American Government Institutions and

Policies 16th Edition Wilson Test Bank

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Elections and Campaigns
1. Originally, presidential candidates were chosen by
a. lottery.
b. conventions.
c. congressional caucus.
d. state legislatures.
e. governors.
ANSWER: c

2. After party caucuses were replaced by national nominating conventions, the real power in selecting presidential
nominees was wielded by
a. the voters in primary elections.
b. local party leaders.
c. political pundits.
d. nonpartisan groups that sought to pick the best candidates.
e. the voters in caucus elections.
ANSWER: b

3. When Hubert Humphrey won the Democratic nomination for the presidency in 1968, he did so
a. without spending money on advertising.
b. with considerable assistance from Republican voters.
c. without raising money.
d. in spite of opposition from party bosses.
e. without competing in a single state primary.
ANSWER: e

4. By the time the 2016 presidential election was completed, the presidential campaigns had raised and spent
approximately
a. $6 million.
b. $4 billion.
c. $1.5 billion.
d. $800 million.
e. $500 million.
ANSWER: c

5. Media’s influence on voters is greatest when

a. people have the least knowledge about an issue.
b. people are very well informed about an issue.
c. people understand enough about an issue to know that it’s important, but not enough to form a cohesive
perspective.
d. voters are already extensively familiar with the candidates.
e. None of these are correct.
ANSWER: a

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6. A comprehensive study on political advertisements found that the plurality emphasized
a. stirring positive emotions.
b. voters’ fears.
c. civic duty.
d. nonpartisan cooperation.
e. candidates’ personal qualities.
ANSWER: b

7. A candidate who wins an upset victory in an early primary often tends to do better than expected in future contests.
This is known as the _____ effect.
a. prospective.
b. battleground.
c. Coriolis.
d. caucus.
e. bandwagon.
ANSWER: e

8. A major difference between presidential campaigns and congressional campaigns is that

a. fewer people vote in presidential elections.
b. presidential incumbents can better serve their constituents.
c. presidential incumbents can more easily avoid responsibility.
d. presidential races are generally more competitive.
e. congressional incumbents are more likely to be defeated.
ANSWER: d

9. Electoral coattails refers to

a. the formal attire of presidential candidates.
b. coordinated campaigns between different offices in the same party.
c. competition between the two main parties.
d. how more attractive candidates perform better in national elections.
e. the winning presidential candidate’s positive effect on congressional elections.
ANSWER: e

10. The biggest challenge in the presidential primary for most candidates is
a. that they are unknown to the public.
b. that incumbents are hard to unseat.
c. gaining the support of the party organization.
d. choosing a Vice President.
e. deciding when to run.
ANSWER: a

11. In 2016, Republican leaders voted to frontload the primary process and make it easier for a candidate to capture the
nomination early on. This move ultimately
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a. almost prevented Donald Trump from winning.

b. allowed Donald Trump to clinch the nomination on March 1.
c. helped Donald Trump win.
d. caused many Republicans to abandon the party.
e. caused many Democrats to vote Republican.
ANSWER: c

12. Concerned about the shortened length of campaigns, parties have begun to
a. reduce frontloading of primary elections and reduce delegates from early states.
b. move up early voting by giving more delegates to early states.
c. move back their conventions to later in the year.
d. do nothing.
e. None of these are correct.
ANSWER: a

13. Since 1911, the size of the House of Representatives has been fixed at __________ members.
a. 100
b. 217
c. 400
d. 435
e. 437
ANSWER: d

14. An important part of presidential campaigning is activating voters’ latent partisanship. This entails
a. the demonization of the other party’s nominees.
b. assigning blame for recent failures.
c. assigning credit for recent successes.
d. reminding party members why they’re party members.
e. None of these are correct.
ANSWER: d

15. Congressional incumbents often beat their challengers because they

a. have more name recognition.
b. can take credit for the good things that happened in their district.
c. provide services to those whom they represent.
d. have a fundraising advantage.
e. All of these are correct.
ANSWER: e

16. Since the mid-1960s, the incumbent reelection percentage in the House has never dropped below
a. 60 percent.
b. 65 percent.

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c. 75 percent.
d. 80 percent.
e. 90 percent.
ANSWER: d

17. When a district is drawn in a bizarre or unusual shape to assist a candidate, it is

a. malapportioned.
b. reapportioned.
c. regressed.
d. gerrymandered.
e. disbarred.
ANSWER: d

18. Since the mid-1960s, the incumbent reelection rate has never dropped below __________ percent in the Senate.
a. 60
b. 65
c. 75
d. 80
e. 90
ANSWER: a

19. The quintessential summary of retrospective voting, according to Ronald Reagan, was,
a. “All politics is local.”
b. “Events, dear boy, events.”
c. “Government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.”
d. “Every man a king, but no one wears the crown.”
e. “Are you better off than you were four years ago?”
ANSWER: e

20. The most important factor in winning the Presidency is

a. partisanship.
b. the health of the nation.
c. candidate character.
d. fundraising.
e. organization.
ANSWER: a

21. Which of the following is not considered a pivotal state in presidential elections?
a. Florida.
b. California.
c. Pennsylvania.
d. Ohio.

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e. North Carolina.
ANSWER: b

22. Front-loading the primaries tends to

a. benefit state parties at the expense of voters.
b. benefit voters at the expense of state parties.
c. benefit both voters and state parties.
d. be harmful to both voters and state parties.
e. have no measurable effect on either voters or state parties.
ANSWER: a

23. In the 1980 presidential election, many people voted for Ronald Reagan over Jimmy Carter as a vote against Carter’s
performance. This is an example of a(n)
a. spin vote.
b. retrospective vote.
c. prospective vote.
d. informed vote.
e. inclined vote.
ANSWER: b

24. A __________ issue is one in which the rival candidates have opposing views on a question that also divides the
voters.
a. valence
b. primary
c. secondary
d. residual
e. positional
ANSWER: e

25. To be president, a person must be

a. a natural born citizen.
b. 45 years old.
c. a legalized citizen.
d. 40 years old.
e. a veteran.
ANSWER: a

26. Everyone is in agreement over a __________ issue; the question is whether any given candidate can bring about the
outcome everyone desires.
a. valence
b. primary
c. secondary
d. positional
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e. residual
ANSWER: a

27. Which of the following observations illustrates the concept of surge and decline?
a. A Democrat was elected president in 1936, and Democrats won seats in the midterm elections of 1938.
b. A Democrat was elected president in 2008, and Democrats lost seats in the midterm elections of 2010.
c. A Democrat was elected president in 1996, and Republicans won seats in the midterm elections of 2002.
d. A Republican was elected president in 1988, and a Democrat was elected president in 1992.
e. Beginning in 1992, a Democrat was president for eight years, then a Republican, then another Democrat.
ANSWER: b

28. Which of the following was an example of a valence issue helping a presidential candidate?
a. Richard Nixon was seen as more supportive of anticrime measures than his rival.
b. Jimmy Carter appeared to favor honesty in government more than his opponent.
c. Ronald Reagan was more closely identified with a strong economy than his opponent.
d. George H. W. Bush was more closely linked to patriotism than his opponent.
e. All of these are correct.
ANSWER: e

29. Most political ads are

a. negative.
b. positive.
c. dishonest.
d. related to the issues of the campaign.
e. ineffective.
ANSWER: a

30. The effects of gerrymandering are

a. nonexistent.
b. more serious than most people realize.
c. less serious than many people claim.
d. about as serious as most people believe.
e. often contradictory to expectations.
ANSWER: c

31. Which of the following is a true statement about political campaign advertisements?
a. They work primarily on the uninformed and uneducated.
b. They appeal primarily to logic and reason.
c. They are predominantly dirty and deceptive.
d. They rile up emotions and increase voter turnout.
e. None of these are correct.
ANSWER: e

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32. Money is
a. more important to congressional elections than to presidential elections.
b. less important to congressional elections than to presidential elections.
c. neither more nor less important to congressional elections than to presidential elections.
d. either more or less important to congressional elections than to presidential elections, depending on whether
the election is a midterm.
e. as important to congressional elections as to presidential elections, but in different ways.
ANSWER: a

33. In recent elections, candidates have relied increasingly on

a. appearances at malls to reach potential voters.
b. large parades and rallies to reach potential voters.
c. whistle-stop train tours to reach potential voters.
d. appearances at factories to reach potential voters.
e. broadcasting to reach potential voters.
ANSWER: e

34. Since 1964, African Americans have voted Democratic by at least

a. 50%.
b. 60%.
c. 70%.
d. 80%.
e. 90%.
ANSWER: d

35. Most demographic groups favor one party or the other by

a. 25% or more
b. 20%
c. 15%
d. 10%
e. 5% or less
ANSWER: e

36. Presidential elections are held every

a. 2 years.
b. 4 years.
c. 6 years.
d. 8 years.
e. 10 years.
ANSWER: b

37. Congressional elections are held every

a. 2 years.
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b. 4 years.
c. 6 years.
d. 8 years.
e. 10 years.
ANSWER: a

38. In general, the president’s party __________ in off-year midterm elections.

a. gains votes
b. keeps the same number of votes
c. loses votes
d. gains or loses votes with no apparent pattern
e. gains or loses votes based on the fundamentals.
ANSWER: c

39. The federal government provides matching funds, dollar for dollar, for money raised by small donors for what types of
elections?
a. Congressional elections
b. Presidential elections
c. Governor’s elections
d. State legislative elections
e. None of these are correct.
ANSWER: b

40. Campaign finance reforms

a. required candidates to raise money from many small donors.
b. required donations to be reported to the FEC.
c. made the media more powerful in elections.
d. benefited incumbent politicians.
e. All of these are correct.
ANSWER: e

41. Ordinary advertising directed at or against a candidate, but not by any candidate’s wish, is
a. “independent expenditure.”
b. illegal.
c. only present at the state level.
d. “political action.”
e. “soft money.”
ANSWER: a

42. The agency responsible for monitoring federal elections and campaign finance is the
a. United States Congress
b. United States Department of State
c. United State Department of Justice
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d. State Departments of State

e. Federal Election Commission
ANSWER: e

43. Based on research, presidential debates seem to

a. determine elections.
b. be pivotal events.
c. be watched by only a few insiders.
d. matter for undecided voters.
e. help incumbents.
ANSWER: d

44. In Federal Election Commission v. Wisconsin Right to Life, the Supreme Court held that
a. McCain-Feingold, a campaign finance law, was constitutional.
b. issue advocacy was not protected by the First Amendment and could be banned.
c. issue advocacy was protected by the First Amendment and could not be banned.
d. speech required money, and so campaign finance laws were illegal.
e. None of these are correct.
ANSWER: c

45. Unlimited money given to political parties but not used to back candidates directly is known as
a. hard money.
b. soft money.
c. issue advocacy.
d. PAC money.
e. independent expenditures.
ANSWER: b

46. Funding of congressional elections comes from

a. public sources only.
b. private sources only.
c. party sources only.
d. a combination of public, party, and private sources.
e. the parties and public sources.
ANSWER: b

47. The campaign finance law created in the 1970s was the direct byproduct of
a. the Watergate scandal.
b. the passage of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment.
c. decreasing voter turnout.
d. wage and price controls.
e. the Chicago riots.

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ANSWER: a

48. Most of the money for congressional candidates comes from

a. PACs.
b. major corporations.
c. small businesses.
d. super PACs.
e. individuals.
ANSWER: e

49. Soft money is obtained by

a. political parties.
b. incumbents.
c. challengers.
d. party leaders.
e. party leaders’ PACs.
ANSWER: a

50. The experience with 527 organizations in the 2004 elections suggests that campaign finance laws
a. are an effective way to minimize interest group participation.
b. are an effective way to reduce campaign spending.
c. facilitate coordination of efforts between candidates and groups.
d. are not likely to take money out of politics.
e. have restricted speech considerably.
ANSWER: d

51. In most years, __________ is the central issue for most voters.
a. health care
b. social justice
c. foreign policy
d. crime
e. the economy
ANSWER: e

52. One advantage that incumbents always have over challengers is

a. their larger share of federal campaign monies.
b. the political advantage of riding the president’s coattails.
c. their use of free mailings, or franks.
d. their freedom from FEC regulations.
e. their freedom from libelous laws.
ANSWER: c

53. In a presidential election, the foremost factor for Independent voters is

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a. the health of the nation.

b. foreign policy.
c. economic issues such as taxes and welfare.
d. social issues such abortion and gun control.
e. All of these are correct.
ANSWER: a

54. Which of the following accurately reflects a source of dissatisfaction for many voters in the 2016 presidential
election?
a. Neither of the candidates had much real-world experience outside of political office.
b. Neither of the candidates had much experience in political office.
c. Wall Street corruption created a financial crisis in 2012 that by 2016 still hadn’t been fixed.
d. The economy experienced a significant downturn from 2012 to 2016.
e. The economy improved from 2012 to 2016, but most of the new wealth went to people who were already very
rich.
ANSWER: e

55. In a strong party parliamentary system, once a party wins office

a. it can implement its platform line by line.
b. it can only implement its platform if a majority of the other parties agree.
c. it must get approval of its platform from another branch of government.
d. it cannot undo previous parties’ laws.
e. None of these are correct.
ANSWER: a

56. When a voter votes for the candidate whom he or she considers more likely to do a better job in office, that voting is
referred to as
a. “clothespin” voting.
b. ideological voting.
c. prospective voting.
d. retrospective voting.
e. sociotropic voting.
ANSWER: c

57. Which type of voting requires a lot of information about candidates and issues?
a. Issueless voting
b. Ideological voting
c. Prospective voting
d. Retrospective voting
e. Sociotropic voting
ANSWER: c

58. After Democrats won the Presidency and large majorities in Congress in 1964, they
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a. instituted federal aid to education.

b. created Medicare and Medicaid.
c. passed a great deal of environmental and consumer protection laws.
d. revised immigration laws.
e. All of these are correct.
ANSWER: e

59. The text suggests that elections are decided by __________ voters.
a. “clothespin”
b. ideological
c. prospective
d. retrospective
e. sociotropic
ANSWER: d

60. According to the text,

a. the outcome of a presidential election is important if and only if the president’s party has a majority in at least
one house of Congress.
b. the outcome of a presidential election is important if and only if the president’s party has majorities in both
houses of Congress.
c. the outcome of a presidential election is important, but only to the extent that it affects subsequent
congressional elections.
d. elections have a slightly, but not significantly, bigger impact than many cynics believe.
e. elections have a much bigger impact than many cynics believe.
ANSWER: e

61. Presidential candidates were first nominated by national conventions.

a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

62. Presidential campaigning has changed drastically, and fundraising has lost its importance.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

63. In the 1800s, most people voted straight party ticket.

a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

64. Most of the money that candidates spend today is media related.
a. True

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b. False
ANSWER: True

65. Research has found that highly emotional ads have the most effect on people who know the most about politics.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

66. In Israel and the Netherlands, the names of candidates for the legislature do not even appear on the ballot.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

67. Voters know, generally speaking, if the country is headed on the right track or wrong track.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

68. The authors suggest that campaigns focus on assigning credit and blame for the state of the nation, activating latent
partisanship, and introducing and judging the candidates’ characters.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

69. If you run for a seat in the House against the incumbent, the odds are very much against you.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

70. By custom, members of Congress must live in the district that they represent, not just the state.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

71. Gerrymandering occurs when districts are drawn for purely political reasons.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

72. The current size of the House at 435 members was set in the year 1911.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

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73. The effect of gerrymandering on congressional elections is much larger than many claim.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

74. The president’s party tends to do well in off-year elections.

a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

75. A positional issue is an issue that does not divide voters.

a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

76. During ordinary times, every election is critical and forces the parties to fight over a single dominant issue.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

77. As in presidential elections, the health of the economy is important to congressional elections.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

78. Presidential candidates must accept public funding.

a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

79. It is unconstitutional to restrict the expenditures of a candidate’s campaigns, but contributions to campaigns can be
limited.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: True

80. Trade and corporate PAC money tends to flow exclusively to ideologically similar parties.
a. True
b. False
ANSWER: False

81. Discuss fundraising in modern presidential campaigns and compare it to the past.
ANSWER: In 1980, all presidential candidates raised about $162 million. Adjusted for inflation, the 2016 total is over
three times the 1980 total. Even in the last decade and a half, the amount of money raised in presidential
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elections has increased sharply. In 2000, all presidential candidates raised about $578 million; adjusted for
inflation, the 2016 figure is 1.8 times as much.

82. Discuss the benefits of incumbency for Congressional elections.

ANSWER: Incumbents benefit from being active with their constituency service, and they have the ability to claim credit
for all the good things that happen in their districts during their terms. This builds personal loyalty that a
challenger lacks. They also have name recognition and experience winning in the district. Finally, they have
an advantage in raising money due to that recognition.

83. Compare and contrast presidential and congressional campaigns.

ANSWER: ∙ Presidential races are more competitive.
∙ Voter turnout tends to be higher when there is a presidential election (contra mid-term election).
∙ Members of Congress can serve constituents and claim credit in ways that presidential candidates cannot.
∙ Congressional candidates can separate themselves from the messes in Washington (they run for Congress by
running against Congress).

84. Explain the restrictions that federal law places on contributions to candidates by individuals and PACs and the rules of
eligibility for federal matching grants.
ANSWER: ∙ Individuals can contribute up to $2,000 to candidates in each election.
∙ PACs can contribute up to $5,000 to candidates in each election.
∙ For matching funds, a candidate must raise $5,000 in each of 20 states, by amounts of $250 or less.

85. Define gerrymandering in congressional districts.

ANSWER: ∙ Gerrymandering is drawing a district boundary in some bizarre or unusual shape to make it easy for the
candidate of one party to win election in that district.

86. Explain gerrymandering and the limits of its effects on Congressional elections.
ANSWER: Gerrymandering is the process of drawing district lines to benefit one party at the expense of another. For
example, a district might be packed with Democrats to make it easy for Democrats to win it. There are,
however, competing pressures. Districts have to be approximately equally sized and follow natural political
boundaries, and they usually have to be contiguous. This makes gerrymandering hard to do. Particularly
perspicacious students might also note that the lines are redrawn every decade to account for population shifts,
indicating that a gerrymandered district may not stay gerrymandered for long.

87. Explain the difference between positional issues and valence issues. Summarize the trends regarding each in recent
elections.
ANSWER: ∙ Position issues: Candidates have opposing issues on a question that also divide the voters.
∙ Valence issues: Candidates try to mirror public opinion on questions about which nearly everyone agrees.
Campaigns often involve both, but the importance of valence issues has increased in recent campaigns.

88. Summarize the incumbency advantage for members of the House and Senate.
ANSWER: In 2016, 97 percent of House incumbents and 90 percent of incumbent Senators were reelected. Since the mid-
1960s, the incumbent reelection rate has never dropped below 80 percent in the House or 60 percent in the
Senate.

89. What is the “surge and decline” pattern and why does it exist?
ANSWER: Surge and decline is the effect of the President’s party losing seats in Congress during the midterm
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elections. Part of the reason for this is the lack of coattails. When the President is running, the campaign
generates a surge of support for the President’s party, which leads to more seats in the Congress. In the
midterms, those coattails do not exist. It may also be related to retrospective voting. Presidents who have had
two years to perform may have their problems taken out on their party in the midterms.

90. Why is retrospective voting more common than prospective voting?

ANSWER: Retrospective voting is comparatively easy. Voters have a general idea of whether the country is on the right
track or wrong track. Prospective voting, though, requires extensive knowledge of the issues and policies of
the candidates in order to make reasonable predictions. This is hard to do.

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