(All answers are to be typed.)
Chpt. 16 The Party System (48 pts)
Learning Objectives
· Define political party and state the functions of a political party.
· Give the basic reasons for the U.S. two-party system.
· Discuss the development of the two-party system.
· Describe party organization at national, state, and local levels.
· State the basic reasons for party decline.
United States Political Party. Using additional resources, choose a major political party and answer the following questions. (10 pts)
National Party Organization:
1. Which party did you choose?
2. Who is the national party chairman?
3. Where and when did the party hold its most recent national convention?
4. What are the national party’s top five issues?
Answer the following questions, using your textbooks. (38 pts)
LO 16.1
· Define political party.
· State the four political party functions.
1. Compare the differences between major and third parties. (2 pts)
2. Explain the purpose of a political party and explain the role a political part plays in governing the nation. (2 pts)
3. Do you believe political parties are a moderating influence? Explain your answer. (2 pts)
4. Is politics in America necessarily dirty? In what ways do you believe political parties simply reflect their political environment? (2 pts)
5. Explain how someone’s home life and church influence their political attitudes. (2 pts)
LO 16.2
· Explain why a two-party system developed in America
· State the characteristics of a two-party system.
· Identify the three major eras of political party competition.
· Explain the factors that increased participation in political parties
6. Explain the characteristics of the two-party system. (2 pts)
7. Why does a two-party system provide more stability than a multiparty system? (2 pts)
8. Do you believe political parties have weakened the primary system? Explain your answer. (2 pts)
LO 16.3
· List the types of third parties.
· Explain the importance of third parties.
9. Describe four situations or conditions that tend to lead to the development of third parties. (4 pts)
10. Do you believe third parties have influenced the American Political system? Explain your answer. (2 pts)
LO 16.4
· List the four components of a major party at the national level.
· Describe the characteristics of a political party at the state and local levels.
11. What are three factors that contribute to the fragmented nature of political parties? (3 pts)
12. Explain three importance purposes of a national convention. (3 pts)
13. At the 2008 Republican National Convention, Senator Lieberman stated, “our first president, George Washington, in his farewell address, warned that the spirit of party could be the worst enemy of our democracy and enfeeble our government's ability to do its job.” Explain what you believe this statement means and if you agree or disagree. (Defend your answer.) (3 pts)
LO 16.5: Discuss the factors that have weakened the traditional party organization.
14. Give to examples of how the practice of yellow-dog voting is intellectually lazy. (2 pts)
15. Describe the overall concept of ticket splitting. Do you believe voting a split ticket is being disloyal? Explain your answer (1 pt)
16. Explain how television, the internet, and new media can influence election campaigns. (2 pts.)
17. How loyal do you believe a person should be to their political party? (2 pts)
Chpt. 17 State Election Laws (54 pts)
Learning Objectives:
· Summarize the challenges faced by a candidate during a campaign.
Answer the following questions, using your textbooks. (73 pts)
LO 17.1
· Give a brief description of how a person becomes a candidate.
· List the methods used to nominate a candidate.
1. Identify the four preliminary tasks a candidate faces when running for public office. (4 pts.)
2. Compare and contrast caucuses and primaries. (4 pts)
3. Explain the differences between open and closed primaries. (2 pts)
LO 17.2
· Describe how the coattail effect influences elections.
· Describe the media’s impact on political campaigns.
1. Explain why congressional campaigns are less competitive than presidential campaigns. (1 pt)
2. The greater the popularity of the party’s presidential candied, the greater the opportunity for the coattail effect. List and explain where the coattail effect had a positive effect and a one that had a negative effect. (4 pts)
3. List the different types of media that cover political campaigns and explain how effective each type is on reaching the public. (8 pts)
LO 17.3
· Briefly explain what takes place on Election Day.
· State the basic voting requirements.
· Identify the different methods of voting.
4. The Constitution and amendments to the Constitution have made several provisions regarding elections and rights of voters. State where in the Constitution each of the following can be found and briefly explain the provision. (12 pts)
5. Explain the basic requirements for registering to vote in the United States. (3 pts)
6. How was the date for general elections determined and when are these elections to be held? (2 pts)
LO 17.4
· Explain why the Federal Election Commission was established and briefly state what it does.
· Describe the effects of political action committees on campaign finance.
7. Compare the difference between “hard” and “soft” money. (2 pts)
8. Explain PACs. (1 pt)
9. Both major political parties have stressed reforms regarding special interest groups and PACs. In 1990, Democrats proposed reduced television time and voluntary state-by-state limits. Then in 1994, the Republicans wanted reform directed toward labor unions spending mandatory union dues on political activities, limiting PAC contributions, and raising the amounts individuals could donate. Why are the parties so concerned with trying to reform campaign financing? Explain your thoughts on campaign finance reform. (3 pts)
10. Explain the case of Buckley v Valeo. (2 pts)
11. With the growing Hispanic population in the U.S. do you believe a candidate could be hurt politically, if they supported stricter immigration laws? If they supported a law making English the official language for business? Defend your answer. (4 pts)
12. What roles do you believe Christians can legitimately play in the electoral process? (2 pts)
Chpt. 18: Public Policy and Politics (81 pts)
Learning Objectives:
· Define public policy and public opinion.
· Explain the difference between domestic policy and foreign policy
· List and explain the various stages in the development of public policy.
· Evaluate the importance of the origins of opinions.
· Distinguish between sound and unsound methods of gauging public opinion.
· List the different types of interest groups and describe their activities.
· List the major forms of mass media and describe their influence on public policy.
Answer the following questions, using your textbooks.
LO 18.1
· Define public policy and public opinion.
· Explain why caution is necessary in the process of turning opinion into public policy.
· Summarize the implications of liberalism and conservatism.
1. Explain the difference between public policy and public opinion. (2 pts)
2. Compare and contrast liberal, conservative, and moderate. (6 pts)
LO 18.2
· Identify the divisions of public policy.
· Discuss how public policy develops.
3. List and explain the four stages of public policy development. (8 pts)
4. Explain how the executive and judicial branches of government are involved in public policy. (2 pts)
LO 18.3
· Identify the different sources of opinion.
· List the different means of measuring public opinion.
· Discuss issues that compromise the reliability of polls.
· Analyze the dangers of public opinion.
5. Explain the five different influences on public opinion. (10 pts)
6. List and explain the three different means of measuring public opinion. (6 pts)
7. Explain the dangers of public opinion. (2 pts)
LO 18.4
· Identify the purpose of interest groups.
· Distinguish between the different types of interest groups.
· List and evaluate the different activities of interest groups.
8. Give another term for and define interest groups. (2 pts)
9. In what ways night you think the growing influence of strong interest groups can hurt the democratic nature of the American government. (2 pts)
10. List and give an example for each of the five major types of interest groups. (10 pts)
11. State the five interest group activities that may be used to influence public policy. (5 pts)
12. Define and state the phrase that relates to the term amicus curiae. (2 pts)
LO 18.5
· Describe the different forms of media that shape public opinion.
· Catalog the powers and the limitations of media.
· Evaluate the government’s use of media.
13. Explain the rights the FOIA gives to the media. (1 pt)
14. State the ways the media manipulates the information they relay to the public and how the political candidates use the media for their advantage. (7 pts)
15. Explain in your own words, how propaganda can be dangerous. (2 pts)
16. Many believe that political parties have become too weak in recent decades. Explain your feelings regarding the impact or lack of impact you feel political parties have in government in this current generation. (2 pts)
17. In your opinion, explain how the Internet might be used and misused in future campaigns. (2 pts)
Mass Media Cartoon
Answer the following question regarding the above cartoon. (10 pts)
1. List the people/objects shown and what each represents. (4 pts)
2. List the important words from the cartoon and what they indicate. (4 pts)
3. Explain the issue being presented in the cartoon. (2 pts)
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