POL 1133 UTSA Test 1 A

30. What is the pay of a member of the Texas legislature, taking into account salary and per diem compensation, in a year that the legislature is in session? a. $7,200 b. $28,200 c. $55,800 d. $74,100

$28,200

29. Regular sessions of the Texas legislature meet for: a. 150 days, every single year b. 140 days, in even-numbered years c. 150 days, every four years d. 140 days, in odd-numbered years

140 days, in odd-numbered years

27. In the Texas legislature, the House has ________ members and the Senate has ________ members. a. 435; 100 b. 100; 25 c. 150; 31 d. 31; 150

150; 31

37. Each member of the Texas House represents approximately ________ constituents, and each senator represents over ________constituents. a. 100,581; 811,000 b. 168,000; 150,000 c. 168,000; 811,000 d. 175,000; 150,000

168,000; 811,000

43. In an average legislative session in the Texas legislature, about __ percent of all bills introduced will actually be passed into law. a. 2 b. 11 c. 24 d. 41

24

33. About __ % of Texas House seats are considered competitive. a. 3 b. 6 c. 15 d. 39

6

5. Approximately what percent of Texans currently live in metropolitan areas? a. 20 percent b. 51 percent c. 70 percent d. 90 percent

90 percent

31. Given the demographic makeup of the Texas legislature, which of the following people would be most likely to hold a seat? a. A 28-year old b. An Asian American c. A schoolteacher d. A lawyer

A lawyer

53. Who is the Lieutenant Governor in Texas Legislature? a. Dan Patrick b. Paul Ryan c. Joe Strauss d. Greg Abbott

Dan Patrick

21. Which statement best describes the post-Civil War governorship of E. J. Davis? a. Davis was a Democratic Confederate sympathizer who frequently clashed with the federal Congress b. Davis tried to return Texas to independence rather than reenter the Union after the Civil War c. Davis was a Republican who used the centralized powers of the governorship to maintain control d. Davis sought to decentralize government in Texas, moving toward a policy of home rule

Davis was a Republican who used the centralized powers of the governorship to maintain control

51. Who is the Speaker of the House in Texas Legislature? a. Dan Patrick b. Paul Ryan c. Joe Strauss d. Dennis Bonnen

Dennis Bonnen

44. For a bill that starts, the steps are: a. Introduction, referral, consideration by standing committee, floor action, action by conference committee, approval by both houses, and action by the governor. b. Introduction, floor action, referral, consideration by standing committee, action by conference committee, approval by both houses, and action by the governor. c. Introduction, action by full committee, referral, consideration by standing committee, floor action, and action by governor. d. Introduction, referral, action by conference committee and approval by both houses, and action by the governor.

Introduction, referral, consideration by standing committee, floor action, action by conference committee, approval by both houses, and action by the governor

4. Which country is the top importer of Texas exports? a. Canada b. China c. Mexico d. Russia

Mexico

47. In the Texas legislature, the referral of a bill to a standing committee in the House and the Senate is the job of the a. governor b. Speaker of the House and lieutenant governor c. secretary of state d. sergeant of the House and Senate

Speaker of the House and lieutenant governor

18. Which situation would be covered by the "full faith and credit" clause of the U.S. Constitution? a. Texas recognizes a Louisiana marriage license b. Texas returns a fugitive from Oklahoma c. Texas charges out-of-state tuition for a citizen of Iowa attending college in Texas d. Texas grants a corporation domiciled in Ohio the privilege of doing business in Texas

Texas recognizes a Louisiana marriage license

39. How is the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives chosen? a. The Speaker is elected in a statewide election b. The Speaker is elected by members of the House c. The Speaker is the most senior representative in the House d. The Speaker is elected by members of both houses

The Speaker is elected by members of the House

55. In the Texas legislature, when a committee chair "pigeonholes" a bill, what happens? a. The bill is set aside before it is ever discussed in committee b. The bill is referred to a special session c. The chair vetoes a bill after it has already received an affirmative committee vote d. The chair refers a bill to only one subcommittee rather than two or more

The bill is set aside before it is ever discussed in committee

45. What are the primary causes of legislative turnover in the Texas legislature? a. The year-long legislative sessions often have a negative effect on a legislator's family life. b. The effects of redistricting, low pay, and personal costs of running for office make the position undesirable. c. The vicious nature of politics in Austin deters legislators from seeking reelection. d. The lack of benefits and responsibilities outside the legislature lead many not to return.

The effects of redistricting, low pay, and personal costs of running for office make the position undesirable

6. Which factor contributed the most to the increase in the population of Texas? a. domestic migration from Alaska and Hawaii b. international immigration from Asia c. a natural increase of births in proportion to deaths d. people moving to Texas from Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina

a natural increase of births in proportion to deaths

20. The Constitution of Reconstruction created a. a strong governor's office b. strong local government c. a unicameral legislature d. the election of judges

a strong governor's office

26. Amending the Texas constitution requires: (choose two) a. a two-thirds vote by the members of congress b. a majority vote approval by voters c. approval by state Supreme Court d. approval by the governor

a two-thirds vote by the members of congress a majority vote approval by voters

50. Which of the following is NOT a power of the Texas legislature? a. propose laws b. oversight of state agencies c. appoint judges d. pass the biennial budget

appoint judges

38. Which of the following is NOT among the powers of the speaker of the house in the Texas House of Representatives? a. committee chair appointments b. bill referral to committees c. appoints members to calendar committee d. appoints all members of standing committees

appoints all members of standing committees

16. According to the Tenth Amendment, any powers not delegated to the national government by the constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, a. can be claimed by the national government as necessary b. belong exclusively to the people c. belong exclusively to the states d. belong to either the people or the state

belong exclusively to the states

42. In which step of the lawmaking process do most bills die in the Texas Legislature? a. scheduling b. referral c. committee work d. debate

committee work

3. Currently, the top export of Texas is a. machinery b. computers and electronics c. chemicals d. petroleum and oil products

computers and electronics

8. Members of which of the following groups are most likely to identify themselves as Republican? a. evangelical protestants b. protestants of the black church tradition c. roman catholics d. agnostics

evangelical protestants

35. How often does reapportionment and redistricting of seats occur in the House of Representatives? a. every 2 years b. every 4 years c. every 8 years d. every 10 years

every 10 years

11. Given Texas' political culture, which of the following best reflects a governmental policy the majority would be supportive of? a. creating a state income tax to ensure public schools are sufficiently funded b. expansion of Medicaid to ensure people at 200% of the poverty level are afforded health coverage c. expanding regulations of hydraulic fracturing (fracking) to protect the underground water table d. expanded tax credits for enticing businesses to move to Texas

expanded tax credits for enticing businesses to move to Texas

19. Which of the following clauses requires states to return criminals to states where they have been accused of a crime and stand trial? a. extradition b. due process c. full faith and credit d. privileges and immunities

extradition

15. In the U.S. federalist system: a. states can ignore national policies and rulings if they conflict with state laws b. states do not have to respect the judicial proceedings of other states c. the federal government cannot withhold funds to force policies on states d. federal law is supreme

federal law is supreme

14. The system of distributing powers between states and a central government is called a. federalism b. separation of powers c. confederalism d. unitarilism

federalism

49. A senator can attempt to delay or impede a bill's passage by speaking on the floor as long as physically possible, which is called: a. filibustering b. gerrymandering c. cloture d. senatorial privilege

filibustering

28. Texas senators serve ________-year terms and House members serve ________-year terms. a. two; four b. four; six c. four; two d. six; four

four; two

32. Each election year, around ________ of the Texas House races face no opposition in the general election. a. a quarter b. one-third c. half d. two-thirds

half

2. After the disasters of the 1980s, which were caused by an overreliance on energy, Texas diversified economically by shifting to __________. a. reliance on natural gas only b. high-tech industries c. a reduction in foreign trade d. manufacturing

high-tech industries

48. Assume both the Texas House and Senate have passed transportation bills. The bills are almost identical, with slight differences. How will these differences be reconciled prior to the bill being sent to the governor for consideration? a. by a special committee that is chaired by the speaker and vice-chaired by the lieutenant governor b. in a conference committee c. the governor's staff will reconcile any differences d. in the standing committees that have jurisdiction

in a conference committee

10. John believes that government's primary purpose is to defend the country and build roads. Additionally, he believes in low pay and term limits for political offices. John is demonstrating the beliefs of which political subculture? a. traditionalistic b. individualistic c. moralistic d. liberalistic

individualistic

54. In Texas, why is a governor's post-adjournment veto so powerful? a. It allows the governor to veto parts of a bill but not all of it b. It can be overturned only by a two-thirds majority of both houses c. It cannot be overturned by the legislature d. It allows the governor to get maximum media coverage

it cannot be overturned by the legislature

25. The Texas Constitution has needed hundreds of amendments due to: a. its specificity and detail b. time limits on various provisions c. broad powers granted to the legislature d. the constant indecision of the state government

its specificity and detail

7. Minority groups in Texas: a. have no influence on politics and policy decisions b. are shrinking due to an influx of whites in other states c. outnumber non-Hispanic whites d. are primarily concentrated in rural areas

outnumber non-Hispanic whites

46. The House Insurance Committee is hearing testimony from the Texas Department of Insurance about the effectiveness of recent procedural changes within the department. Which legislative function is this committee demonstrating? a. lawmaking b. budget and taxation c. oversight d. management

oversight

52. One of the most notable effects of bicameralism in the Texas legislature is that it a. speeds up the process of legislation by dividing the labors between two separate institutions b. works to the benefit of the more densely populated urban areas c. allows for sparsely populated rural counties to receive more of a voice in the legislature d. permits more opportunities to kill or significantly modify a bill

permits more opportunities to kill or significantly modify a bill

36. The drawing of legislative districts to favor one political party over another is a. redistricting b. reallocation of seats c. political gerrymandering d. reapportionment

political gerrymandering

9. The traditionalistic subculture generally believes that __________. a. mass political participation provides the foundation for the ruling structure b. government exists to promote the public welfare c. political power should be concentrated in a few individuals or families d. the power structure should be completely changed every generation

political power should be concentrated in a few individuals or families

40. The lieutenant governor is not formally a senator and cannot vote except in cases of a tie, yet he or she has great power over the senate. Why? a. the bully pulpit and the ear of the governor b. senatorial tradition c. powers similar to those of the speaker of the house d. a popular sovereignty mandate

powers similar to those of the speaker of the house

17. The__________ clause guarantees that the citizens of each state are afforded the same rights as citizens of all other states, and prevents states from discriminating against non-residents: a . full faith and credit b. extradition c. privileges and immunities d. necessary and proper

privileges and immunities

24. All of the following statements are correct about the current Texas Constitution except that it a. has been amended more than 480 times b. is more than 120 years old c. provides for a detailed Bill of Rights d. provides for a powerful executive branch

provides for a powerful executive branch

13. The theory of popular sovereignty holds that all power a. rests with the people b. is distributed by popular vote to concentrate power in the executive branch c. is given to the people by divine right d. will ultimately be progressively distributed

rests with the people

34. Legislative districts in the Texas House and Senate are: a. redistricted every six years b. single-member districts. c. multiple-member districts d. redistricted every two years

single-member districts

41. Which type of legislative committee is most important? a. standing b. conference c. interim d. special

standing

Income levels in Texas: a. are substantially higher than the national average b. are virtually identical across all racial and ethnic groups c. have become much closer to one another across geographic areas of the state in the last decade d. tend to be lower than in most other states

tend to be lower than in most other states

22. Which principle of government is the key to understanding the drafting of the Texas Constitution of 1876? a. the need for governmental subsidy and regulation of economic growth b. the importance of civil right protections for African Americans and Latinos c. the value of states' rights d. the necessity of strong limitations on the authority of state officials

the necessity of strong limitations on the authority of state officials

12. Which of the following is a function/role of a state constitution? a. to ensure the safety of its citizens by building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border b. to concentrate power in the executive branch c. to set the proper tax rates for state and county authorities d. to forbid certain government actions by establishing limits to power

to forbid certain government actions by establishing limits to power

23. Which of the following was NOT a goal for those writing the Texas Constitution of 1876? a. to restrict the government's ability to get into debt b. to limit the ability of the government to impose taxes c. to check the powers of the governor d. to give independence to the judiciary by making all judges appointed instead of elected

to give independence to the judiciary by making all judges appointed instead of elected