AP GOV CHAPTER 12 &13 TEST BANK
EXAM QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS
Studies have shown that presidential ________ in an election have little effect on the
success of the partyʹs candidates for the House and Senate.
A) coattails
B) junkets
C) vetoes
D) headwinds
E) scandals - Answer-A
Which of the following is NOT one of the three primary activities that members of
Congress engage in to increase the probability of their reelection?
A) advertising
B) credit-claiming
C) position-taking
D) oversight
E) None of the above; oversight is a form of position-taking. - Answer-D
An example of casework by a member of Congress is
A) writing a newsletter to send out to constituents.
B) helping a constituent gain citizenship.
C) voting for a bill desired by constituents.
D) working with a caucus on a public policy that affects his or her constituents.
E) all of the above - Answer-B
The pork barrel and casework are examples of
A) opportunities for credit-claiming by members of Congress.
B) advertising techniques.
C) descriptive representation.
D) position-taking.
E) congressional continuity. - Answer-A
An especially important asset for incumbents running for reelection is their
A) service to constituents.
B) voting records.
C) support by party leaders in Congress.
D) presidential support.
E) invisibility. - Answer-A
The ________ is the list of federal projects, grants, and contracts available to cities,
businesses, colleges, and institutions which members of Congress seek to locate in
their district to promote the interests of their constituency.
A) casework
B) pork barrel
C) frank
,D) junket
E) Treasurerʹs register - Answer-B
Federal grants and contracts that members of Congress try to obtain for their
constituents are collectively referred to as
A) the pork barrel.
B) casework.
C) public service.
D) perquisites.
E) affirmative action. - Answer-A
Incumbents are those
A) already holding office.
B) running for office for the first time.
C) who have been defeated in an election.
D) retired members of Congress.
E) running for an office. - Answer-A
In most congressional elections, challengers
A) outspend an incumbent.
B) win.
C) are better known than incumbents.
D) lose.
E) spend roughly as much money as incumbents. - Answer-D
The single most important advantage to someone trying to get elected to Congress
is
A) being an incumbent.
B) having more money to spend on campaigning.
C) being charismatic and photogenic.
D) having a clean record.
E) winning the endorsement of the top leaders of their party. - Answer-A
Comparison between members of the House and Senate concerning the impact of
incumbency on their reelection chances shows that one of the reasons that senators
have a smaller advantage is because they
A) have become over-specialized as policymakers.
B) are more likely to be held accountable on controversial issues.
C) are less visible.
D) have longer terms that increase the chance of scandal.
E) represent more homogenous constituencies. - Answer-B
Reasons that incumbent senators have greater competition than incumbent
members of the House include all of the following EXCEPT
A) an entire state is more diverse than a congressional district, providing more of a
base for opposition.
B) senators have less personal contact with their constituencies.
C) voters are less likely to know the issue positions of their senators than their
representatives.
D) senators tend to draw more visible challengers.
,E) senate challengers are better funded than House challengers. - Answer-C
Which of these candidates would most likely get elected?
A) a representative running for reelection
B) a senator running for reelection
C) an incumbent representative challenging a senator
D) a challenger
E) an incumbent - Answer-A
Compared to members of the House, senators are
A) more likely to have personal contact with their constituents.
B) more likely to face difficult reelection opponents.
C) less likely to face difficult reelection opponents.
D) less likely to use television in their reelection campaigns.
E) none of the above - Answer-B
Members of Congress engage in each of the following activities that increase the
probability of their reelections EXCEPT
A) advertising.
B) party voting.
C) credit-claiming.
D) position taking.
E) spend much of their time away from Congress and in their home districts. -
Answer-B
What accounts for the success of congressional candidates?
A) their highly representative policy positions
B) presidential coattails
C) economic forces
D) advertising, credit-claiming, and position-taking.
E) good looks - Answer-D
Which of the following is NOT true about incumbents?
A) They usually win elections.
B) They usually have more money than their challengers.
C) They usually have higher name recognition and visibility than their opponents.
D) They usually face very tough challengers, especially in races for the House.
E) They usually have their partyʹs endorsement. - Answer-D
Which of the following statements about those who challenge incumbent members of
the House is TRUE?
A) They are usually not well-known.
B) They are usually experienced legislators.
C) They usually have a well-established organizational backing.
D) They tend to be well-financed.
E) They usually conduct public opinion polls and only run if they have a good chance
of winning. - Answer-A
In the House races of 2004, the typical incumbent outspent the typical challenger by
A) 2 to 1.
, B) 4 to 1.
C) 6 to 1.
D) 15 to 1.
E) 20 to 1. - Answer-D
Which of the following statements about money in Congressional elections is
FALSE?
A) It costs more money to elect a president than to elect a member of Congress.
B) Most of the money spent in congressional elections comes from individuals.
C) About a quarter of the funds raised in general election contests come from PACs.
D) Political Action Committees often make contributions after the election.
E) PACs often switch sides and give money to the candidate they originally opposed.
- Answer-A
The role of party identification in votersʹ choices in congressional campaigns is
A) extremely important, and increasingly so.
B) moderately important, even though party identification is not as strong as it used
to be.
C) slightly important in a few districts, not important in most others.
D) not important at all, and never really has been.
E) much less significant than in presidential campaigns. - Answer-B
Party loyalty at the voting booth is
A) stronger than it was a generation ago.
B) no longer a good indication of voting behavior.
C) still a good predictor of voting behavior.
D) almost nonexistent today.
E) greater among Democrats than among Republicans. - Answer-C
House incumbents typically receive
A) about the same amount of contributions from PACs as challengers.
B) less from PACs than challengers.
C) much more from PACs as challengers.
D) generous support from their party campaign committees.
E) none of the above. - Answer-D
On average, most of the money raised by a candidate for Congress comes from
A) political parties.
B) individual contributions.
C) the candidateʹs own savings.
D) Political Action Committees.
E) loans. - Answer-B
A single Political Action Committee
A) has no limit on the amount of money it can spend on a candidate.
B) can at most account for only a small percentage of a winnerʹs total spending.
C) usually puts all its efforts into one candidate.
D) can gain the most influence by giving money to candidates who disagree with
them.
EXAM QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS
Studies have shown that presidential ________ in an election have little effect on the
success of the partyʹs candidates for the House and Senate.
A) coattails
B) junkets
C) vetoes
D) headwinds
E) scandals - Answer-A
Which of the following is NOT one of the three primary activities that members of
Congress engage in to increase the probability of their reelection?
A) advertising
B) credit-claiming
C) position-taking
D) oversight
E) None of the above; oversight is a form of position-taking. - Answer-D
An example of casework by a member of Congress is
A) writing a newsletter to send out to constituents.
B) helping a constituent gain citizenship.
C) voting for a bill desired by constituents.
D) working with a caucus on a public policy that affects his or her constituents.
E) all of the above - Answer-B
The pork barrel and casework are examples of
A) opportunities for credit-claiming by members of Congress.
B) advertising techniques.
C) descriptive representation.
D) position-taking.
E) congressional continuity. - Answer-A
An especially important asset for incumbents running for reelection is their
A) service to constituents.
B) voting records.
C) support by party leaders in Congress.
D) presidential support.
E) invisibility. - Answer-A
The ________ is the list of federal projects, grants, and contracts available to cities,
businesses, colleges, and institutions which members of Congress seek to locate in
their district to promote the interests of their constituency.
A) casework
B) pork barrel
C) frank
,D) junket
E) Treasurerʹs register - Answer-B
Federal grants and contracts that members of Congress try to obtain for their
constituents are collectively referred to as
A) the pork barrel.
B) casework.
C) public service.
D) perquisites.
E) affirmative action. - Answer-A
Incumbents are those
A) already holding office.
B) running for office for the first time.
C) who have been defeated in an election.
D) retired members of Congress.
E) running for an office. - Answer-A
In most congressional elections, challengers
A) outspend an incumbent.
B) win.
C) are better known than incumbents.
D) lose.
E) spend roughly as much money as incumbents. - Answer-D
The single most important advantage to someone trying to get elected to Congress
is
A) being an incumbent.
B) having more money to spend on campaigning.
C) being charismatic and photogenic.
D) having a clean record.
E) winning the endorsement of the top leaders of their party. - Answer-A
Comparison between members of the House and Senate concerning the impact of
incumbency on their reelection chances shows that one of the reasons that senators
have a smaller advantage is because they
A) have become over-specialized as policymakers.
B) are more likely to be held accountable on controversial issues.
C) are less visible.
D) have longer terms that increase the chance of scandal.
E) represent more homogenous constituencies. - Answer-B
Reasons that incumbent senators have greater competition than incumbent
members of the House include all of the following EXCEPT
A) an entire state is more diverse than a congressional district, providing more of a
base for opposition.
B) senators have less personal contact with their constituencies.
C) voters are less likely to know the issue positions of their senators than their
representatives.
D) senators tend to draw more visible challengers.
,E) senate challengers are better funded than House challengers. - Answer-C
Which of these candidates would most likely get elected?
A) a representative running for reelection
B) a senator running for reelection
C) an incumbent representative challenging a senator
D) a challenger
E) an incumbent - Answer-A
Compared to members of the House, senators are
A) more likely to have personal contact with their constituents.
B) more likely to face difficult reelection opponents.
C) less likely to face difficult reelection opponents.
D) less likely to use television in their reelection campaigns.
E) none of the above - Answer-B
Members of Congress engage in each of the following activities that increase the
probability of their reelections EXCEPT
A) advertising.
B) party voting.
C) credit-claiming.
D) position taking.
E) spend much of their time away from Congress and in their home districts. -
Answer-B
What accounts for the success of congressional candidates?
A) their highly representative policy positions
B) presidential coattails
C) economic forces
D) advertising, credit-claiming, and position-taking.
E) good looks - Answer-D
Which of the following is NOT true about incumbents?
A) They usually win elections.
B) They usually have more money than their challengers.
C) They usually have higher name recognition and visibility than their opponents.
D) They usually face very tough challengers, especially in races for the House.
E) They usually have their partyʹs endorsement. - Answer-D
Which of the following statements about those who challenge incumbent members of
the House is TRUE?
A) They are usually not well-known.
B) They are usually experienced legislators.
C) They usually have a well-established organizational backing.
D) They tend to be well-financed.
E) They usually conduct public opinion polls and only run if they have a good chance
of winning. - Answer-A
In the House races of 2004, the typical incumbent outspent the typical challenger by
A) 2 to 1.
, B) 4 to 1.
C) 6 to 1.
D) 15 to 1.
E) 20 to 1. - Answer-D
Which of the following statements about money in Congressional elections is
FALSE?
A) It costs more money to elect a president than to elect a member of Congress.
B) Most of the money spent in congressional elections comes from individuals.
C) About a quarter of the funds raised in general election contests come from PACs.
D) Political Action Committees often make contributions after the election.
E) PACs often switch sides and give money to the candidate they originally opposed.
- Answer-A
The role of party identification in votersʹ choices in congressional campaigns is
A) extremely important, and increasingly so.
B) moderately important, even though party identification is not as strong as it used
to be.
C) slightly important in a few districts, not important in most others.
D) not important at all, and never really has been.
E) much less significant than in presidential campaigns. - Answer-B
Party loyalty at the voting booth is
A) stronger than it was a generation ago.
B) no longer a good indication of voting behavior.
C) still a good predictor of voting behavior.
D) almost nonexistent today.
E) greater among Democrats than among Republicans. - Answer-C
House incumbents typically receive
A) about the same amount of contributions from PACs as challengers.
B) less from PACs than challengers.
C) much more from PACs as challengers.
D) generous support from their party campaign committees.
E) none of the above. - Answer-D
On average, most of the money raised by a candidate for Congress comes from
A) political parties.
B) individual contributions.
C) the candidateʹs own savings.
D) Political Action Committees.
E) loans. - Answer-B
A single Political Action Committee
A) has no limit on the amount of money it can spend on a candidate.
B) can at most account for only a small percentage of a winnerʹs total spending.
C) usually puts all its efforts into one candidate.
D) can gain the most influence by giving money to candidates who disagree with
them.
