294 Chapter 8 | Political Parties- A group of elected officials of the same party who come
together to organize and strategize is called a.
a cabal
b conditional party government
c primary
d PAC
e caucus - The modern Congress is ; the distance between
the parties has over the past 60 years.
a polarized; increased
b polarized; stayed the same
c not polarized; decreased
d not polarized; stayed the same
e not polarized; increased - What has recent analysis of political Independents concluded?
a They are in the process of changing parties.
b More and more people regard parties as irrelevant.
c Americans are politically savvy and do not blindly follow party lines.
d The number of Independents has grown substantially in the past
20 years.
e Independents are not better informed on candidates, parties,
or policy.
The role of political parties in
American politics
Explain the important functions that parties perform in the
political system. (Pages 278–288)Summary
Political parties serve two major roles in the political system. First, they
compete in elections by recruiting and nominating candidates and
supporting candidate campaigns. Second, they facilitate cooperation in
government by providing a framework for agenda-setting, coordination,
and accountability among members of the same party. There are
many different minor political parties, and while they rarely make a
significant impact on the political stage, they do occasionally influence
election outcomes. The two big issues facing minor parties are that their
platforms do not appeal to a large portion of Americans and that the
electoral system makes it hard for minor parties to win elections.Key terms
primary election (p. 279)
caucus (electoral) (p. 279)
nominating convention (p. 281)
party platform (p. 284)
unified government (p. 286)divided government (p. 286)
Duverger’s Law (p. 288)
single-member district
(p. 288)
plurality voting (p. 288)Practice Quiz Questions
- Which is not one of the ways political party organizations
support candidates?
a by controlling who runs in House and Senate races
b by contributing money to campaign activities
c by offering advice on how to deal with the press
d by organizing get-out-the-vote activities
e by offering advice on which issues to emphasize - Why do most candidates support their party platforms?
a because candidates are required to support the platforms
b because all candidates vote on the platforms that are written
c because candidates get kicked out of the party for not doing so
d because both major parties’ platforms are essentially the same
e because most candidates and their constituents generally agree
with the platform - When the president, House, and Senate are controlled by the
same party, this is called.
a party in government
b responsible party government
c unified government
d divided government
e conditional party government - The principle that single-member districts and plurality voting
will support only two political parties is.
a Condorcet’s theorem
b Pascal’s paradox
c Duverger’s Law
d Fermat’s theorem
e conditional party government
How well do parties operate?
Evaluate whether the American party system enhances or
hinders democracy. (Pages 289–291)Summary
Political parties do a number of things that are important to facilitate
good democracy: they generally recruit good candidates, simplify
voters’ choices, encourage candidates to work together in office, and
provide a mechanism for holding politicians accountable. Nonetheless,
there are limits to the extent to which parties are able to achieve these
goals, partially due to the fact that the people who make up the parties
are primarily interested in their own careers.Full_09_APT_64431_ch08_262-295.indd 294 16/11/18 1:41 PM