Which of the following is an accurate trend displayed in the graph? "The total cost . . . "

. . . of both presidential and congressional elections has increased.

. . . of congressional elections has increased, while the total cost of presidential elections has decreased.

. . . . of presidential elections has increased, while the cost of presidential elections has decreased.

. . . . of both presidential and congressional elections has decreased.

How has the Supreme Court case, Citizens United v. FEC contributed to the data in the graph?

It gave rise to Super PACs, which can spend unlimited amounts of money on independent expenditures.

It increased the total amount of hard money individuals could give to candidates.

It ruled that there was no limit on how much a candidate could spend of his/her own money.

It ruled that the federal government would match all funds raised by a candidate during the primaries.

Which of the following is a common argument regarding the amount of money in U.S. elections?

Special interest groups have far too much influence due to the amount of money they spend supporting candidates during elections.

Individuals are allowed to contribute far too much money to individual candidates.

The country should be using election money to pay off the national debt.

Elections would be far less expensive if every state used computerized voting.

Which of the following statements is accurately displayed in the graph?

Americans generally find the traditional news media to be more reliable than social media sources.

Americans generally trust the impartiality of news media more than they trust its accuracy.

Americans believe the news media is less accurate than it was 10 years ago.

Americans believe misinformation is the biggest issue with the media today.

Which of the following individuals would be LEAST likely to vote in the next election?

Low-income, 20-year old female, high school education

Middle-class, 67-year old, white, retired military veteran

High-income, 45-year old Hispanic male

33-year old female with some college education, works as an app designer

Which of the following accurately describes a shift regarding the media's role in providing information?

More Americans now receive news and engage in political commentary on social media.

Consumer-driven media outlets now provide individuals with a broader range of perspectives.

Media outlets are now spending more time on investigative reporting than providing political commentary, as it is easier to produce.

The number of media outlets has shrunk, creating more of a national consensus.

Jasmine is an 18-year old Hispanic resident of Nebraska and submitted her voter registration information six months before her state’s closed primary election. She is a registered Independent and appeared at her polling place to vote, but was told she was unable to do so. Why was Jasmine turned away?

Voters must be registered with a major party in order to participate in a closed primary.

Voters must be 21-years-old in order to vote in a primary election.

She needed to register to vote 1 year before the election.

The poll worker was being discriminatory.

Which factor is the strongest predictor of which candidate will win a congressional election?

their incumbency (already in office)

the amount of money their campaign raised

A critic of the rising influence of interest groups would likely argue which of the following?

Some interest groups have greater resources than others and therefore, have stronger influence over officeholders.

Since interest groups can nominate candidates, they have a stronger voice in elections than individual citizens.

Interest groups tend to mostly support Democratic candidates, providing an unfair advantage to the party.

Interest groups tend to mostly support Republican candidates, providing an unfair advantage to the party.

What prevents lobbyists from misleading legislators and public officials with false information?

the consequence of losing a public official’s trust

the Government Accountability Office

Which of the following was a result of the passage of the 19 th Amendment?

The size of the electorate increased dramatically.

Voter intimidation of minorities diminished.

There was a surge in African American voter registration.

Washington, D.C. gained three electoral votes.

African American voter registration in Mississippi was less than 6% in 1964. By 1967, it was nearly 60%. Which of the following best explains the dramatic increase?

The Voting Rights Act was passed.

The culture had dramatically shifted in its political views.

Brown v. Board of Education was handed down by the Supreme Court.

The 23 rd Amendment was passed.

If political parties all of a sudden disbanded (fell apart), which of the following would likely be most impacted within the U.S. political system ?

The candidate nomination process

The ideological views of individuals

The media’s ability to report the news of the day

All of the following are reasons that perpetuate the two-party system in America EXCEPT (mark the false answer)

the fact that minor parties never appear on the ballot

the absence of minor parties from political debates

Linkage institutions . . .

connect the citizens with their government officials.

connect the three different branches of government.

encourage compromise between the two major parties.

bridge the gap between major and minor parties.

Which of the following is a consequence of horse-race journalism?

Individuals tend to pay more attention to who is ahead in an election rather than diving into the essential issues.

There is a greater opportunity for media bias.

It provides more extensive coverage of policy debates.

It tends to foster more competition between news networks.

All of the following are facts of modern presidential elections EXCEPT (mark the false answer)

The use of professional consultants has declined.

Presidential candidates disproportionately spend their time in swing states.

The costs of running for office have only increased.

Social media plays an increasing role in campaign efforts.

Which of the following voting trends is typically true?

African American voters tend to vote for Democrats.

Those with postgraduate degrees tend to vote for Republicans.

Those with higher incomes tend to vote for Democrats.

Those who live in the Pacific Northwest tend to vote for Republicans.

Limiting soft money was a major priority of __________ in 2002.

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act

the Federal Election Commission

All of the following are contributions of minor parties EXCEPT (mark the false answer)

Bringing balance through governing at the federal level.

Serving as a critic of the major parties.

Serving as an innovator of new ideas in our political system.

Providing additional candidate options for those who feel underrepresented.