AP Govt. Political Parties Test Review

What are the functions of the party’s national convention?

• Write party platform
• Nominate candidate for president
• Meet every four years to revise rules
• All of the above

Which of the following best accounts for the lack of success generally encountered by minor political parties in electing members to the House or Senate?

• (A) Political action committee (PAC) contributions are restricted by law to the two major parties.
• (B) General elections in the United States are based on the winner-take-all principle.
• (C) House and Senate rules exclude members of minor parties from organizing coalitions with the major parties.
• (D) The public has great faith in the two major political parties.
• (E) Some states outlaw minor political parties.

The process known as front-loading refers to

• A. presidential candidates raising funds far in advance of the first presidential primary
• B. a presidential candidate seeking endorsements before officially declaring candidacy
• C. the tendency of states to choose an early date on the primary calendar
• D. political action committee (PACs) contributing money to candidates at least one year before the first presidential primary or caucus
• E. the winner-take all principle of the electoral college

A political party is

• A) less interested in winning elections than in particular public policy.
• B) a group of people who agree on everything and organize annually to win elections.
• C) a narrow interest group seeking advantage through elections.
• D) a team of men and women with similar beliefs seeking legitimate control of the government by through elections.
• E) an organization devoted to implementing policy in the public interest.

Which of the following describes a fundamental difference between political parties and interest groups?

• Political parties are prohibited from sponsoring campaign advertisements, and interest groups are not.
• Political parties represent broad arrays of issues, whereas interest groups are more likely to focus on narrow sets of issues.
• Political parties are more likely to focus on national politics, whereas interest groups focus on local politics.
• Political parties tend to have strength in particular regions, whereas the power of interest groups is more consistent across states.
• Political parties are required to disclose their campaign finance activities, whereas interest groups are not.

Which of the following is TRUE of political parties in the United States?

• A) To be a member of a party, all you have to do is claim to be one.
• B) Parties require dues.
• C) They are more powerful than their European counterparts.
• D) Parties issue membership cards to all members.
• E) Party members agree on all major issues or they will be expelled from the party.

Critically affecting the electoral college vote, bringing new issues to the public agenda, and venting popular discontent are important roles played by

• A) intra-party factions.
• B) splinter groups in a multiparty system.
• C) the two-party system in thwarting extreme or unconventional views.
• D) third parties in a two-party system.
• E) parties based on a single issue in a multiple-issue society.

In proportional representation systems,

• A) whoever gets the most votes wins the election.
• B) each demographic group is allocated a certain number of positions in the government, in proportion to that groups percentage of the population.
• C) coalition governments usually last for many years.
• D) legislative seats are allocated according to each partyʹs percentage of the nationwide vote.
• E) every party gets represented in the legislature.

Which of the following best describes the difference between an open & closed primary?

• (A) Voters must pay a poll tax to vote in a closed primary, but not in an open primary.
• (B) Voters are allowed to split their ticket in a closed primary but not in an open primary.
• (C) Only voters who register as members of a political party may vote in that party’s closed primary, while independents and others may be eligible to vote in open primaries.
• (D) Open primaries require a run-off system, while closed primaries do not.
• (E) Candidates must seek the approval of the party organization to run in a closed primary, but anyone may be a candidate in an open primary.

Which of the following statements about political parties & the United States Constitution is true?

• (A) According to the Constitution, only two major political parties may exist at any time.
• (B) The Constitution requires political parties to be restricted by both federal & state law.
• (C) The Constitution indicates that political party leaders at the national level be elected by political party leaders at the state level.
• (D) The Constitution specifies that political party leaders must be native-born U.S. citizens.
• (E) The issue of political parties is not addressed in the Constitution.