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177 solutions
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Elections serve the purpose of
a. socializing and institutionalizing political activity.
b. providing a legitimate means to replace leaders.
c. providing regular access to political power.
d. helping to guide the policy direction of the government.
e. Elections serve the purpose of all of the above.
e. Elections serve the purpose of all of the above.
When ________ is high, as it is in the United States, even losers of elections accept the results peacefully.
a. legitimacy
b. policy voting
c. voter registration
d. voter participation
e. the degree of clarity of the idea in a party platform
a. legitimacy
The three kinds of elections in the United States are
a. primary elections, general elections, and elections on specific policy questions.
b. primary elections, general elections, and competitive elections.
c. primary elections, secondary elections, and tertiary elections.
d. primary elections, ancillary elections, and corollary elections.
e. primary elections, competitive elections, and noncompetitive elections.
a. primary elections, general elections, and elections on specific policy questions.
A referendum is
a. a form of primary election.
b. another name for an open primary.
c. a state level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or a constitutional amendment.
d. a constitutional provision for policy questions to be decided by a nationwide vote.
e. A referendum is none of these.
c. a state level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove proposed legislation or a constitutional amendment.
California's famous Proposition 13, in which voters frustrated by a lack of action by their legislature forced an issue on the ballot and voted to limit the rise in property taxes, was an example of
a. an indirect primary.
b. an initiative.
c. a direct primary.
d. a referendum.
e. a voter override.
b. an initiative.
An initiative is put on the ballot as a result of
a. the governor's order.
b. public opinion polls showing strong support for a certain measure not acted upon by the legislature.
c. a Supreme Court ruling.
d. a petition signed by a certain percentage of the voters in the previous election.
e. a special, legally constituted convention voting to place it there.
d. a petition signed by a certain percentage of the voters in the previous election.
A process permitted in some states whereby voters may put proposed changes in the state constitution to a vote if sufficient signatures are obtained on a petition calling for such a vote is called a(n)
a. policy choice election.
b. primary election.
c. constitutional convention.
d. initiative petition.
e. referendum.
d. initiative petition.
Which of the following statements is FALSE?
a. Twenty-four states currently allow voters to propose and decide legislation through an initiative petition.
b. Initiative petitions are frequently the result of the actions of dedicated individuals, or policy entrepreneurs.
c. Citizens can use the initiative process to force decisions on issues that state legislatures have failed to act on or address.
d. Most states require initiative petitions to gain signatures equal to about 10 percent of the voting population to put an issue on the state ballot.
e. The initiative petition has been an insignificant form of election.
e. The initiative petition has been an insignificant form of election.
In order to qualify to be put on the ballot, initiative petitions usually require signatures equal to about
a. 10 percent of the number of voters from the previous election.
b. a minimum of 500 signatures.
c. 10 percent of registered voters.
d. 10 percent of eligible voters.
e. 10 percent of the entire population.
a. 10 percent of the number of voters from the previous election.
Which of the following does NOT characterize presidential elections around 1800?
a. The vice presidential nominee tried to usurp the presidential candidate's nomination.
b. Newspaper coverage of the campaign was extremely partisan and dishonest.
c. Most of the campaigning was done by state and local party organizations.
d. Campaigns were directed at state legislators, not the voters.
e. The candidates barnstormed the country campaigning and giving speeches.
e. The candidates barnstormed the country campaigning and giving speeches.
In the election of 1800,
a. the focus of the campaign was on the voters.
b. the candidate with the second-highest number of electoral votes became the vice president.
c. a large entourage of reporters accompanied the candidates during their national campaign.
d. media coverage was extensive.
e. candidates were nominated at the national convention.
b. the candidate with the second-highest number of electoral votes became the vice president.
Who became president with the election of 1800?
a. James Madison
b. Aaron Burr
c. George Washington
d. John Adams
e. Thomas Jefferson
e. Thomas Jefferson
Which of the following statements about the 1800 presidential election is TRUE?
a. For the first time, the focus of the 1800 election was on the citizen voters.
b. The 1800 election was ultimately decided in the House of Representatives.
c. The 1800 election was the first one in which the candidates were chosen by party conventions.
d. The candidates in the 1800 election vigorously campaigned in each of the states.
e. All of the above are true.
b. The 1800 election was ultimately decided in the House of Representatives.
In the original constitutional system,
a. the state legislatures elected the president and vice president, with the candidate getting the second-most votes becoming vice president.
b. the president, once elected by the Electoral College, chose the vice president.
c. each presidential elector cast two ballots, with the top vote-getter named president and the runner-up named vice president.
d. each presidential elector cast one ballot for one of the president/vice president teams running.
e. the Senate elected the president, and the House of Representatives elected the vice president.
c. each presidential elector cast two ballots, with the top vote-getter named president and the runner-up named vice president.
Which of the following is TRUE of the presidential election of 1800?
a. It was a gentlemanly contest in which partisans on both sides showed respect for the opposition.
b. The candidates traveled throughout the smaller number of United States at the time to campaign for votes.
c. It was carefully and objectively covered in the newspapers of the day, with logical reasoning and respect for both candidates in articles and editorials.
d. It was the first peaceful transfer of power between parties via the electoral process in the history of the world.
e. All of the above are true.
d. It was the first peaceful transfer of power between parties via the electoral process in the history of the world.
In the Electoral College vote in the election of 1800, there was a tie between
a. John Adams and Aaron Burr.
b. John Adams and James Madison.
c. Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr.
d. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson.
e. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.
c. Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr.
The issue of free silver (to increase the amount of currency in circulation) was championed in the election of 1896 by ________, who made a famous speech at the Democratic National Convention.
a. William McKinley
b. Theodore Roosevelt
c. William Jennings Bryan
d. Grover Cleveland
e. Woodrow Wilson
c. William Jennings Bryan
Which of these groups did NOT support William Jennings Bryan in 1896?
a. Eastern manufacturers
b. White southerners
c. Rural doctors
d. Westerners in the silver-producing states
e. All of the groups above supported William Jennings Bryan in 1896.
a. Eastern manufacturers
The winner of the presidential election of 1896 was
a. Theodore Roosevelt.
b. William McKinley.
c. William Jennings Bryan.
d. Ulysses Grant.
e. Grover Cleveland.
b. William McKinley.
Who traveled through 26 states and logged 18,000 miles in his campaign for president?
a. William Jennings Bryan
b. John Adams
c. Grover Cleveland
d. Thomas Jefferson
e. William McKinley
a. William Jennings Bryan
Which of the following is NOT true of the 2008 presidential election?
a. Obama won 365 electoral votes, compared to 173 for McCain.
b. The Democrats won nine states that they had lost in 2004.
c. Obama carried 53 percent of the popular vote, compared to 46
percent for McCain.
d. Among the states that Democrats won in 2008 were Florida, Ohio, and Virginia.
e. The Republicans won nine states that they had lost in 2004.
e. The Republicans won nine states that they had lost in 2004.
Suffrage means
a. the legal right to vote.
b. the struggle for equal rights for women.
c. voting for the loser.
d. turning out to vote.
e. voting for the winner.
a. the legal right to vote.
The belief that in order to support democratic government a citizen should always vote is a belief in the notion of
a. suffrage.
b. political efficacy.
c. the mandate theory of elections.
d. civic duty.
e. political legitimacy.
d. civic duty.
As the right to vote has been extended,
a. voter turnout has increased proportionately.
b. the number of candidates running for office has increased.
c. voter turnout has actually remained about the same.
d. the scope of American government has shrunk.
e. proportionately fewer of those eligible have chosen to vote.
e. proportionately fewer of those eligible have chosen to vote.
Which of the following groups was eligible to vote in 1800?
a. Anyone over the age of 18
b. Women
c. African Americans
d. Property-owning males over the age of 21
e. White male and female property owners
d. Property-owning males over the age of 21
The nearly two centuries of American electoral history has been characterized by
a. a proliferation of presidential candidates.
b. consistently close elections.
c. increasing voter turnouts.
d. expansion of the right to vote.
e. All of the above are true.
d. expansion of the right to vote.
In which election was voter turnout at its highest point?
a. 2000
b. 1896
c. 1992
d. 2004
e. 1800
b. 1896
Which of the following is NOT a factor that increases a person's likelihood of voting?
a. Believing that the benefits of voting outweigh the costs
b. Having a sense of civic duty
c. Possessing political efficacy
d. Believing that some policies of one party are balanced by other policies of the other party
e. Discerning the ways in which policy differences affect one's interests
d. Believing that some policies of one party are balanced by other policies of the other party
Anthony Downs' theory of rational voting behavior predicts that people will vote if they
a. feel obligated to do so.
b. think their vote will make the difference for a particular candidate.
c. can afford the time and energy to do so.
d. identify with a particular candidate, even though they doubt that one vote can make a difference.
e. think one party will give them more policy benefits than the other.
e. think one party will give them more policy benefits than the other.
Which of the following is TRUE of voters, according to Anthony Downs' theory of rational voting behavior?
a. People with higher levels of education are less likely to vote.
b. It is always rational for people to vote.
c. People who see policy differences between the parties are less likely to vote.
d. People who see policy differences between the parties are more likely to vote.
e. It is always irrational for people not to vote due to the small chance that their vote might actually matter.
d. People who see policy differences between the parties are more likely to vote.
If you believe that "public officials don't care much about what people like me think," then you are expressing feelings of
a. low political efficacy.
b. high political efficacy.
c. rationality.
d. policy voting.
e. retrospective voting.
a. low political efficacy.
If you believe that citizens should vote in order to support democratic government, then you believe in
a. rationality.
b. civic duty.
c. political efficacy.
d. policy voting.
e. suffrage.
b. civic duty.
Largely to prevent corruption associated with stuffing ballot boxes, states adopted ________ around the turn of the twentieth century.
a. primary elections
b. the Electoral College
c. voter registration
d. the secret ballot
e. voting machines
c. voter registration
A major reason cited for America's level of voter turnout compared to other industrialized countries is
a. registration is more cumbersome in other nations.
b. Americans' high sense of political efficacy.
c. bad weather in certain parts of the United States on Election Day.
d. registration is more cumbersome in the United States.
e. greater interest in democracy in the United States.
d. registration is more cumbersome in the United States.
Compared to other industrialized democracies, the United States has a ________ voter turnout.
a. much higher
b. slightly higher
c. much lower
d. slightly lower
e. rising
c. much lower
Which of the following statements about voting in elections in the United States is FALSE?
a. Americans are expected to vote for a much narrower range of political offices than most democracies.
b. Unlike the United States, the governments of most democracies take the responsibility of seeing to it that all of their eligible citizens are on the voting lists.
c. The choice offered Americans at elections is not as great as in other democracies.
d. Americans are less likely to vote than are citizens of other democracies.
e. American government asks citizens to vote far more often than most democracies.
a. Americans are expected to vote for a much narrower range of political offices than most democracies.
Which of the following statements about voter registration is FALSE?
a. States with same-day registration tended to have higher voter turnout rates in the 2008 election.
b. Congress requires voter registration nationwide.
c. The Motor Voter Act allows eligible voters to register by checking a box on their driver's license application.
d. In North Dakota, you don't have to register to vote.
e. In a few states, you can register to vote on Election Day.
b. Congress requires voter registration nationwide.
Among the states that allow voter registration at the polls on Election Day, voter turnout rates are
a. impossible to compute.
b. no different than in other states.
c. declining over time and at a higher rate than in other states.
d. higher than in other states.
e. lower than the national average.
d. higher than in other states.
The Motor Voter Act of 1993
a. established drive-in polling places to make voting more convenient and increase voter turnout.
b. requires states to register individuals to vote when they apply for, or renew, their driver's license.
c. requires the federal government to register individuals to vote when they apply for or renew their driver's license.
d. requires states to mail voter registration forms to all individuals holding driver's licenses.
e. requires states to provide transportation for citizens who are unable to get to the polls on their own efforts.
b. requires states to register individuals to vote when they apply for, or renew, their driver's license.
The impact of the Motor Voter Act of 1993 was evidenced in
a. lower registration and higher turnout in 2008 compared to 1992.
b. no changes in either registration or turnout between 1992 and 2008.
c. higher registration and higher turnout in 2008 compared to 1992.
d. lower registration and lower turnout in 2008 compared to 1992.
e. higher registration and lower turnout in 2008 compared to 1992.
b. no changes in either registration or turnout between 1992 and 2008.
Highly educated individuals are more likely to vote because they
a. can better discern policy differences between candidates.
b. have a lower sense of political efficacy.
c. have more influence in the political process.
d. are smarter.
e. are usually white males.
a. can better discern policy differences between candidates.
Which of the following statements about voter turnout in the United States is FALSE?
a. Women are more likely to vote than men.
b. Older people are less likely than younger people to vote.
c. African Americans are less likely than whites to vote.
d. People with higher than average education levels have a higher voter participation rate.
e. Americans' voter participation rate is far lower than voter turnout in other democracies.
b. Older people are less likely than younger people to vote.
Which of the following statements about voter turnout in 2008 is TRUE?
a. College-educated voters had the highest turnout.
b. Women had a higher turnout than men.
c. Young voters aged 18-20 had the lowest turnout.
d. White voters had the highest turnout.
e. All of these are true.
e. All of these are true.
Just over ________ of the population votes.
a. one-third
b. one-half
c. three-quarters
d. two-thirds
e. one-quarter
b. one-half
When, after his 2008 win, President Obama stated, "I don't think there's any question that we have a mandate to move the country in a new direction and not continue the same old practices that have gotten us into the fix that we are in," he was expressing
a. a call to arms.
b. policy voting.
c. the mandate theory of elections.
d. bipartisanship.
e. partisanship.
c. the mandate theory of elections.
________ occurs when people base their electoral choices on the basis of their own policy preferences and the candidates' stand on policy issues.
a. Retrospective voting
b. Suffrage
c. Policy voting
d. Agenda setting
e. Civic duty
c. Policy voting
Which of the following is TRUE of changing patterns in voting behavior among Catholics and Protestants.
a. Protestants were more likely to support Obama in 2008 than were Catholics.
b. Men were more likely than women to support Democratic candidates in 1960 and 2008.
c. In 1960, Catholics were much more likely to support the Democratic Party than were Protestants; in 2008, there was only a slight difference between Catholic and Protestant support for the Democrats.
d. Women were more likely than men to support Democratic candidates in 1960 and 2008.
e. Fewer African Americans supported Obama in 2008 than supported Kennedy in 1960.
c. In 1960, Catholics were much more likely to support the Democratic Party than were Protestants; in 2008, there was only a slight difference between Catholic and Protestant support for the Democrats.
In the 2000 presidential election,
a. Gore did especially well in states with greater than 18 electoral votes.
b. Bush did especially well in less populous states possessing fewer than seven electoral votes.
c. Gore received more votes than did Bush.
d. Bush won the presidency without winning the popular vote, the first time a candidate did so since 1888.
e. All of the above are true.
e. All of the above are true.
Which of the following is TRUE about the Electoral College?
a. It is used in nearly half of the democratic nations around the world.
b. It overrepresents small states.
c. It is scheduled to be phased out in 2011, though some still argue its usefulness and want to rescind the phase-out.
d. All 50 states employ a winner-take-all system in which all of their electors are awarded to the presidential candidate who wins the most votes statewide.
e. An elector has never voted differently from the popular vote winner of his state.
b. It overrepresents small states.
When President Herbert Hoover and the Republicans were crushed in the election of 1932, voters were responding to the severity of the Great Depression under Hoover's presidency by
a. retrospective voting.
b. indirect primary voting.
c. initiative.
d. direct primary voting.
e. irrational choice voting.
a. retrospective voting.