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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
Topic: Running for Congress
Learning Objective: LO 8.3: Explain how congressional
elections work and why they are generally not competitive.
Page Reference: 236
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Easy
27. An election with no incumbent running is called __________.
a. a toss-up
b. party polling
c. an open seat
d. a referendum
Topic: Running for Congress
Learning Objective: LO 8.3: Explain how congressional
elections work and why they are generally not competitive.
Page Reference: 237
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Easy
28. Following the 1972 election, an efort was made to give more
inluence in the selection of the presidential candidate to party
leaders and elected oicials, leading to the creation of
__________.
a. Super PACs
b. superdelegates
c. strong electors
d. primary delegates
248
Topic: Running for President
Learning Objective: LO 8.4: Describe the stages in U.S.
presidential elections and the diferences in elections at each
stage.
Page Reference: 241
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
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
Topic: Elections: The Rules of the Game
Learning Objective: LO 8.4: Describe the stages in U.S.
presidential elections and the diferences in campaigning at
each stage.
Page Reference: 243
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
30. Which of the following probably has the MOST bearing on who
wins a presidential election?
a. the current state of the economy
b. the state of foreign afairs
c. which candidate has aired the most ads
d. which candidate is backed by unions
Topic: Running for President
Learning Objective: LO 8.4: Describe the stages in U.S.
presidential elections and the diferences in elections at each
stage.
Page Reference: 248
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
31. What does it mean for the party leadership to “clear the ield” in
campaigns?
249
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
Topic: Running for Congress
Learning Objective: LO 8.3: Explain how congressional
elections work and why they are generally not competitive.
Page Reference: 238
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
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 classiied as __________.
a. soft money
b. hard money
c. issue advocacy
d. independent expenditures
Topic: Money in U.S. Elections
Learning Objective: LO 8.5: Evaluate the inluence of money
in American elections and the main approaches to campaign
inance reform.
Page Reference: 252
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Easy
33. Money spent by individuals or groups who are not associated
with candidates to elect or defeat candidates for oice is known
as __________.
a. self-inancing
b. outside intervention
c. independent expenditures
250
d. soft money
Topic: Money in U.S. Elections
Learning Objective: LO 8.5: Evaluate the inluence of money
in American elections and the main approaches to campaign
inance reform.
Page Reference: 252
Skill Level: Remember the Facts
Diiculty Level: Easy
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.
Topic: Running for President
Learning Objective: LO 8.4: Describe the stages in U.S.
presidential elections and the diferences in elections at each
stage.
Page Reference: 240
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
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
Topic: Improving Elections
Learning Objective: LO 8.6: Assess concerns regarding
presidential elections and reforms that have been proposed.
Page Reference: 260
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
251
Diiculty Level: Moderate
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
Topic: Improving Elections
Learning Objective: LO 8.6: Assess concerns regarding
presidential elections and reforms that have been proposed.
Page Reference: 260
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
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
Topic: Elections: The Rules of the Game
Learning Objective: LO 8.1: Assess the implications of election
rules in the United States.
Page Reference: 231
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Diicult
38. If you were an oicial 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
252
Topic: Elections: The Rules of the Game
Learning Objective: LO 8.1: Assess the implications of election
rules in the United States.
Page Reference: 229
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Diicult
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 diferent day
Topic: Counting Votes
Learning Objective: LO 8.2: Identify problems associated with
administering elections and evaluate proposed solutions to
those problems.
Page Reference: 232
Skill Level: Analyze It
Diiculty Level: Diicult
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.
Topic: Elections: The Rules of the Game
Learning Objective: LO 8.1: Assess the implications of election
rules in the United States.
Page Reference: 230
Skill Level: Analyze It
253
Diiculty Level: Diicult
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.
Topic: Running for Congress
Learning Objective: LO 8.3: Explain how congressional
elections work and why they are generally not competitive.
Page Reference: 235
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Diicult
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.
Topic: Running for Congress
Learning Objective: LO 8.3: Explain how congressional
elections work and why they are generally not competitive.
Page Reference: 236
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Diicult
43. Which of the following is a major criticism of Super PACs?
254
a. It is questionable whether they are truly independent of
candidates.
b. They have little inluence 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.
Topic: Introduction
Learning Objective: Introduction
Page Reference: 226, 228
Skill Level: Analyze It
Diiculty Level: Diicult
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
Topic: Running for President
Learning Objective: LO 8.4: Describe the stages in U.S.
presidential elections and the diferences in elections at each
stage.
Page Reference: 241
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Diicult
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
255
Topic: Running for President
Learning Objective: LO 8.4: Describe the stages in U.S.
presidential elections and the diferences in elections at each
stage.
Page Reference: 243 – 244
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Diicult
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
Topic: Running for President
Learning Objective: LO 8.4: Describe the stages in U.S.
presidential elections and the diferences in elections at each
stage.
Page Reference: 246
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Diicult
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
Topic: Money in U.S. Elections
Learning Objective: LO 8.5: Evaluate the inluence of money
in American elections and the main approaches to campaign
inance reform.
256
Page Reference: 250
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Diicult
48. Which of the following is a key diference 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.
Topic: Money in U.S. Elections
Learning Objective: LO 8.3: Explain how congressional
elections work and why they are generally not competitive.
Page Reference: 234
Skill Level: Analyze It
Diiculty Level: Diicult
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
Topic: Elections: The Rules of the Game
Learning Objective: LO 8.1: Assess the implications of election
rules in the United States.
Page Reference: 230
Skill Level: Analyze It
Diiculty Level: Diicult
257
