AP US Government Unit 5 Practice Test: Political Participation

Our AP US Government unit 5 practice test covers political participation. This includes voting rights, behaviors, political parties and their evolution as well as interest groups and their influence on policymaking. Elections for federal office are also addressed with an emphasis on financing campaigns and analyzing media communications.

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Question 1

Questions 1–3 refer to the passage below:

I stand with Hillary Clinton in the presidential race. Others will back Donald J. Trump. But polls suggest that almost one in 10 voters are making a different choice by supporting the Libertarian candidate, Gary Johnson, the Green Party candidate, Jill Stein, or another candidate.

And so once again major party backers warn against wasting votes on “spoilers” and criticize minor party candidates for even running. Defenders of third parties assert that there is no difference between the major parties and blame mainstream politicians for keeping them out of debates.

Ranked-choice voting is already used by tens of millions of voters, including in Australia and Ireland’s national elections, London, Minnesota’s twin cities and eight other American cities when electing mayors. It is also used in picking the Oscar nominees for best picture, and in electing student leaders at more than 50 American colleges.

It’s as easy as 1-2-3. Voters have the option to rank the candidates from first to last, and any candidate with a majority of first choices wins, just as in any other election. But if no candidate has a majority, you hold an “instant runoff” tally in order to compare the top two candidates head to head. Candidates in last place are eliminated, and their backers’ votes are counted for their next choice. When it’s down to two, the winner earns a majority of the vote.

—Howard Dean, “How to Move Beyond the Two-Party System”
The New York Times, October 6, 2016

Which of the following statements is consistent with the ideas expressed in the passage?

A	Ranked-choice balloting is already used in most American cities.
B	Ranked-choice balloting requires two elections—a general election and a runoff election.
C	On a ranked-choice ballot, voters award different numbers of points to their choices.
D	On a ranked-choice ballot, voters can designate a backup choice if their first choice does not do well in the election.

Question 1 Explanation:

The correct answer is (D). The system is explained in the last paragraph. According to the third paragraph, only ten cities use this system, so answer (A) may be eliminated. The “instant runoff” mentioned in the final paragraph does not actually require a second vote, so answer (B) is incorrect. Voters rank their choices; they do not award points, so answer (C) is also wrong.

Question 2

What does the author mean by “spoilers” in the second paragraph?

A	Candidates from minor parties use the patronage system.
B	Candidates from minor parties spoil elections by confusing voters.
C	Debates are spoiled because minor party candidates are not allowed to participate in them.
D	Candidates from minor parties draw votes away from a like-minded major party candidate, which allows the other major party candidate to be elected.

Question 2 Explanation:

The correct answer is (D). This question is definitional. “Spoiler” should not be confused with the spoils/patronage system (A), which is not an electoral system. Voters may find the presence of minor candidates confusing (B), but that fact has nothing to do with the question. The debates are also unrelated to the question (C).

Question 3

What would be a the most likely consequence of ranked-choice voting?

A	More citizens would vote.
B	States could implement proportional representation.
C	More than one candidate could be elected for each office on the ballot.
D	Voters could choose a minor party candidate without fear of “wasting” their votes.

Question 3 Explanation:

The correct answer is (D). Under the current system used by almost every government in the United States, a voter who chooses a minor party candidate “wastes” their vote because minor party candidates almost never get elected. But when using a ranked-choice system, voters can list a minor party candidate as their first choice. If their candidate is eliminated on the first count, then their vote is reallocated to their second choice. Therefore, voters can vote their conscious, but their votes will probably still be counted toward one of the two major party candidates.

More citizens might vote (A), but that outcome is not guaranteed. Proportional representation (B) requires voters to vote for parties, not individual candidates. Voters do not get multiple votes in a ranked-choice system, so answer (C) is incorrect.

Question 4

All of the following are functions of political parties except

A	forming political action committees.
B	mobilizing voters.
C	recruiting candidates.
D	writing platforms.

Question 4 Explanation:

The correct answer is (A). Political actions committees are part of some interest groups; they are not part of political parties. All the other options are functions of political parties.

Question 5

All of the following are functions of interest groups except

A	drafting legislative proposals.
B	filing briefs with a court.
C	hiring a campaign staff.
D	providing information to legislators.

Question 5 Explanation:

The correct answer is (C). Political parties, not interest groups, hire campaign staffs. All other options are functions of interest groups, though most people are unaware that they will often write legislative proposals (A) or file amicus curiae briefs with courts (B).

Question 6

Questions 6–7 refer to the cartoon below:

To what Supreme Court case does the cartoon refer?

A	Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)
B	McDonald v. Chicago (2010)
C	Shaw v. Reno (1993)
D	United States v. Lopez (1995)

Question 6 Explanation:

The correct answer is (A). In Citizens United the Supreme Court ruled that, as a matter a free speech, independent groups may spend unlimited amounts of money on advertising for political candidates. This applies to corporations, including nonprofit corporations, labor unions, and other associations.

Question 7

What is the main point of the cartoon?

A	Corporate executives should not be allowed to run for office.
B	Elected officials are taking bribes.
C	Elected officials owe their loyalty to special interests instead of their constituents.
D	The Supreme Court allowed donors and lobbyists to testify in court proceedings.

Question 7 Explanation:

The correct answer is (C). Elected officials are supposed to represent to their constituents, but the elected official in the cartoon is pledging himself to the special interests who donate money to his campaign. Nothing in the cartoon suggests that he is a corporate executive (A). The cartoon does not show a bribe (B) or court testimony (D).

Question 8

Questions 8–9 refer to the chart below:

According to this pie chart, Hillary Clinton won a

A	majority of the electoral vote.
B	majority of the popular vote.
C	plurality of the electoral vote.
D	plurality of the popular vote.

Question 8 Explanation:

The correct answer is (D). Hillary Clinton won more votes than anyone else, which is a plurality, but she did not win more than half the vote, which would be a majority. Therefore, answers (A) and (B) may be eliminated. The pie chart is about American voters, not electoral voters, which means answer (C) can also be eliminated.

Question 9

How is it possible that Donald Trump was elected president despite Hillary Clinton winning more votes?

A	Some of the ballots were miscounted.
B	Donald Trump won the runoff election.
C	Some of Hillary Clinton’s electors chose to vote for Donald Trump.
D	Hillary Clinton won a few states with by overwhelming numbers, but Donald Trump beat her in other states by only a comparatively slight number of votes.

Question 9 Explanation:

The correct answer is (D). Forty-eight states allocate electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis. Therefore, it is more important to win states than votes. A candidate who wins many states by a small margin may win more electoral votes than a candidate who has a lot of support in fewer states and a higher overall number of popular votes.

There were no allegations of a miscount (A), and even if there had been, a miscount would not relate to the pie chart. The United States does not use a runoff system (B) in presidential elections. None of Hillary Clinton’s electors voted for Donald Trump (C).

Question 10

Question 10 refers to the infographic below:

Which of the following statements is true based on the infographic?

A	More people vote in Democratic elections than Republican elections.
B	Voters choose delegates to their party’s national convention.
C	Voters choose delegates to their state conventions rather than the party’s national convention.
D	Voters choose delegates and parties choose which delegates go to the national convention.

Question 10 Explanation:

The correct answer is (B). The infographic shows Democratic voters and Republican voters electing delegates to their respective party conventions. While Democrats elect more delegates, that does not mean that more Democrats vote, so answer (A) may be eliminated. The parties do not use state conventions or any other interim steps in the presidential nomination process, so answers (C) and (D) are wrong.

Question 11

Which of the following is true of a closed primary?

A	They discourage party loyalty.
B	They are limited to registered party members.
C	They are similar to jungle primaries.
D	They are limited to party insiders known as superdelegates.

Question 11 Explanation:

The correct answer is (B). A closed primary is limited to registered party members, who are required to declare their party affiliation in order to vote. Closed primaries encourage party unity and prevent other parties from infiltrating the primary to nominate weak candidates.

In an open primary voters are not required to declare party affiliation. In a jungle primary all candidates run in the same primary regardless of political party.

Question 12

A challenger runs against an incumbent during a booming economy. A voter with the economy on her mind votes for the incumbent. The voter has no political affiliation. The voter is most likely a

A	party-line voter.
B	prospective voter.
C	split-ticket voter.
D	retrospective voter.

Question 12 Explanation:

The correct answer is (D). Retrospective voters make their decisions based on what incumbents of done or their perceptions of what incumbents have done. If the economy is not doing well, then they will probably vote against the incumbent.

Party-line voters (A) vote strictly on party label. Prospective voters (B) base their decisions on who they think will do the best job once in office. Split-ticket voters (C) vote based on which candidate they prefer, regardless of political party.

Question 13

With all other things being equal, which of the following is most likely to bring out the highest percentage of party elites relative to other voters?

A	Caucuses
B	Closed primaries
C	General elections
D	Open primaries

Question 13 Explanation:

The correct answer is (A). Caucuses are meetings, not elections, and they require a significant investment of time. Therefore, people who are only casually interested in politics do not participate in them.

Closed primaries (B) are the next most exclusive electoral contests, because they require membership in a political party but do not require a significant investment of time. Open primaries (D) are the third-most exclusive electoral contests on this list. They do not require membership in a political party, but like all primaries and caucuses, they do not receive as much voter attention as a general election (C). General elections have the highest turnout on this list.

Question 14

What effect has the presence of cable and satellite television had on coverage of presidential elections since 1980?

A	News media entertains viewers more often.
B	News media conducts more watchdog investigations.
C	News media engages less frequently in horserace journalism.
D	News media has decreased its presence in the face of competition.

Question 14 Explanation:

The correct answer is (A). Television viewers face more options than ever before. Therefore, answer (D) is wrong. Also, all-news networks report less serious news and more entertainment. Thus, they tend to not engage in watchdog journalism (B), which usually involves reporting on some kind of problem in government or society. Media engages frequently in horserace journalism, essentially turning every election into a reality television contest in which winning is more important than issues. Therefore, answer (C) is wrong.

Question 15

Which of the following accurately describes the difference between primary campaigns and general election campaigns?

A	Campaign finance laws do not apply to primary elections.
B	Fewer candidates run in primary elections than in general elections.
C	Primary election campaigns are more expensive than general election campaigns.
D	Candidates are more likely to take extreme stances in primary elections than in general elections.

Question 15 Explanation:

The correct answer is (D). Because candidates are campaigning to win support from party members whose ideology is more extreme, in either direction, than the general population, candidates hoping for the party’s nominees will be more extreme than the general population. Primary elections usually have low turnouts compared to general elections, and candidates in primaries often face several competitors. Therefore, they may go to extremes to get voters to go to the polls and vote for them.

Campaign finance laws apply to primaries as well as general elections, so answer (A) is wrong. Primaries have more candidates than general elections, so answer (B) is wrong. General election campaigns are usually more expensive than primaries because they usually require more advertising. Therefore, answer (C) is wrong.

Question 16

The elections of 1800, 1860, and 1932 are examples of

A	realignment elections.
B	Democratic presidential wins.
C	Republican presidential wins.
D	elections in which the winner of the popular vote lost the electoral college.

Question 16 Explanation:

The correct answer is (A). Realignment elections signify a major realignment of how voters vote. In the cases above, the Federalist party ceased to win national elections after 1800. The Whig Party was destroyed by the election of 1860, and African Americans switched from voting Republican to Democratic in the election of 1932, an alignment that last until today.

The Democratic party did not exist in 1800, so answer (B) cannot be correct. The Republicans won in 1860 but lost in 1932, so answer (C) is incorrect. In none of the three elections did the winner of the popular vote lose the electoral college, so answer (D) is wrong.

Question 17

Which of the following Constitutional amendments did NOT expand the right to vote?

A	The Fifteenth Amendment
B	The Nineteenth Amendment
C	The Twenty-Second Amendment
D	The Twenty-Sixth Amendment

Question 17 Explanation:

The correct answer is (C). The 22nd Amendment limited the president to two full terms in office. The 15th Amendment gave African American males the right to vote. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. The 26th Amendment gave eighteen-year-olds the right to vote.

Question 18

Questions 18–19 refer to the graph below:

Which of the following best describes a trend in the line graph?

A	Voter turnout steadily declined in the twentieth century.
B	The year 1920 marked the lowest turnout in midterm elections.
C	The year 1896 marked the highest turnout in presidential elections.
D	Voter turnout in presidential elections was greater than voter turnout in midterm elections in every election of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Question 18 Explanation:

The correct answer is (A). While there were a few periods in which voting increased during the twentieth century, overall, voting declined between the years 1904 and 2000. The lowest midterm turnout was in 1789, so answer (B) is incorrect. The highest presidential turnout was in 1876, so answer (C) is incorrect. Answer (D) is not true at the beginning of the nineteenth century.

Question 19

Which of the following is an accurate conclusion based on a comparison of the trends in the line graph above and your knowledge of voter behavior?

A	Compared to the 19th century, voter turnout is lower than in the 20th century.
B	Compared to the 20th century, voter turnout is lower than in the later half of the 19th century.
C	Compared to the 19th century, voter turnout in presidential elections is lower than in the 20th century, but midterm elections have a higher voter turnout.
D	Compared to the 20th century, voter turnout in midterm elections is higher than in the 19th century, but the midterm elections have a higher voter turnout.

Question 19 Explanation:

The correct answer is (B). While voter turnout was low in the earlier years of the 19th Century (A), turnout increased dramatically by the 1840s and was consistently above 70 percent for presidential elections and 60 percent for midterm elections until the dawn of the 20th Century when voter turnout began a 20-year slide. After the nation’s founding, voter turnout in midterm elections was higher for almost 50 years. Since then, presidential elections have seen higher voter turnout (C) and (D).

Question 20

Which of the following statements best describes an iron triangle?

A	The relationship between retired judges, lobbyists, and former legislators.
B	The relationship between government agencies, congressional committees, and interest groups in specific policy areas.
C	The relationship between state legislatures, the United States Senate, and the House of Representatives.
D	The relationship between the president, Congress, and the public

Question 20 Explanation:

The correct answer is (B). The term 'iron triangle' describes mutually supportive relationships that can form between government agencies, special interest lobbying groups, and legislative committees. When they hang together, the members of these small groups tend to dominate all policy-making in their specialized areas of concern, and can thwart any efforts by outsiders to achieve reforms.

Question 21

A member of the United States Senate has introduced a bill that is struggling to make it to floor of the Senate. Which course of action would most likely produce the highest likelihood of the bill receiving a vote with the entire Senate?

A	Filing for a discharge petition.
B	Introduce a rider amendment.
C	Introduce a concurrent resolution.
D	Gathering support from other Senators to filibuster the bill once it arrives on the floor of the Senate.

Question 21 Explanation:

The correct answer is (A). A discharge petition can be used to bring a bill out of committee and to the floor for consideration, without requiring a report from the committee. It discharges the committee from giving further consideration to the bill. The signatures of a majority of House members are required to discharge a bill. The other answer choices would all decrease the likelihood of the bill becoming a law.

Question 22

Which of the following is an occurrence at a party’s national convention?

A	Approving of a party platform.
B	Choosing of party delegates.
C	A debate between two parties’ nominee.
D	A caucus.

Question 22 Explanation:

The correct answer is (A). The party's platform is their formal statement of where they stand on important issues. Once it’s written, the platform is adopted at the party’s national convention.

Party delegates are chosen during primaries or caucuses (B). Debates between the Democratic and Republican parties’ candidates occur after the formal nomination (C). A caucus occurs earlier than the national convention (D).

Question 23

The government regulates the broadcast media through which of the following agencies?

A	The State Department
B	The Federal Broadcast Committee
C	The Federal Communications Commission
D	The Government Communications Department

Question 23 Explanation:

The correct answer is (C). The FCC is an independent agency of the US government that regulates communications by television, radio, wire, satellite, and cable.

Question 24

Which of the following is the order of events in presidential elections?

A	A party’s primary elections, Electoral College vote, general election
B	General election, a party’s primary elections, Electoral College vote
C	Electoral College vote, general election, a party’s national conventions
D	A party’s national convention, general election, Electoral College vote

Question 24 Explanation:

The correct answer is (D). State delegates go to the national convention in July or August to confirm their choice of candidates. The states hold a statewide popular vote on Election Day in November. Electors are then chosen based upon how they have pledged to vote for president and vice president, and they meet and vote in December.

Question 25

An inside strategy of lobbying usually involves which of the following?

A	direct contact with a legislator
B	electioneering
C	grassroots lobbying
D	civil disobedience

Question 25 Explanation:

The correct answer is (A). Electioneering seeks to impact the outcome of an election (B). Grassroots lobbying is an example of indirect lobbying (C). Civil disobedience is not an example of lobbying, but related to peaceful protest (D).

Question 26

In regard to political participation, skills such as writing, speaking, analyzing, and organizing that reduce the cost of political participation refer to

A	Awareness
B	Civic skills
C	Common skills
D	Political skills

Question 26 Explanation:

The correct answer is (B). Civic skills include skills in personal communication, knowledge of political systems, and the ability to think critically about civic and political life.

Question 27

In the United States, run candidates for office, while do not have an official candidate on the ballot.

A	interest groups; political parties
B	political parties; interest groups
C	social movements; interest groups
D	interest groups; social movements

Question 27 Explanation:

The correct answer is (B). Social movements seek to influence policy outcomes in a less formal manner than an interest group’s efforts in lobbying.

Question 28

Factors that have critical impact on likelihood to vote voting include all the following except

A	Socioeconomic status
B	Ethnicity
C	Civic sills
D	Political efficacy

Question 28 Explanation:

The correct answer is (B). While there are differences by ethnicity in voter turnout, they reflect other characteristics.

Question 29

When an interest group contacts a public official and tries to influence public policy, it is engaged in:

A	Electioneering
B	Direct lobbying
C	Pluralism
D	Collusion

Question 29 Explanation:

The correct answer is (B). Direct lobbying refers to attempts to influence a legislative body through communication with a member or employee of a legislative body, or with a government official who participates in formulating legislation.

Electioneering is campaigning to impact an election’s outcome (A). Pluralism involves multiple groups competing to influence policy (C). Collusion involves coordinated action that may impact public policy (D).

Question 30

Although Americans generally tend to dislike , they are comparatively happy with .

A	their representative in the House; the American political system
B	the U.S. Congress as a whole; their own representative
C	both of their state’s U.S. senators; their representative in the U.S. House
D	the president; the federal government as a whole

Question 30 Explanation:

The correct answer is (B). Typically, Americans have much higher approval rates for their Senators and Representatives than the Senate or House as a whole.

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