TX GOVT 2022-2023 EXAM REVIEW 1,2,3,4
As of 2019, there were approximately ________ Latinos residing in Texas.
11.5 million
In the Texas legislature, the House has ________ members and the Senate has ________ members.
150; 31
Texas became an independent republic in ________ and became part of the United States in ________.
1836; 1845
Which of the following Texas constitutions resulted in the greatest growth in state government power?
1869
The age requirement to serve in the Texas Senate and Texas House of Representatives, respectively, are
26; 21
How long does a special legislative session last?
30 days
Which of the following is an important difference between a home-rule city and most general-law cities?
A general-law city is chartered for localities with a population of fewer than 5,000 persons.
Which of the following is NOT an issue we discussed in regards to Texas, federalism, and immigration policy.
A lawsuit filed by the state of Texas challenging the general legality of the Immigration and Naturalization Act.
Which racial or ethnic group in Texas is concentrated in East Texas?
African Americans
Why did Texas need to create a new constitution in 1861?
After Texas joined the Confederacy in February 1861, a new constitution was needed since Texas was no longer part of the United States.
As discussed in lecture and the text, which of the following actions would violate state campaign finance/ethics laws?
All of these actions are legal under Texas law.
Which of the following statements about the election of 1952 is true?
Allan Shivers was both the Democratic and Republican candidate for governor
Which of the following statements about the Texas judiciary is true?
Almost every justice on the current Texas Supreme Court was initially appointed to the court rather than elected.
Which 2022 Texas Republican primary contest was the most competitive?
Attorney General
Which of the following statements about Capital Appreciation Bonds (CAB's) is correct?
CAB's are often the only way that government borrowers experiencing rapid, short-term growth can fund timely expansion.
Which of the following statements about Texas judicial elections is true?
Candidates for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals receive, on average, fewer contributions as candidates for the Texas State Supreme Court.
What do we call a type of talking designed to stall legislation?
Chubbing
Which of the following policy issues has not been the subject of recent debates over preemption?
City property tax increases to pay for public health programs
Which of the following is not a method of judicial selection employed by states in the US?
Commission nominated, voter approved
Which of the following Texas courts are never created due to legislative concerns about rising case loads of existing courts?
Constitutional county courts
Which of the following is not a type of jurisdiction that we discussed in lecture?
Constitutional jurisdiction
The John Oliver clip we watched in class highlighted the potential abuse of what?
Developers and special districts
Which of the following did we NOT identify in lecture as an important agent of political socialization?
Employment status
Which of the following is not one of the categories of state police powers?
Financial
What has been the major political result of continued one-party dominance in Texas political history?
General elections tended to be non-competitive during this period.
What do some argue is the one advantage of a plural executive in Texas?
It constrains the power of executive officials and makes them more accountable to the public.
Which of the following is an accurate statement about the Tenth Amendment?
It does not clearly distinguish which powers belong to the states and which powers belong to the federal government.
What is the point of using conference committees?
It is a committee designed to make differing House and Senate versions of the same bill identical.
What is the purpose of the Sunset Advisory Commission in Texas?
It reviews state agencies every twelve years to see if they are still needed.
Which of the following statements about Texas trial courts and procedure is false?
Most civil cases involve the government.
Which of the following is the best expression of a âpluralistic societyâ in action?
People with common interests join together into groups and these groups compete with each other for power and influence.
________ is a system of representation that encourages third-party voting because it allows each political party representation in relation 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
Over the past two decades, what has been a major cause of increased party polarization in the Texas legislature?
Republicans in the legislature have become modestly more conservative and Democrats in the legislature have become significantly more liberal.
In the Texas Executive Department, which of the following checks on the appointed boards, commissions, etc. and their members is the weakest in terms of ensuring long-term bureaucratic accountability?
Senate confirmation of executive nominations
Which of the following statements about Texas special districts is false?
Special districts are created solely at the discretion of the legislature with no local input.
The idea of "separate but equal" allowed states to do what?
States could segregate people based on race, as long as equal facilities were provided.
What was unique about the Texas Speaker election when Joe Straus first became Speaker?
Straus received more votes for Speaker from the minority party than he did his own party.
Which of the following is not a voting restriction in Texas?
Strict photo ID requirement for voters
Which of the following reasons does not contribute to low voter participation in Texas?
Strong party competition
Which of the following groups is not one of the top contributing "industries" of campaign dollars in the 2022 Texas election?
Teachers
In making legal arguments to defend their respective positions, advocates of dual federalism would likely cite the importance of the ____________ while advocates of cooperative federalism would cite the ____________.
Tenth Amendment; Necessary and Proper Clause
Candidates for state office and lobbyists have to file quarterly reports detailing their spending and donations with which agency?
Texas Ethics Commission
Which important state office has seen two straight officeholders fail to receive Senate confirmation during the last two legislative sessions?
Texas Secretary of State
Which high-level Texas official stepped down within the last two years due to an alleged scandal involving comments to a media member?
Texas Speaker of the House Dennis Bonnen
In lecture we reviewed the rates of population growth for the five most-populous states in the country. Based on what we learned, which of the following statements is true?
Texas and Florida continue to have high rates of growth.
Which of the following statements about the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1865 is NOT accurate?
Texas had to return to the federal government parts of Oklahoma seized by Texas Confederate soldiers.
The framers of the Constitution of 1876 created a rigid and highly detailed document that provided clear instructions for how government should operate. Which of the following is a modern consequence of this structural decision?
The Constitution has needed numerous amendments in order to address policy changes brought about by technological and societal advances.
Which of the following sections of the US Constitution was NOT discussed in class as important to understanding the two competing political theories of federalism in the US?
The Full Faith and Credit 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.
Which of the following statements about state bureaucracy is false?
The Texas State Board of Education has recently updated state sex education curriculum to include content for LGBTQ+ students
In our discussion of federalism, we reviewed an important Supreme Court case in which the Court ruled that a Texas policy violated the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment because it did not satisfy the "equal" requirement of the "separate but equal" rule from Plessy v. Ferguson. What specific Texas state policy was determined to be unequal in this case?
The University of Texas Law School's admissions policy
Which of the following is most likely to happen when a public interest group mobilizes its members to support a piece of legislation?
The interest group would have its members write or call legislators urging them to vote for the legislation.
Why would a governor ever use a post adjournment veto?
The legislature is prevented from overriding it.
For how long does the Texas legislature meet?
The regular legislative session lasts 140 days in odd-numbered years.
Which of the following is NOT a reason that a state would likely redraw its electoral districts?
The state elects a new Governor from the opposite party of the previous Governor.
Why did the Texas Constitution establish a plural executive?
There was suspicion of a strong chief executive.
For simple resolutions, which of the following would be a true statement?
They do not require the signature of the governor.
Why are Texas counties important?
They provide the main form of government in rural areas.
Why do some constitutional amendment elections in Texas tend to have higher levels of turnout than others?
When the issue being voted on is of high importance to a particular group of people, they will be highly motivated to turnout to vote in the election.
Which statement correctly describes the requirements for membership in a major political party in Texas?
With no requirements, a registered voter simply chooses which party primary to vote in.
Which of the following would best characterize traditional, individualistic political culture?
a government that limits its impact in society so that citizens can pursue their economic self-interest
Provincialism is best defined as
a narrow view of the world.
Which factor contributed MOST to the increase in the population of Texas?
a natural increase of births in proportion to deaths
Which of the following factors contributed the most to the increase in the population of Texas?
a natural increase of births in proportion to deaths
County government and special purpose districts differ in Texas in that
a special purpose district provides only one specific service within a geographic region.
The Constitution of 1869 created
a strong governor's office.
The Texas Constitution requires which of the following for amending the state constitution?
a two-thirds vote in both houses of the state legislature and a majority vote from the voters of Texas
Which of the following is a primary responsibility of county governments?
administration of social services
If an interest group "gets on the late train," it means
an interest group gives contributions after the election to a winning candidate the group had earlier opposed.
Compared to preceding officeholders, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick has
appointed fewer Democrats to chair Senate committees.
A closed primary allows only those individuals who________ to participate.
are a registered member of their political party
The chief lawyer for Texas is the
attorney general.
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.
Which of the following has traditionally played a prominent role in the political culture of Texas?
business leaders
One major way for interest groups to promote the political interests of elected officials who support their viewpoints and oppose the interests of those who do not is by engaging in
campaign contributions.
Interest groups use judicial strategies in order to
challenge existing policies and laws within the court system.
What is the nature of the substantive jurisdiction of the Texas Supreme Court
civil appeals
Which of the following groups have had notable political success by litigating in federal courts?
civil rights groups
As federal regulations became more intrusive, forcing states to change their policies in order to meet national goals, some people began calling our system a ________ federalism.
coercive
What office or entity will decide a county budget and tax rate?
commissioners' court
Under the New Deal, federalism is frequently described as
cooperative federalism.
The ________ convention is a meeting held by a political party following its precinct convention for the purpose of electing delegates to its state convention.
county
The main role of the precinct conventions is to select delegates to the ________ and possibly to submit resolutions that may eventually become part of the party platform.
county convention
For the Texas Speaker of the House, the power to recognize means the Speaker can
determine who will get to speak and how long a legislative debate will last.
The trial courts that hear the most important cases in Texas are called
district courts.
The understanding that the national government and state governments are both sovereign within their sphere of influence is called
dual federalism or layer-cake federalism.
In Texas, what is the most important power of the state comptroller?
estimating state revenues for the legislature
How often do political parties in Texas hold their state conventions?
every two years
A system of government in which power is divided between a central government and regional governments is known as
federalism.
The governor of Texas has
few formal powers, so the office is one of the weakest chief executives in the United States.
After favorable reporting by a legislative committee, the next step in the legislative process is
floor action.
In spite of judicial campaigns, voters often know little about judicial candidates. As a result, they vote
for the party label.
Interest groups often employ _____________________ as lobbyists in order to gain access to those in Texas government.
former legislators and government officials
By focusing on influencing the Republican primary elections, the Tea Party movement in Texas is trying to
get Tea Party-supported candidates on the ballot, but under the Republican party label.
Which of the following is the most important way in which parties help voters during elections?
give voters a party label they can identify with when deciding how to vote
New technologies such as ________ and ________ led to a new boom era of oil and gas production in Texas, beginning in 2008 and continuing through today.
horizontal drilling; fracking
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.
The two most important factors that determine whether someone votes are
income level and education.
A new trade agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico replaced NAFTA in 2018 known as USMCA. Among its provisions are
increased protections for intellectual property.
Which individuals are legally disqualified from voting in Texas?
individuals who have been legally declared mentally incompetent
When compared to the rest of the nation, the population of Texas
is relatively young.
When individuals or interest groups take out ads concerning a campaign issue but do not tie them directly to any particular candidate, it is called
issue advocacy.
The Texas Bill of Rights is different from the U.S. Bill of Rights because
it grants rights and protections that are not found in the U.S. Bill of Rights.
Major state officials are elected in nonpresidential years because
it prevents popular presidential candidates from influencing the outcome of Texas races.
By forming a political action committee (PAC), the interest group can show a candidate that
its members care very deeply about an issue and are willing to donate money to support the group's position on the issue.
Most Texas Democrats today would be classified as
liberal.
The governor has some control over the final appropriations bill through the use of the ________ veto.
line-item
Which of the following tends to lower voter turnout?
most elections are for low-visibility offices
Which of the following elements dominated the land-based economy of post-Reconstruction Texas and is/are still relevant today?
oil, cotton, and cattle
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 government programs and policies by providing policy information, campaign resources, and voter mobilization to members of government.
Texas officially uses which method to select state judges?
partisan elections
A private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns is called a(n)
political action committee.
The process of ________ occurs throughout our early years, when parents, religious leaders, teachers, and others influence our partisan identifications.
political socialization
A ________ was a state-imposed tax on voters as a prerequisite for voting.
poll tax
A(n) ________ was a state-imposed tax on voters as a prerequisite for voting.
poll tax
What is the most basic level of the permanent party organization in Texas?
precinct chair
What did the constitutional amendment elections in 2022 focus on in terms of policy?
property taxes
Which of the following is found in the Texas Constitution, but not in the U.S. Constitution?
protection against gender discrimination
Once a lobbyist has access to a member of the legislature, the lobbyist can
provide information about how specific policies can benefit the legislator's district.
A defining characteristic of federalism is that
rather than being held exclusively or primarily by one body, governing authority is divided at different levels between several bodies.
The process of ________ involves recalculating how many congressional districts each state will receive based on the stateâs population.
reapportionment
The Texas Department of Insurance
regulates the insurance market in Texas under the guidance of an appointed commissioner who serves a two-year term.
Similar to other southern states, Texas is
religious and socially conservative.
The origins of ranching and the cattle industry extend back to the late ________ century.
seventeenth
What kind of electoral districts are mostly commonly used in Texas?
single-member districts
The Constitution of 1827 tried to limit the spread of ___________________.
slavery
Which of the following is NOT an important factor in a voter's decision of who they vote for?
socioeconomic status
In Texas what type of government is often criticized for being fairly obscure and almost invisible?
special purpose districts
In order to gain access to politicians, interest groups will often
spend money on entertaining politicians.
According to the __________________, the U.S. Constitution takes precedence over the Texas Constitution.
supremacy clause
What stalled Texas's admission into the United States?
that Texas would be a proslavery state
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.
Political culture is a term used to describe
the broadly shared values and beliefs about government.
Among the grievances against the Mexican government listed in the Texas Declaration of Independence was
the failure to provide a system of public education in English.
Which component of the current Texas Constitution was designed to prevent future governors from consolidating power like Governor Edmund Davis did under the Constitution of 1869?
the plural executive
What is the Texas governor's greatest judicial power?
the power to appoint judges to vacancies in the courts
Constitutional amendment elections tend to have low voter turnout because
they are held in "off" years, when there are no candidates on the ballot.
What makes the leaders of the Texas House and Senate so powerful compared to the governor?
they have enough institutional powers to be able to influence which legislation passes and which legislation is killed.
What is the main purpose of a primary election?
to select a party's candidate for the general election
When a grand jury agrees a case is worth trying, they issue a
true bill.
Which of the following requires state governments to spend their own money to meet standards imposed on them by the federal government?
unfunded mandates
Members of the State Board of Education (SBOE) are elected in single-member districts. Therefore,
voters in Texas have the ability to influence public education policy, such as high school graduation requirements and textbook adoptions.
In Texas, the county chair is selected by the _________________, while the _______________ selects the state chair and vice chair.
voters in the party primary; state party convention
The plural executive system is similar to the __________________ because they both ________________.
weak mayor form; divide power among multiple people who can present the positions of their constituencies
Duverger's Law is useful in understanding
why third parties have trouble continuing to exist long term