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What does democratic theory propose is the best way for citizens to control their government? - ✔✔Voting in free elections Which process is used to designate an official candidate for the office of President of the United States? - ✔✔Nomination What functions to reduce the number of candidates on the ballot, thereby structuring the voting choice?
- ✔✔Political parties What political party claims to be the oldest political party in existence in the United States? - ✔✔Democratic How many political parties existed when the Constitution was written? - ✔✔None At the time the Constitution was written, groups that pursued some common political interest were considered dangerous in terms of governmental control. What were these groups called? - ✔✔Faction What is a closed meeting of the members of a political party to decide questions of policy and the select candidates for office? - ✔✔Caucus What criteria can be used to classify President George Washington as a Federalist? - ✔✔Washington supported the Constitution To succeed Washington, Thomas Jefferson was the first person to lead the Republicans. What was the name of the group? - ✔✔Democratic Republicans
As the American population grew and the electorate expanded by the 1820s, political parties invented a new way to nominate presidential candidates, the first of which was implemented in 1831. What was it called? - ✔✔National Convention Which situation would occur during a critical election?
- State and federal elections occur on the same date.
- A presidential candidate wins the popular vote but loses the electoral vote.
- The public votes on the fate of an important issue.
- Women, a group that usually votes Democrat, overwhelmingly vote to elect a Republican. - ✔✔- Women, a group that usually votes Democrat, overwhelmingly vote to elect a Republican. Some elections stand out in history due to a noticeable change in party voting patterns. What occurs for subsequent elections following this type of change? - ✔✔Electoral realignment A senatorial candidate is running for office as a Republican. However, the candidate disagrees with many of the other elected officials in the Republican Party. Suppose the candidate decides to form a new party to challenge the other Republican candidates who are running. What type of minority party is the senatorial candidate creating? - ✔✔Bolter party The Socialist Party has been the most successful party of ideological protest in American history. How many states have been won by Socialist Party candidates for president? - ✔✔None Why was the Prohibition Party an example of a single-issue party? - ✔✔The party opposed the consumption of alcohol. What is the most important function of minor parties in the United States? - ✔✔Allow the expression of discontent with the system How are elections decided in a majority representation? - ✔✔The candidate who collects the most votes will win.
According to the majoritarian model of democracy, what do political parties accomplish? - ✔✔Political parties increase government responsiveness through public opinion. What is a set of principles formalizing the ideal role of parties in a majoritarian democracy called? - ✔✔Responsible party government Communication occurs when one individual transmits information to another individual. What occurs during mass communication? - ✔✔Information is transmitted to a large and widely dispersed audience. Despite the advent of podcasts and other forms of social media, nine out of ten Americans still use what form of traditional media each week? - ✔✔Radio broadcasts An employee at a large waste-reduction company follows political news as a part of the job requirements, particularly when the news might impact the company's programs and policies. If political decisions help or hurt the company's reputation, the employee organizes a press conference to alert the public. What is the employee's role? - ✔✔Attentive policy elite Which best characterizes the ownership of broadcast media in the United States?
- No longer owned by corporate conglomerates
- Private, except for public television and radio stations
- Publicly owned by the federal government
- Not regulated by any government agency - ✔✔Private, except for public television and radio stations What is the main criterion generally used when judging whether a story can be considered newsworthy?
- ✔✔Audience appeal What is market-driven journalism? - ✔✔A process whereby the media tries to increase ratings by tailoring the delivery or content of their news to the desires of their audience. Which of the following choices is often considered soft news?
- Traditional Journalism
- Infotainment
- Online content
- Net neutrality - ✔✔Infotainment Which current media trend increases the risk that a few powerful individuals could control the news flow to promote their own political interests, in the same way political parties influenced the content of early American newspapers?
- Nonprofit model
- Going public
- Attentive policy elitism
- Concentrated ownership - ✔✔Concentrated ownership What independent federal agency regulates interstate and international communication by radio, television, telephone, telegraph, cable, and satellite? - ✔✔Federal Communications Commission What is the exception to the rule of government restraining information disseminated by the press? - ✔✔Wartime For years, broadcast media was only federally regulated by three rules that promoted the public interest. Which one was repealed in 1987, freeing broadcasters to air more controversial and ideological viewpoints?
- The doctrine of equal time
- The reasonable access rule
- The equal opportunities rule
- The fairness doctrine - ✔✔The fairness doctrine What constitutional amendment prohibits Congress from abridging the freedom of the press? - ✔✔First Of the four main functions of mass media in its coverage of the political system, which one do scholars believe gives the media the greatest influence on politics? - ✔✔Setting the agenda
What does available evidence seem to confirm about reporters in major news media? - ✔✔Journalists are more likely to be liberal than conservative. What do news reporters who practice watchdog journalism tend to do? - ✔✔Be critical of inaccuracies in facts and weaknesses in arguments posed by politicians. Which of the following statements is a correct evaluation of contemporary mass media?
- Mass media has done little to advance equality.
- Mass media discourage disadvantaged groups from speaking out.
- Mass media resists government attempts to infringe on freedom of the press.
- Mass media supports government censorship for the public good. - ✔✔Mass media resists government attempts to infringe on freedom of the press. What has the media's response been to recent widely distributed video footage of police using excessive, sometimes deadly force, against African Americans? - ✔✔The media promotes equality What is public opinion? - ✔✔The collective attitudes of citizens concerning a given issue or question. Why type of information is provided by a news report that states most Americans are dissatisfied with federal health care? - ✔✔Public opinion How do politicians know what policies Americans support? - ✔✔Opinion polling What do proponents of a majoritarian democracy believe about the role of public opinion in government? - ✔✔Representatives should base their decisions on public opinion. When a political scientist asks what the most frequent response was to a survey question, what are they asking for? - ✔✔The mode
A political scientist evaluates public opinion data on opinions about registering firearms. After analyzing the data, the political scientist notes that two responses on a survey were chosen with nearly equal frequency. What type of distribution do the findings represent? - ✔✔Bimodal distribution What does a normal distribution resemble? - ✔✔A bell-shaped curve When different questions on the same issue produce similar distributions of opinion, and opinions show little change over time, what kind of distribution is indicated? - ✔✔Stable distribution What is the process called through which individuals acquire their political values? - ✔✔Political socialization What is the principle that states what is learned first is learned best called? - ✔✔The primacy principle Which is a primary agent of political socialization according to the transmission model of partisanship?
- Community
- Family
- Media
- Occupation - ✔✔Family What is one way that elementary school children are politically socialized? - ✔✔They are introduced to authority figures outside the home. A private citizen is highly educated and comes from a wealthy family. The person tends to possess the same political values as other members of the family and similar social groups. Which of the following beliefs is this person likely to hold?
- Freedom is more important than social order.
- Abortion should be outlawed.
- Governments must promote equality for all.
- Big government is important to regulate the economy. - ✔✔Freedom is more important than social order.
A private citizen states discontent with a new federal tax law on the basis that more money will be taken out of their paycheck. What concept does this demonstrate? - ✔✔Self-interest principle What characterizes an individual's sociotropic response? - ✔✔How the country is doing as a whole When a politician presents issues by selectively invoking particular values or recalling certain events, what is this called? - ✔✔Issue framing What is an accurate description of the democratic ideal? - ✔✔Government should be run by the people. Which of the following statements is a characteristic of unconventional political participation?
- It challenges established institutions instead of relying on them.
- It is more widely practiced by liberals than conservatives.
- It is always unethical and illegal.
- It solves problems and gets results instead of merely addressing issues. - ✔✔It challenges established institutions instead of relying on them. What most accurately describes an act of terror? - ✔✔It is perpetrated against noncombatants. Why was the 1965 march on Selma considered unconventional political participation? - ✔✔The peaceful protest resisted institutions that prevented Blacks from voting. What is unconventional participation that involves assembling crowds to confront businesses and local government to demand a hearing called? - ✔✔Direct Action What do studies show is a shared characteristic of those who participate in direction action? - ✔✔High efficacy Voter turnout in the United States is low compared to most other democratic nations. Which of the following statements accurately describes Americans?
- Voter turnout and political involvement are high.
- Voter turnout and political involvement are low.
- Voter turnout is high, but political involvement is low.
- Voter turnout is low, but political involvement is high. - ✔✔Voter turnout is low, but political involvement is high. When Weston places the American flag out front of his home on Veteran's Day it is an example of what kind of behavior? - ✔✔Supportive What type of behavior seeks to modify or reverse government policy to serve political interests? - ✔✔Influencing Which situation exemplifies high initiative behavior?
- Elicia displays the American flag on her front porch.
- Paxton wears a candidate's T-shirt to show support.
- Char emails her representative to influence policy.
- Anderson works as a canvasser during a campaign. - ✔✔Anderson works as a canvasser during a campaign. What do the terms suffrage and franchise both refer to? - ✔✔Right to vote Which amendment prohibits states from denying the right to vote on account of a person's sex? - ✔✔Nineteenth What was progressivism based on? - ✔✔Ordinary citizens Why did the Progressives create the recall? - ✔✔To remove an elected official from office What is a referendum? - ✔✔An election on a policy issue
Based on normative theory, what should citizens be able to do? - ✔✔Citizens should be free to participate or not participate in government. Which form of political participation best demonstrates the ideal of equality?
- Pledging allegiance to the flag
- Formal rules for counting ballots
- Congressional term limits
- Displaying an American flag at the White House - ✔✔Formal rules for counting ballots Which form of political participation best demonstrates the ideal of order?
- Formal rules for counting ballots
- Displaying an American flag at the White House
- Saying the pledge of allegiance at the beginning of a city council meeting
- Congressional term limits - ✔✔Saying the pledge of allegiance at the beginning of a city council meeting What is the most logical way to garner government responsiveness under the majoritarian model? - ✔✔Voting in elections Which entity conducted all phases of the election campaign prior to the 1950s?
- The political parties
- The courts
- The media
- The candidates - ✔✔The political parties What is considered to be the most important recent change in the American election process? - ✔✔Candidates don't campaign just to get elected anymore. What is an organized effort to persuade voters to choose one candidate over others competing for the same office called? - ✔✔Election campaign
A registered independent voter did not anticipate being able to vote in the primaries. However, the state party where the voter lives will determine whether or not the voter can participate in the primary election. In what type of primary is the voter going to cast their ballot? - ✔✔Modified closed primary A registered voter declares a party affiliation on the day of the election. In what type of primary is the voter going to cast their ballot? - ✔✔Open primary What type of primary has the least restrictions on voters, but also weakens the power of parties? - ✔✔Open primary Why was the nomination of Hubert Humphrey at the 1968 Democratic convention said to be rigged? - ✔✔Humphrey had never run in a primary. Unlike Democratic presidential primaries, most Republican primaries prior to 2012 followed what principle? - ✔✔Winner-take-all A state-level official is in favor of holding the state's delegate selection primaries as early in the calendar year as possible. The official thinks that this will cause the media and candidates to focus their efforts within the official's state. What political practice is the state-level official suggesting? - ✔✔Frontloading What function does the Iowa caucus traditionally serve during a presidential election? - ✔✔Narrows the field of candidates When a current president runs for reelection in a second term, which of the following terms explains why there is usually no opposition from within the current president's party?
- Presidential primary
- Iowa caucuses
- Superdelegate
- Incumbency - ✔✔Incumbency What is the technical term for the type of election in which the U.S. president is elected? - ✔✔Federal
- Trend poll
- Focus group - ✔✔Tracking poll What is the most important objective of paid advertising during the election season? - ✔✔Increasing the candidate's name recognition During a commercial break, you see a campaign advertisement in which a candidate's policies are lauded and the opposing candidate is disparaged. What type of advertisement did you watch? - ✔✔Contrast advertisement How much of the electorate decides how to vote before the party conventions end in the summer? - ✔✔More than half Two important issues during the 2016 presidential campaign were national security and immigration. What was the third important issue during the 2016 presidential campaign? - ✔✔Jobs What is by far the most important long-term force affecting U.S. elections, particularly for those who make early voting decisions? - ✔✔Party identification Some scholars believe that stronger parties would not only strengthen democratic government, but also coordinate policies after the election. Which of the following choices acts as a barrier to this possibility?
- Divided government
- Centralized party system
- Campaign finance law
- Campaign effects - ✔✔Divided government Which term is used to describe the powers or privileges guaranteed to U.S. citizens and protected from arbitrary removal at the hands of government or individuals?
- Systemic racism
- Desegregation
- Civil rights
- Affirmative action - ✔✔Civil rights What is discrimination against persons or groups that works to their harm and is based on animosity called? - ✔✔Invidious discrimination A person under the age of 21 is prohibited from drinking alcohol in the United States. What type of discrimination does this exemplify?
- ✔✔Benign discrimination What is the concept that everyone should be guaranteed the same chance to succeed? - ✔✔Equality of opportunity What is invidious discrimination? - ✔✔Discrimination against persons or groups that works to their harm and is based on animosity What formally ended slavery and involuntary servitude in the United States? - ✔✔Thirteenth Amendment What were Black codes? - ✔✔Legislation that restricted the freedom of Black people What was the result of the Supreme Court ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)? - ✔✔Separate public facilities for different races were legal under the Constitution In what landmark class action did the Supreme Court discontinue separate-but-equal educational facilities and deem public school segregation to be unconstitutional? - ✔✔Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Which situation best demonstrates de facto segregation?
- Establishment of Jim Crow laws
- Implementation of Black codes in former slave states
- Public school segregation allowed under the separate-but-equal doctrine
discrimination. Upon which of the following did the Supreme Court justices rely when making the determination?
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
- Title IX of the Education Amendments
- Nineteenth Amendment
- Civil Rights Act of 1875 - ✔✔Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Until the 1920s, upon what did the United States government base its involvement with Native Americans? - ✔✔Treaties rather than citizenship What thriving industry has been established by many Native Americans tribes on reservation lands, taking advantage of their special tax status? - ✔✔Casino gambling When President Johnson signed the 1965 immigration bill, which group received preference?
- Immigrants who had no relatives or other ties in the United States
- Immigrants who could provide cheap labor in agriculture and manufacturing
- Immigrants who met a new quota system based on their native country
- Immigrants with coveted professional skills - ✔✔Immigrants with coveted professional skills What did Lau v. Nichols (1974) determine? - ✔✔Schools must provide language accommodations to students What specific issue regarding transgender individuals has recently been addressed in policy and legislation, such as North Carolina's Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act? - ✔✔Public bathroom access Which view aligns with how Democrats view increasingly stringent voter identification laws?
- They reduce the turnout of Black, Hispanic, and poor voters
- They nationalize voter requirements
- They drum up increased support for independent candidates
- They prevent fraudulent voting by any means necessary - ✔✔They reduce the turnout of Black, Hispanic, and poor voters Which term describes efforts by government and other organizations to expand opportunities for women, Blacks, Hispanics, and members of other minority groups?
- Affirmative action
- Desegregation
- Equality of outcome
- Protectionism - ✔✔Affirmative action The Supreme Court decisions in Gratz v. Bollinger (2003) and Grutter v. Bollinger(2003) examined the issues surrounding which cause?
- Racial preferences and university admissions policy
- Gender-neutral hiring and promotion practices
- Sexual orientation and military service
- Health care for disabled veterans - ✔✔Racial preferences and university admissions policy What is an interest group? - ✔✔An organization that tries to influence public policy decisions. What is a representative of an interest group called? - ✔✔Lobbyist What did Alexis de Tocqueville write about the ease with which Americans form organizations? - ✔✔Reflects a strong democratic culture In the Federalist papers, James Madison foreshadowed today's interest groups when he wrote about factions. What did he finally conclude about factions? - ✔✔Opposing factions should be mediated by the government. According to a survey in which respondents were asked to rank the ethical standards of people working in twenty-two different professions, which profession ranked last?
- Physicians
