Question 1

_______ Americans identify with a political party, and _______ Americans believe parties are bad for democratic politics.

Accepted Answer

A)  Few; most 
B)  Most; most 
C)  Most; few 
D)  About half of; few 
E)  About half of; most 
A)  Few; most 
B)  Most; most 
C)  Most; few 
D)  About half of; few 
E)  About half of; most

Question 2

Which party activity most clearly resolves a coordination problem for members of the party in the mass electorate?

Accepted Answer

A)  nominating candidates for office 
B)  hiring campaign professionals 
C)  preventing majority cycles in a legislature 
D)  raising campaign funds 
E)  writing a party platform 
A)  nominating candidates for office 
B)  hiring campaign professionals 
C)  preventing majority cycles in a legislature 
D)  raising campaign funds 
E)  writing a party platform

Question 3

Why does the opinion of other potential voters matter to a single voter's opinion of a candidate's chances to win election?

Accepted Answer

A)  Donations are likely to come from different sources. 
B)  Voters desire to not waste their votes on unsuccessful candidates. 
C)  More candidates are likely to enter general elections if opinion shifts. 
D)  Less news coverage is given to stable races. 
E)  Voters exist as entirely myopic evaluators. 
A)  Donations are likely to come from different sources. 
B)  Voters desire to not waste their votes on unsuccessful candidates. 
C)  More candidates are likely to enter general elections if opinion shifts. 
D)  Less news coverage is given to stable races. 
E)  Voters exist as entirely myopic evaluators.

Question 4

Parties first emerged in the U.S. Congress as a rational response to ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  the provisions of Article VII, Section 4, of the U.S. Constitution 
B)  the Elections Act of 1792 
C)  coordination problems among like-minded members of Congress that led to unstable coalitions 
D)  Congress members' psychological attachments to the Federalist and Antifederalist causes 
E)  collective action problems that prevented Congress from obtaining a quorum 
A)  the provisions of Article VII, Section 4, of the U.S. Constitution 
B)  the Elections Act of 1792 
C)  coordination problems among like-minded members of Congress that led to unstable coalitions 
D)  Congress members' psychological attachments to the Federalist and Antifederalist causes 
E)  collective action problems that prevented Congress from obtaining a quorum

Question 5

Which group was part of the New Deal coalition?

Accepted Answer

A)  business owners 
B)  northern Republicans 
C)  southern Democrats 
D)  legal aliens 
E)  Latinos 
A)  business owners 
B)  northern Republicans 
C)  southern Democrats 
D)  legal aliens 
E)  Latinos

Question 6

How can party leaders in Congress limit the occurrence of cycling?

Accepted Answer

A)  limit available options during debate 
B)  provide for lobbyists to donate to members 
C)  nominate a new national party chair 
D)  write new legislation targeted at fringe groups 
E)  cede control to new members by resigning from office 
A)  limit available options during debate 
B)  provide for lobbyists to donate to members 
C)  nominate a new national party chair 
D)  write new legislation targeted at fringe groups 
E)  cede control to new members by resigning from office

Question 7

Which president is most closely associated with the development of the Democratic Party's network of state-level organizations during the second party system?

Accepted Answer

A)  James Monroe 
B)  Martin Van Buren 
C)  James K. Polk 
D)  Millard Fillmore 
E)  Franklin Pierce 
A)  James Monroe 
B)  Martin Van Buren 
C)  James K. Polk 
D)  Millard Fillmore 
E)  Franklin Pierce

Question 8

Which of these is the best example of the three functions of political parties working together?

Accepted Answer

A)  enforcement of a Supreme Court decision by Congress and the president 
B)  passing into law an organized agenda of partisan policies 
C)  building a greater number of contacts within government 
D)  organizing rallies to support prospective policies 
E)  Party functions do not work together. 
A)  enforcement of a Supreme Court decision by Congress and the president 
B)  passing into law an organized agenda of partisan policies 
C)  building a greater number of contacts within government 
D)  organizing rallies to support prospective policies 
E)  Party functions do not work together.

Question 9

Jason is a registered Democrat who hears President Obama, a Democratic president, give a speech in favor of school voucher programs. Jason, after listening to this speech, decides that he is also in favor of school voucher programs. This new opinion is evidence of a/an ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  uninformed voter 
B)  psychological block 
C)  bully pulpit 
D)  psychological attachment 
E)  presidential power 
A)  uninformed voter 
B)  psychological block 
C)  bully pulpit 
D)  psychological attachment 
E)  presidential power

Question 10

A party ________ focuses on winning elections, while a party ________ focuses on specific policy goals.

Accepted Answer

A)  amateur; professional 
B)  professional; interest 
C)  professional; amateur 
D)  interest; amateur 
E)  candidate; writer 
A)  amateur; professional 
B)  professional; interest 
C)  professional; amateur 
D)  interest; amateur 
E)  candidate; writer

Question 11

Since the 1960s, the percentage of party identifiers who would be upset if their children married members of the opposite political party has ________ and is higher among _______ than _________.

Accepted Answer

A)  increased; Republicans; Democrats 
B)  increased; Democrats; Republicans 
C)  stayed the same; Republicans; Democrats 
D)  decreased; Democrats; Republicans 
E)  decreased; Republicans; Democrats 
A)  increased; Republicans; Democrats 
B)  increased; Democrats; Republicans 
C)  stayed the same; Republicans; Democrats 
D)  decreased; Democrats; Republicans 
E)  decreased; Republicans; Democrats

Question 12

A bill passes the House by a vote of 230-205, with all Democrats voting in favor and all Republicans voting against. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)  partisan order 
B)  party discipline 
C)  partisan polarization 
D)  party gridlock 
E)  party leadership 
A)  partisan order 
B)  party discipline 
C)  partisan polarization 
D)  party gridlock 
E)  party leadership

Question 13

Why is the role of parties in the United States more complicated than it is in other countries?

Accepted Answer

A)  Elections cause a greater degree of discord in government. 
B)  Having two chambers of the legislature is unique. 
C)  Parties in the court system function differently. 
D)  The legislative and executive branches have separate elections and powers. 
E)  Lack of a monarch frees the legislature from obligations. 
A)  Elections cause a greater degree of discord in government. 
B)  Having two chambers of the legislature is unique. 
C)  Parties in the court system function differently. 
D)  The legislative and executive branches have separate elections and powers. 
E)  Lack of a monarch frees the legislature from obligations.

Question 14

Since party labels reduce the costs of obtaining the information about candidates and policy proposals necessary to make reasonable political choices, party identification may be understood as a/an ________ that citizens use to facilitate political participation.

Accepted Answer

A)  rational choice 
B)  informational shortcut 
C)  running tally of political judgments 
D)  psychological attachment 
E)  formal declaration of party affiliation 
A)  rational choice 
B)  informational shortcut 
C)  running tally of political judgments 
D)  psychological attachment 
E)  formal declaration of party affiliation

Question 15

Which refers to organizations that oversee the nationwide operations of a political party?

Accepted Answer

A)  leadership PAC 
B)  state committees 
C)  committee of correspondence 
D)  national committee 
E)  congressional committee 
A)  leadership PAC 
B)  state committees 
C)  committee of correspondence 
D)  national committee 
E)  congressional committee

Question 16

The strategy of appealing to a party's "base" originated during the ________ party system.

Accepted Answer

A)  first 
B)  second 
C)  third 
D)  fourth 
E)  original 
A)  first 
B)  second 
C)  third 
D)  fourth 
E)  original

Question 17

What is the New Deal Party System? Why and how did it emerge? What groups were included in it? To what extent has it survived over time? In what ways does the New Deal Party System still structure and influence American national politics?

Accepted Answer

A thorough answer may include the follow

Question 18

What is Duverger's law? What relationship does it assert between electoral systems and the number of competitive political parties? Why does this relationship exist?

Accepted Answer

A thorough answer may include the follow

Question 19

By coordinating legislative votes and creating incentives for legislators to support one another's proposals rather than offering competing legislation that would divide members' votes, political parties reduce the risks of facing a/an ________ in a legislature.

Accepted Answer

A)  coordination problem 
B)  prisoner's dilemma 
C)  principal-agent problem 
D)  unstable coalition 
E)  collective action problem 
A)  coordination problem 
B)  prisoner's dilemma 
C)  principal-agent problem 
D)  unstable coalition 
E)  collective action problem

Question 20

The Republican and Democratic parties switched their policy stances on civil rights during the 1950s and 1960s, but it took until almost 1980 before the targeted groups of voters fully changed their voting and partisan identification. What is the best explanation for this?

Accepted Answer

A)  lack of news coverage related to political issues 
B)  poorly advertised policy stances on the party of candidates 
C)  apathetic voters refusing to vote in national elections 
D)  voter attachment to parties due to previous policy stances and voting 
E)  Voters do not change voting behavior and partisan allegiance. 
A)  lack of news coverage related to political issues 
B)  poorly advertised policy stances on the party of candidates 
C)  apathetic voters refusing to vote in national elections 
D)  voter attachment to parties due to previous policy stances and voting 
E)  Voters do not change voting behavior and partisan allegiance.

_ Americans identify with a political party, and _ Americans believe parties are bad for democratic politics.

Which party activity most clearly resolves a coordination problem for members of the party in the mass electorate?

Why does the opinion of other potential voters matter to a single voter's opinion of a candidate's chances to win election?

Parties first emerged in the U.S. Congress as a rational response to ________.

Which group was part of the New Deal coalition?

How can party leaders in Congress limit the occurrence of cycling?

Which president is most closely associated with the development of the Democratic Party's network of state-level organizations during the second party system?

Which of these is the best example of the three functions of political parties working together?

Jason is a registered Democrat who hears President Obama, a Democratic president, give a speech in favor of school voucher programs. Jason, after listening to this speech, decides that he is also in favor of school voucher programs. This new opinion is evidence of a/an ________.

A party focuses on winning elections, while a party focuses on specific policy goals.

Since the 1960s, the percentage of party identifiers who would be upset if their children married members of the opposite political party has ____ and is higher among _ than _______.

A bill passes the House by a vote of 230-205, with all Democrats voting in favor and all Republicans voting against. This is an example of ________.

Why is the role of parties in the United States more complicated than it is in other countries?

Since party labels reduce the costs of obtaining the information about candidates and policy proposals necessary to make reasonable political choices, party identification may be understood as a/an ________ that citizens use to facilitate political participation.

Which refers to organizations that oversee the nationwide operations of a political party?

The strategy of appealing to a party's "base" originated during the ________ party system.

What is the New Deal Party System? Why and how did it emerge? What groups were included in it? To what extent has it survived over time? In what ways does the New Deal Party System still structure and influence American national politics?

What is Duverger's law? What relationship does it assert between electoral systems and the number of competitive political parties? Why does this relationship exist?

By coordinating legislative votes and creating incentives for legislators to support one another's proposals rather than offering competing legislation that would divide members' votes, political parties reduce the risks of facing a/an ________ in a legislature.

The Republican and Democratic parties switched their policy stances on civil rights during the 1950s and 1960s, but it took until almost 1980 before the targeted groups of voters fully changed their voting and partisan identification. What is the best explanation for this?

Introduction

The Constitution

Federalism

Civil Rights and Liberties

Congress

The Presidency

The Bureaucracy

The Judiciary

Public Opinion

Political Participation

Interest Groups and Social Movements

Elections and Campaigns

Mass Media and the Press

Economic Policy

Social Policy

Foreign Policy

Filters

Exam 12: Political Parties

_______ Americans identify with a political party, and _______ Americans believe parties are bad for democratic politics.

Which party activity most clearly resolves a coordination problem for members of the party in the mass electorate?

Why does the opinion of other potential voters matter to a single voter's opinion of a candidate's chances to win election?

Parties first emerged in the U.S. Congress as a rational response to ________.

Which group was part of the New Deal coalition?

How can party leaders in Congress limit the occurrence of cycling?

Which president is most closely associated with the development of the Democratic Party's network of state-level organizations during the second party system?

Which of these is the best example of the three functions of political parties working together?

Jason is a registered Democrat who hears President Obama, a Democratic president, give a speech in favor of school voucher programs. Jason, after listening to this speech, decides that he is also in favor of school voucher programs. This new opinion is evidence of a/an ________.

A party ________ focuses on winning elections, while a party ________ focuses on specific policy goals.

Since the 1960s, the percentage of party identifiers who would be upset if their children married members of the opposite political party has ________ and is higher among _______ than _________.

A bill passes the House by a vote of 230-205, with all Democrats voting in favor and all Republicans voting against. This is an example of ________.

Why is the role of parties in the United States more complicated than it is in other countries?

Since party labels reduce the costs of obtaining the information about candidates and policy proposals necessary to make reasonable political choices, party identification may be understood as a/an ________ that citizens use to facilitate political participation.

Which refers to organizations that oversee the nationwide operations of a political party?

The strategy of appealing to a party's "base" originated during the ________ party system.

What is the New Deal Party System? Why and how did it emerge? What groups were included in it? To what extent has it survived over time? In what ways does the New Deal Party System still structure and influence American national politics?

What is Duverger's law? What relationship does it assert between electoral systems and the number of competitive political parties? Why does this relationship exist?

By coordinating legislative votes and creating incentives for legislators to support one another's proposals rather than offering competing legislation that would divide members' votes, political parties reduce the risks of facing a/an ________ in a legislature.

The Republican and Democratic parties switched their policy stances on civil rights during the 1950s and 1960s, but it took until almost 1980 before the targeted groups of voters fully changed their voting and partisan identification. What is the best explanation for this?

Introduction

The Constitution

Federalism

Civil Rights and Liberties

Congress

The Presidency

The Bureaucracy

The Judiciary

Public Opinion

Political Participation

Interest Groups and Social Movements

Elections and Campaigns

Mass Media and the Press

Economic Policy

Social Policy

Foreign Policy

Filters

_ Americans identify with a political party, and _ Americans believe parties are bad for democratic politics.

A party focuses on winning elections, while a party focuses on specific policy goals.

Since the 1960s, the percentage of party identifiers who would be upset if their children married members of the opposite political party has ____ and is higher among _ than _______.