Texas Politics and Policy Solved Exam Questions
Course Introduction
This course offers an in-depth examination of the political systems and policy processes in Texas, focusing on the states constitution, political culture, governmental institutions, and the roles of parties, interest groups, and the electorate. Students will explore key policy areas such as education, healthcare, immigration, and energy, analyzing how historical, economic, and social factors uniquely shape public policy in Texas. Emphasis is placed on understanding the interaction between state and federal governments and the distinctive features that make Texas politics an important case study within the broader context of American government.
Recommended Textbook
Governing Texas 1st Edition by Anthony Champagne
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13 Chapters
842 Verified Questions
842 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: The Political Culture, People, and Economy of Texas
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55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Politics in Texas has been defined by the almost-equal political popularity of both the Democrats and Republicans.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) Which statement regarding urbanization in Texas is incorrect?
A) More than 85 percent of Texans now live in urban areas.
B) Historically, Texas urbanization depended on the spread of the railroads.
C) The origins of cities in Texas are found in Native American civilizations.
D) Urban development started in east Texas and spread west.
E) In the 1850s, only about 4 percent of Texans lived in urban areas.
Answer: C
Q3) Big Bend is found in what region of Texas?
A) interior lowlands
B) Basin and Range Province
C) Gulf Coastal Plains
D) Great Plains
E) Panhandle
Answer: B
Page 3
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Chapter 2: Texas and the Nation
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70 Verified Questions
70 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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
Q2) Congress's power to regulate interstate commerce was expanded to the point that it appeared virtually limitless under
A) United States v. Lopez.
B) Gonzales v. Raich.
C) Printz v. United States.
D) South Dakota v. Dole.
E) Wickard v. Filburn.
Answer: E
Q3) Unfunded mandates infringe upon state sovereignty.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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Page 4
Chapter 3: The Texas Constitution
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56 Verified Questions
56 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Texas has a bill of rights containing more liberties than those found in the U.S. Bill of Rights.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q2) Under the Texas Constitution, who has the power of impeachment?
A) The House of Representatives has the power to impeach, while the senate has the power to try and convict.
B) The senate has the power to both impeach and convict.
C) The House of Representatives has the power to impeach, while the state supreme court has the power to try and convict.
D) Texas has no constitutional provisions for impeachment.
E) The Texas supreme court has the power to impeach and convict.
Answer: A
Q3) The Texas Constitution creates two top appellate courts, one for civil cases and one for criminal cases.
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
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Sample Questions
Q1) State and local party organizations do all of the following EXCEPT
A) raise funds for candidates.
B) conduct voter-registration drives.
C) litigate against unfavorable policies.
D) recruit candidates for office.
E) conduct get-out-the-vote drives.
Q2) The Republican Party was the dominant force in Texas politics for most of the twentieth century.
A)True
B)False
Q3) African Americans have the largest percentage share of voters in Texas.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In Texas, which group is most likely to support the Republican Party?
A) Latinos
B) women
C) the wealthy
D) Jewish Americans
E) African Americans
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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 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.
Q2) Reapportionment involves the determination of how district lines will be drawn in each state for the state legislature and Congress.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Texans tend to vote less than the national average.
A)True
B)False
Q4) In Texas, primary elections are usually held in
A) March.
B) April.
C) May.
D) August.
E) November.
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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 of the following is not a common way for interest groups to gain access to politicians and policy makers?
A) hiring former politicians as lobbyists
B) spending money on entertaining politicians
C) building support on an issue with constituents
D) forming PACs that allow members to bundle large contributions to candidates
E) running for office themselves
Q2) Some have accused interest groups and lobbyists of undue influence over Texas government. Describe some of the regulations and restrictions that the law has placed upon lobbyists and interest groups operating in Texas.
Q3) PACs help interest groups bundle campaign donations.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The Texas Medical Association is best described as what kind of interest group?
A) professional
B) pubic employee
C) public interest
D) ideological
E) civil rights
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Chapter 7: The Texas Legislature
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53 Verified Questions
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Sample Questions
Q1) In the Texas legislature, when a committee chair "pigeonholes" a bill, what happens?
A) The bill is set aside before it is ever discussed in committee.
B) The bill is referred to a special session.
C) The chair vetoes a bill after it has already received an affirmative committee vote.
D) The chair refers a bill to only one subcommittee, rather than two or more.
E) The bill is immediately sent to the floor without a committee vote.
Q2) In Texas, who can write a bill?
A) only a member of the legislature
B) the legislature or someone officially authorized by the legislature
C) any government official
D) anyone at all
E) only the legislature and/or governor
Q3) Legislative districts in the Texas House and Senate are
A) based on proportional representation.
B) single-member districts.
C) multiple-member districts.
D) redistricted every four years.
E) redistricted every six years.
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9
Chapter 8: The Texas Executive Branch
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55 Verified Questions
55 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is the plural executive? Describe the offices that constitute the plural executive in Texas. How does this compare with the executive branch of government under the U.S. Constitution? What are the political principles behind the creation of the plural executive?
Q2) For a Texas governor, what is the benefit of a post-adjournment veto?
A) It requires a two-thirds majority from both houses to override it.
B) The legislature is prevented from overriding it.
C) It allows the governor to veto specific provisions of a bill.
D) It is the only way to veto legislation without giving reasons.
E) It requires a unanimous vote from both houses to override it.
Q3) Which of the following statements concerning the Texas Department of Insurance is incorrect?
A) It is a single-member commission.
B) The department's commissioner is appointed for a two-year term.
C) The department makes sure that all Texans are covered by health insurance.
D) It regulates the insurance market in Texas.
E) The current department has been in effect since 1993.
Q4) Texas has a plural executive made up of multiple popularly elected offices.
A)True
B)False
Page 10
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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) What percentage of the 819 justices of the peace in Texas are non-lawyers?
A) 52 percent
B) 74 percent
C) 81 percent
D) 87 percent
E) 93 percent
Q2) Which of the following statements about retention elections is correct?
A) Texas currently uses retention elections for municipal court judges and justices of the peace.
B) A retention election requires at least one non-incumbent in the race.
C) A proposal for retention elections in the mid-1990s failed to pass.
D) In retention elections, the Texas Senate votes for judges.
E) In retention elections, judges must run against another judge from a different district.
Q3) Each county has at least how many district courts?
A) one
B) two
C) ten
D) fourteen
E) fifteen
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Page 11
Chapter 10: Crime and Corrections Policy
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69 Verified Questions
69 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following states has not outright banned or considered a ban on the death penalty?
A) California
B) New Jersey
C) North Carolina
D) Texas
E) Illinois
Q2) In cases in which the accused cannot provide bail or cannot pay a bondsman, what option may this individual have?
A) The individual can provide his or her home as collateral to the court.
B) The individual can work off his or her payment in community service.
C) The individual can voluntarily serve time to avoid bail costs.
D) The individual can be released on his or her personal promise to appear.
E) The individual has no options and must remain incarcerated.
Q3) Texas leads the nation in the number of state-sanctioned executions.
A)True
B)False
Q4) A felony is a serious criminal offense, punishable by a prison sentence or fine.
A)True
B)False
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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) The Texas economy is tied to the booms and busts of the national economy.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Next to revenue generated by state taxes, the second largest source of state revenue comes from
A) the Texas lottery.
B) gasoline taxes.
C) the federal government.
D) borrowing.
E) pollution taxes levied on the energy industry.
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) What happened when tuition and fees for Texas colleges were no longer controlled or mandated by the state legislature? Discuss the background conditions that led to this decision and how this impacted state funding for higher education.
Q5) Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the budgetary process in Texas.
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Chapter 12: Public Policy in Texas
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82 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) In March 2010, Congress passed ______, substantially altering the nation's health care system.
A) No Child Left Behind
B) the Affordable Care Act
C) the National Women's Health Act
D) the Dream Act
E) the Fiscal Cliff Act
Q2) One important consequence of the "law of capture" concept is that it
A) encourages the responsible use of available water equally among all residents.
B) distorts the federal government influence over water policy in Texas.
C) forces businesses and corporations to be good community citizens.
D) encourages landowners to take as much water as possible from groundwater sources.
E) ensures that Texas will never face water scarcity.
Q3) Explain the impact that Brown v. Board of Education had upon education policy in Texas.
Q4) Desegregation of public schools was supported from the beginning by Texas law.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 13: Local Government in Texas
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59 Verified Questions
59 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) What is a key problem with counties in Texas?
A) Many of them are too small and underpopulated to function well.
B) County laws were made in the nineteenth century, making them too old-fashioned.
C) They have not been given adequate lawmaking powers by the legislature.
D) Too often the county seats cannot be reached in a day's drive.
E) Many of them are far too powerful, making city governments seem less important.
Q2) County governments are most important for administering rural areas throughout Texas.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Commissioner forms of government were at their height of popularity
A) in 1882, at the height of the Grange movement.
B) in 1918, during the Progressive era.
C) in 1936, during the New Deal.
D) in 1978, as a result of the economic recession.
E) in the 2000s, as hurricanes became more frequent.
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