Choose one answer for the following question: Question1 What is the most relevant political issue for the Latino community in Texas?

Choose one answer for the following question:

Question1

What is the most relevant political issue for the Latino community in Texas?

a. gambling in Texas. 

 b. religious freedom issues. 

 c. public transportation. 

 d. immigration. 

 e. health care for the elderly. 

Question2

Campaign money donated directly to candidates or political parties and restricted in amount by federal law is called

a. soft money. 

 b. hard money. 

 c. individual money. 

 d. public funding. 

 e. Texas tea. 

Question3

When are precinct conventions in Texas usually held?

a. One week after the political primaries 

 b. On the Tuesday following the first Monday in November of even numbered years 

 c. At 7 p.m. on Tuesdays following the close of the polls at the local election precincts in a county 

 d. One week prior to the state convention in the summer of odd numbered years 

 e. At 7 p.m. on the first day of the first game of the major league world series in the fall 

Question4

To most voters in Texas and the nation, character and political style have become more important than

 a. television news. 

 b. interest groups. 

 c. the Internet. 

 d. issues. 

 e. the horserace aspect of the campaign. 

Question5

The Republican Party was the dominant party in Texas in the early 1900s.

Answer:

True or False

Question6

In Texas, when does early voting (by personal appearance) begin and end?

 a. begins 17 days before an election and ends 4 days before 

 b. begins 21 days before an election and ends 7 days before 

 c. begins 30 days before an election and ends 1 day before 

 d. begins 7 days before an election and ends election day. 

 e. Texas has outlawed by statute early voting 

Question7

The political party primary system in Texas is a cross between

 a. an open and a closed primary. 

 b. a partisan and a non-partisan election. 

 c. an at-large and a single-member district election. 

 d. a general election and a primary election. 

 e. a run-off election and a special election. 

Question8

Candidates campaigning for statewide office in Texas rely heavily on

 a. television. 

 b. direct mail. 

 c. personal appearances. 

 d. Internet blogs. 

 e. newspapers. 

Question9

College graduates are more likely to vote than those with only a high school diploma.

Answer:

True or False

Question10

The first African American Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court (and who only recently resigned from the office) was

 a. Wallace Jefferson 

 b. Morris Overstreet 

 c. Michael Williams 

 d. Clarence Thomas 

 e. Thurgood Marshall 

Question11

The U.S. Supreme Court case of Buckley v. Valeo (1976) dealt with what?

 a. the constitutional right of an individual to spend whatever he wants of his personal wealth on his/her own political campaign for office 

 b. the issue of campaign limits places on political action committees contributing to candidates for the presidency 

 c. the poll tax 

 d. the constitutionality of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 

 e. the legality of gerrymandering 

Question12

Which of the following is NOT a way a lobbyist effectively goes about his/her job?

 a. Providing state or federal office holders with legal favors and legal gifts. 

 b. Providing campaign contributions to favorable candidates and incumbents. 

 c. Bribing officeholders to influence their votes 

 d. Providing officeholders with information about the interests of his or her client relative to pending legislation or policy decisions 

Question13

The national political party conventions for the Republican and Democratic Parties are held once every

 a. year. 

 b. two years. 

 c. four years. 

 d. six years 

 e. eight years 

Question14

To become a delegate to your state party convention (for either the Democratic or Republican Party), you must first be elected by

 a. your home town. 

 b. permanent party officers from the state party leadership. 

 c. your precinct then county (or district) convention. 

 d. voters in a run-off election 

 e. the electoral college. 

Question15

Interest groups usually engage in all of these activities EXCEPT one:

 a. lobbying. 

 b. electioneering. 

 c. research and information dissemination. 

 d. fundraising. 

 e. federal and state agency administration. 

Question16

If a run-off election is held 30 days after the Democratic primary, in which of the following circumstances would you be allowed to vote in the Democratic run-off election (assuming you’re a validly registered voter)?

 a. If you voted in the Republican primary in early March 

 b. If you voted in the Democratic primary in early March 

 c. If you voted in either the Republican or Democratic primary in early March 

 d. If you voted a straight Democratic ticket in the general election two years before 

Question17

The “white primary” in Texas prevented African-American citizens from participating in the Democratic Party primary. What ended this practice?

 a. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 

 b. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 

 c. The U.S. Supreme Court decision of Smith v. Allwright in 1944 

 d. The U.S. Supreme Court decision of Baker v. Carr in 1964 

 e. The Twenty-Fourth Amendment to the Constitution 

Question18

Fundraising for political campaigns will remain an important factor in electoral success as long as

 a. the need for television advertising exists. 

 b. interest groups exist. 

 c. people use the Internet to get most of the news and information. 

 d. sports such as football and wresting remain popular. 

 e. there are greedy politicians and ruthless businesses make money selling gold coins for investment purposes. 

Question19

A primary in which only a party’s registered voters are eligible to participate is

 a. open. 

 b. general. 

 c. closed. 

 d. a caucus. 

 e. partisan. 

Question20

In Texas, each county is divided into geographical units for the purpose of organizing voting in a election (party primary or general election). Voters who live in each subdivision go to the polling place in that area. What is this basic local subdivision set up for election purposes called?

 a. election precinct 

 b. caucus 

 c. special district 

 d. county 

 e. ISD 

Question21

How many Electoral College votes for president does Texas have as a result of the popular vote in the November 2012 general election?

 a. 36–based on the number of US Representatives from Texas 

 b. 2–based on the number of US Senators from Texas 

 c. 38–based on the size of Texas’s delegation to Congress 

 d. 150–based on the size of the Texas House of Representatives 

 e. 34–based on the number of Texas State Senators 

Question22

The principal purpose of a precinct convention is to

 a. select delegates to the party’s county or state senatorial convention. 

 b. increase voter turnout in local precinct elections. 

 c. select delegates to the state convention and reform platform measures. 

 d. elect state party chairpersons. 

 e. nominate candidates for the general election. 

Question23

An organization whose sole purpose is to raise money from its membership and then distribute campaign contributions to candidates for public office is known as

 a. a special interest group. 

 b. a political action committee. 

 c. a grant-in-aid program 

 d. a federal district court. 

 e. a political party. 

Question24

An unpledged party official or elected official who serves as a delegate to a party’s national convention is called a(n)

 a. party boss. 

 b. elector. 

 c. general delegate. 

 d. primary designee. 

 e. superdelegate. 

Question25

Say that in the 2012 Texas Republican Party primary for the nomination to determine the Republican candidate for the 39th Congressional District, the incumbent, Rick Goodhair, earned only a plurality (the most votes, but not a majority) over three other contenders. Rick failed to get a majority (50 percent plus one) of the vote in the primary. What subsequently happened?

 a. Rick won the primary automatically by law because he was the incumbent going into the primary 

 b. Both Rick and the second highest vote-getter appeared on the November ballot, Rick as the Republican nominee and the second-highest vote-getter as an independent candidate 

 c. A run-off election was held 30 days after the primary between Rick and the person who came in second in the Republican primary for the 39th congressional district seat 

 d. Rick won because Texas election law states that a candidate in a party primary who wins a plurality of the vote wins the election 

 e. A coin-toss was held to decide who would be the Republican candidate for the 39th Congressional District seat between Rick and the person who came in second in the primary; the coin-toss was held in the office of the Texas Secretary of State in Austin since the Secretary of State is in charge of elections in Texas 

Question26

Which of the following techniques is likely to be used in grassroots lobbying by an interest group?

 a. Golfing with a member of Congress 

 b. Members of the interest group conducting a petition drive in a representatives home district 

 c. Having a lunch meeting with a member of Congress 

 d. Writing detailed policy briefs about an important issue to present to a member of Congress or her staff 

 e. Making a presentation to a congressional committee about how a proposed bill would affect her client 

Question27

When Bill White and Rick Perry ran for governor of Texas in 2010, which of the following items was probably the largest expenditure category in each of their campaign budgets?

 a. television advertising 

 b. direct-mail advertising 

 c. hair care products 

 d. polling 

 e. travel and lodging 

Question28

An example of a labor interest group would be the

 a. MALDEF. 

 b. NAACP. 

 c. AFL-CIO. 

 d. TCCTA. 

 e. TMA. 

Question29

Regularly scheduled general elections in the United States (which include elections for member of the U.S. House of Representatives) occur on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November

 a. of even-numbered years. 

 b. of odd-numbered years. 

 c. unless a presidential race is involved; then the regular election is in December every four years. 

 d. every four years. 

 e. every six years.