GOVT 2306 - Chapter 2: Texas Leg.: Reynolds

The Constitution of 1869 provided for the creation of Answers: a. taxes on roads and bridges. homeless shelters. a vibrant arts district in Austin. tax exemptions for oil barons.

a. taxes on roads and bridges.

Where ______ federalism addresses the distribution of power between the national government and the state governments, ______ federalism addresses the distribution of power at the state government level. Answers: a. vertical; horizontal b. horizontal; vertical c. concurrent; horizontal d. concurrent; vertical

a. vertical; horizontal

When introducing the chapter on the Texas Constitution, the authors describe the majority view of Texans as: Answers: a. wanting a fiscally restrained and unobtrusive government. b. being most concerned with health care. c. desiring the state government to defer to the national government on most issues. d. supporting increased government power at both the national and state level.

a. wanting a fiscally restrained and unobtrusive government.

In what year was the Texas State Constitution amended to guarantee equality regardless of "sex, race, color, creed or national origin"? Answers: a. 1836 b. 1972 c. 1955 d. 1928

b. 1972

All of the following statements are true concerning the annexation of Texas by the United States except: Answers: a. the fact that Texas permitted slavery caused many Northerners to oppose its annexation. b. Texas retained the right to secede from the Union when it was annexed. c. Texas retained is public lands when it was annexed. d. Texas retained its debts when it was annexed. e. Texas could have been divided into as many as five states.

b. Texas retained the right to secede from the Union when it was annexed.

Where the U.S. Constitution is ____ and ____, the Texas Constitution is ____ and ____. Answers: a. long and detailed; brief and flexible b. brief and flexible; long and detailed c. brief and rigid; brief and detailed d. long and rigid; brief and flexible

b. brief and flexible; long and detailed

The election of judges opens the judicial system up to the influence of special interests through Answers: a. newspaper editorials. b. campaign contributions. impeachment. the governor's appointment powers.

b. campaign contributions.

Concurrent powers include all of the following EXCEPT Answers: a. taxation. b. defense c. infrastructure construction. regulating business.

b. defense

The U.S. Constitution restricts government power through the application of all of the following except: Answers: a. separation of powers. b. detailed policy provisions. c. federalism. d. checks and balances. e. popular sovereignty.

b. detailed policy provisions.

According to the text, the most prominent feature of the current Texas Constitution is: Answers: a. its brevity. b. distrust of government. c. a strong executive branch. d. efficiency. e. the fact it is difficult to amend.

b. distrust of government.

Popular sovereignty manifests itself in Texas in the following way: Answers: a. taxation. b. elections of citizens to state offices. c. the existence of public education. d. the development of a vital oil economy.

b. elections of citizens to state offices.

This constitution marked the era in which Texas was an independent republic. Answers: a. 1876 b. 1915 c. 1866 d. 1836

d. 1836

Initiatives and referendums are two ways to Answers: a. impeach a governor. b. elect a judge. c. dispute property taxes. d. amend the state constitution.

d. amend the state constitution.

A mechanism that allows voters to gather signatures on a petition in order to place statutes or constitutional amendments on a ballot is: Answers: a. a referendum. b. citizen legislation. c. petitioning the government. d. an initiative. e. an advisory petition.

d. an initiative.

According to your text, the winners under the current constitutional rules tend to be: Answers: a. the people. b. liberals. c. big government advocates. d. big-business interests. e. rural interests.

d. big-business interests.

In which system of government do both the states and the national government derive their authority directly from the people, with the states having considerable latitude and autonomy within their areas of defined power and responsibility A:Unitary system B: federal system C:confederation D: oligarchy E:Monarchy

B: federal system

The __ and the __ generate opposing views of the division of powers between the federal and state governments A: U.S Constitution; Texas Constitution B:U.S Constitution; Federalist Papers C: Supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution; Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution D: U.S. Constitution; Declaration of Independence E: U.S. Supreme Court; Supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution

C: Supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution; Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

All of the following help to defend federalism except A: Tenth Amendment to the U.S. constitution B: Full faith and credit clause of the U.S. Constitution C: Requirements that states extradite those convicted or accused of a crime in another state D: Checks and balances contained in the U.S. Constitution

D: Checks and balances contained in the U.S. Constitution

Low legislative pay may have the following impact on the state legislature: Answers: a. It prevents the election of low income residents to the House or Senate. b. It encourages the development of career politicians. c. It offers legislatures a luxurious salary that insulates them from the concerns of average Texans. d. It undermines redistricting efforts.

a. It prevents the election of low income residents to the House or Senate.

All of the following help to define federalism except: Answers: a. checks and balances contained in the U.S. Constitution. b. the full faith and credit clause of the U.S. Constitution. c. the requirement that states extradite those convicted or accused of a crime in another state. d. the privileges and immunities clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. e. the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

a. checks and balances contained in the U.S. Constitution.

States generally prefer that the federal government provide them money in the form of block grants because they: Answers: a. provide the most flexibility in how the money may be used. b. give the clearest definition of how the money can be used. c. prohibit the federal government from taking back the money. d. allow paying the money back to the federal government in no-interest payments. e. give the clearest definition of how the money can be used. f. provide more money than other forms of grants from the federal government.

a. provide the most flexibility in how the money may be used.

A major consequence of the Texas constitutional provisions for a short, biennial legislature with low salaries is: Answers: a. the legislature is dominated by disinterested citizen legislators. b. the legislature is dominated by people who work for or own businesses that do business with the state or are regulated by the state. c. the legislature is very efficient. d. the legislature is effective at meeting the needs of Texas today. e. the legislature is dominated by policy experts.

b. the legislature is dominated by people who work for or own businesses that do business with the state or are regulated by the state.

All of the following statements are true concerning the legislative branch of government in the current Texas Constitution except: Answers: a. the legislature is limited to one, 140-day regular session every two years. b. the members of the legislature set their own salaries. c. the powers of the legislature are heavily restricted. d. the legislature is forbidden from imposing a state income tax. e. the legislature is forbidden from passing a bill that contains more than one subject.

b. the members of the legislature set their own salaries.

All of the following descriptions of power under federalism are correct except: Answers: a. the power to tax is a concurrent power. b. the power to coin money is a concurrent power. c. the power to select members of the electoral college is a state power. d. the power to enter into treaties is a federal power. e. the power to regulate interstate commerce is a federal power.

b. the power to coin money is a concurrent power.

All of these are examples of unfunded mandates EXCEPT Answers: a. No Child Left Behind Act. b. Clean Air Act. c. Food Stamp Program d. American with Disabilities Act of 1990.

c. Food Stamp Program

All of these offices are part of the plural executive EXCEPT Answers: a. land commissioner. b. governor. c. Speaker of the House. d. comptroller.

c. Speaker of the House.

The first Supreme Court case that limited segregation in Texas was Answers: a. Lawrence v. Texas. b. Plessy v. Ferguson. c. Sweatt v. Painter. d. United States v. Texas.

c. Sweatt v. Painter.

In creating a federal system, the founders of the U.S. Constitution were agreeing to: Answers: a. a new fundamental principle of government. b. an ancient fundamental principle of government. c. a compromise between a confederacy and a unitary form of government. d. a replication of the English form of government. e. a replication of the structure of most of the state constitutions.

c. a compromise between a confederacy and a unitary form of government.

All members of the Texas judiciary are: Answers: a. appointed by the governor. b. appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate. c. elected in partisan elections. d. appointed by the governor from a list of approved candidates provided by the Texas Bar Association. e. appointed by the Texas Judicial Commission.

c. elected in partisan elections.

The current Texas Constitution creates a governor who: Answers: a. is very powerful. b. has a great deal of influence over the legislature. c. is very weak. d. is the chief executive of the state. e. is more powerful than the governors of most other states.

c. is very weak.

Referendums involve statutes placed on the ballot by the Answers: a. governor. b. citizens. c. state legislature. d. justice of the peace.

c. state legislature.

Federalism has always generated a great deal of controversy because: Answers: a. the states do not like the federal system. b. it imposes too many restrictions on the federal government. c. the actual distribution of powers is not clear in the U.S. Constitution. d. the founders clearly intended the states to have much more power than they have been granted. e. the U.S. Supreme Court has been inconsistent in its rulings on federalism.

c. the actual distribution of powers is not clear in the U.S. Constitution.

The Defense of Marriage Act involves the federal issue of: Answers: a. whether the states or national government should define marriage. b. whether the federal government can require every state to recognize same-sex marriages. c. whether the federal government can use categorical grants to induce the states to provide more support for married couples. d. whether Congress can release the states from their obligation to honor same-sex marriages performed in other states. e. whether the states can force the federal government to define marriage as being between a man and a woman.

d. whether Congress can release the states from their obligation to honor same-sex marriages performed in other states.

The authors of the text conclude that the Texas Constitution is: Answers: a. well written. b. efficient. c. in need of some minor adjustments. d. well suited to meet the needs of Texas. e. badly outdated and should be replaced.

e. badly outdated and should be replaced.

The Texas Constitution is criticized for: Answers: a. giving too much power to the executive branch. b. giving too much power to the legislature. c. being too vague. d. providing too little guidance to state government. e. being long and confusing.

e. being long and confusing.

All the following statements concerning provisions of the Texas and Connecticut constitutions regarding religious liberty are true EXCEPT Answers: a. both constitutions guarantee freedom of worship. b. both constitutions prohibit the government from giving preference to any religious society. c. only Connecticut's constitution prohibits the denial of equal protection of the law based on religion. d. only Connecticut's constitution guarantees the freedom of ministers and teachers. e. both constitution's prohibit religious tests to hold office.

e. both constitution's prohibit religious tests to hold office.

All of Texas's constitutions have tended to reflect Texans': Answers: a. belief in participatory democracy. b. belief in the principle of only including in a constitution what is necessary for government to function. c. opposition to inequality. d. love of strong leadership. e. opposition to strong government.

e. opposition to strong government.

According to the U.S. Constitution, Answers: a. state constitutions supersede federal law. b. state constitutions are coequal with the federal constitution. c. federal law supersedes the federal constitution. d. state law supersedes federal law. e. the federal constitution supersedes all other state laws and state constitutions.

e. the federal constitution supersedes all other state laws and state constitutions.

The Texas executive branch is called a plural executive because: Answers: a. the governor shares all executive power with the lieutenant governor. b. The governor has twice as much power as most governors in the nation. c. governors are limited to two terms in office. d. the executive is considered to be the second branch of government. e. the governor shares power with several other officials who are elected separately.

e. the governor shares power with several other officials who are elected separately.