Political Science 1 – National & California Governments Globalyceum Exam No. 2

Dr. Richard Tahvildaran-Jesswein (Office Phone 310-434-3541)

Political Science 1 – National & California Governments

Globalyceum Exam 2

1. Poll results vary based on

a. Mean, median, and mode.

b. Survey mode, sample size, and population definition.

c. Whether the method used was approved by the Census Bureau.

d. The statistical application of the Weights and Measures Bureau’s guidelines.

2. A candidate must win how many votes in the Electoral College to become president of the United States?

a. 270

b. All 538 of the votes

c. 400

d. 150

3. What is fits the definition of a social movements?

a. It uses people and organization to challenge power-holders.

b. All of these.

c. It claims to represent a group that is being treated unjustly.

d. It works outside the normal channels of government to create social or political change.

4. Which income percentile of the American population is most likely to go beyond voting and participate in campaign work on behalf of candidates for office.

a. People who have income at about the middle range.

b. Campaign participation is not influenced by income level.

c. The top 10 percent.

d. The bottom 20 percent.

5. Which of the following statements about conservatives is true?

a. None of these.

b. Conservatives tend to favor more government regulation of business.

c. Conservatives tend to favor higher taxes.

d. Conservatives tend to support larger government.

6. What is a key way that political parties make democracy possible?

a. Ensures accountability of officeholders

b. Allows a broad range of participants to become involved in politics

c. Stimulates interest in politics in the public

d. All of these

7. According to Jackson, primary election debates are very important because

a. Lesser-known candidates can get recognition with a good debate performance.

b. All of these.

c. Voters can compare the many candidates side by side.

d. The debates educate the voters about new issues and party positions on those issues.

8. Voter turnout varies with the type of election. From highest to lowest the order in the US would be:

a. Presidential elections, mid-term elections, primary elections.

b. State elections, mid-term election, presidential elections.

c. Primary elections, mid-term elections, presidential elections.

d. Mid-term elections, primary elections, presidential elections.

9. De Tocqueville saw political groups as a "necessary evil" in American democracy.

a. TRUE

b. FALSE

10. According to the political scientist Marjorie Hershey,

a. All of these.

b. There have been only five major political parties in all of US history.

c. The Democratic Party and Republican Party have dominated the Congress and the presidency since 1860.

d. The Federalist Party, the Democratic-Republican Party, and the Whig Party have not been active since the 19th century.

11. Although there have been many parties in American history,

a. We have always had one dominant and one weak political party.

b. We have only had about six political parties in our history.

c. We have always had at least four major political parties at any one time.

d. We have always had two major political parties that represent liberal and conservative views.

12. One method that schools use to politically socialize young people is

a. Ask student to participate in mock elections.

b. Tell students who to vote for.

c. Ask students to watch TV news.

d. Ask students to read newspapers.

13. Most modern observers believe that political parties

a. Are not really essential to democracy but are a tradition that we can not seem to get rid of them.

b. Are so essential to democracy that modern democracy would be impossible without them.

c. Are a great hindrance to democracy.

d. Are only useful to democracy if there are at least five or six of them.

14. Social movements have been important sources of social, political, and economic change in the United States.

a. FALSE

b. TRUE

15. A major tenet of the Pluralist School is

a. There are plural, or many, power holders and many accesses to power.

b. People naturally form interest groups to access these easily permeable power structures.

c. Power structures are easily permeable and interest groups do it all of the time.

d. All of these.

16. Violence against women would be an issue that affects

a. Women of all classes and races.

b. Lower-class women.

c. Mostly women of color.

d. Immigrant women.

17. Increased political polarization in Congress has led to

a. An enhanced communication between leaders of the House and Senate.

b. An increasingly popular public view of Congressional performance.

c. Gridlock in Congress.

d. Members of Congress running for multiple terms.

18. What has the greatest influence on decisions that American make when they vote?

a. Education

b. Partisanship

c. Single issues.

d. Preference for candidate

19. Affirmative advocacy

a. Actively seeks out coalitions and works with others at the state and local level

b. Has a proactive agenda

c. Looks for over-represented and under-represented issues in setting the agenda for activity

d. All of these

20. The four types of issues that advocacy groups deal with are

a. Universal issues, majority issues, discrimination issues, and advantaged sub-group issues

b. Majority issues, disadvantaged sub-group issues, advantaged sub-group issues, and Social Security issues

c. Universal discrimination issues, majority-minority issues, advantage sub-group issues, and disadvantaged sub-group issues

d. Universal issues, majority issues, disadvantaged sub-group issues, and advantaged sub-group issues

21. Older voters vote twice as frequently as younger voters.

a. FALSE

b. TRUE

22. The formation of interest groups and civil society organizations is an important part of the American political process.

a. TRUE

b. FALSE

23. Political outsiders and excluded groups engage in which of the following activities?

a. Demonstrations

b. All of these

c. Sit-ins

d. Street theater

24. What does the unit rule mean?

a. There are only five units in the country, and the presidential candidate must win at least 3 of these.

b. A candidate gets the proportion of the Electoral College votes that corresponds with the percentage of votes he or she won.

c. When a candidate wins most of the popular votes in a state, he or she takes all of the Electoral College votes.

d. When the candidate wins 270 units, he or she becomes president of the US.

25. Because social movements lack access to the reins of power and its resources, it uses other resources that are more readily available to it, such as

a. All of these.

b. Commitment.

c. Energy.

d. Numbers.

26. “Blue Dog Democrats” are

a. Liberal Democrats who always vote along party lines.

b. Democrats from the “blue” states.

c. Democrats who support labor unions.

d. Democrats who are conservative on economic issues.

27. In an open primary, the voter can choose which primary election--Democratic or Republican--he or she would like to vote in.

a. FALSE

b. TRUE

28. According to the political scientist, V.O. Key,

a. The party organization refers to its relatively permanent structure.

b. The party in the electorate consist of voters who identify with it consistently and support its candidates regularly in elections.

c. The party in government includes appointees and elected officials who run for office under the party's label.

d. All of these.

29. The problem with intersectional marginalization is that

a. When a person or group is faced with intersectionality issues, their problems do not just add to one another, they multiply and complicate each other.

b. You cannot claim that one form of marginalization is more important than another.

c. The discrimination problems faced by people who belong to two disadvantaged groups are much greater than those with one disadvantage.

d. All of these.

30. Which primary model is by far the LEAST used in congressional primaries?

a. Closed primaries

b. Hybrid primaries

c. Open primaries

d. Top-two primaries

31. Public opinion matters because in a democratic system we believe that government policy should follow the public will.

a. TRUE

b. FALSE

32. What election recently was controversial because of the very close Electoral College vote?

a. Obama v. Romney

b. Kennedy v. Nixonc. Bush v. Gored. Reagan v. Carter

33. Who wrote the following words: "Liberty is to faction what air is to fire"?

a. Patrick Henry

b. James Madison

c. John Jay

d. Alexander Hamiliton

34. Strolovitch's main argument is

a. All of these.

b. Even though organizations may not be doing a good job of advocating for the marginalized, we should still celebrate the fact that they are making the effort.

c. Just because an organization has some indication in its name that it represents the marginalized, they sometimes could be doing more harm than good.

d. We have to question whether groups that claim to represent the disadvantaged actually do it.

35. Polls show that Americans support that core political belief that women should have the same rights as men.

a. TRUE

b. FALSE

36. Why do both the government and private sector assemble data on public opinion?

a. All of these

b. Public opinion polls are the best way to measure what people think.

c. The United States has a representative form of government; therefore, public opinion is important to lawmakers.

d. Americans believe in the democratic process, and therefore value public opinion.

37. Alexis de Tocqueville

a. Believed that "faction" could be good.

b. All of these.

c. Believed that association was the secret of democracy in America.

d. Regarded "faction" as a form of association.

38. When the Founders drafted the US Constitution, Senators were elected by

a. The voters directly.

b. The Electoral College.

c. None of these.

d. Members of the state legislatures.

39. According to Strolovitch, in judging the effectiveness of an advocacy organization which claims to represent the marginalized,what are the guiding questions we should ask?

a. How active for the intersectionally marginalized are they? Because without that the organization is a failure.

b. What coalitions do they form? Because coalitions are the key to success.

c. What institutions do they target and what coalitions do they form? Because the political activity is the most important barometer.

d. How active for the intersectionally marginalizedn are they, what institutions do they target, and what coalitions do they form?

40. The appropriate “population” in a survey

a. Depends on the question being asked.

b. Is always comprised of 1,000 voters.

c. Simply means finding a group that accurately represents the entire United States.

d. Depends on whether you are doing an in-person interview, a online survey, or a phone poll.

41. According to Jackson, what two things do schools do to encourage active, engaged voters at an earlier age?

a. Study abroad and voter registration drives at the school.

b. Mock elections and notes home to parents to encourage them to talk to their children about political affairs.

c. Mock elections and student council elections.

d. Student council elections and study abroad.

42. When women’s groups wanted to fight pregnancy discrimination in the 1970s,

a. They went to the the Equal Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

b. All of these.

c. They went to Congress.

d. They chose a legislative and an executive strategy.

43. Besides winning elections, political parties are useful as watchdogs.

a. TRUE

b. FALSE

44. According to Dara Strolovitch, we should scrutinize advocacy organizations that claim to represent the marginalized like anything else and have standards for questioning their effectiveness.

a. FALSE

b. TRUE

45. What is the "American Creed"?

a. The belief in a special American religion.

b. An oath taken by children every morning in grade schools.

c. None of these.

d. A strong belief in the core political values of the nation.

46. The difference between direct democracy and representative democracy is that in the former the voter votes directly on the issue, while in later the voter votes for a person who will vote for the voter. a. FALSE

b. TRUE

47. Which of the following is NOT a social movement?

a. #Black Lives Matter

b. DREAMers

c. The Tea Party

d. EPA

48. Why do many social movements have to make public demonstrations to get their message to the public?

a. All of these,

b. In the beginning, they lack powerful advocates for their cause, like politicians and wealthy people.

c. They often do not have the money to appeal to others on expensive media, like television.

d. Sometimes, their causes conflict with powerful interests, like the wealthy, the police, and politicians, so they have to go over their heads to the public at large.

49. Since 1836, the republic has been dominated by how many political parties at a time?

a. Five

b. Three

c. One

d. Two

50. The cell-phone only population is likely to include more young people, which pollsters have to take into account a. TRUEb. FALSE