Comparative State Politics Solved
Exam Questions
Course Introduction
Comparative State Politics examines the structures, processes, and outcomes of governance within states, focusing on the variation and similarities across different regions and political systems. The course explores how institutional design, political culture, party systems, public policy, and socio-economic factors shape state-level politics. Through comparative analysis, students gain an understanding of federalism, decentralization, policy innovation, and the impact of subnational political dynamics on national and global trends. Real-world case studies and theoretical frameworks equip students to critically evaluate the complex interplay between state governments and other political actors, highlighting the importance of comparative perspective in understanding domestic politics.
Recommended Textbook Government and Politics in the Lone Star State 8th Edition by L. Tucker Gibson
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13 Chapters
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Page 2
Chapter 1: The social and economic milieu of texas politics
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Sample Questions
Q1) In 2010, the rural population of Texas was about 12 percent of the population.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Urbanization and suburban sprawl
A) has been on the decline in Texas since Hurricane Katrina hit.
B) is characteristic of the current settlement pattern in Texas.
C) has brought about a significant increase in crime in Texas cities.
D) has slowed along the coastal regions but increased dramatically in West Texas. E) been managed effectively by the government with regards to increasing services.
Answer: B
Q3) The poverty level for a family of four in Texas in 2010 was set at ________.
A) $9,359
B) $10,450
C) $17,307
D) $22,050
E) $30,200
Answer: D
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3
Chapter 2: The texas constitution
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Sample Questions
Q1) School history texts, the celebration of key events and the development of a mythology of the independence period keep Texas's alive.
A) traditional culture
B) religious attitudes
C) hierarchical structure
D) educational system
E) historical uniqueness
Answer: E
Q2) Whenever a particularly contentious or politically dangerous issue has to be dealt with, the Texas Legislature has often avoided making a decision by putting the issue before the public in an amendment.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) Only four of the delegates who produced the current Texas constitution were native Texans.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Intergovernmental relationships
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Sample Questions
Q1) Of the fifty states ranked by per capita distribution of federal grants to state and local government, Texas ranks
A) fifth.
B) twenty-fifth.
C) in the middle third.
D) thirtieth.
E) near the bottom.
Answer: E
Q2) In addition to calling for the consolidation of categorical grants, President Nixon proposed replacing these programs with revenue sharing
A) to make the states more responsible for federal policy.
B) to take state income tax money and put it into a shared pot.
C) to allow recipients to use the money as they saw fit.
D) to make sure income tax money was split evenly.
E) to divide up funds with other state governments.
Answer: C
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Chapter 4: Interest groups and political power in texas
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Sample Questions
Q1) ________ is dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of African Americans.
A) LUCLAC
B) NOW
C) The NAACP
D) The Black Panthers
E) TEXPAC
Q2) Beginning with C.Wright Mills, many American scholars have been proponents of the elitist theory that argues for finding the best candidates to run for election.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Public interest advocates won an uncommon and significant victory in the 2003 session when legislators strengthened ethics laws for public officials and political candidates.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Discuss at least five resources interest groups have at their command.Explain how they employ these resources to reach their objectives and how they impact the success of a group.
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Chapter 5: The mass media in texas politics
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Sample Questions
Q1) Individuals and groups argue that the media are biased.What evidence can you offer to support or negate these claims? Discuss the extent to which you believe the Texas media to be biased and give specific examples to support your view.
Q2) Most Texas voters get to know a candidate through
A) televised images.
B) print media.
C) radio spots.
D) personal contact.
E) Internet images.
Q3) Newspaper reporters in the twenty-first century are much quicker
A) to accept information provided by public and governmental officials.
B) to reject information from public interest groups.
C) to question the motives of any government official or politician providing information to them.
D) to accept information coming from Washington, but not information coming from Austin.
E) to reject information from any government official or politician.
Q4) What role do the media play in the policymaking process? Discuss the media's role, giving specific examples.
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Chapter
6: The party system in Available Study Resources on Quizplus for this Chatper
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Q1) Explain the evolution of Texas from one-party Democratic state to a two-party state.Describe how this change could affect the power of interest groups.
Q2) Why have third parties achieved little success in Texas politics? Are there legal constraints that have prevented the rise of third parties?
Q3) Even though party loyalty is waning, scholars tend to agree that political parties still perform essential functions that other institutions cannot.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The difference between an interest group and a political party is that
A) an interest group exists to run the day-to-day business of government.
B) a political party seeks to enlist and nominate candidates.
C) a political party is only interested in certain issues.
D) an interest group seeks to enlist and nominate candidates.
E) a political party lobbies governmental officeholders.
Q5) In 1994, Democratic Governor Ann Richards unseated Republican nominee George W.Bush.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 7: Elections, campaigns, and political behavior
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Q1) Political culture in Texas has no "unwritten rules" as to how elections should be conducted and what candidates should and should not do.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The 2002 governor's race between Republican Rick Perry and Democrat Tony Sanchez was the most expensive governor's race up to that point in Texas state history with both spending nearly
A) $25 million.
B) $50 million.
C) $75 million.
D) $100 million.
E) $150 million.
Q3) Explain how minorities have made substantial gains in the electoral process in Texas over the last thirty years.Would this have been accomplished without federal intervention? Defend your answer.
Q4) The governor can call special elections to fill vacancies in certain offices.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 8: The texas legislature
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Sample Questions
Q1) Legislators' decisions are influenced by
A) constituents, national opinion, and lobbyists.
B) interest groups, constituents, and opinion polls.
C) the media, opinion polls, and national opinions.
D) constituents, interest groups, and the media.
E) the media, national opinions, and opinion polls.
Q2) Legislators receive retirement benefits that are almost triple the amount of their original legislative pay.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In addition to the formal rules of the legislature, there are unwritten rules that shape legislators' behavior called
A) agendas.
B) norms.
C) alliances.
D) associations.
E) tenets.
Q4) Trace the changes in partisanship of the Texas legislature from Democratic to Republican dominance. Why is partisanship increasing? Provide specific examples.
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Chapter 9: The texas executive
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Q1) Until Republican Bill Clements won the election in 1978, almost every governor since 1874 had been a Democrat.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The first woman elected governor in Texas was
A) Carole Keeton Strayhorn.
B) Kay Bailey Hutchison.
C) Frances "Sissy" Farenthold.
D) Ann Richards.
E) Miriam A. "Ma" Ferguson.
Q3) When George W.Bush became governor in 1994, he was fortunate to have vast formal government experience.
A)True
B)False
Q4) What is the primary responsibility of the secretary of state?
A) overseeing the Texas congressional delegation
B) maintaining official records concerning the executive branch
C) administering state election laws
D) granting charters to corporations and towns
E) representing the interests of Texas in Washington, D.C.
Page 11
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Chapter 10: The bureaucracy and policy implementation
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Texas Workforce Commission is responsible for A) overseeing the hiring process for new public workers.
B) assisting agencies in recruiting by listing all state job openings .
C) establishing policies on vacations, holidays, and retirement.
D) overseeing the states classification schedule.
E) providing a link between state unions and the government.
Q2) Why do so many people express a great deal of ambivalence, if not hostility, toward bureaucracies and those who are employed by government?
Q3) What is the bureaucracy and how does it serve the people of Texas? What are the characteristic of the bureaucracy?
Q4) Since the ________, numerous federal grants have required states to enact a merit system for the state employees administering them.
A) 1930s
B) 1940s
C) 1950s
D) 1960s
E) 1980s
Q5) How would you describe the personnel system in Texas? Defend your answer.
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Chapter 11: The judicial system in texas
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is meant by judicial activism, and why do many people object to this role of the court in policymaking? What changes have been proposed to limit judicial activism by changing elections?
Q2) Why did the U.S.Supreme Court halt executions in all states in 1972?
A) Capital punishment was halted for three months as the Supreme Court investigated the legality of it when the U.S. signed a UN humanitarian charter the same year.
B) It declared capital punishment unconstitutional as it violated the constitutional prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment because it could be applied in a discriminatory fashion.
C) Earlier that year, Congress had passed legislation banning the death penalty, and the U.S. Supreme Court upheld it following a lengthy court battle.
D) A five-month moratorium was placed on the death penalty after it was revealed that in the previous year fifty-six people were wrongly executed following the discovery of new evidence
E) It declared that several execution methods were cruel and unjust, and banned the death penalty until lethal injection was introduced in all states that had capital punishment.
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Local government in texas: cities, towns, counties, and special districts
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Sample Questions
Q1) Rather than creating an orderly, comprehensive educational system that assured a good education to every Texas child, the state decided to allow the creation of A) 181 county educational districts.
B) one-room schools.
C) regional schools.
D) private schools.
E) community schools.
Q2) Privatization gives cities options for
A) dealing with ceilings on bond debts for capital improvements by renting facilities from private contractors.
B) new leaders for the government because they are having trouble finding candidates to run for office.
C) tax collection by allowing them to collect fees for services not allowed by the Texas Constitution.
D) city management, then the city councils can spend their time developing new ordinances instead of worrying about administrative duties.
E) dealing with disagreements and conflicts with county and other city governments.
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Chapter 13: Contemporary public policy issues in texas
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the decades following the Ruiz decision, Texas dealt with the problem of its overcrowded prisons by
A) increasing its parole rate, even to the point of paroling violent offenders.
B) accepting convicted felons at state prisons so that county jails did not have to house them.
C) doubling the size of the prison system.
D) tripling the size of the prison system.
E) early release programs for nonviolent drug offenders.
Q2) Businesses do not pay personal income taxes.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Revenues from gambling in Texas have helped justify lower tax rates.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In 2012-2013,_____percent of the Texas budget was devoted to education.
A) 11
B) 51
C) 31
D) 21
E) 42
Page 15
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