Civics
Chapter Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Civics is the study of the rights and duties of citizens and the functioning of government and society. This course examines the foundational principles of democracy, the structure and roles of government institutions, the electoral process, and the responsibilities of individuals within a society. Students will explore topics such as civic participation, the rule of law, civil liberties, and public policy, gaining an understanding of how civic engagement shapes communities and influences governmental decisions. The course encourages critical thinking, informed decision-making, and active involvement in civic life.
Recommended Textbook
The State of Texas Government Politics and Policy 2nd Edition by Sherri Mora
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12 Chapters
547 Verified Questions
547 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction to Texas History and Politics
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Sample Questions
Q1) In terms of population size,Texas ranks _________ in the nation in comparison to other states.
A) first
B) second
C) third
D) fourth
Answer: B
Q2) From 2008-2012,Texas's unemployment rate
A) was the highest in the nation.
B) was among the highest in the nation.
C) was about the national average.
D) was lower than the national average.
Answer: D
Q3) What is the main reason why early petitions by the Republic of Texas to join the United States were rejected?
A) Texas residents favored monarchy, not republicanism.
B) Texas was composed almost entirely of Catholic Spanish speakers.
C) The American government feared sparking a war with Spain.
D) There was controversy over Texas becoming a slave state.
Answer: D
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Chapter 2: The Texas State Constitution and the American
Federal System
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Sample Questions
Q1) Except in the state of Delaware,two steps are involved in changing constitutions:
A) a constitutional convention and citizen approval.
B) voter initiative and legislative approval.
C) legislative initiative and approval by constitutional convention.
D) proposal of amendments and citizen approval.
Answer: D
Q2) A(n)____ grant is for broad purposes and gives state and local governments a significant amount of discretion in how the money is spent.
A) categorical
B) block
C) formula
D) earmark
Answer: B
Q3) Which of the following is NOT a power of the Texas legislature?
A) propose laws
B) oversight of state agencies
C) propose constitutional amendments
D) appoint judges
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: The Texas Legislature
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Sample Questions
Q1) In 2014 the percentage of women in the Texas legislature was about __ percent.
A) 14
B) 22
C) 37
D) 47
Answer: B
Q2) About one third of the Texas legislature is composed of A) women.
B) blue collar workers.
C) Hispanics.
D) lawyers.
Answer: D
Q3) Which of the following is NOT among the powers of the speaker of the house in the Texas House of Representatives?
A) committee chair appointment
B) bill referral to committees
C) appoints members to calendar committee
D) appoints all members of standing committees
Answer: D
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Page 5
Chapter 4: The Executive Department and the Office of the
Governor of Texas
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47 Verified Questions
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Sample
Questions
Q1) Prior to the election of George W.Bush to the presidency,when was the last time a Texas governor had gone on to higher elected office?
A) 1941
B) 1962
C) 1977
D) 1992
Q2) In 2014,____________ was elected governor of Texas.
A) Greg Abbott
B) Wendy Davis
C) Rick Perry
D) Bill Clements
Q3) What are the budget and legislative powers of the Texas governor? Does this give the governor a strong position? Why or why not?
Q4) Which of the following defines tenure of office?
A) the ability of elected officials to succeed themselves
B) the term length
C) the term limit
D) both the ability of elected officials to succeed themselves and the term length
Page 6
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Chapter 5: The Court System in Texas
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which method of judicial selection is a system left over from colonial America?
A) partisan election
B) election by the legislature
C) appointment by the governor
D) nonpartisan election
Q2) What is the "age of majority" in Texas with regard to civil and criminal responsibility before the law?
A) 16
B) 17
C) 18
D) 21
Q3) How is juvenile justice handled in Texas? How could it be improved?
Q4) Which method of judicial selection leads to the lowest degree of judicial independence?
A) appointment by governor
B) merit/Missouri method
C) election by legislature
D) partisan election
Q5) Examine the Texas partisan judicial elective system and why it might be better called an "appointive-elective" system.
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Chapter 6: Local Governments in Texas
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Sample Questions
Q1) In which type of city government do voters elect people directly to oversee city departments?
A) council-manager
B) weak mayor
C) strong mayor
D) commission
Q2) One suggestion for reform of county government that has been frequently made over the past 70 years involves
A) provincial incorporation.
B) general law.
C) the commission system.
D) home rule.
Q3) San Antonio ran slates of candidates using a "nonpartisan organization" known as the
A) Good Government League.
B) Citizens Charter Association.
C) Business and Professional Association.
D) Chamber of Commerce.
Q4) Explain what is meant when local governments are called "creatures of the states."
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Chapter 7: Voting and Political Participation in Texas
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Sample Questions
Q1) In Texas,how long prior to an election must you register in order to be eligible to vote?
A) 0 days (same day registration)
B) 10 days
C) 15 days
D) 30 days
Q2) Discuss forms of political participation other than voting.Does one stand out as being more important than the others? Explain.
Q3) What is the impact of Texas political culture on political participation?
A) It strongly encourages political participation.
B) It moderately encourages political participation.
C) It has no significant effect on political participation.
D) It discourages political participation.
Q4) Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding "same-day" voter registration?
A) It leads to a higher rate of voter fraud.
B) It promotes higher voter turnout.
C) In states with large minority communities, it fosters lower voter turnout.
D) It was first tried in North Dakota.
Q5) Why is voter turnout typically quite low for local elections?
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Chapter 8: Elections and Campaigns in Texas
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Sample Questions
Q1) When did the Texas legislature change the rules to allow anyone to vote absentee without restrictions?
A) Texas has always allowed unrestricted absentee voting.
B) 1979
C) 1993
D) 2001
Q2) If you wanted to run for statewide office in Texas you could pay a filing fee of ________ or submit a petition with ________.
A) $9,000; 45,000 signatures
B) $4,000; 45,000 signatures
C) $500; signatures equaling 3 percent of the votes cast for the office in the past election
D) $53,000; signatures equaling 3 percent of the votes cast for the office in the past election
Q3) Discuss the regulation of campaign finances both in federal elections and in state elections in Texas.
Q4) What is party raiding? Does it have the potential to affect the outcome of a general election?
Q5) List the five types of primary systems.Choose one and argue why it is the best.
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Chapter 9: Political Parties in Texas
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Sample Questions
Q1) What alliance allowed the Democratic Party to dominate state politics in Texas from the later nineteenth century until the mid-twentieth century?
A) merchants and small farmers
B) small farmers and African Americans
C) merchants and landowners
D) oilmen and businessmen
Q2) Texas Republicans captured their second seat in the U.S.Senate with the election of ________ in 1992.
A) Ann Richards
B) Clayton Williams
C) Kay Bailey Hutchison
D) George W. Bush
Q3) Compare and contrast the presidential primary system to the caucus system for selecting delegates to the national convention.Why might civic and religious groups prefer the caucus system?
Q4) First discuss labor-intensive politics.Then examine the rise of capital-intensive politics and why it has weakened political parties.
Q5) Explain how Phil Gramm "converted" from a Democratic senator to a Republican.
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Chapter 10: Interest Groups and Lobbying in Texas
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Sample Questions
Q1) In which of the following regions of the country are you most likely to find a right-to-work state?
A) Midwest
B) South
C) Northeast
D) West Coast
Q2) The National Rifle Association (NRA),the U.S.Chamber of Commerce,Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD),and the National Education Association (NEA)are all examples of groups that are
A) government recognized special interest groups.
B) nonmembership organizations.
C) active on both the state and national levels.
D) barred from financial contributions to PACs.
Q3) Peak business associations are interest groups that represent A) statewide business interests.
B) seasonal business interests.
C) national business interests.
D) local business interests.
Q4) Why and how do interest groups engage in electioneering?
Q5) Discuss how Texas regulates interest groups.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Public Policy in Texas
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is a step in the policy-making cycle?
A) policy identification
B) policy setting
C) agenda formulation
D) policy evaluation
Q2) How are school districts financed in Texas? Why is this funding controversial?
Q3) Define the "10 percent rule." Argue for or against its fairness to students.
Q4) What are the main provisions of the Affordable Care Act? How did Governor Rick Perry react to its passage?
Q5) In lieu of purchasing workers' compensation insurance,employers in Texas
A) may require the employee to purchase the insurance.
B) can file a "tort" model exception for the employee with the health and safety board.
C) don't have to do anything, unless an injured employee files a civil law suit.
D) should have the union pay for the insurance out of mandatory dues.
Q6) In some cases,the policy implementation stage of the policy cycle is
A) skipped altogether because the new policy is symbolic.
B) the only part of the policy-making cycle that is actually carried out.
C) an alternative to policy adoption.
D) a time-honored role for legislators.
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Financing State Government
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Sample Questions
Q1) How are school districts funding their increased share of the cost of local education?
A) higher local property tax
B) the lottery
C) special excise taxes
D) federal grants
Q2) Health and human services is funded primarily with A) property taxes.
B) the lottery.
C) special excise taxes.
D) federal grants.
Q3) Explain how the selective use of sales tax in Texas contributes to the regressive nature of its tax structure.
Q4) Which of the following states had the highest taxable resources per capita in 2011?
A) Texas
B) Florida
C) California
D) South Carolina
Q5) What are collective benefits? Why do governments provide them?
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