What do political parties do, and how do the major American parties differ?
Identify America's current political parties and explain their ideas about government, including the role of the two major parties, third parties, and party platforms (NGSSS SS.7.C.2.8; RC3 Government Policies and Political Processes).
A Florida Civics EOC answer on political parties: what parties do, the two-party system of Democrats and Republicans and their general ideas, the role of third parties, and the meaning of a party platform, with worked EOC-style questions.
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What this topic is asking
Benchmark SS.7.C.2.8 asks you to identify America's political parties and explain their ideas about government and what parties do. These questions sit in Reporting Category 3, and the EOC tends to test the meaning of a platform, the role of parties, and the basic difference between the two major parties.
What a political party is and does
The two-party system
These are broad generalizations the EOC uses; real voters and candidates vary, but the test expects you to know the basic contrast.
Platforms and planks
The word platform is a favorite test point. If a question describes a party's published list of positions, the answer is a platform; a ballot, by contrast, is the form a voter marks.
Why parties matter for the process
Parties connect to the rest of Module 4. They run candidates in primary and general elections (see elections and voting), they shape debate alongside the media and interest groups (see media and interest groups), and the winning party tries to turn its platform into public policy. But the laws themselves are made by elected officials in the legislative branch, not by the parties directly.
Try this
Q1. Name the two major US political parties and one general difference between them. [2]
- Cue. Democratic and Republican. Democrats generally favor a larger government role and more social programs; Republicans generally favor smaller government, lower taxes, and the free market.
Q2. Define a party platform. [2]
- Cue. A platform is a party's official statement of its positions on issues; each individual position is a plank.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of FLDOE exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Civics EOC (NGSSS, style)1 marksA political party publishes a document listing its positions on taxes, education, and the environment to tell voters what it stands for. This document is called aShow worked answer →
A single-select item assessing party platforms (Reporting Category 3, SS.7.C.2.8).
Correct answer: a platform (made up of individual planks).
Markers reward identifying a party's published set of positions as its platform. A distractor such as "a ballot" is wrong because a ballot is what voters mark to cast a vote, not a statement of positions, which is the trap.
Civics EOC (NGSSS, style)1 marksWhich statement BEST describes the role of political parties in the United States?Show worked answer →
A single-select item assessing the function of parties (Reporting Category 3, SS.7.C.2.8).
Correct answer: parties nominate candidates, organize support, and inform voters about issues and where they stand.
Markers reward recognizing that parties recruit and nominate candidates, organize campaigns, and help voters understand the choices. A distractor such as "parties write and pass all the laws" overstates their role, since Congress, not the parties themselves, makes the laws.
Related dot points
- Describe the voting process and the importance of voting, including voter qualifications and registration, primary and general elections, and the role of elections in a representative democracy (NGSSS SS.7.C.2.7; RC3 Government Policies and Political Processes).
A Florida Civics EOC answer on elections and voting: voter qualifications and registration, the difference between primary and general elections, and why voting is central to a representative democracy, with worked EOC-style questions.
- Evaluate the impact of the media, individuals, and interest groups on monitoring and influencing government, including the watchdog role of the press, lobbying, and political action committees (NGSSS SS.7.C.2.9, SS.7.C.2.11; RC3 Government Policies and Political Processes).
A Florida Civics EOC answer on how the media and interest groups influence government: the watchdog role of the press, agenda setting, bias and propaganda, lobbying, and political action committees, with worked EOC-style questions.
- Examine the impact of public policy decisions on citizens and government, including how a problem becomes policy and how citizens can influence the process (NGSSS SS.7.C.2.10; RC3 Government Policies and Political Processes).
A Florida Civics EOC answer on public policy: what public policy is, how a public problem becomes a government policy, the impact of policy decisions on citizens, and how citizens can influence the process, with worked EOC-style questions.
- Analyze the structure, functions, and processes of the legislative branch, including the bicameral Congress, the differences between the House and the Senate, and the powers of Congress (NGSSS SS.7.C.3.8; RC4 Organization and Function of Government).
A Florida Civics EOC answer on the legislative branch: the bicameral Congress, the differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate, and the powers of Congress such as making laws, taxing, and declaring war, with worked EOC-style questions.
- Differentiate between domestic and foreign policy, and recognize how the United States and its citizens participate in international affairs through organizations, conflict, and cooperation (NGSSS SS.7.C.4.1, SS.7.C.4.2, SS.7.C.4.3; RC3 Government Policies and Political Processes).
A Florida Civics EOC answer on domestic versus foreign policy: the difference between policy at home and policy toward other nations, US participation in international organizations such as the UN and NATO, and examples of conflict and cooperation, with worked EOC-style questions.
Sources & how we know this
- Civics End-of-Course Assessment Test Item Specifications — Florida Department of Education (2013)
- SS.7.C.2.8: Political Parties (CPALMS standard) — CPALMS / Florida Department of Education (2007)