Download Chapter 13-14 Study Guide

AP Government
Dr. J. Dishowitz
Chapters 13 and 14 LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading these chapters you should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Trace the evolution of political campaigning from being party centered to being candidate centered.
Give a thumbnail sketch of the nominating process for Congress, state offices, and the presidency.
Explain the nature of initiatives, referendums, and recalls.
Outline the presidential nominating process.
Account for the low voter turnout in the United States.
Analyze the impact of split-ticket voting on American politics.
Explain how presidential campaigns are currently financed.
Discuss the role of polling, news coverage, and political advertising in campaigns.
Chapter 13- MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the
question.
1. The major issue on most voters' minds during the 2010 midterm elections was
A) the economy.
B) tax reform.
C) energy policy.
D) health care.
E) education.
2. Many successful Republican candidates in 2010 identified with the ________ movement.
A) Populist
D) Tea Party
B) Independent
E) Progressive
C) Big Government
3. The U.S. presidential election takes place every four years on the
A) the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
B) the Tuesday after the second Monday in November.
C) second Tuesday in November.
D) first Tuesday in November.
E) third Tuesday in November.
4. A primary in which only a party's registered voters are eligible to participate is
A) blanket.
B) partisan.
C) open.
D) closed.
E) a caucus.
5. The process that allows citizens to propose legislation and submit it to the electorate for popular vote is called
a/an
A) recall.
B) initiative.
C) deelection.
D) caucus.
E) referendum.
6. In some states, incumbents can be removed from office in the middle of their term by a popular vote called a/an
A) impeachment.
B) referendum.
C) plebiscite.
D) indictment.
E) recall.
7. In recent years, states have chosen early dates for their presidential primaries in order to gain influence in the
process. This is called
A) gerrymandering.
B) front-loading.
C) staging.
D) logrolling.
E) influence peddling.
8. Reapportionment has moved political power from the Northeast to the
A) Pacific Northwest.
D) Midwest and West.
B) South and West.
E) Mid-Atlantic.
C) Mid-Atlantic and Pacific Northwest.
9. The Electoral College was modified by the ________ Amendment.
A) Thirteenth
B) Tenth
C) Fifteenth
D) Eleventh
E) Twelfth
10. The Electoral College was created in part because
A) the Twelfth Amendment did not adequately outline the electoral process.
B) it created a formal role for political parties.
C) the Framers did not trust the people to directly elect a leader.
D) George Washington would be first president under the new system.
E) the American public demanded it.
11. Which of the following is MOST likely to have led to the increase in ticket-splitting?
A) Decreased power of political parties
B) Change in number of elections
C) Increased partisanship
D) Increased trust of political parties
E) Increased knowledge of issues
12. Which of the following people would MOST likely vote for a Democrat?
I. Someone who did not finish high school
II. Someone with a doctoral degree
III. Someone who makes over $500,000 per year
IV. Someone who has only a bachelor's degree
A) I and II
B) I, III, and IV C) I, II, and III
D) II and III
E) I only
13. Why do Cuban Americans tend to vote for Republican candidates?
A) Cuban President Raúl Castro supports the Republican Party.
B) Republicans better cater to Hispanic interests than do Democrats.
C) The Republican Party is more socially liberal.
D) Cuban Americans often have strong anti-communist leanings.
E) The Republican Party supports lifting the Cuban embargo.
14. Approximately ________ percent of eligible voters rarely or never vote.
A) 20
B) 30
C) 15
D) 35
E) 25
15. Why would people who attend church be more likely to vote?
A) Christian doctrine encourages civic participation.
B) They want to break down the wall of separation between church and state.
C) Group membership fosters social capital.
D) The Democratic Party openly supports the values of Christianity.
E) Representatives of political parties speak at churches regularly.
16. The Motor Voter Act allows citizens to register to vote
I. at drivers' license agencies.
II. at the mall.
III. by mail.
IV. at public assistance agencies.
A) III and IV
B) I, III, and IV
C) II, III, and IV
D) I and III
E) I, II, III, and IV
17. Critics of electronic voting argue that
A) Internet voting is more secure.
B) punch card ballots are less subject to voter error.
C) electronic voting machines will increase straight party ticket voting.
D) poll workers often do not know how to use electronic voting machines.
E) it is easier to count optical scan ballots.
18. Many people are concerned about the use of mail-in ballots because
A) candidates can change and voters can move within days of an election.
B) they fear no one will mail back their ballot.
C) they fear that mailing ballots opens up a range of opportunities for voter fraud.
D) election results in a mail-in state will be known much more quickly than in other states.
E) it drastically increases the cost of election administration.
TRUE/FALSE. Write 'T' if the statement is true and 'F' if the statement is false.
19. It is relatively easy for members of one party to sabotage the results of an open primary for the other party.
20. If Americans are bitterly disappointed by President Barack Obama's performance, they may organize a recall
election to remove him from office.
21. Iowa likely has the nation's most visible presidential caucus.
22. Winners of front-loaded primaries might actually be at a disadvantage if they do not win the "invisible primary"
as well.
23. The Electoral College takes the power to directly elect the president out of the citizens' hands.
24. It is possible for the presidential candidate who loses the popular vote to win the overall election.
25. A very powerful member of the House of Representatives can be voted out of office as a result of state
legislators purposefully changing his or her constituency.
Chapter 14- MULTIPLE CHOICE. Choose the one alternative that best completes the statement or answers the
question.
26. Despite then-Senator Barack Obama's high favorability ratings, why were Democrats concerned about his
securing electoral victory?
A) John McCain had more executive experience than Barack Obama.
B) President George W. Bush's approval ratings were on the rise toward the end of his presidency.
C) John McCain and his vice presidential pick were a dream team combination.
D) They were concerned that white Americans may not support an African American candidate.
E) Barack Obama had little name recognition.
27. Why is a candidate moving to the left or the right during nomination phases both an advantage and a
disadvantage?
A) Extreme views give candidates the edge, but it also means that they are forced to hold true to that message
throughout the campaign.
B) The general public, who generally view these moves as appealing during nomination, change their minds when
these candidates go to the debates after nomination processes.
C) It gives a candidate a more defined ideological position, but even the slightest shifts will certainly be called flipflopping.
D) Such a move decreases divisions within one political party, but it provides banter for the media.
E) While moving to one end of the spectrum might motivate a party base during nomination, it might actually
alienate more moderate or on-the-fence voters of the general election.
28. Visiting numerous localities allows candidates to
A) gain in-depth knowledge of the issues facing small-town America.
B) debate opponents repeatedly along the campaign trail.
C) draw a considerable amount of support from people who were planning to vote for the opponent.
D) saturate media markets with their daily activities.
E) convince attendees of the rallies, most of whom are on-the-fence, of a candidates' superiority.
29. A professional who produces a candidate's television, radio, and print advertisements is called a/an
A) video architect.
D) media consultant.
B) media guru.
E) ad canvasser.
C) audiovisual designer.
30. Suppose you are a candidate and you want to re-craft your campaign message. With which of the following staff
members would you MOST likely work closely to create a compelling and effective message?
A) Communications director
D) Internet team
B) Press secretary
E) Volunteers
C) Finance chair
31. The lifeblood of national, state, and local campaigns are the
A) political consultants.
D) voters.
B) speech writers.
E) candidates.
C) volunteers.
32. The sponsors of the 2002 campaign finance reform bill were
A) Mitch McConnell and John Edwards.
D) John McCain and Russell Feingold.
B) Mitch McConnell and John McCain.
E) John Edwards and John McCain.
C) Russell Feingold and Mitch McConnell.
33. Money raised under the FECA guidelines is known as
A) real money.
B) hard money.
C) public funding.
D) soft money.
E) individual money.
34. Which of the following decisions struck down major components of the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform
Act in 2010?
A) BCRA v. United States
D) Bush v. Gore
B) Buckley v. Valeo
E) Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission
C) McConnell v. Federal Election Commission
35. PACs give primarily to
A) presidential candidates.
B) incumbents.
C) Democrats.
D) challengers.
E) Republicans.
36. If you are a Democratic member of Congress representing a very Democratic district and have no challengers,
much of your fundraising revenue will
A) go to the party's presidential campaign, if there is an election that year.
B) be kept to a minimum.
C) build up a massive war chest for future campaigns.
D) go to charity.
E) be given to more vulnerable candidates in other districts.
37. Members of Congress contribute to candidates via
A) back-door donations.
B) foreign organizations.
C) Internet funding groups.
D) party caucuses.
E) PACs.
38. In ________, the Supreme Court ruled that there could be no limits placed on candidates' expenditures of their
own funds since such spending is considered free speech.
A) Rockefeller v. U.S.
D) Buckley v. Valeo
B) Kerry v. U.S.
E) Perot v. Reno
C) Nixon v. U.S.
39. The traditional media
I. provide candidates with free advertising.
II. usually supply in-depth reports on the substance of campaigns.
III. follow campaigns much as they would a horse race.
IV. have little effect on people's voting decisions.
A) I and II
B) I and III
C) I, III, and IV
D) I only
E) II and III
40. What is the MOST likely reason that candidates use sound bites instead of long explanations of their agendas
and positions?
A) People have great interest in political campaigns.
B) It reduces the cost of advertisements.
C) The news media devote little time to campaign coverage.
D) They are more likely to appear on the Daily Show.
E) People view long explanations as too academic.
41. Lyndon B. Johnson aired one of the most controversial political ads in the history of the United States in 1964.
Why was it so shocking?
A) Negative ads had not been used previously.
B) Akin to Johnson's demeanor, the ad contained derogatory language.
C) It implied Barry Goldwater would use nuclear weapons with little hesitation.
D) His campaign only aired it once.
E) It suggested his opponent was a sexual predator.
42. Democrats united behind Barack Obama because
A) he used Clintonian fundraising strategies.
B) he was a charismatic candidate.
C) they thought Obama had the best chance of beating McCain.
D) he was the most liberal candidate.
E) he was the most conservative candidate.
43. One of the biggest weaknesses of Senator John McCain's presidential campaign was his
A) experience, in contrast with Barack Obama's anti-establishment views.
B) vice presidential pick.
C) charisma.
D) debate style.
E) fundraising inabilities.
44. Voter turnout in the 2008 presidential election was ________ than in 2004.
A) significantly lower
B) about the same
C) slightly lower
D) much higher (70 percent of eligible citizens participating)
E) higher (62 percent of eligible citizens participating)
TRUE/FALSE. Write 'T' if the statement is true and 'F' if the statement is false.
45. If you were to run for president on the Republican ticket and followed the general trend, you would likely
accentuate your most conservative ideas in the primary and then appear more moderate during the general
election.
46. Of the nearly 310 million people in the United States, only around 40 percent of them are likely voters in a
presidential contest.
47. The Watergate scandal led to stricter regulations of campaign financing.
48. Corporations can now take part in electioneering communications despite BCRA's prohibition on doing so.
49. Journalists use tracking poll data to follow elections as though they are horse races.
50. The Obama campaign had large grassroots efforts in all 50 states.