Who Wants to be an A Student?

1. Who Wants to be an A Student?

2. Primaries are governed byI. party rules II. state law III. federal law • A. I only • B. II only • C. II and III only • D. I and II only Answer - D

3. Party conventions todayI. select the electors for the party to the electoral college.II. formally nominate candidates for president and vice president.III. nominate candidates for senatorial representative positions. • A. I only • B. II only • C. I and II only • D. II and III only • Answer - B

4. Which of the following is the most common method for a party today to select its candidates for office? • A. open primaries • B. caucuses • C. closed primaries • D. blanket primaries • Answer - C

5. Campaign tactics in the general election usually require that candidates • A. keep their appeals similar to those during the primaries • B. change their tone to become more middle-of-the-road • C. be sure that their campaign appeals primarily to party loyalists. • D. focus on discrediting the opponent. • Answer - B

6. The Federal Election Reform Act of 1974 included all of the following campaign reforms EXCEPT • A. creation of a Federal Election Commission • B. prohibition of foreign contributions • C. elimination of all PACs and “soft money” donations • D. allowance of federal matching funds for major presidential candidates in primaries. • Answer - C

7. One advantage incumbent members of Congress have over challengers in election campaigns is the use of • A. unlimited campaign funds • B. the franking privilege • C. unlimited contributions from “fat cat” supporters • D. national party employees as campaign workers. • Answer - B

8. Which of the following statements is true of Congressional incumbents who run for reelection? • A. Incumbent senators are more likely to be reelected than are incumbent members of the House of Representatives. • B. Ever since the 1994 election, the majority of Congressional incumbents have failed in their reelection attempts. • C. Incumbents have a great advantage over challengers because they are better known and can raise campaign funds more easily. • D. Most incumbents who run for reelection are unopposed in the general election. • Answer - C

9. One effect of the way that federal matching funds are made available to candidates for presidential campaigns is to • A. give candidates an incentive to raise money from small donors • B. encourage candidates to use more of their own financing. • C. encourage a large number of third party candidates to run. • D. strengthen the role that the party plays in raising campaign funds • Answer - A

10. Criticisms of the election process include all the following EXCEPT • A. disproportionate attention goes to the early caucuses. • B. disproportionate attention goes to the early primaries. • C. money plays too big a role. • D. the system allows little room for media involvement. • Answer - D

11. If presidential candidates accept federal support in the form of matching campaign financing, then they • A. are no longer required to disclose their contributions. • B. agree to limit their campaign expenditures to an amount prescribed by federal law. • C. no longer can accept PAC money. • D. are no longer required to disclose how they spend their money. • Answer - B

12. The experience with 527 organizations in the 2004 elections suggest campaign finance laws • Are an effective way to minimize interest group participations. • B. are an effective way to reduce campaign spending. • C. facilitate coordination of efforts between candidates and groups. • D. may serve to channel money to independent groups over whom the parties may have little influence • Answer - D

13. Which of the following statements best describes congressional incumbency? Incumbents…. • A. are usually able to win reelection even when a party realignment occurs during presidential elections. • B. have not had fundraising limits imposed on them by the Federal Election Commission. • C. have been able to raise less money than their opponents. • D. look to have numerous debates with their opponents. • Answer - A

14. In addition to officially nominating a party’s candidate for the presidency, national conventions perform which of the following tasks? • A. Announce the party’s platform • B. Select new party leaders. • C. Elect delegates to the next convention • D. Present fund-raising strategies • Answer A

15. Since 1960, which of the following is the most significant factor in determining which candidate receives the party’s nomination for president? • A. the economic condition facing the country. • B. the belief that programs favored by the candidate would benefit the country. • C. the ability of the candidate to win a majority of the primaries. • D. the support given to the candidate by party leaders. • Answer - C

16. One effect of candidates’ fear of a slip during campaigning is that, increasingly, candidates are • A. relying on television debates to clarify their views. • B. selling an image rather than their ideas. • C. avoiding stock speeches in favor of impromptu briefings. • D. avoiding television exposure altogether. • Answer - B

17. Given the current method of electing the president, which of the following is NOT possible? A presidential candidate with….. • A. the most electoral votes fails to be elected president. • B. a majority of the popular votes fails to be elected president. • C. less than a majority of the popular vote is elected president. • D. a majority of the electoral votes fails to be elected president. • Answer - D

18. According to the book, campaigns do make a difference because they • A. emphasize details and issues over themes and perceptions. • B. give voters a chance to see how candidates handle pressure. • C. reduce the influence of single-issue groups. • D. counteract the effects of party loyalty and national economic conditions. • Answer - B

19. If party identification alone determined election outcomes, which party would win? • A. the Republicans usually • B. the Republicans always • C. the Democrats usually • D. the Democrats always • Answer - D

20. Which of the following is NOT true of how federal law today restricts fund-raising for presidential campaigns? • A. Individual contributions are now adjusted to inflation • B. Soft money is banned. • C. Candidates are limited to spending only $20,000 of their own personal funds. • D. Federal matching funds are available to candidates who raise $5,000, in individual contributions of $250 or less, in 20 states. • Answer - C

21. Which of the following is a valid criticism of the caucus system? • A. Average citizens are not welcome to participate • B. Caucuses are not held in convenient locations. • C. the first caucus is in Iowa, which is not representative of the population as a whole. • D. Caucuses often last several days and become endurance contests. • Answer - C

22. Presidential races differ from congressional races in that the former generally • A. produce a smaller voter turnout. • B. relate more closely to what the candidate can do for constituents. • C. are more competitive. • D. allow the incumbent more opportunity to deny responsibility for the “mess” in Washington. • Answer - C

23. Presidential campaigns in the United States differ most from campaigns in other countries in which of the following ways? • A. American campaigns cost candidates less in personal contributions. • B. Candidates in other countries are not allowed to appear on television. • C. Campaigns in the United States are geared toward a general election. • D. American campaigns are much longer than other campaigns. • Answer - D

24. Great Britain’s parliamentary system seems to produce at relatively regular intervals • A. a deadlock of legislative and executive powers. • B. elections that produce major policy changes. • C. disputed elections to be decided in court. • D. a government unable to act at all. • Answer - B

25. Which of the following statements is NOT true? • A. To a substantial degree, congressional elections have become independent of presidential ones. • B. Members of Congress may run for and be elected to as many terms in office as they please. • C. Congressional races tend to draw a heavier voter turnout than presidential races. • D. In this country, running for Congress involves mostly an individual decision and effort, while in most European nations the decision and effort are primarily organizational. • Answer - C

26. Which of the following statements is NOT true? • A. In an open primary, only voters who have registered as a member of a party may vote for the candidates of that party. • B. The type of primary that allows a voter the greatest freedom to vote for candidates of different parties is the blanket primary. • C. Debates are usually advantageous to the challenger only. • D. The 1992 candidacy of Ross Perot owed its viability to his frequent use of television. • Answer - A

27. PAC money is controversial for all of the following reasons EXCEPT • A. PACs disproportionately represent business interests, thus giving business undue influence over members of Congress. • B. PACS are more likely to support incumbents than challengers, thus discouraging competitive elections. • C. PACs give more money to Republicans, thus giving the party an unfair advantage. • D. Some critics believe that the practices of PACs are little different from legalized bribery. • Answer - C

28. According to the article, “Going Negative,” the people most repulsed by negative campaigning are • A. Democratic and Republican party bosses • B. the candidates themselves • C. the national media • D. those without strong political ties. • Answer D

29. In a single-member district, plurality vote system, • A. a runoff election is usually necessary to determine the winner. • B. parties are assigned seats based on the proportion of votes they receive in a district. • C. the candidate with the most votes represents the district. • D. some votes count more than others in determining which candidate wins the election. • Answer C

30. Which of the following statements is true about MOST presidential elections? • A. They are decided by retrospective voting. • B. They produce major party realignment. • C. They provided the winner with a clear mandate. • D. They are fought over a dominant issue. • Answer A

31. One of the effects of winner-take-all primaries is that • A. candidates can get a majority of the delegates quickly. • B. the cost of the campaign is higher. • C. the media focuses on who is ahead. • D. candidates stay in the race longer. • Answer A

32. The 1974 Federal Election Campaign Act established all of the following EXCEPT • A. a fund for public donations to presidential campaigns. • B. a limit of $1000 for personal contributions to a political party. • C. the Federal Election Commission to regulate campaign financing. • D. rules for the disclosure of all campaign financing and spending information • Answer B

33. The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974 established all the following rules for candidates seeking office EXCEPT • A. the option of taxpayers to contribute a dollar to presidential campaigns on their income tax forms. • B. the restriction of citizen contributions per candidate. • C. the regulation of PAC contributions to candidates. • D. the restriction of spending amounts by candidates who decided not to accept matching funds. • Answer - D

34. Because of state presidential primary elections, the role of the Democratic and Republican national conventions has been transformed in a(n) • A. gathering where party dissidents make important decisions. • B. gathering of interest group representatives. • C. media showcase where newscasters influence the outcomes. • D. place where delegates ratify decisions already made by voters. • Answer D

35. Which of the following factors contributes most to the cost of a presidential campaign? • A. Direct mail campaigns • B. Television advertising. • C. Hiring a campaign coordinator • D. Soliciting donations via the Internet • Answer B

36. An open primary is a primary election in which • A. voters registered as “independents” may not vote • B. candidates do not specify the office for which they are running. • C. voters may register at their polling place on election Day. • D. voters may vote in the election of a party other than the one to which they are registered. • Answer - D

37. A major problem with recent presidential primaries is that • A. the calendar is backloaded. • B. as the primary season wears on and candidates drop out, fewer voters go to the polls. • C. primaries attract the more ardent political party supporters, so candidates play to the extremes of the parties. • D. the media attention makes it difficult to assess where the candidates stand on issues. • Answer - C

38. Unlike congressional campaigns, presidential campaigns can be funded by • A. private sources only. • B. public sources only • C. both private and public sources. • D. private sources during the primaries and public sources after the nominations are made. • Answer - C