Unit 7 American Govt

The influence of political parties has been declining for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

• the electorate is becoming more educated and so don't rely on the party for information

• candidates can share their views directly with the electorate through television

• the government has failed to enforce party membership among the electorate

• the electorate is becoming increasingly independent from party affiliation

All of the following are recognized functions of the major political parties EXCEPT

• aggregating interests into electoral alliances

• providing payments for supporting interest groups

• establishing channels of communication between public and government

• recruiting candidates for public office

All of the following are purposes of political parties in the U.S. EXCEPT

• to provide alternate interpretations of constitutional law, as it applies to political campaigns

• to pick policy makers and help run campaigns

• to articulate policies and give cues to voters

• to serve as linkage institutions between the people and their government

In the United States a two-party system

• has never existed

• has existed since the mid-nineteenth century

• has only existed in the 20th century

• has existed throughout United States history

The proportion of people identifying themselves with a political party declined between 1960 and 1980. One of the reasons for this is

• a decrease in the number of people identifying themselves as independents

• an increase in the number of people identifying themselves as independents

• a decrease in the number of people identifying themselves as Democrats

• a decrease in the number of people identifying themselves as Republicans

Which of the following best describes the practice of "ticket-splitting"?

• A major orders the local police force to hand out fewer parking violations in the weeks leading up to the general election.

• A voter chooses the presidential nominee of one major party, but chooses congressional nominees of the other major party.

• A presidential nominee selects a running mate who can appeal to voter groups whose support of the nominee is weak.

• A delegate to a national party convention supports the front-runner but remains uncommitted on the party platform.

All of the following are indications of how pervasive the two-party system is in US government EXCEPT

• the need for the Electoral College

• lack of effective third parties

• how members are assigned to Congressional committees

• how the Speaker of the House is selected

Policy gridlock is most likely to occur when

• the same party wins the majority in both houses of Congress

• there is a third-party candidate in the presidential election

• a party wins a significant majority of the seats in Congress

• the president is of a different party from the majority party in Congress

What is the definition of a critical election?

• Groups of voters change their usual patterns of party loyalty

• Significant numbers of voters vote for a third party candidate for president

• Both houses of Congress and the presidency are controlled by the same party

• Voter turnout declines sharply from previous elections

The process through which parties nominate their candidate for the presidency is called

• a national committee

• realignment