Deck 10: Campaigns and Elections

Question 1

When a voter must be registered with a party prior to voting in that party's election,it is called a(n)

A) open primary.
B) closed primary.
C) majority system.
D) Australian ballot.
E) referendum.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

For the presidential primaries,most but not all state parties use what type of election?

A) winner-take-all
B) proportional representation
C) majority rules
D) the unitary system
E) plurality

Answer 2

B

Question 3

If you voted for a Republican for president and a Democrat for senator,you engaged in

A) a referendum.
B) an open primary.
C) split-ticket voting.
D) the coattail effect.
E) a closed primary.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

When a congressional election is held that does not coincide with a presidential election,it is called a(n)

A) closed primary election.
B) open primary election.
C) franchise vote.
D) midterm election.
E) referendum.

Question 5

In order for a political party to select a candidate to run in the general election,it holds a

A) primary election.
B) referendum.
C) midterm election.
D) franchise vote.
E) exploratory committee.

Question 6

If the winner of an election is whoever receives the most votes,regardless of the percentage of votes received,the candidates are running under a ______ system.

A) majority
B) plurality
C) proportionality
D) unitary
E) primary

Question 7

A runoff election is likely to occur when

A) there are only two candidates running in the election.
B) there are more than two candidates running in the election.
C) there is only one candidate running in the election.
D) turnout in the election is very high.
E) turnout in the election is very low.

Question 8

The primary responsibility for conducting public elections rests with

A) the federal government.
B) state and local governments.
C) political parties.
D) the candidates running for office.
E) privately owned and operated election companies.

Question 9

The result produced when voters cast a ballot for the president and then automatically vote for the remainder of that party's candidates is called the

A) shirttail effect.
B) coattail effect.
C) pocket veto effect.
D) logrolling effect.
E) recall effect.

Question 10

Smaller and weaker parties are most likely to have electoral success under which system of elections?

A) the proportional representation system
B) the majority system
C) the plurality system
D) the unitary system
E) the referendum system

Question 11

Plurality and majority systems tend to

A) increase the number of political parties.
B) decrease the number of political parties.
C) evolve into single-party systems.
D) devolve into anarchy.
E) make political parties illegal.

Question 12

Before the 1890s,who was responsible for printing election ballots?

A) the federal government
B) state governments
C) political parties
D) the National League of Women Voters
E) voters

Question 13

______ is the most common electoral system used in general elections in the United States.

A) The majority system
B) The plurality system
C) The proportional representation system
D) The gerrymandered system
E) The referendum

Question 14

A majority system,which is used on a limited basis in the United States,requires that a candidate must win ______ to win an election.

A) at least 25 percent of all votes cast
B) at least 33 percent of all votes cast
C) at least 40 percent of all votes cast
D) 50 percent plus one of all votes cast
E) at least 60 percent of all votes cast,plus a percentage of absentee ballots.

Question 15

When are national elections held in the United States?

A) the first Tuesday of November every year
B) the first Tuesday of November every other year
C) the first Tuesday of November every three years
D) the first Tuesday of November every four years
E) the first Tuesday of November every five years

Question 16

During midterm elections,voters are voting for

A) federal judges.
B) members of Congress.
C) the president.
D) the secretary of state.
E) national-level referendums.

Question 17

Primary elections were introduced by the ______ in order to weaken the power of party leaders.

A) Democrats
B) Republicans
C) Whigs
D) Progressives
E) Federalists

Question 18

Party activists who are elected to vote at a party's national convention are called

A) incumbents.
B) delegates.
C) electors.
D) nominees.
E) whips.

Question 19

Most European nations employ what system of elections?

A) majority
B) plurality
C) proportional representation
D) open primary
E) closed primary

Question 20

When American voters support only one party's candidates,they are said to be voting a

A) dual ticket.
B) single ticket.
C) straight ticket.
D) split ticket.
E) unity ticket.

Question 21

The principle of "one person,one vote" was established by the Supreme Court in the

A) 1790s.
B) 1820s.
C) 1870s.
D) 1930s.
E) 1960s.

Question 22

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Federal law since 2002 requires that all states use the same type of voting equipment.
B) The Supreme Court has mandated that all voting machines provide a paper ballot.
C) Voting equipment varies from county to county throughout the United States.
D) Since 2000,all voting equipment has been required to use a butterfly ballot.
E) The Supreme Court has ruled that elections using electronic voting machines are unconstitutional.

Question 23

When the Supreme Court announced the principle of "one person,one vote," what did it mean?

A) Voters may only vote once in an election.
B) Within a state,electoral districts must have roughly equal populations.
C) No one could be denied suffrage on the basis of race or gender.
D) Voting was an individual right,not a group right.
E) Compulsory voting is constitutional.

Question 24

At a party convention,when an entire state delegation votes for the single candidate supported by the majority of its delegates,it is called the

A) butterfly ballot.
B) consensus mark.
C) unit rule.
D) prospective vote.
E) retrospective vote.

Question 25

Which of the following is a difference between Democratic and Republican primaries?

A) The Democratic Party requires that state presidential primaries allocate delegates on the basis of a winner-take-all system while the Republican Party does not.
B) The Democratic Party requires that state presidential primaries allocate delegates on the basis of proportional representation while the Republican Party does not.
C) The Republican Party requires that state presidential primaries allocate delegates on the basis of proportional representation while the Democratic Party does not.
D) The Republican Party requires that state presidential primaries allocate delegates on the basis of a winner-take-all system while the Democratic Party does not.
E) The Republican Party has only closed primaries while the Democratic Party has only open primaries.

Question 26

The boundaries of legislative districts in the United States are to be redrawn every ______ years.

A) two
B) four
C) six
D) ten
E) twelve

Question 27

While traditional party conventions were ______,contemporary party conventions are ______.

A) deliberative assemblies to determine nominations;simple ratifications of nominations that have already been determined
B) simple ratifications of nominations that had already been determined;deliberative assemblies to determine nominations
C) financed solely by the federal government;financed by interest groups,private donors,and corporations
D) financed by interest groups,private donors,and corporations;financed solely by the federal government
E) held on the year before the presidential election;held one week before the presidential election

Question 28

If George W.Bush won the plurality of votes in Texas during the 2000 election,and Texas had thirty representatives in the House of Representatives,how many electoral votes from Texas did Bush win?

A) 0
B) 30
C) 32
D) 44
E) 50

Question 29

Which event helped lead to a change in the way that the electoral college chose the president and vice president?

A) the riots caused by the Alien and Sedition Act in the 1790s
B) the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr in 1803
C) the failure of Andrew Jackson to win the White House in 1824
D) the failure of the electoral college to produce a majority for any candidate in 1824
E) the secession of southern states in 1860

Question 30

The ______ is the last example of indirect voting in national elections.

A) referendum
B) electoral college
C) closed primary
D) open primary
E) franchise

Question 31

During the earliest years of the United States,who nominated the candidates for president?

A) The incumbent president chose both candidates.
B) Members of the major political parties chose their own nominees.
C) Nominations were controlled by each party's congressional caucus.
D) Political machine bosses controlled the entire nominating process.
E) State legislatures selected one candidate from each party.

Question 32

Early presidential primaries and caucuses are more important because

A) they allocate more than 85 percent of all delegates in the nomination process.
B) they encourage more candidates to run for the nomination in later primaries and caucuses.
C) they determine who the vice presidential nominee will be.
D) they can help a candidate secure media attention and financial support.
E) they are held in the largest,most populated states.

Question 33

Split-ticket voting

A) increases political corruption at the polling booths.
B) increases partisan divisions in government.
C) decreases partisan conflict in government.
D) increases the coattail effect during midterm elections.
E) decreases the coattail effect during midterm elections.

Question 34

The practice of ______ means that district boundaries have been purposefully drawn to unfairly advantage one group or party.

A) proportional representation
B) gerrymandering
C) balloting
D) incumbency
E) recall

Question 35

When states vie for influence by holding their nominating processes earlier,it is called

A) gerrymandering.
B) the winner-take-all system.
C) closed caucusing.
D) open caucusing.
E) frontloading.

Question 36

In what case did the Supreme Court say that purposefully drawing districts where the majority of voters were members of a single minority group,in order to ensure minority representation,was unlawful?

A) Reynolds v.Sims
B) Bush v.Gore
C) Shaw v.Reno
D) Brown v.Board of Education
E) United States v.Nixon

Question 37

How many times in American history has the presidential candidate who won the most popular votes not been selected by the electoral college?

A) 0
B) 3
C) 5
D) 8
E) 10

Question 38

When state legislators concentrate the members of one party in as few districts as possible in order to ensure that their opponents will elect as few representatives as possible,it is called

A) a referendum.
B) lobbying.
C) packing.
D) redlining.
E) caucusing.

Question 39

What year marked the first time a major political party held a convention?

A) 1789
B) 1832
C) 1860
D) 1912
E) 1942

Question 40

"King Caucus" refers to

A) the significance of Iowa as the first caucus of the presidential campaign.
B) the importance of caucuses,not primaries,for Barack Obama's 2008 Democratic nomination.
C) the use of each party's congressional caucus to nominate presidential candidates during the early nineteenth century.
D) Daniel Webster,who had unrivaled influence over the presidential nominating process during the 1820s and 1830s.
E) the fact that caucuses are inherently undemocratic methods of selecting nominees for national political office.

Question 41

Which of the following politicians was recalled from office?

A) President Warren Harding (1921)
B) New York City Mayor David Dinkins (1993)
C) California Governor Gray Davis (2003)
D) President Richard Nixon (1972)
E) Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia (1998)

Question 42

Karl Rove was the ______ for George W.Bush.

A) first secretary of state
B) chief political strategist
C) attorney general
D) official White House spokesman
E) first appointee to the federal judiciary

Question 43

Which of the following statements about campaign spending in Senate elections is true?

A) Incumbents generally spend less money than challengers in Senate campaigns.
B) Incumbents and challengers generally spend the same amount of money in Senate campaigns.
C) Incumbents generally spend more money than challengers in Senate campaigns.
D) Incumbents and challengers in Senate campaigns are legally limited to spending only $2 million.
E) Incumbents and challengers in Senate campaigns are legally limited to spending only $5 million.

Question 44

Which of the following is the best example of direct democracy in practice in the United States?

A) gerrymandering
B) retrospective voting
C) prospective voting
D) referendum
E) issue advocacy

Question 45

Which of the following statements about campaign spending in House elections is true?

A) The amount of money spent by challengers and incumbents has decreased at the same rate since 1980.
B) The amount of money spent by incumbents has decreased since 1980 and has decreased at a much faster rate than the amount spent by challengers.
C) The amount of money spent by incumbents has increased since 1980 but has grown at a much slower rate than the amount spent by challengers.
D) The amount of money spent by incumbents has increased since 1980 and has grown at a much faster rate than the amount spent by challengers.
E) The amount of money spent by incumbents has increased since 1980 and has grown at the same rate as the amount spent by challengers.

Question 46

Which of the following political officers are subject to recall elections?

A) the president
B) senators
C) members of the House of Representatives
D) federal judges
E) the governor of the state of California

Question 47

Spot advertisements are useful because they

A) permit a candidate's message to be delivered to a target audience before people can tune out.
B) are essentially free of charge,because the media needs to fill the "spot."
C) are funded through a loophole in campaign finance laws.
D) are the best means for an audience to get the most information about the policy preferences of candidates,rather than the candidates' personalities.
E) are funded by nonpartisan organizations rather than candidates.

Question 48

Before the post-World War II era,dark-horse candidates were most likely to arise at a national convention when

A) deadlocks between major factions developed.
B) no other candidate wanted the nomination.
C) charismatic leaders dominated the proceedings.
D) economic conditions were extremely poor.
E) an incumbent president was running for re-election.

Question 49

Which party has reserved slots at the national convention for elected superdelegates?

A) the Republicans
B) the Democrats
C) the Greens
D) the Reform Party
E) the Independents

Question 50

The effort by political candidates and their staff to win backing and support by voters in the quest for political office is known as a(n)

A) incumbency.
B) campaign.
C) caucus.
D) platform.
E) national convention.

Question 51

Campaign consultants do all of the following except

A) conduct public opinion polls.
B) organize direct mailings.
C) develop the issues on which the candidate will focus.
D) produce television commercials.
E) print ballots for the election.

Question 52

Generally speaking,a recall effort begins with a

A) petition campaign.
B) lawsuit.
C) law passed by the state legislature.
D) decree by the governor.
E) law passed by Congress and signed by the president.

Question 53

The themes,issues,and messages that candidates present during a campaign are generally based on

A) the election rules passed by Congress each year.
B) the size of the constituency they are seeking to represent.
C) polls and focus groups.
D) legally binding orders that are issued from the national party organizations.
E) an objective assessment of what the most important problems facing the country are.

Question 54

Approximately how much money does it take for a candidate to have a reasonable chance of winning a seat in the House of Representatives?

A) $50,000
B) $100,000
C) $500,000
D) $5,000,000
E) $10,000,000

Question 55

In contemporary politics,local election campaigns tend to be ______,while statewide elections tend to be ______.

A) caucuses;primaries
B) media-driven and capital intensive;organizationally driven and labor intensive
C) organizationally driven and labor intensive;media-driven and capital intensive
D) front-loaded;back-loaded
E) back-loaded;front-loaded

Question 56

What is a referendum?

A) It is the congressional election held between presidential elections.
B) It is the right and power to vote.
C) It is the practice of voting directly for proposed laws.
D) It is the process by which a party selects its candidates for the general election.
E) It is the process by which voters are allowed to remove state officials from office before their term expires.

Question 57

Who is the incumbent?

A) the current officeholder,running for re-election
B) the candidate who raises the most money during the campaign
C) the official candidate for a political party,running in the general elections
D) the label for whoever is leading in the polls on the day of the election
E) the name given to a candidate who is running against a current officeholder in an election

Question 58

When does public opinion polling take place during a campaign?

A) at the very beginning
B) only toward the end of the campaign
C) throughout the entire campaign
D) only at the very beginning and the very end of the campaign
E) Most campaigns do not use public opinion polling.

Question 59

Which of the following do modern political campaigns not depend on?

A) broadcast media
B) direct mailings
C) a large army of volunteers from the party
D) phone banks
E) public opinion polling

Question 60

What is the first step in running for president?

A) forming an exploratory committee
B) attending the party's national convention
C) participating in party debates
D) running in party primaries and caucuses
E) enrolling in the electoral college

Question 61

Money contributed directly to a political party to be used for voter registration or party building is called

A) graft.
B) soft money.
C) a bribe.
D) funny money.
E) housekeeping dollars.

Question 62

The right of candidates to spend their own money on running for office

A) is limited by a cap of $50 million.
B) is protected absolutely by the First Amendment,according to the Supreme Court.
C) was forbidden by the Campaign Reform Act of 1974.
D) is allowed only if the candidate can match every personal dollar with a dollar from outside donations.
E) was forbidden by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002.

Question 63

When candidates for office sponsor hearings,undertake inspection tours of disaster areas,or meet with foreign dignitaries,the form of publicity they receive is called

A) a press junket.
B) free media.
C) the coattail effect.
D) the C-SPAN effect.
E) a spot advertisement.

Question 64

Politicians attempt to "balance the ticket" with members of many important groups because

A) interest groups frequently engage in direct lobbying to enhance diversity in campaigns.
B) affirmative action legislation from the 1960s requires proportional representation in all elections.
C) federal campaign finance laws provide higher spending limits for more "balanced" tickets.
D) voters tend to prefer candidates who are closer to themselves in terms of race,ethnicity,religion,gender,geography,and social background.
E) the Constitution requires at least minimal levels of representativeness in election campaigns.

Question 65

Private groups that raise and distribute funds for election campaigns are called

A) corporations.
B) political parties.
C) political action committees (PACs).
D) political consulting firms.
E) executive agencies.

Question 66

The "Americanization of politics" refers to

A) the spread of American campaign techniques and political consultants to elections conducted around the rest of the world.
B) the fact that people from around the world carefully follow American political developments.
C) the increasingly important role patriotism plays in American election campaigns.
D) the fact that fewer and fewer immigrants are participating in the American political system.
E) the growing tendency of new democracies to copy key features of the U.S.Constitution-such as the Bill of Rights and federalism-in their own constitutions.

Question 67

The term soft money refers to

A) personal wealth that a candidate uses.
B) money donated to a party to sponsor party building and voter registration.
C) donations to a challenger.
D) donations of time and supplies.
E) donations to an incumbent who is running for re-election.

Question 68

Why did many members of Congress vote to ban advocacy groups from running ads that mention a candidate's name within thirty days of a primary election and sixty days of a general election?

A) They thought that the ban would eliminate the importance of money in politics.
B) They thought that the ban would make the system of American elections more consistent with the campaign requirements specified in the Constitution.
C) They thought that the ban would make it less likely for wealthy advocacy groups to flood the media with ads and unfairly influence the outcome of elections.
D) They thought that the ban would make it more difficult for opponents to defeat incumbents.
E) They thought that the ban would increase the number of people who vote in elections.

Question 69

Which of the following statements is most accurate?

A) Economic considerations do not affect the decisions that voters make about who to vote for.
B) When voters are satisfied with their economic prospects,they tend to vote for the party in power.
C) When voters are dissatisfied with their economic prospects,they tend to vote for the party in power.
D) When voters are dissatisfied with their economic prospects,they tend to vote for Republican candidates.
E) When voters are dissatisfied with their economic performance,they tend to vote for Democratic candidates.

Question 70

By using donor lists or magazine subscription lists,candidates are able to engage in

A) direct-mail solicitations.
B) sample polling.
C) town meetings.
D) redlining.
E) benign gerrymandering.

Question 71

If a citizen votes for a candidate because he or she approves of the candidate's past record,it is called

A) prospective voting.
B) retrospective voting.
C) poll testing.
D) ticket splitting.
E) recall voting.

Question 72

The majority of PACs represent

A) single-issue advocacy groups.
B) trial lawyers.
C) business and professional groups.
D) the Republicans and Democrats.
E) environmental groups and religious organizations.

Question 73

Political scientists call voters' choices that focus on future behavior ______,while those based on past performances are called ______.

A) prospective voting;retrospective voting
B) retrospective voting;prospective voting
C) partisan voting;issue voting
D) issue voting;partisan voting
E) issue voting;prospective voting

Question 74

Partisan loyalty is likely to be highest in the election of

A) the president.
B) a state legislator.
C) a U.S.senator
D) members of the House of Representatives.
E) a governor.

Question 75

Three types of factors,______,influence the decisions of voters at the polls.

A) wealth,education,and issues
B) advertising,partisan loyalty,and personality
C) partisan loyalty,issues,and the characteristics of candidates
D) advertising,debates,and issues
E) honesty,partisan loyalty,and wealth

Question 76

Which of the following statements concerning the public funding of presidential campaigns is incorrect?

A) Federal law requires the presidential candidates from the major parties to use public funding during the general election.
B) Many presidential candidates are opting not to accept public funding in order to be free of any spending restrictions.
C) Third parties can receive public funding only if they received 5 percent of the vote in the previous presidential election.
D) Taxpayers may contribute to the public funding of presidential campaigns,at no cost to themselves,on their federal income tax forms.
E) Candidates who accept matching funds may spend no more than $42 million,including matching funds,in their presidential primary campaigns.

Question 77

A ______ is a media format in which candidates meet with ordinary citizens,without the input of journalists or commentators.

A) town hall meeting
B) spot ad
C) infomercial
D) photo op
E) caucus

Question 78

Which of the following is not covered by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act?

A) Individual contributions to 501c(4)and 527 committees.
B) Individual contributions to political action committees.
C) Individual contributions to a presidential candidate.
D) Individual contributions to a national political party.
E) Contributions to a candidate from labor unions and corporations.

Question 79

In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries,election campaigns tended to be

A) capital intensive.
B) labor intensive.
C) media driven.
D) guided by campaign consultants.
E) short and peaceful.

Question 80

A major factor in John Kennedy's 1960 presidential victory over Richard Nixon was

A) the fact that,unlike Nixon,Kennedy had hired a professional political consultant.
B) that Kennedy had a much stronger performance than Nixon during televised debates.
C) Nixon's failure to develop infomercials.
D) Kennedy's aggressive use of push polls,especially in the Northeast.
E) Kennedy's strategic use of "soft money" and 527 committees.