TX GOV Module 1

Agriculture accounts for 35 percent of the contemporary Texan workforce. True False

False

All major statewide elected offices have been controlled by Republicans since 1988 True False

False

Austin is located in the Basin and Range Province. True False

False

By the early twentieth century, 85 percent of Texans lived in urban areas. True False

False

Houston is the second-largest city in the United States. True False

False

NAFTA has created a free-trade market throughout North and South America. True False

False

Oil was the primary industry in Texas during the 1800s. True False

False

On average, Texans are older than the rest of the citizens of the United States. True False

False

Political culture is static and does not change. True False

False

The Great Recession hit Texas particularly hard, with Texas being one of the first states to enter and one of the last to exit. True False

False

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is the replacement for the older trade agreement known as the USMCA Trade Agreement, or simply USMCA. True False

False

The majority of the urban population in Texas lives in the Interior Lowlands region. True False

False

Business interests have consistently dominated Texan political culture. True False

True

Cotton is one of the oldest crops grown in Texas. True False

True

Like the one-party Democratic state, Texas provincialism has been fading as a defining feature of the political culture, although it has had a recent resurgence in some parts of the population. True False

True

People of Asian origin make up about 5 percent of the population of Texas today. True False

True

San Antonio is the second largest city in Texas. True False

True

Texas's political life grew out of the Gulf Coastal Plains. True False

True

The U.S. Army's largest active-duty armored post is located at Fort Hood, which is also the largest single-site employer in Texas. True False

True

The University of Texas and Texas A & M University systems get large sums of money for their endowments from oil and gas royalties. True False

True

Tourism is a major component of the economy of San Antonio. True False

True

Which two Texas metropolitan areas are national centers for the high-tech industry? a. Dallas and Austin-San Marcos b. Lubbock and Midland c. Houston and El Paso d. San Antonio and Waco

a. Dallas and Austin-San Marcos

As of 2021, which city in Texas has the largest population? a. Houston b. San Antonio c. Dallas d. El Paso

a. Houston

Which city is located in the Great Plains region of Texas? a. Lubbock b. Fort Worth c. El Paso d. Houston

a. Lubbock

As the number one importer of exports from Texas, which country has the most to lose from tighter restrictions on the border? a. Mexico b. Taiwan c. Canada d. China

a. Mexico

Which event occurred at Spindletop, Texas? a. Oil was discovered. b. A massive clash between cattle ranchers and sheep ranchers. c. The last battle for Texas independence was fought. d. The first free-range ranch in Texas was established.

a. Oil was discovered.

Within the major population centers of the Gulf Coastal Plains region, the suburban areas are becoming more __________________, while urban areas are becoming more. a. Republican; Democratic b. Tea Party; Republican c. Democratic; Republican d. Democratic; Tea Party

a. Republican; Democratic

Texas requires voters to show a state-issued photo ID in order to vote. Voters without a driver's license or other form of state-issued ID can obtain a Texas election identification certificate at no cost to the voter. Why does the state provide these election identification certificates for free? a. Requiring voters to pay for something that is necessary to vote would be a poll tax, which is unconstitutional. b. All legal residents of Texas are entitled to one free government-issued ID card every four years. c. The federal government requires that every state keep track of all residents, and therefore all legal residents are required to have at least one state-issued ID card. d. These cards are part of a get out the vote effort conducted by the Secretary of State's office.

a. Requiring voters to pay for something that is necessary to vote would be a poll tax, which is unconstitutional.

Provincialism is best defined as a. a narrow view of the world. b. the belief that God will lead. c. the belief in the free market. d. the belief in an active government.

a. a narrow view of the world.

The economy of Texas grew rapidly in the 1990s and was a. closely tied to expanding manufacturing. b. spread evenly throughout the state. c. based on agricultural production. d. solely rooted in extracting resources from the land.

a. closely tied to expanding manufacturing.

One of the primary goals of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was to a. eliminate or lower tariffs among Mexico, the United States, and Canada. b. integrate the means of production across the borders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States. c. eliminate the need for any form of passport or documentation to travel between the United States, Mexico, or Canada. d. reduce the role of international trade on the economy of the United States.

a. eliminate or lower tariffs among Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

While the Texas Railroad Commission was originally established to regulate railroads, in 1917 it was also given powers to do which of the following: a. ensure that petroleum pipelines were common carriers and transported oil and gas produced by any company on equal terms b. prorate oil, determining how much each oil well in Texas could produce each year c. regulate the use of commuter and light rail trains within city limits d. regulate automobile traffic between cities

a. ensure that petroleum pipelines were common carriers and transported oil and gas produced by any company on equal terms

Which of the following groups are starting to challenge business groups for influence in Texas politics? a. social conservatives b. labor unions c. lobbyists d. the Democratic Party

a. social conservatives

Who led the Grange and Populist movements of the late nineteenth century? a. tenant farmers b. labor union members c. cattle barons d. the railroad industry

a. tenant farmers

Texas is often characterized as a "low tax, low social service" state. This is a result of a. the "traditionalistic individualistic" political culture in Texas. b. the "Whataburger" effect, where people are accustomed to being able to customize all aspects of their lives and make decisions for themselves. c. a push-back to high levels of governmental control under the Constitution of 1876. d. the "moralistic" political culture in Texas.

a. the "traditionalistic individualistic" political culture in Texas.

Political culture is a term used to describe a. the broadly shared values and beliefs about government. b. the amount of partisan bickering in a state. c. the degree of public support for the arts. d. the level of education and learning in a particular state.

a. the broadly shared values and beliefs about government.

As of 2019, there were approximately ________ Latinos residing in Texas. a. 19 million b. 11.5 million c. 41 million d. 7.2 million

b. 11.5 million

Why was the privatization of public property considered to be a vital task after Texas entered into the Union in 1845? a. The leaders of Texas feared that if they did not privatize the lands in a way that would allow the state to maintain some control and benefit, the lands would be federalized instead. b. At the time, Texas was "land rich but money poor" and this was a way for the state to be able to raise funds that could be used for vital purposes such as funding elementary, secondary, and higher education. c. As a result of becoming part of the United States, there were now redundancies within many parts of government within the state. This would allow the state to sell off the tangible redundancies that were no longer needed. d. It was a required provision of agreement Texas signed with the United States as one of the conditions of becoming a state—only the original 13 colonies were allowed to maintain control of their public lands when they joined the United States.

b. At the time, Texas was "land rich but money poor" and this was a way for the state to be able to raise funds that could be used for vital purposes such as funding elementary, secondary, and higher education.

Which of the following was a consequence of one-party dominance in Texas? a. Since the outcome of all elections was known, the elections were cancelled to save scarce resources. b. General elections tended to be non-competitive during this period. c. The real campaigning took place at the Republican primary. d. Only one party's candidates were listed on ballots for all elections during this period.

b. General elections tended to be non-competitive during this period.

La Raza Unida Party was established in the mid-1960s in order to a. lobby the Texas legislature against the required use of voter ID. b. confront discriminatory practices that prevented Texas Latinos from participating in mainstream political and economic life. c. fight against the mandatory use of multilingual ballots. d. mandate that all school districts receiving state funding require multilingual education for all students.

b. confront discriminatory practices that prevented Texas Latinos from participating in mainstream political and economic life.

The regulation of oil and energy in Texas is performed by a. ExxonMobil. b. the Texas Railroad Commission. c. the governor of Texas. d. the Texas Department of Oil and Gas.

b. the Texas Railroad Commission.

Since the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the Border region, including El Paso, McAllen, and Brownsville, has remained politically a ________ bastion. a. Tea Party b. competitive two-party c. Democratic Party d. Republican Party

c. Democratic Party

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

c. a natural increase of births in proportion to deaths

As more women, minorities, and LGBTQ individuals gain influence in politics, a. provincialism continues to have no role within political culture. b. provincialism is no longer relevant. c. aspects of provincialism are being challenged. d. the role of provincialism in political culture has not been affected.

c. aspects of provincialism are being challenged.

In 1950, the Supreme Court case Sweatt v. Painter a. ended segregation in Texas's elementary and high schools. b. ended Black codes. c. guaranteed African Americans admission to Texas's graduate and professional schools. d. outlawed poll taxes.

c. guaranteed African Americans admission to Texas's graduate and professional schools.

A new trade agreement between the United States, Canada, and Mexico replaced NAFTA in 2018 known as USMCA. Among its provisions are a. guarantees that workers in each of the three countries who complete the same tasks (such as assembling cars for the same manufacturer) will be paid the same wage. b. mechanisms for opening up sales of American milk in Mexico. c. increased protections for intellectual property. d. protections for individuals who work in Mexico making cars.

c. increased protections for intellectual property.

Fort Bliss and the city of El Paso worked together to create the world's largest a. military deployment center. b. active-duty armored post. c. inland desalination plant. d. single-site employer.

c. inland desalination plant.

The origins of ranching and the cattle industry extend back to the late ________ century. a. eighteenth b. twentieth c. seventeenth d. nineteenth

c. seventeenth

The large growth in Austin's population in the second half of the twentieth century was driven by a. population movements of residents leaving urban centers such as Houston and Dallas. b. overall increases in the population in the state that also included this region. c. tech corporations moving into the area and diversifying the economy of the region. d. substantial increases in enrollment at The University of Texas at Austin and Austin Community College.

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

One explanation for why laws and policies related to things like personal income taxes and alcohol sales are different in different states is a. because of economic self-determination. b. because of economic self-determination. c. the impact of political culture. d. the impact of political culture.

c. the impact of political culture.

Dallas developed in the late nineteenth century as a result of a. the development of the Port of Dallas. b. the easy access to the Rio Grande River. c. the intersection of two railroad lines. d. the development of a large international airport.

c. the intersection of two railroad lines.

When we talk about American political culture, we tend to refer to which set of values? a. economic self-determination, freedom, happiness b. economic self-determination, freedom, happiness c. liberty, equality, democracy d. liberty, equality, democracy

c. liberty, equality, democracy

Traditionally, business leaders have played a prominent role in the political culture in Texas. When thinking about the business leaders and business concerns that influence Texas politics, we are referring to a. only national business concerns (companies based in the United States). b. only local and state business concerns. c. only businesses that have been officially chartered by the Secretary of State's office. d. any type of business concern that operates in the state, including state and local businesses but also national and international corporations.

d. any type of business concern that operates in the state, including state and local businesses but also national and international corporations.

The economy of Texas grew rapidly in the 1990s and was a. based on agricultural production. b. spread evenly throughout the state. c. solely rooted in extracting resources from the land. d. closely tied to expanding manufacturing.

d. closely tied to expanding manufacturing.

Prior to the Texas Revolution, Spanish and Mexican leaders relied on ________________ to encourage to people to move to Texas. a. land agents b. real estate brokers c. promoters d. empresario

d. empresario

When compared to the rest of the nation, the population of Texas a. is primarily an African American majority. b. has experienced a decline in Asian residents. c. has a lower percentage of its population living below the poverty level. d. is relatively young.

d. is relatively young.

Which of the following elements dominated the land-based economy of post-Reconstruction Texas and is/are still relevant today? a. cattle only b. cotton and oil only c. oil and cattle only d. oil, cotton, and cattle

d. oil, cotton, and cattle

Big Bend is found in what region of Texas? a. the Gulf Coastal Plains b. the Interior Lowlands c. the Great Plains d. the Basin and Range Province

d. the Basin and Range Province

Texas's political life grew out of which region? a. the Interior Highlands b. the Great Plains c. the Interior Lowlands d. the Gulf Coastal Plains

d. the Gulf Coastal Plains

While new technologies such as horizontal drilling and fracking have allowed greater access to oil and natural gas in Texas, these technologies also raised environmental concerns mostly due to a. their need for substantial amounts of electricity. b. their need for substantial amounts of land on all sides of each well. c. the lower quality of oil or gas produced by this method. d. their need for substantial amounts of water.

d. their need for substantial amounts of water.

Since 1850 there has been a marked shift of the population in Texas from rural to urban areas. This process is known as a. citification. b. suburbanization. c. economic development. d. urbanization.

d. urbanization.