1. According to the passage, a major factor responsible for the rise of third parties in the U.S. is the
(A) domination of major parties by powerful economic interests
(B) ability of third parties to transcend regional interests
(C) ready acceptance by mainstream voters of issues with strong minority support
(D) appeal of fringe issues to the average American voter
(E) slowness of major parties to respond to new issues

7. In the current research program, new varieties of apple trees are evaluated under different agricultural ________ for tree size, bloom density, fruit size, ________ to various soils, and resistance to pests and disease. (A) circumstances . . . proximity (B) regulations. . . conformity (C) conditions . . . adaptability (D) auspices . . . susceptibility (E) configurations . . . propensity

8. It is to the novelist’s credit that all of the ________ in her novel are presented realistically, without any ________ or playful supernatural tricks. (A) scenes . . . elucidation (B) scenarios. . . discrimination (C) chapters . . . artlessness (D) backdrops . . . authenticity (E) episodes . . . whimsy

9. Nineteenth-century scholars, by examining earlier geometric Greek art, found that classical Greek art was not a magical ________ or a brilliant ________ blending Egyptian and Assyrian art, but was independently evolved by Greeks in Greece. (A) apparition . . . amalgam (B) paradigm. . . construct (C) conversion . . . annexation (D) exemplar . . . synthesis (E) stratagem . . . appropriation

10. The characterization of historical analysis as a form of fiction is not likely to be received ________ by either historians or literary critics, who agree that history and fiction deal with ________ orders of experience. (A) contentiously . . . realistic (B) enthusiastically. . . shifting (C) quietly . . . significant (D) sympathetically . . . distinct (E) passively . . . unusual

2. The author cites all of the following as contributing to the weakness of third parties EXCEPT (A) their tendency to avoid sharply defined political programs (B) an electoral system that denies them proportional representation (C) their tendency to adopt programs that fail to attract mainstream voter support (D) the ability of major parties to undercut their appeal (E) the fact that many are based on issues of only temporary relevance

3. It can be inferred from the passage that the probable attitudes of many voters in the general population to the ideas initially put forth by a third party could best be described as (A) shocked and disbelieving (B) confused and indecisive (C) curious and open-minded (D) suspicious and disapproving (E) apathetic and cynical

4. It can be inferred that the Republican Party was successful in establishing itself as a major party because (A) its political program became essentially non-doctrinal in character (B) the Whigs were unsuccessful in their attempts to steal from the Republican platform (C) it was able to abandon its traditional opposition to slavery without alienating its regular supporters (D) a more established party was simultaneously in decline (E) it benefited from the experience of previous third parties that had undergone similar transformations

5. The author’s description of the U.S. electoral system suggests that it (A) allows less flexibility than more centralized systems (B) makes the Federal government less important politically than state and local governments (C) often results in the dominance of third parties in distinct or isolated geographic areas (D) frequently polarizes the electorate around divisive social and economic issues (E) fails to represent voters who would be represented in some other electoral systems

6. The author of this passage is concerned primarily with (A)suggestion an appropriate role for third parties in U.S. politics (B) discussing the decline of third-party movements in U.S. history (C) explaining why third-party movements in the U.S. have failed to gain national power (D) describing the traditionally non-ideological character of U.S. political parties (E) suggesting ways in which peripheral parties may increase their influence

7. According to the passage, Pessen indicates that all of the following were true of the very wealthy in the United States between 1825 and 1850 EXCEPT (A) They formed a distinct upper class. (B) Many of them were able to increase their holdings. (C) Some of them worked as professionals or in business. (D) Most of them accumulate their own fortunes. (E) Many of them retained their wealth in spite of financial upheavals.