There has been a rise in partisanship in the Texas state legislature since the Republicans first gained majorities in the House and Senate.
Indicate whether this statement is true or false.
Q. 2Unlike political parties, interest groups attempt to get members elected to government under their label.
Indicate whether this statement is true or false.
Q. 3The major political parties in Texas have been unable to __________.
a. keep the electorate and interest groups engaged
b. prevent all of their members from acting as a team, even when it is not in their electoral interests
c. keep third parties from regularly winning seats in the state legislature
d. produce cohesive, policy-oriented coalitions in government
Q. 4Most scholars believe that political parties perform essential democratic functions that other institutions cannot.
Indicate whether this statement is true or false.
Q. 5Which of the following is true of party activists?
a. They tend to share demographic and social characteristics between the two major political parties.
b. They tend to have the same amount of information about politics as the general public.
c. They are encouraged to participate by state tax laws that allow them to deduct activist-related expenses.
d. They tend to be more ideological than other voters supporting a given party.
Q. 6What is the major responsibility of the county chair and the executive committee in Texas political parties?
a. They are responsible for raising funds for their party's political convention.
b. Persons are chosen to be sent to the state convention by the county chair and executive committee.
c. They are responsible for the organization and management of the primary election in their county.
d. They vote to approve candidates for statewide office.
Q. 7The state executive committees of political parties in Texas __________.
a. were established under the Texas Constitution of 1876
b. include a chair and vice chair, one of whom must be a woman
c. are appointed by the top elected officials of each of the parties
d. are selected at the parties' national conventions every four years
Q. 8Because party conventions are often poorly attended, __________.
a. organized and motivated factions can capture the conventions
b. major media outlets play a major role in publicizing them
c. party activists usually skip them in favor of attending candidate campaign rallies
d. nominees from each of the political parties often do not have to compete in primary elections
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