Deck 4: Political Parties in Texas

Question 1

Which of the following demographic groups delivers the vast majority of its votes to the Democratic Party?

A) whites
B) African Americans
C) Native Americans
D) Latinos
E) Asian Americans

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which party dominated Texas politics throughout most of the twentieth century?

A) Democratic
B) Republican
C) Populist
D) Texas politics was nonpartisan for most of the twentieth century.
E) Conservative

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Texas Democrats have been relegated to a minority status at the state level since

A)1948.
B)1964.
C)1980.
D)1994.
E)2000.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The process by which our parents, teachers, and others influence our identification with a political party is referred to as

A) political ideology.
B) political cultural training.
C) partisan training.
D) political socialization.
E) Duverger's Law.

Question 5

The fastest-growing demographic group in Texas is _____________, the majority of whom vote _____________.

A) Hispanic; Democratic
B) white; Democratic
C) Hispanic; Republican
D) African American; Republican
E) African American; Democratic

Question 6

Which of the following is not usually considered a function of political parties?

A) lobbying
B) getting out the vote
C) influencing voters' choices
D) training candidates
E) nominating candidates

Question 7

The most local voting district is called the

A) precinct.
B) county.
C) city.
D) caucus.
E) township.

Question 8

Texans are increasingly identifying themselves as

A) Republican.
B) Independent.
C) Democrat.
D) Libertarian.
E) Populist.

Question 9

The degree to which members of the Texas Republican Party have become more conservative, and members of the Texas Democratic Party have become more liberal, is referred to as

A) partisan drift.
B) partisan allegiance.
C) partisan polarization.
D) the two-party system.
E) party factionalism.

Question 10

One of the reasons why party politics in Texas differs from that of other southern states is because

A) Texas was once its own country.
B) Texas is larger and more economically developed than most other southern states.
C) Texas borders Mexico.
D) most other southern states have a historically larger African American population than Texas.
E) Texas has much higher voter turnout than most other southern states.

Question 11

Which demographic group is the fastest growing in Texas?

A) Asian Americans
B) African Americans
C) whites
D) Native Americans
E) Latinos

Question 12

In modern-day Texas, control of state government

A) is shared between the two major parties.
B) fluctuates often between the two major parties.
C) lies solely in the hands of the Democrats.
D) lies solely in the hands of the Republicans.
E) lies in the hands of interest groups.

Question 13

The major competition for important statewide offices in present-day Texas happens at

A) county-level conventions across the state.
B) precinct conventions across the state.
C) party primaries in urban areas.
D) elections conducted in Austin.
E) the Republican primary.

Question 14

The last Democratic president that carried the state of Texas was

A) Franklin Roosevelt in 1932.
B) John F. Kennedy in 1960.
C) Jimmy Carter in 1976.
D) Bill Clinton in 1992.
E) A Democratic president has never carried the state of Texas.

Question 15

Parties at the state level have less power than at the national level because

A) they are not as well-financed as the national parties.
B) voters are not familiar with the party's candidates at the state and local levels.
C) local issues are usually not ideological in nature.
D) state and local parties are poorly organized.
E) interest groups co-opt the powers of the parties at the state level.

Question 16

State and local party organizations do all of the following EXCEPT

A) raise funds for candidates.
B) conduct voter-registration drives.
C) litigate against unfavorable policies.
D) recruit candidates for office.
E) conduct get-out-the-vote drives.

Question 17

Providing a label that helps voters identify those seeking office is an important function of

A) the state.
B) political parties.
C) interest groups.
D) the media.
E) the governor.

Question 18

Which movement has had the largest impact on state legislative races in recent years?

A) the Tea Party movement
B) La Raza Unida
C) the Libertarian movement
D) the Green Party movement
E) the Occupy movement

Question 19

The most important role for political parties in Texas elections is to

A) fund the candidate's campaigns.
B) offer the candidate a label by which he or she can identify with the voters.
C) lead get-out-the-vote drives.
D) create political action committees.
E) fund television and radio campaign advertisements.

Question 20

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Texas was

A) one-party Republican.
B) one-party Democrat.
C) one-party Republican with liberal and conservative factions.
D) a two-party, competitive state (with Republicans and Democrats).
E) one-party Populist.

Question 21

Which of the following third-party movements had the most success in winning elections in the post-World War II era?

A) La Raza Unida
B) the Occupy movement
C) the Green Party
D) the Kinky Friedman movement
E) the Constitution Party

Question 22

A system that allocates representation to legislatures that ensures a voice for minority parties is called a

A) republic.
B) single-member district system.
C) majoritarian system.
D) proportional representation system.
E) Populist system.

Question 23

The _____________ is a meeting held by a political party following its precinct conventions for the purpose of electing delegates to its state convention.

A) city convention
B) regional convention
C) county convention
D) special district convention
E) suburban convention

Question 24

The Shivercrat movement revolved around Governor Shivers's support of presidential candidate

A) Adlai Stevenson.
B) Richard Nixon.
C) Dwight Eisenhower.
D) Sam Rayburn.
E) Lyndon Johnson.

Question 25

The Dixiecrats abandoned the national Democratic Party in the 1948 presidential election over the issue of

A) the Cold War.
B) civil rights.
C) the national deficit.
D) welfare reform.
E) prayer in schools.

Question 26

The Latino movement known as La Raza Unida occurred during the

A) 1920s.
B) 1940s.
C) 1960s.
D) 1980s.
E) 1990s.

Question 27

Which of the following is not true?

A) Democrats are winning most local races in large urban areas like Dallas and Harris County.
B) Republicans are winning most local races in suburban areas like Collin County.
C) It is difficult for an independent to win a local election in any area of Texas.
D) The Republican Party is losing ground at the state level.
E) The Democratic Party has basically been shut out of state-level elections.

Question 28

_____________ elections are elections in which the party affiliations of candidates are not listed on the ballot.

A) Nonpartisan
B) Bipartisan
C) Multipartisan
D) Closely contested
E) High-turnout elections

Question 29

The pattern, beginning in the 1950s, of Texans voting for a Republican president but sticking with conservative Democrats for state offices is called

A) Yellow Dog democracy.
B) presidential Republicanism.
C) the white primary.
D) the Eisenhower syndrome.
E) the Republicrat movement.

Question 30

Third parties are most likely to have electoral success under which system of elections?

A) proportional representation system
B) majority system
C) plurality system
D) unitary system
E) referendum system

Question 31

The Libertarian Party can be considered

A) fiscal liberals and social liberals.
B) fiscal conservatives and social liberals.
C) fiscal conservatives and social conservatives.
D) fiscal liberals and social liberals.
E) ideologically neutral.

Question 32

In Texas, why were primary elections more important than general elections during most of the twentieth century?

A) The general election was often fixed.
B) The primary election was the only election held in many Texas counties.
C) The primary election was open to more voters than the general election.
D) In a one-party state, the winner of the primary will most likely win the general election.
E) More people voted in the primary elections than in the general elections.

Question 33

In the 1950s, who were known as the Shivercrats?

A) supporters of Governor Alan Shivers's bid for the White House in 1952 and 1956
B) conservative Democrats who voted for Republican presidential candidates
C) liberal Republicans who supported Democrat Alan Shivers's governorship
D) poor, rural Democrats who could not afford to buy heating oil because of soaring energy costs
E) conservative Republicans who voted for Democratic presidential candidates

Question 34

In Texas, the highest level of temporary party organization is the

A) governor's convention.
B) state executive committee.
C) state convention.
D) civil executive committee.
E) precinct convention.

Question 35

All of the following are principles generally supported by the Tea Party movement EXCEPT

A) low taxes.
B) term limits.
C) increased immigration.
D) balanced budgets.
E) low government spending.

Question 36

Duverger's Law states that

A) proportional representation systems result in two-party systems.
B) one-party systems are the result of white flight.
C) single-member district systems result in two-party systems.
D) presidential Republicanism results in ticket splitting.
E) political socialization plays a large role in party identification.

Question 37

The system of allocating representatives to Congress and the Texas legislature by individual districts, rather than by allocating votes proportionally, is referred to as

A) the electoral college.
B) a single-member district.
C) nonproportional representation.
D) a one-party government.
E) bipartisanship.

Question 38

The Occupy movement is a political movement interested in limiting the influence of what in American politics?

A) the media
B) interest groups
C) political parties
D) Wall Street and big business
E) foreign countries

Question 39

The main role of the precinct convention is to

A) nominate candidates for state and local office.
B) develop the party platform in preparation for the state convention.
C) select delegates for the county convention.
D) mobilize grassroots support in the precinct.
E) raise money for future campaign efforts.

Question 40

In the post-Civil War era, the only parts of Texas that showed significant Republican leanings were

A) counties in the Panhandle.
B) rural areas in East Texas.
C) counties located along the Rio Grande River.
D) large cities.
E) German counties in the Texas Hill Country.

Question 41

Most Texas Democrats today would be classified as

A) liberal.
B) moderate.
C) conservative.
D) Libertarian.
E) Populist.

Question 42

The last Democratic governor of Texas was Ann Richards.

Question 43

One of the Republican Party's greatest weaknesses in Texas is its lack of support among

A) African Americans.
B) young people.
C) the wealthy.
D) Asian Americans.
E) Latinos.

Question 44

Today, the Texas Democratic Party's base is made up of all of the following EXCEPT

A) Latinos.
B) African Americans.
C) white liberals in Austin.
D) whites in East Texas.
E) white liberals in Houston.

Question 45

Compared to other southern states, Texas has a large African American population.

Question 46

In Texas, which group is most likely to support the Republican Party?

A) Latinos
B) women
C) the wealthy
D) Jewish Americans
E) African Americans

Question 47

Latinos currently represent ______ of the population of Texas.

A) 11 percent
B) 20 percent
C) 28 percent
D) 38 percent
E) over 50 percent

Question 48

The mass exodus of more affluent whites from urban areas to suburban areas is sometimes referred to as

A) urban withdrawal.
B) white flight.
C) tax-base erosion.
D) urban racism.
E) urban sprawl.

Question 49

When intraparty disputes split members into different groups, these groups are referred to as

A) factions.
B) teams.
C) enemies.
D) subparties.
E) party units.

Question 50

Partisan polarization refers to situations in which members of the same political party begin to fight over policy and ideological issues.

Question 51

Most third-party candidates in Texas are unsuccessful in their electoral bids.

Question 52

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Texas was a competitive, two-party state.

Question 53

Most of Texas's African American population is concentrated in all of the following areas EXCEPT

A) suburban Dallas and Houston.
B) East Texas.
C) inner-city Houston.
D) inner-city Dallas.
E) inner-city San Antonio.

Question 54

The Dixiecrat movement led by Strom Thurmond in 1948 opposed the segregationist ideas of President Truman.

Question 55

Which demographic group has the largest percentage share of voters in Texas?

A) Native Americans
B) Asians
C) Latinos
D) African Americans
E) whites

Question 56

Conservative Democrats in Texas are also known as

A) Blue Dog Democrats.
B) Yellow Dog Democrats.
C) Republicans.
D) Libertarians.
E) Populist Democrats.

Question 57

The Republican Party was the dominant force in Texas politics for most of the twentieth century.

Question 58

In Texas, the most local level of a party organization is the county.

Question 59

Duverger's Law states that single-member districts result in two-party systems.

Question 60

The main role of the precinct convention is to select delegates for the county-level convention.

Question 61

Discuss urban, rural, and suburban influences on partisanship. Explain which party tends to dominate in each of these areas, and why.

Question 62

In South Texas, Democrats control many cities, towns, and school boards due to the large Latino population.

Question 63

African Americans have the largest percentage share of voters in Texas.

Question 64

Describe the structure of political parties and elections in Texas. What are the different levels of party organization?

Question 65

Latinos currently make up over 50 percent of the Texas population.

Question 66

In the 2010 general election, every official elected at the state level was Republican.

Question 67

Blue Dog Democrats are becoming more and more popular in Texas.

Question 68

Describe the different roles that political parties play in Texas politics. What types of organizational structures do the Republican and Democratic parties have? What is the importance of party membership?

Question 69

Describe the history of Texas as a one-party state. Which party dominated Texas politics, and what are the historical origins behind this dominance? What were some of the ramifications of one-party rule? What caused the rise of a two-party system in Texas?

Question 70

Discuss the significance of Latino population growth to party politics in Texas. What issues are involved with mobilization and voting behavior within this group?