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Worksheetspols exam 3
Total questions: 80
Worksheet time: 40mins
Which of the following is an example of a single-issue party?
Green Party
Populists
Greenback Party
Libertarian Party
According to the text, what is it that "linkage institutions" do?
They link interest groups with government through monetary donations.
They create coalitions of like-minded voters.
They connect citizens with government.
They link America's political past with it's present.
________ is based on judgment about the past performance of an elected official or political party.
Split-ticket voting
Prospective voting
Straight-ticket voting
Retrospective voting
The issue of slavery gave birth to the Whig Party as a major political party.
true
false
Prospective voting is characterized by choices based on what candidates promise to do if elected.
true
false
One of the greatest setbacks to the organizational strength of political parties in the United States was
voter registration.
the national convention.
Jacksonian democracy.
the direct primary.
Political parties serve to ensure that there is an acknowledgement and celebration of political victories.
true
false
The majority of the money to finance political campaigns is the cost of
paying pollsters.
actually raising campaign funds.
complying with Federal Election Commission rules.
paying for television ads.
Strong party loyalty can be seen by the number of voters who exercise
straight-ticket voting.
a focus on candidate charisma and personal style.
split-ticket voting.
the influence of short-term issues and candidates.
Proportional representation systems are those in which seats in the legislature are allocated according to each political party's share of the popular vote.
true
false
The first political parties in the United States started with the differences of political thoughts between
Hamilton and Jefferson.
Adams and Jackson.
Lincoln and Douglas.
Marshall and Adams.
Some analysts predict that soon the most important medium of election politics will be
television.
newspapers.
the Internet.
artificial inteligence.
The most important and influential media source for modern election campaigns is
social media.
television.
radio.
newspaper ads.
Today political campaigns involve a number of influential players. Which of the following are active participants in campaigns? (select all that apply)
pollsters
media consultants
campaign consultants
fundraising specialists
One of the strongest evidences of a recent party realignment can be seen in the tendency of
the Plains states to vote Republican.
the Midwest to vote Democratic.
the South to vote Republican.
the West Coast to vote Democratic.
The winner-take-all system is also known as the________ system.
democratic
minority
majority
plurality
If a PAC spends money to support a particular candidacy
the spending effort cannot be coordinated with the candidate.
the money must be used to support a general party or issue, not the individual candidate.
the money must go toward purchasing media ads only.
the money has to be spent or donated in amounts equal to or less than $2,500.
Both parties have are making a strong effort to lure ______________________ as a key to their future electoral success.
middle-class voters
African American voters
Hispanic voters
senior voters
It is impossible to separate the history of democratic government and
economic recessions.
high voter turnout.
political parties.
protest movements.
Andrew Jackson's contribution to the development of political parties was the
formation of a new type of grassroots party organization.
formation of the Federalist Party.
introduction of primary elections.
formation of the Republican Party.
forging of a coalition of Democrats and Whigs.
A collective good is one that
is secured by Congress.
is secured by the president.
cannot be selectively granted or denied to individuals; it belongs to all.
is provided by a public service organization.
An amicus brief
prevents PACs from donating more than $5,000 to a single candidate during a primary election.
is a written document in which an interest group lays out its policy preference for targeted lawmakers.
prevents a lobbyist group from making campaign donations to policymakers over a specific issue.
is a written document in which a group explains to a court its position on a legal dispute the court is handling.
The water we drink and the air we breathe are an examples of a
material good.
negative externality.
collective good.
mass-produced good.
The main criticism for Super PACs is for
making it more likely that minor parties will gain control of government.
leveling the playing field for monetary influence in federal elections.
refusing to abide by FEC regulations.
giving too much influence to the wealthy.
Most lobbyists receive support from elected officials in direct exchange for bribery.
true
false
The most numerous economic groups are business groups.
true
false
Which of the following defines a purposive incentive?
The satisfaction of contributing to a worthy goal or purpose.
A goal of direct economic gain.
Any common purpose that brings groups together.
A goal benefiting a specific group.
The theory that society's interests are most effectively represented through group action is pluralist theory.
true
false
The advantage that economic groups have over all other interest groups exist because
their members are committed to their causes.
they have greater access to financial resources.
they nearly always have larger memberships.
they have better leadership.
An iron triangle is
a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest.
the strategy of lobbying all three branches of government simultaneously.
a tightly-knit set of lobbying groups.
the relationship among the Congress, the military, and defense contractors.
The National Rifle Association as an example of a(n)
philosophical interest group.
single-issue group.
ideological group.
business group.
PACs tend to contribute the most money to incumbents.
true
false
Interest groups seek to influence the courts by
outside lobbying only.
PACs.
both initiating lawsuits and lobbying for certain judges to be appointed to the bench.
lobbying for certain judges to be appointed to the bench.
The _________________ exist when individuals are tempted not to contribute to a cause because they will get the benefits even if they do not participate.
size factor
zero-sum game
special-interest paradox
free-rider problem
An _________________ is an informal grouping of officials, lobbyists, and policy specialists who come together temporarily around a policy problem.
ideological network.
iron triangle.
issue network.
policy system.
The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)
allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on campaigns as long as there is no coordination with the candidate.
has forced candidates for office and elected officials to make public the amounts of campaign contributions they have received from PACs and which PACs make those donations.
limits PACs by reducing the amount of money they can raise through contributions made by small donors.
has strengthened the argument that PACs constitute a better system of campaign finance than one based on wealthy donors.
Interest groups do all the following EXCEPT?
working to influence policymakers
working to influence legislators
working to influence the courts
addressing a broad and diverse range of public issues
In acknowledging the dilemma inherent in group activity, James Madison
worried that government would be overly dominated by groups, but recognized that a free society is obliged to permit the advocacy of self-interest.
argued that government must restrict the activities of groups, so that political parties could act as the major instrument of democracy.
All these answers are correct.
argued that the free-rider problem would hurt some groups more than others.
claimed that government could listen to all groups but should only enact policies that promote the interests of majority groups.
The most fully organized interests are those that have which of the following as their primary purpose?
economic activity
labor reform
civil liberties
environmental protection
PACs associated with ______________ happen to make up the largest number of PACs.
business
labor
agriculture
single-issue groups, such as environmental groups and right-to-life groups
Priming has occurred when a news viewer expects violent crime to escalate because the evening news starts with a violent crime each night.
true
false
The _____________________ required broadcasters to "afford reasonable opportunity for the discussion of conflicting views of public importance."
Fairness Doctrine
common-carrier function
signaling function
"Equal Time" rule
The reason the news product is designed to fascinate as well as to inform is
None of these answers are correct.
of the high level of illiteracy.
of the need to compete with Hollywood productions.
that news organizations are fundamentally businesses and must obtain revenue to survive.
that the print media wish to emulate the broadcast media.
More than any other event in history, Watergate demonstrated the
power of the media to serve as watchdog to safeguard against abuses of power.
inadequacy of the media as a common-carrier to the public.
abuse of power by journalists in the United States.
ability of the press to serve as the public's representative in political disputes.
Objective journalism is based on the idea that the reporter's job is to scrutinize the partisan debate, and inform the news audience about which party has the better argument.
true
false
Which institution receives the most news coverage from the national press?
U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
the presidency
U.S. Supreme Court
Yellow journalism of the late 19th century was characterized by
the emphasis on sensationalism as a way of selling newspapers.
its appearance solely in weekly and monthly magazines.
prejudice against Asian people and countries.
the desire to present the news in an objective manner.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has regulatory oversight over
Internet content.
broadcast radio.
newspapers.
magazines.
The start and proliferation of conservative talk radio started
after the abolition of the Fairness Doctrine.
after cable television led the way.
during the late 1930s.
on the day of Rush Limbaugh's first broadcast.
Early American newspapers could not have survived without political party support.
true
false
The federal government's licensing of broadcasting was based primarily on Regulation and licensing of broadcasting occurred primarily because
a desire to censor reporters so that they would stop criticizing governmental officials.
the fact that broadcasting is a national medium.
the scarcity of broadcasting frequencies.
the fact that broadcasting was invented after the First Amendment was adopted.
Which of the following is the news media most likely to focus on
events that occur in other countries
events that affect small numbers of people
complex events that are difficult to report
events events that are timely
Which of the following statements about partisan-centered communications is accurate?
Fox and MSNBC use a largely partisan model of newscast presentation.
Most partisan Internet sites seek to demonize a particular group or ethnicity.
The presentation of opinions and news on the Internet has recently been trending less partisan.
Most partisan Internet sites seek to intensify partisan outrage.
Liberal and conservative partisan talk shows differ in the nature of language and images they use to achieve their goals.
Which of the following term describes framing?
The media's ability to influence what is on people's minds.
The media's obligation to convey a uniform and standard interpretation of a situation.
The process of selecting certain aspects of reality and then crafting news stories around those aspects.
The nature of media reporting when objectivity has weakened and the system has tilted in favor of yellow journalism.
The news is often an exaggerated picture of reality because it
is biased in favor of a Republican viewpoint.
is biased in favor of a Democratic viewpoint.
is biased in favor of a conservative perspective.
emphasizes dramatic and compelling news stories.
Which of the following is associated with people's exposure to partisan news outlets?
People who have a heavy exposure to partisan news outlets tend to
misunderstand their own party's philosophy.
the formation of less extreme political opinions.
gaining a more nuanced view of opposing political opinions.
have greater political interest and engagement.
The signaling function of media is characterized by the
serving as an open channel for leaders to express their opinions.
All these answers are correct.
acting as the public's representative.
informing the public of breaking events and new developments.
Which of the following statements is true?
Objective journalism is based on the communication of facts and fairness, while yellow journalism attempts to describe what is taking place or has occurred.
Objective journalism is based on the communication of facts in a fair manner.
The New York Post is the bulletin board of major newspapers.
Yellow journalism attempts to describe what is taking place or has occurred.
Which of the following describes a low-choice media system?
Most locations had only a radio station and a telegraph line.
Most locations had a single daily newspaper and three television networks—ABC, CBS, and NBC.
Most locations had only dial-up Internet and AOL News.
Most locations had no paper, and had only FOX and CNN.
The ________________ led editors to substitute news reports for partisan commentary.
telegraph
power-driven printing presses
radio
broadcast TV
______________ are more likely to have a majority representation in Congress.
Blue-collar workers
Women
Clerical workers
Lawyers
Senators are generally less likely to take directions from their leaders because senators think of themselves as being equals and generally expect to have more autonomy.
true
false
The ____________________ is considered by many to be the second-most powerful elected national official (after the president).
President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate
Chair of the House Appropriations Committee
Senate majority leader
Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives
A presidential veto, can be overturned in Congress by a vote of
four-fifths majority in each chamber.
three-fifths majority in each chamber.
simple majority in the House and a three-fifths majority in the Senate.
two-thirds majority in each chamber.
The Constitution requires that redistricting occurs following the census every ______ years.
10
15
8
4
It is expected that during the midterm elections that
the president's party usually loses seats in Congress..
half the House is up for reelection.
voter turnout is substantially higher than in presidential elections.
voters are more likely to have weaker ties to political parties.
_________________ was viewed by the framers of the Constitution as the most powerful institution of the new federal government.
Congress
The president
The Supreme Court
The bureaucracy
One must be________ years of age to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, and________ years of age to serve in the U.S. Senate.
35; 45
21; 25
18; 21
25; 30
40; 50
Legislation whose tangible benefits are targeted solely at a particular legislator's constituency is often criticized as pork.
true
false
The _____________ is a procedural tactic employed in the Senate to prevent a bill from coming to a vote.
filibuster
mark up
cloture
conference committee
There are currently________ voting members of the U.S. House of Representatives and________ voting members of the U.S. Senate.
300; 100
435; 100
150; 31
535; 100
Most of the work on legislation in Congress is done
by committees and their respective subcommittees.
by bureaucratic agencies.
by the president.
by conference committees.
on the floor of the House and Senate.
Most of the time of congressional staffers is spent on
constituency service and public relations.
public relations.
legislative matters and constituency service.
legislative matters.
When facing reelection, Senate incumbents are more likely than House incumbents to face the problem of
an electorate that is inclined to judge their fitness for reelection in the context of pork-barrel legislation and other favors for the local community.
name recognition.
All these answers are correct.
a strong challenger.
Redistricting
is conducted by state legislatures.
happens every 4 years.
must be approved by the highest court in each state.
has little appreciable effect on who wins or loses congressional races.
Difference between bills passed in the House and Senate are reconciled by a
rules committee.
conference committee.
standing committee.
joint committee.
Which of the following is one of the three major functions of Congress's policymaking role?
constituent service
lawmaking
appease special interests
inform the people
Members currently hold a seat in the House of Representatives can expect to be reelect _________ of the time.
92 percent
74 percent
82 percent
65 percent
Cloture is the procedure in the Senate
overrides a presidential pocket veto.
confirms presidential appointees.
accepts the House version of a bill.
can end a filibuster.
Bills can only be formally introduced in Congress by
members of Congress only.
interest groups.
All these answers are correct.
executive agencies.
