Chapter 9

Question 1

These are groups of people with similar interests who work together to create and implement policies

Answer 1

political parties

Question 2

This important document stated that self-interested groups (or factions) were inevitable in any society, and that they should be contained so as to dissipate their effect

Answer 2

Federalist No. 10

Question 3

Which of these is a reason for the prominence of the national organization as it relates to party politics?

Answer 3

More Americans are interested in the topics discussed at the national level than at the local and state levels

Question 4

The growing divide in the American system of governance exhibited cultural dualism between the industrialist North and the agriculturally-based South. This was met with increasing tension and led to the rise of this party, also known as the Grand Old Party

Answer 4

Republican Party

Question 5

This is a common problem of the majority/minority system in the American form of government in which one party controls one house of the legislature while the other party controls the other house. Additionally, one party may control both houses while the other party controls the presidency. What is this type of government?

Answer 5

Divided government

Question 6

Which of these is a characteristic that scholars of voting behavior have suggested is likely to influence party outcomes?

Answer 6

a. The Electoral College
b. Demobilized ethnicity
c. Campaign and election laws
d. All of the above*

Question 7

Third parties are those parties that attempt to draw votes from the two major parties as a reaction to what they consider to be domination of society by big business. While they typically receive little of the overall vote (such as the Green Party or Libertarian Party), one third party in particular was a force to be reckoned with. According to the text, the party that drew a substantial portion of the popular vote in an election year was which party?

Answer 7

Bull Moose Party, Progressive Party

Question 8

The early Democratic Party could perhaps be considered one of the first populist parties in American Government. It focused on building direct relationships with voters rather than promoting specific issues. What is this sort of political maneuvering known as

Answer 8

personal politics

Question 9

The procedure to call for a vote on an issue and thereby stop a hold is known as ______________, and requires 60 votes

Answer 9

Cloture

Question 10

Oftentimes, the issues of the party system can be muted by ___________, otherwise known as cooperation through compromise

Answer 10

Bipartisanship

Question 11

The American system of governance is dominated by a ___________ in which politics is dominated by two major political parties

Answer 11

Two-party system

Question 12

After President Washington’s term of office, two factions emerged

Answer 12

The Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans

Question 13

Oftentimes, especially during primary season, political moderates tend to find themselves alone. Over the years, the parties have grown farther apart ideologically to the point where one must generally find themselves in one camp or the other, even if they don’t agree with every position. This is a consequence of the two-party system of governance and is known as ______________.

Answer 13

Party polarization

Question 14

The American Second Party System began with the three-way election cycle of Andrew Jackson, John Quincy Adams, and Henry Clay. This Second Party System involved a split between a national party and revolved around what two new political parties?

Answer 14

Democrats and Whigs

Question 15

Historically, over ________ of American voters have called themselves “Republican” or “Democrat” when asked how they identify themselves politically

Answer 15

1/2

Question 16

Over time, the United States has become more socially ________________

Answer 16

liberal

Question 17

This is the manipulation of legislative districts in an attempt to favor a particular candidate

Answer 17

Gerrymandering

Question 18

This simplified system of voting is found most commonly in the United States and requires the winner receive either the majority of votes or the plurality of votes in an election. What is this system?

Answer 18

First-past-the-post

Question 19

This is the party that controls less than half of the seats in one of the two chambers of Congress

Answer 19

Minority party

Question 20

These are the members of the voting public who consider themselves to be part of a political party and/or who consistently prefer the candidates of one party over the other

Answer 20

Party-in-the-electorate

Question 21

a process of cooperation through compromise

Answer 21

bipartisanship

Question 22

an election that represents a sudden, clear, and long-term shift in voter allegiances

Answer 22

critical election

Question 23

a condition in which one or more houses of the legislature is controlled by the party in opposition to the executive

Answer 23

divided government

Question 24

a system in which the winner of an election is the candidate who wins the greatest number of votes cast, also known as plurality voting

Answer 24

first-past-the-post

Question 25

the manipulation of legislative districts in an attempt to favor a particular candidate

Answer 25

gerrymandering

Question 26

a type of election in which the winning candidate must receive at least 50 percent of the votes, even if a run-off election is required

Answer 26

majoritarian voting

Question 27

the legislative party with over half the seats in a legislative body, and thus significant power to control the agenda

Answer 27

majority party

Question 28

the legislative party with less than half the seats in a legislative body

Answer 28

minority party

Question 29

an individual who falls in the middle of the ideological spectrum

Answer 29

moderate

Question 30

individuals who represent themselves in public as being part of a party

Answer 30

party identifiers

Question 31

the formal structure of the political party and the active members responsible for coordinating party behavior and supporting party candidates

Answer 31

party organization

Question 32

the collection of a party’s positions on issues it considers politically important

Answer 32

party platform

Question 33

the shift of party positions from moderate towards ideological extremes

Answer 33

party polarization

Question 34

a shifting of party alliances within the electorate

Answer 34

party realignment

Question 35

party identifiers who have been elected to office and are responsible for fulfilling the party’s promises

Answer 35

party-in-government

Question 36

members of the voting public who consider themselves part of a political party or who consistently prefer the candidates of one party over the other

Answer 36

party-in-the-electorate

Question 37

a political style that focuses on building direct relationships with voters rather than on promoting specific issues

Answer 37

personal politics

Question 38

the election rule by which the candidate with the most votes wins, regardless of vote share

Answer 38

plurality voting

Question 39

an organization that secures votes for a party’s candidates or supports the party in other ways, usually in exchange for political favors such as a job in government

Answer 39

political machine

Question 40

organizations made up of groups of people with similar interests that try to directly influence public policy through their members who seek and hold public office

Answer 40

political parties

Question 41

the lowest level of party organization, usually organized around neighborhoods

Answer 41

precinct

Question 42

a party-based election rule in which the number of seats a party receives is a function of the share of votes it receives in an election

Answer 42

proportional representation

Question 43

the reallocation of House seats between the states to account for population changes

Answer 43

reapportionment

Question 44

the redrawing of electoral maps

Answer 44

redistricting

Question 45

a district drawn so members of a party can be assured of winning by a comfortable margin

Answer 45

safe seat

Question 46

the process in which voters change party allegiances in response to shifts in party position

Answer 46

sorting

Question 47

political parties formed as an alternative to the Republican and Democratic parties, also known as minor parties

Answer 47

third parties

Question 48

a system in which two major parties win all or almost all elections

Answer 48

two-party system

Question 49

Which supporter of federalism warned people about the dangers of political parties?

Answer 49

Georgia Washington

Question 50

Which of the following was not a third-party challenger?
A. Whig Party
B. Progressive Party
C. Dixiecrats
D. Green Party

Answer 50

A. Whig Party

Question 51

Why were the early U.S. political parties formed?

Answer 51

Early parties were electoral coalitions of elites, mostly in the U.S. Congress. They were mostly designed to help win House elections and the presidency, but they quickly expanded activities to the state level.

Question 52

What techniques led the Democratic Party to national prominence in the 1830s through 1850s?

Answer 52

personal politics

Question 53

In which type of electoral system do voters select the party of their choice rather than an individual candidate?

Answer 53

proportional representation

Question 54

Which of the following does not represent a major contributing factor in party realignment?A.demographic shifts
B. changes in key issues
C. changes in party strategies
D. third parties

Answer 54

D. third parties

Question 55

What impact, if any, do third parties typically have on U.S. elections?

Answer 55

Third parties bring important issues to the attention of the major parties. They also often serve as spoilers in the elections they enter.

Question 56

In what ways do political parties collude with state and local government to prevent the rise of new parties?

Answer 56

election laws make it harder to get on the ballot, the Electoral College makes it harder for third parties

Question 57

Which level of party organization is most responsible for helping the party’s nominee win the presidency?

Answer 57

national

Question 58

How do members of the party organization differ from party identifiers? What role does each play in the party as a whole?

Answer 58

The party organization are active members in supporting party behavior and candidates, party identifiers are mostly citizens and voters who identify with the party

Question 59

Why is winning votes so important to political parties? How does the need to win elections affect party structures?

Answer 59

Parties can’t influence and enact policy without winning. They must organize at each level at which elections take place in order to contest elections and develop candidates

Question 60

What are the positives and negatives of partisan polarization?

Answer 60

Positive: Provides voters with distinct choices
Negative: Moderates aren’t voting or participating in government, amplifies into party conflict

Question 61

What is the sorting thesis, and what does it suggest as the cause of party polarization?

Answer 61

The sorting thesis says that voters change party allegiances in response to shifts in party position. It suggests that polarization is a function of voters’ paying more attention to national politics and voting more consistently.

Question 62

Does gerrymandering lead to increased polarization?

Answer 62

yes

Question 63

How have the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street Movement affected partisan politics?

Answer 63

They have pulled their respective parties further to the ideological poles and have changed the issues parties consider. They may also have made compromise more difficult.