Political Science: Texas Focus
Mock Exam
Course Introduction
This course offers an in-depth exploration of Texas politics, government, and public policy within the broader context of American political science. Students will examine the historical development of the Texas political system, its constitution, and the role of federalism, as well as the structure and functions of state and local governments. The course also analyzes electoral behavior, political parties, interest groups, and the policy-making process in Texas, with special attention to contemporary issues such as demographic changes, economic development, social policy, and the evolving relationship between Texas and the federal government. Through lectures, case studies, and opportunities for civic engagement, students gain a comprehensive understanding of how political power operates in the Lone Star State.
Recommended Textbook
Texas Politics 2015 2016 13th Edition by
Charldean Newell
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14 Chapters
868 Verified Questions
868 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: The Context of Texas Politics
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Sample Questions
Q1) A political ideology that,in general,supports government regulation of economic life and opposes government regulation of personal life is known as what?
A)conservatism
B)liberalism
C)socialism
D)communism
E)totalitarianism
Answer: A
Q2) In a democracy,the legitimacy of the government is based on _____.
A)the existence of a written constitution
B)the government's willingness to protect property rights
C)the existence of an absolute right to freedom of expression
D)the people's participation in making the laws that govern them
E)the principle of "innocent until proven guilty" in criminal law
Answer: D
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Chapter 2: The Constitutional Setting
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Sample Questions
Q1) The plural executive of Texas has resulted in an executive branch that is _____.
A)centralized
B)fragmented
C)a cabinet form of government
D)the strongest in the nation
E)modeled on the U.S. presidency
Answer: B
Q2) After Texas successfully gained independence from Mexico in 1836,which of these delayed admission into statehood in the United States until 1845?
A)slavery
B)Mexico
C)Spain
D)France
E)lack of natural resources
Answer: A
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Interest Groups
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Sample Questions
Q1) LULAC,which is considered a racial/ethnic group,protects the interests of which group?
A)African Americans
B)Asian Americans
C)Hispanics
D)Arabs
E)Anglo-Americans
Answer: C
Q2) When people from an industry go to work for the agency regulating that industry,this movement is called _____.
A)a revolving door
B)cooptation
C)plutocracy
D)lobbying in the bureaucracy
E)a "right-to-work" law
Answer: A
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Political Parties
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Sample Questions
Q1) In 1961,_____ ended the Democrats' monopoly on offices at the state level by winning a special election for the U.S.Senate.
A)John Tower
B)Phil Gramm
C)Bill Clements
D)George Bush
E)Clayton Williams
Q2) Generally speaking,how have political parties in Texas performed their intended functions?
A)Parties have almost always performed these functions well.
B)Parties have almost never performed these functions well.
C)Parties have always measured up to democratic expectations.
D)Parties have never measured up democrtic expectations.
E)the voter's choice on a general election ballot
Q3) How has the media in Texas generally responded to the conservative nature of many Texas residents?
Q4) Cross-Chapter Questions (Chapters 4 and 13): What role do partisanship and ideology play in Texas's taxing and spending decisions?
Q5) How might factions within a political party disrupt party unity?
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Chapter 5: Voting,campaigns,and Elections
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Sample Questions
Q1) The ethics bill passed by the Texas legislature in 1991 _____.
A)limited campaign contributions in all state elections
B)limited campaign contributions only in judicial elections
C)limited campaign contributions only in legislative elections
D)limited campaign contributions only in gubernatorial elections
E)did not place any limits on campaign contributions for state elections
Q2) Cross-Chapter Essay Question (Chapters 5 and 13): Explain why Texas has low voter turnout.How do you think such low voter turnout affects the state's policies on issues like education and health and human services?
Q3) How did the enforcement of poll taxes lower voter registration?
Q4) Republicans elected as judges were considered _____.
A)pro-lawsuit
B)plaintiff-oriented
C)business-oriented
D)anti-lawsuit
E)both pro-lawsuit and business-oriented
Q5) How might a Texas primary election trigger a runoff election?
Q6) How does voter turnout in Texas differ from turnout in the rest of the United States?
Q7) How does a Tea Party Republican differ from an establishment Republican?
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Chapter 6: The Texas Legislature
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Sample Questions
Q1) The governor's veto power is almost absolute because _____.
A)the legislature often adjourns before the governor has had time to act on a bill
B)the Texas Constitution makes the governor very strong
C)the legislature has no procedure to override the governor's veto
D)checks and balances are nonexistent
E)the presiding officers of the legislature have little power
Q2) What effect didthe 1964 U.S.Supreme Court cases Baker v.Carr and Reynolds v.Sims have on the issue of legislative redistricting?
Q3) Special sessions of the Texas legislature called by the governor are limited to a maximum of _____ days.
A)10
B)30
C)50
D)60
E)90
Q4) What functions besides making laws do legislatures have in government?
Q5) Cross-Chapter Essay Question (Chapters 6 and 7): In what ways does the governor limit the powers of the legislature?
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Chapter 7: The Governor
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Sample Questions
Q1) How is the plural executivebest described?
A)as highly fragmented
B)as highly concentrated
C)as all appointed by the governor
D)as all appointed by the lieutenant governor
E)as highly divided between the governor's appointees and the lieutenant governor's appointees
Q2) Senatorial courtesy refers to _____.
A)the respectful manner with which state senators normally treat each other
B)the tradition whereby individual state senators have an unofficial veto over any appointee of the governor who resides in their districts
C)the legislative custom whereby the House usually accepts amendments added by the Senate to legislation that initially passed the House
D)the tradition where a majority of state senators can reject a judicial nomination of the governor
E)the tradition where a majority of state House members can reject a judicial nomination of the governor
Q3) Why is it so hard for the Texas legislature to override the governor's veto?
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9
Chapter 8: The Administrative State
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Sample Questions
Q1) Except in the case of a few high-profile agencies such as the Texas Department of Transportation and the Parks and Wildlife Department,state agencies ordinarily receive little support from _____.
A)the public
B)clientele groups
C)the legislature
D)the governor
E)their chief administrators
Q2) How do bureaucracies get power and ensure their survival?In your answer,be sure to include an assessment of the use of clientele groups,the legislature,the chief executive,the public,agency expertise,agency leadership,and civil service.
Q3) Which of these is not an example of legislative oversight?
A)the monitoring of the legislature by the news media
B)budgetary controls
C)investigation of wrongdoing
D)impeachment of officials
E)control through statutes
Q4) What characteristics of the state's administration cause confusion?
Q5) Discuss the roles that clientele groups play in the survival of bureaucracies.
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Chapter 9: The Judiciary
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Sample Questions
Q1) Cross-Chapter Essay Question (Chapters 9 and 10): Discuss concerns about the use of the death penalty in Texas.Provide examples to support your arguments.
Q2) Explain the difference between original jurisdiction and appellate jurisdiction.
Q3) Which statement is not true regarding justice of the peace courts?
A)There are no constitutional or statutory qualifications for justice court judges, so only 6 percent of these judges are lawyers.
B)Except for the largest counties, justices of the peace function as coroners despite having no medical training.
C)They handle both civil and criminal matters.
D)They have both original and appellate jurisdiction.
E)All of these statementsare true.
Q4) The primary job of the attorney general is to _____.
A)make decisions on affirmative action
B)represent the state or its agencies in court
C)appoint judges to fill vacancies
D)hear complaints involving judicial misconduct
E)assess judicial qualifications for office
Q5) Explain what is meant by a "two supreme court" system.
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Chapter 10: The Substance of Justice
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Sample Questions
Q1) An example of a civil liberties issue would be _____,andan example of a civil rights issue would be _____.
A)prisoner rights; freedom of expression
B)religous freedom; educational equality
C)any violation of federal law; any violation of state law
D)criminal laws; civil laws
E)none of these, ascivil liberties issues and civil rights issues are the same thing
Q2) Historically,inequities in the amount of money available to local school districts in Texas have been the result of _____.
A)discrepancies in the level of state aid allocated to each district
B)discrepancies in the level of federal aid allocated to each district
C)wide variations in the value of taxable property among districts
D)discriminatory policies implemented by the State Board of Education
E)different financial investment strategies employed by local school boards
Q3) Texas dropped life with parole and added life without parole in murder cases.What is the likely affect on the death penalty?
Q4) Contrast the terms civil rights and civil liberties.Provide an example of each.
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Page 12
Chapter 11: Local Government
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which statement is a criticism of county governments' use of the spoils system for hiring?
A)It can lead to unqualified people holding county jobs.
B)It can contribute to a high turnover rate, as new elected officials bring in their own people.
C)The employees may represent only a narrow group of people in society.
D)The employees may represent only one political party, since their bosses are elected in partisan elections.
E)All of these are criticisms.
Q2) Which of these is the most commonly used form of home-rule city government in Texas?
A)council-manager
B)mayor-council
C)mayor-manager
D)county commissioners court
E)commission
Q3) Describe the differences between partisan and nonpartisan elections and how that impacts city governance in Texas.Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of at-large systems and district systems for city elections.
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Page 13
Chapter 12: The State Economy and the Financing of State Government
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which official serves as the state's tax collector?
A)attorney general
B)treasurer
C)comptroller
D)secretary of state
E)auditor
Q2) What term is used to describe increases in what things cost in an economy?
A)recession
B)depression
C)progressive taxation
D)inflation
E)regressive taxation
Q3) Which statementabout the Texas economy is not true?
A)The economic distance between highly skilled and unskilled workers is growing.
B)State policymakers expanded the Texas economy by creating a strong educational system.
C)The Texas economy has been characterized as a "boom and bust" economy.
D)Many of the jobs created in Texas are minimum-wage jobs.
E)Texas's tax structure is favorable for the business community.
Q4) What tools does the governor have for dealing with the state's budget?
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Chapter 13: Public Policy: People
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Sample Questions
Q1) Assess the results of "workfare" reforms in Texas.How is Texas's approach different from that of other states?
Q2) Which statement best describes the structure of the health and human services system in Texas?
A)Each of the four departments is headed by a commissioner, who reports to the executive Commissioner of health and human services, who in turn reports to the governor.
B)There are multiple agencies, all of which report directly to the governor.
C)There arefour departments, each of which is headed by a commissioner who is elected by the public.
D)There arefour departments, each of which is headed by a commissioner who reports directly to the governor.
E)There arefour departments, each of which is headed by a commissioner who reports directly to the U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services.
Q3) Should Texas find ways to increase funding for social services?What are the arguments for and against doing so?
Q4) Why is textbook selection in Texas a cause of concern for other states?
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Chapter 14: Public Policy: Resources
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Sample Questions
Q1) Most of the coal mined in Texas is of what variety?
A)lignite
B)anthracite
C)stalagmite
D)bituminous
E)graphite
Q2) What is meant by the term renewables?
A)the contracts that consumers have with energy companies to deliver the consumers' electricity
B)sources of energy that come directly from nature, such as power from wind and the sun
C)a renewed debate between citizens as to the environmental impact of oil and natural gas
D)nuclear power
E)the continuing damage done to land and water from fracking
Q3) Explain the themes of energy in Texas:(1)Texas versus the federal government,(2)pseudo laissez faire,and (3) the politics of regulation and deregulation.Provide one real-life example of each theme in Texas energy policies.
Q4) Define Faustian bargain and explain how it relates to energy policy in Texas.
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