AP U.S. Government & Politics Exam ch 8 PRACTICE 2014

AP U.S. Government & Politics Exam ch 8 PRACTICE 2014 1. Party machines dominate local party organizations today. 2. For all the talk about politicians' broken promises, there are many more times that they do what they said they would do, than times that they don't. 3. The form of change in which a dominant party declines and is replaced by another dominant party is called dealignment. 4. Minor parties have played a more important role in the United States than in virtually any other democratic nation, and have become even more important. 5. Third parties tend to attract new voters to the polls, and they can act as "safety valves" for public anger and disappointment. 6. According to the responsible party model, political parties should explain to voters what they intend to do and, once elected, follow through on those promises. 7. What major concern did the 2000 presidential election between Gore and Bush highlight regarding the role of third parties? a. third parties' lack of media attention b. third parties' poor access to ballots c. third parties' poor candidate choices d. third parties' ineffective organization e. third parties' spoiler role in elections 8. A(n) often requires voters to declare party affiliation on their voter registration forms, which for political parties is something akin to the government collecting information for them about who likes their product. a. multiparty primary b. closed primary c. provisional primary d. open primary e. universal primary 9. The two key components of rational-choice theory state that. a. voters want to maximize personal opportunities, and politicians want happy constituents b. voters want to maximize adoption of their favored policies, and parties want to win office c. voters want to maximize the country's well-being, and politicians will act in self-interest d. voters want to maximize job growth, and parties want to win wealthy donors e. voters want to maximize party-line victories, and parties want favored policy adoption

10. Compared to the past, parties today are weaker for all of the following reasons EXCEPT a. a change in laws and rules b. the use of direct mail c. voters have lost their party commitment d. the development of the direct primary system e. the increasing importance of the candidate s character 11. Voting Republican for one office-holder and Democratic for a different offce-holder is referred to as a. candidate- centered voting b. party-line voting c. split-ticket voting d. disaffected voting e. strategic voting 12. Which of the following is a danger associated with open primaries? a. lack of party affiliation can be a major liability b. too much power is afforded to party insiders c. partisan raiders can skew elections to their advantage d. too many candidates on the ballot confuse voters e. tendency to depress the mobilization of voters 13. How are third political parties usually significant? a. They bring new voters into the electorate. b. They win the vote in crucial swing states. c. They push major parties to take extreme positions. d. They distract from important policy debates. e. They intentionally spoil election wins by their ideologically closest major party. 14. Which of the following third party candidates is correctly matched with his key issue in his presidential run? a. Ross Perot and the federal deficit b. George Wallace and antislavery c. Strom Thurmond and the Vietnam War d. John Anderson and the first Iraq War e. Ralph Nader and auto safety 15. The Tea Party and the Blue Dog Democrats are similar in that they are both splinter groups off one of the two major political parties and they are both... a. supporters of the fiscal stimulus and President Obama's health care plan b. ideologically more conservative than the mainstream of their party c. dedicated to rallying the troops against anything the president proposes d. in favor of expanding the size and scope of the government e. comfortable with voting as a bloc to defend a woman's right to choose 16. One of the consequences of two-party government is... a. the moderation of political conflict b. the two percent rule c. the encouragement of coalition government d. greater fluidity of representation e. the likelihood of proportional representation

17. Party conventions today a. formally nominate candidates for president and vice-president. b. select the electors for the party to the electoral college. c. nominate candidates for congressional and presidential races. d. are almost non-existent; there hasn t been a party convention held in the last 15 years. e. are held state by state, rather than on a national level. 18. A party dealignment is considered to be a. the fragmentation of a political party into splinter parties. b. the loss of party members as more people identify as Independents. c. the loss of party members to the other party. d. the shuffling of party coalitions. e. the reformulation of a party s platform. 19. Third parties in American politics typically a. encourage major party candidates to take extreme positions. b. win elections in American politics. c. promote a broad range of moderate policy ideas. d. bring new groups into politics. e. replace one of the two major parties during realignments. 20. So-called Blue Dog Democrats are an example of the Democratic Party operating according to the principles of responsible party government. 21. One of the various ways in which parties contribute to democratic governance is by. a. reducing accountability mechanisms b. moderating voter choice c. nominating candidates d. dividing the electorate e. reducing inter-party competition 22. Which statement best describes the functioning of party machines in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries? a. Parties provided jobs to rural electorates in exchange for votes and kickbacks. b. Parties provided jobs to urban electorates in exchange for votes and kickbacks. c. Parties provided policy support to rural electorates in exchange for votes. d. Parties provided cash handouts to urban electorates in exchange for votes. e. Parties provided protection to urban electorates in exchange for kickbacks. 23. What best explains the demise of city patronage systems in the early twentieth century? a. judicial reforms and bureaucratic assimilation b. Keynesian economic reforms and educational initiatives c. Great Depression economic reforms and presidential initiatives d. congressional reforms and presidential initiatives e. progressive reforms and ethnic integration 24. One of the important purposes of the "Contract with America" and the more recent "A Pledge to America" was to. a. increase military outlays for security b. decrease voter ticket splitting c. polarize the electorate d. make politics user friendly for voters e. reduce corruption in Congress

25. The voters most likely to engage in ticket splitting are. a. Socialists b. Democrats c. Independents d. Evangelicals e. Republicans 26. From 1955 to 1976, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley ruled one of the most powerful political in U.S. history. a. machines b. cartels c. juntas d. trusts e. action committees 27. What is the most notable characteristic of state party systems in the United States? a. They are all different. b. They are all well organized. c. They are all wealthy. d. They are all corrupt. e. They are all subservient to the national party. 28. The youngest voters today are most likely to identify as. a. Republicans b. anarchists c. Democrats d. independents e. Republicans or Democrats 29. The is the formal governing body of political parties. a. national party convention b. national party assembly c. national party committee d. national party legislature e. national party delegation 30. Ticket splitting can be an indicator of. a. progressive reform b. dealignment c. issue evolution d. patronage e. realignment 31. What must precede a major-party realignment? a. economic crises b. a critical election c. a caucus d. censure e. a key nomination 32. The official, though ambiguously written, party is/are ratified by delegates and leaders at the national party convention every four years but given little serious attention. a. constitution b. procedure document c. articles d. regulations code e. platform

33. Which of these is an electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party? a. a revolutionary election b. an upheaval election c. a decisive election d. a critical election e. a volcanic election 34. What changed in the demographics of the New Deal coalition after nearly four decades of political control? a. Southern whites began to defect from the Democrats to the Republicans. b. African Americans began to defect from the Democrats to the Republicans. c. Urban populations began to defect from the Democrats to the Republicans. d. Catholics and Jews began to defect from the Republicans to the Democrats. e. Evangelicals began to defect from the Republicans to the Democrats. 35. Party realignments are rare and cataclysmic events in American political history. According to your text, when did the last one occur? a. 1894 b. 1932 c. 1860 d. 1968 e. 2000 36. The years 1860-1928 saw the ascendency of which party? a. Republicans b. Democratic-Republicans c. Democrats d. Federalists e. Whigs 37. The U.S. national chairpersons for the Republicans and the Democrats recently agreed that their biggest headache was. a. raising money b. party dealignment c. party polarization d. party realignment e. fighting corruption 38. The presidential nominee need not adhere to either the letter or the spirit of the, although most nominees stay fairly close. a. party preferences b. party mandates c. party platform d. party literature e. party code 39. When one party is in charge of the executive branch and the other is in charge of one or both houses of the legislative branch, the United States is said to have... a. divided government. b. executive rule. c. split power. d. gridlock. e. none of the above

40. On a party pyramid, the grass roots is located... a. on the top. b. at the base. c. in the middle. d. throughout. 41. How are critical elections and party realignments interrelated? a. A party realignment occurs after one or more critical elections and is characterized by barely discernible demographic shifts. b. A party realignment occurs after one or more critical elections and may be associated with a national crisis. c. A party realignment occurs during one or more critical elections and is characterized by gradual change. d. A party realignment occurs before one or more critical elections and may be associated with a national crisis. e. A party realignment occurs before one or more critical elections and may be characterized by gradual or dramatic change. 42. The functions of political parties include all of the following EXCEPT... a. determining the nature of foreign policy. b. organizing the competition. c. unifying the electorate. d. translating preference into policy e. developing the means to win elections f. outside the principle arenas of concern 43. Andrew Downs's rational-choice theory is a popular idea among political scientists. It postulates that. a. party identity will lose its importance in the next 100 years b. some candidates enter races even when they know they will lose c. voters and politicians will generally act in their own self-interest d. logic and reason will prevail in the American electorate e. ideological polarization in a society will disappear in a crisis 44. Richard Nixon's is widely credited with starting the march to the Republican Party in this former Democratic stronghold. a. urban strategy b. Western strategy c. Southern strategy d. South-western strategy e. suburban strategy 45. More than half of American voters are the representation they receive from the two major political parties in the United States. a. angry about b. satisfied with c. dissatisfied with d. uncertain about e. apathetic about 46. Party dealignment is associated with a rising number of. a. evangelicals b. Independents c. Republicans d. Democrats e. coalitions

47. Only two social groups that identify more readily with the Republican Party than the Democratic Party. What are they? a. Jews and the well-to-do b. white Catholics and white evangelicals c. men and Asian Americans d. low-income Americans and white evangelicals e. white evangelicals and the well-to-do 48. Critics of the responsible party model claim that... a. it causes unneeded tension between Democrats and Republicans b. it is too simple for the complexity and diversity of American society c. it has contributed to the vilification of the word "compromise" d. it would let party leaders punish those who stray from party policy e. it is invalid because it is not subject to constitutional constraints 49. In electoral systems, parties at the extremes are likely to have more influence. a. majoritarian b. two-party c. plurality d. polarized e. multiparty 50. What is a political party s core function? a. to field candidates for elected office b. to try to win elections by provide a voting cue to the electorate c. to organize a national office d. to guide policymakers decisions 51. Successful political parties in the United States remain close to the midpoint of public opinion. 52. Over the last several decades a. more people have consistently called themselves Republicans than Democrats. b. the percentage of Independents has risen. c. the percentage of Republicans has fallen. d. the percentage of Democrats has risen. e. the party that has won the presidency has always had the most members. 53. The internal organization of political parties in the United States is best characterized as a. hierarchical. b. fragmented. c. centralized. d. rigidly determined. e. usually marked by strong leadership. 54. To say that a candidate must pass a litmus test means that.. a. they must meet some standard imposed by a faction. b. they must be acidic in their denunciations of the opposing party. c. they must show in a a convincing and obvious way the nature of their character. d. their views must be measurable. e. they must show in a a convincing and obvious way that their previous office-holding has been sucessful.

55. European democracies have more parties in positions of political power than does the United States because of their... a. intolerance of extremism b. conservative populations c. non-parliamentary elections d. winner-take-all systems e. reliance on proportional representation 56. Why are coalition governments so prevalent in European parliamentary systems? a. Politburo members would otherwise have little say in government operations. b. Single parties do not always win a majority of parliamentary seats. c. Bicameral parliaments are the norm. d. Multiparty "executive committees" often silence the opposition. e. Cabinets, which are multiparty bodies, withhold executive power. 57. Which of the following is the best general description of the founders' attitudes toward political parties? a. A multi-party system was preferable to a two-party system b. Parties were a necessary component within a democratic political system c. Parties should not just be tolerated but should be encouraged to grow through government financial support d. A two-party system is best suited to the American political culture. e. At best, parties are a necessary evil and should be avoided if at all possible. 58. Franklin Roosevelt's election to the presidency, after repeated Republican administrations, can be seen as an example of a election. a. a. maintaining b. deviating c. dealigning d. realigning e. deactivating 59. The election of 1994 resulted in a Congress that for the first time in forty years was... a. controlled by a Republican majority in both houses. b. controlled by a Democratic majority in both houses. c. controlled by a Democratic majority in the House and a Republican majority in the Senate. d. controlled by a Republican majority in the House and a Democratic majority in the Senate. e. none of the above 60. Which statement about party platforms is false? a. Party platforms are binding on their respective members of Congress. b. Presidents rarely attempt to implement all of them. c. They provide rival candidates with a test of their convention strength. d. Presidential politicians take them seriously. e. They often contain an element that is vigorously debated. 61. Which of the following campaign promises was NOT kept? a. Barack Obama s 2008 promise to withdraw combat troops from Iraq. b. Ronald Reagan s 1980 promise to build up American military power. c. George W. Bush s 2000 promise to lower income tax rates. d. George H. W. Bush s 1988 promise of no new taxes. e. Bill Clinton s 1992 promise to sign legislation providing for family leave for workers.

62. When can a party change its platform? a. every two years b. after a federal census c. virtually anytime d. at the start of each fiscal year e. during the national party convention 63. Republican and Democratic candidates have to be more in their positions to win the votes of their party's base. a. extreme b. irrational c. elitist d. populist e. moderate 64. Political parties have declined in power in the last 30 years mainly due to: a. the ability of the party to dispense patronage to its members. b. the ability of the party to remove rebellious candidates from its ballots. c. the establishment of primary elections to choose party candidates. d. the return of King Caucus politics whereby members of Congress would choose party nominees. e. the increased success of campaign finance laws which has limited the amount of soft money in elections. 65. The primary reason for the current existence of only two major political parties in the United States is that... a. the Constitution puts severe restrictions on other parties b. third parties are usually far to the right or left, and Americans are moderates c. a winner-take-all electoral system makes it difficult for new parties to emerge and survive d. voters naturally think of themselves as either liberals or conservatives e. presidential electors can vote for only two candidates 66. If you were a Democratic or Republican Party operative trying to attract voters who identify with a third-party candidate, what might be your best strategy? a. Plaster neighborhoods known for backing the third party candidate with billboards for your candidate. b. Tell those voters that their issues will have a better shot with your candidate than with the other major candidate. c. Bring those voters' in by taking their side on the issues that attracted them to the third party candidate. d. Assume that some of those voters will come to you by default, because otherwise theirs is a wasted vote. e. Send those voters a letter inviting them to support your candidate, saying he or she is aware of their issue. 67. One reason why political parties do not take stronger policy positions on issues and then enforce them is that... a. party powers are limited by the Constitution b. party opposition from outsiders is too great c. party discipline may be high, but ideological differences continue to divide d. parties have no way to bind elected officials to party platforms e. party membership is too moderate