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WorksheetsTexas Government | Unit 2 Exam Review
Total questions: 40
Worksheet time: 20mins
A political party outlines its fundamental principles and positions in which of the following?
a party guidebook
a party primary
a party manifesto
a party platform
Which of the following is the most important way in which parties help voters make decisions during elections?
providing incentives for voters to vote for particular candidates
raising money
providing volunteers to serve as election judges
giving voters a party label they can identify with when deciding how to vote
Members of the Texas Republican Party have become more conservative, and members of the Texas Democratic Party have become more liberal. This trend illustrates
partisan drift.
partisan allegiance.
partisan polarization.
the two-party system.
_____________ introduces individuals to the political culture and helps people develop their own political beliefs and values.
Acculturation
Political partisanship
Political culture
Political socialization
Which of the following is a major division in the contemporary Republican Party in Texas?
The divide between the progressive wing of the party that is following the cues of the national party, and a more moderate branch of the party
The divide between the Tea Party coalition and the Libertarians
The divide between those who want to rewrite the Texas Constitution to give more power to the governor and those who do not.
The divide between moderate, pro-business 'establishment' Republicans and those who support Trump's populist agenda.
Which movement has had the largest impact on Texas state legislative races in recent years?
the Tea Party movement
La Raza Unida
the Libertarian movement
the Green Party movement
In a 'first past the post' electoral system, the winner of the election is
whoever gets the plurality of the votes.
whoever gets 50 percent + 1 of the votes.
whoever receives two-thirds of the votes.
whoever receives a verified majority of the votes.
In a nonpartisan election ________.
the party affiliation of the candidates does not appear on the ballots
the parties are prohibited from campaigning in favor of or against any candidate
those running for office must not have participated in a party primary in the previous 2 years
the voters are selecting office holders who will be subject to mandatory term limits
Which statement correctly describes the requirements for membership in a major political party in Texas?
An individual must apply for membership through a formal process.
An individual must have voted in two party primaries in successive elections.
One must be a registered voter in the state of Texas and 21 years of age.
With no requirements, a registered voter simply chooses which party primary to vote in.
When deciding how to vote, people will use mental shortcuts. Political scientists call these shortcuts
rubrics.
mapping.
work-arounds.
cues.
Which scenario would make a runoff primary most likely to occur?
Six candidates are all running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.
Two candidates running for the Republican nomination for governor have similar sounding names that confused voters.
There was a delay in processing voter registrations, and more than one-third of the eligible voters were unable to participate in the primary election.
One candidate participating in the primary process is accused of violating campaign finance rules, requiring that the primary elections be 'rerun' through a runoff election.
When people vote in a primary election, they are
selecting a party's candidate for the general election.
selecting a party's delegates for the state convention.
selecting precinct chairs throughout the state.
selecting a party's delegates for the precinct convention.
In Texas, special elections are used to do which of the following?
determine election dates
ratify amendments to the Texas Constitution
approve a vote of no confidence
impeach a corrupt politician
Texas was the first state in the South to
impose a poll tax.
ratify the women's suffrage amendment.
elect a Black governor.
elect a Latino governor.
Texas used a system of early registration until 1971 that required which of the following:
Voters had to live in the county for at least two years before they could register to vote in that county and were required to register to vote every single year.
Voters had to register to vote more than nine months before the general election and were required to register to vote every year.
Voters had to live in Texas for at least six months before they could register to vote and were required to register to vote every three years.
Voters had to indicate their race or ethnicity on their voter registration forms and were required to register to vote every year.
Which of these is the main activity of the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF)?
monitoring changes in electoral law that may suppress the votes of minorities
providing legal support for Latino candidates for public office
getting out the vote of minority voters across Texas
providing information and voter guides to help voters make informed decisions
Which offshoot of the Democratic Party of Texas preselected candidates for the Democratic primary and prohibited African Americans from participating?
the La Raza Unida
the American Independent Party
the Jaybird Party
the Shivercrats
The Voting Rights Act has been renewed several times since 1965, and new provisions have been added since then. For example,
bilingual ballots are now required in certain areas where more than 5 percent of voters speak another language.
a current form of photo identification is now required to vote in all elections throughout the United States.
poll taxes were reinstated in 1988.
all Americans must now sign an affidavit attesting to their loyalty when they cast a ballot.
In 2011, the Texas legislature passed a voter identification law that requires a photo identification in order to vote. Which form of photo identification is acceptable?
photo ID card issued by colleges and universities
Department of Public Safety-issued personal ID card
a hunting and fishing photo ID
an occupational photo ID
Which term describes an interest group that serves as an umbrella organization to coordinate the activities of member groups in specific targeted areas?
coordination association
facilitation cooperation
peak association
interest group coalition
Why do interest groups use judicial strategies?
to challenge existing policies and laws within the court system
to mobilize citizens
as a means of testifying before legislative committees
as a way to inform and educate public officials
In Federalist 10, what was Madison's primary argument in support of what we could call interest groups today?
The groups would be able to organize and run elections, eliminating this expensive task from the list of government responsibilities.
The groups nominate the most viable candidates to run for office.
The groups would work the government to implement policies in the most efficient manner possible.
The groups would compete against each other, thereby protecting individuals from any one interest becoming too powerful and abusing its power.
Which of the following is the best expression of a 'pluralistic society' in action?
People only join groups in order to receive selective benefits, like t-shirts, and largely ignore a group's message.
People don't join groups because of the collective action dilemma.
People are accepting of all points of view and work together to create a welcoming environment for everyone.
People with common interests join together into groups and these groups compete with each other for power and influence.
What are interest groups' main goal from policy makers?
policy that is beneficial for their groups
information that benefits their groups
preservation of the status quo
unlimited access to the policy makers
If you have a job in a 'government relations' department, you are a _____________ working for a ______________.
government employee; local government
government employee; state government
lobbyist; local government
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) provides what kind of assistance to conservative state legislators across the country?
ALEC provides experienced campaign managers to help run reelection campaigns.
ALEC sponsors voter registration drives.
ALEC writes legislation and helps get the legislation passed.
ALEC screens judicial nominees to ensure quality people are selected to serve as judges.
Texas voters often use the party affiliation of the candidates as a way to make voting decisions.
True
False
Texas requires people to designate party affiliation when registering to vote.
True
False
Social media is an important fundraising tool because it is less costly to solicit campaign contributions using social media than through other methods.
True
False
In 1948, the Dixiecrats, led by Senator Strom Thurmond, opposed the civil rights and pro-integration policies of President Harry S. Truman.
True
False
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Texas was a competitive, two-party state.
True
False
It is relatively easy for an independent candidate to get on the Texas ballot.
True
False
The Republican Party was the dominant force in Texas politics throughout most of the 1900s.
True
False
Early voting was adopted in Texas to increase the chances of Republican candidates being elected to office.
True
False
To allow for social distancing at the polling locations, counties are allowed to have one polling location open 24 hours a day for no more than 3 days during early voting.
True
False
By law, lobbyists can only work for one organization at a time in order to prevent any conflicts of interest by the lobbyist.
True
False
Compared to other states, Texas has some of the strictest laws dealing with lobbying from former government officials.
True
False
In Texas, a public interest group is only known as such if its causes will benefit 80% of Texans.
True
False
Civil rights groups have had success using the court system to further their members’ interests.
True
False
The incumbency disadvantage leads interest groups to work more with challengers, seeing them as a better investment of limited resources.
True
False
