Deck 4: Political Parties

Question 1

What is the main role of a state party's chair?

A) To be the party's Web master and social media expert
B) To be the party's candidate for governor
C) To be the party's chief attorney in civil and criminal cases
D) To be the party's social events coordinator
E) To be the party's key strategist and key spokesperson

Answer 1

E

Question 2

What have changing demographic patterns in Harris and Dallas counties produced?

A) An increase in Democrats due to increases in minority populations
B) A balance between Democrats and Republicans
C) An increase in Republican control due to white population increases
D) No change at all
E) A red wave due to the liberal policies of the national Democrats

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following were independent candidates who had a significant impact on a Texas election?

A) Richard S."Kinky" Friedman and Carol Keeton Strayhorn
B) Ross Perot and William Clements
C) Bernie Sanders and Gary Johnson
D) Ron Paul and Rand Paul
E) George W.Bush and Donald J.Trump

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which of the following is one of a party precinct chair's duties?

A) Representing the party in lawsuits
B) Registering and persuading voters in the state
C) Getting people to the polls
D) Distributing candidate literature and info to different states
E) Doing interviews on national television about local issues

Question 5

Which of these terms best describes a politician that is generally opposed to government-managed or government-subsidized programs?

A) Socialist
B) Liberal
C) Conservative
D) Communist
E) Democratic Socialist

Question 6

Which of the following would be performed at a party's precinct convention?

A) Nomination of delegates to the county convention
B) Selection of the presidential nominee
C) Adoption of the party platform
D) Election of the state executive committee
E) Nomination of electors

Question 7

What were political alliances during the Republic of Texas based on?

A) Institutions
B) Personalities
C) Organizations
D) Ideology
E) Fraternities

Question 8

What is a stratarchy?

A) A political system in which power is diffused among and within levels of party organization
B) An economic system in which power is concentrated in the hands of the wealthy and powerful
C) A social system in which power is hierarchically distributed based on family lineage
D) A system of political organization found in patriarchal societies
E) A pluralist system that diffuses power among various interest groups

Question 9

What is the role of a precinct chair?

A) To organize the precinct's party activities
B) To serve as a member on the national party committee
C) To determine which candidates are able to run
D) To serve as a member of the state executive committee
E) To recruit local candidates for office

Question 10

Beginning in the late 1940s,what did a majority of conservative Democrats in Texas begin to support?

A) State Republican candidates
B) National Republican candidates
C) State Socialist-Labor candidates
D) National Libertarian candidates
E) Local Republican candidates

Question 11

How many electoral votes did Texas have in the presidential election of 2016?

A) 181
B) 538
C) 38
D) 25
E) 45

Question 12

Which of the following geographic areas is a Republican stronghold in Texas?

A) South Texas
B) El Paso
C) The Golden Triangle
D) Hill Country
E) Houston

Question 13

Which of these terms describes the trend of voters abandoning their traditional political party allegiance?

A) Dealignment
B) Realignment
C) Reshuffling
D) Coalition building
E) Abandoning ship

Question 14

What is true for former slave owners and supporters of the Confederacy when Congress passed the Reconstruction Acts?

A) They were purged as officeholders and denied the vote.
B) They were welcomed to the electoral process.
C) They were allowed to seek office and votes.
D) They were allowed to vote in all elections.
E) They favored paying reparations for discrimination of the past.

Question 15

What is one way in which Republicans differ from Libertarians?

A) Republicans tend to be more liberal on social issues compared with Libertarians.
B) Republicans tend to be more liberal on economic issues compared with Libertarians.
C) Republicans tend to be more conservative on economic issues compared with Libertarians.
D) Republicans tend to be more conservative on social issues compared with Libertarians.
E) There are no differences between Libertarians and Republicans.

Question 16

Which of the following statements regarding the history of the Texas political party system is true?

A) It has tended toward strong voter support for third parties.
B) It has tended toward favoring independent movements.
C) It has tended toward Texas always having a strong two-party system.
D) It has tended toward Texas being a one-party state.
E) It has tended toward Texas being a competitive state.

Question 17

In the Texas general election of 2002,which trio was dubbed "the dream team" because of their expected appeal to Latino,African American,and Anglo voters?

A) Richards,Bush,and Cruz
B) Sanchez,Kirk,and Sharp
C) Friedman,Strayhorn,and Perry
D) Hutchison,Perry,and Medina
E) Bell,Perry,and Strayhorn

Question 18

What is one of the reasons why Anglo voters opposed Governor E.J.Davis?

A) He returned slaves and the vote to former members of the Confederacy.
B) He appointed African Americans to office throughout the state.
C) He supported Robert E.Lee and the Confederate slave owners.
D) He allowed blacks to legally marry whites.
E) He publicly opposed the advancement of African Americans.

Question 19

As mandated by Texas state law,what must each party's state executive committee do?

A) Be comprised equally of men and women
B) Include members of the state legislature
C) Provide proportional representation for various demographic groups
D) Receive a majority vote of the primary election voters
E) Nominate candidates for office

Question 20

Which geographic area of Texas is a Democratic stronghold?

A) West Texas
B) The suburbs of Dallas,Fort Worth,Houston,San Antonio,and Austin
C) Hispanic counties of South Texas
D) Texas Panhandle and Texas South Plains
E) Hill Country

Question 21

What are primaries and conventions that nominate candidates,adopt platforms,and select delegates to higher level conventions known as?

A) Bloc parties
B) Party caucuses
C) Permanent party organizations
D) Temporary party organizations
E) Occasional party organizations

Question 22

Who was the first Texas Republican elected in a statewide vote in the last half of the 20th century?

A) John Tower
B) William Clements
C) Rick Perry
D) John Cornyn
E) George W.Bush

Question 23

When was the closest presidential election of modern times?

A) 1988,when Republican George H.W.Bush defeated Democrat Michael Dukakis by four electoral votes
B) 1992,when Democrat Bill Clinton defeated Republican George H.W.Bush and Independent Ross Perot by four electoral votes
C) 2012,when Democrat Barack Obama defeated Republican Mitt Romney by four electoral votes
D) 2000,when Republican George W.Bush defeated Democrat Al Gore by four electoral votes
E) 2004,when Republican George W.Bush defeated Democrat John Kerry by three million popular votes

Question 24

After Reconstruction,which political party dominated in Texas for more than 100 years?

A) Whig
B) Democratic
C) Republican
D) Libertarian
E) Green

Question 25

What does an American political party system consist of?

A) National,county,city,and state levels
B) National,state,county,and precinct levels
C) County,state,local,and national levels
D) National,precinct,county,and city levels
E) Metropolitan,suburban,and ghetto communities

Question 26

In which of the following ways have third parties been least successful?

A) Winning elections to national offices
B) Raising public awareness of issues
C) Persuading major parties to adopt their issues
D) Persuading major parties to bring them into their coalition
E) Losing seats most of the time their candidates are on the ballot

Question 27

Which of the following tasks is performed every two years at the state party convention?

A) Selection of members of the state's party executive committee
B) Writing of the rules that will govern the national party
C) Election of state legislators
D) Adoption of a national party platform
E) Election of precinct judges

Question 28

Which policy would liberals most likely support?

A) Restricting the ability of a woman to obtain an abortion or contraception
B) Prohibiting homosexuals from holding public employment
C) Protecting a woman's right to equal pay for equal work
D) Reducing the progressivism of the national income tax
E) Denying transgender individuals access to the bathroom of their choice

Question 29

Who comprises the county executive committee?

A) All county party chairpersons
B) The top state party candidates
C) Delegates to the state convention
D) All precinct party chairpersons
E) The basic party officials

Question 30

When is a general election held?

A) March of odd-numbered years
B) November of even-numbered years
C) November of odd-numbered years
D) March of even-numbered years
E) December of odd-numbered years

Question 31

Which of these third parties probably has had the least influence on Texas politics?

A) Green
B) Populist
C) Libertarian
D) Fascist
E) Republican

Question 32

Which of these terms describes a political party that is not one of the two major parties?

A) Group of independents
B) Political faction
C) Third party
D) Political movement
E) Opposition party

Question 33

What are the two leading political parties in Texas?

A) Democratic and Green
B) Republican and Libertarian
C) Republican and Green
D) Democratic and Republican
E) Populist and Democratic Socialist

Question 34

In 2008,what is one reason why Obama won in Harris,Travis,Bexar,and Dallas counties?

A) Strong Republican support
B) Strong conservative Tea Party support
C) Solid support from independents and right-wing Republicans
D) Voting irregularities due to using paper ballots
E) Solid support from Latino and African American voters

Question 35

Who is responsible for counting or canvassing the returns from the party primaries for statewide office?

A) County chairs meeting in Austin
B) State party executive committee
C) Governor,secretary of state,and attorney general
D) Chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court
E) Individual candidates for office

Question 36

Where will resolutions adopted at the precinct convention be submitted to first?

A) National convention
B) City-wide convention
C) County or district convention
D) State convention
E) Precinct forums

Question 37

In what year did Texans elect the first woman ever to represent the state in the U.S.Senate?

A) 1919
B) 1954
C) 1993
D) 2002
E) 2001

Question 38

What determines how many electoral votes each state receives?

A) A number of electoral votes equal to the number of seats each state has in Congress
B) A number of electoral votes equal to the number of seats each state has in its state legislature
C) A number of electoral votes equal to the number of voters who voted in the previous general election
D) A number of electoral votes equal to the number of delegates the state had at the national party convention
E) A number of electoral votes proportional to the number of registered voters

Question 39

Which of the following statements regarding the past three primary elections in Texas is true?

A) Voting rates among Republicans were the same as voting rates among Democrats.
B) More Republicans than Democrats turned out to vote.
C) More Democrats than Republicans turned out to vote.
D) There has been an increase in votes cast by noncitizens.
E) Voter turnout doesn't matter because Republicans always win.

Question 40

In what year did Republicans win all statewide races in the general election?

A) 1984
B) 1998
C) 2002
D) 1976
E) 1988

Question 41

Which of the following happens at the party state convention during presidential election years only?

A) Adoption of a state party platform
B) Nomination of the candidate for president
C) Selection of members of the state executive committee
D) Certification to the secretary of state the names of party members nominated to run for office
E) Selection of potential presidential electors

Question 42

Which of the following statements regarding the 2008 election is true?

A) Democrats gained a majority in the Texas Senate for the second straight election.
B) Obama lost four of the state's five most populous counties.
C) Democrats lost seats in the Texas House of Representatives for the third straight general election cycle.
D) Democrats won a majority of countywide offices in Harris County for the first time in more than 20 years.
E) There was no measurable difference from past elections because Texas is a solid red state.

Question 43

Which of the following statements best describes the Libertarian Party?

A) It advocates the enforcement by the state of fundamentalist Christian family values.
B) It supports limited government and maximum individual liberties.
C) It is economically liberal but is conservative on social issues.
D) It has its strongest base of support in South Texas.
E) It is really just a conservative wing of the Democratic Party.

Question 44

In what year did Texans elect their first Republican governor since Reconstruction?

A) 1933
B) 1978
C) 1992
D) 2000
E) 2004

Question 45

Which Texas governor,elected in 1994,was successful as the Republican Party's candidate for president in 2000?

A) George W.Bush
B) Ann Richards
C) John Tower
D) Rick Perry
E) Greg Abbott

Question 46

Which of these terms describes voting for all the candidates of only one party?

A) Straight-ticket voting
B) Ticket-splitting
C) Retrospective voting
D) Undecided voting
E) Crossover voting

Question 47

Who may participate in the precinct convention of a party?

A) All eligible voters in the precinct
B) Only those in the precinct who voted in the party's primary
C) Only those in the precinct who have joined the party's state and national organization (e.g. ,DNC,RNC)
D) Only those who have resided in the precinct for at least three years
E) Only those who have voted in the party's primary during the past three consecutive elections

Question 48

Which political label would best describe a politician that is in favor of government regulation of the economy,but limited government involvement on social issues?

A) Liberal
B) Socialist
C) Libertarian
D) Conservative
E) Centrist

Question 49

At the turn of the 20th century,what caused the decline of the Populist Party in Texas?

A) The Democratic Party adopting its issues
B) The issues no longer being relevant to Texans
C) Texas secession from the United States
D) A merger with the Republican Party
E) A scandal involving leaders in the party

Question 50

What is one way in which the two major parties restrict the ability of third-party candidates to compete?

A) Ballot access laws,put in place by the major parties,require they either must achieve certain vote thresholds or gather many signatures to appear on the ballot.
B) The filing fee is often very high,which is a deterrent to third-party candidates.
C) The secretary of state often simply refuses to accept the application of third-party candidates.
D) The major parties restrict the fundraising ability of third-party candidates.
E) The major parties can block third-party candidates from buying advertisements.

Question 51

What is the main business of county and district conventions?

A) To hold primary elections
B) To introduce candidates to party members
C) To select delegates to the state convention
D) To conduct general elections
E) To select electors for the national election

Question 52

In 2016,how did delegates to the state party conventions communicate their experiences and describe the proceedings to those outside the conventions?

A) By organizing massive marches to capture media attention
B) Via social media such as Facebook and Twitter
C) By writing letters to the editors of magazines around the country
D) With an extensive direct-mail campaign
E) With meetings in homes and churches

Question 53

What is a characteristic of the party's county executive committee?

A) They are responsible for organizing the state party convention
B) They are comprised of all the precinct chairs
C) They are selected at the state convention
D) They are responsible for conducting the general election
E) They select delegates to the national convention

Question 54

Which party controlled Texas politics during the period of Reconstruction that followed the Civil War (1865-1873)?

A) Democratic
B) Independent
C) Republican
D) Populist
E) Green

Question 55

What term is given to a gathering of party members who voted in the party's primary for the purpose of electing delegates to the county or district convention?

A) Executive committee
B) Party caucus
C) Precinct convention
D) Senatorial convention
E) Open primary

Question 56

Which of the following statements best describes the Green Party?

A) It is a 21st century throwback to the Greenbacks of the 19th century.
B) It advocates returning to the gold standard as a backing for American currency.
C) It advocates environmental protection and government reform policies.
D) It advocates reduced governmental regulation of corporations and political campaigns.
E) It advocates reduced governmental regulation of corporations and expansion of the marketplace.

Question 57

What is required for a candidate to win an office in a general election in Texas?

A) A majority of the vote
B) Two-thirds of the vote
C) A plurality of the vote
D) Three-quarters of the vote
E) A supermajority of the vote

Question 58

Which of these terms describes candidates who run for office with no party affiliation?

A) Partisan seekers
B) Independents
C) Greens
D) Reformers
E) Yellow dog Democrats

Question 59

Which political party focused on agrarian issues and posed a challenge to the Democratic Party of Texas during the latter part of the 19th century?

A) Whig
B) Green
C) Republican
D) Populist
E) Independent

Question 60

Which policy would a conservative most likely support?

A) Changing the law to improve worker pay and benefits
B) Tighter governmental regulation of pollution from factories
C) Legal protections against racial and gender discrimination
D) A ban on same-sex marriages
E) Legalizing marijuana

Question 61

What is a political party?

A) An organization that consists of individuals interested in controlling government by winning elections
B) An organization that consists of individuals interested in pressuring elected officials to change public policy
C) A coalition of private and public organizations that create societal change
D) A social movement that uses social media to influence policy
E) An organized group that hires lobbyists to influence lawmakers

Question 62

Describe the additional functions and events that must occur within political party organizations during presidential election years.Be sure to include both state and national party organizational operations.Explain the role state parties perform in selecting a presidential nominee and delegates to the electoral college.

Question 63

Describe the strengths of the Democratic and Republican parties by region in Texas.Explain why each party has certain strengths in particular regions within the state.Based on changing demographic patterns within the state,speculate on the future potential of each party within the state of Texas.

Question 64

According to the Texas Election Code,what event must each political party in Texas hold in June of even-numbered years?

A) Primary election
B) State convention
C) County convention
D) General election
E) Virtual town halls

Question 65

Describe the differences between the Libertarian Party and the Republican Party and between the Green Party and the Democratic Party.

Question 66

Explain the difference between temporary and permanent party organizations.

Question 67

What is the difference between a stratarchy and a hierarchy?

Question 68

What role does a party's temporary organization play in the presidential nomination system?

Question 69

How did the Republican Party gain control of Texas government during Reconstruction? How did it lose control of Texas government when Reconstruction ended?

Question 70

Which of the following statements regarding precinct conventions in Texas is true?

A) They are heavily attended.
B) They are lightly or sparsely attended.
C) They are held at times other than after the polls close.
D) They are held in odd-numbered years.
E) They are held online in a group forum because no one shows up at the precinct.

Question 71

What is a consequence of the plurality voting rule?

A) Plurality voting rules give women candidates an advantage.
B) Plurality voting rules tend to lead to more runoff elections.
C) Plurality voting rules reinforce the dominance of the two major parties.
D) Plurality voting rules tend to favor the challenger over the incumbent.
E) Plurality voting rules tend to give minority candidates an advantage.

Question 72

Which of the following statements does not exemplify liberal ideology?

A) Government must regulate the economy.
B) Government power should be used to protect the disadvantaged and to promote equality.
C) Government should institute a progressive tax system.
D) Government should provide a robust social safety net.
E) Government should have a minimal role in regulating the economy and business.

Question 73

Briefly explain why conservatives tend to support the Republican Party and liberals tend to support the Democratic Party.

Question 74

Compare and contrast a multiparty system,a simplified system,and a plurality system.In the United States,the Democratic and Republican parties are the two leading parties,thus creating a two-party system.Which electoral system tends to favor a two-party system more?

Question 75

Which type of electoral system is likely to lead to a multiparty system?

Question 76

In which of the following decades did the Republican Party in Texas begin to win almost all of the statewide offices it challenged?

A) 1950s
B) 1970s
C) 1990s
D) 2000s
E) 2010s

Question 77

Trace the operation of temporary party organizations in Texas.How do parties develop their platforms and choose their candidates for office? Explain why you think the system either does a good or bad job of making sure that the parties truly represent the interests and/or preferences of the voters who support them.

Question 78

Which two political factions engaged in the fiercest political fighting in Texas between 1900 and 1950?

A) Democrats and Populists
B) Republicans and Democrats
C) Liberal and conservative Democrats
D) Republicans and Populists
E) Liberal and conservative Republicans

Question 79

Describe the political party climate in Texas between the end of the Civil War and the 1940s.How and why did party domination change? What were the third-party challenges to the dominant party,and how were these challenges dealt with by the major parties?

Question 80

Explain why it is difficult for an independent candidate to win elections in Texas.Why do you think independent candidates choose to run without a party label when it is so difficult to win?