Copyright 2014 Edmentum - All rights reserved. AP US Government and Politics Blizzard Bag 2014-2015 Political Parties, Interest Groups and Mass Media 1. What role does the Federal Communications Commission play in the media? A. It regulates television broadcasts. B. It regulates all forms of media coverage. C. It permits greater freedom of expression to liberal media outlets. D. It is allowed to monitor but not regulate the media under the constraints of the First Amendment. E. It attempts to control the media bias. 2. Due to the National Rifle Association's efforts, the Assault Weapons Ban expired in 2004. This is an example of A. the influence of the media B. the need to regulate interest groups C. bipartisanship in special interest groups D. the need for financial contributions by lobbyists E. the influence of special interest groups on public policy 3. What is the Federal Communications Commission's equal time rule? A. If a network sells time to one candidate, it has to sell the same amount of time to other candidates. B. The time allotted for congressional political commercials has to be equal between opposing parties. C. When a newscaster tells a political story, he or she has to explain the opposing viewpoint. D. Newscasters with extreme political beliefs must be limited in their amount of "on air" time. E. Every time a candidate speaks during a program, his or her opponent has the chance to respond.
4. Which is an example of an environmental interest group? A. NASA B. International Atomic Energy Agency C. Environmental Protection Agency D. Sierra Club E. National Wildlife Federation 5. The media has been blamed for the populations' overall A. ability to identify with a certain political party B. decline in party identification C. increase in voter registration D. increase in voter turnout E. decrease in knowledge of news events 6. The Democratic-Republicans split into which two groups? A. Democrats and Republicans B. Democrats and Whigs C. Republicans and Jacksonians D. Mugwumps and Whigs E. Republicans and Whigs 7. Political rule can be broken down into four periods. The first period, beginning in 1828 and lasting until 1860, can be described as A. Jacksonian Democracy B. the Era of Good Feelings C. a Democratic domination of the presidency and Congress D. a Republican controlled Senate E. an era of divided government
8. In the 1930s, President Franklin Roosevelt was believed to have had a romantic relationship with someone other than his wife, yet no one reported on it. A similar situation occurred with President Kennedy in the 1960s. Yet, in the 1990s, when President Clinton was accused of having had an extra-marital affair, it became headline news. What change can be held accountable for this discrepancy? A. media bias B. sensationalism in the media C. horse-race journalism D. adversarial press E. broadcast regulation 9. Groups that raise money and make financial contributions to political campaigns are A. political parties B. lobbyists C. ideological organizations D. labor unions E. political action committees 10. What is the main function of a special interest group? A. Influence public policies B. Organize a candidate's political platform C. Develop hidden agendas D. Nominate officeholders E. Raise money for campaigns 11. Which of the following best describes party realignment? A. A shift in party loyalty B. The demise of a political party C. Control in Congress by one political party D. A belief in the corruption of politics E. The development of a new political party
12. Since the 1960s, special interest groups have A. grown rapidly B. decreased in size and importance C. been supported financially by the federal government D. lost membership due to the rise in partisan politics E. taken on a new meaning 13. Newspaper tycoons William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer often exaggerated facts and embellished stories when covering important news. This became known as A. electronic journalism B. watchdog journalism C. yellow journalism D. horse-race journalism E. gatekeeper journalism 14. Populists Know-Nothings Bull Moose Dixiecrats All of the groups listed above are examples of A. third parties B. Progressives C. Democrats D. activists E. Socialist parties
15. Which of the following describes the plurality system? A. A candidate needs to receive the most votes even if he or she does not get the majority of votes. B. Each candidate is required to provide campaign finance records to the government. C. A candidate is only allowed to spend a certain amount of money on advertising. D. A candidate is allowed to choose his or her running mate. E. Candidates may hold a set number of debates.