AP US Government : Campaigning and Financial Implications
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP US Government
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Campaigning And Financial Implications
Which of these best represents a "marginal district?"
A district that is carried by an overwhelming majority of the voters, at least seventy-five percent, and thus grants a substantial mandate to the elected representative
A district where the same political party always wins, so the other party does not even bother to run a candidate
A district where the incumbent always carries the majority of the vote
A district that has little impact or ability to affect the national discussion, and so it is forced to consider only local issues
A district in which the elected representative carried less than fifty-five percent of the majority vote
A district in which the elected representative carried less than fifty-five percent of the majority vote
A "marginal district" is a district in which the elected representative carries less than fifty-five percent of the popular vote is said to have won only marginally. The opposite of a marginal district is a "safe seat." Because marginal districts can change hands much more easily, they receive a disproportionate focus during campaign season.
Example Question #1 : Campaigning And Financial Implications
A _____________ is a more localized gathering that requires active participation by the attendees who often express their support for a candidate through debate and other more “town-hall” methods.
Caucus
None of the answers are correct
Convention
Delegation
Primary
Caucus
This is a straightforward vocab question. Caucus is the correct answer. Remember: caucuses are relatively active events, where participants will debate, express support, and even sometimes physically move (as in to one side of the room or another) to show which candidate they think is worthy. Caucuses were once the most popular way of picking a presidential nominee, however, states that use the caucus now are in the minority.
Example Question #2 : Campaigning And Financial Implications
Which of these mechanisms is currently legally allowed to be incorporated and/or utilized as part of the modern political process?
Soft money
Party machines
Closed primaries
Overt patronage
Closed primaries
Closed primaries– where only those voters who have registered beforehand as party members are permitted to vote – are legally allowed as part of the political process. While many more states choose to host open primaries, which allow any citizen (unregistered included) to partake, closed primaries remain a valuable tool that some parties continue to employ. Party machines, however, with their infamous fondness for dispensing overt patronage to those citizens who demonstrate loyalty but not necessarily ability, have been done away with by a series of new regulations put in place after the turn of the twentieth century. Soft money (funds stored aside by the party leadership to later distribute freely to candidates) has been more recently banned, as part of modern efforts to reduce corrupt party practices.
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