Final Exam

A  Educational attainment.

B  Ethnicity.

C  Age.

D  Party loyalty.

A  Democrat

B  Labour

C  Libertarian

D  Republican

E  Whig

F  Conservative

A  The wealthiest 1%.

B  Those earning between $50,000-74,999 per year.

C  Voter turnout cannot be measured/predicted by income.

D  Those earning $150,000 or more per year.

E  Those earning less than $10,000 per year.

A  Disproportionately lower voter turnout among racial minorities.

B  Proportionally lower voter turnout among all demographic groups.

C  The Federal Election Commission will likely force both states to repeal these laws if voter turnout declines.

D  Exponentially higher turnout among voters earning $15,000 or less.

E  The voter turnout in urban centers like Detroit and Miami will likely continue to increase as a result of the legislation.

A  Republican support among Americans with at least a college degree is growing. Promoting more educational opportunities in the rural south, as well as the Midwest, would benefit the Republican party and hurt Democrats.

B  Today, Republicans enjoy a growing advantage over Democrats among voters with a college degree. Increasing educational attainment in the U.S. seems to favor the Republican party.

C  Higher educational attainment among American voters has always benefitted the Democratic Party.

D  There is identical incentive for both parties to promote higher educational attainment, particularly among minority groups.

E  Today, Democrats enjoy a growing advantage over Republicans among voters with a college degree. Increasing educational attainment in the U.S. seems to favor the Democratic party.

A  Republican / Democrat

B  Democrat / Republican

C  Republican / Republican

D  Democrat / Democrat

A  TRUE

B  FALSE

A  Labour

B  Libertarian

C  Democrat

D  Conservative

E  Whig

F  Republican

A  Those earning between $50,000-74,999 per year.

B  Voter turnout cannot be measured/predicted by income.

C  Those earning $150,000 or more per year.

D  Those earning less than $10,000 per year.

E  The wealthiest 1%.

A  FALSE

B  TRUE

A  The Prime Minister

B  The President

C  The House of Representatives

D  The Senate

A  Congressional districts play a crucial role in determining who gets elected president.

B  The shape of congressional districts alone may affect which party controls the House of Representatives and thus shapes policy.

C  Redistricting allows non-citizens to vote on issues like healthcare, climate change, and gun control.

D  The shape of congressional districts can affect which party controls the U.S. Senate and thus shapes policy.

A  TRUE

B  FALSE

A  FALSE

B  TRUE

A  The Electoral College forces States to pledge all of their delegates to the candidate who won the popular vote nationally, rather than in their respective State.

B  Large cities and population centers disproportionately voted for Donald Trump thereby assuring him a plurality of electoral votes despite falling short of the total popular vote.

C  Historically low voter turnout can explain why Clinton could come close to matching Obama (by winning handily in more populous states) yet fail to earn enough popular votes in key battleground/swing states where the difference between winning and losing fell within the margin of error (3%).

D  Higher turnout in 2016 means that Clinton’s relative lead is actually less significant given that considerably more voters participated in 2016 than in 2012.

A  TRUE

B  FALSE

A  Given that California and New York together contain 86 of the 270 votes necessary to win the presidency (over 30% of the number needed), to this date, no modern candidate has ever lost both of these states and been elected president.

B  States with the largest populations are becoming less important in national elections. New York and California have been relegated in the election cycle in favor of states with smaller populations, which are nonetheless more likely to ‘swing’ the election.

C  It is mathematically impossible to lose the popular vote and still be elected president. The Electoral College ensures that the winner of the plurality of votes will be the next president.

D  Large cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York, and Philadelphia are playing an increasingly important role in the presidential election. More rural portions of the US and are becoming politically marginalized during the election cycle because their populations are decisively smaller.

A  Presidential elections affect judicial appoints which can have profound consequences on the system of checks and balances.

B  All of these.

C  Midterm elections can effect the ability of a presidential administration to enact a political mandate relatively quickly.

D  A change of leadership in the House of Representative can profoundly impact the direction of American government.

A  TRUE

B  FALSE

A  Political ideology and the politics of special interests and PACs are unrelated

B  It forces special interest groups and PACs to act unilaterally and independently of one another.

C  It is the lone source of conflict between special interest groups and PACs.

D  It can serve to align potential rivals and foster cooperation across a wide range of issues which, by themselves, might be unrelated.

A  A more liberal conception of American government and increased environmental protections.

B  It advocates for federally planned income redistribution designed to close the gap between the MHI and American GDP.

C  A more conservative direction for the Republican party and American politics.

D  It opposes the NRA and seeks to limit access to firearms across the United States.

E  As a major donor to the Democratic party it heavily supports the American labor movement.

A  Opposition to clean air legislation which would cap emissions through government regulation.

B  The continued protection of abortion rights for all women in the United States.

C  The 2nd Amendment right to own firearms.

D  All of these.

E  The protection of workers’ rights in the United States.

A  Allows individuals who may be non-residents to anonymously donate and contribute unlimited funds to influence political elections at all levels of government in every state.

B  Limits the ability of individuals from donating, contributing, or otherwise influencing political elections outside of the state where they are registered voters, by forcing them to make their all their political donations public.

C  Led to a substantial increase in the power of labor unions in the US, particularly those organizations representing public employees.

D  Made local and state elections far less meaningful and important than the presidential election.

E  It has consolidated power in the hands of the National Committees of the Republican and Democratic Parties. No one can win an election at the national level without the full endorsement and support of these entities.

A  Is limited as to how much money they can raise and spend on American elections by the McCain-Feingold bill.

B  Is exclusively controlled by wealthy corporations.

C  Continuously competes for power and influence in American politics.

D  Is free to raise unlimited funds so long as they disclose their donors and make their contributions part of the public record.

A  TRUE

B  FALSE

A  TRUE

B  FALSE

A  FALSE

B  TRUE

A  The role of religion in the South often supersedes economic concerns

B  The Democratic party’s pro-choice stance undermines its support among Southern voters.

C  Lower educational attainment in the South’s rural regions has been linked with support for the Republican party, despite economic self-interest to the contrary.

D  The South has demonstrated a fundamental mistrust of liberal politics over the past half century.

E  All of these.

A  MHI and GDP continue to grow at the same pace thanks to numerous governmental regulations and income redistribution policies.

B  The U.S. has the highest MHI and lowest GDP of any industrialized nation.

C  The U.S. GDP has experienced a steady decline as has the MHI.

D  MHI long ago outpaced the growth of the American GDP.

E  The gap between MHI and GDP continues to grow with MHI remaining flat/steady while GDP has grown exponentially

A  Public opinion is erratic and unpredictable–it is nearly impossible to predict how American voters and the public at large will behave.

B  Public opinion is erratic and unpredictable–it is nearly impossible to predict how American voters and the public at large will behave.

C  Public opinion in the United States often represents a broad consensus across several issues.

D  Political opinion does shift but often the root causes can be measured and even predicted

A  The two-party system operates under the principle of shared power in which third and fourth party candidates form coalition governments in conjunction with the Democratic and Republican parties.

B  It has remained unchanged since the early 1800s with the Democratic and Republican parties representing the same regions, constituencies, and political values.

C  It has evolved over time with the Democratic and Republican parties at times changing some of their core values and ideologies.

D  Both the Democratic and Republican parties have become more liberal over time with the Democrats abandoning their pro-slavery stance and the Republicans pushing for increased government funding of a wide variety of public assistance programs.

A  FALSE

B  TRUE

A  All of these.

B  While it was a Republican Supreme Court that issued the decision of Roe v Wade which sanctioned abortion in the United States, opposition to abortion has persistently grown within the Republican party.

C  Republican presidents have become more conservative. Richard Nixon was credited with creating the EPA while Donald Trump has sought to undermine it–along with other government programs and agencies.

D  The influence of special interest groups like AFP, led by Charles and David Koch, have funded and promoted a more conservative agenda within the Republican party. The Kochs contribute to organizations like the NRA and are actively involved in limiting clean air legislation.

E  The role of religion has underpinned a conservative coalition of Catholic and Christian voters inspired by their rejection of abortion.

F  Using a ‘Southern Strategy’ the Republican party managed to build and maintain a conservative consensus in the formerly segregationist South since 1972.

A  Since 1860, the Democratic party has promoted a liberal agenda based on a strong federal government and robust social safety net programs.

B  Previously opposed to segregation, many Southerners left the Republican party to form a new Democratic consensus following the Election of 1968.

C  Following Reconstruction, the Democratic party sought to wield its considerable political strength by passing the 13th, 14th, and 15 Amendments. One expectation was that newly freed slaves would become reliable Democratic voters.

D  Once explicitly promoting white supremacy and racial segregation, Democratic presidents would support and enforce civil rights legislation in the 1960s.

A  FALSE

B  TRUE

A  FALSE

B  TRUE

A  FALSE

B  TRUE

A  TRUE

B  FALSE

A  The New Deal ushered in an era of deregulation and tax cuts which was intended to stimulate economic recovery by relying on the private sector— American industry and finance—to pull the United States out of the Great Depression.

B  Produced a 49 state landslide victory in 1972.

C  All of these.

D  Helped the Republican party establish a durable conservative consensus in the American South.

E  Played on elements of racial identity in order to win southern votes.

F  Borrowed substantially from tactics used by segregationist Democrat George Wallace.

A  The Democratic party broke apart in the South with segregationist George Wallace carrying 5 states.

B  It represented a conservative reaction to the turmoil of the 1960s.

C  All of these.

D  Ushered in a new era of American conservatism which would prevail into the 20th century.

E  The election of Richard Nixon completed on of the greatest comebacks in American political history.

A  It factored into a Republican Southern Strategy following 1968.

B  It was critical to the political realignment in the American South during the 1960s and 1970s

C  All of these.

D  It caused alienation among a significant number of southern Democrats.

E  It is a contributing factor as to why a majority of African Americans continue to align with the Democratic party.

A  Racial segregation was universally reviled across the United States. Nearly all states were relieved that the Supreme Court has outlawed it.

B  Plessy v Fergusen answered the question of civil rights by prohibiting states from segregating Americans based on race.

C  Southern states led the movement towards desegregation and racially equality while Democratic presidents like JFK and LBJ resisted using the federal government to protect civil rights.

D  As a result of Brown vs Board of Education and grassroots movements pushing for equality, the federal government was compelled to force desegregation on states which resisted it.

A  Economically more prosperous, Americans became politically more conservative.

B  Economically more liberal, Americans grew politically more liberal.

C  Politically more conservative, Americans became more economically prosperous.

D  Economically more prosperous, Americans became politically more liberal.

A  The universal embrace of federal Civil Rights legislation and political equality across the United States.

B  The decline of the Republican party in the American South.

C  More Democrats than Republicans have been elected president since 1968.

D  The decline of the New Deal coalition and emergence of the conservative movement in American politics.

E  The emergence of the American South as a loyal stronghold of the Democratic party in the early 1970s and beyond.

A  All of these.

B  The United States economy sank even lower following WWII. Politically, Americans lost confidence in the New Deal over time as it failed to address societal concerns like poverty and unemployment.

C  During dire economic times Americans supported a liberal federal agenda. However, following WWII, economic prosperity led to an erosion of the New Deal consensus.

D  During times of economic prosperity Americans tended to favor more federal programs directed at solving social crises like poverty, unemployment, and homelessness. However, as the economy spiraled downward most were reluctant to support federal spending of any kind.

E  None of these.

F  The New Deal was immensely unpopular among American voters and represented an unwelcomed intrusion into their everyday lives by an ever-growing federal bureaucracy. FDR served four terms as president primarily because American presidential elections were suspended during WWII (1936-1948).

A  A decrease in federal spending and cut-backs in federal programs like Social Security.

B  A Republican agenda to eliminate federal regulations on big business.

C  A broad consensus which significantly expanded the power of the federal government and led to the growth of the modern welfare state.

D  The legalization of abortion through a broad interpretation of the 14th Amendment.

E  A belief held by most Americans that the federal government was far too big and intrusive.

A  FDR believed that American farmers were largely responsible for the Great Depression and took an ambivalent posture towards agriculture, particularly in the South. Nearly all federal aid went to Northern cities.

B  The New Deal ushered in an era of deregulation and tax cuts which was intended to stimulate economic recovery by relying on the private sector— American industry and finance—to pull the United States out of the Great Depression.

C  The federal programs which encompassed the New Deal aimed to mitigate the economic and social hardships caused by the Great Depression. FDR proposed to develop and expand social safety-net programs which subsequently became identified with an emerging welfare state in the United States.

D  The New Deal was immensely unpopular among American voters and represented an unwelcomed intrusion into their everyday lives by an ever-growing federal bureaucracy. FDR served four terms as president primarily because American presidential elections were suspended during WWII (1936-1948).

E  None of the above.

F  All of the above.

A  FALSE

B  TRUE

A  During Reconstruction the power of the federal government diminished significantly. States were free to succeed from the Union at their discretion. The Constitution was considered to be nothing but a simple compact between the states.

B  Reconstruction ushered in a period of political conservatism which explicitly limited the rights of African Americans. The Constitution of the United States was amended to count blacks as 3/5ths of a person for apportionment purposes.

C  During times of economic prosperity Americans tended to favor more federal programs directed at solving social crises like poverty, unemployment, and homelessness. However, as the economy spiraled downward most were reluctant to support federal spending of any kind.

D  Through a series of key Constitutional amendments, the notion of what it meant to be an American was redefined to reflect the principles of legal equality. The federal government assumed unprecedent powers of enforcement in order to guarantee these new civil rights.

E  None of the above.

F  All of the above.