MTEL Communication Literacy Skills : Writing Practice Test

How should political group names be capitalized?

1. Only the first letter of each word should be capitalized.

2. All words should be in lowercase.

3. Only the group name should be capitalized; descriptors should be in lowercase.

4. Only the first word of the phrase should be capitalized.

The correct answer is: Only the group name should be capitalized; descriptors should be in lowercase.

Capitalizing the name of a political group typically follows conventions where the official name of the group is recognized as a proper noun, warranting full capitalization, while any descriptive terms that provide context or categorize the group remain in lowercase. This approach maintains clarity and respects the formal identity of the organization. For example, while one might write "the Democratic Party," "party" is not part of the official title and is thus lowercased. This differentiation helps to clearly distinguish the official name from its general descriptors, ensuring that readers understand both the title and its context within political discourse. This convention of capitalization is consistent across various style guides and writing standards, which emphasize the importance of maintaining the integrity of proper nouns while treating general descriptors appropriately.