American Democracy Now, 2nd Edition (Harrison)

Chapter 9: Elections, Campaigns, and Voting

Multiple Choice Quiz

1
Which of the following is NOT a direct form of political participation?
A)voting
B)running for office
C)blogging on local politics
D)working on a campaign
2
What do scholars such as Robert Putnam believe about American participation in politics?
A)It is declining.
B)It is increasing.
C)It is decreasing among the poor but increasing among the wealthy.
D)It is decreasing among whites but increasing among minorities.
3
Which of the following is true about primary elections?
A)They are almost always extremely competitive.
B)They are most often competitive within the out-of-power party.
C)Local races tend to be more competitive than national races.
D)None of these answers is correct.
4
The degree of competition in general elections depends on a number of factors. Among these are all of the following EXCEPT
A)the presence of an incumbent.
B)the strength of an incumbent.
C)the level of office.
D)the gender of the candidates.
5
Which of the following is true about voting in primary elections in some American states?
A)Voters must be registered party members.
B)Any registered voter may vote in any party's primary.
C)Voters are not even required to register to vote in a primary election.
D)All these answers are correct.
6
________ are meetings of party leaders held to select delegates to the national convention.
A)Blanket primaries
B)Open primaries
C)Caucuses
D)Closed primaries
7
Who decides the order of presidential primaries?
A)the states
B)the federal government
C)the political parties
D)the Constitution
8
Why was Super Tuesday created in 1988?
A)to increase the influence of rural, mostly agricultural states on the presidential election
B)to increase the influence of urban-dominated states on the presidential election
C)to increase the influence of southern states on the presidential election
D)to increase the influence of western states on the presidential election
9
Which of the following is true about runoff elections?
A)They utilize a winner-take-all format.
B)They ensure that the winner receives at least fifty percent plus one vote.
C)They are generally avoided in nonpartisan elections.
D)They are prohibited by law in most states.
10
California's Proposition 8 was an example of which of the following?
A)initiative
B)referendum
C)proposition
D)recall
11
Which of the following is true about the Australian ballot?
A)It has been the norm in the United States since the founding period.
B)It requires that a voter make his or her choice orally.
C)It is a secret ballot prepared by the government.
D)It is a secret ballot prepared by the political parties.
12
The 2000 presidential election in Florida was controversial because
A)it forced election officials to interpret voter intent.
B)it revealed pervasive election fraud.
C)it required the appointment of a federal official to oversee a state election.
D)None of these answers is correct.
13
The Help America Vote Act was designed to do which of the following?
A)increase the percentage of the electorate that votes in federal elections
B)help states to convert from punch card ballots to electronic voting systems
C)reduce the influence of political parties in administering elections
D)promote the availability of absentee and advance voting
14
Party-column ballots tend to encourage which of the following?
A)ticket splitting
B)the coattail effect
C)higher turnouts
D)office blocks
15
Which of the following is NOT true about voting by mail?
A)It saves the states money.
B)It was intended to increase voter participation.
C)It is a relatively recent innovation in American politics.
D)It increases privacy protections.
16
Among the reasons a person may consider running for public office is
A)a sense of civic responsibility.
B)personal goals, such as office-holding as a career.
C)to promote his or her existing career or business.
D)All these answers are correct.
17
The characteristics voters expect a candidate to have are known as
A)legal eligibility requirements.
B)informal eligibility requirements.
C)cultural eligibility requirements.
D)political eligibility requirements.
18
One of the more significant recent changes in election campaigns is the increased presence of
A)campaign consultants.
B)campaign managers.
C)fund-raising consultants.
D)grass-roots organizations.
19
The increased presence of media has resulted in greater discussion of the _______ of the candidates.
A)policies
B)personalities
C)speeches
D)voting records
20
Which of the following is NOT true about the Supreme Court case of Buckley v. Valeo?
A)It recognized political expenditures as a constitutionally protected form of speech.
B)It led to a substantial increase in the formation of political action committees.
C)It was overturned by the 2010 Citizens' United case.
D)It eliminated limitations on expenditures not coordinated with a candidate's campaign.
21
Which of the following is true about the McCain-Feingold Act?
A)It banned nearly all soft money contributions.
B)It banned all contributions by political action committees.
C)It was overturned by the Supreme Court.
D)It was vetoed by President George H. W. Bush.
22
Which of the following activities is subject to campaign finance disclosure by 527s?
A)voter registration
B)voter mobilization
C)issue advocacy
D)advocating the election or defeat of a federal candidate
23
Among generalizations of the voting public, the best predictor of whether a person will vote is
A)income.
B)age.
C)education level.
D)gender.
24
The rate of incumbent reelection in United States Senate and House of Representatives races has often been as high as or higher than ________.
A)60%
B)70%
C)80%
D)90%
25
The condition in which voters simply grow tired of all candidates by the time Election Day arrives and may thus be less likely to vote is known as
A)media saturation.
B)voter fatigue.
C)the saliency effect.
D)rational ignorance.
Harrison: American Democracy Now, 2nd Edition
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