Political Science Exam Review
Course Introduction
Political Science explores the theory and practice of government, political processes, and political behavior. The course examines a range of topics, including the development and functioning of political institutions, the formulation and implementation of public policy, and the dynamics of power and conflict both within and between nations. Students will analyze foundational theories, compare different political systems, and evaluate the role of citizens, parties, and interest groups in shaping public decisions. Through a combination of theoretical frameworks and real-world case studies, the course aims to deepen understanding of the forces that influence local, national, and global politics.
Recommended Textbook
Government and Politics in the Lone Star State 8th Edition by L. Tucker Gibson
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13 Chapters
1040 Verified Questions
1040 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/454 Page 2
Chapter 1: The social and economic milieu of texas politics
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8055
Sample Questions
Q1) Over the past twenty years, Hispanics and African Americans in Texas have failed to make significant political or economic gains.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Political culture can best be defined as ________ that give order and meaning to the political process.
A) economic beliefs and goals
B) preconceived ideals
C) religious ideals
D) information and assumptions
E) a set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments
Answer: E
Q3) There has been little debate about redistricting to increase Hispanic and African American representation in the Texas state legislature and the U.S.Congress.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Chapter 2: The texas constitution
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79 Verified Questions
79 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8056
Sample Questions
Q1) Governor Dolph Briscoe suggested that the existing constitution had served the state well and would continue to be adequate for the future.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Under the 1876 constitution, law making authority was vested in an elected
A) congress with a total of 254 members.
B) legislature with a combined membership of 151.
C) bicameral legislature composed of 181 members.
D) unicameral legislature with 140 members.
E) unicameral legislature with 50 members.
Answer: C
Q3) It is difficult to make wholesale changes to the Texas Constitution because A) few groups and interests benefit from the existing constitution.
B) Texas citizens value its wording and language too much.
C) Texas has a long history of support of state and local government.
D) the legislature is hesitant to propose amendments to the constitution.
E) in the vernacular of the lay person, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
Answer: E
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Intergovernmental relationships
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8057
Sample Questions
Q1) According to the text, a major factor in illegal immigration is
A) the failure of the U.S. economy.
B) the attractive employment opportunities south of the border.
C) the political stability in Central America.
D) that it was legal to hire an illegal alien until 1986.
E) that Cubans can become legal as soon as they set foot on U.S. soil.
Answer: D
Q2) The U.S.Constitution provides for the return of a person accused of a crime to the state in which the crime was committed.This process between the states is called A) extradition.
B) exposition.
C) inquisition.
D) a change of venue.
E) interdiction.
Answer: A
Q3) If a person commits a crime in Texas, they cannot escape trial by fleeing Texas.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Interest groups and political power in texas
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8058
Sample Questions
Q1) Interest groups representing the educational community on the primary and secondary level include groups for
A) teachers, custodians, and principals.
B) school boards, teachers, and parents.
C) principals, parents, and teachers.
D) teachers, school boards, and principals.
E) school boards, teachers, and custodians.
Q2) ADAPT is an activist group concerned with
A) public utility rates.
B) services and facilities for the disabled.
C) the civil rights of minorities.
D) consumer rights.
E) adapting workers to changes in the economy.
Q3) Iron triangles consisting of ________ can often lead to such close relationships that regulation becomes difficult.
A) interest groups, the plural executive, and political parties
B) interest groups, administrative agencies, and legislative committees
C) the media, the governor, and administrative agencies
D) political parties, interest groups, and administrative agencies
E) legislative committees, the elite, and interest groups
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Chapter 5: The mass media in texas politics
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8059
Sample Questions
Q1) Campaign strategy for most major candidates includes scheduling daily appearances such as visiting a school with ________ in mind, despite it only providing superficial coverage.
A) Internet media
B) print media
C) radio newscasts
D) travel plans
E) television newscasts
Q2) Dramatic changes in mass communications over the past forty years, primarily the emergence of ________, have had a major impact on the role of the media in government and politics.
A) talk radio
B) national-level public access cable stations
C) television
D) PBS
E) public radio
Q3) Discuss at least two of the more significant changes in the ownership patterns of Texas newspapers, including the consequences of these changes.
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Chapter 6: The party system in
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8060
Sample Questions
Q1) There were Democratic candidates for all of the nine statewide offices up for election in 2000.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The tea party, which became a driving force in Texas politics following the election of President Barack Obama, is a
A) political party.
B) political movement.
C) fringe party.
D) special interest group.
E) social movement.
Q3) _______ occurs when voters decide to divide their votes among candidates of more than one political party in the same election.
A) Down the line voting
B) Ticket splitting
C) Election farming
D) Strategic voting
E) Ballot stuffing
Q4) Define political parties.How do they differ from interest groups?
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Chapter 7: Elections, campaigns, and political behavior
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8061
Sample Questions
Q1) ________ are more likely to participate in political activities.
A) Less educated older people
B) Younger high-income earners
C) Low-income minorities
D) Female low-income earners
E) Highly educated older people
Q2) Political socialization is the process through which people learn to behave politically.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Ina democracy, elections enable individuals to
A) prove the saying that "it doesn't matter who gets elected."
B) control their leaders and provide judgment on past actions.
C) support certain interest groups and political action committees.
D) place grand expectations on the media and politicians.
E) vote for their preferred politicians and issues.
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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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8062
Sample Questions
Q1) Apportionment and redistricting address fundamental questions of who should be represented and
A) how they will be represented.
B) who pays the costs of campaigning.
C) who pays the costs of holding primary and general elections.
D) how often appropriations will be dispensed.
E) how the budget priorities should be set.
Q2) Why is the committee system considered the backbone of the legislative process? What are the different types and roles of committees?
Q3) An emotionally charged issue in 1999 was an attempt by some Democrats to strengthen the state law against hate crimes.Republicans disliked the bill because it raised the penalties for discriminatory crimes against African Americans.
A)True B)False
Q4) The work of the Texas legislature is given extensive coverage across the state. A)True B)False
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Chapter 9: The texas executive
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8063
Sample Questions
Q1) Only two of the more than 200 state boards and commissions have elected members.Which boards or commissions have elected members?
A) the Railroad Commission and the State Board of Education
B) the Pardons and Paroles Board and the State Board of Education
C) the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Railroad Commission
D) the State Board of Education and the State Treasurer's Commission
E) the State Treasurer's Commission and the Railroad Commission
Q2) What are the appointive powers of the governor? Is the office of the Texas governor weak or strong because of its appointive powers?
Q3) The governor is legally responsible for ordering state officials to carry out extradition requests.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In Texas, there is no single elected official ultimately responsible for the executive branch of state government.
A)True
B)False
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11
Chapter 10: The bureaucracy and policy implementation
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81 Verified Questions
81 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8064
Sample Questions
Q1) In most cases the Sunset Commission will propose that an agency be terminated or consolidated with another agency.
A)True
B)False
Q2) 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
Q3) In 2010, Texas ranked forty-eighth among the states in per capita spending by state governments, despite the almost doubling of state spending in the last ten years.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Explain why public employees are reluctant to "blow the whistle" on the actions of the agencies for which they work.Are protections for whistle-blowing a good thing? Defend your answer.
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Page 12
Chapter 11: The judicial system in texas
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8065
Sample Questions
Q1) Chief Justice Hill resigned from the Texas Supreme Court to lobby for changing the method of selecting judges in Texas.
A)True
B)False
Q2) District and county clerks make up eligible jurors lists from
A) voter registration cards and Department of Public Safety identification cards.
B) state property tax and federal income tax rolls.
C) federal income tax and voter's registration cards.
D) Texas driver's licenses and Department of Public Safety identification cards.
E) voter registration cards and Texas driver's licenses.
Q3) Governor ________ appointed the first African American to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
A) Mark White
B) Bill Clements
C) Ann Richards
D) George W. Bush
E) Rick Perry
Q4) How do federal courts have a major effect on Texas government policies and criminal justice?
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Chapter 12: Local government in texas: cities, towns, counties, and special districts
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8066
Sample Questions
Q1) The state has granted Texas cities range of discretionary power over organizational structure and local public policy.
A) a very limited
B) an unlimited
C) a wide
D) no
E) an inconsistent
Q2) Describe some of the inherent inequities of an independent school district system.Name some of the reforms that have been tried to mitigate these problems.Have they been effective?
Q3) The population characteristics of Texas cities change over time, and major metropolitan areas have experienced a(n) to the suburbs.
A) "Hispanic flight"
B) "white flight"
C) "African American flight"
D) "senior's flight"
E) "affluent flight"
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Page 14
Chapter 13: Contemporary public policy issues in texas
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8067
Sample Questions
Q1) Texas government made a commitment to modernize the state criminal justice system starting in the 1950s.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Describe the stages of the policy process.In your opinion, which stage is most crucial to successful public policies? Justify your answer.
Q3) Which of the following statements is correct regarding regular sessions of the Texas legislature?
A) A one-year budget must be written.
B) A two-year budget must be written.
C) Sessions may be canceled if the first year budget produces a surplus.
D) Budgets are not discussed in regular sessions.
E) A three-year budget must be written.
Q4) In 2010, nearly one-fifth of Texas children had no health insurance.
A)True B)False
Q5) Businesses do not pay personal income taxes.
A)True
B)False
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