Chapter 9: Political Parties Test Review Questions
Advanced Government
Mr. Faulhaber
1. Party created by Thomas Jefferson that opposed the national bank and
party that many-anti-federalists ended up joining. a. Federalists
2. Party of Ronald Regan that began as an anti-slavery party in the mid-1800s b. Democrat-Republicans
c. Democrats
3. Those that favored the adoption of the US Constitution and later preferred d. Republicans
a strong central government. e. Whigs
4. Those that opposed Andrew Jackson and eventually were absorbed into the
the party of Abraham Lincoln.
5. Modern political party that include Barack Obama and can trace its roots
back to earliest political party
6.______is the only third party candidate to ever win a US Presidential Election when he was elected President in 1860 as a Republican .
7. In a multi-party system of government, several parties often combine forces to obtain a majority and form a ______government.
8. Alexander Hamilton, the Secretary of Treasury, was the head of one of the first two original parties, the ______who advocated a strong federal (central) government.
9. The political party symbol for the Democratic Party is the ______.
10. Nominating the President, Vice-President, and developing the party ______all take place during the national convention.
11. A ______is an election that narrows a party’s slate of candidates down to a single individual that will later run in the general election.
12. Theodore Roosevelt created the ______party as a splinter party to the Republicans in 1912 Presidential Election.
13. Which of the following statements about the U.S. political party system is true?
a. It has rarely been strong and has never truly mobilized voters
b. It all but ceased to exist by the 1980’s
c. It has experienced broad changes, with parties rising and declining over the years
d. It has remained largely stable, with the Democratic and Republican parties dominating since the founding of the country
e. It has grown steadily stronger as the power of the presidency has grown stronger
14. The key term in the definition of a political party is____.
a. nationalism – to create a strong national party
b. label – to give a candidate party identifications
c. allegiance – to enhance party strength
d. ideology – to provide clear policy choices for the party
e. organization – the purpose of giving the party clout
15. The federalist system goes a long way toward explaining why U.S. parties are ____than their European counterparts.
a. less ideological
b. more aggressive
c. more centralized
d. more decentralized
e. more ideological
16. In Europe, almost the only way a person can become a candidate is by____.
a. being nominated by member of the executive branch
b. winning a constituency referendum
c. being nominated by party leaders
d. winning in the primary election
e. hiring his or her own campaign organization.
17. Jefferson and Madison thought of the Republican Party as____.
a. a device to discourage Washington from running for a third term.
b. a temporary arrangement.
c. an illegal organization.
d. a way to strengthen the policies of the Federalists.
e. a way to support the reelection of John Adams.
18. Political parties were seen as factions motivated by ambition and self-interest in the eyes of____.
a. nations around the world
b. most voters in the 1980’s.
c. early twentieth-century reformers
d. the Founders
e. the leaders of the Confederacy
19. A northerner who opposed the Civil War was most likely to belong to which party?
a. Whig
b. Federalist
c. Tory
d. Democratic
e. Republican
20. The Federalist Party could not compete effectively in national elections because____.
a. it could not convince Americans to participate in elections
b. its leadership was constantly changing
c. elections laws minimized the impact of voters in the South
d. it had such a limited sectional and class base
e. it refused to campaign in the Northeastern states
21. The ____, a faction of the Republican Party, were opposed to the patronage system and feared the influx of immigrants who could be incorporated into the political machine.
a. Whigs
b. folemen
c. stalwarts
d. progressives
e. Old Guards
22. The progressives favored all of the following EXCEPT____.
a. strict voter registration requirements
b. better relations with business
c. nonpartisan elections
d. civil service reform
e. primary elections
23. Which of the following were major issues in the three clearest cases of critical or realigning periods?
a. war
b. slavery
c. crime
d economics
e. B and D
24. Dramatic realignments, such as the one that occurred in 1932, may not occur again because____.
a. voter turnout has consistently decreased over the last forty years
b. party labels have lost their meaning for a growing number of voters
c. the electoral college is malapportioned
d. presidential candidates are rarely as popular with the voters as they used to be
e. economic issues rarely dominate presidential campaigns
25. Between the national conventions party affairs are managed by a ____ made up of delegates from each state and territory.
a. rules committee
b. troika
c. national caucus
d. national committee
e. congressional campaign committee
26. The supreme expression of the value of organization to a political party was the____.
a. national committee
b. legislative conference
c. political caucus
d. political machine
e. committee system
27. The strength of the political machine was in its____.
a. organization
b. social concern
c. control of the media
d. personal loyalty
e. national orientation
28. The presidential campaign of William Jennings Bryan had the effect of____.
a. solidifying Democratic and Republican dominance of the South and the North respectively.
b. strengthening the Democratic Party nationally.
c. strengthening the Democratic Party in populous northeastern states.
d. creating greater two-party competition in the states.
e. None of the above.
29. All of the following helped bring an end to political machines except____.
a. the Hatch Act of 1939
b. government welfare programs
c. party caucuses
d. competitive-bidding laws
e. B and C
30. Which of the following are often factionalized and value principle above all else?
a. ideological parties
b. personal followings
c. sponsored parties
d. solidarity groups
e. fluid interest groups
31. Which of the following statements about minor parties in the United States is correct?
a. the ones that have endured have been non-ideological
b. they are discouraged by the election laws of many states
c. they generally downplay ideology in favor of winning elections
d. they have been a major force in many national elections, most recently in 1986
e. they have been virtually nonexistent in U.S. political history
32. The structure of the Democratic Party today can best be described as ____ while that of the Republican Party can best be described as ____.
a. unified, loosely organized
b. homogeneous, heterogeneous
c. conservative, liberal
d. organizational, representational
e. factional, bureaucratic
33. A major source of conflict within the national parties stems from the fact that____.
a. party activists and leaders tend to be underrepresented at nominating conventions
b. convention delegates are less interested in issues and more interested in winning the election than rank-and –file voters
c. party activists and leaders tend to have view different from rank-and-file voters
d. the risk of losing groups to a minor party makes the major parties timid on important issues
e. rank-and-file voters are over represented at the national conventions
34. Solidarity parties are based on____.
a. the support of an outside group
b. employment benefits to participants
c. members’ enjoyment of party activities
d. commitment to a common set of beliefs
e. All of these
35. The two-party system has worked in the United States, but not in Europe, because____.
a. fewer Americans want to participate in party activities
b. Americans are more aggressive and less deferential
c. Americans agree on enough issues to form broad coalitions
d. Europeans are less ideological than Americans
e. Americans are more economically conservative than Europeans
36. The text argues that the central problem of the parties today is how to____.
a. appeal to moderate voters despite the parties’ ideological orientation.
b. win the trust of an increasingly mistrustful electorate.
c. keep up the appearance of diversity despite the parties’ homogeneous makeup.
d. attract the attention of an increasingly apathetic electorate.
e. mobilize voters with a declining sense of internal political efficacy.
37. Ticket splitting was almost unheard of in the nineteenth century because____.
a. political parties provided voters with ballots.
b. party platforms were rarely consistent.
c. incumbents used the perks of office to sway voters.
d. government-printed ballots listed candidates in columns.
e. Both A and D
38. Which of the following kinds of minor parties tends to endure the longest?
a. one-issue
b. factional
c. ideological
d. consensual
e. economic protest
39. How can the differences between the two major parties in the United States best be characterized according to its critics?
a. There are very large differences in policy views
b. the Republican Party is slightly more liberal
c. the Democratic Party is slightly more liberal
d. There are differences on economic issues but not on social issues
e. There are differences on social issues but not on economical issues
40. One reason why political parties in the United States today are weaker than in Europe is that, in the United States____.
a. Congress reserves the right to select the chief executive of the government
b. local party leaders rarely have as much power as national ones
c. candidates are typically chosen by party leaders to run for office
d. political-party organizations are decentralized
e. party leaders have become less ideological
41. Even though minor parties have had little success in national elections, they have played an important role in many elections by____.
a. making the cost of running for the presidency much higher
b. influencing the public policy positions of the two major parties
c. encouraging dissident factions to remain in the Democratic or Republican party
d. forcing runoffs that sharpened the policy positions of the two major parties
e. removing barriers in state election laws
42. How do American political parties compare with political parties in Europe?
a. American parties are stronger and have more loyal members.
b. American parties are more centralized, with more control by the national party organizations.
c. Because of federalism, American political parties are decentralized, with significant power at the state and local levels.
d. For the past three decades, the party that controls Congress has usually controlled the presidency.
e. National law regulates European parties heavily.
43. Which candidate distinguished himself by raising an extraordinary amount of money via the Internet?
a. Al Gore
b. John Kerry
c. Howard Dean
d. Al Sharpton
e. Bill Bradley
44. After a decade of reforms, the Democrats and Republicans have come to represent two ideologically different sets of
a. independent voters.
b. lower-income voters.
c. traditional, religious Americans.
d. first-time voters.
e. upper-middle-class voters.
45. One arguably positive impact of machine politics was____.
a. a reduction in voter fraud.
b. an increase in voter turnout.
c. an increase in third-party candidates.
d. greater responsiveness in government.
e. less controversy in matters related to schools and parks.
46. Party organizations based on their members’ enjoyment of the sociability of politics are referred to as____.
a. solitary parties.
b. ideological parties.
c. sponsored parties.
d. party machines.
e. reciprocal parties.
47. The political involvement the United Auto Workers (UAW) in Detroit is an example of a(n)____.
a. sponsored party.
b. political party.
c. ideological party.
d. solitary party.
e. reciprocal party.
48. No third party is likely to win the presidency anytime soon because____.
a. the media is biased against them.
b. state laws discriminate against third parties.
c. vote turnout is decreasing.
d. party voting is still quite strong among those who vote.
e. political participation is increasing.
49. Which statement is incorrect?
a. Typically, a majority of Democrats vote for the Democratic candidate.
b. Typically, a majority of Republicans vote for the Republican caudate.
c. Typically, a majority of independents vote for the independent candidate.
d. Typically, a plurality of independents vote for either Democratic or Republican candidate.
e. None of the above.
50. Americans tend to see the Democratic as better at handling issues such as
a. the economy.
b. poverty.
c. the environment.
d. health care.
e. Options B, C, and D.
51. The most recent independent candidate for president who was able to get on the ballot in every state was
a. Ross Perot.
b. Henry Wallace.
c. George Wallace.
d. John Anderson.
e. Ralph Nader
52. Many strong social movements in the United States (for example, the antiwar movement of the late 1960s) never produced a significant third party. One reason is that____.
a. most state have laws against the formation of third parties
b. dissident elements were able to influence elections through party primaries and national conventions. c. the Republicans forced him to do so.
d. dissident elements in his own party were pushing him in certain directions.
e. both B and D.
53. A party’s statement of purpose a. national convention
b. caucus
54. An individual part of a platform c. political party
d. patronage
55. An official public meeting of a party to choose candidates for office e. winner takes all f. open primary
56. The name adopted by the Republican Party g. platform
h. theocracy
57. Political party rewards i. ideology
j. closed primary
58. Type of primary in which only declared party members can vote k. solid south
l. plank
59. The name given to the collection of Southern states that vote in a block m. GOP
n. single member districts
60. A meeting of party leaders
61. A group of people with broad common interests that organize to influence government
ESSAY:
Although the United States has a two-party system, third parties play an important role.
a) Identify and describe one kind of third party, and explain the role of this type of third party in a two-party system by citing a specific historical example of this type of third party and the effect they have had on electoral politics.
b) Identify and describe another kind of third party, and explain the role of this type of third party in a two-party system by citing a specific historical example of this type of third party and the effect they have had on electoral politics.