Texas Politics and Policy Exam Materials
Course Introduction
This course offers an in-depth exploration of the political structures, processes, and policymaking in Texas. Students will examine the state's constitution, its unique history, and the organization and functions of local and state governments. The course analyzes the influence of political parties, interest groups, and public opinion on Texas governance while addressing key policy issues such as education, health care, immigration, and economic development. Through case studies and contemporary examples, students gain a comprehensive understanding of how Texas politics shapes and responds to the needs of its diverse population.
Recommended Textbook
Governing Texas 1st Edition by Anthony Champagne
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13 Chapters
842 Verified Questions
842 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/study-set/463
Page 2
Chapter 1: The Political Culture, People, and Economy of Texas
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55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8298
Sample Questions
Q1) People of Hispanic origin make up over 30 percent of the population of Texas today.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Which of the following would best characterize a traditionalistic individualistic political culture?
A) low taxes and deference to business leaders
B) government policies that promote traditional social morals
C) government policies designed to benefit the political elite
D) encouragement of active participation in government
E) high taxes and government run by elites
Answer: A
Q3) Houston is found in the Texas
A) interior lowlands.
B) Great Plains.
C) Basin and Range Province.
D) Gulf Coastal Plains.
E) Panhandle.
Answer: D
Page 3
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Chapter 2: Texas and the Nation
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70 Verified Questions
70 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8299
Sample Questions
Q1) Unfunded mandates infringe upon state sovereignty.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Both federal and state governments obtain sovereignty directly from
A) the Treaty of Versailles.
B) the consent of the people.
C) the Declaration of Independence.
D) block grants.
E) the Divine Right of Kings.
Answer: B
Q3) As federal regulations became more intrusive, forcing states to change their policies in order to meet national goals, some people began calling our system ______ federalism.
A) sovereign
B) dual
C) Progressive
D) coercive
E) utopian
Answer: D
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Chapter 3: The Texas Constitution
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56 Verified Questions
56 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Under the Texas Constitution, it is unconstitutional to impeach elected officeholders.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) The Texas Constitution created a unicameral legislature.
A)True
B)False Answer: False
Q3) Controversy about admitting a new slave state held up the annexation of Texas into the United States for nine years.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q4) The Texas Constitution created a plural executive, consisting of multiple elected officers.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 5
Chapter 4: Political Parties in Texas
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70 Verified Questions
70 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8301
Sample Questions
Q1) In the 1950s, who were known as the Shivercrats?
A) supporters of Governor Alan Shivers's bid for the White House in 1952 and 1956
B) conservative Democrats who voted for Republican presidential candidates
C) liberal Republicans who supported Democrat Alan Shivers's governorship
D) poor, rural Democrats who could not afford to buy heating oil because of soaring energy costs
E) conservative Republicans who voted for Democratic presidential candidates
Q2) The Dixiecrat movement led by Strom Thurmond in 1948 opposed the segregationist ideas of President Truman.
A)True B)False
Q3) Discuss urban, rural, and suburban influences on partisanship. Explain which party tends to dominate in each of these areas, and why.
Q4) Describe the structure of political parties and elections in Texas. What are the different levels of party organization?
Q5) In Texas, the most local level of a party organization is the county.
A)True B)False
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Chapter 5: Elections in Texas
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70 Verified Questions
70 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The Motor Voter Act of 1993
A) allows states to offer voters "drive-thru" voting booths.
B) allows citizens to register to vote while applying for a driver's license.
C) restricts one's right to vote because of unpaid traffic tickets.
D) was declared unconstitutional by the Texas Supreme Court.
E) only allows citizens with a valid Texas driver's license to register to vote.
Q2) The most important federal law involved in the expansion of the franchise in Texas was
A) the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
B) the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment.
C) the One-Person, One-Vote Act of 1972.
D) the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
E) the Motor Voter Act of 1993.
Q3) Which of the following is the purpose of special elections?
A) to choose which candidates will run in the general election
B) to fill vacancies in elected offices
C) to allow voters to vote directly on public policy
D) to choose which candidates will run in the primary elections
E) to elect judges to the Texas Supreme Court
Q4) List and describe the different types of elections in Texas.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Interest Groups and Lobbying
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52 Verified Questions
52 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which PACs spend the least amount of money in Texas elections?
A) single-issue PACs
B) labor unions
C) business groups
D) lawyers
E) consumer groups
Q2) Which interest is not represented in a list of the top interest groups in Texas?
A) trial lawyers
B) the environment
C) the gas and oil industry
D) public employees
E) agriculture
Q3) Which of the following is not a typical threat to an incumbent running for reelection?
A) scandal
B) the greater fund-raising opportunities of challengers
C) redistricting
D) controversial voting record
E) a well-funded challenger
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Chapter 7: The Texas Legislature
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53 Verified Questions
53 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Members of the Texas House of Representatives are permitted to speak on the House floor for as long as they wish.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Conference committees are designed to make Texas House and Senate bills identical to each other.
A)True
B)False
Q3) What is the function of the "local and consent" calendar?
A) It marks the date by which legislators must vote on specific bills.
B) It is the calendar for all private bills sponsored by members of the legislature.
C) It is reserved for uncontroversial bills that are not expected to have major opposition.
D) It describes the voting schedule for those bills that require approval by both the legislature and local communities.
E) It is the calendar for bills that only deal with the procedural rules of the legislature.
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Chapter 8: The Texas Executive Branch
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55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) The attorney general's office offers advisory opinions to state agencies concerning the legality of actions.
A)True
B)False
Q2) In Texas, if a sitting governor is unable to hold office due to impeachment and conviction, resignation, or death, who becomes governor?
A) the secretary of state
B) the lieutenant governor
C) the Speaker of the state House of Representatives
D) the comptroller of public accounts
E) a temporary replacement appointed by the lieutenant governor
Q3) The governor of Texas currently serves a two-year term in office.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The office of Texas governor is one of the weakest in the nation. Why is this the case? What are some of the limitations that the Texas constitution places on the governor? What are some of the informal powers the governor may use to bolster the power of the office?
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Chapter 9: The Texas Judiciary
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77 Verified Questions
77 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Texas justices of the peace do not have to be lawyers.
A)True
B)False
Q2) A recent Texas poll found that _____ percent of judges felt that campaign contributions had at least some influence on judicial decisions.
A) 68
B) 83
C) 86
D) 92
E) 99
Q3) The majority of the cases that justice of the peace judges hear are those regarding what?
A) civil cases
B) traffic misdemeanors
C) death penalty cases
D) marriages
E) felony cases
Q4) Less than 20 percent of all judges in Texas are Hispanic.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Crime and Corrections Policy
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69 Verified Questions
69 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) One of the most controversial judicial issues in Texas is the death penalty. Explain some of the reasons for the controversy. How does race play a role in the controversy? What role does the court of criminal appeals play? What is the process by which clemencies are offered?
Q2) A grand jury consists of how many individuals to possibly hear a case?
A) ten to fifteen
B) twelve
C) fifteen to twenty
D) twenty to thirty
E) at least twenty-five
Q3) Explain and discuss Texas's correctional system. What is the history of the system? What presents hurdles to an effective system? Can Texas prisons ever be considered the best in the nation?
Q4) A very common method prosecutors use to maintain high conviction rates is a(n)
A) bench trial.
B) jury trial.
C) plea bargain between the defendant and the state.
D) indictment from a grand jury.
E) plea bargain between the defendant and the plaintiff.
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Chapter 11: Public Finance in Texas
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74 Verified Questions
74 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Texas's 6.25 percent sales tax is the tenth highest in the nation.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Federal money is an important part of the Texas budget, but monies that Texas receives from the federal government
A) often come with strings attached.
B) are usually categorical grants with no federal guidelines or mandates whatsoever. C) are too insignificant to be included in the state budgetary process.
D) are usually not received in time to affect the budget process.
E) are usually earmarked for powerful Texas labor unions.
Q3) Because the budget process in Texas operates on a two-year cycle, Texas legislators have adequate time to gather information, carefully analyze it, and craft a detailed and accurate state budget.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the budgetary process in Texas.
Q5) Discuss the major source(s) of state revenue in Texas and the major categories of state spending.
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Chapter 12: Public Policy in Texas
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82 Verified Questions
82 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to the law of capture, private property owners are not entitled to water taken from under the land they own.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Under the separate but equal doctrine in the 1920s and 1930s, the amount of money that the state of Texas spent on black students was ______ the amount spent on white students in public schools.
A) the same as B) much higher than C) lower than D) rapidly catching up to E) completely unknown relative to
Q3) Poverty among children in Texas is about the same as the national average. A)True
B)False
Q4) The poverty index is not adjusted for inflation; therefore, it is impossible to balance the state budget as mandated by the state constitution.
A)True B)False
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Chapter 13: Local Government in Texas
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59 Verified Questions
59 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8310
Sample Questions
Q1) Many people have argued that Texas counties need to be more efficiently designed. What are the criticisms surrounding the size of counties? What are some particular examples of these problems with size?
Q2) Special districts have often been called the hidden government. What are special districts? What are some of the services they provide? How are special districts created, governed, and funded?
Q3) What are the main sources of revenue for special districts in Texas?
A) property taxes and user fees
B) income taxes and user fees
C) income taxes and sales taxes
D) sales taxes and property taxes
E) property taxes and federal grants
Q4) Which of the following statements about counties in Texas is incorrect?
A) Counties are an administrative arm of the state government.
B) There are over 250 counties in Texas.
C) Each county has four county commissioners.
D) All counties have approximately the same number of people.
E) The Texas constitution places many restrictions on the power of county government.
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