Political Participation Test

In 2002, Congress passed the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act in an effort to regulate campaign finance by limiting the ability of corporations and unions to spend their general treasury funds on election communications. In 2010, the Supreme Court invalidated this provision of the act. Which of the following statements accurately describes the majority decision of the case?

-The First Amendment allows corporations and unions to make independent expenditures regarding candidates for office.

-The Fourth Amendment protects political action committees from excessive searches by protecting their identities during election campaigns.

-The First Amendment allows candidates to spend as much as they want on their own campaigns.

-The Fourth Amendment grants professional consultants and other campaign staff immunity from disclosing donor information.

The First Amendment allows corporations and unions to make independent expenditures regarding candidates for office.

Which of the following best explains how most candidates are recruited to run for office?

-Candidates for office usually first work as lawyers for political parties before running for office.

-Most candidates who run for office are recruited by political leaders to do so because they are famous.

-Political parties usually recruit and train people at the local level they believe are most fit to run for office.

-Most candidates running for office are selected after earning merit working for the government.

Political parties usually recruit and train people at the local level they believe are most fit to run for office.

A chief executive officer (CEO) of a corporation believes that the Republican candidate for president will enact policies that are more beneficial to her business. The CEO donated the maximum amount allowed by law directly to the candidate's campaign fund. To increase the candidate's chances for election, the CEO also directed her corporation to donate funds to an independent political action committee to create ads criticizing the opposing candidate. According to the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010), which provision of the Constitution protects her actions?

-Reserved powers in the Tenth Amendment

-Due process clause in the Fifth Amendment

-Freedom of association in the First Amendment

-Freedom of speech in the First Amendment

Freedom of speech in the First Amendment

Which of the following explains how The Federalist 10 relates to the decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) ?

-Both regarded factions as destructive to liberty.

-In both, a limited approach to government regulation was argued for.

-In The Federalist 10, the author opted for stricter regulation of factions, whereas in Citizens United, petitioners argued that regulation was a violation of liberties.

-The Federalist 10 supports free speech, whereas the Citizens United decision opposes free speech.

In both, a limited approach to government regulation was argued for.

An advertisement airs on television attacking a candidate running for office. The advertisement was produced and distributed by a group that was not affiliated with nor funded by any political campaign. Which of the following statements explains why this expenditure is not prohibited by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 ?

-The press can freely criticize elected officials in their publications.

-Political spending by groups not directly affiliated with a campaign is a form of protected speech.

-The press can protect the confidentiality of their sources with regard to campaign funding violations.

-Restrictions on individual contributions to political campaigns violate the First Amendment.

Political spending by groups not directly affiliated with a campaign is a form of protected speech.

There is an ongoing debate over the role of money in elections. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002 banned soft money and restricted advertisements in the weeks before an election. Parts of this act were challenged and struck down in the Supreme Court case Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010). Which of the following was a consequence of that ruling?

-The Federal Election Commission cannot place any restrictions on political advertisements because they are protected by the freedom of speech.

-Super PACs may spend unlimited funds on advertisements that are not coordinated with the campaign because they are protected by the freedom of speech.

-Advertisements produced in coordination between campaigns and super PACs cannot be restricted because they are protected by the freedom of speech.

-The Federal Election Commission can place restrictions on all advertisements because they are not protected by the freedom of speech.

Super PACs may spend unlimited funds on advertisements that are not coordinated with the campaign because they are protected by the freedom of speech.

Political Efficacy and Party Affiliation Graph

Which of the following statements can best be supported by the survey data displayed in the bar graphs?

-Democrats with a high level of political efficacy are the most likely group to trust government most of the time.

-Democrats with a high level of political efficacy are the most likely group to be angry with government.

-Republicans with a low level of political efficacy are the most likely group to say that government often does a better job than given credit for.

-Republicans with a low level of political efficacy are the most likely group to say that government needs major reforms.

Republicans with a low level of political efficacy are the most likely group to say that government needs major reforms.

Political Efficacy and Party Affiliation Graph

Which of the following conclusions is best supported by the graphs?

-Political efficacy is a major factor in shaping political views about government, but political ideology also plays a role.

-Regardless of party, there is a great deal of ideological agreement about the role of government among those with greater political efficacy.

-While trust in government has declined over time, this is due to a decrease in political efficacy.

-Republicans promote trust in government, which increases political efficacy.

Political efficacy is a major factor in shaping political views about government, but political ideology also plays a role.

Political Efficacy and Party Affiliation Graph

Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the data in the graphs?

-Those with greater political efficacy are Republicans; as a result, they hold more conservative views on how the government needs to be reformed.

-Those with greater political efficacy have a more positive view of government; as a result, they are more likely to vote in elections.

-Those who are angry with government are more likely to be Republicans and vote in elections.

-Those who know more about government and politics tend to be more skeptical of both.

Those with greater political efficacy have a more positive view of government; as a result, they are more likely to vote in elections.

Julia Carrie Wong, "'It Might Work Too Well:' the Dark Art of Political Advertising Online," The Guardian, March 19, 2018.

Which of the following scenarios reflects the most direct effect of the practice described in the passage on the electoral process?

-State legislatures will redraw the boundaries of electoral districts to group like-minded voters together.

-Political parties will rely increasingly on social media advertising to reach different coalitions of voters.

-Political campaigns will operate with greater transparency regarding the sources of their financing and advertising.

-Political parties will play a greater role in recruiting qualified candidates capable of effectively communicating their party's policy agenda to potential voters.

Political parties will rely increasingly on social media advertising to reach different coalitions of voters.

Julia Carrie Wong, "'It Might Work Too Well:' the Dark Art of Political Advertising Online," The Guardian, March 19, 2018.

Which of the following political processes or behaviors is most directly affected by the development described in the passage?

-Party-line voting in Congress

-Voter mobilization

-Campaign finance reform

-Regional party realignments

Voter mobilization

Julia Carrie Wong, "'It Might Work Too Well:' the Dark Art of Political Advertising Online," The Guardian, March 19, 2018.

The practice of "microtargeting" described in the passage is an even more powerful campaign tool for parties if they are able to

-command greater loyalty to their party platform

-attract a large audience for their national party conventions

-develop a unified message that appeals to a majority of voters

-collect and manage large databases of information on specific groups of voters

Answer D

collect and manage large databases of information on specific groups of voters

If a researcher were interested in understanding how much the NRA spent in each state, what visual could be created to accurately display this information in the bar graph?

-A table that gives details about the home states of candidates receiving money from the NRA in 1994

-An infographic that explains how the NRA has helped Republicans win elections in the South

-A pie chart that shows the amount of money the NRA spent in each state since 1992

-A map showing the dollar amounts spent by the NRA in each state since 1992

A map showing the dollar amounts spent by the NRA in each state since 1992

For which of the following tasks would using the bar graph as currently designed be the LEAST helpful?

-Comparing whether the National Rifle Association (NRA) prefers Democrats or Republicans

-Tracking the campaign spending of the NRA over time

-Calculating the election cycle spending based on the intervals shown on the vertical axis

-Determining which years the NRA spent the most money on elections

Calculating the election cycle spending based on the intervals shown on the vertical axis

The bar graph shows the National Rifle Association's spending on Democratic and Republican candidates over several decades of election cycles in support of gun ownership rights. How could a visual best be created to better understand how the spending of the NRA compares to that of gun control proponents?

-A line graph that compares the amount that gun control proponents gave to Democrats over time

-A table that shows how much each member of Congress received in contributions from both gun control advocates and the NRA

-A pie chart that tallies total spending by both the NRA and gun control proponents since 1992

-The graph that includes information regarding important gun control laws that have been passed since 1992

A pie chart that tallies total spending by both the NRA and gun control proponents since 1992

Based on the data in the chart, which of the following best explains a likely impact of third-party votes in the 2016 election?

-The third-party vote in the three states depicted in the chart helped Donald Trump acquire enough electoral votes to win the election.

-The third parties were able to gain seats in Congress because of the large number of votes they received in the three states depicted in the chart.

-The third-party vote counts in the three states depicted in the chart forced the election to a tie, forcing the House of Representatives to cast the deciding vote.

-The third-party vote counts forced the three states depicted in the chart into runoff elections to decide who would be the winner of each state.

The third-party vote in the three states depicted in the chart helped Donald Trump acquire enough electoral votes to win the election.

Based on the data in the chart and your knowledge of presidential elections, which of the following is the best strategy that Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump could have used to pull votes away from the third-party candidates, Jill Stein and Gary Johnson?

-Trump or Clinton could have promised to work with members of third parties in Congress if elected.

-Trump or Clinton could have agreed to appoint Stein or Johnson to Cabinet positions after the election.

-Trump or Clinton could have adopted issues that were popular with Stein's and Johnson's voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin as part of their campaigns.

-Trump and Clinton could have agreed to include Stein and Johnson in presidential debates to show that they were open to discussing issue important to third parties.

Trump or Clinton could have adopted issues that were popular with Stein's and Johnson's voters in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin as part of their campaigns.

Based on the data in the chart, which of the following strategies would best help third-party candidates like Jill Stein and Gary Johnson increase their chances of winning elected office?

-Allowing third-party candidates to create political action groups to raise money when campaigning in swing states

-Employing campaign managers to develop get-out-the-vote strategies for campaigns in swing states

-Developing strong party platforms that would attract independent and undecided voters in swing states

-Lobbying state legislatures to shift from a winner-take-all system to a proportional voting system

Lobbying state legislatures to shift from a winner-take-all system to a proportional voting system

The National Education Association (NEA) is an organization of teachers, administrators, and other educators who work together to advance the interests and impact of public education. One of the NEA's goals is to support public education by ending government funding of voucher programs that promote school privatization. Vouchers give parents financial incentives to send their children to private schools rather than having children attend local public schools. Which of the following strategies would be the most effective way to achieve the NEA's goal of furthering the interest of public education?

-Lobby members of congressional committees to vote against all legislation that would support school voucher programs.

-Petition Congress to hold an oversight hearing of the Department of Education on private and public school funding.

-Increase membership in the NEA by offering new members financial benefits.

-Request that the Supreme Court to declare the school voucher and privatization programs unconstitutional.

Lobby members of congressional committees to vote against all legislation that would support school voucher programs.

Which of the following best explains how parties link citizens to the electoral process?

-Parties send volunteers to knock on doors to register voters.

-Parties recruit candidates to run for election.

-Parties research how best to frame issues in campaigns.

-Parties determine the leadership of congressional committees.

Parties send volunteers to knock on doors to register voters.

In which of the following ways do political parties primarily rely on to finance their election activities?

-Parties rely primarily on tax revenue.

-By winning elections, parties are able to fund government programs they care about.

-Parties sell posters, stickers, buttons, and other products.

-Parties solicit funds from private donors who oftentimes contribute large sums of money.

Parties solicit funds from private donors who oftentimes contribute large sums of money.

Which of the following scenarios best represents an example of party-line voting?

-A citizen always votes for the candidate who supports conservation of the environment.

-A homeowner votes for a candidate based on the candidate's promise to lower property taxes.

-A citizen casts votes for all Republicans based solely on the candidates' affiliation with the Republican Party.

-A citizen votes for the incumbent member of the House of Representatives after receiving help processing his disability claim.

A citizen casts votes for all Republicans based solely on the candidates' affiliation with the Republican Party.

The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) urges its members to take action in support of what they term "animal friendly" legislation through their website. In addition to providing information about important issues that legislators may vote on, the nonprofit organization also describes the best ways to contact a legislator and tips on how best to interact with lawmakers. Which of the following is being illustrated in the scenario?

-Interest groups sometimes form around a narrow set of issues with the goal of impacting policy making.

-Interest groups lacking funding can overcome the free-rider problem by proposing legislation on their website.

-Interest groups work to mobilize citizens and members of Congress to form an iron triangle.

-Interest groups post messages on social media to request donations from members.

Interest groups sometimes form around a narrow set of issues with the goal of impacting policy making.

Senator Hoffman is campaigning for reelection in her state. Her campaign message emphasizes how the policies she has supported have benefited her constituents. She has spotlighted job creation and an overall improvement in the standard of living in the state in the past six years. Senator Hoffman is hoping to appeal to which of the following voting behavior models?

-Retrospective voting

-Prospective voting

-Party-line voting

-Rational-choice voting

Retrospective voting

In 1980, a small group of parents personally affected by drunk driving formed the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Over the past four decades, they have grown in number and have lobbied on state and local levels promoting legislation such as stricter limits on blood alcohol levels for drivers. MADD is an example of which of the following?

-Political party with the goal of influencing public opinion

-Social movement with the goal of influencing the federal budget

-Single-issue group with the goal of impacting policy making

-Bureaucratic agency implementing policy

Single-issue group with the goal of impacting policy making

The Congressional Leadership Fund, a super PAC, has raised over $50 million dollars, which it plans to spend on advertising in the next midterm election. It plans to target its spending in competitive districts in the days leading up to Election Day. Which of the following court cases decision is most likely to protect the right of the group in the scenario?

-New York Times Company v. United States (1971)

-Shaw v. Reno (1993)

-McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

-Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Which of the following scenarios is most related to the Twenty-Sixth Amendment?

-A primary election is held to determine the candidate who will run as the Republican for the United States Senate.

-An interest group purchases a television ad prior to an election.

-An eighteen-year-old votes in a presidential election.

-A woman votes in a local election.

An eighteen-year-old votes in a presidential election.