POLS-2301 Final Exam Review Dr. Easterly Lamar University
Candidates for state office and lobbyists have to file quarterly reports detailing their spending and donations with which agency?
Texas Ethics Commission
The regulation of oil and energy in Texas is performed by
Texas Railroad Commision
Which of the following was part of the annexation agreement between Texas and the United States?
Texas could keep public lands, U.S. Congress would not accept those in exchange for payment of debt; We can divide into a total number of 4 states; 5 including Texas
In Texas, ________ create(s) special purpose districts
Texas voters in the areas that will be covered
Which of the following statements about that Articles of Confederation is INCORRECT
They gave the president too much power.
What is the main purpose of a primary election?
To pick who will run for president for each party
Currently, how many states allow guns to be carried on college campuses?
10
The boundaries of legislative districts in the United States are to be redrawn every ________ years.
10
The origins of ranching and the cattle industry extend back to the late _______ century.
17th
Texas became an independent republic in ___________ and became part of the United States in ___________
1836; 1845
The Latino movement known as La Raza Unida occurred during the
1960's
Labor groups represent ________ percent of the total number of interest groups registered to lobby in Washington.
2
Although __________ percent of the population was of African descent at the time of the Founding, only about _________ percent of this group was free from slavery
20, 1.5
In ________, the Supreme Court ruled that the government could not restrict independent expenditures by corporations or unions in support of candidates.
2010
There are ______ amendments to the U.S. Constitution
27
Approximately ___________ percent of Americans can correctly identify all three branches of the federal government
30%
How many states have legal or constitutional provisions requiring that their proposed budgets are balanced?
49
Discussion of the judicial department is in Article _______ of the Texas Constitution.
5
If a person supports a candidate because he or she is the front-runner in a poll, it is an example of the
Bandwagon effect
Which U.S. Supreme Court case in 2009 created the opportunity for those opposed to powerful incumbents to create organizations without having to disclose their donors?
Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission
Issues such as the environment, health care, retirement benefits, and taxation are on the political agenda in the United States because
Contemporary political parties mainly compete for the support of middle-class Americans and these issues are important to the middle class.
The decision to give the national government control over interstate commerce and finance was motivated primarily by the framers' desire to
Promote economic development and protect property from radical state legislatures
Which of the following statements about ranked-choice voting is MOST accurate
Ranked-choice voting has been implemented in some countries (such as Australia) and in a handful of American states and cities.
A candidate who received 20 percent of the overall vote could
win the election only if the election were held in a plurality system.
What was the primary venue for citizen participation in national politics until the early 1900s?
U.S. House elections
Which statement correctly describes the requirements for membership in a major political party in Texas?
With no requirements, a registered voter simply chooses which party primary to vote in.
The Texas Constitution requires which of the following for amending the state constitution?
a two-thirds vote in both houses of the state legislature and a majority vote from the voters of Texas
The frequent reporting on the federal investigation by Robert Mueller regarding whether anyone close to Trump participated in Russia's 2016 election interference is an example of the media's commitment to
adversarial journalism
Privately owned media companies in the United States earn most of their revenue from
advertising
Which of the following occurs when one party replaces another party that has dominated national politics for a lengthy period of time?
an electoral realignment
In order to vote in Texas, you must meet which of the following requirements?
be a resident, a U.S. citizen, and at least 18 years of age
According to the online processing model, members of the public may appear to be politically uninformed because
by the time they actually voice an opinion on an issue, they are likely to have forgotten much of the information that helped them arrive at their opinion.
News produced by individuals and organizations who are not employed as professional journalists is called
citizen journalism
Who is responsible for setting the county's budget and tax rate?
commissioners' court
Which city governments have officials who act as both executives and legislators?
commissions
The Consumer Confidence Index is based on
consumers' perceptions of current business and employment conditions, as well as their expectations for six months hence regarding business conditions, employment, and income.
Dallas operates under which style of city government?
council-manager form
Who is responsible for issuing marriage licenses as well as birth and death certificates?
county clerk
When deciding how to vote, people will use mental shortcuts. Political scientists call these shortcuts
cues
Which two Texas metropolitan areas are national centers for the high-tech industry?
dallas and austin
During the last decade, the number of newspaper journalists working in the United States has
decreased by 40 percent.
The term big data refers to data sets that
describe any data set that is so large and complex that it is difficult to process using traditional applications.
Since 1992, the percentage of people donating money to political campaigns has
doubled
A major benefit of ranked-choice voting is that it
eliminates the "spoiler" effect that occurs when votes for a third-party or minor candidate are discarded.
The establishment of the Republican Party is a good example of
external mobilization
Interest groups often employ _____________________ as lobbyists in order to gain access to those in Texas government.
former legislators and government officials
The fact that the tax code in the United States is more advantageous to wealthy citizens than that of almost any other western nation supports the claim that Americans
generally tolerate economic inequality
Which of the following is a way in which parties help voters during elections?
give voters a party label they can identify with when deciding how to vote
A representative democracy is a system of government that
gives citizens a regular opportunity to elect top government officials.
________ is a strategy that attempts to mobilize the widest and most favorable climate of opinion.
going public
Which of the following was NOT one of the reprisals enacted by the British in response to the Boston Tea Party?
granting the East India Company the power to sell tea directly in the colonies instead of working through the colonial merchants
Which of the following is an "outsider" strategy?
grassroots mobilization
The economy of Texas grew rapidly in the 1990s and was
grounded in a diversified economic base.
The Republican Party is currently MOST internally divided over the issues of
immigration.
Statewide controversial initiatives on the ballot
increase voter turnout in elections.
The 9/11, terrorist attacks ___________ Americans' trust in government
increased
The fact that a smaller and smaller number of companies owns a larger and larger share of the American media is concerning primarily because it
increases the risks that politicians and citizens who express less popular or minority viewpoints will have difficulty finding a public forum.
Texans are increasingly identifying themselves as
independent
The Federal Communications Commision
is an independent agency of the United States government, created by Congressional statute to regulate interstate communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. territories
A criticism of interest group pluralism is
its class bias in favor of those with greater financial resources
The Bill of Rights was designed to protect
liberty
The tendency for black Americans to perceive other blacks as members of a group with a common identity and a shared political interest is called
linked fate
In Texas, primary elections are usually held in
march
Public funding for presidential primary campaigns
matches, on a dollar-for-dollar basis, all contributions of $250 or less, up to a total of $48.7 million in 2016.
Americans have generally tolerated great differences among rich and poor citizens because
mobility is possible and based on their efforts
Research into public opinion and public policy has shown that
more-affluent and more-educated citizens have a disproportionate influence over politics and public-policy decision
What are the main sources of revenue for special purpose districts in Texas
municipal utility districts (MUDs)
Which of the following elements dominated the land-based economy of post-Reconstruction Texas and is/are still relevant today?
oil, cotton, cattle
A(n) ________ occurs when a voter can wait until the day of the primary to choose which party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election.
open primary
An election where the winner is the person who receives the most votes, regardless of the percentage of votes received, is called a ________ system.
plurality
Before the 1890s, who was responsible for printing election ballots?
political parties
Thinking about the constitutions of Texas and the United States, both are based upon which fundamental idea?
political power is derived from the people
The _______________ requirement was included in the Voting Rights Act to ensure that states that had previously restricted the political participation of minorities could not use redistricting for partisan gain and against the interest of minority groups.
preclearance
The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) focuses on
protecting and promoting equal rights for Latinos, and constitutional rights for all, in four core program areas — education, employment and economic advancement, immigrants' rights, and voting rights and political access.
The New Politics movement gave rise to ________ groups.
public interest
The three steps of John Zaller's model of opinion formation are
receive, accept, and sample.
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) was important because it
reinforced a nationalistic interpretation of the constitution because it defined the power to regulate interstate commerce broadly, giving the national government supremacy in all matters of interstate commerce that involved more than one state
Similar to other southern states, Texas is
religious and socially conservative
The percentage of Americans without any religious affiliation has
risen from 5 percent of the population in the 1990s to more than 20 percent today.
Women in the United States are ______ the ________ Party
somewhat more likely to support; Democratic
Men in the United States are ______ the ______ Party
somewhat more likely to support; Republican
What type of government is called hidden government because people often do NOT know it exists?
special districts
In order to gain access to politicians, interest groups will often
spend money on entertaining politicians.
Voters who prefer third-party candidates but vote for the major-party candidate whom they regard as the "lesser of two evils" are engaged in
strategic voting.
Who were the Radical Republicans
supported blacks, no confederate leaders
Most European nations utilize a
system of proportional representation
Arguably, the largest and most effective public employee interest group in Texas is made up of
teachers
Who led the Grange and Populist movements of the late nineteenth century?
tenant farmers
The situation in which individuals receive the benefits of collective action without contributing is known as
the "free-rider problem".
Emerging in the late 1780s, America's first two political parties were the
the Federalists and the Jeffersonian Republicans.
Which of the following is an example of a public broadcasting organization?
the National Public Radio (NPR)
Which of the following is NOT a reason that many Americans appear to prefer online news?
the accuracy and objectively compared to traditional media outlets
EMILY's List is a national PAC that is funded by women and focuses on raising money for women candidates at which part of the campaign cycle?
the early part of the campaign cycle
A wealthy businessperson who is very liberal is an example of the
the fact that group memberships never fully explain all of an individual's political views.
What is the "social desirability effect"?
the fact that respondents report what they expect the interviewer wishes to hear or whatever they think is socially acceptable rather than what they actually believe or know to be true
When drafting the Texas Constitution of 1876, the framers wanted to create a government based on which of the following principles?
the necessity of strong limitations on the authority of state officials
The practice of push polling involves
the procedure of asking loaded questions in order to subtly shape the respondents opinion
According to French political philosopher Baron de La Brède et de Montesquieu, placing the executive, legislative, and judicial powers in different governmental bodies worked very well in
the roman republic
One explanation for why Trump performed better at the ballot box than in the public opinion polls is that
the social desirability effect
In a decision on the Affordable Care Act, the supreme court ruled that
the supreme court upheld all of the affordable care act except the requirement that states expanding medicaid
Duverger's Law states that
there is a systematic relationship between electoral systems and party systems, so that plurality single-member district election systems tend to create two-party systems in the legislature, while proportional representation electoral systems generate multiparty systems.
How much can an individual donate to a campaign for a state-level, nonjudicial office, such as for governor?
there is no limit
Political leaders may prefer communicating through social media because
they can directly transmit unedited messages to their followers without having the content altered by the mainstream press
One of the advantages incumbents have when running for reelection is
they have already been in office
________ states currently require all voters to show some form of identification before voting at the polls.
thirty six
The original purpose of voter registration was to
to reduce corruption by making it more difficult to vote.
Attempts by Congress to regulate child labor and factory conditions in local workplaces were struck down by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional in the late nineteenth century because regulating local workplaces was
was beyond the scope of interstate commerce at the time and was therefore perceived to be an unconstitutional exercise of power by the federal government.
If a registered Democratic voter was opposed to abortion and rejected the Democratic Party's pro-choice platform, abortion would be a ________ issue for the voter.
wedge
In the 2017-18 election cycle, individuals could contribute no more than ________ to any candidate for federal office in any primary or general election.
$2,700
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) provides what kind of assistance to conservative state legislators across the country?
ALEC writes pieces of legislation and helps get the legislation passed.
Which racial or ethnic group in Texas is concentrated in East Texas?
African Americans
Who were the authors of the Federalist Papers?
Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, James Madison
Which incentives do interest groups engage in to overcome the free rider problem?
All of these are correct. (Special discounts, subscription to a magazine, & access to special information on the Internet)
The U.S House of Representatives was designed to
Ensure majority rights
When intraparty disputes split members into different groups, these groups are referred to as
Factions
In 1985, the federal government stopped enforcing the ________, arguing that it was no longer necessary due to the increasing number of television and radio stations.
Fairness Doctrine
The fact that Democrats referred to the Obama administration's health care initiative as "reform" instead of as "rationing" is an example of
Framing
When congressional districts are drawn to favor one political party over another, it is referred to as
Gerrymandering
The fastest-growing demographic group in Texas is ________, the majority of whom vote ________.
Hispanic; Democrat
The ________ Act is a bill designed to prevent foreign influence on elections by subjecting political ads sold online to the same rules and transparency that applies to TV and radio ads.
Honest Ads
Which of the following cities currently has a city government with and strong mayor-council form of government?
Houston
Which of the following is NOT a reason that digital politics fosters political participation?
Many state governments have made it possible for citizens to vote online rather than in person.
California shifted from a Republican stronghold in the 1970s to a solidly Democratic state today primarily due to
Immigration and demographic changes
Most of the African American population of Texas is concentrated in
Inner Cities and East Texas
During presidential election years, the nation's first caucus is held in ________ and the first primary election is held in ________.
Iowa; New Hampshire
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 was important because it
It allowed for cross-ownership of media outlets by media conglomerates.
What were the MOST common favors political bosses distributed to loyal party members during the era of political machines?
Jobs. Traditional party machines depended heavily on patronage, their power to control government jobs. With thousands of jobs to dispense, party bosses were able to recruit armies of political workers, who in turn mobilized millions of voters.
In order to win statewide elections, Democrats in Texas want to mobilize which of the following to vote?
Latinos
_________ dominated the secession convention of 1861
Lawyers and slaveholders
A private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns is called a(n)
Leadership, money, an agency or office, and members.
The major organizational factors shared by most interest groups are
Leadership, money, an agency or office, and members.
The Articles of Confederation were concerned primarily with
Limiting the powers of the central government
The belief among African Americans that their own self-interests are linked to the interests of their race is called
Linked Fate
Which state's health care law became the template for the 2010 Affordable Care Act?
Massachusetts
By about the 1940s, a split between liberals and conservatives developed in the Democratic Party that focused on
New Deal economic policies and civil rights measures.
The second largest city in Texas today is
San Antonio
In a proportional representation electoral system
Seats in the legislature are allocated to political parties based on the share of the total vote cast in the election
The First Continental Congress was
September 5, 1774
What issue led to the demise of the Whig Party?
Slavery
Which of the following statements best describes where younger and older Americans get their news?
Social media tend to be a secondary news source after television for most Americans but a primary news source for the young.
What is the function of the twenty-four councils of government in Texas today?
They are a regional board meant to coordinate local planning and economic development
Which movement has had the largest impact on state legislative races in recent years?
The Tea Party movement
Battleground Texas is a get-out-the-vote (GOTV) effort undertaken by which group?
The Texas Democratic Party
Which of the following statements best summarizes Presidents Herbert Hoover's views on federal action during the Great Depression?
The federal government could do little to alleviate the misery caused by the depression and state and local governments should be responsible for responding to the crisis
Which of the following statements about state and federal budgets is the MOST accurate?
The vast majority of state governments must balance their budgets, but the federal government is allowed to run budget deficits.
What is one of the biggest problems with federal block grants?
There is a need to be sure that the states are following the precise regulations established by the federal government.
The poll tax was made illegal in federal elections with the passage of the
Twenty-fourth amendment