INQUIZITIVE CH. 2 QUESTIONS

What is the term for a legislative assembly composed of two chambers?

bicameral

The 2015 U.S Supreme Court decision on Obergefell v. Hodges ruled that marriage was a liberty guaranteed to all Americans, including same-sex couples. Texas has sought to limit the impact of the ruling by

creating policy with language that allows private organizations to refuse service based on religious beliefs

The _______ provides Congress with the power to accomplish its constitutional tasks, while the _________ specifies that national law trumps state law when the two conflict.

necessary and proper clause, supremacy clause

True or False? The U.S Constitution specifies how powers are allocated within state-level institutions.

False

Identify which of the following characteristics are unique to the Texas Bill of Rights, and which apply to both the U.S. and Texas Bills of Rights?

Applies to both the U.S and Texas Bills of Rights: -liberty of speech and press -guarantees freedom of religious worship Unique to the Texas Bill of Rights: -specifies the right to a republican government -specifies provisions of public policy -Bill of Rights appears as Article 1 of the Constitution

The __________________ has largely been applied to place restrictions on states through the equal protection clause of the __________________________________________________.

Bill of Rights, Fourteenth Amendment

Which statement(s) regarding the number of amendments to the Texas Constitution over time is/are correct?

Correct Answers: -Attempts to amend the constitution since 2000 have largely been successful Incorrect Answers: -Most proposals to amend the constitution fail by popular vote -Texans are unlikely to attempt to revise the state constitution -Most attempts to amend the constitution occurred soon after its ratification

Which of the following statements about similarities between the Texas Constitution and the U.S Constitution are true?

Correct Answers: -Both provide the power for branches to limit the actions of one another -Both give the distinct branches of government autonomous powers -Both establish the people as the foundational source of government power -Both protect the rights of individual citizens Incorrect Answers: -Both define the authority to regulate and conduct elections -Both specifically define authority to prevent abuses of power

Which of the following statements are reasonable conclusions to draw based on the data?

Correct Answers: -Constitutional amendments in the 2005 election had more publicity than had amendments in the 2001 election -Presidential elections attract more interest than constitutional amendment elections -Amendments dealing with social issues drive greater voter participation Incorrect Answers: -People do not rely on the political parties to influence their voter behavior -Over time, more people turn out to vote each year

Which amendments in the U.S. Constitution specify the relationship between the federal government and state governments?

Correct Answers: -Fourteenth Amendment -Tenth Amendment Incorrect Answers: -Seventeenth Amendment -First Amendment -Seventh Amendment

What effect did the creation of decentralized boards and districts outside the authority of the governor have on the Texas government?

Correct Answers: -It made it more difficult to revise and reform policies affecting government power -It created a system more susceptible to special interests Incorrect Answers: -It made the people's voice in government stronger -It further enhanced the one-party dominance of the state

How does the plural executive, as specified in Article 4 of the Texas Constitution, influence Texas government?

Correct Answers: -It protects against concentration of power -It diffuses the functions of the executive among multiple offices -It ensures that each member of the plural executive has an independent base of power Incorrect Answers: -It makes the governor more powerful -It ensures that policies are implemented more efficiently

What were some of the primary complaints by Texans about the Mexican government prior to declaring independence from Mexico?

Correct Answers: -Mexican policies limited immigration from the United States to Texas -Texans felt they weren't given enough representation -Education was often offered only in the Spanish language Incorrect Answers: -The Mexican government had abolished the republican form of government -Texans were being taxed to pay for the war with France

What are some of the relationships between long constitutions and numerous constitutional amendments?

Correct Answers: -States with fewer amendments likely have a less restrictive constitution -Longer constitutions imply that the framers specifically spelled out lawmakers' powers, so that future lawmakers could not use ambiguity in the text to expand state power Incorrect Answers: -Texas has the longest constitution among all fifty states and has had the most amendments -Longer constitutions do away with the need for frequent amendments since most issues are already covered in the constitution itself

Why is voter participation in Texas constitutional amendment elections so low?

Correct Answers: -The elections are held on off years from major general elections -There are no candidates on the ballot -Many amendments are insignificant to voters Incorrect Answers: -Voters must separately register to vote in constitutional amendment elections -Few voters can pass the poll test

Why did Texas declare independence from Mexico in 1836?

Correct Answers: -The influx of American immigrants undermined Mexican control -Mexico restricted Texans' civil liberties Incorrect Answers: -Mexico was weakened by a war with France -Mexico was taxing Texas too much

Which of the following characterized the "Radical Republicans" of the post-Civil War era?

Correct Answers: -They pushed the adoption of African American suffrage and extended the military occupation of the South -They sought to exclude former secessionists from being able to vote or hold elected office Incorrect Answers: -They supported secession from the Union but fought to abolish slavery in the Confederate states -They opposed any attempts to expand the federal government's involvement instate politics -The worked to re-establish Texas's independence from the United States after the Civil War

The framers of the Texas Declaration of Independence were heavily influenced by the ideas of which of the following people?

Correct Answers: -Thomas Jefferson -John Locke Incorrect Answers: -James Madison -Thomas Hobbes -George Washington

Which aspects of the Mexican Constitution differ from those of the U.S Constitution?

Correct Answers: -a protection of religious freedom -the selection of the president Incorrect Answers: -a national bicameral legislature -an emphasis on federalism -the separation of powers

For the Texas government to establish a personal income tax, what conditions would need to be met?

Correct Answers: -approval by registered voters -passage of bill by legislature, and approval by governor -revenue must be dedicated to education and tax relief Incorrect Answers: -revenue must be dedicated to environmental protection -ratification by the state supreme court

How do both the U.S and Texas constitutions seek to prevent tyranny?

Correct Answers: -checks and balances -natural self-interests -separation of powers Incorrect Answers: -the power of the press

What important functions are performed by state constitutions?

Correct Answers: -divide authority within the political institutions of the state -specify the limits and uses of power by state institutions and individuals -clarify the source of a state's political power Incorrect Answers: -establish limits on the influence of the federal government over states -empower the Republican and Democratic parties within the state

Which of the following characteristics have been central in all of Texas's constitutions since Texas joined the United States?

Correct Answers: -federalism -division of power -individual rights -strong popular control Incorrect Answers: -flexibility -strong government

Which constitutional provisions were included in the Constitution of 1966 to bring it into compliance with Presidential Reconstruction?

Correct Answers: -granting freedmen rights of property -repudiating the state's war debt -allowing freedmen to enter into contracts Incorrect Answers: -extending suffrage to former slaves -allowing former slaves to hold office

Which of the following concepts in the Texas Constitution of 1836 were adapted from Spanish-Mexican law?

Correct Answers: -homestead protections -community property -government retention of mineral rights Incorrect Answers: -protection of slavery -criminal prosecution

Which elements were present in the Constitution of 1876?

Correct Answers: -limited state government power -promotion of agrarian interests Incorrect Answers: -expanded powers for the governor -increased salaries for state officials

Which factors gave the Tea Party high rates of success in influencing the outcomes of recent amendment elections in Texas?

Correct Answers: -low voter turnout -unity behind an issue Incorrect Answers: -effective education of registered voters on the issue -strong party affiliation

Which of these have served as sources of frustration for states in their relationship with the federal government?

Correct Answers: -necessary and proper clause -supremacy clause -Fourteenth Amendment Incorrect Answers: -Bill of Rights -Tenth Amendment

What concerns did the United States government have about annexing Texas?

Correct Answers: -provoking a war with Mexico -upsetting the balance of slave and nonslave states Incorrect Answers: -triggering a trade war with Great Britain -managing the vast land area

By establishing an elected chief executive rather than one appointed by the legislature, the 1836 Constitution upheld the idea of which of the following?

Correct Answers: -separation of powers -checks and balances Incorrect Answers: -bicameralism -popular sovereignty

Local governments, such as the City of Houston, derive their authority from which sources?

Correct Answers: -the citizens of Texas -the Texas Constitution Incorrect Answers: -American citizens -the residents of the city -the county commissioners' court -the U.S Constitution

Which guarantees are made by the Texas Constitution but not by the U.S. Constitution?

Correct Answers: -victims' rights -free and efficient public schools Incorrect Answers: -freedom of religion -limited government

True or False? Following the example of the U.S. Constitution, the Texas Constitution offered few specifics on the judicial branch.

False

In the transition from Spanish law to _________, the Texas government shifted state ownership of __________ to private ownership.

English Common Law, mineral rights

How do the Texans and U.S constitutions compare on the issue of impeachment?

It is easier to impeach an individual in Texas than in the national government

Texans Constitutional Provisions of 1845 and 1861

Texas Constitution of 1845: -provided for possible emancipation of slaves Texas Constitution of 1861: -declared allegiance to the Confederacy Both: -upheld the ban on the slave trade -specified a bicameral state legislature

Provisions of the Texas Constitution of 1876 and the U.S Constitution

Texas Constitution of 1876: -free and equitable public schools -complex, specific, and long document victims' rights U.S Constitution: -supreme law -single executive -short document with flexible language Both: -popular sovereignty -bicameral legislature

How does Article 1 of the Texas Constitution specify Texas's relationship with the United States?

The Texas Constitution is subject to the U.S Constitution

Before voters participate in a constitutional amendment election, what step must happen first?

The legislature votes to put the amendment on the ballot

Which of the following is the correct definition of the term unicameral?

a legislature that has only one body

Major themes of the Constitution of 1876-Structural features

economy in government-spending cap set by projection of comptroller popular control of state government- election of judges and nearly all statewide officials promote agrarian interests- strong controls over banks and railroads limited power of government- biennial legislative sessions

The Texas Constitution creates a system of judicial _______, with judges that are mostly <_________

independence, elected by the people

Relative to the U.S Constitution, the Texas Constitution is __________ and adopts a tone of ____________ governance.

longer, limited

Rank the sovereignty of the different levels of government from most to least powerful.

national, state, local

In January 2016, Governor Greg Abbott proposed a convention of states to consider a series of amendments to the U.S. Constitution, including one to "Restore the balance of power between the federal and state governments by limiting the former to the powers expressly delegated to it in the Constitution."This proposal counters the Supreme Court's interpretation of which part of the U.S. Constitution that led to an enormous net expansion of power?

necessary and proper clause

While the large majority of proposed amendments are approved by voters, the ones that generally fail mostly deal with which issue?

taxation and government authority