Deck 4: Political Parties

Question 1

Republican activists come from a diverse socioeconomic and ethnic base.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Voter turnout tends to be higher in one-party systems than it is in competitive two-party systems.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Political parties are coalitions of interests.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The first and most important agent of political socialization is the family.

Question 5

Generally speaking,liberals have greater faith in the ability of the market to solve economic problems than do conservatives.

Question 6

Schools in Texas generally encourage students to become politically active citizens.

Question 7

Political party nominees are required to endorse and follow the party's platform.

Question 8

Republican and Democratic platforms in Texas both call for ending abortion by overturning the Roe v.Wade decision.

Question 9

One of the functions of the state convention is to write the party platform.

Question 10

The lowest-ranking permanent party official is the precinct chairperson.

Question 11

Political parties are the only organizations capable of holding together many fractious interests so that governing is possible.

Question 12

The main function of the county convention is to nominate candidates for county-level offices.

Question 13

Texas parties are considered weak in an organizational sense.

Question 14

The basic purpose of political parties is to win elections and exercise control over public policy.

Question 15

Texan adults are more likely to call themselves liberal than conservative.

Question 16

Prior to joining the Union,Texas had no political parties.

Question 17

Conservative governments often pursue "pseudo laissez-faire" economic policies.

Question 18

Like their national counterparts,the mass media in Texas are liberal.

Question 19

Since the 1960s,Mexican American voters have mostly supported the Republican party in Texas.

Question 20

On matters of foreign policy,liberals and conservatives tend to follow partisan rather than ideological cues.

Question 21

La Raza Unida,a political party formed in the 1970s by Mexican-Americans,won some local elections and even ran candidates for governor before going out of existence.

Question 22

Third parties have had consistent success electing candidates to statewide offices in Texas.

Question 23

In the 2008 elections,which of the following occurred?

A) A majority of Texans cast their ballots for Barack Obama for president.
B) Texans elected a Democratic majority in the Texas House of Representatives.
C) The Texas Congressional delegation became equally divided between Democrats and Republicans.
D) Texans elected their first Libertarian statewide official.
E) The Republican party continued its dominance of Texas politics.

Question 24

The permanent party organization in Texas includes

A) precinct chairs.
B) the County Executive Committee.
C) the District Executive Committee.
D) the State Executive Committee.
E) all of the above.

Question 25

After Reconstruction ended,most Texans came to identify with the ____ party.

A) Federalist
B) Whig
C) Republican
D) Democratic
E) Populist

Question 26

Which of the following are among the basic agents of political socialization?

A) Families
B) Schools
C) Churches
D) The media
E) All of the above

Question 27

On the issue of private gun ownership,conservatives generally want ____ regulation and liberals want ____.

A) more; less
B) less; more
C) more; more
D) less; less

Question 28

The two dominant ideologies in Texas today are usually referred to as

A) individualism and communitarianism.
B) socialism and populism.
C) libertarianism and conservatism.
D) liberalism and conservatism.
E) environmentalism and libertarianism.

Question 29

During the last two decades of the twentieth century,Texas went through a political

A) realignment.
B) dealignment.
C) revolution.
D) devolution.
E) vacillation.

Question 30

From the perspective of activists and candidates,the basic purpose of political parties is to

A) recruit political leaders.
B) stimulate political activity and provide information.
C) moderate differences between groups.
D) organize the decision-making activities of government.
E) win elections in order to gain control over public policy.

Question 31

The first Republican governor of Texas in the twentieth century was

A) John Tower.
B) John Connally.
C) Bill Clements.
D) Rick Perry.
E) Clayton Williams.

Question 32

A person who is suspicious of unregulated markets,places more faith in the ability of the government to direct economic activity,and favors less government regulation in issues of personal belief and behavior would probably be categorized as

A) conservative.
B) liberal.
C) libertarian.
D) populist.
E) nationalist.

Question 33

Liberals tend to dominate in all of North Texas,the Panhandle,and the south plains.

Question 34

Libertarians are a consistent antigovernment party.

Question 35

In economic policy,the basic principle underlying conservatism is

A) laissez-faire.
B) government regulation.
C) central planning.
D) social equality.
E) collective responsibility.

Question 36

As a consequence of the one-party system that existed in Texas until the 1970s,

A) voter turnout was very low.
B) elections were decided in the Democratic primary.
C) party labels told voters little about the ideology of candidates.
D) parties were unable to overcome the constitutional fragmentation of power.
E) all of the conditions above existed.

Question 37

In 1961,____ ended the Democrats' monopoly on offices at the state level by winning a special election for the U.S.Senate.

A) John Tower
B) Phil Gramm
C) Bill Clements
D) George Bush
E) Lyndon Baines Johnson

Question 38

In Texas,party membership is determined by

A) the payment of dues.
B) the act of voting in a primary election.
C) the indication of party preference on the voter registration card.
D) attendance at a party convention.
E) the voter's choice on a general election ballot.

Question 39

Liberal leadership in Texas comes largely from the legal,teaching,and other professions.

Question 40

The primary purpose of the precinct convention in Texas is to

A) count the primary election votes.
B) discuss strategy for the next election.
C) select delegates to the county convention.
D) raise money for the party.
E) select the precinct party chair.

Question 41

Why are state conventions and platforms of little importance to what nominees say and do?

A) Candidates for public office are nominated in primaries rather than in conventions.
B) Candidates raise their own campaign funds independently of the party.
C) Candidates need to gather support from the large number of voters, not the small number of party activists.
D) Party organizations in the United States are generally quite weak.
E) All of the above.

Question 42

Identify and explain the major functions of political parties.Explain how well political parties in Texas perform these functions.Discuss what factors,if any; suggest that the parties are improving in their performance of these functions.

Question 43

Describe the structures and primary functions of the permanent party organizations in Texas.Explain some of the factors that make the permanent party organization less important than might be expected.

Question 44

Virtually all elected Republicans in Texas are ____ first; a few are also ____.

A) economic conservatives; social conservatives
B) social conservatives; economic conservatives
C) social liberals; economic liberals
D) economic liberals; social liberals
E) economic conservatives; economic liberals

Question 45

Which of the following statements about political parties in Texas traditionally has been correct?

A) Political parties are especially weak organizationally.
B) Political parties are especially strong from an organizational point of view.
C) Minor parties often turn into major parties.
D) The party organization is the key factor in deciding who is nominated to office.
E) Most candidates rely on the party for funds and organizing assistance.

Question 46

Define the terms liberal and conservative in the context of modern Texas politics.Explain why these terms can sometimes be of little real use in understanding modern politics.

Question 47

Since 1994,the Texas Republican Party state conventions have been dominated by

A) social liberals.
B) corporate interest groups.
C) the supporters of Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.
D) the Christian Right.
E) the national Republican party.

Question 48

A fervent belief that government should protect the little people of society from wealthy individuals and corporations has historically been known as

A) economic conservatism.
B) populism.
C) libertarianism.
D) liberalism.
E) social conservatism.

Question 49

A political party that has centralized control over nominations and can impose the party platform on its nominees is known as a(n)

A) strong party.
B) weak party.
C) ideological party.
D) temporary party organization.
E) responsible party.

Question 50

Committee chairs in the Texas Legislature

A) are always members of the majority party and are elected by members of the committees.
B) are always members of the majority party and are appointed by the leaders of the respective chambers.
C) usually are distributed to members of both parties and are elected by members of the committees.
D) usually are distributed to members of both parties and are appointed by the leaders of the respective chambers.
E) None of the above is correct.

Question 51

The state party conventions select all of the following except

A) the party nominees for the general election in November.
B) the presidential electors to serve in the Electoral College.
C) the members of the state executive committee.
D) the Texas members of the national party committee.
E) the delegates to the national party convention.

Question 52

From time to time,states undergo political realignments.In your essay,first define what is meant by "political realignment." Second,discuss how Texas has undergone political realignment since the 1970s.

Question 53

In Texas,which of the following types of voters would most likely support the Republican party?

A) Anglo, labor union member, Catholic
B) Rural, Anglo, low income
C) Mexican American, lawyer, El Paso resident
D) African American, East Texas resident, farmer
E) Anglo, upper class, professional, evangelical Protestant

Question 54

After examining the process of political socialization,"one might wonder how any view other than the conservative ideology exists in Texas." In your essay,identify each of the basic agents of political socialization and explain why the socialization process is often conservative.What are some of the factors that might account for an individual in developing liberal views in Texas?