Government in America: Texas Perspective Practice Questions
Course Introduction
This course offers an in-depth exploration of the structures, functions, and processes of government in the United States, with a special emphasis on the state of Texas. Students will examine the foundations of American government, the U.S. and Texas Constitutions, federalism, and the complex interactions between national, state, and local governments. The course also analyzes the roles of political parties, interest groups, and the media, as well as the legislative, executive, and judicial branches specific to Texas. Through this Texas-centric perspective, students gain insight into how public policy is formulated and implemented, and how citizens can engage in the democratic process at both state and national levels.
Recommended Textbook Governing Texas 1st Edition by Anthony Champagne
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13 Chapters
842 Verified Questions
842 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: The Political Culture, People, and Economy of Texas
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55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Oil was first discovered in West Texas in 1842.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Historically, the economy of Fort Worth has been associated with what industry?
A) oil
B) cattle
C) computer technology
D) shipping
E) cotton
Answer: B
Q3) Which statement regarding urbanization in Texas is incorrect?
A) More than 85 percent of Texans now live in urban areas.
B) Historically, Texas urbanization depended on the spread of the railroads.
C) The origins of cities in Texas are found in Native American civilizations.
D) Urban development started in east Texas and spread west.
E) In the 1850s, only about 4 percent of Texans lived in urban areas.
Answer: C
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Chapter 2: Texas and the Nation
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70 Verified Questions
70 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prevents state governments from imposing "cruel and unusual" punishments.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Because of single-party dominance, Texas's members of Congress easily built up seniority and were quite powerful during the Wilson era.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) After the Civil War and Reconstruction had ended, politics in Texas were dominated for several decades by
A) the Republican Party.
B) the Whig Party.
C) the Progressive Party.
D) no political party with any consistency.
E) the Democratic Party.
Answer: E
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Chapter 3: The Texas Constitution
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56 Verified Questions
56 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is not found in the Texas bill of rights?
A) guarantees of equal treatment under law
B) guarantees of no religious tests for officeholders
C) the right to employment
D) the right to trial by jury
E) freedom of religious worship
Answer: C
Q2) There have been no serious attempts in recent years to change the Texas Constitution.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) The Texas Constitution creates two top appellate courts, one for civil cases and one for criminal cases.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Political Parties in Texas
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70 Verified Questions
70 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The most important role for political parties in Texas elections is to
A) fund the candidate's campaigns.
B) offer the candidate a label by which he or she can identify with the voters.
C) lead get-out-the-vote drives.
D) create political action committees.
E) fund television and radio campaign advertisements.
Q2) African Americans have the largest percentage share of voters in Texas.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Describe the structure of political parties and elections in Texas. What are the different levels of party organization?
Q4) The main role of the precinct convention is to select delegates for the county-level convention.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Describe the history of Texas as a one-party state. Which party dominated Texas politics, and what are the historical origins behind this dominance? What were some of the ramifications of one-party rule? What caused the rise of a two-party system in Texas?
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Chapter 5: Elections in Texas
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70 Verified Questions
70 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Preclearance is required by
A) the Texas Constitution.
B) the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
C) the U.S. Constitution.
D) the U.S. Supreme Court, as in the case of Smith v. Allwright.
E) the Texas legislature.
Q2) Poll taxes, such as those used in Texas, disenfranchised poor voters.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following is NOT a requirement to vote in Texas?
A) U.S. citizenship
B) being at least eighteen years of age
C) being a resident of Texas for at least one year
D) being a resident of the county for thirty days
E) property ownership
Q4) Republicans have won every statewide election in Texas since 1994.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain why it is difficult to be elected as an independent candidate in Texas.
Page 7
Q6) Discuss how political parties organize elections and the electorate in Texas.
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Chapter 6: Interest Groups and Lobbying
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52 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What does it mean for an interest group to "get on the late train"?
A) The group's lobbyists are unable to gain access to key politicians until after all opposing lobbyists have been heard.
B) An interest group gives contributions after the election to a winning candidate the group had earlier opposed.
C) A PAC donates money for a candidate in the general election but not in the primaries.
D) An interest group picks up on an issue only after public-opinion polling shows a great deal of support.
E) The group donates money to a campaign that eventually loses the election.
Q2) Incumbents are most likely to receive large campaign contributions. A)True B)False
Q3) No large interest groups in Texas represent the environment. A)True B)False
Q4) Describe some of the different types of interest groups operating in Texas. Which ones have been the most influential? What are some interests that have been underrepresented in Texas?
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Page 8
Chapter 7: The Texas Legislature
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53 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) A special legislative session may last as long as it takes to complete the session's agenda.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In the Texas legislature, all bills dealing with state revenue must
A) start in the House of Representatives.
B) be initiated by the governor's official budget plan.
C) pass both houses of the legislature with a two-thirds majority.
D) be approved by the state supreme court before becoming law.
E) start in the state senate.
Q3) In the Texas legislature, the referral of a bill to a standing committee in the House and the senate is the job of the
A) governor.
B) secretary of state.
C) Speaker of the House and lieutenant governor.
D) sergeant of the House and senate.
E) chair of the committee to which the bill is being referred.
Q4) The typical Texas legislator is a white, upper-class, male Protestant.
A)True
B)False
Page 9
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Chapter 8: The Texas Executive Branch
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55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The ______ is the oldest state agency in Texas.
A) General Land Office
B) Texas Ranger Division
C) Railroad Commission
D) Department of Public Safety
E) Agriculture Commission
Q2) What is the basic structure of the Texas bureaucracy? What are some of the problems of accountability in the bureaucracy, and what have been some of the solutions to these problems? What is the function of the Sunset Advisory Commission?
Q3) In Texas, which officer in the plural executive is not elected by voters?
A) the secretary of state
B) the attorney general
C) the comptroller
D) the lieutenant governor
E) the commissioner of agriculture
Q4) The Texas governor has many formal powers, making him or her one of the United States's strongest chief executives.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: The Texas Judiciary
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77 Verified Questions
77 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following supported the amendment proposed by Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock to update the countywide election process?
A) Governor George W. Bush
B) Hispanic voters
C) the business community
D) African American voters
E) the Republican Party
Q2) Which of the following is not a part of the "appoint-elect-retain" concept to judicial elections?
A) The governor appoints a judge.
B) The state senate confirms with two-thirds approval of the members.
C) The governor-appointed nominee does not assume office until confirmed by the senate.
D) The nominee goes through a vetting process to confirm his or her ability to fill the position.
E) The judge runs in a contested nonpartisan election and subsequent retention elections.
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11
Chapter 10: Crime and Corrections Policy
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69 Verified Questions
69 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) An individual convicted of a nonviolent crime must serve how much of his or her term before being considered for parole?
A) half of his or her sentence
B) at least one-third of his or her sentence
C) at least one-fourth of fifteen years, or whichever is less
D) at least fifteen years
E) There is no established amount of time for a criminal to serve before parole review.
Q2) Which of the following is not a reason that an individual can be given the death penalty in Texas?
A) murder for hire
B) murder during the commission of an aggravated rape
C) murder of a child under the age of twelve
D) murder of a public safety officer, fireman, or correctional employee
E) murder by a prison inmate serving a life sentence
Q3) If a grand jury returns a "no bill," they did not find probable cause to move forward with a criminal trial.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 11: Public Finance in Texas
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74 Verified Questions
74 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Federal funds appropriated in Texas generally are
A) widely disbursed across numerous state agencies.
B) concentrated in one agency.
C) concentrated on a few state agencies.
D) determined at each annual legislative session.
E) earmarked almost exclusively to education.
Q2) Texas maintains a balanced budget because the state Constitution requires it.
A)True
B)False
Q3) According to our text, what determines the amount of tax revenue generated from oil and natural gas produced in Texas?
A) the minimum wage and unemployment rate
B) market price and the amount produced
C) federal regulations and excise taxes imposed by the federal government
D) pipeline construction and environmental issues
E) refinery capacity and foreign competition
Q4) Federal expenditures play an important role in the Texas state budget.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the budgetary process in Texas.
Page 13
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Chapter 12: Public Policy in Texas
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Sample Questions
Q1) Among the most important findings of the 1983 report were
A) graduation rates were improving and dropout rates were increasing.
B) dropout rates were increasing and test scores were improving.
C) test scores were declining and functional illiteracy was increasing.
D) functional illiteracy was decreasing and test scores were improving.
E) graduation rates and functional illiteracy were both increasing.
Q2) One important consequence of the "law of capture" concept is that it
A) encourages the responsible use of available water equally among all residents.
B) distorts the federal government influence over water policy in Texas.
C) forces businesses and corporations to be good community citizens.
D) encourages landowners to take as much water as possible from groundwater sources.
E) ensures that Texas will never face water scarcity.
Q3) Explain some of the potential or current consequences of the Affordable Health Care Act and health care policy in Texas.
Q4) Why does Texas have a relatively underperforming public education sector in comparison to national norms and averages?
Q5) What are some of the considerations in evaluating welfare policy?
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Chapter 13: Local Government in Texas
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59 Verified Questions
59 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) How are most special districts in Texas administered?
A) County judges administer all special districts within their jurisdiction.
B) They are run by a board elected by residents within the district.
C) For each special district, the governor appoints members to a review board.
D) They are run by special district administrators who answer directly to the state legislature.
E) The county commissioners' court administers all special districts within its jurisdiction.
Q2) General-law cities have more autonomy from the state than home-rule charter cities.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following is the most common form of local government in Texas?
A) county government
B) municipal government
C) special districts
D) city government
E) state government
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