UNIT 5 Political participation

5 Steps to a 5: 500 AP U.S. Government and Politics - Brian Stevens, William Madden 2022

UNIT 5 Political participation

By a faction, I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.

—James Madison, Federalist #10

419. In today’s modern society, which of the following groups would Madison deem as factions?

(A) Political parties

(B) Interest groups

(C) Corporate lobbyists

(D) All of the above

420. According to Madison, what would be a way to control factions?

(A) Filing lawsuits against these groups to keep them in check

(B) A large republic with decentralized power that deters major factions from dominating American politics

(C) Presidential executive orders to keep factions under control

(D) The Supreme Court ruling factions to be unconstitutional

421. Although Madison was not an advocate of factions, he believed that removing them would be worse than their possible effects. What constitutional principle protects factions’ right to exist?

(A) The Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment

(B) The Full Faith and Credit Clause in Article IV

(C) The Supremacy Clause in Article VI

(D) The Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

422. Which of the following is not a linkage institution?

(A) The media

(B) The federal bureaucracy

(C) Interest groups

(D) Political parties

423. What advantage do congressional incumbents have over challengers in a general election?

(A) Access to federal campaign funding that the challenger does not

(B) Name recognition accrued from years of service

(C) Automatic prime-time coverage for local broadcasts

(D) Total party support

424. During the Watergate scandal, what role did the media largely fulfill?

(A) Scorekeeper

(B) Watchdog

(C) Gatekeeper

(D) Content monitor

425. When a person votes on a candidate based on that candidate’s future plans when governing, the voter employs which method of voting?

(A) Retrospective voting

(B) Rational-choice voting

(C) Party-line voting

(D) Prospective voting

426. Which elections tend to bring out the highest voter turnout?

(A) Local elections

(B) Primary elections

(C) Midterm elections

(D) Presidential elections

427. Why have lawsuits been more common in presidential elections?

(A) The Supreme Court has become more receptive to taking these types of cases.

(B) Local political parties are more likely to file lawsuits.

(C) The decentralized nature of our election process has allowed more access points to file lawsuits.

(D) The presidential popular vote has become closer.

428. What would be one method to help limit the number of lawsuits in a presidential election?

(A) Use the national popular vote instead of the Electoral College vote

(B) Give the states broader discretion in allocating Electoral votes

(C) Limit the number of lawyers allowed to practice election law

(D) Prohibit the filing of election lawsuits altogether

429. The media have often been called the fourth branch of government. In that role, the media is expected to

(A) help propose legislation to the president.

(B) act as an institution that investigates and reports on the activities of the federal government.

(C) work with the president to provide him or her the bully pulpit.

(D) provide the third part of the iron triangle along with interest groups and congressional committees.

430. As a linkage institution, the media are expected to provide information to the public. Traditionally speaking, what other linkage institution has been expected to be an information giver to the public?

(A) The major political parties

(B) Interest groups

(C) Third parties

(D) All of the above

431. Which of the following media roles calls for the media to determine what news to report and what is newsworthy?

(A) Scorekeeper

(B) Gatekeeper

(C) Watchdog

(D) Horse race journalism

432. Generally speaking, which required Supreme Court case receives the credit for helping create Super PACs?

(A) Baker v. Carr (1962)

(B) Shaw v. Reno (1993)

(C) Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

(D) McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

433. Although there are many criticisms of Super PACs, what Foundational Documents would support their existence?

(A) Articles of Confederation

(B) Brutus #1

(C) Federalist #10

(D) Federalist #78

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Source: Lisa J. Goodman/Getty Images

434. The type of democracy that is exemplified in the above graphic would be

(A) participatory democracy.

(B) pluralist democracy.

(C) elitist democracy.

(D) direct democracy.

435. In addition to classifying the United States as a democracy, the type of government that is ruled by representatives of the people is a called a

(A) confederation.

(B) republic.

(C) kingdom.

(D) oligarchy.

436. What structure of government is used in the United States that allows many different levels of voting?

(A) Confederate structure

(B) Unitary structure

(C) Federal structure

(D) Authoritarian structure

437. Critics of the Voting Rights Act would say that

(A) the law violates state sovereignty because voting is largely the domain of state governments.

(B) the law is an overreach of federal power.

(C) Congress has no responsibility for passing laws that violate states’ rights.

(D) All of the above

438. With the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, what has been the status of party identification of Black Americans?

(A) Black Americans have slowly gravitated toward the Republican Party.

(B) The Democratic Party has found Black Americans to be a very reliable voting bloc.

(C) Fewer Black Americans identify with the Democratic Party.

(D) The passing of the law brought a large spike in Black party identification for the Democrats.

439. What has been the common trend with Republicans, Democrats, and independents in regard to Black party identification since 1964?

(A) All groups have seen an increase in party identification by Black Americans since 1964.

(B) There has been little change in identification since 1964.

(C) All groups have seen a decrease in party identification since the passing of the Civil Rights Act.

(D) None of the above

440. In the major party system, what is the mechanism that formally nominates a candidate for president?

(A) State primaries

(B) The national convention

(C) State caucuses

(D) The Electoral College

441. In presidential election history, how many third-party candidates have won the Presidency?

(A) Zero

(B) One

(C) Two

(D) Three

442. What is a reason why the two-party system has been so successful in American politics?

(A) Because the winner-takes-all system in the Electoral College favors two parties.

(B) In the United States, we have single-member congressional districts, and there are no seats given to second or third place.

(C) Major party labels provide name recognition and credibility to some voters.

(D) All of the above

443. Black voters have been traditionally strong Democratic voters. The move of Black voters to the Democrats from the Republicans came in

(A) the 1870s during the Reconstruction period.

(B) the progressive era starting with Woodrow Wilson’s Presidency.

(C) the Great Depression with the election of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

(D) the civil rights era during the Kennedy Presidency.

444. According to a recent poll, Trump (Republican) voters do not agree with Biden (Democratic) voters on racial issues. What could Republicans do to make effective inroads on racial issues?

(A) Create a plank on the party platform acknowledging that racism is a major issue in the United States.

(B) Believe that time will eventually cure racial problems.

(C) Ask party leaders to be more empathetic to racial issues.

(D) Work with white supremacist groups to drop these views.

445. Linkage institutions serve as a bridge between the people and government. Which of the following is not a linkage institution?

(A) Media

(B) Political parties

(C) Interest groups

(D) Congress

446. How do political parties assist candidates during a general election campaign?

(A) Provide polling for the candidate

(B) Give campaign contributions

(C) Try to register voters sympathetic to the candidate and party

(D) All of the above

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447. The above poll is an example of what media role?

(A) Gatekeeper

(B) Scorekeeper

(C) Watchdog

(D) None of the above

448. Provided that this is a national poll, why is this poll not necessarily a good snapshot of the presidential election?

(A) The poll is done by a corporate media source.

(B) The Electoral College vote is based on state results, not national results.

(C) The poll is outside the margin of error.

(D) Polls must be conducted within one day of an election to be effective.

449. After viewing the poll, what may be a cause for alarm for either of the candidates?

(A) Biden is ahead of Trump outside the margin of error.

(B) Biden appears to have a majority of Americans voting for him.

(C) Trump is still close at this time of the election cycle to worry Biden.

(D) All of the above

450. If no candidate has a majority of votes in the Electoral College (270 votes), what is the next step in a presidential election?

(A) The country revotes.

(B) The House of Representatives decides the election, with each state getting one vote.

(C) The Senate, by a majority vote, selects the president.

(D) Each state legislature selects one candidate to support for the presidency.

451. A criticism of the Electoral College is that the election really comes down to the results of four to seven states. Those states are called

(A) critical states.

(B) toss-up states.

(C) battleground states.

(D) do-or-die states.

452. Generally speaking, what is the result of midterm elections, that is, elections held in the middle of a president’s term?

(A) The president’s party gains seats in Congress.

(B) Governors’ elections usually swing to the president’s party.

(C) The president’s party loses in Congress.

(D) Third-party candidates gain seats in Congress.

453. In 1980, many southern states voted for the Republican candidate versus the Democratic candidate. Prior to that year, Democrats reliably won southern states. This is known as what type of election?

(A) An outlier election

(B) A realigning election

(C) A midterm election

(D) A general election

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454. Lobbyists usually represent interest groups. In terms of lobbyist spending since 1998, interest-group spending on lobbying has

(A) been stagnant since 1998.

(B) dropped slightly since 1998.

(C) remained at about the same pace as the number of lobbyists.

(D) risen considerably since 1998.

455. From the above graph, what can be said about lobbyist spending in regard to the number of lobbyists?

(A) Because the number of lobbyists dropped in 2008, money is not being spent on hiring more lobbyists.

(B) More money is being spent on lobbying, and thus more lobbyists are hired.

(C) Lobbyists made less money in 2008.

(D) Lobbyists spent less money in 2008 than in 1998.

456. Although interest groups (factions) and the influx of money have changed greatly since the eighteenth century, James Madison addressed the issue in what Foundational Document?

(A) Declaration of Independence

(B) Federalist #10

(C) Constitution

(D) Federalist #70

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457. By any category, what year saw the highest number of newly registered voters?

(A) 2012

(B) 2014

(C) 2016

(D) 2018

458. Voter registration drives at political rallies are very common. Based on the above graph these drives are

(A) highly successful, bringing in many new voters.

(B) moderately successful, bringing in a few new voters.

(C) not successful, no new voters.

(D) None of the above

459. Many national laws have been passed to help voter registration. Using the above graph, which of the following laws appears to have made the biggest impact on voter registration?

(A) Civil Rights Act of 1964

(B) Voters Right Act of 1965

(C) Federal Election Campaign Act of 1973

(D) National Registration (Motor Voter) Act of 1993

460. Although the ruling involved the First Amendment right to free speech, what required Supreme Court case greatly affected campaign finance rules?

(A) Baker v. Carr (1962)

(B) Shaw v. Reno (1993)

(C) United States v. Lopez (1995)

(D) Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

461. When a state moves its primaries and caucuses up to an earlier position in the presidential nomination process, the state is engaging in

(A) frontloading.

(B) redistricting.

(C) apportionment.

(D) gerrymandering.

462. How can an interest group influence the electoral process?

(A) Provide information to its favored candidate

(B) Through its political action committee (PAC), make a donation to a candidate’s campaign

(C) Give an endorsement of a candidate

(D) All of the above

463. When an alliance of interest groups, individuals, and political pundits bonds together around a common cause, they are commonly referred to as

(A) institutional bonds.

(B) issue networks.

(C) Super PACs.

(D) policy linkages.

464. Political party affiliation remains a strong connection to what voters believe about government because

(A) cumulative experience may strengthen or weaken allegiance to a party.

(B) it is an easy way to evaluate political situations.

(C) voters tend to vote emotionally and strategically.

(D) Both A and B

465. Political parties build stable legislative and electoral alliances by

(A) creating coalitions of interests.

(B) enabling national officials to coerce local officials.

(C) establishing a central agreement on shared interests or values.

(D) undermining the efforts of political opponents.

466. The organization of a two-party system benefits from federalism because

(A) national leaders cannot maintain the diverse local coalitions.

(B) the parties’ strengths lie in their uniformity from regional to national levels.

(C) the autonomy of the state and national governments allows political parties to tailor objectives according to region.

(D) the spheres of influence of local and national leaders can remain separate to avoid alienating constituents in one region through support of constituents in another region.

467. National party conventions are still important to electoral politics because they continue to

(A) showcase the best candidate.

(B) strengthen party coalitions.

(C) empower party leaders.

(D) give voice to party activists.

468. Regular, free, competitive elections allow

(A) citizens to choose their leaders.

(B) citizens to be heard by elected officials interested in remaining in office.

(C) coalitions to be formed to affect political outcomes.

(D) All of the above

469. Incumbency is a primary factor that leads to electoral success because

(A) it allows politicians to position themselves as unbeatable.

(B) the media will follow incumbents’ actions.

(C) voter apathy tends toward the status quo.

(D) challengers do not have the name recognition.

470. The link of interest groups with the political process often causes

(A) more citizens to be heard.

(B) a stronger relationship between citizens and elected officials.

(C) policy gridlock.

(D) the enactment of more policies through legislation.

471. Lobbying is

(A) the introduction of a subject to be considered by elected officials.

(B) the exertion of influence on the general public as to what issues are important.

(C) the activity of elected officials trying to gain more votes for their policy interests.

(D) a direct appeal to lawmakers for policy support by a narrowly focused interest group.

472. K Street in Washington, DC, is well known because one can find

(A) House of Representatives offices there.

(B) Senate offices there.

(C) major interest groups’ offices there.

(D) most federal bureaucracies there.

473. PAC contributions to members of Congress ensure

(A) favorable legislative outcomes.

(B) predictable voting among politicians.

(C) priority for specific issues.

(D) access to the legislative process.

474. What role of the media focuses on the competitive side of politics?

(A) Scorekeeper

(B) Watchdog

(C) Gatekeeper

(D) Muckraker

475. What role of the media focuses on determining what is newsworthy?

(A) Scorekeeper

(B) Watchdog

(C) Gatekeeper

(D) Muckraker

476. Interest groups provide political players with two types of information: political and

(A) economic.

(B) social.

(C) cultural.

(D) technical.

There can be no effective control of corporations while their political activity remains. To put an end to it will be neither a short or easy task, but it can be done. . . . Corporate expenditures for political purposes, and especially such expenditures by public-service corporations, have supplied the principal sources of corruption in our political affairs.

—President Theodore Roosevelt

477. Based on the above quote, President Roosevelt would likely not favor the ruling in which of the following required Supreme Court cases?

(A) Engel v. Vitale (1962)

(B) Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

(C) Shaw v. Reno (1993)

(D) Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

478. Limiting the activities of corporations, critics would say, would limit what constitutional right?

(A) The right to free speech

(B) Due process of law

(C) Trial by jury in civil cases

(D) The right against excessive fines

479. Controlling the ability of corporations to participate in public affairs would most likely come under what federal agency’s jurisdiction?

(A) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)

(B) Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

(C) Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

(D) Federal Election Commission (FEC)

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480. Based on the 2020 Census information above, which of the following states is most likely to gain congressional seats in the next election year, 2022?

(A) California

(B) Kansas

(C) Illinois

(D) Texas

481. Generally speaking, which area of the country witnessed the highest population growth?

(A) Northeast

(B) Southeast

(C) Midwest

(D) West Coast

482. How many states actually witnessed negative population growth?

(A) 2

(B) 3

(C) 4

(D) 5

483. In the 1932 presidential election, African Americans largely switched their allegiance from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party. This is known as what type of election?

(A) Swing

(B) Pivotal

(C) Transformative

(D) Critical

484. In terms of interest groups, which of the following are known as free riders?

(A) People who volunteer for the interest group

(B) Members who do not pay membership fees

(C) Citizens who benefit from the interest-group activities but don’t participate with the interest group

(D) None of the above

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485. According to the 2020 U.S. Census data above, what election year had the narrowest gap between citizens 18 years of age and older who voted versus citizens 18 years of age and older who registered to vote?

(A) 2004

(B) 2008

(C) 2016

(D) 2020

486. What trend can be identified by the preceding graph about citizens 18 years of age and older who are registered to vote?

(A) More than half of American citizens 18 years of age and older are registered to vote.

(B) The number of Americans registered to vote in those years has been roughly the same.

(C) Both A and B

(D) None of the above

487. Which constitutional amendment would be the reason for the 18-year-old minimum age for voting?

(A) Nineteenth Amendment

(B) Twenty-first Amendment

(C) Twenty-third Amendment

(D) Twenty-sixth Amendment

488. What is the process for changing the number of Electoral votes allocated per state?

(A) Every five years Congress can redistribute the number of Electoral votes per state.

(B) The number of Electoral votes can change based on a state’s population.

(C) Based on the U.S. Census completed every 10 years, each state can gain or lose congressional districts based on population change.

(D) Electoral votes are allocated by a Supreme Court review every two years.

489. Redistricting during the past 30 years has allowed each major party to

(A) reach more voters.

(B) create safer districts for incumbents.

(C) make congressional races more competitive.

(D) make inroads in historically one-party districts.

490. Which of the following pairings provides an accurate description of midterm elections and presidential elections?

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491. Which of the following pairings shows the differences between a primary and a caucus?

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492. Which of the following are possible results of presidential elections and midterm elections?

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493. Which of the following are correct descriptions of gatekeeper and watchdog roles of the media?

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494. Which of the following pairings is an example of a linkage institution and a policy institution?

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495. Which of the following is a description of fiscal policy and monetary policy?

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496. Which of the following correctly displays the differences between iron triangles and issue networks?

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497. Which of the following is an example of hard and soft money contributions?

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498. Which of the following pairings is an example of the media’s scorekeeper and watchdog roles?

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499. Identify the descriptions that apply to the Electoral College’s battleground and safe states?

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500. Which pairing accurately describes voting rights provided by the 24th and 26th Amendments?

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