3.2.1.6 Political parties Quiz: AQA Politics, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. What does factionalism within a US political party refer to?

   • A formal legal split in which a party is officially registered as two separate parties
   • The practice of a party nominating candidates from several states for one national office, settled by a single convention vote
   • A rule requiring every party member in Congress to vote together on every bill
   • Divisions within a party between rival groups with different priorities or ideological positions

2. What is meant by a third party in US politics?

   • A party formed by combining the Democrats and Republicans for a single election
   • A coalition of state parties that nominates a single national candidate every four years
   • A party other than the Democrats and Republicans that may stand candidates but rarely wins national office
   • A party that controls the Senate while the Democrats control the House of Representatives

3. What is an independent candidate?

   • A candidate endorsed by both major parties at the same time for a single federal office
   • A candidate who stands for election without the nomination of a major party
   • A candidate chosen directly by delegates to a national convention from a single state
   • A candidate who must resign from their party before the general election campaign begins

4. Which statement best describes the broad ideology of the modern Democratic Party?

   • Generally associated with a more liberal, interventionist view of government, including social welfare and regulation
   • Generally associated with limited government, low taxation and a minimal federal role in the economy
   • Generally associated with strong states' rights and a reduced federal role in social welfare programmes
   • Generally associated with a rejection of all government regulation of business and the free market

5. What is meant by party polarisation in the US?

   • Parties have merged their policy positions so that few meaningful differences now remain between them
   • Parties now select their candidates through national referendums rather than conventions or primaries
   • Parties have moved further apart ideologically, so there is less overlap between the positions of their members and voters
   • Parties have grown in size as large numbers of voters have registered as formal members

6. What is the role of a party's national committee in the US?

   • It sets the rules for federal elections, which are fixed by the state legislatures
   • It approves every bill proposed by members of the House of Representatives before a vote
   • It appoints the justices of the Supreme Court in consultation with the President
   • It coordinates campaigns, fundraising and party organisation across states

7. Which development is most often linked to a decline in US party influence?

   • The abolition of primaries, which has forced all candidates to be selected by party leaders
   • The growth of single-party states, in which one party controls every level of government
   • Candidate-centred campaigns, primaries and social media allow candidates to build support without party machinery
   • The introduction of compulsory membership, which requires all voters to register with one party

8. Which factor helps explain the dominance of two parties in US politics?

   • Single-member districts with first-past-the-post voting penalise third parties that cannot win seats
   • Each state uses a separate party system, so the two largest parties dominate by constitutional design
   • Proportional representation is used for every federal election, which favours the two largest parties
   • Federal law limits ballot access to two parties in every state and in every election

9. A third-party candidate wins 10% of the national vote but no electoral votes. What best explains this?

   • Electoral votes are allocated nationally by proportional representation, so the candidate is excluded
   • Votes for third parties are automatically transferred to the Democrats under the Electoral College system
   • Federal law bars third-party candidates from receiving votes in more than five states
   • Support is spread across many states, so the candidate does not win a plurality in any one state

10. Why might a political party be described as having weak internal organisation?

    • Primaries let candidates win nomination without relying on party machines, reducing the party's control over selection
    • Parties are banned from endorsing candidates in primaries, which means they cannot influence selection
    • Parties fund all party-line voting directly, so local organisations have no decision-making role
    • Parties hold no national conventions, so candidates must draft their own platforms independently

11. Which argument best supports the view that US parties are being renewed rather than declining?

    • Parties adapt their policies and campaigns to attract new demographic groups and changing voter coalitions
    • Parties have abandoned all policy positions, so they now compete only on personalities and celebrity endorsements
    • Parties have ceased fundraising altogether, relying entirely on individual donations from independent candidates
    • Parties have been formally merged by federal law, giving the national committees control over every nomination

12. Why do third parties and independent candidates struggle to win federal office in the US?

    • Federal law prevents independent candidates from appearing on any ballot in a presidential election
    • Independent candidates are barred from debating, which means they cannot reach voters in any state
    • Third-party candidates are required to be members of a major party before they can stand for office
    • Ballot access rules, funding gaps and winner-takes-all rules make it hard to win seats despite some public support

13. Which argument best supports the claim that two-party dominance persists despite voter dissatisfaction?

    • Voters are legally required to choose between the two main parties on every federal ballot paper, enforced by federal election law
    • Both large coalitions and institutional barriers make it hard for third parties to win, even when many voters dislike the main parties
    • Dissatisfied voters are automatically assigned to the party whose candidate they least oppose
    • The Supreme Court has ruled that third parties may not appear on any official ballot paper

14. Which factor makes the Democratic and Republican parties more ideologically distinct than in earlier decades?

    • The introduction of federal funding for every party, which has removed the need for policy differences
    • The abolition of the party convention, which has allowed candidates to adopt any policy they choose
    • A legal requirement that parties adopt identical platforms, which has reduced the scope of debate
    • The sorting of voters and activists so that ideological positions on many issues align more closely with party identity

15. What is a principal consequence of internal party divisions for a governing party in Congress?

    • Factions may vote against leadership priorities, making it harder to pass a unified legislative programme
    • Factions automatically strengthen leadership control, so every bill passes without debate, amendment or any real opposition
    • Factions are required by law to submit all proposals to the Supreme Court before a vote is held
    • Factions ensure that no member of Congress ever votes against their own party on any issue

16. Which best describes the Republican Party's traditional ideological emphasis?

    • Expansion of the welfare state, progressive taxation and extensive federal regulation of the economy
    • Limited government, lower taxation, individual responsibility and a strong role in national defence
    • Nationalisation of major industries, central planning of the economy and collective ownership of land
    • Abolition of the federal government in favour of direct democracy managed by independent local councils

17. What is meant by 'party renewal' in the context of US parties?

    • Parties adapting their organisation, policies and coalitions to remain electorally competitive
    • Parties merging their membership lists so that voters need register with only one organisation
    • Parties receiving a fixed federal grant every four years to fund the selection of presidential candidates
    • Parties abolishing their national conventions to give candidates total control over campaigns

18. Why are Democratic and Republican internal divisions significant for presidential nominations?

    • Factions are required to approve every nominee in the Senate before the convention may begin
    • Factions can only affect the vice-presidential choice, since presidential candidates are fixed in advance by the national committee
    • Factions have no influence on nominations, because all party decisions are made by federal law
    • Factions can influence primary contests and platforms, shaping which candidates and policies gain party support

19. Which statement best describes the main US party organisations at state level?

    • State parties have no legal existence and are banned from raising funds for any candidate in their state
    • State parties run registration drives, fundraising and campaigns, and they operate alongside national committees
    • State parties are controlled entirely by the national committee, which appoints every local official
    • State parties are required to merge into one national organisation before each presidential election under federal party rules

20. Which factor is most often cited as reducing the cohesion of US party organisations?

    • The rise of candidate-centred campaigns and independent fundraising, which reduce reliance on party resources
    • The creation of a single federal party that replaced both the Democrats and the Republicans nationally
    • The strict requirement that all candidates swear a loyalty oath to their party before entering any primary or caucus contest
    • The removal of all party labels from ballot papers at federal and state level since the early 2000s

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