AP Gov Chapter 9 Test; Multiple Choice

The oldest political parties in the world are currently found in

a. India.

b. the United States.

c. Great Britain.

d. Germany.

e. Switzerland.

b.

Parties in the United States are relatively weak today mainly because

a. the laws and rules under which they operate have taken away much of their power.

b. political leaders have insisted that ballots do not identify the party of candidates.

c. interest groups are less influential than they were 40 years ago.

d. many voters have lost their sense of commitment to party identification.

e. A and D.

e.

American political parties have become weaker as

a. labels in the minds of voters.

b. a set of political leaders who try to organize and control government.

c. organizations that recruit candidates.

d. all of the above.

e. none of the above.

d.

In Europe, candidates for elective office are generally nominated by

a. local referenda.

b. aristocrats.

c. party leaders.

d. prime ministers.

e. national primaries.

c.

Decentralization of political authority in the United States is chiefly promoted by

a. the legal community.

b. federalism.

c. nationalism.

d. the church.

e. the mass media.

b.

American political parties, unlike those of most other democratic nations, are closely regulated by

a. minorities.

b. the Constitution.

c. powerful machines.

d. the executive branch of government.

e. state and federal laws.

e.

The text suggests most Americans would ________ partisanship's becoming a conspicuous

feature of other organizations to which they belong.

a. resent

b. support

c. welcome

d. hardly notice or care about

e. praise

a.

Which of the following is not a reason for stronger political parties in Europe?

a. The greater age of European parties.

b. The absence of primary elections.

c. The ability of the legislature to choose the chief executive.

d. The power of leaders to nominate candidates.

e. A political culture more favorable to parties.

a.

George Washington was critical of political parties most notably in his

a. Last Will and Testament.

b. inaugural speech.

c. messages to Congress.

d. Farewell Address.

e. correspondence with Thomas Jefferson.

d.

Why should George Washington, among other Founders of our nation, have been so opposed to

political parties?

a. Because the Constitution made clear the dangers of partisanship in government.

b. Because political parties during the early years of the republic were both strong and

centralized.

c. Because disputes over policies and elections were not easily separated from disputes over

governmental legitimacy.

d. Because political parties during the early years of the Republic represented clear,

homogeneous economic interests.

e. Because Washington was concerned that Hamilton would win the White House as a result of

party mobilization

c.

The first political party was organized by

a. the followers of Hamilton.

b. the followers of Jefferson.

c. farmers and Revolutionary War soldiers.

d. the Danbury Baptists.

e. Federalist newspapermen.

b.

Thomas Jefferson considered his Republican party to be

a. secret monarchists.

b. a federalism broker.

c. antifederalist.

d. a temporary arrangement.

e. a permanent organization.

d.

Which description of the Jacksonian period of political parties is incorrect?

a. The North and the South became more divided.

b. The Democrats and the Whigs were fairly evenly balanced.

c. The number of eligible voters decreased.

d. The party convention system was invented.

e. It featured the first truly national system.

c.

Up until the Jacksonian period of political parties, presidential candidates were nominated by

a. the Supreme Court.

b. state legislatures.

c. primary voters.

d. members of Congress.

e. party leaders.

d.

In 1831 the ________ Party held the first American party convention.

a. Anti-Masonic

b. Free Soil

c. Greenback

d. Whig

e. Know-Nothing

a.

Leading up the Civil War, Republicans generally won

a. the House.

b. the Senate.

c. the House and the Senate.

d. the Presidency

e. B and D.

e.

The candidacy of William Jennings Bryan strengthened the Republican Party because Bryan

a. was quite unpopular in the South.

b. alienated many voters in the populous northeastern states.

c. called for a strong national government.

d. alienated rural voters in the Midwest.

e. represented the narrow interests of industrialists.

b.

The Mugwumps were

a. a political branch of the American Legion.

b. a faction of the Republican party.

c. the forerunners of the Ku Klux Klan.

d. an activist Indian tribe.

e. Louisiana tobacco farmers who held land near the coast.

b.

All of the following were true of the so-called "progressives" except

a. they wanted more strict voter registration requirements.

b. they pressed for civil service reform.

c. they called for non-partisan elections at the city level.

d. they called for non-partisan elections at the state level.

e. they opposed the use of mass media in the conduct of political debate.

e.

Scholars recognize at least ____ periods of critical realignment in American politics.

a. two

b. five

c. fifteen

d. thirty

e. thirty-two

b.

Even if one questions the validity of the concept of a critical election, it is quite clear that

a. Ronald Reagan's election in 1980 signaled a realignment.

b. Ronald Reagan's election in 1984 signaled a realignment.

c. the South is becoming more supportive of the Democratic Party.

d. the South is becoming more supportive of the Republican Party.

e. parties are gaining in strength.

d.

Ticket splitting was almost unheard of in the nineteenth century because

a. voters were not as divided as they are today.

b. divided government was considered a circumstance worth avoiding.

c. the parties had little strength and were constantly violating election laws.

d. ballots were printed by the parties and government ballots featured "party columns."

e. the party identification of most candidates was unknown.

d.

Split ticket voting became less common around the turn of the century when the Progressives

instituted the "______ ballot."

a. office

b. column

c. markup

d. descriptive

e. institutional

a.

As a result of changes made by the parties in the 1960s and 1970s, the Democrats have become

more ____________ and the Republican Party has become more ____________.

a. libertarian ... liberal

b. factionalized ... bureaucratized

c. unified ... people-oriented

d. traditional ... modern

e. organized ... popular

b.

In political jargon, the money given to aid political parties is known as "________ money."

a. soft

b. safe

c. picket

d. liquid

e. rock

a.

The formulas for apportioning delegates to the national party conventions are such that the

Democrats give extra delegates to ______ states and the Republicans give extra delegates to states

that are _______.

a. small ... large

b. Midwestern ... heavily populated

c. large ... loyal

d. Southern ... heavily contested

e. conservative ... liberal

c.

Under convention rules adopted by Democrats in 1980, there must be an equal number of

a. lawyers and doctors.

b. Northerners and Southerners.

c. rural and suburban dwellers.

d. whites and nonwhites.

e. men and women.

e.

Under convention rules adopted by Democrats in 1988, most Democratic ________ are

automatically delegates.

a. members of Congress

b. governors

c. judges

d. precinct captains

e. A and B

e.

A political machine is a party organization that recruits its members by the use of

a. lofty ideals and admirable goals.

b. ideological sympathy.

c. community ties.

d. tangible incentives.

e. socialization.

d.

Political machines are credited with helping elect

a. Abraham Lincoln.

b. John F. Kennedy.

c. Franklin Roosevelt.

d. Warren G. Harding.

e. all of the above.

e.

At the opposite extreme from the political machine is

a. the sponsored party.

b. a personal following.

c. the ideological party.

d. the party bundle.

e. the solidary group.

c.

The political action arm of the United Auto Workers (UAW) in Detroit has created a clear

example of a(n)

a. ideological party.

b. solidary group.

c. sponsored party.

d. political machine.

e. personal following.

c.

The text suggests ___________ have become "grand masters" at building personal followings.

a. southern politicians in one-party states

b. Democrats

c. Republicans

d. governors in states with small populations

e. U.S. Senators

a.

More than half of the delegates at the 1984 Democratic national conventions are

a. chosen randomly at state conventions.

b. hand picked by the expected presidential nominee.

c. females who are candidates in state and local elections.

d. elected officials who are supported by unions.

e. drawn from the ranks of the AFL-CIO, the National Education Association and the National

Organization for Women.

e.

Almost all elections in the United States are based on

a. the plurality system.

b. the majority system.

c. proportional representation.

d. retention and recall.

e. a combination of systems.

a.

The two-party system has persisted in the United States for all of the following reasons except

a. it is very difficult to form the broad coalitions necessary to win.

b. the plurality system

c. the Fourteenth Amendment limits access to the ballot.

d. party voting is still quite common among American voters.

e. the laws of many states made it difficult for third parties to exist or win.

c.

Which of the following statements concerning the Socialist Party of Eugene Debs is incorrect?

a. It won 6 percent of the vote in the 1912 presidential election.

b. It elected over a thousand candidates to offices throughout the United States.

c. It elected almost eighty mayors throughout the United States.

d. It was outspoken in its criticism of municipal corruption and American entry into World

War I.

e. None of the above.

e.

The Free Soil and Know-Nothing Parties are examples of

a. factional parties.

b. backlash parties.

c. ideological parties.

d. economic protest parties.

e. one-issue parties.

e.

Which type of minor party probably has the greatest influence on U.S. public policy?

a. Factional

b. Ideological

c. Economic protest

d. Backlash

e. One issue

a.

Party activists are not likely to

a. take issues seriously.

b. resemble the average citizen.

c. vote with any degree of consistency.

d. work very hard.

b.

The disadvantage to parties of the current system of presidential nomination is that it

a. affords little opportunity to minorities to voice their concerns.

b. decreases the chances that a faction will separate itself from the party.

c. decreases the chances of a realigning election.

d. increases the chances of nominating a candidate unappealing to the average voter or to the

party's rank and file.

e. increases the chances that a faction will separate itself from the party

d.

To obtain power within a political party, an individual must usually

a. move toward the center.

b. move away from the center.

c. remain above political conflict.

d. avoid publicity.

e. reflect the views of the average voter.

b.

The text suggests Democrats have had some difficulty in competing for the presidency, in part,

because

a. they have typically had little experience in government.

b. redistricting which has created an advantage for Republicans.

c. slanted reporting by media.

d. of recent changes in electoral laws regarding placement on the ballot.

e. of the views their candidates have had on social issues and taxation.

e.