Texas Government Test 1
A voter who wants his representative to make decisions based solely on the will of the people desires which type of representative?
a delegate
given the demographic makeup of the texas legislature, which of the following people would be most likely to hold a seat?
a lawyer
The democratic party was able to retain power during the progressive era by?
adopting progressive reforms into its own platform
which of the following is not a power of the texas legislature?
appoint judges
which of the following is not among the powers of the speaker of the house in the texas house of representatives?
appoints all members of standing committees
which executive-level office serves as chief counsel to the governor and state agencies?
attorney general
To be eligible to run for the Texas Senate you must
be at least 26 years of age
which region of the state is known primarily for its production of citrus fruits and vegetables?
border area
The Texas Government Code allows jurisdictions to draw upon which source(s) for jury selection?
both registered voters and licensed drivers
which of the following defines tenure of office?
both the ability of elected officials to succeed themselves and the term length
which of the following is a national government power and not a state power?
declare war
the strict procedural rules that govern courts?
disallow evidence gathered in an illegal manner
A murder case would most likely first be tried in a/an:
district court
what is the first formal act of the texas house at the beginning of a legislative session?
electing a speaker of the house
Which method of judicial selection is a system left over from colonial America?
election by the legislature
What does the Texas Constitution contain that the U.S. Constitution does not?
equal rights amendment
how often does reapportionment and redistricting of seats occur in the house of representatives?
every 10 years
the system that provides for sharing of powers between the national government and the state government is known as
federalism
after world war 1, the supreme court required states to adhere to basic protections in the bill of rights through the use of clauses in the _________ amendment
fourteenth
What office was created under the 1836 constitution to administer state-owned land?
general land office
the practice of redrawing district boundaries for political advantage is known as
gerrymandering
who calls a special session in texas?
governor
who is the current governor of texas?
greg abbott
To be eligible to run for the Texas House you must
have resided in the state for two years
which of the following informal qualifications for the governor is nearly universal in Texas?
having previously held elected office
Because of high levels of controversy surrounding redistricting, about a dozen states use this method of redistricting:
independent commissions
when a governor coordinates activities with other state government, he or she is fulfilling the role of:
intergovernmental coordinator
which of the following statements about reapportionment is not accurate?
it occurs every 15 years
according to figure 2.1, in our textbook, one check the judicial branch has on the legislative branch is
judicial review of statutes
in 2014, _______ was elected attorney general of texas
ken paxton
the farmers of the 1876 texas constitution adopted a plural executive system in order to :
limit the power of the governor
in any given legislative session, most bills
make only minor changes to existing law.
the highest percentage of texas inmates are
male
the most economically diversified region in texas is the
metroplex
a belief that government is a positive instrument for change and a means for promoting the general welfare of all citizens defines which political subculture?
moralistic
The Frontline program entitled "Justice for Sale" highlighted how justices on Texas' supreme court had received:
more than $9 million is donations
Mexican government provided generous land grants to any family willing to settle in the state. The sitio or legua each family could receive was how large?
more than 4000 acres
All Texas judges are selected by partisan elections EXCEPT:
municipal judges
what is the primary attribute voters use to select judges?
name familiarty
Judges must base their decisions only on the federal and state constitutions, statutes, and earlier court decisions. This concept is called:
objectivity
Between 1900 and 1950, what was the primary factor that accelerated the demographic shift from a rural society to an urban society in Texas?
oil
which of the following elements dominated the land-based economy of post-reconstruction texas and is/are still important today?
oil, cotton, cattle
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?
oversight
which state pays it governor the highest salary?
pennsylvania
Why is the Texas governor's power exceptionally weak as compared to that of the governors of some other states?
plural executive system
based on table 3.2, in your textbook, what can be said about legislators in populous southern states (like texas, Georgia, and north Carolina) compared to legislators in other populous states?
populous southern state legislators earn less than legislators in populous non-southern states
the Spanish constitutions contributed what key element to the political climate of texas?
property rights of women
Except in the state of Delaware, two steps are involved in changing constitutions:
proposal of amendments and citizen approval
when drawing legislative district
race can be used so long as it is not the predominant factor
which of the following is not among the formal qualifications for the office of governor in texas?
registered voter
who was the first texas governor to be elected to three consecutive four-year terms?
rick perry
The "carpetbagger's constitution" reversed which right of whites who had participated in the Civil War?
right to vote
In terms of total land size, Texas ranks _________ in the nation in comparison to other states.
second
in the term of population size, texas ranks _____ in the nation in comparison to other states
second
according to table 3.6, in your textbook, does the texas house or senate have a greater proportion of safe republican seats?
senate
in the process known as _____, the governor must clear his or her appointments with the state senator from the appointee's home district.
senatorial courtesy
If a court makes a ruling based on a previous ruling from another court, this is an example of the principle of:
stare decisis
unlike most other statewide governing offices, what governing body has varied greatly in form and structure of the years?
state board of education
Why are state constitutions amended more frequently than the U.S. Constitution?
state constitutions deal with a wider range of functions
In 1984, many incumbent Democratic judges lost their seats in large urban counties to unknown Republican challengers because of
straight ticket voting
the _____ reviews most state agencies every 12 years and recommends changes.
sunset advisory commission
Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution contains the ________ clause establishing the U.S. Constitution as the law of the land that no federal or state law may violate.
supremacy
Of the six flags flown over Texas, which represented republics?
texas and mexico
The merit system used to identify and select judges is also known as
the Missouri system
which of the following statements about Spanish influence in texas is false?
the Spanish introduced slavery to texas
Which office created in 1876 functions as the chief fiscal and revenue forecasting office and is responsible for investing state funds?
the comptroller of public accounts
which of the following is most likely reason a legislator would attach a closed rider to a bill?
the legislator wants to avoid public scrutiny
the major criteria for distinguishing major from minor bills is :
the level of conflict the bill is expected to generate within the legislature
which of these statements best describes the texas constitution?
the texas constitution is long and has been amended often
what is the main reason why early petitions by the republic of texas to join the united states were rejected?
there was controversy over texas becoming a slave state
which political subculture was a natural extension of the practice of slavery?
traditionalistic
the texas legislature can override the governor's general veto with a _______ vote in each house.
two-third
in a large majority of the states, the legislature can override the governor's veto with a _________ vote in each house
two-thirds
most countries in the world have a ________ form of government?
unitary
The war that led to the declaration of the Republic of Texas began
when texas and mexico forces fought over a small six-pound canon
which of the following characterizes the evolution of the political climate in texas over the past 50 years?
while partisanship has shifted, ideology has remained relatively constant
The governor of Texas's salary is ________ per year.
150000
In addition to a preamble and appendix, how many articles are contained in the Texas Constitution?
17
the current texas constitution was approved by voters in _______
1876
How many elections must a judge win prior to being seated on the bench under the Texas partisan election system?
2
texas has _____ full-time state government employees.
278324
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?
28200
As of 2015, ______ of Texans identify as Hispanic or Latino while _______ of all judges in the state identify as Hispanic.
38.6% ; 15%
As of 2014, Hispanics made up about ___ percent of the state's population.
39
based on efforts to increase minority representation in texas, how many hispanic legislators served in the texas legislature in 2015?
41
As of 2014, white non-Hispanics made up about ___ percent of the state's population.
44
Discussion of the judicial department is in Article __ of the Texas Constitution.
5
Between 1975 and 2013, the Texas legislature proposed 299 amendments for voter approval, and of these, voters accepted ________ percent.
85
how many justices are on the texas supreme court?
9
As of the 2010 census, there were about 811,147 constituents per state senate district in Texas. What is the only state that had more constituents per senator?
California
Most of the work of the attorney general involves ________ rather than ________.
civil law; criminal law
political action committees or PACs engage in activities such as
collect money for campaign contributions
which executive-level officer administers state-owned land and coastal lands?
commissioner of the general land office
currently, the top export of Texas is?
computers and electronics
what are the two kinds of county courts?
constitutional county courts and county courts at law
Courts differ from legislatures in that:
courts cannot initiate policy changes
judges appointed by governors are typically
More competent and less responsive
minority groups in texas
Outnumber non-Hispanic white
when a governor acts as head of his or her political party, he or she is fulfilling the role of:
Party chief
Texas is an example of a plural executive system because?
Power is divided among several elected officials
