Texas Government Test UT Austin

legitimacy

A democracy is a system of government, the _______ of which is based on the people's participation

political culture

A shared system of beliefs in regard to government and politics is called:

their representatives make the laws

According to the moral theory underlying democracy, people should obey government because:

Controlling its borders with Mexico

In which of the following areas would Texas have the least influence? a) Controlling its border with Mexico b) setting education standards c) regulating industry within the state d) enforcing laws and administering justice e) determining how it will taax its citizens

True

Businesses in Texas consider low taxes, weak labor unions, and few government regulations, as creating a "favorable climate."

mestizos

Early inhabitants of Texas, persons of mixed Spanish and indigenous blood are called:

conservative

Economic policy in Texas is heavily influenced by a ___________ economic philosophy which minimizes the role of government.

a strong labor movement

Elements of a "favorable business climate" in Texas include all of the following except: a)few government regulations b) a strong labor movement c) a strong economy d) an available workforce e) a capacity for positive growth

African American

Which of the following groups has not changed appreciably, as a percent of the Texas population, since 1980?

Social Darwinism

a belief that individuals who prosper do so because of their merit and those who do not deserve their fate.

independent candidate

a candidate who is not nominated by a political party. In Texas, this is done by petition

constitutional amendment

a change in a constitution that is approved by the legislative body -- and, in Texas, the voters. Nationally amendments are not approved directly by the voters

one-party state

a democratic polity, whether a state or nation, that is dominated by a single political party.

political interest group

a group of people with a common interest -- economic, religious, racial, etc. -- that attempts to influence government, usually by means of lobbying government on behalf of their cause

libertarian

a person who believes in a limited role for the government in both economic and social regulation

psuedo lassiez faire

a philosophy of government which opposes governmental activities to regulate business, but encourages governmental support of business activities.

separation of powers

a phrase often used to describe the US political system; it refers to the assigning of powers to specific branches (in Texas, departments) of government. In reality, the powers of the branches overlap so that "separate institutions sharing powers" would be a more accurate description of the US system

Texas for a Republican Majority (TRMPAC)

a political action committee established by former House Majority Leader Tom Daley to fund the election of a Republican majority in the Texas Legislature

Jacksonian Democracy

a political movement of the 19th century that stressed citizen involvement in elections and the use of the spoils system in the selection of bureaucratic officials

ex officio

a position a person holds by virtue of another position or office that the person holds

address

a process by which the legislature may request that the governor remove a district or appellate judge from office by a 2/3 vote of both houses

bill

a proposed law written on paper and submitted to legislature

concurrent resolution

a resolution passed by both houses of the legislature by a majority vote

bill of rights

a section of a constitution, most famously that of the US Constitution, that lists the civil rights and liberties of the citizens and places restrictions on the powers of government

ideology

a system of beliefs and values that explain political legitmacy and defines appropriate political behavior for both government officials and individuals

federal system

a system of government that provides for a division and sharing of authority between a national government and state or regional governments.

conference committee

a temporary joint committee consisting of members of both houses of a legislature in which representatives attempt to reconcile the differences between 2 versions of a bill

bureaucracy

a type of organization that is characterized by hierarchy, specialization, fixed and official rules, and relative freedom from outside control

coalition

an alliance of individuals and interests who cooperate to win elections and run a government; usually the organizational basis of political parties

laissez-faire

an economic theory which favors limited government activity to regulate the economy.

filibuster

an effort to kill a bill in legislation by unlimited debate; it is possible in the Texas and US Senates but not in the House of Representatives

primary election

an election conducted to nominate candidates of the major political parties

disintegrated/fragmented executive

an executive system in which the administrative authority is shared by numerous elected officials

federal system

Power sharing between national and state government, in which state governments are strongly influenced by the actions of the national government, describes a:

political culture

Texas government and politics is strongly influenced by its ________________ which reflects a shared system of values and beliefs.

False

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) significantly reduced the flow of international trade through Texas.

A welfare society

The Texas political tradition is shaped by all of the following except: a) a suspicison of government b) a welfare society c) laisses-faire economics d) conservatism e) Social Darwinism

federal

The United States has a ______ system of government, in which powers are shared among the national and state governments.

Social Darwinism

The belief that intelligent, energetic, and self-disciplined individuals will rise to the top of the socioeconomic ladder is called:

True

The tax structure in Texas is relatively regressive - that is, it falls more heavily on the poor than the rich.

conservatism

Thomas Jefferson's notion of limited government is consistent with which of the following political philosophies?

True

To be successful, a democracy must insure that the government actually reflects the will of the majority of the people.

publicly funded campaigns

democratic election campaigns in which candidates and parties are largely subsidized by government rather than private funds

privately funded campaigns

democratic election campaigns in which candidates and parties must rely upon private sources of funding rather than government sources

interest involvement in anything

economic, religious, racial, for example -- that can form the basis for shared political action

electioneering

efforts and activities of a group to influence the selection of public officials or the outcome of elections

biennial

every 2 years; thus, a biennial legislative session occurs every other year and a biennial budget is one that directs spending for 2 years

bicameral

for a legislative body, divided into 2 chambers of houses

home rule

in Texas, the ability of cities with a population of 5,000 or more to organize themselves as they wish within the constitution and laws of the state

seniority

in a legislative body, the amount of time spent in continuous service on one house or committee

tag

in the legislature, a means by which an individual senator can delay a committee hearing on a bill for at least 48 hours

Open Meetings Act

law which required elected boards to conduct business in meetings open to the public except in limited circumstances

simple resolutions

legislative acts passed by a single chamber of the legislature

pro tempore

legislative officials who have a temporary leadership role

third parties

minor political parties which may or may not qualify to place the names of candidates on the general election ballot

political parties

organizations in democracies that attempt to win elections and thereby exercise power through government

negative campaigning

political campaigns which rely on personal attacks on opposing candidates or parties

checks and balances

power to limit the actions of other branches

general election

regularly scheduled elections in which officials are elected or issues are decided

gerrymandering

the act of drawing district boundaries so as to advantage on party or set of candidates against another; common in both state and congressional districts

voter registration

the act of making a list of eligible voters that is performed periodically by governments, the purpose of which is to prevent ballot fraud

legitmacy

the belief citizens have that their government is morally grounded and that therefore they are obligated to obey its laws.

legitmacy

the belief that governments should be moral, fair, and just in their actions is the basis of:

redistricting

the designation of geographic areas that are nearly equal in population for the purpose of electing legislators -- national, state, and local

administrative discretion

the freedom that administrators (bureaucrats) have to implement and interpret laws

appointment and removal

the governor's constitutional and statutory authority to hire and fire people employed by the state

item veto

the governor's constitutional power to strike out individual items in an appropriations bill

message power

the governor's means of formally establishing his or her priorities for legislative action by communicating with the legislature

clientele group

the interest group or groups that benefit from or are regulated by an administrative agency

constitutional revision

the making of changes in a constitution, often including the writing of an entirely new document

voter turnout

the percentage of the legally eligible population that actually votes in a democratic election

campaign

the period before a democratic election in which parties and candidates attempt to persuade voters and contributors to support them

conservatism

the political ideology that is, in general, opposed to government regulation of the economy and redistribution of wealth but in favor of government regulation of personal life

liberalism

the political ideology whose adherents generally endorse government regulation of the economy and redistribution of wealth but generally oppose government regulation of personal life

impeachment

the process of formally accusing an official of improper behavior in office; it is followed by a trial, and if the official is convicted, the penalty is removal from office

turnover in the legislature

the proportion of it that consists of first-term members because previous members retired, died, or were defeated at the polls

re-apportionment

the re-allocation of legislative seats, adding seats to areas with heavy population growth and taking seats away from areas without growth

co-optation t

the relationship resulting from an industry's "capture" of, or intensely influencing, a regulatory agency so that instead of regulating the industry in the public interest, the agency regulates the industry for the industry's benefit

re-alignment

the reshuffling of the coalitional basis of political parties in a democracy so that a party that had been in the minority becomes the majority party

permanent party organization

the structures and individuals in a political party that continue to function between elections

temporary party organizations

the structures and individuals in a political party that function only during election campaigns

democracy

the theory of governmental legitimacy that is based on the belief that the people's participation creates moral rightness and that such participation obligates the citizens to obey the laws.

political culture

the values beliefs, and behaviors of a given society with regard to politics and government.

constitution

the written law of a state or nation that takes precedence over all other laws and actions of the government

special elections

these are elections called to fill vacancies in offices or to decide issues such as taxation

formal qualifications

these are the qualification for holding public office that are specified by law or the constitution

lobby

to attempt to influence government by means of personal contact rather than by voting or contributing money

joint resolution

used to propose a constitutional amendment to the Texas constitution. Requires a 2/3 vote of both houses of the Texas Legislature

liberalism

Minority citizens who support government activity on behalf of the less fortunate would be identifies with which political philosophy?

private influence over public policy

A major shortcoming of a democratic system is:

False

A political system that is based on the democratic theory of legitimacy is always destined to be perfect.

majority rule, regardless of impact on minorities

An ideal democracy would include all of the following except: a) government acting legally b) honest debate over public policy c) balanced media coverage of policy debate d) public participation in debates e) majority rule, regardless of impact on minorities

Hispanic

At their present rate of growth, which group is expected to be the majority population by the year 2030?

patriotism

Historically, Texans have had a strong feeling of state ________, claiming their state is the most charming, friendliest, and healthiest.

True

Many members of the minority groups in Texas do not share the state's dominant political culture.

True

Many state responsibilities in the United States are affected by the actions of the three branches of the national government.

All of the above are consistent with the idea of Social Darwinism

The idea of Social Darwinism is consistent with which of the following ideas? a) Personal success is evidence of ability and character b) Those who are poor are generally so because they lack ambition and motivation c) Failure is evidence of lack of ability or character d) All of the above are consistent with the idea of Social Darwinism e) Those who become wealthy deserve their wealth because of their demonstrated hard work

True

When all groups are considered, Texas's political power structure is dominated by non-Hispanic Anglos

Government expenditures are relatively minimal

Which statement best describes economic policy in Texas? a)Welfare spending is above national averages b) Government expenditures are relatively minimal c)Businesses are highly regulated d)All of these answers describe economic policy in Texas e)The tax structure is highly progressive

All of these

Which statement on education best illustrates how federalism works: a) Congress may impact education through funding b) All of these c) Education is primarily a responsibility of the state d) Funding comes from local, state, and federal sources e) Federal courts may rule on how schools may operate