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Introduction to Political Science

Review Questions

Introduction to Political ScienceReview Questions

Review Questions

1 .
What is the definition of an interest group?
  1. A group of people who work to get a candidate elected from a certain party
  2. A group of people who work to influence policy and support candidates regardless of party
  3. A group of bipartisan voters
  4. None of the above
2 .
Which of the following is not a type of interest group?
  1. Economic groups
  2. Labor groups
  3. Civil rights groups
  4. Demographic groups
3 .
What do pluralist theory, transaction theory, and disturbance theory all have in common?
  1. They explain why candidates need interest groups.
  2. They explain why interest groups are no longer important in politics.
  3. They explain how interest groups are formed.
  4. They explain whether and how interest groups hurt politics.
4 .
Which of these is an advantage of interest groups?
  1. They argue against substantive policy change.
  2. They allow people with strong opinions on relevant issues to try to affect policy.
  3. They increase the amount of dark money in politics.
  4. None of the above
5 .
Which of these is a disadvantage of interest groups?
  1. Interest groups represent multiple viewpoints about how people want government to act.
  2. Interest groups raise money for candidates so that their policies can be implemented.
  3. Interest group activity can lead to a minority rather than a majority being heard in government.
  4. Interest groups play no role in government.
6 .
Which of these activities are examples of the ways in which interest groups influence government?
  1. Inside lobbying, outside lobbying, and ballot initiatives
  2. Inside lobbying, outside funding, and electoral reform
  3. Outside lobbying, log-rolling, and vote counting
  4. None of these
7 .
What is a political party?
  1. A group that forms based on a political ideology
  2. A group that forms to make sure as many members of their own party get elected as possible
  3. A group that forms to influence policy outcomes in government
  4. All of the above
8 .
Which combination of activities do political parties engage in?
  1. Printing ballots, drawing district lines, and recruiting candidates
  2. Fundraising, recruiting candidates, and registering voters
  3. Registering voters, purging registration rolls, and counting ballots
  4. Recruiting candidates, discouraging incumbents from running, and creating polls
9 .
Which of these is an example of a current party system?
  1. Multiparty system
  2. Single-party system
  3. Two-party system
  4. All of the above
10 .
Which of these trends best illustrates the declining influence of political parties?
  1. The rise of the media
  2. The rise of fundraising demands
  3. The rise of candidate-centered campaigns
  4. The rise of liberal candidates
11 .
Which of these is the best example of a current weakness of the US party system?
  1. The inability to mobilize voters’ opinions
  2. The inability to raise enough money
  3. The inability to garner media attention
  4. None of the above
12 .
Party decline around the world can be seen through:
  1. Economic factors such as deindustrialization
  2. Rise of communication technologies
  3. Decline of class as a factor in political mobilization
  4. All of the above
13 .
What is an election?
  1. A time when people vote for who they want to hold office
  2. A formal decision-making process involving a group of voters
  3. A way in which groups try to achieve formal goals
  4. All of the above
14 .
Why are elections important for a democracy?
  1. They allow members of society to express opinions and preferences to elected officials.
  2. They allow candidates to raise and spend money to get elected.
  3. They are important for the media to report on.
  4. None of the above are correct.
15 .
What do adverse selection, moral hazard, and voter suppression have in common when it comes to elections?
  1. They show how important elections are to parties.
  2. They explain the weaknesses of ballot initiatives.
  3. They illustrate some problems of elections in general.
  4. They speak to the growing concerns around fundraising in elections.
16 .
Which of these groups is most likely to vote in an election?
  1. A group of minorities who have frequent elections
  2. Nonminority males with higher incomes
  3. People who have not yet registered to vote
  4. None of these groups are likely to vote
17 .
In the United States, elections involve:
  1. Electoral districts
  2. The electoral college
  3. Plurality or majority rule
  4. All of the above
18 .
Around the world, elections:
  1. Look very different from those in the United States
  2. Look exactly like elections in the United States
  3. Are always held on the same day
  4. Are only held in democracies
19 .
In the United States, elections are mostly regulated by:
  1. The federal government
  2. Cities and localities
  3. State governments
  4. A nonpartisan, nongovernmental body
20 .
Which of the following characterizes elections in Britain?
  1. Snap elections
  2. Brief election periods
  3. Non-fixed election dates
  4. All of the above
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