Chapter 2: The Texas State Constitution and the American Federal System (POLY SCI-EXAM #4)

Which of the following correctly identify an article of the Texas Constitution and the general topic it addresses?

-Article 17: amending the Constitution -Article 6: suffrage

Which of the following are among the enumerated powers of the national government?

-Develop roads and postal service -Coin and regulate money -Provide for copyrights for authors and inventors

What characteristics of the political culture in Texas are reflected in the current constitution of the state?

-Distrust of government -Conservatism

Which of the following are among the delegated and reserved powers of the states?

-Protect property rights -Regulate banks and credit -Conduct local, state, and national elections

Which of the following about voter initiative is accurate?

-Texas does not have the initiative. -Initiative requires the collection of a certain number of signatures within a set time. -The initiative process allows voters to propose changes to the state constitution.

The level of detail in the Texas Constitution is problematic because it

-contributes to the necessity of constant change to the Constitution. -contributes to the unwieldy length of the document. -makes the Constitution too inflexible.

Voter turnout for constitutional amendments in Texas tends to be low because

-most amendments face little opposition. -the subject matter of most amendments are not of interest to most voters. -amendments are placed on ballots in odd-numbered years, when there are no state-wide elections.

Article 5 of the Texas Constitution

-outlines the qualification for judges in Texas. -describes the judicial branch.

In what year did the current Texas Constitution become effective?

1876

The Interstate Commerce Clause is an article in the U.S. Constitution that gives ______ the exclusive power to regulate commerce between the states.

Congress

Which of the following is true of constitutions?

Constitutions structure government and divide and assign power.

How does the U.S. Constitution create a federal system?

Distribute power between the national and state governments.

Which of the following is true of the constitutions that have governed the region that became Texas?

For each major historical transition, a new constitution was drafted.

The Equal Protection Clause and Due Process Clause of the ________ Amendment extend protections of the Bill of Rights to the actions of state and local governments.

Fourteenth

Which clause of Article 4 of the U.S. Constitution requires one state to recognize a divorce concluded in another state?

Full Faith and Credit

Which of these statements is most accurate regarding the Texas Constitution?

It is one of the longest state constitutions in the nation.

What does the supremacy clause do?

It makes the U.S. Constitution the supreme law of the land.

What does the phrase "separation of powers" mean?

Power is divided among the three branches of government.

Which clause in Article 4 of the U.S. Constitution means, generally, that a state cannot treat its citizens differently from citizens of other states?

Privileges and Immunities

Identify the two steps involved in the constitutional amendment process of most states' constitutions.

Proposing amendments and citizen approval

What was the first constitution to govern Anglos in Texas?

Republic of Mexico's Constitution

Fear of what led to the plural executive system that is used in Texas today?

Strong executive authority

What part of the U.S. Constitution delegates or reserves some powers to the state governments or the people?

Tenth Amendment

What stands in the way of broad changes to the Texas Constitution?

The conservative nature of Texas politics.

Which statement best describes the structure of most state constitutions?

The documents are large and rigid with specific policy requirements and limitations.

Which of the following describes social contract theory?

The idea that individuals have inalienable rights and willingly submit to government to protect these rights.

According to legal experts and political theorists, which of the following most closely meets the "ideal characteristics" for a constitution?

U.S. Constitution

Which of the following best describes the success of constitutional amendments in Texas?

Voters have approved most proposed amendments.

The 1836 constitution of the Republic of Texas provided for

a unitary form of government.

Funds allocated to the states by Congress that can only be used for a specific purposes are known as ______ grants.

categorical

In a _____ system of government power is divided between a weak national government and strong, independently sovereign regional governments.

confederal

A(n) ______ is a basic document that establishes the rules by which a state governs.

constitution

Based on the current political culture of Texas, the constitution will likely

continue to be amended in a piecemeal process.

Constitutions are

contracts between the government and the people.

In a plural executive system, power is

divided among several statewide elected officials.

Political culture

drives institutions.

During most of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a system called __________ federalism operated in the U.S., under which the national government exercised powers delegated to it by the Constitution and the state governments provided basic services to citizens.

dual

Most state constitutions create a weak ______ branch and a strong ______ branch.

executive ; legislative

Article 3 of the Texas constitution refers to the ________ branch.

legislative

In all the states the ________ can propose changes to the state constitution.

legislature

Initiative-generated amendments are

less likely to succeed than those proposed by state legislatures.

The 1845 statehood constitution provided for

limited executive authority.

Ballot wording in constitutional amendment elections is

often intentionally non instructive and misleading.

The Bill of Rights is Article ______ of the Texas Constitution.

one

The constitutional principle that holds that the power granted in state constitutions rests with the people is known as

popular sovereignty.

Most state constitutional amendments are

proposed by the state legislatures and approved by voters.

In a federal system of government, power is

shared between national and state governments.

During President Clinton's time in office, federal--state relations where marked by devolution of power, in which

states were given more authority on program construction administration.

Which of the following is true of the 1861 constitution?

-It was essentially the same as the 1845 constitution. -It prohibited the emancipation of slaves. -It contained a provision to secede from the Union.

Which of the following describe(s) Article 2 of the Texas Constitution?

-More explicitly refers to the separate checks on the branches of government than does the U.S. Constitution. -Discusses the separation of powers in Texas government.

Which of the following identify general criticisms that can be made of the Texas Constitution?

-Overly long -Archaic language -Constant change -Unclear organization

Article 4 of the Texas Constitution

-describes the executive branch. -sets the length of the governor's term.

Like most state constitutions, the Texas Constitution

-does not meet the qualifications of an "ideal constitution." -is lengthy and detailed.

Under Article 4 of the Texas Constitution the executive branch consists of the

-governor. -lieutenant governor. -comptroller of the public accounts. -commissioner of the general land office. -attorney general.

As compared to the "average" state constitution, Texas's constitution

-is longer. -has more amendments.

The constitution of 1876

-reestablished many statewide and local elected offices. -restricted the powers of the legislature. -reflected the traditionalistic/individualistic political culture of the state.

The current Texas constitution

-supports the idea of limited government. -is compatible with the political climate of the state. -is in line with voter's desires for decentralization.

Article _______, Section _______, grants Congress the right to tax and spend to promote general welfare.

1 ; 8

When was the first constitution to govern Anglos in Texas ratified?

1824

Which statement is true regarding the freedoms identified in state constitutions and the U.S. constitution?

Many state constitutions provide more freedoms than the national constitution.

In McCulloch v. Maryland, the Supreme Court provided a broad interpretation of the _______ Clause, giving Congress the authority to pass laws that it deemed appropriate so long as they are consistent with the letter and spirit of the Constitution.

Necessary and Proper

How do most constitutions governing American states compare to the federal Constitution?

They are longer with greater detail.

Why did the framers of the U.S. Constitution separate powers and provide for a system of checks and balances.

They were afraid of concentrating power in the hands of a single person.