Political Science: Texas Emphasis Exam Preparation
Guide
Course Introduction
This course offers a comprehensive overview of political science with a specialized focus on Texas politics, government, and public policy. Students examine the structure and function of the Texas government, the states constitution, electoral systems, political parties, and interest groups. The course also explores Texass historical political development, its unique regional identity, and how state-level politics intersects with national governance. Emphasis is placed on understanding contemporary political issues in Texas, analyzing legislative processes, and engaging with debates that shape the future of the state.
Recommended Textbook
Texas Politics 12th Edition by Charldean Newell
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14 Chapters
798 Verified Questions
798 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: The Context of Texas Politics
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62 Verified Questions
62 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Following the Civil War,most African Americans in Texas voted for A) Republicans.
B) Democrats.
C) Populists.
D) Greenbacks.
E) Whigs.
Answer: A
Q2) The first native Texan to be elected governor was
A) Sam Houston.
B) Davy Crockett.
C) Richard Coke.
D) James S. Hogg.
E) J. Davis.
Answer: D
Q3) If current population trends hold,the population of Texas will be over 50 percent Hispanic by 2020.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 3
Chapter 2: The Constitutional Setting
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60 Verified Questions
60 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Article VI of the U.S.Constitution provides that in the case of a conflict between the U.S.Constitution and a state constitution,
A) the U.S. Constitution invariably takes precedence.
B) the state constitution invariably takes precedence.
C) the issue involved determines which document takes precedence.
D) the question of precedence must be settled by the U.S. Congress.
E) the question of precedence must be settled by the state legislature.
Answer: A
Q2) Home Rule cities have very limited powers and cannot write their own city laws.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q3) In Texas,the traditionalistic-individualistic political culture resulted in a heavy emphasis on limiting government's ability to act.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Chapter 3: Interest Groups
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59 Verified Questions
59 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following interest groups is noteworthy for using the courts as an avenue to achieve success in the policy process?
A) The Texas Research League
B) The Texas Good Roads and Transportation Association
C) The Texas Federation of Teachers
D) The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
E) Common Cause
Answer: D
Q2) Interest group power in Texas is classified as dominant/complementary.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) The Texas constitutional provision banning union membership a condition for employment is called the
A) Annie's list law.
B) antiunion law.
C) wage and salary law.
D).state umbrella labor law.
E) right to work law.
Answer: E
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Chapter 4: Political Parties
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54 Verified Questions
54 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) After Reconstruction ended,most Texans came to identify with the ____ party.
A) Federalist
B) Whig
C) Republican
D) Democratic
E) Populist
Q2) Identify and explain the major functions of political parties.Explain how well political parties in Texas perform these functions.Discuss what factors,if any; suggest that the parties are improving in their performance of these functions.
Q3) The primary purpose of the precinct convention in Texas is to
A) count the primary election votes.
B) discuss strategy for the next election.
C) select delegates to the county convention.
D) raise money for the party.
E) select the precinct party chair.
Q4) Liberals tend to dominate in all of North Texas,the Panhandle,and the south plains.
A)True
B)False
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Page 6
Chapter 5: Voting,campaigns,and Elections
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57 Verified Questions
57 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Elections and campaigns in Texas are incompatible with democratic theory for which of the following reasons?
A) The low voter turnout in state elections raises questions about the legitimacy of government, and the disproportionately high turnout of minority voters biases the patterns of public policy.
B) The disproportionately high turnout of minority voters biases the patterns of public policy, and the impact of money on campaigns suggests that wealthy elites control the policy process.
C) The impact of money on campaigns suggests that wealthy elites control the policy process, and men vote at much higher rates than women.
D) The disproportionately high turnout of minority voters biases the patterns of public policy, and men vote at much higher rates than women.
E) The low voter turnout in state elections raises questions about the legitimacy of government, and the impact of money on campaigns suggests that wealthy elites control the policy process.
Q2) Primary elections in Texas are administered entirely by party officials.
A)True
B)False
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Page 7
Chapter 6: The Texas Legislature
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63 Verified Questions
63 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Only members of the Texas House of Representatives can "tag" a bill.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Explain how the emergence of a two-party system in the state had affected the organization of the Texas legislature.Discuss how the selection of Joe Straus as Speaker in 2009 represented a desire to return to the nonpartisan traditions of the Texas House.
Q3) In Texas,either the governor or the legislature may call a special legislative session.
A)True
B)False
Q4) When a bill is pigeonholed by a committee,it is
A) given the highest priority.
B) placed on the calendar.
C) given a special rule by the rules committee.
D) put on the bottom of a committee's agenda never to be seen again.
E) earmarked to receive favorable consideration from the appropriations committee.
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Chapter 7: The Governor
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58 Verified Questions
58 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Texas Governor's veto power is absolute when
A) the bill being vetoed is produced during a special (called) session.
B) the bill being vetoed is an itemized appropriations bill.
C) the veto occurs within ten days of the time the bill is sent to the Governor.
D) the legislature adjourns prior to the exercise of the veto.
E) it is accompanied by an Attorney General's opinion declaring the law unconstitutional.
Q2) The Texas Constitution lists malfeasance,misfeasance,and nonfeasance in office as grounds for the impeachment of the Governor.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The Governor's power with regard to acts of clemency (mercy)is restricted to one thirty-day reprieve for an individual sentenced to death. A)True B)False
Q4) Traditionally,the governor of Texas has dominated the budget process. A)True B)False
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9
Chapter 8: The Administrative State
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55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Texas Constitution permits the legislature to appropriate more funds than are anticipated in state revenues for any biennial period.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Discuss the tensions or contradictions between democracy and bureaucracy.Illustrate the tensions with examples from the text or from case studies in contemporary Texas politics.
Q3) All but which one of the following are features of modern bureaucracies?
A) Authority and accountability are diffused.
B) Agency staffers are very much involved in politics.
C) Modern bureaucracies are divorced from outside control.
D) Managers are relied on to oversee policy implementation and to serve as brokers between citizens and elected officials.
E) Modern organizations are static and rarely reorganize.
Q4) The long ballot in Texas tends to increase the accountability of administrators to the public.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 9: The Judiciary
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57 Verified Questions
57 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The highest appeals court for criminal matters in Texas is the
A) Supreme Court.
B) Court of Criminal Appeals.
C) Court of Appeals.
D) Court of Grand Appeals.
E) Justice of the Peace.
Q2) The district courts usually have jurisdiction over felony criminal trials,divorce cases,suits over title to land,election contests,and civil suits in which the amount of controversy is at least $1,000.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In Texas,all judges except municipal judges are
A) appointed by the governor.
B) chosen in partisan elections.
C) chosen in nonpartisan elections.
D) elected by the legislature.
E) selected according to a merit plan.
Q4) Discuss the factors that account for charges of unequal justice in Texas and give examples.Explain how the state has acted to try to mitigate those problems.
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Chapter 10: The Substance of Justice
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56 Verified Questions
56 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The term civil rights refers to
A) treating members of all groups equally with the members of other groups.
B) protecting individual liberty.
C) permitting unpopular groups to be discriminated against.
D) the laws of the land.
E) protecting an individual's right to religious belief.
Q2) The "equal protection of the laws" clause,which was the basis of the Supreme Court's 1954 ruling declaring racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional,is part of the ____ Amendment.
A) First
B) Fifth
C) Tenth
D) Fourteenth
E) Sixteenth
Q3) In Roe v.Wade a state district judge ruled that the state's system of financing its public schools violated its own constitution and laws.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 11: Local Government
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58 Verified Questions
58 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The form of municipal government in which the council acts as a policymaking body and appoints a chief administrator for the city is the
A) strong mayor-council.
B) weak mayor-council.
C) commission.
D) mayor-manager.
E) council-manager.
Q2) According to the 2010 Census,Loving County has fewer than 100 residents.
A)True
B)False
Q3) In most urban counties,the commissioners court does not require the county judge to carry out real courtroom responsibilities.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Because county officials are responsible for administering state laws and programs,they are carefully supervised by state officials.
A)True
B)False
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Page 13
Chapter 12: The State Economy and the Financing of State Government
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55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) When adjusted for inflation and population growth,the Texas budget has been relatively flat between 1990 and 2011.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Texas ranked ____ among the fifty states in per capita expenditures for welfare services.
A) second
B) tenth
C) twenty-sixth
D) thirty-seventh
E) forty-eighth
Q3) Because the tax system in Texas is not easily adjusted to ups and downs in the economy,it is said to
A) be recession-driven.
B) be inflation-driven.
C) lack progressivity.
D) lack regressivity.
E) lack elasticity.
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Chapter 13: Public Policypeople
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54 Verified Questions
54 Flashcards
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Sample
Questions
Q1) In 2010,the Texas State Board of Education made changes to the social science curriculum,including
A) downplaying the role of Thomas Jefferson among the founding fathers.
B) mandating emphasis on the centrality of the separation of church and state.
C) downplaying the threat of Communism during the Cold War.
D) imposing a liberal bias on the curriculum.
E) removing Sam Houston from Texas history texts.
Q2) When compared with other states,Texas tends to rank toward the bottom in many services.
A)True
B)False
Q3) A(n)____ is a policy decision through which one level or branch of government requires another level or branch of government to act in a certain way.
A) mandate
B) decree
C) directive
D) commission
E) edict
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Chapter 14: Public Policyresources
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50 Verified Questions
50 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Invasive species are a threat to native species,so Texas has firm laws that outlaw their sale and distribution within the state.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The practice of wealthy interests,such as the Texas energy industry,hiring government regulators as executives or lobbyists once they leave their government job is known as
A) elitism.
B) pluralism.
C) the revolving door.
D) the free rider principle.
E) capture theory.
Q3) The technology of injecting water into the ground to maximize the recovery of oil from an old well is called "fracking."
A)True
B)False
Q4) The sorts of taxes that discourage wasteful energy use are mostly progressive.
A)True
B)False
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