Unit 4 exam
Name _________________________
Section One: multiple choice questions (28 points)
1) Which of the following voter qualifications is (are) required of all voters in the U.S.?
I. Must show valid driver license
II. Property ownership
III. Legal residence in a voting district
IV. Basic knowledge of U.S. government
a. III only
b. I and II only
c. III and IV only
d. I, II, and III only
e. I, II, III, and IV
2) According to the majority opinion, the Constitutional issue at stake in Bush v. Gore was the
a. 14th amendment.
b. commerce clause.
c. elastic clause.
d. 1st amendment.
e. 10th amendment.
3) The use of direct primaries instead of the convention system in selecting presidential candidates results in which
of the following?
a. I and III only
b. II and IV only
c. III and IV only
d. I, III, and IV only
4) The Supreme Court struck down a section of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 in
a. Buckley v. Valeo.
b. Bush v. Gore.
c. Shelby County v. Holder.
d. Citizens United v. FEC.
e. US v. Lopez.
5) Which type of organization specializes in raising money for election campaigns as its primary activity?
a. political parties
b. economic interest groups
c. public interest groups
d. super PACs
e. grass roots interest groups
6) The trend of states “front loading” their regional presidential primaries suggests that these states
a. want to lessen the costs of presidential campaigns.
b. want to have greater influence in the outcome of the nominating process.
c. want to lessen the importance of the New Hampshire primary.
d. have little faith in the electorate’s ability to pay attention to the issues in the campaign.
e. want to diminish the coverage by the media.
7) A primary election in which voters are required to identify a party preference before the election and are not
allowed to split their ticket is called
a. an open primary.
b. a runoff primary.
c. a blanket primary.
d. a presidential preference primary.
e. a closed primary.
Questions 8 and 9 refers to the following list of the top industries contributing to members of the 109th Congress
during the 2005-2006 election cycle.
Rank | Industry | Total | Dem Pct | GOP Pct | Top Recipient |
1 | $14,223,066 | 64% | 36% | ||
2 | $8,047,486 | 43% | 57% | ||
3 | $7,196,414 | 33% | 67% | ||
4 | $6,636,837 | 46% | 54% | ||
5 | $5,847,685 | 48% | 52% | ||
6 | $5,625,934 | 21% | 79% | ||
7 | $5,351,844 | 36% | 64% | ||
8 | $4,578,924 | 45% | 55% | ||
9 | $4,343,951 | 35% | 65% | ||
10 | $3,475,374 | 33% | 67% |
8) From the chart above, it is fairly evident that
a. Republicans received the majority of congressional contributions in the 2005-2006 election cycle.
b. Democrats received the majority of congressional contributions in the 2005-2006 election cycle.
c. the number of congressional contributions was evenly split for 2005-2006.
d. agencies for the retired contributed far more money than any other group.
e. law firms overwhelmingly supported the Republican Party.
9) From the chart above, one can infer that Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania served on all of the following congressional committees EXCEPT (note: all are actual committees)
a. finance.
b. special aging.
c. banking.
d. housing and urban affairs.
e. armed services.
10) An election involving more than two candidates in which the winner receives less than 50% of the vote is called
a. a majority election.
b. a proportional election.
c. a plurality election.
d. a winner-take-all election.
e. an indirect election.
11) In presidential elections since 1980, how have men and women differed in the manner in which they have voted?
a. There really has been no discernible difference.
b. Men have voted more for Democratic candidates whereas women have voted more for Republicans.
c. Women have voted more for Democratic candidates whereas men have voted more for Republicans.
d. Women have turned out to vote much more than men in the last five presidential elections.
e. Men have tended to vote more for parties that stress governmental involvement in social and economic issues than women.
12) The act of redistricting to benefit a specific political party is known as
a. reapportionment.
b. first past the post.
c. plurality.
d. rational ignorance effect.
e. gerrymandering.
13) The primary election system of selecting presidential candidates has had which of the following effects?
a. It has increased the importance of state party organizations.
b. It has loosened the hold of party leaders over the nomination process.
c. It has reduced the role of the citizens in the candidate selection process.
d. It has lowered the cost of running for office.
e. It has led to a decline in the importance of party voter-registration drives.
14) The McGovern-Fraser reforms of 1972 had which of the following effects for the Democratic Party?
a. The nomination process for the Democrats has become less democratic and open.
b. The number of Black delegates at Republican national conventions has grown substantially.
c. The number of candidates willing and able to seek the nomination has decreased dramatically.
d. The number of female delegates and minority-group delegates at Democratic national conventions has grown substantially.
e. State and local Democratic party organizations have increased their control over the process.
15) Party conventions today
a. formally nominate candidates for president and vice-president.
b. select the electors for the party to the electoral college.
c. nominate candidates for congressional and presidential races.
d. are almost non-existent; there hasn’t been a party convention held in the last 15 years.
e. are held state by state, rather than on a national level.
16) Which of the following provides voters the chance to directly approve or disapprove of proposed legislation from a state legislature?
a. A recall petition.
b. A secondary primary.
c. A referendum.
d. A run-off primary.
e. An initiative signed by the requisite number of citizens.
17) Which of the following usually comes FIRST in the sequence of presidential election campaigns?
a. The party convention.
b. The general election.
c. The New Hampshire primary.
d. Debates between the two main candidates.
e. The selection of the party nominees by the super delegates.
18) One of the biggest reasons why Jeff Merkley (D) beat incumbent Gordon Smith (R) in the 2008 Senate election was because of
a) gerrymandering.
b) soft money.
c) the Motor Voter Act.
d) redistricting.
e) the coattail effect.
19) Which of the following is a characteristic of the Electoral College?
a. It mandates presidential electors to vote for the candidate they are pledged to.
b. It establishes a power-base for third-party candidates.
c. It has resulted in many occasions when a president wins the electoral vote but not the popular vote.
d. It became part of the Constitution in order to give more power to the voters.
e. It gives the House of Representatives the power to determine who will be president if no candidate gets a majority of the Electoral votes.
20) The Supreme Court in Buckley v. Valeo (1976) ruled that
a. limits on a candidate’s use of personal money was unconstitutional.
b. limits on individual contributions violated the First Amendment.
c. labor union contributions were protected under the right of association.
d. federal matching funds had to be made available for all candidates.
e. unlimited contributions to political parties for Get Out The Vote drives were constitutional.
21) Which of the following statements describe general voting trends over the past 15 years?
a. More women have been voting Republican in national elections.
b. Upper income white voters have tended to gravitate toward the Democratic Party.
c. More people have been enrolling as independents.
d. Voter turnout has increased because of the passage of the Motor Voter Bill.
e. Union voters have been voting Republican in national elections.
22) Which statement is true regarding a comparison of voting habits between those who graduated from college and those who didn’t? College graduates vote
a. less in presidential elections than non-college graduates.
b. the same in presidential elections as non-college graduates.
c. more in presidential elections than non-college graduates.
d. less in some presidential elections but more in others than non-college graduates.
e. for whichever candidate has a degree from the most prestigious university.
23) Criticism of the election process includes all the following EXCEPT
24) The Supreme Court in Citizens United v. FEC (2010) ruled that
I. McCain-Feingold limits on electioneering communication were unconstitutional.
II. money spent by corporations on political ads was protected under the 1st Amendment.
III. a cap on corporate political donations to PACs was constitutional.
IV. the lower court decision that barred the airing of “Hillary: The Movie” was wrong.
a. I only
b. I and II only
c. I, II, and III only
d. I, II, and IV only
e. III only
25) The foremost factor in determining how people will vote is
a. party identification.
b. perception of the best candidate.
c. campaign spending.
d. the candidate’s image.
e. the amount of money the candidate has raised.
26) The term “gender gap” refers to
a. the tendency for women to vote more than men.
b. the differences in political opinions between men and women.
c. the fact that men hold more political offices than women.
d. a general apathy among men and women when it comes to political participation.
e. the differences in earned income between men and women in the workforce.
27) In a closed primary system
a. candidates are selected secretly by political bosses.
b. voters may not vote if they lack proper funds.
c. voters are given only the ballot of the party which they are registered.
d. voters who are registered with one party may vote for candidates of other parties.
e. voters cast votes with delegates who will bring that vote with them to the convention floor.
28) Voting a straight ticket reflects
a. voter apathy.
b. party loyalty.
c. weak party structure.
d. influence of campaign advertising.
e. support for the Democratic Party.
FRQ #1) A significant feature of the electoral college is that most states have a winner-take-all system.
(a) Describe the winner-take-all feature of the electoral college.
(b) Explain one way in which the winner-take-all feature of the electoral college affects how presidential
candidates from the two major political parties run their campaigns.
(c) Explain one way in which the winner-take-all feature of the electoral college hinders third-
party candidates.
(d) Explain two reasons why the electoral college has not been abolished.
FRQ #2) Nominees for the presidency of the two major parties are chosen by delegates at national conventions. How these delegates are chosen varies across states and between the political parties.
a. Define each of the following methods used by states to choose delegates to party conventions.
b. Explain why a candidate’s strategy to win the nomination is often different from the strategy developed to win the general election.
c. Explain three ways that Congress has expanded suffrage in the last 100 years.