Civics: The Role of Political Parties Worksheet

Question 1

Define political party in your own words. Include at least two things political parties try to do.

Accepted Answer

A political party is a group of people who share many political ideas and work together to influence government. Political parties try to win elections, support candidates, and promote policies they believe are important.

Question 2

A student says, Political parties only matter during presidential elections. Explain why this statement is not correct.

Accepted Answer

This statement is not correct because political parties are involved in many elections, including local, state, and congressional elections. They also help organize government, choose leaders, and promote laws throughout the year.

Question 3

Look at a diagram with four boxes labeled nominate candidates, create platforms, inform voters, and organize government. Choose two boxes and explain what each party role means.

Accepted Answer

Nominating candidates means that a party helps choose people to run for office. Creating platforms means that a party writes a list of ideas and goals it wants to support if its candidates are elected.

Question 4

What is a party platform, and why might voters read one before an election?

Accepted Answer

A party platform is a statement of the party's goals, values, and policy positions. Voters might read a platform to learn what a party supports and to decide whether its candidates match their own beliefs.

Question 5

Two candidates are running for mayor. Candidate A belongs to a political party with many volunteers and a voter contact list. Candidate B is running without party support. Explain one advantage Candidate A may have.

Accepted Answer

Candidate A may have an advantage because the party can help with volunteers, fundraising, campaign messages, and contacting voters. This support can make it easier for Candidate A to reach more people before Election Day.

Question 6

Explain how political parties can help voters make choices in an election with many candidates.

Accepted Answer

Political parties can help voters by giving candidates party labels and platforms. These labels can give voters a general idea of the candidate's beliefs, though voters should still learn about each candidate's record and plans.

Question 7

Study a sample table with two fictional parties. The River Party supports more parks and public transit. The Mountain Party supports lower taxes and fewer business rules. A voter cares most about expanding bus service. Which party is this voter more likely to support, and why?

Accepted Answer

The voter is more likely to support the River Party because it supports public transit. Expanding bus service is a public transit goal, so the River Party's platform matches the voter's priority more closely.

Question 8

What is the difference between a political party and an interest group?

Accepted Answer

A political party tries to win elections and control parts of government by electing candidates. An interest group focuses on influencing public policy on specific issues, but it usually does not run its own candidates for many offices.

Question 9

In the United States, the Democratic Party and Republican Party are the two major parties. Name one reason third parties can still be important even if they rarely win major elections.

Accepted Answer

Third parties can be important because they bring attention to new ideas or issues that major parties may later adopt. They can also give voters more choices and influence close elections.

Question 10

A primary election is held before the general election. Explain the purpose of a primary election.

Accepted Answer

A primary election helps a political party choose its candidate for the general election. Voters in the primary help decide which person will represent the party on the final ballot.

Question 11

Explain how political parties can organize work inside a legislature such as Congress or a state legislature.

Accepted Answer

Political parties can organize work by choosing party leaders, assigning members to committees, and planning which bills to support or oppose. This helps lawmakers with similar views work together.

Question 12

A ballot lists candidates with party labels next to their names. Explain one benefit and one possible drawback of using party labels on ballots.

Accepted Answer

One benefit is that party labels help voters quickly understand a candidate's general political views. One possible drawback is that voters may choose a candidate only by party label without learning about the candidate's qualifications or specific ideas.

Question 13

Some local elections are nonpartisan, meaning candidates do not run with party labels on the ballot. Why might a city choose to have nonpartisan elections?

Accepted Answer

A city might choose nonpartisan elections to encourage voters to focus on local issues, candidate experience, and community needs instead of party labels. This can be helpful when the office deals mainly with local services.

Question 14

Political parties often create campaign messages to persuade voters. Describe two ways voters can evaluate whether a campaign message is reliable.

Accepted Answer

Voters can check whether the message uses facts from trustworthy sources and whether it leaves out important information. Voters can also compare the message with other sources and look for evidence instead of relying only on slogans.

Question 15

Complete this cause and effect explanation: If a political party wins a majority of seats in a legislature, then it can often have more influence because...

Accepted Answer

If a political party wins a majority of seats in a legislature, then it can often have more influence because it may choose leaders, control committee work, and have enough votes to pass laws that match its goals.

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Civics: The Role of Political Parties

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