12. The electronic surveillance of suspected terrorists by federal agencies is most likely to be opposed by a A) civil libertarian B) consumer advocat

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May Cook
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1 1. If the most liberal wing of the Democratic Party takes control of the party platform and focuses on social reforms, it would be most likely to alienate A) graduate students B) Northeastern suburban voters C) Jewish Americans D) Wealthy southerners E) African-Americans living in cities 2. The "graying of America" will bring which of the following issues more attention? A) missile defense programs B) abortion C) gays in the military D) patient's Bill of Rights E) gun control 3. Men are more likely than women to favor A) capital punishment B) increases in federal minimum wage C) abortion D) spending on public housing E) gun control 4. Which of the following is NOT a linkage institution? A) Elections B) Political parties C) Interest groups D) The bureaucracy E) The media 5. As a percentage of the total population, Hispanics are concentrated in the A) Northeast B) Southeast C) Southwest D) Midwest E) Northwest 6. Which of the following ideologies would most likely endorse low taxes? I. Liberalism II. Conservatism III. Libertarianism IV. Populism A) II only B) I and III only C) II and III only D) I, II, and IV only E) I, II, III, and IV 7. Which of the following publications is generally regarded as being politically conservative? A) The Wall Street Journal B) The Los Angeles Times C) The Washington Post D) The New York Times E) The Boston Globe 8. Supporters of a bill creating a new large-scale federal welfare program would most likely describe themselves as A) moderates B) Republicans C) conservatives D) libertarians E) liberals 9. The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, is most supportive of A) increased environmental controls B) universal health care C) high tariffs and import quotas D) an interventionist foreign policy E) the privatization of Social Security 10. Which of the following groups would most likely oppose the appropriation of funds to the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency that subsidizes artistic programs? I. Liberals II. Libertarians III. Conservatives A) I only B) III only C) I and II only D) II and III only E) I, II, and III 11. Conservatives are generally more likely than liberals to support A) guaranteed government services B) affirmative action C) high defense spending D) abortion rights E) same-sex marriage

2 12. The electronic surveillance of suspected terrorists by federal agencies is most likely to be opposed by a A) civil libertarian B) consumer advocate C) fiscal conservative D) national security hawk E) trade protectionist 13. The ballot measure through which an elected official may be replaced is most properly called a(n) A) initiative B) referendum C) recall D) runoff E) impeachment 14. The crucial factor to retrospective voting is A) political attitude B) candidate appeal C) candidate performance D) media coverage E) personal interests 15. Which of the following best describes the form of direct democracy known as an initiative? A) A group of citizens circulates a signed petition to propose a new piece of legislation. B) An unpopular executive is removed from office through a special election. C) A legislature submits a piece of legislation to voters for an up-or-down vote. D) Citizens gather in a designated place to adopt legislative measures by popular acclamation. E) Members of a political party vote to select candidates for a general election. 16. The most significant hindrance to voter turnout in the United States is probably A) the registration requirement B) access to polling places C) confusing voting mechanisms D) long lines outside the polls E) lack of information about the candidates 17. All of the following help explain the lower voter turnout among Americans in the 18-to-21 age cohort EXCEPT A) students attending college outside of their home states B) frequent relocation C) service in a branch of the armed forces D) voting restrictions applied in some states to those under 21 E) a demographic disconnect from political issues 18. A person who is conservative on economic issues but liberal on social issues would be considered a A) populist B) liberal C) conservative D) libertarian E) communist 19. Cleavages in public opinion in the United States are A) hard to generalize B) often defined by region, social class, and race C) clearly cut along racial lines D) the principal cause of bureaucratic red tape E) not affected by gender or schooling 20. Public opinion is often affected by all of the following EXCEPT A) stability of opinion B) public ignorance C) wording of questions D) wording of choices E) political culture 21. In times of crisis, public opinion usually A) rallies behind the president B) turns against the president C) turns against the military D) rallies behind Congress E) turns against Congress 22. The rally-round-the-flag effect comes into play most clearly when A) a natural disaster devastates part of the country B) an incumbent is challenged in the party primary C) the results of a presidential election are contested D) the President vetoes a piece of legislation E) the United States faces a foreign policy crisis

3 23. In recent years, the Democratic National Committee has been able to attract unprecedented financial support thanks to I. Computerized direct-mail techniques II. Internet advertising and fundraising III. Copying Republican fundraising strategies A) II only B) I and II only C) I and III only D) II and III only E) I, II, and III 24. Which of the following third-party candidates managed to win electoral votes? A) George Wallace in 1968 B) John Anderson in 1980 C) Ross Perot in 1992 D) Patrick Buchanan in 2000 E) Ralph Nader in Which of the following best describes important groups within the modern-day Republican Party? A) Fiscal conservatives worried about budget deficits and social conservatives focused on cultural issues B) Business interests seeking minimal government regulation and civil libertarians who criticize the PATRIOT Act C) Environmentalists concerned about global warming and neoconservatives who advocate an aggressive foreign policy D) Labor unions who call for an increased minimum wage and libertarians opposed to gun control laws E) Multilateralists who support strong global institutions and religious liberals in favor of increased social spending 26. Which of the following best describes the historical tendency of third-party movements? A) They often replace one of the two dominant parties. B) They are often ignored or abandoned by the public as too radical. C) Their positions are integrated into the major parties, and the party then often dissolves. D) They are fleeting social movements that disappear once their goals have been achieved. E) Their members become disenchanted with the political process, and the party falls apart. 27. Which of the following statements about political parties is correct? A) Americans are more attached to their political parties than European citizens are. B) Loyalty to political parties has strengthened in the United States since C) In a presidential election, political parties are typically more powerful than the candidates they back. D) The 1932 presidential election essentially established the Democratic Party as we know it. E) Party conventions are more important today than they were in Republican George Bush took on which of the following issues that is traditionally considered Democratic during his campaign and first term as president? A) tax cuts B) support for gay marriage C) increased federal spending for education D) more defense spending E) campaign finance reform 29. National party conventions A) are usually necessary to determine who will be the party's presidential nominee B) have earned lower ratings and receive much less media coverage than they once did C) are unscripted, which sometimes results in embarrassing moments for candidates D) typically last a week, with the party platform announcement taking up most of the time E) are expected to be replaced by candidate conventions in the near future 30. Money contributed by corporations, individuals and unions that spent by the party on activities not related to the candidate is referred to as A) soft money B) PAC spending C) party incentives D) independent expenditure E) public funding

4 31. A candidate who stands for election in a district or state of which he or she only recently became a resident is referred to as a A) dark horse B) outsider C) maverick D) mugwump E) carpetbagger 32. The financing provisions of the McCain-Feingold Act are enforced by the A) Nuclear Regulatory Commission B) Securities and Exchange Commission C) Federal Trade Commission D) Federal Communications Commission E) Federal Election Commission 33. Voter registration became inextricably tied with driver's license registration after the passage of the A) New York's "Lemon Law" of 1975 B) Commercial Motor Vehicle Act of 1986 C) Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 D) "Motor Voter Act" of 1993 E) Help America Vote Act of The New Deal coalition included which of the following groups? I. Labor unions II. Northern businessmen III. Southerners IV. African-Americans A) I and II only B) I and III only C) I,II, and III only D) I, III, and IV only E) II, III, and IV only 35. In 2000, George W. Bush campaigned for the presidency as a A) war hero B) neoconservative C) leader who would "stay the course" D) proponent of "shock and awe" E) "compassionate conservative" 36. The failures of health care policy during Bill Clinton's second term indicate which of the following about the 1992 presidential election? A) Voters were voting against George Bush, not for Bill Clinton. B) Clinton's win was not based on prospective voting. C) Bush actively campaigned to derail Clinton legislation. D) The exit polls were misinterpreted. E) Clinton's decisive win was not a mandate from voters. 37. A presidential election is decided by the House of Representatives whenever A) no single candidate receives a majority of the electoral votes B) no single candidate receives a majority of the total votes cast C) the candidate who wins the electoral vote loses the popular vote D) both candidates agree to have Congress resolve an electoral controversy E) a member of the Electoral College moves for summary judgment 38. A member who joins an organization out of solidary incentives most likely A) is less dedicated to the social cause than to membership itself B) is interested in the material benefits associated with membership C) strongly believes in the cause of the organization D) is interested in running for future political office E) is only loosely associated with the organization 39. A potential group refers to A) the members of an interest group B) an emerging interest group C) members of an interest group with the strongest ties to the common interest D) an interest group that is likely to wield a lot of influence E) those who might be interest-group members because they share a common interest

5 40. Which of the following statements best describes the difference between interest groups and political parties? A) Most major political parties, unlike some major interest groups, cannot survive if based on a single issue. B) Interest groups attract more members than political parties. C) Interest groups are generally built around more issues than parties. D) Parties, unlike interest groups, are not permitted to accept private donations. E) Interest groups, unlike parties, are not mentioned in the Constitution. 41. Interest groups usually do all of the following EXCEPT A) make contributions to political candidates B) provide extensive information to the public C) influence popular opinion D) rate legislators objectively E) mobilize likeminded voters 42. Interest groups tend to do all of the following EXCEPT A) lobby public officials directly B) submit bills to Congress C) endorse political candidates D) form political action committees E) file "amicus curiae" briefs 43. Lobbyists are overseen, by filing reports of their activities, by which of the following? A) The House of Representatives and the Senate B) The Federal Election Commission C) The Justice Department D) Political action committees E) Office of Management and Budget 44. Which of the following correctly describes the development of news media in American history? A) popular press, party press, magazines of opinion, B) magazines of opinion, party press, popular press, C) popular press, popular press, electronic journalism, magazines of opinion D) party press, popular press, magazines of opinion, E) party press, magazines of opinion, popular press, 45. If a candidate requests television airtime to refute an opponent's on-air attacks and is denied, which of the following best characterizes the rule violated by the network? A) The fairness doctrine B) The equal-time rule C) The political-editorializing rule D) The right-of-reply rule E) The Telecommunications Act of The Washington Post reporters who uncovered the Watergate scandal are known collectively as A) Ellsberg and Bernstein B) Bernstein and Mitchell C) Ellsberg and Woodward D) Woodward and Bernstein E) Mitchell and Ellsberg 47. Government officials are skilled at using the media for political interests such as when they give a story to the press just to gauge the public's reaction, which is referred to as a. A) trial balloon B) leak C) media event D) record E) sound bite 48. The main reason why independent internet news sources, such as The Drudge Report, are sometimes the first to break a major news story is that A) they have larger staffs and more resources than most major newspapers B) they are willing to publish such stories without rigorous fact-checking C) few American newspapers manage websites that are frequently updated D) government officials leak stories to bloggers, not to established reporters E) newspapers are often successfully prosecuted for controversial stories 49. A story obtained on deep background will NOT report I. The source's name II. The source's title III. The source's quote A) I only B) III only C) I and II only D) II and III only E) I, II, and III

6 50. Which of the following newspaper headlines suggests investigative reporting? A) "Alleged Mafia Boss Testifies Before Congress" B) "President Will Win Re-Election, Pollsters Say" C) "Secret Surveillance Program Revealed" D) "Scandal! Governor Sued for Sexual Harassment" E) "Why a Progressive Income Tax Is Unrealistic"

Purposes of Elections

Purposes of Elections o Regular free elections n guarantee mass political action n enable citizens to influence the actions of their government o Popular election confers on a government the legitimacy