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Campaigns and Elections
1. The democratic nation that holds the most elections is
a. Australia.
b. Great Britain.
c. France.
d. the United States.
2. An office holder who cannot or will not run for office again is called a(n)
a. exiter.
b. retiree.
c. restricted participant.
d. lame duck.
3. United States' elections are characterized as
a. regularly scheduled.
b. based on fixed terms.
c. incorporating staggered terms.
d. (all of the above)
4. Term limits for members of the U.S. Congress must be a prerogative of
a. state legislatures.
b. Congressional legislation.
c. a public referendum.
d. Constitutional Amendment.
5. All of the following presidents were elected in the electoral college without winning a plurality of popular votes EXCEPT
a. John Quincy Adams.
b. Rutherford B. Hayes.
c. Benjamin Harrison.
d. Herbert Hoover.
6. Most election districts in the United States are
a. single member districts.
b. proportionately distributed districts.
c. multiparty districts.
d. defined by race and class.
7. If no candidate wins a majority of the electoral college votes, the election would go to the
a. House.
b. Senate.
c. Supreme Court.
d. people.
8. The proportion of senators who are up for election at any one time is
a. 20 percent.
b. one-third.
c. one-half.
d. two-thirds.
9. Electors are chosen by
a. party leaders.
b. party caucus.
c. state laws.
d. the governor of each respective state.
10. Most congressional elections are
a. closely contested.
b. not close.
c. less contested than state elections.
d. more contested than local elections.
11. The impact of presidential popularity is termed the
a. spill-over effect.
b. incumbency effect.
c. coattail effect.
d. election effect.
12. Republicans did better in the 1994 midterm elections than at any time since
a. 1946.
b. 1954.
c. 1960.
d. 1984.
13. The percentage of congressional incumbents re-elected in 2000 was about
a. 58%.
b. 78%.
c. 88%.
d. 98%.
14. House incumbents out-spent challengers in recent elections by
a. 2 to 1.
b. 3 to l.
c. 4 to 1.
d. 5 to 1.
15. Advantages of incumbency include
a. name recognition.
b. franking privileges.
c. personal contacts.
d. (all of the above)
16. Redistricting occurs
a. when there is a significant population shift.
b. when the state legislature enacts the appropriate provisions.
c. every ten years.
d. after each major presidential election.
17. Since 1970, the percentage of incumbent House members seeking reelection who have won is
a. 60 percent.
b. 75 percent.
c. 85 percent.
d. 95 percent.
18. The number of contestants in biennial elections for Congress numbers approximately
a. 500.
b. 1,000.
c. 2,000.
d. 2,500.
19. Generally speaking, after a person decides to run for office, his first task is to
a. gain visibility.
b. build a personal organization.
c. initiate voter registration campaigns.
d. collect financial contributions.
20. When a candidates relies on personal contacts, hand shaking, door-to-door campaigning and seeking positive media attention, he is said to be seeking
a. positive reinforcement.
b. visibility.
c. building a grass-roots foundation.
d. to become controversial.
21. Presidential primaries have two main features
the actual voting for delegates pledged to a candidate and aa. system of public debate and discussion.
b. caucuses.
c. beauty contest.
d. writing a party platform.
22. The method most used in the United States for choosing delegates to a party convention is the
a. caucus.
b. state convention.
c. primary.
d. referendum.
23. A meeting of party members and supporters of candidates is a
a. caucus.
b. convention.
c. primary.
d. referendum.
24. The caucus method of selecting a delegate depends largely on
a. party organization.
b. socio-economic level of a district.
c. grass-roots support for an individual.
d. financial incentives for an individual candidate.
25. Purposes of a party convention include
a. focusing attention on the nominee.
b. deciding on a party platform.
c. choosing a vice-presidential candidate.
d. (all of the above)
26. A party platform is
a. binding on no one.
b. non-controversial.
c. seriously debated in the convention.
d. (all of the above)
27. Independent candidates can get on the ballot through
a. national petition.
b. state petition.
c. organizing a grass-roots campaign.
d. organizing a political party.
28. The first televised presidential debates were between
a. Dwight David Eisenhower and Harry Truman.
b. John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.
c. Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter.
d. Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson.
29. Disclosure of campaign funds was first mandated under the
a. Corrupt Practices Act.
b. Watergate Correction Act.
c. Federal Campaign Act.
d. Teapot Dome Act.
30. Reformers have tried three basic strategies to prevent abuse in political contributions. These include all EXCEPT
a. limitations on giving, receiving and spending public money.
b. requiring public disclosure.
c. support for a program in which all campaign financing would be provided by the government.
d. giving governmental subsidies to candidates.
31. When a labor union gives money to political parties rather than individual candidates it is considered
a. hard money.
b. soft money.
c. bribery.
d. (a and c)
32. A PAC believes that it is buying ________ when it contributes to a election.
a. votes
b. influence
c. access
d. supportive legislation
33. When a labor union or business organization spends large but undisclosed amounts of money in a campaign but does not specifically identify a specific candidate, it is termed
a. issue advertising.
b. a PAC contribution.
c. hard money.
d. illegal.
34. The senator that was involved in a campaign contribution scandal but later became the most visible reform advocate was
a. Senator Jon Corzine.
b. Senator John McCain.
c. Senator Ted Kennedy.
d. Senator Strom Thurmond.
35. In recent years, television viewership of presidential nominating conventions has
a. increased.
b. remained the same.
c. declined.
d. defied a trend.
