Assignment: Campaigns and Elections
Part 1: Multiple-Choice Questions
1.Elections for members of Congress occur __________.
a. on the second Tuesday in November
b. every two years in odd-numbered years
c. on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of even-numbered years
d. in the first week of November in odd-numbered years
2.The term of office for senators is __________.
a. 2 years
b. 4 years
c. 6 years
d. 8 years
3.Which candidate in 2000 lost the Electoral College vote and did not become president?
a. Al Gore
b. George H. W. Bush
c. Bill Clinton
d. John McCain
4.California has 53 seats in the House of Representatives. How many Electoral College votes does it have?
a. 12
b. 25
c. 53
d. 55
5.Women in what two states were allowed to vote well before women throughout the country were granted the right to vote?
a. Colorado and New York
b. New Jersey and Wyoming
c. Pennsylvania and Virginia
d. Massachusetts and Missouri
6.Barack Obama's successful campaigns for president in 2008 and 2012 resulted in __________ in both elections.
a. a gain of House seats for Republicans
b. a gain of seats in the House and a loss of seats in the Senate for Democrats
c. a loss of House seats and a gain of Senate seats for Republicans
d. a gain of both House and Senate seats for Democrats
7.How often do candidates for House seats have to campaign?
a. every year
b. every 2 years
c. every 4 years
d. every 6 years
8.Incumbent senators are able to outspend their challengers by what ratio?
a. 2:1
b. 3:1
c. 5:1
d. 10:1
9.What states did the Democratic National Committee attempt to punish in 2008 for moving their primaries to January?
a. California and Maine
b. Ohio and Georgia
c. Washington and South Carolina
d. Florida and Michigan
10.Which candidate in 1964 gave an acceptance speech that included the words, "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice"?
a. Lyndon Johnson
b. John Kennedy
c. Richard Nixon
d. Barry Goldwater
11.Which constitutional amendment requires presidential electors to vote for one person for president and another for vice president?
a. the Twelfth
b. the Fifteenth
c. the Nineteenth
d. the Twenty-Second
12.What organization was created in 1974 to administer new campaign reform laws?
a. U.S. Electoral Commission (USEC)
b. Federal Finance Commission (FFC)
c. Federal Election Commission (FEC)
d. Electoral Finance Commission (EFC)
13.The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act is also known as the __________.
a. McCain-Kerry bill
b. Palin-Biden Act
c. McCain-Feingold bill
d. Reid-Boehner bill
14.The Supreme Court decision in which case rejected the longstanding ban on unions and corporations using their general funds on ads about the election or defeat of a candidate?
a. Citizens United v. FEC
b. McConnell v. FEC
c. McCain v. Buckley
d. Buckley v. Valeo
15.Reformers who want more aggressive reforms than those found in BCRA are most eager to control what kinds of groups?
a. 527s
b. PACs
c. Democratic action groups
d. Super PACs
16.Some critics of state presidential primaries argue in favor of __________.
a. a national presidential runoff race
b. a national presidential primary
c. a regional caucus
d. eliminating primaries altogether
17.Competition in congressional elections is most likely when __________.
a. both candidates have adequate funding
b. Super PACS spend money on campaign advertising
c. both candidates accept federal matching funds
d. electoral districts have been subject to partisan gerrymandering
18.In most parliamentary democracies, the party in power calls elections __________.
a. at a time of the party's choosing
b. every five years on average
c. at fixed intervals of two years
d. only when the government receives a no-confidence vote
19.Term limits for members of the U.S. Congress can be imposed only by __________.
a. state legislatures
b. congressional legislation
c. a public referendum
d. constitutional amendment
20.The constitutional amendment limiting presidents to two terms was adopted in __________.
a. 1791
b. 1865
c. 1920
d. 1951
21.How many times has the House of Representatives determined the outcome of a presidential election?
a. 0
b. 2
c. 5
d. 10
22.In the early years of the United States, suffrage was a right for __________.
a. white male property owners over 21
b. all white males
c. all property owners
d. all adults over 21
23.Which of the following was a source of controversy in the 2012 and 2014 elections?
a. the move by some states to allow noncitizens to vote
b. the move by some states to ban advertising funded by Super PACs
c. the move in some states to reduce the number of early voting days
d. the move in some states to eliminate primaries
24.According to political scientist Gary Jacobson, coattail effects are __________.
a. large and unusual
b. modest and predictable
c. erratic and modest
d. large and predictable
25.When running for the House of Representatives, a candidate's main hurdle is gaining __________.
a. ballot access
b. coalition support
c. visibility
d. support from his or her family
26.The tendency in elections to focus on the personal attributes of a candidate, such as his or her strengths, weaknesses, background, experience, and visibility, is known as __________.
a. candidate appeal
b. the incumbency advantage
c. party platforms
d. issue-oriented voting
27.An election with no incumbent running is called __________.
a. a toss-up
b. party polling
c. an open seat
d. a referendum
28.Following the 1972 election, an effort was made to give more influence in the selection of the presidential candidate to party leaders and elected officials, leading to the creation of __________.
a. Super PACs
b. superdelegates
c. strong electors
d. primary delegates
29.To win the general election, presidential candidates have to win support from __________ who often do not vote in primaries.
a. intensely conservative voters
b. committedly liberal voters
c. moderate and pragmatic voters
d. Evangelical Christians
30.Which of the following probably has the MOST bearing on who wins a presidentialelection?
a. the current state of the economy
b. the state of foreign affairs
c. which candidate has aired the most ads
d. which candidate is backed by unions
31.What does it mean for the party leadership to "clear the field" in campaigns?
a. to the purge the voter rolls of people who are ineligible to vote
b. to discourage some candidates from running while endorsing a preferred candidate
c. to discourage minor parties from running candidates in the general election
d. to discourage the opposing campaign from running negative ads
32.Ads that typically attack a candidate but allow the sponsor to avoid disclosure and contribution limitations because the ads do not use electioneering language such as "vote for" or "vote against" are classified as __________.
a. soft money
b. hard money
c. issue advocacy
d. independent expenditures
33.Money spent by individuals or groups who are not associated with candidates to elect or defeat candidates for office is known as __________.
a. self-financing
b. outside intervention
c. independent expenditures
d. soft money
34.What did all serious contenders for president in 2012 have in common?
a. They all came out in opposition to Super PACs.
b. They all appealed to moderate voters during the primary campaigns.
c. They all announced their candidacies before the end of 2010.
d. They all turned down federal matching funds.
35.Which state has a system in which the presidential candidate who carries each congressional district gets that electoral vote?
a. Maine
b. New Jersey
c. Alaska
d. California
36.Early in the nation's history, presidential candidates were selected by __________.
a. electors chosen by the party in power
b. political bosses
c. party caucuses
d. governors of individual states
37.In which of the following situations would an election MOST likely be decided by the House of Representatives?
a. during a time of war
b. when there are three or more strong candidates running
c. when Democrats control the House but Republicans control the Senate
d. when the same party controls both Congress and the White House
38.If you were an official in the Democratic Party in a state that typically goes Republican, you might be in favor of changing the election system to __________.
a. winner-take-all
b. single-member representation
c. straight election
d. proportional representation
39.One of the reasons it is a challenge to count votes in the United States is that__________.
a. computer technology is not sophisticated enough to handle the volume of votes on election day
b. poll workers are often not trained well enough
c. the technology used in Ohio may not be the same as the technology in New York
d. every state votes on a different day
40.Which of the following is a likely consequence of proportional representation systems?
a. They lead to greater stability in government.
b. They encourage greater turnout among voters who support minor parties.
c. They lead to lower overall voter turnout.
d. They lead to lower overall spending on campaigns.
41.In a midterm election year, the economy is doing very well. How would you expect the president's party to do?
a. The president's party is likely to lose a number of seats in the House.
b. If the president's popularity remains the same, his or her party will likely lose seats in the House.
c. The president's party will neither gain nor lose seats in the House.
d. If the president's popularity remains the same, his or her party will likely gain seats in the House.
42.If you were a campaign manager and determined that your party was experiencing a backlash against immigration policies, what would be your strategy?
a. Suggest to your candidate that she speak to party leaders about moderating their stance.
b. Advise your candidate to distance herself from the party line to avoid the national tide.
c. Run a series of attack ads on the opponents of your party's immigration policies.
d. Go along with the national tide as a loyal party member.
43.Which of the following is a major criticism of Super PACs?
a. It is questionable whether they are truly independent of candidates.
b. They have little influence on elections, compared to other types of PACs and interest groups.
c. They are overwhelmingly biased in favor of Democrats.
d. They have little knowledge of the electoral process.
44.The fact that some states have moved their primaries earlier in the election year suggests that __________.
a. they don't believe that caucuses should have as much impact as primaries
b. they want to have a real impact on the selection of the candidate
c. they have no fear of the Democratic or Republican National Committee
d. all primaries should take place on the same day
45.One strategy you could use as a candidate during the primaries to manage media expectations would be to __________.
a. claim you will probably not do very well so that your actual results look "better than expected"
b. claim that you will probably do very well so that your actual results will not get much attention
c. enlist the media in critiquing your opponents' positions
d. avoid as much media attention as possible
46.If you'd attended the 2008 Democratic Convention as a delegate, you would have found that women made up approximately what percentage of your fellow delegates?
a. 10 percent
b. 20 percent
c. 40 percent
d. 60 percent
47.If your candidate has broad support and has no trouble raising money, you would most likely advise him to __________.
a. accept federal matching funds despite the spending limitations they impose
b. accept state matching funds and spending limitations
c. bypass federal matching funds because of the spending limitations they impose
d. accept matching funds from states where he is likely to do well
48.Which of the following is a key difference between House and Senate races?
a. Overall spending on Senate races surpasses overall spending on House races.
b. Super PACs are more involved in House races than in Senate races.
c. House elections are more seriously contested than Senate elections.
d. Senate elections are more seriously contested than House elections.
49.The Framers of the U.S. Constitution created the Electoral College because they __________.
a. wanted a proportional representation system for the presidency
b. desired to make it impossible for candidates from large states to become president
c. wanted to encourage states to use multimember districts for their legislatures
d. did not trust the choice of president to a direct vote of the people
50.The project "Americans Elect," launched in 2012, would best be described as __________.
a. an successful effort to increase voter turnout
b. a failed experiment in online politics
c. an example of the power of money in elections
d. a well-intentioned, but unsuccessful effort to defeat incumbent politicians
51.Which of the following could have a serious impact on whether a close presidential election could actually be decided on Election Day?
a. absentee voting
b. the number of candidates on a ballot
c. efforts to ensure that all counties in a state use the same voting technology
d. voter registration laws
52.Which of the following would be a likely disadvantage of regional primaries in the nomination of presidential candidates?
a. They would retain the current emphasis on money and media.
b. They would create an even more complicated nominating process.
c. They would put small states at a significant disadvantage in the nominating process.
d. They would likely lead to lower voter turnout in the primaries.
53.A "permanent Congress" is a result of __________.
a. advantages held by incumbents
b. coattail effects
c. high levels of competition in House elections
d. the Supreme Court's ruling in Pelosi v. Constituents
54.The Pew Global Attitudes survey asked people how they feel about women and men serving as political leaders. Which of the following was a major finding of this research?
a. People in Britain believe that men and women make equally good leaders and favor women over men.
b. People in the United States do not believe that men and women make equally good leaders.
c. People in Nigeria believe that men make better leaders than women do.
d. People in Japan believe that women make better leaders than men do.
55.To win their parties' nominations, presidential candidates __________.
a. must win the Iowa caucus
b. must raise more money than any of their opponents
c. typically have to appeal to the more ideologically intense individuals in their parties
d. try to adopt policy platforms most appealing to moderate, independent voters
56.If no candidate gets a majority of the Electoral College vote for vice president, __________.
a. the candidate with the most Electoral College votes wins
b. the House votes between the top three candidates, with each state casting one vote
c. the House votes between the top three candidates, with each representative casting one vote
d. the Senate chooses between the top two candidates, with each senator casting one vote
57.Supreme Court decisions in 2010 and 2014 __________ the effects of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act in reducing the influence of money in campaigns.
a. slightly limited
b. reversed
c. dramatically broadened
d. legitimated
58.Which of the following is a requirement for third-party candidates to participate in presidential debates?
a. They must officially register as presidential candidates with the Commission on Presidential Debates.
b. They must meet a minimum fund-raising threshold.
c. They must be on the ballot in enough states to be able to win the election.
d. They must have an average of 5 percent or higher in five major election polls.
59.Which of the following was a success of the Federal Election Campaign Act?
a. For 20 years, presidential candidates accepted limitations on fund-raising and campaign spending to receive federal matching funds.
b. Since the law was passed, virtually all campaign fund-raising and spending has been fully disclosed.
c. Since the law was passed, minor parties have had greater success in getting candidates elected.
d. For 20 years, challengers in congressional elections have had greater success in getting elected, thanks to limitations on campaign fund-raising and spending.
60.Critics of the proposal to switch to direct election of the president contend that it would lead to ___________.
a. an election system in which recounts are the norm
b. an unfair advantage to the Democratic Party
c. an increase in political extremism
d. an unstable political system
Part 2: True-False Questions
61.All states limit the terms of state legislators.
62.The technology used in voting varies greatly from state to state and in different parts of the same state.
63.In most midterm elections between 1934 and 2008, the party controlling the White House lost seats in the House.
64.Candidates generally formally announce their plans to run for the presidency in March or April of the election year.
65.Overall spending in House races surpasses overall spending in Senate races.
66.In 1996, the Clinton-Gore campaign chose to raise soft money by offering nights in the Lincoln Bedroom to donors.
67.Voters in primaries and caucuses tend to be less ideological than voters generally.
68.All House members are up for election at the same time every two years.
69.In most states, you do not have to be registered to vote.
70.Most incumbent members of Congress are reelected.
71.Primaries are the oldest method of choosing delegates.
72.The rising costs of elections mean that incumbents spend more time raising funds and less time actually doing their jobs.
73.If you belonged to an independent or minor party, you might favor a change to proportional representation.
74.As a candidate for election in today's campaigns, you could expect to take off the time between the convention and Labor Day to rest up for the rest of the campaign.
75.If election reformers have their way, candidates in the future can expect to have to disclose more information about who donates to campaigns and how much has been contributed.
Part 3: Fill-in-the-Blank Questions
76.The __________ is the inclination to focus on national issues, rather than local issues, in an election campaign.
77.Until the election in the year __________, most voters assumed they could cast a vote and have it counted correctly.
78.A __________ is a person chosen by local partisans to represent them in selecting nominees, party leaders, and party positions.
79.In the __________ system of allocating delegates, the candidate with the most votes gets all of the state's delegates.
80.The outcome of the contest between George Bush and Al Gore was ultimately determined by the __________.
81.In the 2010 midterm elections, the __________ party won a net gain of 6 Senate seats and 64 House seats.
82.A __________ is a presidential elector who does not vote for his or her state's
popular vote winner.
83.In a(n) __________ system, political parties secure legislative seats and power according to the number of votes they receive in the election.
84.__________ is the process of drawing districts in ways that enhance party control and incumbent reelection.
85.Delegates to the national party conventions decide on the __________, a statement of party perspectives on public policy.
86.The Supreme Court's 1976 __________ decision overturned several of FECA's provisions on grounds that they violated freedom of speech.
87.Proposals that suggest popular election usually provide that, if no candidate receives at least 40 percent of the total popular vote, a(n) __________ would be held between the two contenders with the most votes.
88.If you were running for Congress in the same year a president from your party was running, you would not necessarily be able to rely on the __________ to win your own seat.
89.As a candidate for the __________ Party, you would expect to receive a number of delegates proportional to the number of votes you won in a primary.
90.If you were a CEO and wanted to use your corporate funds to support a candidate, you would be able to donate unlimited amounts to a(n) __________.