Gov Unit 1 - Test
How many effective political parties do we have in texas? A 4 B 3 C 2 D 1
1
According to Texas Constitution (Article 3, Section 51a), Texas cannot spend more than __________ of the state budget in any two-year period to help needy dependent children or their caretakers. A 10 percent B 15 percent C 5 percent D 1 percent
1 percent
Texas became an independent republic in ______ and part of the United States in______. A 1827;1861 B 1836;1845 C 1837;1869 D 1845;1876
1836;1845
Article 4 of the Texas constitution divides executive power among how many different offices? A 3 B 6 C 7 D 4
6
How many constitutions has Texas had? A 8 B 6 C 4 D 7
7
As the number one importer of exports from Texas, which country has the most to lose from tighter restrictions on the border? A Canada B Taiwan C Mexico D China
Mexico
The second largest city in Texas today is A Austin B San Antonio C Dallas D Houston
San Antonio
Which state does Elazar indicate undertook pioneering efforts to implement social welfare programs prior to the federal New Deal program taking full effect? A Massachusetts B Ohio C Wisconsin D Minnesota
Wisconsin
How does Daniel Elazar describe political culture? A a culture that is estbalished by the ebb and flow of government institutional change B a culture that is established by the ebb and flow of social change C a particular pattern/orientation to political action in which each political system is imbedded D a culture that is established by a long-standing political figure
a paritcular pattern/orientation to political action in which each political system is embedded
As more women, minorities, and LGBT individuals gain influence in politics, A the role of provincialism in political culture has not been affected B provincialism is no longer relevant C provincialism continunes to have no role within political culture D aspects of provincialism are being challenged
aspects of provincialism are being challenged
Which of the following has traditionally played a prominent role in the political culture of texas? A business leaders B teachers unions C religious leaders D environmental groups
business leaders
Which of the following is NOT a type of political culture discussed in the reading? A commercialistic B individualistic C traditionalistic D moralistic
commercialistic
The holding in US v Lopez called into questions which of the following powers? A congress's ability to regulate interstate commerce B congress's ability to regulate state and local education C the president's ability to regulate interstate commerce D the president's ability to regulate firearm posession
congress's ability to regulate interstate commerce
The dissenting justices in United States v Lopez argue that ________. A commerce is not influenced by guns B education and commerce could be influenced by having guns in classrooms C education is not influenced by guns D education and commerce would not be influenced by having guns in classrooms
education and commerce could be influenced by having guns in classrooms
In which supreme court case did the court FIRST define the nature of congress's power to regulate commerce? A mcculloch v maryland B gibbons v ogden C marbury v madison D united states v lopez
gibbons v ogden
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 B a government that is expected to take action to advance the public welfare C encouragement of active participation in government D government policies designed to benefit minority groups
government that limits its impact in society so that citizens can pursue their economic self-interest
Insurance occupation taxes are levied on A insurance premiums B the cost of insurance licensing exams C the salaries of insurance brokers D insurance benefits paid to claimants
insurance premiums
What region of Texas does Dallas fall in?
interior lowlands
Due to the structure of the budget and the constitutional requirement to balance the budget, A legislators are given a great amount of flexibility in terms of the budgeting process B legislators generally raise taxes frequently to be able to increase th services offered by the state C legislators have only a few choices in terms of the budgeting process D the budget is easy to forecast each session
legislators only have a few choices in terms of the budgeting process
When writing the Texas Constitution of 1876, the framers wanted to be able to A limit the power of the state government in order to prevent corruption B expand services provided by the state to meet the new needs of a growing population C facilitate the development of an expansion of the railroad and other technolgoical advancements D allow interpretation and flexibility so that it would not have to be frequently amended
limit the power of the state government in order to prevent corruption
Which of the three political sub cultures takes the conception of the commonwealth as its basis for politics and sees government's job to be the implementation of our understanding of the good society? A moralistic B individualistic C traditioanlistic D none of these
moralistic
Texas spending on a per capita basis is A much lower than the national average B much higher than the national average C about even with the national average D among the highest, particularly in education
much lower than the national average
Which factor contributed most to the increase in the population of texas? A international immigration from Asia B domestic migration from Alaska and Hawaii C natural increase of births in proportion to deaths D people moving to Texas from Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina
natural increase of births in proportion to deaths
Which of the following was NOT a reason why Texas has needed to create a new constitution? A secession from the US B to end reconstruction and martial law C readmission to the united states D none of the above
none of the above
Which of the following elements dominated the land based economy of post-reconstruction texas and is/are still relevant today? A oil and cattle only B cattle only C oil, cotton, and cattle D cotton and oil only
oil cotton and cattle
Which event occurred at Spindletop texas? A the state's worst race riots B the last battle for texas independnece C the first free range ranch in Texas was established D oil was discovered
oil was discovered
Which of the following is NOt, according to Elazar, one of the overarching factors that appear especially important in shaping states' political structure, electoral behavior, and modes of organization for political action? A political culture B sectionalism C party control D the frontier
party control
According to Elazar, the author, Sectionalism refers to which of the following? A political arrangements that are created quickly and do not persist through time B political arrangements that link whole states that do not persist thoughout time C economic arrangements which link whole states that do not persist throughout time D political arrangements that link whole states that persist through time
political arrangements that link whole states that persist through time
Which of the following is true regarding Article 4 of the Texas Constitution? A power is is divided up among 6 elected offices B the governor must pardon everyone that meets certain qualifications C the lieutenant governor can block unconstitutional legislation D the governor is restricted to two terms in office
power is divided up among 6 elected officials
The economic stabilization fund is also known as A rainy day fund B general revenue fund C enterprise fund D pay as you go fund
rainy day fund
A right found in Article 1 of the Constitution that is not found in the US Constitution's Bill of Rights is_______ A freedom of assembly B freedom from illegal search and seizure C right to republican style government D freedom of healthcare choices
right to republican style government
During which of the frontier periods were the basic patterns of politicla culture set down or established according to Elazar? A rural land frontier B urban industrial frontier C metropolitan technological frontier D urban technological frontier
rural land frontier
What is the most important single tax financing Texas government? A gasoline B income C property D sales
sales
Which of the following categories of taxes contributes most to the texas treasury? A motor vehicle sales and rentals B oil and natural gas production C franchise D sales
sales
Which office in the Executive department is not elected? A lieutenant governor B secretary of state C comptroller D attorney general
secretary of state
A ______ is a tax on the market value of oil produced in the state A general sales tax B hidden tax C severance tax D selective sales tax
severance tax
After Texas independence from Mexico, the biggest reason why US annexation was no immediate was because of? A war debt B forced catholicism C gun rights D slavery
slavery
Which of the following groups are starting to challenge business groups for influence in Texas? A labor unions B lobbyists C the democratic party D social conservatives
social conservatives
When you pay your motor vehicle registration fees, the money goes into which fund? A state highway fund B department of motor vehicles fund C user fee fund D road maintenance fund
state highway fund
According to the _________ the US constitution takes precedence over the texas constitution A supremacy clause B necessary and proper clause C separation of powers clause D none of these
supremacy clause
The percentage of the population living under the poverty line in Texas A has remained consistent over time B has steadily declined over time C tends to be higher than that of the US as a whole D has steadily increased over time
tends to be higher than that of the US as a whole
Which of the following is an accurate description of trends in Constitutional history? A the US national government has had very little influence on the TX Constitution B Texans are willling to strengthen their government at the expense of their rights C Most teas constitutions have been modeled after european constitutions D texans are generally distrustful about government
texans are generally distrustful about government
According to Article 15 of the Texas Constitution, A only treason is an impeachable offense B the House and Senate (and the courts) can decide what constitutes an impeachable offense C the governor cannot be removed from office through the process of impeachment D judges may remove an elected official from office through impeachment
the House and Senate (and the courts) can decide what constitutes an impeachable offense
Compared to other states, Texas tends to spend a relatively small amount of money on programs that are jointly funded by state and federal governments. Because of this, A Texas shares a pool of funds with other states that are designated as "low-level" contributors B Texas is inelgible for any matching funds because they are distributed only to the largest contributors C the amount of money that Texas receives in matching funds and grants from the federal government is relatively low compared to other states D Texas receives a higher than average amount of money from the federal government in grants and matching funds compared to other states
the amount of money that Texas receives in matching funds and grants from the federal government is relatively low as compared to other states
Which of the following statements about the powers of the national government is most accurate? A the only powers of the national government are those specifically stated B powers of the national government are equal to the powers of the state government C the amount of power the national government has exercised has grown over the last 200 years as a result of the "necessary and proper clause" D powers of the national government are delegated by the state government
the amount of power the national government has exercised has grown over the last 200 years as a result of the "necessary and proper clause"
In federalism, an individual citizen lives under the direct authority of which of the following? A the provincial government and subnational government B the national government and supranational government C the central government and regional government D the regional government and provincial government
the central government and regional government
Which of the following does not have a necessary role in the ratification of an amendment to the Texas Constitution? A the voters B the governor C the legislature D the newspaper media
the governor
Which federal law is at issue in the case of the United States v Lopez? A the stamp act B the gun free school zone act C the immigration and nationality act D the social security act
the gun free school zone act
In theory, Texas has a dual=budget system, meaning the budget authority is shared by the governor and the legislature; however, in practice, the primary payers in the budget is are/ A the taxpayers B the legislature C special interests D the governor
the legislature
When thinking about the system of public financing through these various budgets and funds, it is important to remember that
the legislature does not have direct control of most of the money in the state budget
Authorized by voters in 1991, the Texas state lottery generates a sizeable sum for the state budget. Which of the following statements regarding the Texas lottery is true? A the lottery is played almost entirely by poor people B all texans unanimously support the lottery C the lottery is played almost entirely by the wealthy D the lottery is played by a large number of people from all social classes
the lottery is played by a large number of people from all social classes
Which statement regarding urbanization Texas is NOT accurate? A urban life initially began along the Gulf Coast and gradually expanded west B 85 percent of Texans now live in urban areas C historically, texas urbanization depended on the spread of the railroads D the origins of cities in Texas are found in Native American civilizations
the origins of cities in TX are found in native american civilizations
A consequence of Article 3, Section 49a of the Texas Constitution, also known as the pay-as-you-go limit is that A since taxes are paid into the state on a yearly basis, the legislature is able ot set an annual budget B the dedicated funds are mandated in the constitution and cannot be altered C there is a specific margin of error allowed in the budgeting process D the plural executive has a significant influence in the budgeting process
the plural executive has a significant influence in the budgeting process
Which of the following is NOT one of the categories of activity that the Court grants Congress the power to regulate in US v Lopez? A The use of channels of interestate commerce B Activities having substantial relation ot interstate commerce C the instrumentalities of interstate commerce (or the people or things involve in interstate commerce) even though the threat of these things may be entirely within a state) D the production and sale of goods produced and exchanged within the bounds of a given state
the production and sale of goods produced and exchanged within the bounds of a given state
Which of the following aspects is NOT part of political culture? A the way in which citizens tend to entertain themselves in their private lives B the way in which the art of government is actually practiced by citizens of particular places C the set of perceptions about what politics is and what can be expected from the government D the kinds of people who tend to become involved in politics
the way in which citizens tend to entertain themselves in their private life
Constitutional amendment elections tend to have low voter turnout because
they are held in "off" years when there are no candidates on the ballot
Who made up the Grange, and what effect did they have on the writing of the Texas Constitution? A They were early wildcatters who wanted land grants from the state so they could explore for oil B they were an agricultural group who wanted a government that would improve the plight of farmers C they were a group of pro-union republicans who controlled the state after the civil war D they were a consortium of railroad entrepreneurs who wanted a constitution that would aid business interests
they were a group of pro union republicans who controlled the state after the civil war
State constitutions are designed to perform which of the following functions? A to ensure that power is concentrated in a unitary executive branch B to prevent abuse of power by the government by establishing and protecting civil liberties C to estabish the mechanisms through which school districts determine grade appropriate curriculum D to ensure that free,fair, and frequent elections are conducted by the federal government
to prevent abuse of power by the government by establishing and protecting civil liberties
Which of the following statements about the Texas constitutional convention of 1865 is NOT accurate? A texas has to accept the abolition of slavery B the state had to formallly reject the right of secession C texas had to return to the federal government parts of Oklahoma seized by the TX confederate soldiers D texas had to repudiate the war debt incurred by the state
tx had to return to the federal government parts of oklahoma seized by texas confederate soldiers
Which of the following is NOT one of the types (or eras) of Frontier described by Elazar? A urban technological frontier B rural land frontier C metropolitan technological frontier D urban industrial frontier
urban technological frontier
