Govt 2306- Midterm

Which amendment did not increase suffrage rights?

18th

The last time a Democrat in Texas won a statewide race was...

1994

Special sessions of the Texas legislature called by the governor are limited to a maximum of

30 days

Which of these is not a major resource of interests groups and political participation?

Accessibility

The United States' first attempt at a government was under the...

Articles of Confederation

Judicial Branch

Interprets the laws

According to Article 5 of the Texas Constitution, how are judges selected?

Judges are elected by the people.

Legislative Branch

Makes laws

Which court case dealt with a dispute between the state and federal government over control of the Bank of the United States?

McCulloch v. Maryland

Today the Texas Railroad Commission actually handles the majority of policy in what area of Texas' economy?

Oil

Which event occurred at Spindletop, Texas?

Oil was discovered.

private groups that operate as financial fundraising and distribution centers are known as...

Political Action Committees

The lowest level of the party hierarchy is the...

Precinct

________ is a system of representation that encourages third-party voting because it allows each political party representation in proportion to its percentage of the total vote.

Proportional representation

In Texas today, rural areas have become more ______________, while urban areas have become more ___________.

Republican; Democratic

Within the major population centers of the Gulf Coastal Plains region of Texas, the suburban and rural areas are becoming more __________________, while urban areas are becoming more _________________.

Republican; Democratic

Who were the Radical Republicans?

Republicans who controlled Reconstruction policy in the former Confederate states after the Civil War and passed the Congressional Reconstruction Acts of 1867

The transfer of people from government to lobbying or vice versa is known as the...

Revolving Door

Which of the following is NOT one of the three branches of Texas Government?

Security

Which type of resolution is often used for ceremonial issues?

Simple Resolutions

Instability in what European country helped lead to Mexican independence in 1821?

Spain

According to the _________________, the US Constitution takes precedence over the Texas Constitution

Supremacy Clause

Under the Texas Constitution, who has the power of impeachment?

The House of Representatives has the power to impeach, while the Senate has the power to try and convict.

The leader of the Texas Senate is...?

The Lieutenant Governor

The Constitution of 1845 saw Texas join...

The United States

Thinking about the constitutions of Texas and the United States, both are based upon which fundamental idea?

The best way to prevent tyranny is to give each branch of government a little bit of control over the other branches through the process of checks and balances.

Citizens United v. FEC

The landmark case in which the Supreme Court allowed unlimited political contributions by corporations, labor unions, and associations.

According to Supreme Court rulings legislative districts must have roughly...

The same population number

Which of the following rules applies to the filibuster in the Texas Senate?

The senator who has control of the floor must always speak in an audible voice, so that he or she can be heard and understood.

Which of the following laws was written specifically to deal with expanding and protecting voting rights?

Voting Rights Act of 1965

The gender gap refers to

Voting preference of men and women

In addition to Oil and Gas, Texas also has large amounts of energy produced by what renewable source?

Wind

What role did Moses and Stephen F. Austin have in Texas?

Worked for the Mexican Government to settle families in Texas

Impeachment is ___________________ and is an example of the Texas Legislature's ____________ power.

a formal charge by the House of Representatives that leads to a trial in the Senate that could result in the removal of an official from office; judicial

amicus curiae brief

a persuasive document intended to bring to the attention of a court relevant matters not already brought to its attention by the parties.

The motor voter law

allows citizens to register to vote while applying for a driver's license.

A closed primary allows only those individuals who________ to participate.

are a registered member of their political party

In order to vote in Texas, you must meet which of the following requirements?

be a resident of Texas, a U.S. citizen, and at least 18 years of age

According to the Tenth Amendment, any powers not delegated to the national government by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states,

belong to either the people or the state.

What type of primary allows a voter to choose on Election Day which party they will vote for?

open primary

Interest groups are best seen as

organizations established to influence the government's programs and policies.

Members of the Texas Republican Party have become more conservative and members of the Texas Democratic Party have become more liberal. This evolution best defines

partisan polarization.

Which type of veto does the Governor of Texas NOT have

pocket veto

The process of ________ is what introduces individuals to the political culture and helps people develop their own political beliefs and values.

political socialization

A ________ was a state-imposed tax on voters as a prerequisite for voting.

poll tax

In Texas, special elections are used to

ratify amendments to the Texas Constitution.

The large growth in Austin's population in the second half of the twentieth century was driven by

tech corporations moving into the area and diversifying the economy of the region.

The situation in which individuals receive the benefits of collective action without contributing is known as

the "free rider problem."

Texas is often characterized as a "low tax, low social service" state. This is a result of

the "traditionalistic individualistic" political culture in Texas.

Which part of the U.S. Constitution requires that states provide all individuals equal protection of the laws?

the Fourteenth Amendment

Which amendments are collectively known as the "Civil War Amendments"?

the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments

What resource(s) are interest groups able to use to influence politics?

the ability to raise money

If you travel from Texas to Kansas, your driver's license must be recognized as giving you the legal authorization to drive a car in Kansas due to which component of the U.S. Constitution?

the full faith and credit clause

In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment right to "keep and bear arms" was a fundamental right and also applied at the state level. This is an example of

the incorporation of the Bill of Rights.

When the governor of Texas strikes out specific spending provisions in large appropriations bills it is called

the line-item veto.

Confederal system

the relationship between a central government and its component parts is reversed.

Suffrage refers to

the right to vote

Since 1850 there has been a marked shift of the population in Texas from rural to urban areas. This process is known as

urbanization.

Political Action Committee (PAC)

vehicles for massing funds, then spending them on strategic actions their leaders hope will influence elections.

In a "first past the post" electoral system, the winner of the election is

whoever gets the plurality of the votes.

Old school democrats

yellow dog democrats

When do Texans vote in general elections to elect members of Congress?

Tuesday following the first Monday in November of even-numbered years.

Which of the following is NOT subject to Redistricting every 10 years?

US Senate

When compared to the rest of the nation, the population of Texas

is relatively young.

How often does the current Texas legislature meet?

Biennially (once every two years)

Conservative Democrats in Texas who would later become Republicans were also known as

Blue Dog Democrats.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is best described as what kind of interest group?

Civil Rights

The constitution that gave the most power to the Texas governor was...?

Constitution of 1869

_________________ is a funding structure or political contribution where the donors do not need to be disclosed.

Dark money

If the people voted on every law that was proposed what would our system of government be?

Direct Democracy

Democratic governor Allan Shivers famously supported which Republican for President in the 1952 election?

Dwight Eisenhower

Executive Branch

Enforces the Laws

Ultimately, what do interest groups want from policymakers?

They want policy that is beneficial for their groups.

Which of the following amendments has not been incorporated?

Third

Unitary System

central government has sovereign power and creates component governments for various purposes, mostly to actually enforce the law.

Presidential Republicanism describes a pattern when Texas voters would vote for a Republican president and

conservative Democrats for state offices.

Federalism

division of the powers and function of government into three layers: the national (or federal), state, and local.

According to the Texas Constitution, regular sessions of the Texas Legislature are held

for 140 days biennially, occurring in odd-numbered years.

The agenda for special sessions in the Texas legislature is set by the

governor.

According to the supremacy clause, found in Article VI of the U.S. Constitution,

in a conflict between federal and state laws, federal laws take precedence and will override state laws.