.
top-to-bottom voting.
C.
first-past-the-post voting.
D.
ranked-choice voting.
Question #22
Which party system saw the formation of the Republican party out of the remnants of the Whig party and had conflicts over slavery as one of the dominant political issues?
A.
the First Party System
B.
the Second Party System
C.
the Federalists and Jeffersonian Republicans party system
D.
the Civil War Party System.
Question #23
An individual’s psychological attachment to one party or another is called a party
A.
tradition.
B.
ideology.
C.
identification.
D.
opinion.
Question #24
What is partisanship?
A.
the pointless political fighting between the two parties that serves no purpose
B.
the process by which a political party is formed
C.
identification with or support of a particular party
D.
official acts and behaviors of political parties
Question #25
Political scientists have found that on economic issues, both the Democratic and Republican parties are
A.
equally responsive to the preferences of the different classes.
B.
more responsive to the preferences of the upper and middle classes than the lower class.
C.
more responsive to the preferences of the lower and middle classes than the upper class.
D.
more responsive to the preferences of the lower and upper classes than the middle class.
Question #26
Identification with or support for a particular party or cause is known as
A.
Duverger’s Law.
B.
micro-targeting.
C.
patronage.
D.
partisanship.
Question #27
Emerging in the late 1780s, America’s first two political parties were the
A.
Federalists and the Washingtonian Democrats.
B.
Whigs and the Antifederalists.
C.
Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans.
D.
Federalists and the Whigs.
Question #28
One important cause of the two-party system in the United States is
A.
single-member, winner-take-all electoral districts.
B.
the Constitution’s requirement for bipartisanship in Congress.
C.
proportional representation.
D.
multimember electoral districts.
Question #29
The American system for electing members of Congress is often referred to as “first past the post” because
A.
the candidate with the most votes wins, even if he or she did not win a majority of the popular vote.
B.
a candidate must win both a primary election and a general election before taking office.
C.
seats in the House of Representatives and Senate are allocated to political parties based on their share of the total vote cast in the election.
D.
a candidate can win an election only if he or she wins a majority of the popular vote.
Question #30
Duverger’s law states that
A.
unless a political system adopts strict majoritarian requirements for winning elections, the system will drift into a multiparty democracy.
B.
a political system with single-member districts and plurality rule elections will tend to result in a two-party system.
C.
a political system is only really a two-party system if other parties beyond the main two are legally prohibited.
D.
a political system that only has two major political parties is more reflective of and responsible to voters’ preferences.
Question #31
According to political scientist John Aldrich, which of the following problems found in democratic governments do political parties help solve?
A.
how to regulate the number of people seeking public office, how to mobilize voters, and how to achieve the majorities needed to accomplish legislative goals once in office
B.
how to create economic growth, how to protect freedom of speech, and how to achieve equal treatment under the law
C.
how to increase the number of people seeking office, how to generate widespread consensus about political problems, and how to limit corruption in government
D.
how to incorporate young people into the political system, how to convince citizens to trust the government, and how to minimize fiscal shortfalls
Question #32
A ________ is a meeting of a political group’s members who gather to determine strategy and select candidates.
A.
party
B.
primary
C.
caucus
D.
convention
Question #33
Political parties hold primary elections or caucuses in order to
A.
raise money to spend on the party’s preselected candidate for the general election.
B.
vote on the party’s platform.
C.
take nominations for leadership positions within the party.
D.
select a single candidate to represent the party in the general election.
Question #34
One of the earliest activities in which party workers engage once the general election campaign begins is
A.
forming a committee within Congress to determine campaign strategy.
B.
ensuring that citizens are registered to vote.
C.
recruiting additional candidates to run for office.
D.
redrawing each congressional district’s lines.
Question #35
National party conventions are held every
A.
two years and only attended by delegates from states that voted for the party’s candidate in the last presidential election.
B.
four years and attended by delegates from all 50 states.
C.
four years and attended only by delegates from states that voted for the party’s candidate in the last presidential election.
D.
year and attended by delegates from all 50 states.
Question #36
In 2020, the DNC used performance polls to determine which candidates could participate in televised presidential debates. Despite objections from candidates, the DNC could do this in its capacity
A.
to set the rules for primary and caucus elections as a national committee.
B.
to nominate the candidate for the national election.
C.
exclude voters from the nomination process in primary and caucus elections.
D.
to make partisan appointments to Congress and control the party nomination
Question #37
Trump’s victory in the 2016 Republican primaries is evidence that
A.
there are limits to party insiders’ control of the presidential nomination process.
B.
only the most active members of the Republican Party voted in the 2016 primaries.
C.
primary elections do not work to select a candidate for public office.
D.
party elites play an outsized role in the presidential nomination process.
Question #38
What were the most common favors political bosses distributed to loyal party members during the era of political machines?
A.
tax cuts
B.
tariffs
C.
jobs
D.
money
Question #39
The Progressive movement of the early 1900s was motivated, in large part, by the
A.
growing levels of air pollution produced from rapid industrialization.
B.
system of legal segregation in southern states.
C.
disenfranchisement of women.
D.
excessive power, corruption, and abuses of party machines and their bosses.
Question #40
Which of the following best characterizes the components of a party organization?
A.
the elite-level members of a party who determine which organizational moves to make
B.
the on-the-ground party members who help organize elections and mobilize voters
C.
D.
the formal structure of a political party, including leadership, election committees, members, and paid staff
E.
the organized meeting in which a party selects its candidate for presidency and adopts the party platform
Question #41
Which list of issue positions is most likely to be supported by the national leadership of the Democratic Party?
A.
expanding funding for education, public spending for infrastructure, and raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations
B.
maintaining high levels of military spending, tax relief for upper-income voters, and reducing corporate taxes
C.
ending enforcement of all immigration laws, banning abortion, and eliminating income taxes
D.
banning abortion, eliminating military spending, and raising taxes on the wealthy and corporations
Question #42
An individual who identifies a problem as a political issue and brings a policy proposal into the political agenda is referred to as a(n)
A.
venue shopper.
B.
policy entrepreneur.
C.
idea capitalist.
D.
whip.
Question #43
An individual who identifies as an independent believes that the United States needs to seriously address climate change and increase taxes on the wealthy. The person is more likely to lean toward which party?
A.
Democratic Party
B.
Republican Party
C.
American Independent Party
D.
Bull Moose Party
Question #44
Since the 1930s, most African Americans have identified as
A.
independents.
B.
Democrats.
C.
Republicans.
D.
libertarians.
Question #45
Men in the United States are ________ the ________ Party.
A.
overwhelmingly committed to; Democratic
B.
somewhat more likely to support; Republican
C.
overwhelmingly committed to; Republican
D.
somewhat more likely to support; Democratic
Question #46
A.
South, Great Plains, and Mountain West.
B.
Northeast, Midwest, and West.
C.
Northeast and South.
D.
South, Northeast, and Midwest.
Question #47
Under a system of ranked-choice voting
A.
there are always at least three separate rounds of voting.
B.
a new election is conducted if no candidate receives a majority of first-place votes.
C.
a candidate is declared the winner if he or she wins a majority of first-place votes.
D.
there are always at least two separate rounds of voting.
Question #48
The United States has had ________ party systems since 1789.
A.
9
B.
6
C.
12
D.
2
Question #49
The Federalist Party disappeared, in part, as a result of
A.
the War of 1812.
B.
the Civil War.
C.
Lincoln’s election in 1860.
D.
Alexander Hamilton being killed by Aaron Burr.
Question #50
What issue led to the demise of the Whig Party?
A.
the death of Andrew Jackson
B.
slavery
C.
the admission of California into the Union
D.
industrialization
Question #51
From the end of the Civil War to the 1890s, the ________ Party was the party of the North, while the ________ Party was the party of the South.
A.
Republican; Democratic
B.
Whig; Federalist
C.
Democratic; Republican
D.
Federalist; Whig
Question #52
From 1896 to 1932, the ________ Party was the nation’s majority party.
A.
Whig
B.
Populist
C.
Democratic
D.
Republican
Question #53
The New Deal Party System weakened because of
A.
the Great Depression.
B.
internal party conflicts over civil rights and the Vietnam War.
C.
Roosevelt’s inability to unite the upper and lower middle-classes.
D.
Nixon’s popularity with African Americans.
Question #54
During the 1980s, the Republicans added ________ to their coalition.
A.
African Americans and upper-class intellectuals
B.
Jews and unionized workers
C.
religious conservatives and working-class Whites
D.
Latinos and the business community
Question #55
What strategy did the Democratic party use in 2018 to counter the election of Donald Trump?
A.
changing the party’s platform to focus most on Democratic loyalists
B.
nominating a presidential candidate
C.
increasing voter turnout and win back Congress
D.
adopting more of President Trump’s policies to coopt his support.
Question #56
Imagine that you are looking at a Republican platform that favors government regulation, expansion of voting rights, and the creation of a national bureaucracy. This party platform most likely comes from which party system?
A.
the System of 1896
B.
the Civil War Party System
C.
the Contemporary Party System
D.
the First Party System
Question #57
Despite the strength of the Republican Party in the South, Democrats have been able to retain some southern congressional seats due to the
A.
“southern strategy.”
B.
Bush tax cuts.
C.
Voting Rights Act of 1965.
D.
System of 1896.
Question #58
Which of the following outcomes would have been most likely if Ralph Nader had not been a third-party candidate in the 2000 presidential election?
A.
Another third-party candidate would win the election.
B.
The Republican candidate would win the election.
C.
The Democratic candidate would win the election.
D.
Hillary Clinton would have lost the election.
Question #59
Third parties in the United States typically represent
A.
recent immigrants.
B.
extremist religious groups.
C.
the political interests of America’s allies, who attempt to influence the American decision-making process because U.S. policies can affect their futures.
D.
social and economic interests that are disregarded by the two major parties for certain reasons.
Question #60
Which of the following statements about ranked-choice voting is most accurate?
A.
Ranked-choice voting has been implemented in some countries (such as Australia) but has never been tried in the United States.
B.
A handful of American states and cities have implemented ranked-choice voting, but it has never been tried in any other democracy.
C.
Ranked-choice voting has been implemented in some countries (such as Australia) and in a handful of American states and cities.
D.
Ranked-choice voting has never been implemented in the United States or any other democracy.
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