Texas Government Exam Preparation Guide
Course Introduction
Texas Government provides an in-depth exploration of the structure, functions, and complexities of government at the state level in Texas. The course examines the Texas Constitution, the roles and responsibilities of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, electoral processes, public policy, and the influence of political culture in shaping governance. Students analyze the relationship between state and federal governments, the impact of historical events on political development, and contemporary issues such as immigration, education policy, and economic growth. Through a combination of lectures, discussions, and case studies, the course equips students with a comprehensive understanding of the unique features and challenges of government in Texas.
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
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Page 2
Chapter 1: The social and economic milieu of texas politics
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In Texas politics, the term "Anglo" refers only to whites of German ancestry.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Which of the following best characterizes Texans' attitudes toward government?
A) Government is a means to achieve good for all citizens.
B) Many are suspicious of government.
C) Most are willing to pay higher taxes for more government services.
D) Texas elections are clean, and candidates campaign on issues.
E) All interests in Texas have an equal say.
Answer: B
Q3) During the 1990s, 2.35 million jobs were lost in Texas.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q4) In 2010, Hispanics made up approximately 37.6 percent of the state's population.
A)True
B)False Answer: True
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Chapter 2: The texas constitution
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79 Verified Questions
79 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Constitution of 1845, which allowed Texas annexation to the United States, was so unpopular that all of its provisions were scrapped in successive constitutions.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Which governor of Texas refused to leave office although he had lost the election?
A) Richard Coke
B) George W. Bush
C) Edmund Davis
D) William P. Clements
E) James Ferguson
Answer: C
Q3) Only four of the delegates who produced the current Texas constitution were native Texans.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 4
Chapter 3: Intergovernmental relationships
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What effect has the Supreme Court case Marbury v.Madison had on the U.S.political system?
A) This case asserted the sovereignty of state governments when faced by encroachment from the federal government.
B) It revealed that the Supreme Court is ill-suited to arbitrate disputes between state and federal authority.
C) It upheld the supremacy clause of the Constitution and prevented the states from taxing national, a principle that remains to today.
D) This case was pivotal in outlining the concurrent powers of the states and the national government and codifying them.
E) The ruling reached in this case is considered an unwritten amendment to the Constitution, and it has never been challenged in court since.
Answer: C
Q2) 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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Chapter 4: Interest groups and political power in texas
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) It is estimated that ________ of Americans belong to some type of organization.
A) 25 percent
B) 50 percent
C) 75 percent
D) 85 percent
E) 90 percent
Q2) For many people, the term ________ may suggest shady characters lurking in the halls of the state Capitol, attempting to bribe legislators.
A) gerrymandering
B) lobbying
C) back room dealing
D) filibustering
E) arm-twisting
Q3) Currently, Texas has about ________ union members.
A) 120,000
B) 275.000
C) 360,000
D) 400,000
E) 530,000
Q4) Define lobbying and give the primary objectives of those who engage in lobbying.
Page 6
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Chapter 5: The mass media in texas politics
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) A trial balloon occurs when
A) a government official leaks an item to test public reaction.
B) a private citizen leaks information about a neighbor.
C) a citizen leaks information about a company in the transportation sector.
D) an employee leaks information about the company where he works.
E) a newspaper prints a political cartoon about the court system.
Q2) News coverage has changed significantly in the past forty years; television has become the major source of news for most Texans.
A)True
B)False
Q3) With the proliferation of news sources in recent years, is there any indication that today's voters are better informed and more attentive to politics and current events than past voters? Explain.
Q4) What role do the media play in the policymaking process? Discuss the media's role, giving specific examples.
Q5) How have growing media conglomerates changed the face of Texas based mass media? In what ways has the quality of news outlets changed as a result?
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Chapter 6: The party system in
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80 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Voting preferences are always based on gender.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In Texas, about ________ of the people identify with one of the major parties.
A) 60 percent
B) 48 percent
C) 36 percent
D) 23 percent
E) 12 percent
Q3) There were Democratic candidates for all of the nine statewide offices up for election in 2000.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Party conventions are about
A) politics, the selection of candidates, and the running of campaigns.
B) the selection of candidates, control of the party apparatus, and the running of campaigns.
C) control of the party apparatus, the running of campaigns, and politics.
D) the selection of candidates, the running of campaigns, and politics.
E) politics, the selection of candidates, and control of the party apparatus.
Page 8
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Chapter 7: Elections, campaigns, and political behavior
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) For ideological reasons, primaries can result in an unbalanced ticket that has limited appeal in a general election and essentially produces a weak candidate.How is this possible?
A) Negative primary campaigns leave the victor bruised and at an extreme disadvantage in the general election.
B) Expensive primary battles can leave the victor underfunded for the general election.
C) The victor tends to be more extreme in his or her views and less palatable to the general public.
D) Primaries tend to fracture the organization of a party and reduce its ability to contest in the general.
E) Bitter primaries tend to alienate and dissuade party members from assisting in the general election.
Q2) The media that is purchased by the candidate is often referred to as the controlled media.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Briefly describe the political gains made over the past thirty years by minorities and women in Texas.
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Chapter 8: The texas legislature
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Sample Questions
Q1) Laws made in Texas go through different processes than those followed by the U.S.Congress.
A)True
B)False
Q2) The work of the Texas legislature is given extensive coverage across the state.
A)True
B)False
Q3) The state budget is the most important bill enacted by the legislature because it indicates how much money there is to spend during the session.
A)True
B)False
Q4) If a bill passes both the House and Senate but in different forms, the bill is sent to A) the governor.
B) a conference committee.
C) the speaker.
D) a special caucus.
E) a standing committee.
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Chapter 9: The texas executive
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The comptroller's powerful role in budgetary affairs was enhanced by auditing and oversight authority in 1990 and 1991, leading to the identification of billions of dollars in potential savings.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Governor Bush's public style was low key during his first term as governor.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Texas retains ownership, including mineral rights, to approximately 22 million acres of land, which are managed by the
A) Railroad Commission.
B) commissioner of agriculture.
C) secretary of the treasury.
D) commissioner of the General Land Office.
E) commissioner of the Mineral Rights Office.
Q4) Successful governors are rarely skilled political animals who continuously develop relationships throughout the political system.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: The bureaucracy and policy implementation
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81 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Many of the best and brightest young people seek professional employment with government bureaucracies because of the high esteem the public holds for them.
A)True
B)False
Q2) What resulted from the 2003 restructuring of health and human service agencies toward increased privatization?
A) Despite a significant decrease in costs, the efficiency of certain programs dropped dramatically.
B) The restructuring and privatization initially got off to a rough start before improving.
C) Texas was able to reduce the costs of these services by 20 percent within two years.
D) Due to widespread failures in the restructuring, Texas returned to the pre-2003 system in 2006.
E) State spending on these services increased by 15 percent within one year.
Q3) How does legislation get turned into action by the bureaucracy? How can genuinely good legislative policies be misdirected? What negative role does co-optation play in the bureaucratic system?
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12
Chapter 11: The judicial system in texas
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80 Verified Questions
80 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Court of Criminal Appeals
A) hears both criminal and civil cases.
B) has fifteen justices.
C) hears only criminal cases.
D) hears only civil cases.
E) has only three justices.
Q2) Ruby Sondock of Houston was the first woman to serve on the Texas Supreme Court.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Grand juries
A) are each made up of twelve people selected by a district judge.
B) tend to over represent minority interests.
C) must issue an indictment or lower the charge to a misdemeanor.
D) must meet in public with an attorney present for the accused.
E) must have a unanimous decision in order to indict a defendant.
Q4) Chief Justice Hill resigned from the Texas Supreme Court to lobby for changing the method of selecting judges in Texas.
A)True
B)False
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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
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Sample Questions
Q1) Briefly describe the difference between general law cities and home rule cities in Texas.What is the importance of the Dillon rule?
Q2) Some special districts have been designated to serve specific geographic areas such as river basins that traverse several local jurisdictions.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Although cities are required by law to balance their operating budgets, many municipal construction projects are financed by loans through the issuance of A) referenda bonds.
B) limited agenda bonds.
C) general obligation bonds.
D) county bonds of indebtedness.
E) municipal bonds.
Q4) Some areas, particularly in West Texas, still have a lot of elbow room, but most Texans live in cities.
A)True B)False
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Chapter 13: Contemporary public policy issues in texas
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80 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) the authority to transfer funds to meet emergencies between legislative sessions.
A) Only the governor has
B) Only the legislative leaders have
C) The legislature and the Comptroller together have
D) No state government official has
E) The governor and legislative leaders together have
Q2) Setting public policy usually involves questions of
A) who will benefit and will there be federal funding.
B) who will pay the bill and how will the money be collected.
C) which agencies do the taxing and who benefits.
D) which type of tax should be used and who will pay.
E) who will benefit and who will pay the bill.
Q3) Elected officials have been actively involved in addressing automobile pollution problems in major Texas cities.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Has public education in Texas improved in the last two decades? Detail in what ways progress has been made.
Q5) How would you evaluate the success of education reform after Edgewood v.Kirby?
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