Monday's Sabato Quiz

12.2 True/False Questions

1) The 2004 Democratic and Republican Party platforms were nearly identical.

2) George Washington was the founder of the American political party system.

3) The American two-party system was established by the Constitution.

4) The Era of Good Feelings occurred during James Monroeʹs presidency.

5) By the 1820s, most states used popular elections to select their members of the Electoral
College.

6) Political machines were Republican Party organizations that organized rural voters by offering
many intangible incentives to be loyal to the party.

7) Political machines contributed to high voter turnout.

8) The Progressive movement weakened political parties and ushered in candidate-centered
politics.

9) A secular realignment occurred in the South in the 1990s, with traditionally Republican
Southerners gradually aligning with the Democratic Party.

10) The Republican Party has been very successful in its get-out-the-vote efforts.

11) Europeans are much more likely than Americans to believe that government should help in
providing children with food, clothes, and housing.

12) Party affiliation provides a useful cue for voters when evaluating political events and issues.

13) Very few of the items in the winning partyʹs platform are ever implemented.

14) Winner-take-all systems make it difficult for third parties to win legislative seats.

15) A third party candidate has never been elected to the U.S. Congress.

16) Third parties that are built around a single issue or a charismatic candidate are unlikely to
attain long-term viability.

17) Party chairpersons do a substantial amount of the planning for presidential nominating
conventions.

18) Contemporary national nominating conventions are choreographed to project the best image
to the American people.

19) Think tanks are comprised of intellectuals who study public policies from an academic
perspective and have no interest in influencing political debates or outcomes.

20) Republicans have dominated the world of think tanks.

21) Soft money played a crucial role in the 2006 midterm elections, helping Democrats regain
control of both chambers of Congress for the first time since 1994.

22) Republicans have consistently raised more hard money than Democrats.


23) Democrats trail behind Republicans in most measures of party activity.

24) The Democratic National Committee is chaired by Howard Dean, who has emphasized
grassroots organization and fund-raising.

25) In Congress, party-based voting has increased considerably in recent years.

26) In Congress, both the Democratic Party and the Republican Party have become increasingly
ideologically homogeneous.

27) George W. Bush has dedicated considerable energy to building the Republican Party in the
electorate and in the government.

28) Most federal judicial appointees come from the presidentʹs party.

29) During Bill Clintonʹs presidency, congressional Republicans blocked Clintonʹs judicial
appointees. During George W. Bushʹs presidency, congressional Democrats blocked Bushʹs
judicial appointees.

30) Following the 2006 elections, Republicans held a majority of state legislatures.

31) Restrictive ballot laws, campaign finance rules, and the inertia of a two-party system have
made it difficult for third parties to become viable.

32) Most Americans perceive the middle class to be fairly narrow and restrictive.

33) One reason for the gender gap is the lack of support for the Democratic Party among men.

34) Americans with advanced degrees are more likely to be Democrats than Republicans.

35) Although Hispanics have traditionally supported the Democratic Party, they began voting en
masse for the Republican Party starting with the 2000 presidential election.

36) One reason older voters tend to support the Democratic Party is its traditional support for
Social Security and Medicare.

37) While the party in the electorate has declined in recent years, the party in government and the
party organizations are stronger than ever.