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Unit 4: Political Systems

Total questions: 46

Worksheet time: 26mins

Name
Class
Date
1.
Since 1860s the ____________________ and ____________________party have dominated American politics. 
a)
Green,  Libertarian 
b)
Communists, Socialists
c)
Anarchist, Theocracy 
d)
Democratic, Republican
2.
One Republican Party core belief is _____________________. 
a)
more taxes
b)
increase taxes
c)
less taxes
d)
no taxes
3.

What is the election called where the parties select their candidates?

a)

Initial

b)

General

c)

Primary

d)

First Round

4.

Which of the two main parties is associated with bigger government and higher taxes?

a)

Republican

b)

Democrat

5.

Which of the following words is often used to describe members of the Republican Party?

a)

Liberal

b)

Socialist

c)

Conservative

d)

Communist

6.

Which party is considered 'left wing'?

a)

Republican

b)

Democrat

7.

Which party is considered 'right wing'?

a)

Republican

b)

Democrat

8.

Which is a DISADVANTAGE of a two-party system?

a)

More Stable governement.

b)

Voters only have two choices.

9.

Who could vote when the US government was formed?

a)

Men and women 18 and older

b)

White land-owning men that were 21 and older.

c)

Land-owners that were 21 and older

d)

none of the above

10.

Who has the right to vote today?

a)

Anyone who is at least 21 years old

b)

Anyone can vote regardless if they live in the US or not.

c)

Anyone who is interested in politics.

d)

Anyone who is at least 18 years old and is a US citizen

11.

What happens during the general election?

a)

The winner is chosen from the winner of each primary

b)

The losing candidate demands a second chance

c)

The winner has to pay an additional 5 thousand dollars to participate

d)

None of the above

12.

What may be an advantage to having two parties?

a)

It allows the government to run smoothly

b)

One party is stronger than the other

c)

One party does more work than the other.

d)

None of the above

13.

Minority groups and women have fought for suffrage throughout the 1800s and 1900s. What is suffrage?

a)

Citizenship

b)

Equality

c)

Freedom of speech

d)

The right to vote

14.

Why were literacy tests used in the South?

a)

To make it easier for blacks to vote

b)

To try to keep women from voting

c)

To try to keep blacks from voting

d)

To make sure voting was balanced and fair

15.

In order to win elections, political parties tend to appeal to voters:

a)

In the center of the political spectrum

b)

To the left of the political spectrum

c)

To the right of the political spectrum

d)

To the extreme ends of the political spectrum

16.

A platform of a political party:

a)

reflects how much money they are spending on campaigns

b)

is the ideas/beliefs of the party

c)

watched the other party for misinformation

d)

is another name for the media (tv, internet, etc)

17.

Which is NOT a characteristic of Third Parties

a)

They introduce new ideas into a campaign

b)

Their candidate often wins elections

c)

They can take votes away from the two-major parties

d)

They revolve around a major political personality (i.e Theodore Roosevelt)

18.

Why are there 538 members in the Electoral College?

a)

There are as many electors as members of Congress in the House of Representative and the Senate combined

b)

There are as many electors as Representatives in the House of Representative<br />

c)

It is a random number

d)

It is the same number as the members of Congress i.e. 100 senators, 435 representatives and 3 members from the district of Columbia

19.
An absolute majority of at least 270 electors is needed to win the election
a)
True
b)
False
20.

The two main ways states send people to the national convention are primaries and:

a)

conventions

b)

nominees

c)

caucuses

21.

What is the purpose of the Electoral College?

a)

Choose the Electors

b)

Elect the President of the United States

c)

Elect members of the House of Representatives

d)

Elect members of the Senate

22.

The Census is conducted every 10 years to count the total population in the nation. How can the population affect the Electoral College?

a)

Change the number of electoral votes a state gets

b)

It can't affect it the Electoral College

c)

It can determine the number of Senators each state gets.

23.

What are the members of the Electoral College called?

a)

Voters

b)

Representatives

c)

Senators

d)

Electors

24.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 outlawed THESE (which had been used to disenfranchise African Americans)

a)

literacy tests

b)

property tax

c)

citizenship test

d)

videotapes at polls

25.

You need to register in order to vote?

a)

True

b)

False

26.
The media does not influence public opinion by using bias, symbolism or propaganda.
a)
True
b)
False
27.
A ballot used when people know they will be out of town on the day of the elections?
a)
Straight Ticket
b)
Butterfly Ballot
c)
Absentee Ballot
d)
Punch Card Ballot
28.
While the media sometimes uses misleading information called propaganda, more often it uses bias, which means –
a)
Broadcasting different points of view
b)
Separating fact from opinion
c)
Favoring one side over the other
d)
Rising campaign costs
29.
What has happened to campaign costs in recent years, causing candidates to do extensive fundraising?
a)
Costs have decreased
b)
Costs have increased
c)
Costs have remained the same
d)
The political parties pay for the election
30.

What is the goal of a PAC?

a)

To lower campaign costs

b)

To raise money to donate to candidates

c)

To organize people with similar interests

d)

To give advantages to wealthy people

31.

What is the goal of Campaign Finance Reform Laws?

a)

Poor candidates have an advantage

b)

Limits placed on amount of money candidates can spend

c)

Requires fundraising

d)

Individuals cannot donate as much as they want

32.

Because it costs so much to run for office, ______________ have gained increased influence.

a)

Candidates

b)

Democrats

c)

Super PACs

d)

Interest Groups

33.
A candidate has to win the majority of the votes in at least 1 state in order to get any Electoral votes (exclude ME and NE)
a)
True
b)
False
34.
You must be present at a party primary in order to vote for the party candidate.
a)
True
b)
False
35.
A person who currently holds the position for which he/she is running is called
a)
delegate
b)
Elector
c)
incumbent
d)
challenger
36.
If no candidate gets enough electoral votes to win the Presidency then Senate decides; each state gets one vote
a)
True
b)
False
37.

Why is Campaign Finance Legislation important?

a)

To persuade people to take more money from candidates

b)

To give people more jobs and money

c)

To make sure that the candidates are not being corrupt

d)

To make sure that their is a limit to how many people run

38.

Super PACs must report their donations to the _____

a)

Senate

b)

The President

c)

PAC Houses

d)

Federal Election Commission

39.

Why are Super PACs more powerful than PACs?

a)

They may raise UNLIMITED sums of money

b)

They have direct contact with politicians

c)

They work for EVERY branch of government

d)

They can punish corrupt politicians

40.

Who do lobbyists represent in their attempts to influence government?

a)

Members of Congress

b)

The President

c)

Interest Groups

d)

Voters

41.
You can win the popular vote for President but still lose the election.
a)
True
b)
False
42.

Which of the following best completes the graphic organizer? You must select all correct answers.

a)

Fewer people choose to vote in elections

b)

Political action committees are established

c)

Opportunities to run for political office are limited

d)

Candidates perform various fundraising activities

e)

Wealthy individuals have an advantage when running for office

43.

Which is NOT a function of PACs or special interest groups

a)

nominate their favorite candidate for office

b)

pay for television, radio, and internet ads supporting their preferred candidate

c)

make large contributions supporting their favorite candidate

d)

mail pamphlets supporting their preferred candidate.

44.
What is "soft money"?
a)
Money given to a political party
b)
Money given to a candidate
c)
Money used for attack ads
d)
Money used for biographical ads
45.
What is "hard money"?
a)
Money given to candidates
b)
Money given to political parties
c)
Money used for attack ads
d)
Money used for biographical ads
46.
Re: Campaign Finance Laws. What type of campaign contributions were eliminated under the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA)?
a)
"hard" money contributions
b)
"soft" money contributions
c)
"corrupt" money contributions
d)
"corporate" money contributions