question

In modern elections, candidates increasingly rely on which of the following to communicate information to voters?

answer

Social media such as Facebook and Twitter

question

Most voters in Texas learn about candidates for office through

answer

television ads

question

According to studies, negative commercials

answer

draw voter preference away from the candidate being attacked

question

Organizations created to collect and distribute contributions to political campaigns are referred to as

answer

political action committees

question

Which of the following statements regarding the Campaign Reform Act of 2002 is false?

answer

none of its provisions have been overturned by the Supreme Court

question

In which case did the Supreme Court overturn a ban on unlimited independent expenditures made by corporations, unions, and nonprofit organizations in federal elections?

answer

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

question

Independent, expenditure-only committees that may raise unlimited sums of money to support or oppose political candidates are known as

answer

SuperPACs

question

Which of the following is not true of Texas campaign finance regulations for state offices?

answer

There are no disclosure requirements by candidates

question

Texas's Latino and African American populations combined comprise

answer

more than half of the state's total population

question

La Raza Unida Party was founded by several Latino leaders in order to

answer

field candidates for office and mobilize Mexican-American voters

question

Which of the following is the most likely reason that La Raza Unida did not continue to be politically effective?

answer

The Texas Democratic Party has adopted issues appealing to Hispanic voters

question

By 2015, Texans had elected Latino candidates to which offices?

answer

The state Supreme Court, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and Texas legislature

question

What percentage of Texas's African American citizens say that they are Democrats?

answer

80 percent

question

Prior to 1990, how many women had been elected to statewide office in Texas?

answer

4

question

The first openly gay mayor of a major U.S. city was

answer

Annise Parker, sworn in as mayor of Houston in 2010

question

The increased presence of women in policymaking positions has resulted in such changes as

answer

increased punishments for family violence and sexual abuse of children

question

Which of the following is not a reason that fewer women than men seek elected office?

answer

Women are not allowed to run for elected office unless they have completed a graduate degree

question

The principal political activity of most Texans consists of

answer

voting in elections

question

The ability of almost all citizens 18 years of age and older to vote is referred to as

answer

universal suffrage

question

Literacy tests were implemented to ensure

answer

minorities could not vote

question

Protection of the right to vote for African Americans was the intention behind which amendments to the U. S. Constitution?

answer

Fourteenth and Fifteenth

question

In the U.S. Supreme Court case of Guinn v. United States (1915), the court ruled that

answer

the grandfather clause was illegal

question

Which of the following was not a device used in Texas to prevent many lower-income persons and blacks from voting after the Civil War?

answer

Grandfather clause

question

Which U.S. amendment prevents states from requiring payment of a poll tax as a condition for voting?

answer

Twenty-Fourth Amendment

question

Why was the white primary so effective at preventing minorities from exercising their right to vote?

answer

White Democrats nominated white candidates who virtually always won the general elections in the south

question

In the case of Smith v. Allwright, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the

answer

white-only primary elections in Texas

question

Manipulating legislative district lines to favor a political party or group is referred to as

answer

gerrymandering

question

In which of the following cases did the Supreme Court disallow racial gerrymandering?

answer

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

question

In Texas, the responsibility of redistricting rests with the

answer

state legislature

question

As a result of the Shelby v. Holder case, the state of Texas

answer

is no longer required to obtain preclearance from the U.S. Department of Justice for its electoral district maps

question

Which of the following are not now required by the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and its subsequent amendments?

answer

A formula for determining which jurisdictions need preclearance from the U.S. Department of Justice

question

A political district from which two or more representatives are elected is

answer

an at-large majority district

question

The amendment to the U.S. Constitution that prohibited the states from denying the vote due to race was the

answer

Fifteenth Amendment

question

Which of the following amendments to the U.S. Constitution broadened the franchise, extending the right to vote to new groups?

answer

Fifteenth, Nineteenth, and Twenty-Sixth

question

The primary purpose of the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (Motor Voter Law) was to

answer

require states to make voter registration available at driver licensing, military recruitment, welfare, and disability offices

question

Which of the following accurately describes trends in suffrage in the United States?

answer

Voting rights have steadily expanded and there has been a movement toward uniformity of voting policies among states

question

Compared to the rest of the country, voter turnout in Texas is

answer

lower than the national average

question

Low voter turnout in Texas is attributed to all of the following, except

answer

the repeal of laws that expanded suffrage

question

Of the various socioeconomic factors that influence voter turnout, which is considered the strongest?

answer

Education

question

Among the key factors that affect voter turnout are

answer

income, age, gender, and ethnicity

question

In order to be qualified to vote in Texas, one must meet all of the following qualifications except be

answer

a two-year resident of the state

question

A Texas citizen's status as a registered voter is suspended if she

answer

changes her permanent address to another county and fails to notify the voting registrar within three years

question

Which of the following would not be eligible to vote in Texas?

answer

A person who has been declared mentally incompetent by a court of law

question

According to a recent change in the law in Texas, voters must

answer

show a valid photo ID in order to cast a ballot

question

Early or absentee voting in Texas for general elections begins how many days prior to the actual date of the election?

answer

17 days

question

The basic geographic area for conducting national, state, district, and county elections is the

answer

voting precinct

question

Voting precincts in the 254 Texas counties are drawn by

answer

the county commissioners courts

question

Preparing the official ballot for general elections is done by the county

answer

clerk or elections

question

Which type of voting system is no longer used by any Texas counties?

answer

Punchcard ballots

question

A major requirement of the 1975 extension of the Voting Rights Act is that ballots in all Texas counties must be

answer

bilingual

question

An election in which party members choose a candidate to run for office in a general election is a

answer

primary election

question

The purpose of a general election is to

answer

elect officeholders

question

In order to obtain a primary nomination in Texas, a candidate must receive what part of the popular vote?

answer

An absolute majority

question

A primary system in which voters must declare their party affiliation when they register to vote is referred to as a(n)

answer

closed primary

question

The main reason for the development of direct primaries was

answer

decreasing the domination of party bosses and allowing more participation by party members

question

The Texas Election Code requires that primary voters

answer

declare their party affiliation at the time of voting in the party's primary

question

The practice of many Texans of voting in the Democratic primary and then voting Republican at the general election is called

answer

crossover voting

question

Normally, the first primary election in Texas is held on the

answer

first Tuesday in March of even-numbered years

question

Political parties in Texas are required to conduct direct primaries if they

answer

received 20 percent or more of the votes in the most recent gubernatorial election

question

The cost of primary elections in Texas is paid for by

answer

filing fees charged to candidates, subsidized by state funds

question

The date of general elections in Texas is the

answer

first Tuesday following the first Monday in November of even-numbered years

question

For a candidate to win a general election, she must receive a ________ of the total votes cast

answer

plurality

question

The term midterm election refers to those

answer

general elections held in non-presidential election years

question

If a candidate wins a plurality but not a majority of votes cast in a special election in Texas,

answer

a runoff contest between the two top contenders must be conducted

question

In Texas, special elections are called

answer

to fill interim vacancies in legislative and congressional districts

question

The most common way that Americans get their news is from

answer

conversations

question

The media source from which most Texans now get their news is

answer

television

question

Once the nation's main source of news, newspapers have declined because of

answer

competition from television and the Internet

question

Which of the following is not true of the 404 non-daily newspapers being published in Texas in 2012?

answer

They are influential in state politics because they are read by elites

question

Which of the following is not true of newsmagazines?

answer

There are more newsmagazines than there are newspapers, and they are read by more people

question

Despite their relative decline, why are the print media still important sources of information?

answer

They cover stories in more detail, inform the elite, and remain the largest gatherers of news

question

Which of the following are more likely to require that stories be vetted for accuracy and to attempt to follow standards of objectivity?

answer

major print media

question

Which of the following best describes the status of radio as a news source in America?

answer

Ninety-nine percent of American homes have at least one radio, but radio has limited value as a source of political news

question

What happened when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) abolished the Fairness Doctrine in 1987?

answer

Conservative talk-radio hosts quickly outpaced liberals

question

Who became talk radio's most syndicated host in the 1990s?

answer

Rush Limbaugh

question

Which of the following is true of public radio stations like KERA and KUHT?

answer

They provide substantial coverage of local, state, and national news

question

Commercial television began in Texas

answer

after World War II

question

Which television news format is most used by the public?

answer

Cable news

question

Websites and computer applications that allow users to create online communities and engage in social networking are known as

answer

social media

question

A web page on which writers regularly record opinions, information, and links to other sites is known as a

answer

blog

question

Which of the following is not true of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter?

answer

Less than 10 percent of U.S. adults get news from Facebook

question

Which of the following is not one of the roles that the text says media fills in U.S. and Texas politics?

answer

To be a forum solely for unbiased discussion of political topics

question

People are more likely to hear and remember ideas and information if they come from

answer

a trusted opinion leader

question

Which of the following has been a trend in news coverage?

answer

Competition for viewers and advertising dollars has led to more entertainment and less news in broadcasts

question

Followers of talk radio, cable news (such as FOX or MSNBC) or ideological blogs are likely to

answer

develop more political knowledge, but accept inaccurate or incomplete versions of reality

question

In the 19th century (1800s), newspapers in Texas and the other American states were

answer

highly partisan and not always truthful

question

The term "Yellow Journalism" referred to

answer

journalism based on sensationalism and exaggeration

question

The media play a role in keeping and protecting democracy by

answer

keeping citizens informed enough to make intelligent decisions and investigating government activities

question

Which of the following is not a reason that newspapers began to move away from strong partisanship toward more even-handed, objective reporting in the last half of the 19th century?

answer

The government passed laws requiring greater objectivity and less partisanship

question

For reporting to exhibit professionalism, it should be

answer

objective, neutral, and accurate

question

On the editorial pages of newspapers and magazines

answer

advocacy is practiced and editors and columnists give their opinions

question

The standards of professionalism are sometimes compromised when professional reporters over-report the views of

answer

government officials and others with power whom they see as reliable, legitimate and knowledgeable

question

When reporting is done in a combative style that features opposition, it is referred to

answer

adversarial journalism

question

Which of the following tend not to be heavily partisan in Texas?

answer

Newspapers

question

When the media help keep public officials honest by asking hard questions and looking into suspicious actions, they are engaging in

answer

investigative journalism

question

In the 1970s, the media in Texas supported Common Cause and other public interest groups in pushing through legislation to require

answer

open meetings and open records

question

Which of the following is true of the Texas media's coverage of scandals in state politics?

answer

Media investigations have uncovered corruption and led to instances of public officials being held accountable

question

When it comes to agenda setting in Texas, the media

answer

struggle to exert influence because of fewer reporters, fragmented government, competition with interest groups, and more.

question

When it comes to shaping our perceptions of events and issues, the media

answer

provide information, but their ability to shape opinion is reduced by personal knowledge, connections, and pre-existing opinions

question

The strongest effect of attack ads on electoral politics seems to be that

answer

people who marginally support an attacked candidate become less certain and abstain from voting for that candidate

question

When the news media says how important an issue is or which part of a situation is most important, they are engaging in

answer

priming

question

When the news media provides meaning or defines the central theme of an issue, they are engaging in

answer

framing

question

Which of the following conclusions is not supported by today's research on media influence?

answer

The media have an influence on what citizens think about

question

Compared to political candidates at the national level, candidates in Texas

answer

have an easier time controlling or at least influencing how the media covers them

question

When critics of the media complain about "horserace journalism", they are pointing to the fact that

answer

the media tend to focus more on who is winning an election than on the issues that matter

question

Candidates began to use social media for their campaigns in a major way in

answer

2008 and 2012

question

One of the key strategies that helped Barack Obama win both of his elections for President was

answer

identifying and micro-targeting potential younger voters through their e-mail and social media accounts

question

Which of the following is not true of Rick Perry's highly successful 2010 gubernatorial campaign?

answer

He relied heavily on direct mail, phone banks, and volunteers knocking on the doors of strangers

question

Which of the following is not true of civic engagement and the Internet, according to study by the Pew Research Internet Project?

answer

Use of the Internet and social media lead to less civic engagement and political activity

question

When it comes to measures of civic engagement like voter turnout, being involved in groups, donating to charity, volunteering and discussing political issues online,

answer

Texans are below the national average

question

Which of the following is true of media outlets today?

answer

Reporters tend to be liberal and Democratic, while owners and publishers tend to be conservative and Republican

question

Texas newspapers have generally supported

answer

conservative political candidates

question

Talk radio has long been dominated by

answer

conservatives

question

Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of the press?

answer

First Amendment

question

American courts are very hesitant to allow prior restraint, which means

answer

it is difficult for the government to censor, or to suppress material before it is published

question

The agency responsible for media regulation is the

answer

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

question

The idea that Internet service providers should treat all Internet data equally without charging differentially or blocking content they don't like is referred to as

answer

net neutrality

question

Which of the following is true regarding freedom of the press in Texas?

answer

Texas has a shield law that protects journalists from having to reveal certain confidential sources

question

Which of the following is not true of the media today?

answer

There are no sites on the Internet dedicated to checking facts

question

When a news medium focuses on a narrow audience defined by special interest, they are engaging in

answer

niche journalism

question

Which of the following is true of media ownership today?

answer

Just six corporations own most of the national media outlets

question

The trend in media ownership in Texas has been that

answer

ownership of Texas media outlets by Texas companies has declined

question

Which of the following is not a common concern about concentration of media ownership?

answer

There is an increase in hard news and a decrease in soft news

question

The reporters assigned to cover state-level news, commonly working in the state capital, are known as the

answer

capitol press corps

question

When the three major television networks began to face competition from cable news in the 1980s, they responded by

answer

reducing coverage of hard news and increasing coverage of scandals, horserace journalism, and controversial sound bites

Texas Government test 3 (Chapters 5 & 6) – Flashcards

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