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Q:
What are the main functions of political parties? How well do political parties in Texas perform these duties?
Q:
Trace the history of one of the state's major political parties since Reconstruction.
Q:
Select a major political issue of the day. What would be the position of liberals, conservatives, and libertarians on this position?
Q:
What is the basic economic belief underlying conservatism in Texas? Do interests representing big business truly believe in laissez-faire economics?
Q:
In order to run as an independent candidate, one must do which of the following?
A. be nominated by a petition containing the signatures of the necessary number of voters who did not vote in the party primaries
B. be endorsed by a committee of independents
C. pay the required filing fee
D. all of the above
Q:
The most significant minor party in Texas politics today is the:
A. Populist Party
B. Green Party
C. American Independent Party
D. Libertarian Party
Q:
Of the groups listed, which provides the Democratic Party with the least support?
A. Hispanic voters
B. Afro-American Voters
C. lower income Anglo voters
D. Upper income Anglo voters
Q:
Which group is not a primary source of strength for the Republican Party in Texas?
A. Anglos voters
B. college graduates
C. Afro-American voters
D. migrants from other states, especially mid-western and northeastern states
Q:
The primary purpose of the precinct conventions of the parties is to:
A. count the votes cast in the primary election
B. select delegates to the county convention
C. adopt party platforms
D. nominate candidates for precinct offices
Q:
How is the State Executive Committee selected (for major parties)?
A. members are elected by the voters in each of the 31 Senatorial Districts
B. members are selected by the delegates to the State Convention
C. they are appointed by the State Chairman of the Party
D. they are appointed by the National committee of the party
Q:
The major party state conventions do all except which of the following?
A. nominate a list of persons to be named as presidential electors if the party wins the presidential election
B. select the members of the state executive committee
C. select the state members on the national party committee
D. select the party's nominees for state-wide political office
Q:
Which of the following is part of the temporary party organization in Texas?
A. Precinct convention
B. State executive committee
C. Members of the Electoral College
D. National committee of the party
Q:
The precinct chairs of the parties are selected in what manner?
A. they are generally elected by the voters in the precinct
B. they are appointed by the County Chairman
C. they are selected by the party's candidate for governor
D. they are appointed by the State Party Chairperson
Q:
Membership requirements for the major political parties in Texas include
A. modest annual dues
B. attendance at a minimum of one party meeting a year
C. a minimum level of financial contributions to the party's nominees
D. none of the above
Q:
Party membership in Texas is determined in what fashion?
A. persons declare their party membership when they register to vote
B. persons sign a party affiliation declaration and agree to pay party dues
C. the central committee votes to admit individuals to membership
D. a person votes in the party's primary
Q:
Which of the following is not a major priority for political parties in Texas?
A. candidate recruitment
B. contesting of elections by fund raising and campaign assistance
C. setting the agenda for governmental actions
D. conflict resolution between various competing interests in society
Q:
The data seem to indicate that during the last two decades of the 20th Century, a _______ occurred.
A. party realignment
B. party dealignment
C. party consolidation
D. party destruction
Q:
Among the results of the fact that Texas was a one-party state until the 1970s, which of the following existed?
A. voter turnout was generally low in the General Elections
B. elections were decided in favor of the candidate who won the Democratic Primary
C. the party label "Democrat" gave little indication of the political beliefs of the candidate
D. all of the above were true
Q:
After Reconstruction in Texas ended, most Texans came to identify with the _____ Party.
A. Whig
B. Populist
C. Republican
D. Democratic
Q:
Which of the following would be most likely to oppose government action to regulate the economy and to regulate personal behavior would be classified as a"
A. conservative
B. libertarian
C. liberal
D. laissez-faire market economist
Q:
A person who does not trust unregulated markets and favors little or no governmental regulation of personal and social behavior would be classified as a:
A. conservative
B. libertarian
C. liberal
D. laissez-faire market economist
Q:
A person who believes in governmental action to achieve social and economic equality would be classified as a:
A. conservative
B. laissez-faire market economist
C. liberal
D. libertarian
Q:
Among conservatives, the base of the economic philosophy is
A. laissez-faire
B. governmental regulation
C. central planning
D. social equality
Q:
The two dominant ideologies in Texas politics today are generally referred to as:
A. individualism and communitarianism
B. socialism and populism
C. libertarianism and conservatism
D. liberalism and conservatism
Q:
The Libertarian Party in Texas is consistently anti-government.
Q:
According to the authors, it is possible that in the future Texas will have only a liberal Democratic Party and a conservative Republican Party.
Q:
The core strength of the Democratic Party in Texas is centered among minority voters, especially Hispanic and Afro American voters.
Q:
Party activists in the Republican Party come from a diverse social and economic background.
Q:
The social conservatives of the Republican Party control the party machinery of the Republican Party.
Q:
Political party organization is extremely important because the party organization selects the nominees of the party.
Q:
The County Executive Committee is responsible for the conduct of the party primaries.
Q:
The experience of the Republican Party since 1994 shows that persons who are nominated by the party must pledge to support the party platform.
Q:
The state convention selects the State Executive Committee and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the party.
Q:
The main function of the county conventions of the major political parties is to nominate candidates for county-wide office and to send delegates to the state convention.
Q:
At the present time, all of the state-wide elected offices in Texas are controlled by the Republican Party.
Q:
The election of Ronald Reagan in 1984 broke the domination of the Democratic Party over Texas politics.
Q:
After Reconstruction, the dominant political party in Texas was the Republican Party.
Q:
All interests in politics are economic.
Q:
Conservatism is the dominant political philosophy among Anglos in Texas, with a majority of people polled declaring themselves as conservatives.
Q:
Since there are seldom factional interests that command a majority of the population, political parties attempt to put together coalitions of interests in order to attract blocks of voters and campaign contributions.
Q:
An interest is something of value or some personal characteristic that people share and is affected by an activity of the government.
Q:
Conservatives generally are suspicious of the government attempting to regulate personal beliefs and behaviors.
Q:
Liberals are generally suspicious of the workings of the unregulated market and place more faith in the ability of the government to direct economic activity.
Q:
Conservative governments frequently follow a policy known as pseudo laissez-faire in their economic policies.
Q:
The basic principle underlying conservatism, at least in economic policy, is laissez-faire.
Q:
An ideology is a system of beliefs and values about the nature of the good life in the good society, and the relationship of government and the economy, about moral values and the way they should be achieved, and about how to conduct government itself.
Q:
Political parties are the only organizations capable of holding together many factious interests so that governing is possible.
Q:
Name three of the more influential interest groups in Texas? What type of group is each?
Q:
What are the main activities of interest groups in seeking to influence public policy? Which of these functions does the state of Texas seek to regulate? How effect is that regulation?
Q:
What are the main functions of interest groups in the political system?
Q:
What are the general rules concerning who is most likely to be represented by an interest group?
Q:
How does an interest group differ from a political party?
Q:
Formed in 1929, ______________ , was formed to fight discrimination against Mexican American citizens.
A. NAACP
B. LULAC
C. MALDF
D. La Raza Unida
Q:
The relationship of the Christian Right to the Republican Party in Texas is which of the following?
A. the Christian Right does not become involved in party politics
B. the Christian Right has been hostile to the Republican Party
C. the Christian Right has taken over the state conventions of the Republican Party and has written planks into the party platform which espouse the views of the Christian Right
D. state law prohibits participation by religious groups in the political process
Q:
The position of organized labor toward the Republican Party has been:
A. accommodating on some issues, hostile on others
B. one of cooperation on all issues
C. total and absolute opposition
D. there is no information to base a judgment about the position of organized labor
Q:
The organization which represents petroleum producers and is dominated by the major oil companies is:
A. Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners (TIPRO)
B. Texas Oil and Gas Association (TOGA)
C. the Christian Right
D. Texas Association of Oilmen (TAO)
Q:
Which of the following groups has been particularly successful in using the court system to achieve its political goals?
A. the Texas Association of Business
B. the Texas Classroom Teachers Association
C. the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
D. the Texas Association of Realtors
Q:
Co-option is the process in which:
A. members of the legislature seek to represent interests that have made significant campaign contributions
B. the governor becomes an advocate of interest groups that have donated to his/her political campaign
C. regulatory agencies become the protectors of the interests that they were supposed to regulate
D. the judges become protectors of special interests that have donated to their political campaigns
Q:
The case study of the public opinion influencing efforts of the cable television companies and the telephone companies illustrates which of the following:
A. the advertising campaigns by major interests to sway public opinion do not generally enlighten the public as to the real issues behind the conflict
B. the advertising campaigns by major interests to sway public opinion generally have a major impact on the way legislators view issues
C. the advertising campaigns by major interests to sway public opinion generally have no impact on public opinion
D. it is impossible to make any conclusions as a result of the case study
Q:
The 2003 Ethics Bill strengthened the previous laws because it:
A. required that the information gathered by the Ethics Commission be posted on the internet
B. created an Ethics Commission to hold hearings on complaints
C. required lobbyists to report the names of members of the legislature on whom they spend more than $50
D. all of the above are correct
Q:
The efforts to regulate lobbying activities prior to the 1991 Ethnics Bill were ineffective because:
A. they violated the U.S. Constitution's protections of free speech
B. they only covered the activities of paid lobbyists
C. no state agency was charged with the responsibility of enforcing them
D. they covered only economic interest groups
Q:
Which of the following issues would be of relatively little concern to the type of interest groups classified as public interest groups?
A. limits on interest rates on credit cards
B. improved nursing home regulations
C. anti-pollution standards for the chemical industry
D. changing the length of the season for deer hunting on private lands in Texas
Q:
Operating a phone bank, posting signs for a candidate, and distributing literature would be an example of what kind of political activity?
A. electioneering
B. lobbying
C. political contributions
D. direct action
Q:
The example in the textbook of the Texas Medical Association's contributions to the Republican candidates in the 1990s illustrates which point?
A. there is a direct link between the contribution of money to candidates and the legislative results
B. that political contributions are generally a waste of time
C. that issues and conflicting interests can override the impact of contributions
D. that political contributions to candidates are the same thing as bribery
Q:
Direct participation in a political campaign by an interest group is known as
A. electioneering
B. lobbying
C. political contributions
D. direct action
Q:
Which of the following applies to interest groups?
A. members share common goals
B. members pursue their goals collectively because they can't acheive them individually
C. members attempt to influence the outcome of governmental policies and actions
D. all of the above are characteristic of interest group activities
Q:
Interest groups seek to influence which of the following?
A. legislators
B. executive branch officials
C. the judicial branch
D. all of the above
Q:
Which of the following is not correct about interest groups?
A. interest groups provide information to officeholders in all branches of the government
B. interest groups engage in electioneering to nominate their members for public office
C. interest groups seek to influence public opinion
D. interest groups seek to inform members of their groups about political issues
Q:
Which of the following is not generally classified as an economic interest group?
A. groups representing the companies engaged in financial operations
B. groups representing labor union members
C. groups involved with environmental issues
D. groups representing professional associations
Q:
Which of the following statements is not accurate with regard to the general rules of interest group formation?
A. economic-producing groups are more likely to be organized than consumer groups
B. people with more education are more likely to join groups than those with less education
C. people with a deep personal involvement are more likely to be influential than those who belong solely for economic reasons
D. working class individuals are more likely to join interest groups than are professionals
Q:
Which of the following statements does not apply to both politically oriented interest groups and political parties?
A. the organization is responsible to placing the names of potential officeholders on the ballot for a vote by the electorate
B. the activities are funded by private contributions
C. the organization must maintain a specific structure and make periodic reports to the state
D. the organization seeks to create or influence public policy
Q:
What is the primary difference between interest groups and political parties?
A. all members of interest groups share the same goals, members of political parties may have different goals
B. interest group members seek only to influence public policy, party members seek to control government indirectly through the election of candidates
C. interest groups are funded by the members; political parties are funded from governmental funds
D. political parties are regulated by the government; interest groups are totally free from government
Q:
The two main groups representing Hispanics and Afro American have worked out a formal agreement to support each other.
Q:
One area in which the Christian Right has been particularly influential has been in the election of members to local school boards.
Q:
Organized labor is a major political influence in Texas politics, especially with the legislature.
Q:
In the late 1990s, nearly one-third of the members of the Texas legislature had personal financial ties to oil producers.
Q:
Rulings by the federal courts have been a significant means for "underdog" groups to gain the attention of policy makers and to achieve political goals, especially with regard to minority rights.
Q:
The insurance industry's co-option of the State Board of Insurance in 1993 led to the legislature
abolishing the Board and giving the governor the power to elect the Insurance Commissioner.
Q:
The process by which state agencies become protectors of private interests rather than the public interest is called co-option.
Q:
The amendments to the state's ethics laws in 2003 prohibited lawyers who are members of the legislature from practicing before state agencies.