Politics in Texas
is designed to minimize the role of government, averse to taxes, and manipulated by elites.
encourages big government and has a strong tradition of separation of church and state.
is elitist, paternalistic, and concentrated in the executive branch.
is moralistically based with a strong tradition of public service among its citizens.
is progressive and supports many social programs to help the needy.
The 2001 implosion of Houston-based Enron Corp. and subsequent loss of jobs revealed
a systematic failure of the Texas state government to adequately regulate the energy industry.
b. the weakness of Governor Rick Perry in managing such economic crises
c. the impact that high taxation of corporations in Texas had on industry.
d. the weakness of the tech sector in Texas and its growing obsolescence.
e. the high degree of corruption and bribery within Texas state government.
Texas currently has the ________ largest economy in the nation.
third
fifth
first
fourth
second
Why is it feared that poverty is likely to worsen in Texas in coming years?
a. Many corporations have threatened to leave Texas if taxes are increased, resulting in a loss of jobs.
b. The recent repeal of minimum wage requirements will set off a rapid increase in poverty.
c. Texas has experienced increasing migration of poor from other states.
d. Texas has more federal government employees than any other state that is under threat of layoffs.
e. If educational levels do not improve, opportunities for jobs will become limited.
How has the oil and natural gas industry benefited Texas during times of national recession?
a. Texas sets the process of both commodities and can profit greatly during a recession because of this.
b. The non-taxation of these industries by the federal government prevents profit from leaving Texas.
c. High prices of both commodities have insulated Texas from the effects of recessions.
d. Texas has profited from the federal government, which buys oil for other states during recessions.
e. High prices of both commodities have prevented Texas from seeking federal aid.
In 2010, what percent of the Anglo population in Texas had college degrees?
a. 10.0 percent
b. 52.1 percent
c. 40.3 percent
d. 30.5 percent
e. 49.0 percent
How did Mirabeau B. Lamar, president of the Republic of Texas, differ from his predecessor Sam Houston in his feelings toward the Native Americans?
a. He felt they should be offered peace and friendship.
b. He felt they should be honored and praised for their bravery.
c. He felt they should be supported in their wars against Mexico.
d. He felt they should be expelled, defeated, or exterminated.
e. He felt they should have their lands returned to them.
Texas is now the ________ most populous state in the nation.
The cowboy's rugged individualism symbolizes a political culture that
a. expects the government to always act in the interests of the common good.
b. exhibits a high degree of reliance on government to solve its problems.
c. features a strong reliance on religious and cultural resources.
d. expects government to act moralistically by taking care of its poorest citizens.
e. features a strong belief in self-reliance.
Organizing disputes, creating fair procedures for competing interests to communicate their needs, and managing budgets to decide who will benefit and who will cover the costs is called
order.
business.
religion.
government.
society.
Which of the following statements is true about Texas government under the Constitution of 1876?
a. Power is centralized in the executive branch.
b. The legislature meets bi-annually, part-time.
c. The governor is a powerful chief executive.
d. The legislature is a unicameral body.
e. The judiciary is appointed by the governor.
The Reconstruction Acts required a Texas Constitution that would
a. establish a plural executive.
b. provide for biannual sessions of a bicameral legislature.
c. force former slave owners to cede land to African Americans.
d. allow for popular election of judges.
e. grant African Americans the right to vote.
Texas currently operates under a constitution that was adopted following the Civil War and the Radical Reconstruction era. In this constitution, Texans
a. disgusted by the Reconstruction government, set up a confederate government.
b. encouraged by Governor Edmund Davis, kept many of his policies.
c. pleased by Reconstruction changes, added more rights for African Americans.
d. suspicious of government, limited its power and fragmented its institutions.
e. heartened by the previous administration, gave the governor more powers.
A constitution reflects the way society structures conflict through its
a. comparative perspective.
b. parliamentary procedures.
c. institutional arrangements.
d. consensus agreements.
e. important rituals.
The Constitution of 1866 was brought about by the policies of President Abraham Lincoln who envisioned
a. a state government with weak powers and dominated by the national government.
b. a quick reintegration of Southern states into the Union but lacking equality in many ways.
c. a rapid return to civilian governments for Southern states and their quick reintegration into America.
d. a state government with power shared between civilians and the military.
e. a long, drawn out process whereby southern states had to meet multiple demands to reintegrate.
How does the Constitution of Texas resemble those of other former Confederate states?
a. It allows for the federal government to impose martial law at any time.
b. It places the judiciary under the control of the federal government.
c. It grants more reserved powers to the federal government.
d. It severely curtails the powers of the executive branch.
e. It formally acknowledges the supremacy of the U.S. Constitution.
The United States has one final court of last resort, the Supreme Court. Texas has
a. three, numbered according to the district they service.
b. only one, the Texas Supreme Court.
c. none, the last court of appeals is the U.S. Supreme Court.
d. two, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals and the Texas Supreme Court.
e. two, the Texas Court of Civil Appeals and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
The purpose of statutory law
a. is to specifically replace unconstitutional laws with constitutional amendments.
b. is to allow the executive of a state to issue laws without legislative approval.
c. is to require voter approval on amendments to a constitution.
d. is to lay the basic principles of a constitution to later be expanded upon.
e. is to expand upon general provisions laid out in a constitution through legislative laws.
The Constitution of 1836 which established the Republic of Texas was modeled after
a. the constitution of the neighboring Mexican state of Coahuila.
b. the Constitution of Coahuila y Tejas.
c. Spanish civil code.
d. the new constitution of Mexico.
e. the U.S. Constitution.
Which governor of Texas refused to leave office although he had lost the election?
a. George W. Bush
b. James Ferguson
c. Edmund Davis
d. William P. Clements
e. Richard Coke
What effect has the Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison had on the U.S. political system?
a. This case asserted the sovereignty of state governments when faced by encroachment from the federal government.
b. It revealed that the Supreme Court is ill-suited to arbitrate disputes between state and federal authority.
c. The ruling reached in this case is considered an unwritten amendment to the Constitution, and it has never been challenged in court since.
d. It upheld the supremacy clause of the Constitution and prevented the states from taxing national, a principle that remains to today.
e. This case was pivotal in outlining the concurrent powers of the states and the national government and codifying them.
What resulted from the policies pursued by President Lyndon Johnson in his Great Society programs?
a. The number of federal grant programs and funding increased significantly as did the federal share of state and local budgets.
b. The federal government became responsible for funding 80 percent of major intrastate infrastructure projects.
c. Following increasing interference by the federal government in the affairs of states, the Supreme Court enacted measures to roll back the national government.
d. The federal government gradually devolved greater authority to the states concerning spending of federal funding.
e. State and local governments increasingly became dominated by the national government in budgetary and taxation matters.
The U.S. Constitution limits the powers of the states and the national government through ________ powers.
a. off-limit
b. denied
c. excluded
d. preempted
e. banned
In the past twenty years, Congress has
a. eliminated mandates and preemptions forced on the states.
b. decreased the federal role in policymaking in favor of the states.
c. superseded mandates and preemptions with the concept of federalism.
d. increased the number of mandates and preemptions forced on the states.
e. decreased the number of mandates and preemptions forced on the states.
Of the fifty states ranked by per capita distribution of federal grants to state and local government, Texas ranks
a. in the middle third.
b. near the bottom.
c. fifth.
d. thirtieth.
e. twenty-fifth.
The ________ clause of the U.S. Constitution implies that when there is a power struggle between the federal government and a state government, the federal government triumphs.
a. nationalization
b. supremacy
c. hegemony
d. equalization
e. subservience
A systematic transfer of authority from the federal government to the states would be considered ________ in the United States.
a. evolution
b. degeneration
c. absolution
d. super nationalism
e. devolution
According to a 2007 census, Texas had around ________ governmental units.
a. 50,000
b. 15,000
c. 10,000
d. 30,000
e. 5,000
Why have many Texas state agencies and communities resisted accepting federal funding?
a. The political culture in Texas is based on total independence from the federal government.
b. Many communities place local pride over immediate need.
c. These agencies and communities wish to assert their belief and dedication to states' rights.
d. They are wary of the "strings" attached to federal grant programs.
e. The accepting of money entails the acceptance of federal superiority, which few are willing to do.
The organization and operation of our federal system of government is a system
a. of shared functions but not shared responsibilities.
b. of divergent functions and responsibilities.
c. dictated by the national government.
d. of many shared functions and responsibilities.
e. of shared responsibilities but not shared functions.
