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CHAPTER 5—Political Parties

MULTIPLE CHOICE

1. Functions of a political party include all the following except

a. passing and enforcing legislation.
b. educating voters.
c. mobilizing voters.
d. running the government.
e. nominating and electing public officials.
ANS: A REF: 94 NOT: Factual

2. All of the following are common activities of political parties except

a. door-to-door canvassing during elections.
b. vetoing legislation that doesn’t fit the philosophy of the party.
c. providing voters with cues on how to vote.
d. running phone banks on behalf of candidates.
e. contributing money to campaigns.
ANS: B REF: 94 NOT: Conceptual

3. A pragmatist politician does all but which of the following?

a. Judges policies on the basis of results rather than principles
b. Compromises on basic principles to appeal to voters
c. Remains true to a consistent political philosophy
d. Stresses broad, emotional campaign themes rather than issues
e. Takes unfocused positions on issues rather than risk alienating voters
ANS: C REF: 95 NOT: Applied

4. Since the 1960s

a. political parties have become more pragmatic.
b. the ideological divide between the parties has diminished.
c. compromise between Democrats and Republicans has become easier to accomplish.
d. liberal Republicans have become extinct.
e. the most conservative Democrats are now to the right on the ideological spectrum of the
most moderate Republicans.
ANS: D REF: 95 NOT: Applied

5. National party ideological unity today gains impetus from outside individuals and groups. The
Republican Party, for example, is influenced by all of the following except
a. the Club for Growth.
b. Republican officeholders.
c. Populist organizations.
 d. the Tea party.
e. Fox News.
ANS: C REF: 95 | 96 NOT: Applied

6. The national parties have raised millions of dollars and assumed a greater role by providing assistance
to state parties and candidates. Which of the following is considered a form of assistance?
a. Public opinion polling
b. Production of radio and TV commercials
c. Campaign funding
d. Candidate recruitment
e. All of the above are true.
ANS: E REF: 96 NOT: Conceptual

7. The single-member district system encourages

a. pragmatic voter behavior.
b. ideological divisiveness between the political parties.
c. third party voting.
d. the growth of Populism.
e. wide dispersion of campaign contributions.
ANS: A REF: 96 NOT: Applied

8. In the Republic of Texas, political differences revolved around

a. support of or opposition to the confederacy.
b. the Republican Party.
c. those who supported or opposed reunification with Mexico.
d. support of or opposition to Sam Houston.
e. the Democratic Party.
ANS: D REF: 97 NOT: Applied

9. Starting with the end of Reconstruction, political control was in the hands of __________ for over a
century.
a. Republicans
b. Democrats
c. Federalists
d. Confederates
e. evangelicals
ANS: B REF: 97 NOT: Applied

10. “The People’s Party” making up the Populist Revolt, consisted largely of all but which of the
following groups?
a. Sharecroppers
b. African Americans
c. Small farmers
d. Laborers
e. Most segments of the Republican Party
ANS: E REF: 97 NOT: Factual

11. Which of the following was not a significant contributor to the Democratic Party’s solidification of
political power in Texas?
a. Support for the Union in the Civil War
 b. Political fallout from the Great Depression
c. Co-opting issues of the Populist Revolt
d. Disenfranchisement of African Americans and poor whites through the poll tax
e. Institution of the direct primary
ANS: A REF: 97 NOT: Applied

12. Persons who argue for an unfettered free market, personal initiative, and government action to preserve
moral values are known as
a. liberals.
b. Populists.
c. evangelicals.
d. conservatives.
e. Libertarians.
ANS: D REF: 97 NOT: Conceptual

13. While conservatives support the values of individualism and personal initiative, they also tend to
support all but which of the following?
a. Tax incentives for investment
b. Health care assistance and unemployment compensation
c. Government funding to promote business activity
d. Government action to preserve “moral values”
e. Capital punishment
ANS: B REF: 97 | 98 NOT: Conceptual

14. Persons who argue for a more-or-less completely hands-off philosophy of government, including
opposition to Social Security, gun control, foreign involvement, and campaign finance reform are
known as
a. conservatives.
b. evangelicals.
c. Populists.
d. liberals.
e. Libertarians.
ANS: E REF: 98 NOT: Conceptual

15. Persons who support government spending to protect the disadvantaged and promote equality,
including such things as wage and hour laws, federal unemployment and health care insurance are
known as
a. liberals.
b. Libertarians.
c. conservatives.
d. evangelicals.
e. Populists.
ANS: A REF: 98 NOT: Conceptual

16. If a person rejects attempts to “legislate morality” and is chiefly concerned with protecting civil rights
and liberties of individuals, that person is most likely a(n)
a. conservative.
b. evangelical.
c. Populist.
d. liberal.
 e. Libertarian.
ANS: D REF: 98 NOT: Conceptual

17. For many years, until the 1970s, __________ controlled the state government.
a. liberal Republicans
b. conservative Democrats’
c. conservative Republicans
d. liberal Democrats
e. Libertarians
ANS: B REF: 99 NOT: Conceptual

18. Growth of the conservative wing of the Democratic Party was initially, at least in large part, a response
to the
a. Presidency of Dwight Eisenhower.
b. Fair Deal.
c. New Deal.
d. activities of the AFL-CIO.
e. increasing influence of the NAACP.
ANS: C REF: 99 NOT: Conceptual

19. Which of the following were historically strong contributors to the success and influence of
conservative Democrats in Texas?
a. The oil and gas industry
b. Large farm and ranch owners
c. Owners and publishers of large newspapers
d. Veterans
e. All of the above are true.
ANS: E REF: 99 NOT: Conceptual

20. Strong supporters of the liberal wing of the Democratic Party include all except which of the
following?
a. Organized labor
b. Environmental groups
c. Trial lawyers
d. Large business groups
e. African American and Latino groups
ANS: D REF: 99 NOT: Conceptual

21. The most important reason for the failure of the Texas Republican Party to gain influence and win
elections until the last couple of decades was
a. they fielded uniformly weak candidates.
b. the bitter memory of the Civil War and Reconstruction.
c. the strong influence of African-American voters.
d. the fact that their presidential candidates were unpopular.
e. the Texas Election Code restricted voter registration to Democrats.
ANS: B REF: 100 NOT: Conceptual

22. In 2004, largely as a result of __________, Republicans gained a majority in the Texas delegation to
the U.S. House of Representatives.
a. redistricting
 b. a gubernatorial election
c. a U.S. Supreme Court decision
d. a ruling by the Texas Secretary of State
e. a large number of Democratic retirements
ANS: A REF: 100 NOT: Conceptual

23. The first major step in the building of the Texas Republican Party was
a. the end of the Civil War.
b. the election of Ronald Reagan.
c. the election of John Tower.
d. the election of Bill Clements.
e. passage of the Twenty-fourth Amendment.
ANS: C REF: 100 | 101 NOT: Factual

24. Primary areas of Republican voting strength in the last several elections include all but which of the
following?
a. The Houston suburbs
b. The Fort Worth area
c. The Northern Panhandle
d. South Central Texas
e. Rural East Texas
ANS: D REF: 102 NOT: Factual

25. Primary areas of Democratic Party voting strength in the last several elections include all but which of
the following?
a. South Texas
b. The Hill Country
c. The Dallas central city
d. Far West Texas
e. San Antonio
ANS: B REF: 102 NOT: Factual

26. Population groups making up the bulk of the Republican Party voting coalition include all except
which of the following?
a. White Anglo-Saxon Protestants
b. Upper middle-class suburbanites
c. Military, active and retired
d. Rural and small town Texans
e. Lower income urban dwellers
ANS: E REF: 102 NOT: Applied

27. In recent years __________ has come to dominate the Republican Party.
a. a large contingent of “moderates”
b. a group of former Democrats
c. a bloc of conservative Christians
d. leadership from the national party
e. the resurgent “Liberal” wing of the party
ANS: C REF: 102 NOT: Applied
28. The wing of the Republican Party that adheres to the principles of fighting government spending,
regulation of business and taxation, and which favors vigorous government action to fight abortion and
illegal immigration is sometimes known as
a. moderates.
b. liberals.
c. centrists.
d. urbanites.
e. true believers.
ANS: E REF: 102 NOT: Conceptual

29. The Tea Party has become known for all of the following except
a. support for increased Social Security spending.
b. opposition to President Obama.
c. working to defeat Health Care reforms during President Obama’s first term.
d. favoring reduced government spending.
e. contributing to the election of numerous conservative Republicans.
ANS: A REF: 103 NOT: Applied

30. Moderates in the Texas Republican Party tend to

a. focus on the issue of abortion.
b. align themselves with the Tea Party.
c. behave more pragmatically.
d. strongly oppose same-sex marriage.
e. believe that “radicalism” is important and will capture disenchanted voters.
ANS: C REF: 103 NOT: Conceptual

31. The “Sanctuary Cities” bill was opposed in the Republican Party by
a. conservatives.
b. evangelicals.
c. true believers.
d. the Tea Party.
e. business-oriented moderates.
ANS: E REF: 103 | 104 NOT: Applied

32. A gathering of party members who voted in the party’s primary for the purpose of electing delegates to
the county or senatorial district convention is the
a. general election.
b. precinct convention.
c. state convention.
d. runoff primary.
e. direct primary.
ANS: B REF: 104 NOT: Factual

33. If contending political factions at a precinct convention are evenly divided and reach an unbridgeable
disagreement or believe a grave injustice was done in running the convention, one group may stage a
walkout and hold a
a. county convention.
b. senatorial district convention.
c. runoff primary.
d. rump convention.
 e. conservative caucus.
ANS: D REF: 104 NOT: Conceptual

34. All but which of the following is a major function of the state convention?
a. Electing state party officers
b. Adopting a party platform
c. Selecting candidates to run in the political party primaries
d. Choosing the state executive committee
e. In election years, electing some delegates to the national party convention
ANS: C REF: 105 NOT: Factual

35. Most delegates to the two parties’ national conventions are chosen by
a. county conventions.
b. a presidential preference primary.
c. each party’s state executive committee.
d. the state convention.
e. senatorial district conventions.
ANS: B REF: 105 | 106 NOT: Applied

36. Which of the following is not a plank of the 2010 Texas Democratic Party platform?
a. National sales tax
b. Government provided multi-language instruction for children not fluent in English
c. Increased minimum wage
d. Abortion rights
e. A “100 percent equitable” school finance system
ANS: A REF: 106 NOT: Factual

37. Which of the following is not a plank of the 2010 Texas Republican Party platform?
a. Abolition of bilingual education
b. Capital punishment as an effective deterrent
c. Abolition of the U.S. Department of Education
d. Abolition of abortion
e. A fair “path to citizenship” for illegal immigrants
ANS: E REF: 106 NOT: Factual

38. The “Texas Two-Step” is

a. the existence of both county and senatorial district conventions.
b. a requirement that the winner of a presidential primary in Texas appeal to both
Republicans and Democrats.
c. a traditional dance, which has fallen out of favor in recent years, performed by the winner
of the presidential preference primary in recognition of the cultural heritage of Texans.
d. the procedure whereby voters first vote in the presidential preference primary and then
attend separate party caucuses.
e. election of delegates to county and senatorial district conventions followed by completely
separate elections to the state conventions.
ANS: D REF: 106 NOT: Conceptual

39. The lowest grassroots level of permanent political party structure in Texas is the
a. county chair.
b. precinct convention.
 c. precinct chair.
d. county convention.
e. state convention delegation.
ANS: C REF: 106 NOT: Factual

40. Responsibilities of the precinct chair include all except which of the following?
a. Contacting known and potential party members
b. Arranging the precinct convention
c. Serving as a member of the county executive committee
d. Organizing party activities in the neighborhood
e. Serving as a delegate to the county or senatorial district convention
ANS: E REF: 106 | 107 NOT: Conceptual

41. Which of the following is not one of the primary activities of the county executive committee?
a. Presiding over precinct conventions
b. Accepting filing fees from candidates
c. Assembling the temporary roll of delegates to the county convention
d. Determining the order of appearance on the primary ballot
e. Assisting the county chair in preparing the primary ballot
ANS: A REF: 107 NOT: Conceptual

42. The official who determines locations of polling places, appoints primary election judges, and certifies
names of official party nominees is the
a. precinct chair.
b. county chair.
c. state chair.
d. Secretary of State.
e. County Commissioner.
ANS: B REF: 107 NOT: Factual

43. Which of the following is not one of the responsibilities of the state party chair?
a. Certifying election runoff winners to the state convention
b. Presiding over state executive committee meetings
c. Appointing delegates to the national convention
d. Calling the state convention to order
e. Handling requests of statewide candidates on the ballot
ANS: C REF: 107 NOT: Conceptual

44. The group responsible for canvassing statewide primary returns, certifying nomination of party
candidates, and encouraging political activity both in precincts and counties is the
a. precinct chair.
b. state convention.
c. county chair.
d. state executive committee.
e. state chair.
ANS: D REF: 107 NOT: Factual

45. Today, Texas state politics is dominated by the

a. Democratic party.
b. Libertarian party.
 c. U.S. Department of Justice.
d. Governor.
e. Republican party.
ANS: E REF: 108 NOT: Factual

46. A transformation in which the major political parties experience a substantial change in the nature and
number of their supporters is
a. dealignment.
b. a runoff.
c. partisan realignment.
d. tipping.
e. party competition.
ANS: C REF: 108 NOT: Factual

47. Among political parties in Texas today, the party with the largest share of support among voters is the
__________ party.
a. Libertarian
b. Independent
c. Reform
d. Republican
e. Democratic
ANS: D REF: 108 NOT: Factual

48. The election of Ronald Reagan helped strengthen the growth of the Republican Party in Texas by
attracting large numbers of
a. liberals.
b. independents.
c. conservative Democrats.
d. tippers.
e. partisans.
ANS: C REF: 108 NOT: Factual

49. A phenomenon that occurs when the growing population of a group becomes large enough to change
the political balance in a state, district, or county is
a. dealignment.
b. a runoff.
c. partisan realignment.
d. tipping.
e. party competition.
ANS: D REF: 110 NOT: Factual

50. A process through which large numbers of voters refuse to identify with either of the two major parties
and become increasingly independent of party affiliation is
a. dealignment.
b. a runoff.
c. partisan realignment.
d. tipping.
e. party competition.
ANS: A REF: 110 NOT: Factual
 51. People who vote for candidates of more than one party in a given election are
a. partisans.
b. ticket splitters.
c. swing voters.
d. politicians.
e. tippers.
ANS: B REF: 110 NOT: Factual

52. Democrats believe their support will grow in the future because of a growing __________ population.
a. suburban
b. independent
c. swing-voter
d. affluent
e. ethnic-minority
ANS: E REF: 110 NOT: Factual

53. The fact that the number of __________ in Texas appears to be growing may be evidence of
dealignment.
a. Republicans
b. Democrats
c. ticket splitters
d. ethnic minorities
e. urbanites
ANS: C REF: 110 NOT: Factual

ESSAY

1. Identify and describe the importance of the functions of political parties in Texas.

ANS:
Answers may vary.

2. Describe the three primary characteristics of American political parties that largely differentiate them
from parties found elsewhere in the world.

ANS:
Answers may vary.

3. Explain the factors that have led to recent growth in power of the national political parties.

ANS:
Answers may vary.

4. Describe the differences between liberals and conservatives.

ANS:
Answers may vary.

5. Describe the progression that has led to dominance by the Republican Party in Texas.

ANS:
 Answers may vary.

6. Explain some of the reasons to support or oppose a shift to nonpartisan redistricting in Texas.

ANS:
Answers may vary.

7. Explain the different political philosophies of the different factions within the Republican Party
in Texas.

ANS:
Answers may vary.

8. Identify the different levels of activity in the Texas temporary party organization, and what their
responsibilities are.

ANS:
Answers may vary.

9. Identify the different levels of activity in the Texas permanent party organization, and what their
responsibilities are.

ANS:
Answers may vary.

10. Describe “realignment” and “dealignment” and explain the political consequences of these
phenomena.

ANS:
Answers may vary.

11. Explain the pros and cons of moving from a primary to a caucus system to select candidates in Texas.

ANS:
Answers may vary.

12. Describe political pragmatism and explain why it has diminished in Texas in recent years.

ANS:
Answers may vary.

13. Explain some of the reasons for the continued existence of the two-party system in American politics.

ANS:
Answers may vary.

14. Identify elements of the political philosophy of Libertarians and explain how Libertarians differ from
Republican and Democrats.

ANS:
Answers may vary.