Deck 18: Interest Groups, Political Parties, and Elections in Texas

Question 1

Compared to other states, Texas has _____________ interest groups.

A) relatively strong
B) few
C) weak
D) extremely weak
E) no

Answer 1

relatively strong

Question 2

Public interest groups differ most significantly from other kinds of interest groups in their

A) advocacy for business groups.
B) funding.
C) methods of lobbying.
D) access to legislators.
E) size of membership.

Answer 2

funding.

Question 3

Lobbyists differ from the average citizen in

A) their ability to exercise free speech.
B) their level of education.
C) their level of political socialization.
D) their access to politicians.
E) their voter turnout rate.

Answer 3

their access to politicians.

Question 4

Traditionally, all of the following have been influential interest groups in Texas EXCEPT

A) oil companies.
B) banks.
C) agricultural interests.
D) the shipping industry.
E) large corporations.

Question 5

The pluralist arguments concerning interest groups are countered by arguments pointing out the influence of

A) party politics.
B) elitism.
C) minorities.
D) those on welfare.
E) the AARP.

Question 6

Historically, it can be argued that interest groups have been powerful in Texas because of

A) Texas' long history of one-party politics.
B) the Texas Republicans.
C) the Texas Democrats.
D) the Establishment.
E) minority voters.

Question 7

An important shift occurred in Texas politics in 2002, from________ to________ dominance.

A) liberal, conservative
B) liberal, Republican
C) Republican, Democratic
D) conservative, liberal
E) Democratic, Republican

Question 8

Republicans and Democrats in Texas have competed intensely in the last elections for the vote of

A) Hispanics.
B) women.
C) African Americans.
D) Asians.
E) organized labor.

Question 9

One of the most important strategies of Democrats facing Republican control of all statewide offices was to

A) use grassroots mobilization.
B) use the cultural change pathway.
C) attack Republican candidates.
D) field minority candidates to increase minority turnout.
E) use ads to get out the vote.

Question 10

Conservative white Democrats began to move to the Republican Party in the 1960s and 1970s, largely in response to

A) the Religious Right.
B) civil rights legislation.
C) the abortion rights issue.
D) migration from New England.
E) the election of Jimmy Carter.

Question 11

The emergence of a two-party system in Texas can be traced to all of the following EXCEPT

A) a split within the Democratic Party.
B) a commitment to civil rights legislation.
C) Republican support for civil rights legislation.
D) Harry Truman's actions unfavorable to Texas oil interests.
E) Shivercrats.

Question 12

Conventions are held at all of the following levels EXCEPT

A) precincts.
B) municipal.
C) counties.
D) senatorial districts.
E) state.

Question 13

Although Hispanics make up 36.5% of the Texas population, they are a much smaller percentage of voters for all of the following reasons EXCEPT

A) many are immigrants not eligible to vote.
B) many are from Mexico, which has no tradition of democracy.
C) their average age is lower.
D) their incomes are lower.
E) many have a lower than average education level.

Question 14

The poll tax was adopted in 1902 to

A) raise money.
B) count citizens.
C) benefit the poor.
D) benefit African American voters.
E) exclude certain voters.

Question 15

Elections in Texas are notably different from federal elections in having

A) virtually no campaign limits.
B) no PACs.
C) no primaries.
D) white primaries.
E) only two parties.

Question 16

In Texas, trial lawyers and the Texas Medical Association squared off over tort reform.

Question 17

Texas parties follow the responsible party model.

Question 18

In the 2002 election, Texas Democrats attempted to stop the massive gains by Republicans by putting forward minority candidates.

Question 19

Realignment in Texas can be described as being similar to realignment of parties along national lines.

Question 20

Texas has only become a two-party state in the last three decades.

Question 21

The temporary organization of political parties consists of conventions held every two years.

Question 22

Under the federal Voting Rights Act, diluting minority voting strength is illegal.

Question 23

The sole purpose of the poll tax was to disenfranchise certain voters.

Question 24

Texas' history of voter disenfranchisement can be seen as proof of the strength of its traditionalist political subculture.

Question 25

Since its inception in 1988 few Texans have taken advantage of early voting.

Question 26

The Texas Association of Businessmen was found not guilty of violating campaign finance law because its large campaign expenditures went

A) directly to the candidates.
B) indirectly to the candidates.
C) to partisan ads.
D) to smear campaigns.
E) only for information ads.

Question 27

The Texas Association of Businessmen, in its actions in the 2002 elections, can be said to have been

A) a failure.
B) successful.
C) only partially successful.
D) only initially successful.
E) guilty of illegal campaign donations.

Question 28

The Texas Association of Businessmen is a good example of

A) corrupt interest groups.
B) the money wasted by interest groups.
C) illegal backroom deals.
D) the enormous influence of some interest groups.
E) partisan politics.

Question 29

A major player in the shift in Texas politics to the right was

A) La Raza Unida.
B) the Texas Association of Businessmen.
C) the Democratic party.
D) the house speaker.
E) future president George W. Bush.

Question 30

Studies have shown that interest groups have_________ since the shift of state politics to the right.

A) gained in strength
B) lost their strength
C) boomed
D) not changed
E) disappeared

Question 31

The term "the Establishment" is primarily defined by

A) race.
B) profession.
C) ethnicity.
D) age.
E) gender.

Question 32

According to the authors, the conservative establishment was supported by

A) the traditionalistic and individualistic political subculture.
B) the moralistic political subculture.
C) interest groups.
D) Hispanic businessmen.
E) elitism.

Question 33

What economic shift accompanied the diffusion of political influence at the expense of the Establishment?

A) A move away from high-tech industry
B) A boom in the oil and gas industry
C) The emergence of small farming cooperatives
D) The decline in farming
E) A move to high-tech and service industries

Question 34

Business interests in Texas are represented in all of the following ways EXCEPT

A) regional associations.
B) trade associations.
C) in-house lobbyists.
D) personal lobbyists.
E) broad-based interest groups.

Question 35

The main lobbying opponent of the trial lawyers lobby has been the

A) Texas Association of Businessmen.
B) Texas Bankers Association.
C) Texas Chemical Council.
D) Texas Bar Association.
E) Texas Medical Association.

Question 36

Which of the following facts about the education lobby would tend to support the pluralist arguments about special interest groups?

A) The large number of teachers groups
B) The fact that high-level university administrators are well-connected
C) The existence of a hierarchy among the different education groups
D) The large amounts of money involved
E) All of the above

Question 37

Which aspect of the teaching lobbies in Texas would tend to support the elitist view of special interest groups?

A) The large number of interest groups
B) The fact that many different kinds of groups exist
C) Four different teachers groups
D) Well-connected university administrators and politically-influential alumni
E) Conflicting educational interest groups

Question 38

Public interest groups are most likely to use which pathway?

A) The courts
B) Cultural change
C) Elections
D) Lobbying
E) Grassroots mobilization

Question 39

Like the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has tended to use which pathway?

A) Grassroots mobilization
B) Election
C) The courts
D) Lobbying
E) Cultural change

Question 40

All of the following are examples of minority interest groups EXCEPT

A) LULAC.
B) TAB.
C) MALDEF.
D) NAACP.
E) IAF.

Question 41

Low-income minorities in Texas are specifically represented by

A) the Industrial Areas Foundation.
B) LULAC.
C) the NAACP.
D) MALDEF.
E) EPISO.

Question 42

Which of the following is NOT a major category of lobbyists in Texas?

A) Local government
B) Minority groups
C) Native Americans
D) Public interest
E) Education

Question 43

The Religious Right has come to _________ the Republican Party and its political agenda in Texas in the last two decades.

A) ignore
B) deflect
C) mirror
D) direct
E) differ from

Question 44

The Religious Right can be defined by what it is against, namely all of the following EXCEPT

A) communism.
B) labor.
C) conservatism.
D) civil rights.
E) liberals.

Question 45

During the most recent legislative session there were approximately ________ lobbyists registered in Texas

A) 15
B) 100
C) 500
D) 1500
E) 5000

Question 46

Arguments supporting the idea that lobbyists represent the average citizen include all of the following EXCEPT

A) special-interest groups are composed of citizens.
B) lobbyists provide important information to legislators.
C) lobbyists are experts in the political process
D) lobbyists are exercising first amendment rights.
E) lobbyists violate first amendment rights.

Question 47

Texas elected no ________to statewide office between 1874 and 1961.

A) Republican
B) Democrat
C) woman
D) African American
E) Asian

Question 48

The defeat of Agricultural Commissioner Jim Hightower is illustrative of the strength of the

A) Texas Association of Businessmen.
B) NAACP.
C) LULAC.
D) Texas Farm Bureau.
E) Texas Poultry Federation.

Question 49

According to the authors, the Democrats dominated Texas politics by merging the politics of

A) religion and race.
B) gender and race.
C) economics and gender.
D) race and economics.
E) gender and religion.

Question 50

According to one scholar, bifactionalism in Texas resulted in increased influence for

A) the Democratic Party.
B) the Republican Party.
C) neither party, amounting to a two-party system.
D) neither party, giving more power to interest groups.
E) neither party, allowing the Libertarian Party to grow stronger.

Question 51

Political realignment in Texas in the 1960s and 1970s saw the two parties

A) come closer together.
B) move apart.
C) emerge for the first time.
D) lose to a new third party.
E) become more liberal.

Question 52

The political shift in Texas politics gained pace in 1996 when Republicans

A) put their candidate in the governor's mansion.
B) elected several judges.
C) first gained seats in the legislature.
D) gained a majority in the state house of representatives.
E) gained a majority in the state senate.

Question 53

A name for the process by which Texas political parties became integrated into national party identities is

A) adjustment.
B) subculture shift.
C) reapportionment.
D) party politics.
E) realignment.

Question 54

The authors argue that ticket-splitting is likely to ________ as party realignment becomes more deeply rooted.

A) increase dramatically
B) increase
C) decrease
D) decrease dramatically
E) remain the same

Question 55

One of the most notable impacts of the emergence of two parties in Texas is

A) higher voter turnout.
B) Hispanic voters becoming less important.
C) African American voters becoming less important.
D) more equity in the political system.
E) higher campaign costs.

Question 56

A shift in the makeup of interest groups in the 1970s came from a _______of influence.

A) shift to the left
B) shift to the right
C) diffusion
D) concentration
E) lack

Question 57

The long dominance of the Texas Democratic Party is evidence of its

A) homogeneity.
B) support among minorities.
C) support by women voters.
D) divisiveness.
E) ability to divide the opposition.

Question 58

The Democratic party's dominance can be attributed to the identification of

A) one common political subculture.
B) common business interests.
C) a regional definition.
D) common enemies.
E) one political ideology.

Question 59

Texas voted in favor of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952, largely due to the actions of

A) Democrats.
B) right-leaning Republicans.
C) left-leaning Democrats.
D) Shivercrats.
E) Communists.

Question 60

Political gains by the Republicans in Texas have included

A) statewide office.
B) a senate majority.
C) a house of representatives majority.
D) county offices.
E) all of the above.

Question 61

This Republican's victory in a 1961 special election for the U.S. Senate came as a surprise given Texas' one party system.

A) John Tower
B) Lyndon Johnson
C) Allan Shivers
D) Bill Clements
E) John Cornyn

Question 62

In 2002, the districts drawn by the Legislative Redistricting Board helped

A) Democrats to keep control of the Texas House and Senate.
B) Democrats to regain control of the Texas Senate.
C) Republicans to win control of the Texas House.
D) George W. Bush to be re-elected Governor.
E) neither party gain an electoral advantage.

Question 63

Precinct and district conventions saw unprecedented turnout in the 2008 Democratic primary due to the fiercely contested election between

A) Barack Obama and John Edwards.
B) Barack Obama and John McCain.
C) John McCain and Mike Huckabee.
D) Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
E) Barack Obama and Sarah Palin.

Question 64

The highest percentage of gains for Hispanics to elected office have occurred the ________ level.

A) school board
B) federal
C) special districts
D) county
E) state

Question 65

Women's gains in public office-holding in Texas seem most pronounced in what position?

A) governor
B) council member
C) mayor
D) county judge
E) county commissioner

Question 66

Which of the following women has served as Governor of Texas?

A) Susan Combs
B) Ann Richards
C) Kay Bailey Hutchison
D) Annise Parker
E) Carole Keeton Strayhorn

Question 67

All of the following are methods that were used to limit voting rights for minorities in Texas EXCEPT

A) white primaries.
B) racial gerrymandering.
C) at-large elections.
D) poll taxes.
E) less restrictive voter registration.

Question 68

The function of political action committees is to

A) organize grassroots campaigns.
B) inform voters about important issues.
C) raise money.
D) get out the vote.
E) promote more equitable elections.

Question 69

A campaign finance disclosure law passed in Texas in 1973 mandates all of the following EXCEPT

A) disclosure of names and addresses of donors.
B) limits on campaign contributions.
C) amounts of contributions.
D) office holders must publish annual reports.
E) candidates must appoint a treasurer to handle contributions.

Question 70

It is difficult to identify how much money is spent on campaigns in Texas because

A) that information is confidential.
B) candidates lie about their campaign expenditures
C) there is no single government agency which collects this information.
D) office seekers do not have to report their expenditures.
E) the state's campaign finance records are disorganized and incomplete.

Question 71

The example of the Texas Association of Businessmen in the 2002 elections shows that massive campaign contributions will ultimately backfire.

Question 72

Mayoral candidates in Houston have spent more on their campaigns than in any other Texas city.

Question 73

The Texas Bankers Association is an example of a professional group.

Question 74

Texas has more than twenty-four special interest groups representing education.

Question 75

Special interest groups in Texas may represent racial groups, trades, and governments.

Question 76

In Texas, the Religious Right is synonymous with the Republican Party.

Question 77

The Democratic Party that dominated Texas politics for a century can be said to have been united by what it opposed.

Question 78

No Republican won statewide election in Texas between 1874 and 1961.

Question 79

The one-party system in Texas owes its beginnings to the civil rights era.

Question 80

The inability of Texas political parties to follow the responsible party model can be traced to their strong coalition-building.