Why does the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) have more influence over members of Congress than groups which represent the interests of college students?

 Students who receive subsidized student loans are prohibited by law from lobbying Congress.

 Young people are generally not affected by any of the policies that are debated in Congress.

 In comparison with young people, seniors have more resources and are more likely to vote.

 Seniors are concentrated in a small number of key congressional districts.

 The vast majority of House and Senate members are seniors above 65 years of age.

Many college freshmen are too young to vote, but they can still participate in politics in all of the following ways EXCEPT

 joining a boycott.

 enlisting in the army.

 signing a political petition.

 attending a political rally.

 volunteering for a congressman or congresswoman.

In which of the following activities are young people between the ages of 18 and 25 more likely to engage than older citizens over the course of a given year?

 Displaying a political sign or sticker

 Participating in a protest or demonstration

 Voting in a primary election

 Donating to a candidate

 Joining a political group

Which of the following is an example of civil disobedience?

 Students on your campus form an anti-tuition interest group to lobby the state legislature for laws that will block future tuition increases.

 Students on your campus stage a “sit-in” at the college president’s office and block access to the office to protest a tuition increase.

 A group of student leaders meets with the college president to inform her that a proposed tuition increase will be an undue hardship on many students.

 A group of students purchase advertising space in the college newspaper demanding that the college’s board of trustees reject a proposed tuition increase.

 Students on your campus organize a write-in campaign to send letters to the college president in protest of a proposed tuition increase.

What law makes it possible for people in most states to register to vote when they go to the department of motor vehicles to renew their driver’s license?

 The Lemon Law

 The Motor Voter Law

 The Sunshine Law

 The Responsible Driving Act

 The Citizen Driver Law

In November 2010, California voters considered a proposition to legalize the sale of marijuana in the state. This vote is an example of

 deliberative democracy.

 direct democracy.

 partisan polarization.

 smoke-and-mirrors politics.

 republican government.

Public opinion nationwide can be effectively and reliably measured with a random sample of about 1,500 people.

True

 False

Public opinion surveys indicate that the American people are very ideological when it comes to political issues.

True

 False

Democratic nations do not typically engage in political socialization.

TRUE 

FALSE

Public opinion surveys showed that Americans who hold conservative political views were strongly opposed to President Obama’s national health care bill.

TRUE

FALSE

All Americans are required by law to devote at least one year to public service prior to their 25th birthday.

TRUE

FALSE

Young people who attend college are more likely to vote and participate in political activities than young people who do not attend college.

TRUE

FALSE

In comparison with men, women are less likely to vote in presidential elections.

TRUE

FALSE

It has been proven that political participation has little or no effect on policy.

TRUE

FALSE

Hispanic voters are generally opposed to

 abortion.

 military intervention.

 government job creation.

 federal spending on education.

 immigration.

Major shifts in public opinion in the United States generally translate into

 nothing.

 recalled leadership.

 party shifts.

 policy changes.

 revolutions.

The "halo effect" causes survey data to

 overestimate socially reprehensible behaviors.

 underestimate good behaviors and bad behaviors.

 underestimate bad behaviors and overestimate good behaviors.

 underestimate good behaviors and overestimate bad behaviors.

 underestimate the public ’ s knowledge on issues.

Public marches or demonstrations designed to call attention to an issue and motivate others to apply pressure on public officials are called

 protests.

 redresses.

 grievances.

 revolutions.

 movements.

All of the following are agents of political socialization EXCEPT

 school.

 family.

 church.

 health clubs.

 the media.

When only half the eligible population votes in a presidential election, it is easy to question whether government truly

 supports suffrage.

 is authoritarian.

 cares about the people.

 represents the people.

 supports alienation.

Religion plays a measurable role in political attitudes on all of the following issues EXCEPT

 homosexuality.

 the death penalty.

 abortion.

 hobbies.

 drugs.

People who generally believe that government should provide more services, even if it means an increase in spending, are described as

 conservative.

 moderate.

 liberal.

 libertarian.

 independent.

Which of the following are women more likely to support than men?

 Abolition of affirmative action policies

 Restrictions on firearms

 Decreased spending on social programs

 Abortion rights

 Programs using U.S. military intervention

Which of the following is an accurate generalization of the views of most African Americans?

 African Americans support a government role in reducing income inequality in society.

 More than half of blacks identify themselves as conservative.

 Blacks support the death penalty more than whites.

 African Americans oppose busing to achieve racial balance in public schools.

 Blacks are more supportive of the criminal justice system than whites.

All of the following are reasons why Western European democracies have higher voter turnout rates than the United States EXCEPT for

 the American tradition of self-reliance (not looking to government for solutions).

 the American winner-take-all election rule.

 the mandatory voting law in many European nations.

 the voluntary voter registration in the U.S.

 the greater patriotism of Americans.

What is more important to democratic government than voter turnout?

 The right to protest

 The right to riot

 The right to hold a press conference

 The right to advertise

 The right to vote

According to political scientist V.O. Key, Jr., the linkage between the ordinary citizen and democratic government depends heavily on

 public opinion.

 the media.

 the political party system.

 social situations.

 the elite.

When asked if leaders of the nation should pay more attention to the public, most who were polled agreed that

 the nation would be much better off today.

 leaders actually have paid attention to the public opinion.

 the nation would be much worse off today.

 the people shouldn ’t have a say in matters of such importance.

 they don ’t know if the nation would be better or worse off.

Following political issues and campaigns, acquiring knowledge, forming opinions about public affairs, and expressing views to others are all forms of _____ political participation.

 lazy

 passive

 aggressive

 negative

 pointless

The Founders believed that only men of property had a sufficient _____ to exercise their vote in a responsible fashion.

 level of class

 level of education

 stake in society

 amount of money

 skill level

According to the Fifteenth Amendment, states retain their right to determine voter qualifications, as long as they

 do not require minorities to take literacy tests.

 provide ballot boxes to all minority communities.

 extend voting privileges to voters who are registered.

 use required voting machines.

 do not practice racial discrimination.

One of the reasons that Hispanics tend to affiliate with the Democratic party is that

 they support the death penalty.

 they support a strong military.

 they support same-sex marriage.

 they oppose higher taxes.

 they favor government provision of health insurance for all.

Which of the following does not explain the high voter turnout in 2004?

 An increase in younger voters’ political interest

 The expected closeness of the election

 The 2000 voting issues in Florida

 An increasing concern with "moral values" among churchgoers

 Concern over the war in Iraq

All of the following are more likely to vote than those who do not EXCEPT those who

 have a higher education.

 are more elderly.

 feel alienated from politics.

 live in areas with strong party organizations.

 feel strongly about politics.

Most whites believe that there is little discrimination against blacks in jobs, housing, and education.

True

 False

Jacksonian principles of democracy caused most states to eliminate their property qualifications for voting, by 1840.

TRUE

FALSE

Voter turnout is almost always greater than 50 percent of eligible voters, even in years when there is not a presidential election.

TRUE
FALSE 

Two-thirds of the public feel that public officials don’t care about the problems of people like themselves.

TRUE

FALSE

The purpose of civil disobedience is to call attention to an injustice.

TRUE
FALSE 

The lack of informed public opinion on specific policy issues

 allows in-depth analysis of policy proposals.

 creates a more legitimate democratic government.

 encourages elected officials to make unbiased decisions.

 increases the influence of lobbyists who have direct access to policy makers.

 creates a politically active citizenry.

The tendency of survey respondents to provide socially acceptable answers to questions is called

 knowledge levels.

 survey research.

 random sampling.

 the halo effect.

 political socialization.

Hispanic voters are a growing force in American politics because of

 the popularity of Latin music.

 the Summit of the Americas.

 their projected population increase in the U.S.

 the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

 the proximity of Mexico.

Which of the following can the news media do most easily?

 Indoctrinate people in democratic values

 Set the agenda

 Present unbiased coverage

 Mobilize potential voters

 Change existing opinions

Which of the following shapes political opinion the most?

 Club affiliation

 Strength of religious conviction

 Parental opinions on specific policies

 Peer group values

 Place of residence

Conservatives, more than liberals, tend to believe all of the following EXCEPT

 that gun purchases should be easier or at least no more difficult.

 that the U.S. should spend as much or more on defense.

 that the death penalty should be an available option.

 that government should reduce services to the public.

 that abortion should be permitted always or as needed.

Most whites in the United States believe that differences between blacks and whites in our society are due to differences in

 discrimination.

 motivation.

 health care.

 job opportunities.

 education.

All of the following may explain the low voter turnout of Hispanics EXCEPT for

 their noncitizenship status.

 their language difference.

 their rapidly increasing population.

 their lack of cultural assimilation.

 their recent immigration.

Which of the following has the most impact on policy making?

 A small number of political activists

 Young people

 Mass public opinion

 Uneducated people

 Hispanics

Who once said, "Your representative owes you not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion?"

 Alexander Hamilton

 James Madison

 Thomas Jefferson

 Edmund Burke

 John Stuart Mill

Which of the following issues do Hispanics identify as the most important problems confronting the U.S.?

 Drug law enforcement and police department funding

 Affirmative action and the elimination of racial profiling

 Jobs and the economy

 Terrorism and homeland security

 Illegal immigration and border security

Before the Civil War began, the right to vote had been extended to virtually all

 male inhabitants.

 white males over 21 years of age.

 educated white males.

 adult citizens.

 males over 25 years of age.

The Nineteenth Amendment guaranteed that

 former slaves now had the right to vote.

 women had the right to vote in all elections.

 no one had to pay a poll tax in order to vote.

 all men over the age of 18 could vote in federal elections.

 literacy tests were banished.

All of the following are constitutionally protected forms of political participation EXCEPT

 violence and rioting.

 demonstrating.

 voting.

 taking part in marches.

 running for public office.

The belief that politics is irrelevant to one’s life and that one cannot personally affect public affairs is called political

 malaise.

 alienation.

 socialization.

 isolation.

 registration.

Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, speech, "I Have a Dream," was intended to do all of the following EXCEPT

 call attention to the injustices of segregation.

 force civil rights onto the political agenda.

 incite a violent revolution.

 call attention to the plight of black people.

 inspire African Americans.

The Mayflower Compact asserted that democratic government derives its "just powers from the consent of the governed."

True

 False

Men and women have very different opinions on women’s issues, such as abortion.

True

 False

Gender gap differences are likely to appear on issues related to the use of force, such as gun control or U.S. military intervention.

True

 False

African Americans generally support a more active role by government in reducing inequality.

 True

 False

Blacks and whites with the same education and income levels register and vote with the same frequency.

True

 False

It is widely assumed that in a democracy, public opinion has little influence on government policy.

 True

 False

The white primary was made possible because of the strong hold the Democratic Party had on the political culture of the south.

True

 False

Voting is considered an irrational act that makes little sense without the application of intrinsic rewards.

True

 False

Protests are likely to be effective when directed at general conditions in society rather than specific problems or laws.

True

 False

All of the following are media of mass communication EXCEPT

 radio.

 newspapers.

 television.

 public speeches.

 the Internet.

Specifically, Americans say they get most of their news from

 the Internet.

 MSNBC.

 CNN.

 local television news.

 newspapers.

The "CNN effect" refers to

 the 24-hour news cycle.

 Larry King’s effect on ratings.

 television’s power to inflame public opinion with emotion-evoking images.

 liberal bias in the media.

 the globalization of news-gathering.

The First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of the press was originally designed to protect the

 public from false advertising.

 minorities’ rights to demand equality.

 newspapers from unhappy advertisers.

 press from government investigation into political candidates.

 press from government attempts to silence criticism.

Tactics of agenda setting involve all of the following EXCEPT

 allowing an issue to remain unknown.

 turning an issue into a "crisis."

 publicizing an issue.

 forcing government to do something about an issue.

 creating an issue.

The primary business of the media is to

 sensationalize the news for prime-time audiences.

 involve itself in selecting political candidates.

 assemble large crowds of onlookers for the cameras.

 concentrate on lightweight entertainment.

 gather mass audiences for advertisers to sell to.

Congress established the _____ to provide "non-commercial, high quality programs...to inform, enlighten and enrich the public."

 History Channel

 Corporation for Public Broadcasting

 Public Broadcasting Station

 Disney Corporation

 Federal Communications Commission

When it comes to news programming, 20/20, Primetime Live, 60 Minutes, and 48 Hours are all examples of

 hard programming.

 the ability to change the thinking of American audiences.

 "lightweight" entertainment.

 tabloid news.

 soft news.

The economic interest of the media has led to all of the following EXCEPT

 incivility on political shows.

 public service.

 a bias toward the negative.

 a bias toward hype and sensationalism.

 a "feeding frenzy."

Party organizations and personal contacts as the means by which candidates communicate with voters have been largely replaced by

 print news.

 television.

 campaign managers.

 radio.

 political consultants.

The one medium where conservatism usually prevails is

 in newspaper stories.

 in newspaper editorials.

 on television network news.

 on talk radio.

 in magazines.

The horse-race coverage given to election campaigns by the media emphasizes all of the following EXCEPT

 how much money the candidates are spending.

 the candidates’ current standing in the polls.

 policy issues.

 who is ahead or behind.

 the candidates’ strategies for winning.

Which of the following involves government actions to restrict the publication of a magazine, newspaper, or book before actual publication of the work?

 Journalistic stays

 The FCC

 Prior restraint

 Press prevention

 Libel laws

Writings that are false and malicious and intended to damage an individual are called

 slander.

 libel.

 selective perception.

 prior restraint.

 equal- time.

The regulatory agency established in 1934 to allocate broadcast frequencies and license stations is the

 Civil Radio Frequency.

 National Communications Agency.

 Federal Control Frequency.

 National Public Radio.

 Federal Communications Commission.

The Internet provides a channel for an extremely interactive mass media.

True

 False

The Internet was first conceived as a means to communicate during and after a nuclear attack.

True

 False

The Sullivan rule protects public officials from libel and slander.

True

 False

If the media is inattentive to an issue, political leaders are able to ignore the issue.

 True

 False

Recent research has discovered that television newscasters have the greatest impact on public opinion change when people’s opinions alter over time.

 True

 False

An FCC requirement that broadcast networks that sell time to a political candidate must make time available to opposing candidates at the same price is called the equal-time rule.

 True

 False

National Public Radio appeals to liberals and moderates more than conservatives.

 True

 False

Conservatives listen, watch, and read the news more than liberals do.

True

 False

When content filters are placed on computers in public libraries, issues arise under the Fourth Amendment.

 True

 False

Shield laws protect reporters from having to reveal their sources of information.

True

 False

On broad policy issues, Americans generally

 prefer conservative solutions.

 cluster to the far left.

 are not interested.

 cluster to the center.

 cluster to the far right.

The Founders regarded both political parties and interest groups as

 intellectual luminaries.

 political opponents.

 troublesome factions.

 political extremists.

 the fourth branch of government.

By the 1790s the Anti-Federalists would call themselves the

 Independents.

 Democrats.

 New Federalists.

 Free Masons.

 Democratic-Republicans.

Andrew Jackson formed the _____ Party which democratized and nationalized the party system.

 Federalist

 Independence

 Democratic

 Socialist

 Republican

The 1980 and 1984 presidential elections were easily dominated by

 Ronald Reagan.

 William Clinton.

 Richard Nixon.

 George H. W. Bush.

 Walter Mondale.

Most of the public perceives the Republican Party to be conservative and the Democratic Party to be

 liberal.

 socialist.

 libertarian.

 moderate.

 communist.

Elections to choose party nominees for public office are the

 congressional elections.

 general elections.

 runoff elections.

 recall elections.

 primary elections.

A _____ electoral system results in one elected winner with all other candidates going home.

 nonpartisan

 noncontested

 nondemocratic

 proportional representation

 winner-takes-all

_____ elections are most common in local elections, for city councils and school boards.

 Bipartisan

 Primary

 Nonpartisan

 Caucus

 Parliamentary

An election to choose among candidates nominated by parties and/or independent candidates who seek public office is called the

 runoff primary.

 runoff election.

 general election.

 open primary.

 closed primary.

The idea of the "party-in-the-electorate"appears to be

 gathering strength.

 extremely difficult to measure.

 increasingly important to social stability.

 less important to the party.

 on the decline.

_____ was the first president to be nominated by convention.

 James Monroe

 James Madison

 John Quincy Adams

 Andrew Jackson

 Thomas Jefferson

The expectation of the Democratic Leadership Council was that _____ would be more moderate than regular delegates.

 state-convention delegates

 Congressional majority leaders

 superdelegates

 caucus attendees

 electoral college members

Based on opinion polls, the _____ Party has historically been able to lay claim to the title of majority party in the United States.

 Republican

 Democratic

 Moderate

 Independence

 Populist

A political organization that is concerned with public policy and is involved in the electoral process only to further those policy aims is the

 media organization.

 political liaison.

 political consultant.

 interest group.

 power broker.

Party platforms are nonbinding on party nominees, and are thus largely symbolic.

 True

 False

Party dealignment in the U.S. is on the decline.

 True

 False

Thomas Nast is credited with giving the Democratic and Republican Parties their current symbols: the donkey and the elephant.

 True

 False

Political parties are thought to be essential for an organizing majority to exercise control over government.

 True

 False

Hollywood predominantly supports Republican candidates.

 True

 False

The difference in the amount of money that the two major parties have been able to raise has narrowed over the years.

 True

 False

Despite the erosion of many of their functions, America’s political parties survive as the principal institutions for organizing elections.

 True

 False

Democratic and Republican state committees all behave in the same manner.

 True

 False

In recent years, the party’s presidential candidate is usually known before the national convention meets.

True

 False

Third-party activity is a common feature of American politics.

 True

 False

The perception of popular support for a program or policy based on the margin of electoral victory won by a candidate who proposed it during a campaign is referred to as

 a mandate.

 an edict.

 a majority.

 a predate.

 a policy.

Speeches, commercials, or advertising that personally attack a political opponent during a campaign is known as

 negative campaigning.

 false advertising.

 false campaigning.

 issue campaigning.

 sound biting.

The increasing number of officeholders for whom politics is a full-time occupation is called

 careerism.

 politicism.

 professionalism.

 institutionalism.

 occupationalism.

One reason for incumbent success over challengers is their greater

 name recognition.

 careerism.

 professionalism.

 distance from their district.

 congressional support.

Free use of the U.S. mail, granted to members of Congress to promote communication with constituents is called

 "bringing home the bacon."

 congressional pork barreling.

 the franking privilege.

 a congressional mandate.

 postal allowance.

Election campaigns serve the primary purpose of

 running negative ads.

 persuading undecided voters to vote.

 bringing recognition to the party.

 mobilizing undecided voters.

 mobilizing core supporters.

A small number of people brought together to discuss and respond to themes and issues, thus allowing campaign managers to develop and analyze strategies is called a

 campaign staff.

 focus group.

 campaign mechanism.

 campaign opportunity.

 media interest group.

Campaign costs are _____ with each election cycle.

 tripling

 rising

 staying the same

 dropping

 doubling

The agency charged with enforcing federal elections laws and disbursing public presidential campaign funds is the

 Federal Election Commission.

 Federal Campaign Council.

 National Election Council.

 Federal Communications Commission.

 Political Action Committee.

It is tradition to split the members of the Federal Election Commission according to

 party affiliation.

 region of the country.

 age group.

 race.

 gender.

Most organizations channel their campaign contributions through

 political action funds.

 political parties.

 interest groups.

 the congressional election commission.

 political action committees.

The Supreme Court has recognized that limiting campaign contributions is good for preventing corruption, but it has been reluctant to

 interfere in elections.

 express its views publicly.

 issue an opinion saying so.

 allow limitations on campaign expenditures.

 limit those contributions.

States that are not considered to be firmly in the Democratic or Republican column are known as

 primary states.

 swing states.

 electoral states.

 usually conservative.

 independent states.

The 538 people who officially vote for the president and vice president are the

 national committee for elections.

 popular representatives.

 electoral college delegates.

 chosen delegates.

 presidential voters.

In America, candidates, once elected to office, are legally bound to uphold their campaign promises.

True

 False

Today, about half the seats in the U.S. Congress are held by lawyers.

True

 False

Democratic government is government by "consent of the governed."

 True

 False

Voters will typically re-elect incumbents, even when they are involved in well-publicized scandals.

 True

 False

Individuals are restricted by law from spending as much as they wish of their own money on their own campaigns.

 True

 False

Candidates spend more time on fund raising than they spend on any other campaign activity.

 True

 False

A loophole to the 2002 campaign reform laws emerged in the creation of unregulated 527 organizations.

 True

 False

The campaign strategy used in the primary election is the same as the one used in the general election.

 True

 False

Big money contributors expect access to their candidates, once elected.

True

 False

The Front-End strategy in a presidential campaign involves spending all or most of a candidate’ s resources in California and Florida.

 True

 False

Hard economic times hurt incumbents and favor challengers.

 True

 False

The electoral system is organized to represent geographical constituencies, but the _____ is organized to represent economic, professional, ideological, religious, racial, gender, and issue constituencies.

 congressional system

 political system

 judicial system

 bureaucratic system

 interest-group system

James Madison viewed interest groups as

 an unnecessary element of government.

 factions that contribute to the common good.

 a required factor in electoral politics.

 a system of checks and balances.

 a necessary evil in politics.

The costs of interest-group-concentrated benefits are usually dispersed to all

 judges.

 teachers.

 legislators.

 government employees.

 taxpayers.

James Madison identified ___________ interests as the most prevalent in politics.

 state

 rural

 economic

 educational

 social

Which associations rival business and trade organizations in lobbying influence?

 Religious

 Union

 Arts

 Agricultural

 Professional

Many large lobbying groups have never registered as lobbyists because

 their offices are not in Washington, D.C.

 it is not a law.

 of tax regulations.

 lobbying is not their principal activity.

 their clients ask them not to.

Experienced lobbyists develop a reputation for

 spending large sums of money.

 bribery.

 accurate information.

 accurate accounting.

 traveling.

Lobbyists in Washington, D.C. share the ultimate common goal of

 enlarging their membership.

 influencing the making and enforcing of laws.

 soliciting large amounts of funds from large companies.

 meeting with congressional leaders.

 meeting with the president of the United States.

Washington’s army of lobbyists includes many former members of the

 Socialist Party.

 Democratic Party.

 Reagan administration.

 Republican Party.

 U.S. Congress.

Many of the key cases brought to the federal courts are initiated by

 Republicans.

 interest groups.

 Democrats.

 third-party candidates.

 nonvoters.

Which set of interest groups have played a key part in recent judicial confirmations?

 Abortion-rights activists

 Trade groups

 Free-market supporters

 Environmental groups

 Labor unions

According to pluralist theorists, policy in a democracy is the result of various special-interest groups

 destroying the political system.

 not affecting the political system.

 radicalizing the country.

 dominating the country.

 reaching equilibrium.

Over time, the buildup of special protections, privileges, and treatments in society results in

 a greater sense of unity.

 greater liberty for all.

 a booming economy.

 institutional sclerosis.

 more efficient government.

Iron triangles are more likely to develop in specialized policy areas over which there is relatively little

 oversight.

 money.

 internal conflict.

 opposition.

 external conflict.

Grass-roots lobbying attempts to influence government decision making by

 inspiring constituents to contact their representatives.

 the organizing of protests in city parks.

 flying members of Congress to exotic resorts.

 the distribution of PAC money.

 the building of coalitions within parallel groups.

In interest groups, "free riders" are

 the attachments to the organizations’ membership applications.

 leaders who create organizations and market memberships.

 lobbyists who receive an annual stipend.

 people who are not dues-paying members, yet nevertheless benefit from the organizations’ activities.

 transportation discounts offered by these organizations.

Majoritarianism is the tendency of

 historians to focus on the majority’s preferences in elections.

 special interests to dominate the political process.

 the legal system to discriminate against people who are under the age of twenty-one.

 democratic governments to allow the faint preferences of a majority to prevail over the intense feelings of minorities.

 individual voters to alter their opinions in order to conform to the majority.

What lobbying organization is composed of the chief executive officers of the largest corporations in America?

 National League of Cities

 National Small Business Association

 ABA

 The Business Roundtable

 NAACP

The National Rifle Association (NRA) is a good example of a single-issue interest group.

 True

 False

Large organizations rely heavily on tangible benefits to solicit members.

 True

 False

Most interest groups are governed democratically.

True

 False

Senior citizens are the most politically powerful age group in the population.

True

 False

Women’s organizations date back to the antislavery societies in pre-Civil War America.

 True

 False

Former members of Congress must wait five years before lobbying Congress.

 True

 False

PAC contributions go overwhelmingly to challengers in political races.

 True

 False

Powerful pressure groups usually evolve in states with

 strong political parties.

 strong education systems.

 weak political parties.

 strong governors.

 weak education systems.

According to one view, from 1938 to 1957, Texas was governed by an extremely conservative plutocracy, collectively dubbed

 the Clan.

 the Texas Rangers.

 the Establishment.

 the Cowboys.

 the Oilmen.

The decline of ______________ helped diffuse the business lobby into competing factions in Texas in the 1970s.

 minorities in the legislature

 high-tech manufacturing

 environmental groups

 oil and gas production

 organized labor

The 2003 constitutional amendment imposing new limits on monetary damages in medical malpractice cases was a victory for

 the Sierra Club.

 the NAACP.

 the United Auto Workers.

 the Texas association of trial lawyers.

 the Texas Medical Association.

Party organizations are built around geographic election districts, starting with the

 precincts.

 counties.

 cities.

 regions.

 suburbs.

Throughout much of the twentieth century, Texas state government was dominated by large corporations, banks, oil companies, and agricultural interests that backed

 the traditional liberal Republican officeholders.

 the traditional liberal Democratic officeholders.

 the conservative Democratic officeholders.

 Republican-dominated legislatures.

 the new conservative Republican officeholders.

All of the following are reasons why Texas political parties are unable to function in accordance with the responsible party model, EXCEPT

 the coalitions that the parties form with different interest groups.

 the devotion of "yellow dog" voters.

 the decentralization of the political parties.

 the independence of party candidates’ fund-raising.

 the large number of elected officials.

Small farmers, African Americans, and an urban labor class suffered under the anti-Republican Democratic Party of Texas and turned their discontent into support for the

 Green Party.

 Populist Party.

 Progressive Party.

 Republican Party.

 Libertarian Party.

What was the impact of the administration of President Franklin Roosevelt on Texas politics?

 It helped liberals gain complete control of the Democratic Party.

 It divided Texas Democrats along liberal and conservative lines.

 It destroyed the conservative wing of the Democratic Party.

 It created a strong Republican Party.

 It created a strong Democratic Party.

General elections for state and federal offices are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in ____________ in even-numbered years.

 October

 September

 December

 November

 August

_______________ is when voters selectively cast their votes as they fill out the general election ballot.

 Ticket cracking

 Ballot cracking

 Ballot splitting

 Ticket indecision

 Ticket splitting

The expression "yellow dogs" is associated with which party in Texas?

 Democratic

 Republican

 Socialist

 Libertarian

 Progressive

The marked rise in the number of Hispanics holding elected office in Texas can be attributed to all of the following factors, EXCEPT

 increasing assimilation of Hispanics.

 the growth of the Hispanic population.

 the lower educational level of many Hispanics.

 a more equitable apportionment of city and county political boundaries.

 increased organizational efforts among Hispanics.

The poll tax was outlawed by the ___________ Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, adopted in 1964.

 Twenty-Sixth

 Fourteenth

 Nineteenth

 Twenty-Fourth

 Fifteenth

Prior to Ann Richards’ election as state treasurer in 1982, how many women had been elected to statewide office in Texas?

 10

 Over 100

 2

 50

 None

One study of Texas’ long domination by the Democratic party suggested that the elites were able to institutionalize their control through the adoption of segregation legislation called

 the Yellow Dog rule.

 the Klan policies.

 tort law.

 the Establishment code.

 Jim Crow laws.

Candidates for state office file campaign finance reports with the state

 Department of Commerce.

 Senate.

 Supreme Court.

 Ethics Commission.

 Treasury Department.

Conservative Texas Democrats who voted for 1952 Republican presidential nominee, Dwight D. Eisenhower, were called the

 Ikecrats.

 Shivercrats.

 Dixiecrats.

 Yellow Cats.

 Republicrats.

As a result of changes over the past 20 years, Texas may be moving from a pluralist to an elitist system.

 True

 False

Texas now has one of the most progressive voter registration laws in the United States.

 True

 False

Texans have numerous opportunities to vote, often as many as three or four times a year.

True

 False

In Texas, ideological voting patterns in the legislature often cross party lines.

True

 False

There are no membership requirements for either the Democratic or the Republican Party in Texas.

True

 False

The Texas Association of Business was a highly visible backer of Democratic candidates for the Texas legislature in 2002.

True

 False

The campaign finance disclosure law, passed in 1973, required candidates to list the addresses and names of donors and the amounts and dates of contributions.

True

 False