Political Science Exam Review
Course Introduction
Political Science is the systematic study of government, political institutions, public policies, and political behavior. The course explores the foundations and functions of political systems at local, national, and international levels, introducing students to key concepts such as power, authority, democracy, and governance. Through comparative analysis, theoretical frameworks, and case studies, students gain insight into policy-making processes, the role of ideologies, and the impact of political decisions on society. The course equips students with critical thinking, analytical, and research skills, preparing them for careers in government, public administration, law, and international relations.
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
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/3149 Page 2
Chapter 1: Introduction to Texas History and Politics
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50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/62366
Sample Questions
Q1) Which tribe primarily settled in the eastern part of what we now call Texas?
A) Caddo
B) Creole
C) Comanche
D) Kiowa
Answer: A
Q2) Which group was forced to adopt the traditionalistic political subculture because of their subservient role?
A) Anglos
B) African American slaves
C) Mexicans
D) German and Midwestern settlers
Answer: B
Q3) Who won the battle that led to the independence of Texas from Mexico?
A) Steve Austin
B) James Fannin
C) Sam Houston
D) General Santa Anna
Answer: C
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Page 3
Chapter 2: The Texas State Constitution and the American
Federal System
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46 Verified Questions
46 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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
Q2) Ideally,a constitution should be
A) detailed and specific.
B) frequently amended.
C) brief and explicit.
D) unable to be amended.
Answer: C
Q3) By what authority did the U.S.Congress create a national bank in 1790?
A) U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Marbury v. Madison
B) Article 8 of the U.S. Constitution
C) Interstate Commerce Clause
D) Necessary and Proper Clause
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: The Texas Legislature
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50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Multimember districts promote majority representation or domination,and single-member districts can promote ________ representation.
A) democratic
B) geographical
C) republican
D) equal
Answer: B
Q2) Redistricting is
A) generally synonymous with reapportionment.
B) the process of allocating U.S. senators to districts.
C) carefully controlled by a commission of the United States Congress.
D) drawing district boundary lines for political advantage.
Answer: A
Q3) The House and Senate can override a governor's veto with a _________ vote.
A) majority
B) three-fifths
C) two-thirds
D) four-fifths
Answer: C
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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
47 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In Texas the trend in recent years has been to expand the staff of the governor's office.Who was the first Texas governor to use a professional staff of advisors?
A) George W. Bush
B) John Connally
C) Bill Clements
D) Dolph Briscoe
Q2) Which of the following informal qualifications for governor is nearly universal in Texas?
A) fraternal membership
B) military service
C) holding a law degree
D) having previously held elected office
Q3) Unlike most other statewide governing offices,what governing body has varied greatly in form and structure over the years?
A) Office of the Attorney General
B) State Board of Education
C) General Land Office
D) Texas Department of Agriculture
Q4) What are the informal powers of the Texas governor?
Page 6
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Chapter 5: The Court System in Texas
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46 Verified Questions
46 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) How are trial court judges selected in Texas?
A) the Missouri system
B) retention election
C) partisan election
D) gubernatorial appointment
Q2) Free or reduced-fee legal representation is known as
A) public defense.
B) pro bono.
C) the Texas Bar Association's Lawyers Giving Back program.
D) the Texas indigent client program.
Q3) Which state has the highest rate of incarceration?
A) Missouri
B) Louisiana
C) Alabama
D) Texas
Q4) What is the most important difference between trial and appellate courts?
A) deciding points of fact versus points of law
B) the level of citizen participation
C) the number of judges
D) jurisdiction
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Chapter 6: Local Governments in Texas
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48 Verified Questions
48 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the composition of the county commissioner's court?
A) five county commissioners, with one member appointed county judge
B) a three-judge panel and four county commissioners
C) a district clerk and four county commissioners
D) a county judge and four county commissioners
Q2) For incorporation to proceed in Texas,first a minimum population of ________ citizens must be living within a two-square-mile area.
A) 201
B) 501
C) 1,001
D) 2,501
Q3) List and describe the three basic forms city governments have taken in Texas.
Q4) The authority to establish and maintain a free public school system is contained in which article of the Texas Constitution?
A) Article 3
B) Article 5
C) Article 7
D) Article 9
Q5) Why is voter turnout usually so low in local elections?
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Chapter 7: Voting and Political Participation in Texas
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43 Verified Questions
43 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In a recent survey of Texas adults,approximately ________ of respondents reported encouraging others to vote for a particular candidate.
A) one-quarter
B) half
C) three-quarters
D) None of these answers is correct.
Q2) In what decade was the poll tax abolished in Texas?
A) 1890s
B) 1920s
C) 1940s
D) 1960s
Q3) The expansion of political participation in the southern U.S.states has come about largely because of
A) suffrage movements of the early twentieth century.
B) federal government intervention.
C) the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
D) the civil rights movement.
Q4) Define the voter participation measurement known as voting-age population,and discuss the errors inherent in this measurement.
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Chapter 8: Elections and Campaigns in Texas
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43 Verified Questions
43 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Discuss the runoff primary.Why does it exist? What are its benefits and its drawbacks?
Q2) To qualify for minor-party status,a party must have won at least __ percent of the votes in a race for statewide office in the last general election.
A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 5
Q3) Texas is required to use a bilingual ballot for all elections in counties that contain more than ________ percent Spanish-speaking residents.
A) 5
B) 10
C) 15
D) 20
Q4) List the five types of sound-bite commercials listed in the chapter.Define two of them.
Q5) What is party raiding? Does it have the potential to affect the outcome of a general election?
Q6) List the five types of primary systems.Choose one and argue why it is the best.
Page 10
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Chapter 9: Political Parties in Texas
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45 Verified Questions
45 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Compared to primary system,the caucus system requires more
A) professional organization.
B) local organization.
C) guidance from the national party.
D) mass media buys.
Q2) What political reforms have weakened political parties?
Q3) Whose election as governor in 1978 marked the real beginning of two-party politics in Texas?
A)John Tower
B)Phil Gramm
C)Lyndon B.Johnson
D)Bill Clements
Q4) Labor-intensive politics historically included all of the following EXCEPT
A) broadcast advertising.
B) selecting candidates.
C) organizing campaigns.
D) printing election ballots.
Q5) What factors make it so difficult for third parties to achieve major party status? What reforms would make it more likely third parties would be successful?
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Chapter 10: Interest Groups and Lobbying in Texas
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43 Verified Questions
43 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Compare and contrast retail trade associations and professional associations.
Q2) Discuss the strength and role of private-sector and public-sector unions in Texas.What accounts for the relative strength or weakness of such unions?
Q3) The Coalition of Health Insurance Choice (CHIC)mobilized opposition to
A) the Affordable Healthcare Act.
B) President Clinton's health care proposal.
C) "Obamacare."
D) Medicaid and Medicare.
Q4) When are PACs prohibited from making contributions to members of the Texas state legislature?
A) never; they are free to contribute whenever they wish
B) during the regular 140-day session only
C) the period beginning 30 days before and ending 30 days after the regular session
D) in odd calendar years, i.e. 1971, 1973
Q5) What are the main activities lobbyists engage in?
Q6) Discuss how Texas regulates interest groups.
Q7) Explain the effects of economic diversity as it relates to the relative number and size of interest groups.
Page 12
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Chapter 11: Public Policy in Texas
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44 Verified Questions
44 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Texas Veterans Leadership Program,established in 2008 under the Texas Workforce Commission,focuses on
A) veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
B) various types of land, home, and home-improvement loans to veterans.
C) veterans of the Vietnam War.
D) None of these answers is correct.
Q2) 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.
Q3) What rationale did some legislators use when they opposed Governor Rick Perry's executive order requiring all Texas schoolgirls to be vaccinated against the human papillomavirus?
A) The young women would become more promiscuous.
B) The vaccine was an unneeded financial burden on the state.
C) The young women would become stigmatized.
D) The vaccine was as yet unproven in clinical trials.
Q4) How are school districts financed in Texas? Why is this funding controversial?
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Chapter 12: Financing State Government
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42 Verified Questions
42 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What are the main suggestions for increasing government revenue? Pick two and discuss the pros and cons of each.
Q2) Define and compare regressive taxes,progressive taxes,and proportional taxes.Which type of tax is most common in Texas? Why?
Q3) In a comparison of the 15 most populous states,where did Texas rank in the amount of revenue raised per $1,000 of personal income?
A) It was the median.
B) highest
C) near the lowest
D) near the highest
Q4) Almost three-quarters of the states that do not have a personal income tax system are
A) among the "Terrible Ten."
B) progressive in their overall tax system.
C) in the Old South.
D) on the east coast.
Q5) Name and describe the form of corporate "income tax" Texas uses.To whom does it apply? How has it changed since its creation?
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