WOLL HW CHECK #4
Key – A Theory of Critical Elections
Key – The Responsible Electorate
Complete and print out this assignment and bring to class on the
assigned due date.
Directions: answer the following in the space provided.
Directions –
read each statement and list of answers.
Pick the best answer and circle that choice.
1. V.O. Key, Jr. defines critical elections as:
a) elections that take
place during economic depression.
b) elections occurring
during crises.
c) elections reflecting the
realignment of party allegiances.
d) a frequently recurring phenomenon
of the political system.
2. Critical elections reflect:
a) short-term shifts in
voter attitudes.
b) long-term changes in
voter allegiances.
c) the decline of political
parties.
d) the rise of the imperial
presidency.
3. Critical elections occur:
a) every two years.
b) relatively frequently.
c) relatively infrequently.
d) every eight years.
4. V. O. Key, Jr., concludes that studies of electoral
behavior:
a) present a picture of
voter rationality.
b) give a vivid impression
of the variety and subtlety of factors that enter into individual
voting decisions.
c) reveal that voters do
not take their economic interests into account in making their choices.
d) conclude that group
identification determines electoral choice.
5. V. O. Key, Jr., argues, in discussing the
responsible electorate, that theories about how voters
behave become important because:
a) voters are aware of them
and vote accordingly.
b) candidates and their
advisers are aware of them, and act as if voters' behavior conforms
to the theories.
c) they demonstrate that
economic interests are always paramount in political campaigns.
d) they reveal that most
electoral outcomes depend upon a single issue.
6. In discussing the responsible electorate, which of
the following statements does V. O. Key, Jr.
not make?
a) It can be a mischievous
error to assume, because a candidate wins, that a majority of
the
electorate shares his views on public questions.
b) Election returns tell us
precious little about why a candidate wins.
c) The voice of the people
echoes candidate inputs, and even the most discriminating
popular judgment can reflect only ambiguity,
uncertainty, or even foolishness if those
are the qualities of the input candidates make
into the echo chamber.
d) The electorate is rarely
moved by concerns about central and relevant questions of
public policy and governmental performance,
but rather are always persuaded by the
facile
public relations techniques of political candidates.