Question 1

Members of the House of Representatives are elected for ______ -year terms.

Accepted Answer

A) five 
B) four 
C) two 
D) six 
E) one 
A) five 
B) four 
C) two 
D) six 
E) one

Question 2

Most congressional elections are highly competitive and are determined by a relatively small number of votes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 3

The system that allows political parties to secure legislative seats and power in proportion to the number of votes they receive in the election is known as winner-take-all.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

A politician who cannot, or has announced he or she will not, run again for his or her office is called

Accepted Answer

A) a quitter. 
B) a lame duck. 
C) an enigma. 
D) a term limit. 
E) an incumbent. 
A) a quitter. 
B) a lame duck. 
C) an enigma. 
D) a term limit. 
E) an incumbent.

Question 5

All states EXCEPT ________ and _________ award all of their electoral college votes to the winner of the popular vote in their states.

Accepted Answer

A) California, New York 
B) Ohio, Pennsylvania 
C) Texas, Florida 
D) Maine, Nebraska 
E) Iowa, New Hampshire 
A) California, New York 
B) Ohio, Pennsylvania 
C) Texas, Florida 
D) Maine, Nebraska 
E) Iowa, New Hampshire

Question 6

An alternate new primary system that might bring more coherence to the process and encourage more emphasis on issues of regional concern is

Accepted Answer

A) closed primaries. 
B) open primaries. 
C) winner take all primaries. 
D) regional primaries. 
E) blanket primaries. 
A) closed primaries. 
B) open primaries. 
C) winner take all primaries. 
D) regional primaries. 
E) blanket primaries.

Question 7

A safe seat is an elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

Most electoral districts in the United States are single-member districts.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Presidential candidates are officially nominated by

Accepted Answer

A) party caucuses. 
B) national party committees. 
C) national party conventions. 
D) presidential primaries. 
E) the electoral college. 
A) party caucuses. 
B) national party committees. 
C) national party conventions. 
D) presidential primaries. 
E) the electoral college.

Question 10

No states have term limits for the members of their state legislatures.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 11

In the 2010 election,

Accepted Answer

A) Democrats lost seats in the House only. 
B) Democrats lost seats in the Senate only. 
C) Democrats lost seats in both the House and Senate. 
D) Republicans lost seats in both the House and Senate. 
E) Republicans lost seats in the Senate only. 
A) Democrats lost seats in the House only. 
B) Democrats lost seats in the Senate only. 
C) Democrats lost seats in both the House and Senate. 
D) Republicans lost seats in both the House and Senate. 
E) Republicans lost seats in the Senate only.

Question 12

The system that allows political parties to secure legislative seats and power in proportion to the number of votes they receive in the election is called

Accepted Answer

A) cumulative voting. 
B) winner-take-all system. 
C) direct voting. 
D) proportional representation. 
E) single-member districts. 
A) cumulative voting. 
B) winner-take-all system. 
C) direct voting. 
D) proportional representation. 
E) single-member districts.

Question 13

The most frequently proposed reform for presidential general elections is

Accepted Answer

A) giving every state an equal number of electoral votes. 
B) direct popular election. 
C) using an automatic plan that would keep electoral votes but get rid of actual electors. 
D) moving the election date to the first week of January. 
E) requiring candidates to win a majority of states to become president. 
A) giving every state an equal number of electoral votes. 
B) direct popular election. 
C) using an automatic plan that would keep electoral votes but get rid of actual electors. 
D) moving the election date to the first week of January. 
E) requiring candidates to win a majority of states to become president.

Question 14

The Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1951, limits presidents to two terms.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

When congressional districts are drawn in ways that enhance the reelection prospects of incumbents or one party, it is called

Accepted Answer

A) pandering. 
B) partisan bickering. 
C) incumbency advantage. 
D) majority manipulation. 
E) gerrymandering. 
A) pandering. 
B) partisan bickering. 
C) incumbency advantage. 
D) majority manipulation. 
E) gerrymandering.

Question 16

The entity created by the 1974 amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act to administer election reform laws is called the

Accepted Answer

A) Task Force on Electoral Fairness. 
B) National Election Agency. 
C) Joint Committee on Election Oversight. 
D) Federal Election Commission. 
E) Agency for the Regulation of National Elections. 
A) Task Force on Electoral Fairness. 
B) National Election Agency. 
C) Joint Committee on Election Oversight. 
D) Federal Election Commission. 
E) Agency for the Regulation of National Elections.

Question 17

Banning soft money became the primary objective of reformers and led to the passage of the

Accepted Answer

A) Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. 
B) Soft Money Reform Act. 
C) Hard Money Limitation Act. 
D) Party-building Reform Act. 
E) Corruption in Financing Act. 
A) Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. 
B) Soft Money Reform Act. 
C) Hard Money Limitation Act. 
D) Party-building Reform Act. 
E) Corruption in Financing Act.

Question 18

Congress has sought to regulate political contributions because large campaign contributors are suspected of improperly influencing public officials.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

The power of incumbency tends to be lower in Senate elections than in House elections.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

The results of the presidential elections are formally announced in December after the electors go to their state capitals to cast their ballots for president.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 9: Campaigns and Elections

Members of the House of Representatives are elected for ______ -year terms.

Most congressional elections are highly competitive and are determined by a relatively small number of votes.

The system that allows political parties to secure legislative seats and power in proportion to the number of votes they receive in the election is known as winner-take-all.

A politician who cannot, or has announced he or she will not, run again for his or her office is called

All states EXCEPT ________ and _________ award all of their electoral college votes to the winner of the popular vote in their states.

An alternate new primary system that might bring more coherence to the process and encourage more emphasis on issues of regional concern is

A safe seat is an elected office that is predictably won by one party or the other.

Most electoral districts in the United States are single-member districts.

Presidential candidates are officially nominated by

No states have term limits for the members of their state legislatures.

In the 2010 election,

The system that allows political parties to secure legislative seats and power in proportion to the number of votes they receive in the election is called

The most frequently proposed reform for presidential general elections is

The Twenty-Second Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1951, limits presidents to two terms.

When congressional districts are drawn in ways that enhance the reelection prospects of incumbents or one party, it is called

The entity created by the 1974 amendments to the Federal Election Campaign Act to administer election reform laws is called the

Banning soft money became the primary objective of reformers and led to the passage of the

Congress has sought to regulate political contributions because large campaign contributors are suspected of improperly influencing public officials.

The power of incumbency tends to be lower in Senate elections than in House elections.

The results of the presidential elections are formally announced in December after the electors go to their state capitals to cast their ballots for president.

Constitutional Democracy

Constitutional Foundations

American Federalism

Political Culture and Ideology

The US political Landscape

Political Parties

Public Opinion, Participation, and Voting

The Media and US politics

Congress

The Presidency

The Federal Bureaucracy

The Judiciary

Civil Liberties

Civil Rights

Public Policy

Making Economic Policy

Making Social Policy

Making Foreign Defense Policy

State and Local Politics

State Constitutions

Parties and Elections in the States

State Legislatures

State Governors

Judges and Justice in the States

Local Governments and Metropolitics

Making State and Local Policy

Staffing and Financing State and Local Governments

Filters

All states EXCEPT and _ award all of their electoral college votes to the winner of the popular vote in their states.