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Worksheets

Elections, Voting, Interest Groups and Political Parties

Total questions: 86

Worksheet time: 3600secs

Name
Class
Date
1.

An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence public policy

a)

Interest Group

b)

Political Group

c)

Solidary Group

d)

Social Group

2.

A committee set up by a corporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations

a)

Congressional Committee

b)

Political Action Committee (PAC)

c)

Incentive Committee

d)

Political Committee

3.

A person who tries to influence legislation on behalf of an interest group

a)

Influencer

b)

Public Interest Lobby

c)

Lobbyist

d)

National Chair

4.

Something of value one cannot get without joining an organization

a)

Civil Liberties

b)

Incentive

c)

Initiative

d)

Waiver

5.

Political organizations that attract members by appealing to their political convictions or principles

a)

Public Interest Groups

b)

Political Machine

c)

Congressional Groups

d)

Ideological Interest Groups

6.

A political organization whose goals will principally benefit nonmembers

a)

Social Lobby

b)

Public Interest Lobby

c)

Incentive Group

d)

Political Group

7.

A widely shared demand for change in some aspect of the social or political order

a)

Social Movement

b)

Solidary Incentive

c)

Political Cue

d)

Ideological Movement

8.

Assessments of a representative's voting record on issues important to an interest group

a)

Reviews

b)

Political Cue

c)

Ratings

d)

Political Action

9.

A Political Party is?

a)

a supporter of a person, group, party, or cause, especially a person who shows a biased, emotional allegiance.

b)

a group of persons who seek to control government by winning elections and holding office.

c)

a person who favors a republican form of government.

d)

a group of like-minded individuals who like to party.

10.
People who join together to pursue a common interest in influencing legislation are known as what?
a)
Political Action Committees (PAC's)
b)
Public Opinion
c)
Mass Media
d)
Interest Groups
11.
How might a political action committee influence government?
a)
 By reporting court procedures
b)
By making political contributions
c)
By investigating illegal business practices
d)
By raising funds to broadcast campaign advertisements.
12.

How many electoral votes does it take to "win the White House", to become president?

a)

538

b)

270

c)

170

13.

A political party's label that is not of the two mainstream political parties that run the US government. Represents minority ideas.

a)

Republican

b)

Democrat

c)

Whig

d)

Third Party

14.

What political party stem does the U.S. have?

a)

one-party system

b)

two-party system

c)

multi-party system

d)

no-party system

15.

An organization that is created to raise and donate money to candidates and political parties is a -

a)

Interest Group

b)

Political Action Committee (PAC)

c)

Political Party

d)

Voting Coalition

16.

How is the president chosen?

a)

popular vote

b)

battle to the death

c)

proportional vote

d)

electoral college

17.

What is another name for the Democratic Party

a)

GOP

b)

Liberal

c)

Conservative

d)

Green

18.

Why must voters evaluate information presented to them in political campaigns?

a)

To educate the public

b)

To express their patriotism

c)

To focus attention on a particular issue

d)

To make reasoned choices among candidates

19.

What is the number of electors a state receives based on?

a)

The a.     number of years the President has been in office

b)

The a.     number of registered voters a state has

c)

The number of representatives a state has in Congress

d)

The number of people in the state who voted for the current President

20.

In order to vote in the United States, an individual must be...

a)

A Citizen of some country

b)

Properly Registered

c)

A tax payer

d)

An Iphone owner

21.

Political Parties impact the government on which level of government

a)

Federal

b)

State

c)

Local

d)

Internal

22.

Which of the following is a job of political parties?

Select all that apply

a)

Raising funds

b)

Housing Staff for Candidates

c)

Punishing Violations of Campaign Finance Laws

d)

Assisting with campaigns for Candidates

e)

Identifying a platform to run on

23.

Calling out corruptions or suspicious activity from the opposing party is a responsibility of each political party and is referred to as

a)

Nightowling

b)

Watchdogging

c)

Whistleblowing

d)

Mudraking

24.

If you attempt to participate in the primary election, but are denied based on your registration status as an independent - you are likely experiencing a

a)

Closed Primary

b)

Open Primary

c)

Semi-Closed primary

d)

Caucus

25.

A political party's platform is a:

a)

Stage to stand on when giving a speech

b)

Statement of the party's principles and plan of actions

c)

Slogan or motto, such as "I LIKE IKE"

d)

Sign with a picture of the political party's mascot like the donkey

26.
What is the main purpose of the primary election?
a)
See who is old enough to vote
b)
pick the new president
c)
narrow down the field of candidates
d)
count how many voters are registered
27.
The electoral college has ________ members. 
a)
538
b)
333
c)
460
d)
570
28.

A common criticism of the Electoral College is that it

a)

gives too much power to states with the highest populations

b)

gives too much power to smaller states

c)

is not even a real college

d)

allows a person to win the presidency without a majority of votes

29.

Lower taxes and smaller government.

a)

D

b)

R

30.

Has more liberal views.

a)

D

b)

R

31.

Usually raise taxes to support government programs.

a)

D

b)

R

32.

Supports military spending.

a)

D

b)

R

33.

Independent voters are…

a)

Do not support a particular political party

b)

Vote for candidates of only one party

c)

Republicans

d)

Democrats

34.

Which of the following are the two biggest political parties in the United States (select all that apply)?

a)

Democrat

b)

Green

c)

Libertarian

d)

Willie Wilson

e)

Republican

35.

Political ads use a combination of facts and emotions and are biased towards one political party.

a)

True

b)

False

36.

Which statement identifies a positive impact of political parties on American political life?

a)

Parties promote bias on issues.

b)

Parties encourage new ideas and voting in elections.

c)

Parties increase the money spent on elections.

d)

Parties discourage members from voting in elections.

37.

Based on the cartoon above, what is a major impact of political parties in the government?

a)

The two party system allows for third parties to have a larger say in government decisions.

b)

The two party system allows for all citizens' ideas to be represented.

c)

The two party system makes it difficult to compromise.

d)

The two party system makes it easy to pass legislation.

38.
How old do you have to be to vote?
a)
12
b)
16
c)
18
d)
21
39.
One requirement to be president is ______________________.
a)
reside in the US for 14 years prior to running for president
b)
age 18
c)
live in Washington DC
d)
speak English and Spanish
40.
How old must you be to become president? 
a)
25
b)
30
c)
35
d)
40
41.

A caucus is . . .

a)

A series of discussions and meetings to choose a candidate to represent a political party in a election

b)

A party where the candidates tell everyone that they want to run for office.

c)

A conference to celebrate a political party.

d)

When the electors meet to vote for the president.

42.

Which state has the most electoral votes?

a)

California

b)

Texas

c)

New York State

d)

Alaska

43.

Why is being an incumbent a distinct advantage when running for Congress?

a)

The incumbent has experience working with legislators.

b)

The incumbent is highly educated and can fix government.

c)

The incumbent does not have to raise money to campaign.

d)

The incumbent appoints the official who counts the ballots.

44.

The candidate that wins the majority of votes in the state gets all of the electoral votes for that state.

a)

Winner-take-all

b)

Political spectrum

c)

Electorate

d)

Primary election

45.

One function of political parties.

Means to work to get their candidates elected to political office by contributing money, advertising, and convincing voters to vote for them.

a)

Help candidates win elections

b)

Political party

c)

Conservative

d)

Educate the electorate

46.

A political party other than the two major parties that usually focus on a single issue or a single person

a)

Third party

b)

Party platform

c)

Media

d)

Political Action Committee

47.

Review: What is a form of government in which citizens are able to vote for officials that represent what they believe?

a)

Monarchy

b)

Dictatorship

c)

Democracy

d)

Theocracy

48.

A __________ is a person who works to win an election.

a)

candidate

b)

Electoral College

c)

governor

d)

president

49.

Which is a qualification to vote?

a)

graduate high school

b)

pay all of your taxes

c)

own a house

d)

be a U.S. citizen

50.

When voters feel this, they are probably not going to vote in an election, because they are not interested in the candidates and/or the issues.

a)

happiness

b)

fear

c)

apathy

d)

surprise

51.

Citizens use this to vote on certain issues or candidates at the voting booth.

a)

Their signature

b)

ballot

c)

written statement

d)

contract

52.

Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, African-American voters faced this, especially in the American South.

a)

helpfulness

b)

sadness

c)

suppression

d)

conviction

53.

The right to vote

a)

suppression

b)

allowance

c)

suffering

d)

suffrage

54.

When you do this, you deprive eligible voters from voting in an election through no fault of their own.

a)

enfranchise

b)

disown

c)

disenfranchise

55.

What could be an effect of voter ID laws and/or voter suppression in states across the U.S.?

a)

More people will register to vote and participate on Election Day.

b)

Less people will be able to vote, which could affect the outcome of an election.

c)

There won't be any positive or negative effects on any elections.

d)

People's needs and wants will be more represented.

56.

After the 15th Amendment was passed giving freed slaves the right to vote, some states used certain laws to try to prevent them from voting. These were called "Jim Crow" laws. One was a __________ (which is money a voter must pay to be able to vote)

a)

crime tax

b)

slave tax

c)

poll tax

57.

The _______ amendment to the Constitution gave women the right to vote in the year 1920

a)

1st

b)

14th

c)

19th

58.

Suffrage is a fancy word meaning _____

a)

the right to vote

b)

the process to amend the Constitution

c)

suffering

59.

The ___________ protects voting rights guaranteed in the Constitution

a)

Legislative Branch

b)

Civil Rights Act of 1965

c)

Civil War Act of 1865

60.

The ______amendment was passed in the year 1971 and set the national voting age to be 18

a)

26th

b)

14th

c)

1st

61.

Identify which group was extended voting rights by the following amendments:

Fifteenth Amendment

a)

18 Year Olds

b)

African Americans

c)

Immigrants

d)

Women

62.

The _______ amendment to the Constitution gave women the right to vote in the year 1920

a)

1st

b)

19th

c)

14th

63.

The basic rights of American citizenship are listed in the Constitution’s first 10 amendments called the ___________________________

a)

U.S. Confederation

b)

Bill of Monarchs

c)

Bill of Rights

64.

Which of the following responses best supports the 15th Amendment of the Constitution?

a)

A person cannot be denied the right to vote based on gender.

b)

A person cannot be denied the right to vote based on race.

c)

A person cannot be denied the right to vote based on age.

d)

No one can be denied the right to vote.

65.

Senators serve

a)

4 year terms

b)

6 year terms

c)

3 year terms

d)

2 year terms

66.

To run for senator, you must

a)

be at least 25 years old

b)

be at least 30 years old

c)

have been a US Citizen for fifteen years

d)

have a law degree

67.

What qualification do both houses of congress have in common?

a)

Members must be born in the United States

b)

Members must be at least 30 years old

c)

Members must graduate from college

d)

Members must live in the state they represent.

68.

This house of Congress has 100 members and includes only 2 from each state

a)

House of Representatives

b)

Senate

c)

President

d)

Supreme Court

69.

How frequently does the Census happen?

a)

5 years

b)

10 years

c)

3 years

d)

1 year

70.

How long must you have been a citizen to be a senator?

a)

7 years

b)

2 years

c)

9 years

d)

No citizenship requirements

71.

How is representation determined in the House of Representatives?

a)

Equal representation

b)

By the population of the state

c)

Voting

d)

None of these

72.

How many members are there in the U.S. House of Representatives?

a)

9

b)

2

c)

100

d)

435

73.

How long do members of the House of Representatives serve, or what is their term length?

a)

6 years

b)

2 years

c)

4 years

d)

For life

74.

How old do you have to be to be a member of the House of Representatives?

a)

25 years old

b)

35 years old

c)

No age requirements

d)

30 years old

75.

Gerrymandering is:

a)

When district boundaries are drawn in order to benefit the party in power and help it stay in power

b)

When seats in the House of Representatives are redistributed among states because of changes in population

c)

When district boundaries are redrawn to reflect changes in population.

d)

A measurement of the US population that occurs every ten years

76.
What is redistricting?
a)
the process of establishing the number of representatives in the U.S. Senate
b)
the process of drawing United States and state  electoral district boundaries
c)
the idea that all states should have an equal number of people in Congress
d)
the use of the Census to determine who should run for office
77.
How many districts must be created across the United States for the House of Representative?
a)
643
b)
435
c)
200
d)
100
78.

Gerrymandering affects:

a)

The House of Representatives

b)

The Senate

c)

The Presidency

d)

Congress as a whole

79.

In most states (but not all), who usually draws district boundaries?

a)

The House of Representatives

b)

The Senate

c)

The Supreme Court

d)

State legislatures

80.

Which type of gerrymandering involves the drawing of bizarre boundaries?

a)

stacked

b)

blocked

c)

excess

d)

wasted

81.

Primaries and caucuses determine who _____ the general election from President.

a)

wins

b)

votes in

c)

runs in

d)

reports on

82.

Which event would come first in a US presidential elections?

a)

Nomination

b)

General election

c)

Convention

d)

Inauguration

83.

The difference between primary elections and general elections is that winners of the primary have ______________ run against each other.

a)

members of the same party

b)

Republicans and Democrats

c)

Republicans and Independents

d)

Democrats and Independents

84.

What is most likely to change based on a candidate's performance in the polls?

a)

The candidate's party

b)

The candidate's message

c)

The total number of delegates in the party

d)

The number of delegates needed to clinch the nomination

85.

Iowa hosts the first caucus of the Presidential election season and is very important because of that.

a)

True

b)

False

86.

The main difference between a primary and a caucus is...

a)

Primaries=private voting all day long Caucuses=Public voting at a specific time

b)

Primaries=Public voting at a specific time Caucuses=private voting all day long

c)

Primaries=Voting online Caucuses=Voting in person

d)

Caucuses=Voting online Primaries=Voting in person