Political Parties

Question 1

political party

Answer 1

a group of people with broad, shared interests

Question 2

why do political parties use symbols

Answer 2

to make things less confusing

Question 3

why did Americans split into different political parties

Answer 3

because people had different ideas about what the government should do

Question 4

which political candidate believed that people should be protected from a large national government system

Answer 4

Jefferson

Question 5

Which party grew from the idea that a strong central government would encourage a strong economy

Answer 5

Federalist party

Question 6

What was Jefferson’s reasoning behind favoring a strong state government rather than a strong national government

Answer 6

the state was closer to the people

Question 7

Why was the Republican Party so successful following the Civil War but less so after the Great Depression

Answer 7

because they were strongly against slavery

Question 8

how did the issue of slavery influence the formation of political parties

Answer 8

because people who had the same view on slavery formed different political parties

Question 9

why do third parties usually not last very long in the American two-party system

Answer 9

because the issue that they are promoting usually loses importance or is adopted by a larger party

Question 10

what is a disadvantage of a multi-party system

Answer 10

one party rarely wins enough support to control the government

Question 11

national committee

Answer 11

representatives from the 50 state party organizations who run a political party

Question 12

caucus

Answer 12

a meeting of political party members to conduct party business

Question 13

precinct

Answer 13

a geographic area that contains a specific number of voters

Question 14

Political machine

Answer 14

a strong party organization that can control political appointments and deliver votes

Question 15

direct primary

Answer 15

an election in which voters choose candidates to represent each political party in a general election

Question 16

closed primary

Answer 16

an election in which only the declared members of a political party in a general election

Question 17

open primary

Answer 17

an election in which voters need not to declare their party preference

Question 18

plurality

Answer 18

the most votes among all those running for a political office

Question 19

majority

Answer 19

a number that is more than 50 percent of the total

Question 20

what is the purpose of a presidential primary

Answer 20

to nominate, or choose, candidates for office

Question 21

what is the relationship between a political machine and a political party

Answer 21

a regular party welcomes anyone who wants to belong and they do all they can to attract members. A political machine is a very strong form of a political party

Question 22

how did political machine at one time aid citizens

Answer 22

it provided jobs to the people who voted for them

Question 23

why are political machines thought to be harmful

Answer 23

because if it is in power too long then it could start to ignore the people’s needs

Question 24

what is the purpose of primary elections

Answer 24

to allow people to vote on whichever party that they want

Question 25

what is a closed primary

Answer 25

an election in which only party members can vote

Question 26

what is an open primary

Answer 26

an election in which any registered voter is allowed to vote

Question 27

what is the difference between a plurality and a majority

Answer 27

plurality is getting the most votes in a primary but majority is getting more than 50% of the votes

Question 28

what is the most basic function of a political party

Answer 28

to elect candidates to office

Question 29

list some examples of grassroot movements

Answer 29

people wanting to ban alcohol or people wanted to ban firearms

Question 30

why is it important of political parties to act as watchdogs

Answer 30

to keep the party in power in check and to help the people voice their opinion