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US Gov. Exam 4
Exam Review questions for Exam #4
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| The federal system goes a long way toward explaining why U.S. parties are ____________ than their European counterparts. | more decentralized |
| In most states, candidates for office are chosen by | primary elections |
| In Europe, almost the only way a person can become a candidate is by | party leaders |
| What role do political parties play in the lives of most Americans? | most Americans separate political parties from other aspects of their lives. |
| The Founders saw political parties as | factions motivated by ambition and self-interest. |
| The first organized political party in American history was | made up of the followers of Jefferson |
| The first Republican party, with its base of support in the South, was organized in the 1790s by | Thomas Jefferson |
| Some were so distraught by the election of Thomas Jefferson that they | organized to have New England secede from the union |
| The Federalist Party could not compete effectively in national elections because | it had such a limited sectional and class base |
| In the Jacksonian era, for the first time a party system was built | from the bottom up |
| Prior to 1824, presidential candidates were nominated by | caucuses comprising of members of Congress |
| National party conventions were developed as a reform of | party caucuses |
| The ______________, a faction of the Republican Party, were opposed to the patronage system and feared the influx of immigrants who could be incorporated into the political machine. | progressives |
| Procedures such as the initiative and the referendum arose as efforts to give | citizens a direct say in making laws |
| Scholars have identified___ critical or realigning periods in American politics. | 5 |
| The three clearest cases of critical or realigning elections seem to be | 1865, 1896, and 1932. |
| What were major issues in the three clearest cases of critical or realigning periods? | slavery and economics |
| The elections of Ronald Reagan could not have represented a realignment because | they left control of congress in the hands of the Democratic party |
| In recent elections, ticket-splitting has been most common in the | south |
| Ticket-splitting creates | divided government |
| The national convention meets every ______ years to nominate a presidential candidate. | four |
| Between the national conventions party affairs are managed by a ___________ made up of delegates from each state and territory. | national committee |
| In Congress each party has a __________________ that helps members of Congress who are running for reelection or would-be members seeking election. | congressional campaign committee |
| This person manages the day-to-day work of the party. | national chairman |
| Beginning in the 1960s, the ________ became more bureaucratized, while the ___________became more factionalized. | republican party, democratic party |
| The formula for the selection of delegates to the Republican national convention generally stresses the importance of ... | loyalty |
| The term superdelegate refers to | elected officials and party leaders who are not required to pledge themselves in advance to a presidential candidate |
| In 2004, over 40 percent of the delegates to the conventions of both parties | were born again christians |
| What characterizes party machines? | a high degree of leadership control over member activity |
| The________________made it illegal for federal civil service employees to take an active part in political campaigns. | Hatch Act of 1939 |
| Unlike political machines, ideological parties tend to be | factionalized |
| Party organizations based on their members' enjoyment of the sociability of politics are referred to as | solidary parties |
| Today, a person wanting to win an election will most often seek the support of a | personal following |
| The most dramatic example of the winner-take-all principle in the U.S. electoral system is the | electoral college |
| No third party is likely to win the presidency anytime soon because | they are too narrow and do not appeal to the majority of the people |
| Americans tend to see Democrats as better at handling issues such as | poverty, the environment, and health care |
| Americans tend to see the Republicans as better at handling such issues as | national defense, foreign trade and crime |
| The most recent independent candidate for president who was able to get on the ballot in every state was | Ross Perot |
| Eugene Debs of the Socialist Party won ____ percent of the vote in the presidential election of 1912 | 6 |
| George Wallace's American Independent Party was an example of a(n) | factional party |
| National convention delegates, compared to their respective party members, tend to be | more “republican” or “democratic” they are more strongly liberal or conservative than the voters themselves |
| A meeting of party followers at which convention delegates are picked is known as a | caucus |
| A study of political ads broadcast from 1999 to 2004 found that the largest number emphasized | voters fears |
| The text suggests that campaigning has become a synonym for | fundraising |
| The elections that produce the largest voter turnout are the | presidential elections |
| The first goal of an individual planning to run for office is to | get mentioned |
| In 1980, Ronald Reagan chose _________ as a theme for his campaign. | competence |
| Since 1962, over _____ percent of House incumbents who sought reelection won it. | 90 |
| When districts are so unequal that the votes of citizens are significantly diluted, they are | malapportioned |
| When districts are drawn in a bizarre or unusual shape to assist candidates, they are | gerrymandered |
| In 1911, Congress decided that the House had become large enough and voted to fix its size at | 435 |
| The Constitution calls for reapportionment | every 10 years |
| After the last two census adjustments, which state has benefited the most by gaining the highest number of seats in the House? | florida |
| The increase in voter support that a member of the House receives in his or her first bid for reelection is referred to as the | sophomore surge |
| Most newly elected members of the House can expect an increase of _________ percent more votes when they run for reelection. | 8 to 10 |
| Who said, “All politics is local"? | Tip O’Neill |
| One reason that the approach used by a candidate in a general election may not work in a primary is that a primary candidate must | play to the ideology of political activists |
| To win the presidential nomination, as opposed to the general election, candidates generally present themselves as | more liberal if democratic, more conservative if republican |
| Disputed congressional elections are decided by | congress |
| Members of the House and Senate can say or write anything they like, without fear of being sued or prosecuted, so long as what they say is | related to the legislative process |
| A ___________issue is one in which the rival candidates have opposing views on a question that also divides the voters. | position |
| _______issues have increased in importance in campaigns in recent years. | valence |
| The kind of campaign activity most notably on the increase in recent elections is | broadcasting |
| You must declare in advance that you are a registered member of a political party in a ______-primary. | closed |
| The drawback to candidates of television visuals and debates is | the risk of verbal slips |
| One way for a candidate to avoid embarrassing slips of the tongue during campaigning is to | rely on stock speeches |
| An advantage of direct-mail appeals is that they | can be directed at specific subgroups |
| Funding of congressional elections comes from | private sources only |
| Most of the money for congressional candidates comes from | individual donation |
| Soft money is money that is obtained by | political parties |
| History suggests that______percent of the presidential vote will go to the candidates of the two main parties. | 80 |
| One advantage that incumbents always have over challengers is | their use of free mailing, or franks |
| Many scholars argue that the foremost factor in determining how people vote is | party identification |
| Democrats could be predicted to win every election if the only factor were | party identification |
| Which party tends to be more loyal to its candidate in presidential elections? | republicans |
| When a voter votes for the candidate whom he or she considers more likely to do a better job in office, the voting is referred to as | prospective voting |
| The text suggests that political junkies are more likely to engage in ________voting. | prospective |
| The text suggests that elections are decided by ______voters. | retrospective |
| The Democrats appear to have lost their once-strong hold on which groups? | Catholics, southerners, and union members |
| The text argues that the U.S. constitutional system was designed to make the adoption of radical departures in policy | difficult |