81. Multiparty systems are almost always found in countries that
have a __________ government, in contrast to our presidential
system.
Topic: What Parties Do for Democracy
Learning Objective: LO 6.1: Identify the primary functions of
parties in democracies and distinguish the U.S. party system
from those in European democracies.
Page Reference: 169
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
82. Ron Paul supporters are generally considered __________
activists.
Topic: American Parties Today
Learning Objective: LO 6.3: Evaluate the functions of parties
as institutions, parties in government, and parties in the
electorate.
Page Reference: 180
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
83. In the 2000 presidential election, the Green Party candidate
might have taken away votes from the Democratic candidate,
__________.
Topic: What Parties Do for Democracy
Learning Objective: LO 6.1: Identify the primary functions of
parties in democracies and distinguish the U.S. party system
from those in European democracies.
Page Reference: 171
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
84. The __________ includes the voters who identify themselves as
Democrats or Republicans, and who register and ailiate with
their parties.
Topic: American Parties Today
Learning Objective: LO 6.3: Evaluate the functions of parties
as institutions, parties in government, and parties in the
electorate.
Page Reference: 180 – 182
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
85. The __________ system suggests that when politicians break away
from the party platform, such as when Republican president
George H. W. Bush raised taxes, they should be held directly
accountable for such transgressions by the electorate.
Topic: What Parties Do for Democracy
Learning Objective: LO 6.1: Identify the primary functions of
parties in democracies and distinguish the U.S. party system
from those in European democracies.
Page Reference: 165 – 166
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
86. Hispanics are increasingly identifying with the _________ party.
Topic: A Brief History of American Political Parties
Learning Objective: LO 6.2: Describe changes in American
political parties and identify four realigning elections.
Page Reference: 175
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Easy
87. The new party system that emerged from the Civil War featured
a victorious __________ Party that generally represented the
northern industrial economy, and a struggling __________ Party
that generally represented a southern agricultural economy.
Topic: A Brief History of American Political Parties
Learning Objective: LO 6.2: Describe changes in American
political parties and identify four realigning elections.
Page Reference: 173
195
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
88. A __________ committee would be in charge of recruiting
candidates for sherif.
Topic: American Parties Today
Learning Objective: LO 6.3: Evaluate the functions of parties
as institutions, parties in government, and parties in the
electorate.
Page Reference: 178
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Diicult
89. The top oicial of each major party is the __________.
Topic: American Parties Today
Learning Objective: LO 6.3: Evaluate the functions of parties
as institutions, parties in government, and parties in the
electorate.
Page Reference: 176
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Easy
90. If the United States has entered a period of dealignment, the
most telling evidence would be an increase in the number of
people identifying themselves as __________.
Topic: American Parties Today
Learning Objective: LO 6.3: Evaluate the functions of parties
as institutions, parties in government, and parties in the
electorate.
Page Reference: 180 – 183
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
Short Answer Questions
196
91. Explain the signiicance of critical elections to realignments.
1. Describe a critical election as one that results when
fractures develop within party coalitions.
2. Explain that a long-term political realignment is the
usual result when one party takes over from another.
Topic: A Brief History of American Political Parties
Learning Objective: LO 6.2: Describe changes in American
political parties and identify four realigning elections.
1. Explain that the national party convention is where the
party platform is created and the presidential candidate is
nominated by delegates from the various states.
2. Diferentiate the modern national convention system
from the less democratic convention process in the early
nineteenth century when elites still controlled who was
nominated.
Topic: American Parties Today
Learning Objective: LO 6.3: Evaluate the functions of parties
as institutions, parties in government, and parties in the
electorate.
Page Reference: 176 – 177
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
93. Describe the realigning election of 1932 and the New Deal
alignment.
1. Describe the economic conditions leading up to the
1932 election.
2. Describe how Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Democrats
were swept into oice on a tide of anti-Hoover and anti-
Republican sentiment.
3. Describe the major dividing line between Democrats
and Republicans as the role of government in the
economy.
Topic: A Brief History of American Political Parties
Learning Objective: LO 6.2: Describe changes in American
political parties and identify four realigning elections.
Page Reference: 173 – 174
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
94. List the major functions of political parties. How does the public
exert pressure over public oicials through use of the party
label?
1. List the major functions of American political parties
including the following: simplifying voting choices,
organizing electoral competition, unifying the electorate,
helping organize government by bridging the separation
of powers and fostering cooperation among branches of
government, translating public preferences into policy,
and providing loyal opposition.
2. Recognize that party labels typically help voters make
reliable assumptions about a candidate’s stance on issues
based on his or her political party ailiation.
Topic: What Parties Do for Democracy
Learning Objective: LO 6.1: Identify the primary functions of
parties in democracies and distinguish the U.S. party system
from those in European democracies.
Page Reference: 164
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
95. What is divided government, and how prevalent is it in the
United States?
1. Deine divided government as party control divided
between the executive and legislative branches.
2. Discuss how, since 1953, divided government has
occurred twice as many years as uniied government. Note
that while there have been signiicant periods of uniied
party control, they have been more volatile and short-lived
than earlier realignments.
Topic: A Brief History of American Political Parties
Learning Objective: LO 6.2: Describe changes in American
political parties and identify four realigning elections.
Page Reference: 174
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
96. Explain the role of minor parties in promoting the democratic
process. How might they detract from it?
1. Describe how the two-party system stymies the
inclusion of minor parties in government, speciically
noting that minor parties do have some efect on the main
parties by changing the focus of pre-election policy.
2. Explain the controversy over minor parties acting as
spoilers and thereby detracting from the democratic
process by circumventing the election of a potentially
more popular candidate.
Topic: What Parties Do for Democracy
Learning Objective: LO 6.1: Identify the primary functions of
parties in democracies and distinguish the U.S. party system
from those in European democracies.
Page Reference: 178
Skill Level: Analyze It
Diiculty Level: Diicult
97. Why have minor parties been so unsuccessful in U.S. politics? In
what electoral systems are minor parties more likely to be
successful?
1. Indicate that minor parties are at a disadvantage in the
United States because U.S. elections take place in winner-
take-all systems within single-member-districts.
Duverger’s Law suggests that these factors favor the two-
party system.
2. Note that proportional representation would allow
minor parties to have some representation because
legislative seats would be awarded based on a proportion
of the total votes. Thus, a party inishing third or fourth
would still receive some legislative seats.
Topic: What Parties Do for Democracy
Learning Objective: LO 6.1: Identify the primary functions of
parties in democracies and distinguish the U.S. party system
from those in European democracies.
Page Reference: 169 – 170
Skill Level: Analyze It
Diiculty Level: Diicult
98. Describe the three major functions of political parties.
1. List the three parts: parties as institutions, parties in
government, and parties in the electorate.
2. Explain the role of each and its key members.
Topic: American Parties Today
Learning Objective: LO 6.3: Evaluate the functions of parties
as institutions, parties in government, and parties in the
electorate.
1. Deine the responsible party system as one in which
politicians are held accountable for adherence to party
platform.
2. Explain that discipline is minimal and that elections are
more candidate-centered than party-centered. Even when
a party is in the majority, it cannot guarantee passage of
the party program. Compromise is an integral feature of
the U.S. political system, which often thwarts party
unanimity.
Topic: American Parties Today
Learning Objective: LO 6.3: Evaluate the functions of parties
as institutions, parties in government, and parties in the
electorate.
Page Reference: 177
Skill Level: Analyze It
Diiculty Level: Diicult
100. Deine political realignment and describe it using one particular
period to illustrate your response.
1. Deine realignment as a rare event in American politics
often associated with a major national crisis. Critical
elections, economic crisis, or war may be key
precipitators.
2. Explain that major disagreements in policy result in a
shift in coalition formation and subsequently, one party
takes over power from another, often lasting for decades.
For example, the Republican Party emerged strongly from
the Civil War, and the New Deal alignment became
dominant following the Great Depression.
Topic: A Brief History of American Political Parties
Learning Objective: LO 6.2: Describe changes in American
political parties and identify four realigning elections.
Page Reference: 172 – 174
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
101. Which political era saw the longest period of Republican
domination? Explain the origin and demise of party domination
during this period.
1. Describe the realignment period that began in 1860
with the Republican Party bringing together antislavery
coalitions resulting in the Civil War and lasting through
two coalitions.
2. Answer may or may not include an explanation of the
second Republican coalition that began in 1896 as a
converting realignment that reinforced the Republican
majority status. The most important objective of this
question is to demonstrate awareness that the Republican