Political parties serve to
link the public with its elected leaders.
enable people with different backgrounds and opinions to act together.
offer the public a choice between policies and leaders.
provide potential leaders an opportunity to attain public office.
All these answers are correct.
The first American political parties emerged from the conflict between
slave states and free states.
the older eastern states and the newer western states.
small farmers and states' rights advocates, and those favoring commercial and wealthy interests.
business and labor.
Protestants and Catholics.
Andrew Jackson's contribution to the development of political parties was the
forging of a coalition of Democrats and Whigs.
introduction of primary elections.
formation of a new type of grassroots party organization.
formation of the Federalist Party.
formation of the Republican Party.
Proportional representation systems encourage the formation of smaller parties by enabling parties to
win legislative seats even though they do not receive a majority of votes in elections.
receive campaign funds from government in proportion to their support in opinion polls.
win legislative seats by lottery for parties that have no chance of winning majority support.
share in patronage appointments, which serve as an incentive to lure campaign workers.
advertise on television.
Democrats and Republicans have endured as the two major U.S. parties primarily due to
the stability of their ideologies.
the lack of good third-party candidates.
a high degree of party discipline.
their ability to adapt to changing circumstances.
None of these answers is correct.
In 1912, a candidate for which minor party managed to earn more votes than one of his major party opponents?
Socialist
Prohibition
Bull Moose
Reform
Populist
If a minor party gains a large following, it is almost certain that
the major parties will join together to attack the minor party.
Congress will enact legislation to make it difficult for the minor party to get on the ballot.
party in-fighting will tear it apart.
one or both major parties will absorb its issue, and the minor party will lose support.
the media will attack the minor party.
The major reason for the persistence of the American two-party system is
that there are naturally only two sides to political disputes.
regional conflict.
the existence of single-member election districts.
the existence of state laws prohibiting the placement of a third major party on the ballot.
proportional representation.
The history of democratic government is virtually synonymous with the history of
high voter turnout.
the separation of powers.
economic recessions.
protest movements.
political parties.
All of the following are characteristic of a party realignment EXCEPT
sharp divisions between the parties.
enduring changes in party coalitions.
major policy initiatives by the winning party.
a very close electoral result.
the disruption of the existing political order.
Which of the following encourages the two major parties to build broad coalitions?
the need to raise campaign funds
the need to have policy "wiggle-room" once elected into power
the desire to avoid their policy preferences becoming hijacked by extreme elements
fear of demonization by the press
the two-party system and the need to gain a plurality
The issue of slavery gave birth to the ________ party as a major political party.
Federalist
Democratic
Republican
Whig
Political parties in the United States originated partly as a political feud between
Marshall and Adams.
Adams and Jackson.
Lincoln and Douglas.
Cleveland and Bryan.
Hamilton and Jefferson.
The Democratic Party's long-time regional stronghold, "the Solid South", stemmed from a realignment during which historical period?
Civil War era
1890s
Great Depression
1980s
Which of the following is an indication of strong party loyalty?
split-ticket voting
an increase in independent voters
straight-ticket voting
the influence of short-term issues and candidates
a focus on candidate charisma and personal style
Party dealignment is
essentially the same as party realignment.
a process that has discouraged the formation of third parties.
a process that has strengthened the major parties.
a process that refers to American political parties in the early 1800s.
Prospective voting is characterized by
a sudden shift in the vote from one party to another.
choices based on party loyalty.
choices based on a candidate's past performance.
choices based on what candidates promise to do if elected.
the symbolism of a candidate's personality.
________ is based on judgment about the past performance of an elected official or political party.
Prospective voting
Retrospective voting
Split-ticket voting
Straight-ticket voting
________ lost the 1964 presidential election in a landslide because his views were seen as too extreme.
James Weaver
Jimmy Carter
George McGovern
Richard Nixon
Barry Goldwater
________ does not have a competitive multiparty system.
Germany
Italy
The Netherlands
The United States
Sweden
What was especially unique about the "Era of Good Feeling"?
Political parties were banned.
President Monroe ran unopposed in 1820.
Jefferson's faction adopted the label "Republican".
The president and vice president were from competing parties.
Federalists won the election of 1820.
________ warned Americans of the "baneful effects" of factions (political parties) in his 1797 farewell address.
James Madison
Thomas Jefferson
George Washington
Andrew Jackson
Abraham Lincoln
What party has made big gains in recent decades among white fundamentalist Christians, based on its positions on topics like abortion and school prayer?
Green
Candidates' first priority in a close election is to
secure their "base voters".
rally the faithful and "get out the vote".
increase TV spending.
paint their opponents in a bad light.
win over the "swing voters".
Which of the following groups is most closely aligned with the Democratic Party, voting more than 80 percent Democratic in presidential elections?
Latino Americans
white Protestants
Christian fundamentalists
African Americans
Roman Catholics
Which of the following groups is NOT typically a part of the Democratic coalition?
city dwellers
Hispanics
union members
Jews
fundamentalist Christians
In twentieth-century American history, the most important minor parties were ________ parties.
ideological
single-issue
factional
reform
non-aligned
Ticket splitting was most prominent during which decade?
1970s
1990s
1960s
1950s
________ was the only Republican elected president from 1932 to 1964.
Dwight Eisenhower
Herbert Hoover
Calvin Coolidge
All of the following use top-two primaries EXCEPT
Oregon.
Washington.
California.
Nebraska.
Louisiana.
