Texas Government Unit 1 Exam

Texas became an independent republic in ________ and became part of the United States in ________.

1836; 1845

How long must a former member of a governing body or former executive head of a regulatory agency wait before he or she can lobby that agency?

2 years

Approximately what percentage of the state's voting-age population is registered to vote?

79 percent

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) provides what kind of assistance to conservative state legislators across the country?

ALEC writes legislation and helps get the legislation passed.

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.

Which of the following was a consequence of one-party dominance in Texas?

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

The fastest-growing demographic group in Texas is ________, the majority of whom vote ________.

Latino; Democratic

________ dominated the secession convention of 1861.

Lawyers and slaveholders

If an interest group "gets on the late train," then it means

an interest group gives contributions after the election to a winning candidate the group had earlier opposed.

As more women, minorities, and LGBTQ individuals gain influence in politics,

aspects of provincialism are being challenged.

The Voting Rights Act has been renewed several times since 1965, and new provisions have been added since then. For example,

bilingual ballots are now required in certain areas where more than 5 percent of voters speak another language.

Governors and state officials would tend to favor which type of federal funding, since it provides flexibility in terms of how the funds can be used?

block grants

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?

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

Which scenario would make a runoff primary most likely to occur?

Six candidates are all running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

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 do some constitutional amendment elections 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.

Members of the Texas Republican Party have become more conservative and members of the Texas Democratic Party have become more liberal. This evolution best defines

partisan polarization

At the most basic and fundamental level, parties are organized into _______________________.

precincts

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.

The States' Rights Party, also known as the Dixiecrats, split with the national Democratic Party over which issue?

racial integration

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.

In Texas, special elections are used to

ratify amendments to the Texas Constitution.

When people vote in a primary election, they are

selecting a party's candidate for the general election

The origins of ranching and the cattle industry extend back to the late ________ century.

seventeenth

In his landmark cases, Chief Justice John Marshall generally

supported the authority of the federal government over that of state governments.

Arguably, the largest and most effective public employee interest group in Texas is made up of

teachers

Who led the Grange and Populist movements of the late nineteenth century?

tenant farmers

Which offshoot of the Democratic Party preselected candidates for the Democratic primary and prohibited African Americans from participating?

the Jaybird Party

In 1923, the Texas Legislature established ____________________ to prohibit African Americans from voting in the Democratic primary.

the White primary

When drafting the Texas Constitution of 1876, the framers wanted to create a government based on which of the following principles?

the necessity of strong limitations on the power of state government

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 most basic and fundamental duty citizens have in a democracy?

voting

In a "first past the post" electoral system, the winner of the election is

whoever gets the plurality of the votes.

Why do interest groups offer people things like t-shirts or magazine subscriptions in return for joining the organization?

Benefits or incentives are necessary to overcome the free-rider problem.

Conservative Democrats in Texas are also known as

Blue Dog Democrats.

Which U.S. Supreme Court case in 2009 created the opportunity for those opposed to powerful incumbents to create organizations without having to disclose their donors?

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

If you were brought to the United States illegally by your parents when you were a young child, which policy protects you from deportation and allows you to work legally in the United States?

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

Which of the following is found in the Texas Constitution, but not in the U.S. Constitution?

Equal Rights Amendment

After the Civil War, much of the area that had been part of the former Confederacy was under military occupation. This period is known as

Reconstruction

Who were the Radical Republicans?

Republicans who controlled Reconstruction policy in the former Confederate states after the Civil War and passed the Congressional Reconstruction Acts of 1867

Provincialism is best defined as

a narrow view of the world.

Prior to the Texas Revolution, Spanish and Mexican leaders relied on ________________ to encourage to people to move to Texas.

empresarios

Which individuals are legally disqualified from voting?

individuals who have been judged by a court to be mentally incompetent

Fort Bliss and the city of El Paso worked together to create the world's largest

inland desalination plant.