Gov 310L FINAL EXAM Questions with
Guaranteed Pass Solutions 2026
Updated.
the _____________ is the idea that a party is NOT just a group of elected officials but an
organization that exists apart from its candidates - Answer party principle
party systems across the history of politics in the United States are most defined by - Answer
shifts in major issues and supporting groups that characterize parties and political conflicts
how many party systems have existed in American history since 1789? - Answer 6
for a new party system to emerge in the United States, which 2 factors typically need to exist? -
Answer crosscutting issues, high-turnout election
the principal body in a political party's organization is the ______________________. - Answer
national committee
t/f: democratic and republican party organizations ARE hierarchical. - Answer f
what is the best way to describe political party organizations so that an average American would
understand? - Answer Parties are loosely connected organizations at multiple levels
connected by shared ideology
how do parties in government help the government function? - Answer develop policy
priorities among members, select leadership, seek areas of compromise
the party ____________ is a set of promises about what candidates from the party will do if
they are elected. - Answer platform
who can vote in closed primaries? - Answer only voters registered with party vote
Who can vote in a semi-closed primary? - Answer registered members of a party and
independents
who can vote in open primaries? - Answer anyone
,who can vote in a caucus? - Answer party members to select delegates
though the election and dates for holding primary elections or caucuses are decided by state
legislatures, the allocation of delegates to presidential candidates at the nominating convention
is controlled by which entity? - Answer national political parties
policy making, economic activities, and policy implementation are complex activities for many
Americans to understand, but the presence of political parties within government - Answer
allows Americans to hold policymakers responsible for what they believe to be positive or
negative effects of government
A politician running for reelection for an office they currently hold is called an ___________. -
Answer incumbent
a politician running for office for the first time is known as a _______________. - Answer
challenger
what are the 2 steps in the procedure to run for federal office? - Answer primary and general
election (respectively)
who is elected in a presidential election? - Answer entire House of Reps, 1/3 of the Senate,
president, vice president
who is elected in a midterm election? - Answer entire House, another 1/3 of the Senate (no
pres, VP)
what is the difference between plurality and majority voting? - Answer in plurality the
candidate just needs to get the most votes but in majority the candidate needs more than 50%
of the votes
what happens in states that use majority voting when no candidate receives higher than 50% of
votes? - Answer runoff election with ony the 2 top candidates from the og election
how are presidential nominees from the Democratic & Republican parties determined? -
Answer state-level primaries & caucuses
All Democratic primaries and caucuses (and some Republican primaries and caucuses) use a
system where the number of delegates a candidate receives is determined by the percentage of
the popular vote they received. This is known as ____________. - Answer proportional
allocation
, some republican contests use proportional allocation, but others use a _____________ system.
- Answer winner-take-all
what constitutes the number of electors for each state? - Answer # House members +
senators
what 2 states allocate most of their electoral votes at the congressional district level? - Answer
Maine and Nebraska
What is a 527 organization? - Answer tax-exempt organization that can engage in political
activity often with soft money
What is the coattail effect? - Answer strong candidate running for office at the top of the
ballot helps attract voters to other candidates on the party's ticket (reverse coattail can also
occur)
What is the caucus system? - Answer A system in which members of a political party meet to
choose their party's candidate for president or decide policy
what are some problems with the caucus system? - Answer old, public, takes a long time
which political party adheres to the caucus system within the House and Senate? - Answer
democrats
what happens during the dealignment stage of party eras? - Answer people don't align with
either party
about how often does dealignment occur? - Answer ~40-60 years
what is a realignment? what causes it? - Answer fundamental shift in party loyalty; caused by
shifting ideologies of parties
what 2 stages precede a realignment? - Answer dealignment, critical election respectively
what is a direct primary? - Answer A primary where voters directly select the candidates who
will run for office
Guaranteed Pass Solutions 2026
Updated.
the _____________ is the idea that a party is NOT just a group of elected officials but an
organization that exists apart from its candidates - Answer party principle
party systems across the history of politics in the United States are most defined by - Answer
shifts in major issues and supporting groups that characterize parties and political conflicts
how many party systems have existed in American history since 1789? - Answer 6
for a new party system to emerge in the United States, which 2 factors typically need to exist? -
Answer crosscutting issues, high-turnout election
the principal body in a political party's organization is the ______________________. - Answer
national committee
t/f: democratic and republican party organizations ARE hierarchical. - Answer f
what is the best way to describe political party organizations so that an average American would
understand? - Answer Parties are loosely connected organizations at multiple levels
connected by shared ideology
how do parties in government help the government function? - Answer develop policy
priorities among members, select leadership, seek areas of compromise
the party ____________ is a set of promises about what candidates from the party will do if
they are elected. - Answer platform
who can vote in closed primaries? - Answer only voters registered with party vote
Who can vote in a semi-closed primary? - Answer registered members of a party and
independents
who can vote in open primaries? - Answer anyone
,who can vote in a caucus? - Answer party members to select delegates
though the election and dates for holding primary elections or caucuses are decided by state
legislatures, the allocation of delegates to presidential candidates at the nominating convention
is controlled by which entity? - Answer national political parties
policy making, economic activities, and policy implementation are complex activities for many
Americans to understand, but the presence of political parties within government - Answer
allows Americans to hold policymakers responsible for what they believe to be positive or
negative effects of government
A politician running for reelection for an office they currently hold is called an ___________. -
Answer incumbent
a politician running for office for the first time is known as a _______________. - Answer
challenger
what are the 2 steps in the procedure to run for federal office? - Answer primary and general
election (respectively)
who is elected in a presidential election? - Answer entire House of Reps, 1/3 of the Senate,
president, vice president
who is elected in a midterm election? - Answer entire House, another 1/3 of the Senate (no
pres, VP)
what is the difference between plurality and majority voting? - Answer in plurality the
candidate just needs to get the most votes but in majority the candidate needs more than 50%
of the votes
what happens in states that use majority voting when no candidate receives higher than 50% of
votes? - Answer runoff election with ony the 2 top candidates from the og election
how are presidential nominees from the Democratic & Republican parties determined? -
Answer state-level primaries & caucuses
All Democratic primaries and caucuses (and some Republican primaries and caucuses) use a
system where the number of delegates a candidate receives is determined by the percentage of
the popular vote they received. This is known as ____________. - Answer proportional
allocation
, some republican contests use proportional allocation, but others use a _____________ system.
- Answer winner-take-all
what constitutes the number of electors for each state? - Answer # House members +
senators
what 2 states allocate most of their electoral votes at the congressional district level? - Answer
Maine and Nebraska
What is a 527 organization? - Answer tax-exempt organization that can engage in political
activity often with soft money
What is the coattail effect? - Answer strong candidate running for office at the top of the
ballot helps attract voters to other candidates on the party's ticket (reverse coattail can also
occur)
What is the caucus system? - Answer A system in which members of a political party meet to
choose their party's candidate for president or decide policy
what are some problems with the caucus system? - Answer old, public, takes a long time
which political party adheres to the caucus system within the House and Senate? - Answer
democrats
what happens during the dealignment stage of party eras? - Answer people don't align with
either party
about how often does dealignment occur? - Answer ~40-60 years
what is a realignment? what causes it? - Answer fundamental shift in party loyalty; caused by
shifting ideologies of parties
what 2 stages precede a realignment? - Answer dealignment, critical election respectively
what is a direct primary? - Answer A primary where voters directly select the candidates who
will run for office
