Unit 3 Test: Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Mass Media
1. All of the following contributed to the realignment of the two major parties EXCEPT
a. The Democratic Party’s presence in the South
b. New Deal legislation
c. Partisan differences about entering World War II
d. Civil right legislation of the 1950s and 1960s
e. Concern for social and moral values
2. African American voters generally supported the Republican Party until 1932 most likely due to
a. The early Republican Party’s commitment to emancipation and civil rights
b. Views of early Republican presidents like Thomas Jefferson Andrew Jackson
c. FDR’s affirmative action goals
d. Increased employment for African American during the Great Depression
e. The fact that the Democratic Party nominated an African American candidate for president
3. The modern Democratic and Republican national convention differ in that
a. One occurs biannually, and one occurs every four years
b. One has shown a stronger commitment to naming minorities, young voters, and women as delegates to
its convention
c. One nominates a presidential candidate, and one nominates the vice presidential candidate
d. The Republican convention always occurs before the Democratic convention
e. Democratic conventions have always been smooth, and consensus has always been strong
4. A liberal candidate running for the U.S. House of Representatives would seek the assistance and resources of
a. The Republican National Committee
b. The Republican chairperson
c. The Progressive Part
d. The National Republican Senatorial Committee
e. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
5. The Bull Moose and Dixiecrat Parties are examples of which type of minor party?
a. Economic protest
b. Ideological
c. Splinter
d. Single-Issue
e. Victorious
6. Which of the following points would most likely be part of the Democratic Party’s national platform?
a. Protecting gun owners’ rights
b. Dismantling welfare
c. Outlawing labor unions
d. Contributing more military troops abroad
e. Expanding voting and increasing participation in politics
7. Which of the following statements most accurately reflects modern political parties?
a. State and local party organizations must follow all ideal and directives of the national party
b. The press is rarely critical of party activity
c. Democrats and Republicans engage each other only in the public eye
d. Local party organizations support candidates and coordinate events
e. Political parties campaign for candidates but don’t enter the public policymaking arena
8. All of the following are impediments to minor parties gaining strength in the United States EXCEPT
a. A lack of resources
b. Ballot access
c. Laws that bar minor parties
d. Single-member districts
e. The Electoral College system
9. After altering its convention-delegate system in the early 1970s, the Democrat Party created which of these to
give more voice to party elites?
a. Double voting strength of office holders
b. Superdelegates
c. Iowa Caucus
d. Blanket primary
e. McGovern-Fraser Commission
10. Which statement about American political parties is true?
a. The Republican Party has dominated the South since the party’s inception
b. African Americans consistently have voted with the Republican Party since the 1950s
c. The Solid South refers to the Democrats’ following in the region for roughly a century
d. The sitting president usually serves as national party chairperson
e. Teddy Roosevelt was able to win the presidency as a minor party candidate
11. Which type of primary election allows voters to declare their party affiliation on Election Day?
a. Blanket
b. Open
c. Closed
d. Runoff
e. Invisible
12. Which is the first official contest for presidential candidates seeking their party’s nomination?
a. New Hampshire primary
b. Iowa caucuses
c. National convention
d. Televised debates between Republican and Democratic nominees
e. The vote in the Electoral College
13. The 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
a. Bans advertising for or against candidates
b. Has decreased the amount spent in national elections
c. Assures that citizens can donate whatever amount they want
d. Was struck down in Buckley v Valeo
e. Limits soft money donations and requires candidates’ explicit approval of all TV ads
14. Which of the following statements regarding public or televised debates in a campaign is true?
a. Incumbents and front-runners desire more public debates
b. For televised debates, all candidates are entitled to participate
c. Candidates can be damaged by verbal slips and missteps
d. Election law states candidates must debate publicly
e. Debates are typically advantageous to the Democratic candidate
15. What is the most expensive element of a political campaign?
a. Television advertising
b. Consultants and pollsters
c. Journalists’ interviews
d. Yard signs and flyers
e. Appearances on television news broadcasts
16. Which statement is accurate concerning incumbent candidates?
a. The major parties rarely nominate incumbents as presidential candidates
b. Political action committees prefer to donate to challengers over incumbents
c. House incumbents tend to win re-election at higher rates than Senate incumbents
d. Incumbents candidates only succeed during hard economic times
e. Voters will not recognize incumbent’s name as quickly as a challenger’s name
17. Which statement regarding the Electoral College is true?
a. The United States no longer uses the Electoral College system to elect the president
b. In order to win the presidency, a candidate must win a majority of the electoral votes
c. No president has ever won the popular vote and not the electoral vote
d. Every states uses the winner-take all system
e. If no candidate receives a majority, the U.S. Senate decides the presidential election.
Use the chart below to answer number 18.
Year
1988
1990
1992
President and Congress, Party in Power
After General Elections, 1988-2002
President
Runner-up
House
(party, % popular
party, % popular
(seats in party)
vote, electoral votes) vote, electoral votes)
Bush (R)
Dukakis (D)
DEM 262
53.4%; 426
45.6%; 111
REP 173
DEM 267
REP 167
Clinton (D)
Bush (R)
DEM 258
43.0%; 370
37.4%; 168
REP 176
Senate
(seats in party)
DEM 55
REP 45
DEM 56
REP 44
DEM 57
REP 43
Perot
18.9%; 0
1994
1996
Clinton (D)
49.2%; 379
Dole (R)
40.7%; 159
REP 230
DEM 204
REP 228
DEM 206
REP 53
DEM 47
REP 55
DEM 45
REP 223
DEM 211
REP 220
DEM 215
REP 229
DEM 204
REP 54
DEM 45
REP 50
DEM 50
REP 51
DEM 48
Perot
8.4%; 0
1998
2000
2002
Bush (R)
47.9%; 271
Gore (D)
48.4%; 266
18. Which of the following is true based on the information provided in the table?
a. Presidents rarely win the Electoral College vote.
b. The same party held the presidency from 1988 to 2002
c. American elections can result in divided government
d. Bob Dole won the presidency in 1996
e. Democrats held the majority of seats in the House for most of the above period
19. Which statement regarding front-loading is true?
a. States like Nebraska and Main have schedule their elections earlier than other
b. Front-loading allows some states to cast electoral votes before others
c. House elections are held early than Senate elections
d. Some states schedule presidential primaries early to gain influence and revenue.
20. Which statement about money and election is true?
a. The US elections system match all dollars raised by presidential candidates
b. Corporations and labor unions can donate directly to federal campaigns as long as those donations are
recorded and made public
c. There is no correlation between the money a candidate spends and electoral success
d. If willing to waive potential matching money, a candidate can donate unlimited amounts to his or her
own campaign
e. The Federal Elections Commission was declared an unconstitutional body in Buckley v Valeo
21. Which type of interest group represents the largest share of political action committees (PACs) operating in
Washington?
a. Labor Unions
b. Consumer unions
c. Corporations
d. Public interest groups
e. The gun lobby
22. Interest groups are regulated in all of the following ways EXCEPT
a. Government officials cannot at the same time serve as lobbyists
b. Lobbyists that lobby members of Congress must register with the House and/or Senate
c. Corporations cannot make contributions to candidates, but their political action committees can
d. Interest groups cannot advertise on television
e. PAC contributions to federal candidates cannot exceed $5,000 per election
23. Which of the following interest groups has the largest membership?
a. American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations
b. American Association of Retired Persons
c. Mothers Against Drunk Driving
d. National Rifle Association
e. American Medical Association
24. When interest groups offer new members benefits such as a monthly magazine or discounts, they are providing
a. Purposive incentive
b. Material incentive
c. Legislative incentives
d. Regulatory incentives
e. Required incentives
25. Which interest group action would most greatly influence policy in the courts?
a. Rating senators and representatives based on roll call votes
b. Directly lobbying House and Senate members
c. Filing an amicus curiae brief in a pending case
d. Purchasing an ad in the newspaper
e. Writing an op-ed column for a newspaper
26. Which statement about recent trends in grassroots lobbying is true?
a. Only citizens= groups employ grassroots lobbying
b. Grassroots lobbying uses mail and telephone, but not television
c. This technique is often use to target particular congressional districts
d. The average citizen and the grasstops are of equal value to a lobbyist
e. Grassroots lobbying was pioneered by corporations.
27. All of the following are reasons for the growth of interest groups EXCEPT
a. Social movements tend to generate interest groups
b. The consumer movement of the 1960s resulted in an organized effort to assure product safety
c. The Constitution’s separation of powers has ultimately created more groups trying to affect policy
d. Federalism has caused special interest groups to target lawmakers at both the state and federal level
e. The government began funding all interest groups in the 1970s
28. Which advocate started a series of public interest groups to protect consumers and to guarantee fair and open
government?
a. Hugo Black
b. Ralph Nader
c. Samuel Gompers
d. Trent Lott
e. Jack Abramoff
29. Which of the following statements about interest groups and lobbying is true?
a. Lobbying is protected by the Fourth Amendment
b. Lobbyists spend most of their time persuading lawmakers to change their political views
c. A Capitol Hill lobbyist’s most precious asset is access
d. Free riders rarely benefit from interest group activity
e. Interest groups can influence policy in the legislative and judicial branch, but not in the executive
branch.
Use the Chart below to answer number 30
Incumbents
Challengers
Open Seats
2000
$195.4
$27.5
$36.9
PAC Campaign Donations (in millions)
2004
$246.8
$22.3
$41.3
2008
$304.7
$46.8
$32.4
30. Which trend does the table above support?
a. PAC donations tend to change legislator’s votes
b. PAC donations have diminished in recent years
c. Republican candidates receive more donations from labor PACs than do Democrats
d. Interest group PACs tend to donate to incumbents more than challengers
e. Interest group PACs spend more on open seat races than to protect incumbents
31. The first generation of newspapers in the United States was mostly influenced by
a. Political parties
b. The Associated Press
c. Yellow journalists
d. The executive branch
e. The clear threat of prior restraint
32. The Supreme Court’s decision in New York Times v United States
a. Allowed for public protest of war
b. Declared for the first time that newspapers could criticize government action
c. Prevented the government from blocking publication leaked information
d. Raised the threshold for government officials to sue for libel
e. Required reporters to reveal anonymous sources to law enforcements
33. When a local TV station broadcasts a report of the mayor embezzling public money, the media has served the
function of
a. Scorekeeper
b. Watchdog
c. Gatekeeper
d. Disseminator
e. Regulator
34. Some states have passed shield laws to
a. Limit the exposure of corrupt government
b. Assure government officials the First Amendment as well
c. Assure candidates the right to reply
d. Protect a reporter’s right to keep anonymous sources confidential
e. Assure no prior restraint
35. Academics and researcher who point to a liberal media bias usually cite
a. The ideological views and voter registration of reporters
b. The corporate influence of the business community
c. The influence of talke radio
d. Attitudes espoused in the Wall Street Journal
e. The reporting of Fox News
36. Which of the following media is supported by congressional funding?
a. The New York Times
b. CBS-TB
c. National Public Radio
d. USA today
e. AM Talk Radio
37. All of the following are recent concerns about the news media EXCEPT
a. Blurring news reporting with opinion and commentary
b. Intense, fast-paced competition that results in sloppy reporting
c. Corporate concern for bottom line profits that hampers journalist integrity
d. The removal of the Fairness Doctrine, which prevents broadcaster independence
e. The Internet diminishing the role and impact of print newspapers
38. The primary reason for the growth of yellow journalism in the late 1800s was
a. Passage of the Communications Act
b. Increased efforts by investigative reporters
c. Sensationalism increased the profits of national newspapers
d. Objective standards set by the Associated Press
e. An increase in political parties financing newspaper
Use the chart to answer number 39.
Leading Newsmakers of Midterm Campaign
(Jan. 1 – Oct 31, 2010
Name, Office or Office Sought (Party) State
Election Stories
Barack Obama, President (D)
343
Christine O’Donell, Senate candidate (R) DE
160
Meg Whitman, Governor candidate (R) CA
90
Rand Paul, Senate candidate (R) KY
88
Joe Sestak, Senate candidate (D) PA
85
Sharron Angle, Senate candidate (R) NV
80
39. The table above reflects which media trend?
a. The media covers only poll numbers and not substance
b. The national media covers candidates for congressional, not state, races
c. The president doesn’t get involved in midterm elections
d. The liberal media tends to pain Democrats positively
e. The media covers the president disproportionately compared to other offices and races
40. Which of the following created a high threshold of proof for those sitting for libel?
a. United States v Nixon
b. New York Tims v United States
c. The Fairness Doctrine
d. Red Lion Broadcasting v FCC
e. New York Times v Sullivan
Free Response Questions:
1. Two parties have dominated American politics and the elections over most of the United States history.
However, minor parties have surfaced and competed with major parties.
a. Identify and describe one minor party that has competed in the presidential election since 1900
b. Identify and describe one type of minor party and provide an example
c. Explain how a minor party can succeed on a national level besides winning the presidency
2. Interest groups have grown in both overall number an in membership to have great influence in American
politics.
a. Identify and explain two reasons why the number of interest groups have grown in the United States.
b. Select one of the following groups and describe this group’s primary concern and one policy it has
achieved.
i. National Rifle Association
ii. American Civil Liberties Union
iii. National Organization for Women
iv. Common Cause
c. Explain one incentive for citizens to join an interest group
3. The nature and role of the media have evolved in the United States.
a. Identify and describe one form of news media
b. Identify one trend and explain its impact in the development of the form of news media described in (a)
c. Identify and explain one basic role of the press.