Texas Politics
Test Preparation
Course Introduction
Texas Politics explores the structure, processes, and dynamics of government and political life in the state of Texas. This course examines the historical development of Texas government, the Texas Constitution, the roles and functions of state and local governments, and the distinctive political culture of the region. Students analyze the policy challenges facing Texas, such as immigration, education, and economic development, as well as the roles of political parties, interest groups, and the media. Through the study of elections, public opinion, and the state's relationship with the federal government, students gain insight into how Texas politics impacts both local communities and the broader national landscape.
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) Political culture is a term used to describe
A) the level of education and learning in a particular state.
B) the degree of public support for the arts.
C) the broadly shared values and beliefs about government.
D) the amount of partisan bickering in a state.
E) how liberal or conservative a state is.
Answer: C
Q2) Who led the Grange and Populist movements of the late nineteenth century?
A) tenant farmers
B) cattle barons
C) Hispanic laborers
D) the railroad industry
E) oil prospectors
Answer: A
Q3) Agriculture accounts for 35 percent of the contemporary Texan workforce.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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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) Acting as a self-appointed spokesman for many in the Tea Party movement, ______ alleged that the United States took another step toward socialism with the passage of FDR's New Deal.
A) Woodrow Wilson
B) Rick Perry
C) Edward House
D) Sam Rayburn
E) Barack Obama
Answer: B
Q2) During the Wilson administration, Texans held key leadership positions in Congress and had great political influence because
A) Texas was such a populous state.
B) they were wealthy and powerful oil men.
C) the seniority system rewarded members who spent many terms in office.
D) Texas voted overwhelmingly for Republican candidates.
E) Wilson was afraid that Texas might break up into five separate states.
Answer: C
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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) 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
Q2) Which principle of government is the key to understanding the drafting of the Texas Constitution of 1876?
A) the need for governmental subsidy and regulation of economic growth
B) the importance of civil right protections for African Americans and Latinos
C) the necessity of strong limitations on the authority of state officials
D) the value of states' rights
E) the principle of checks and balances
Answer: C
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5
Chapter 4: Political Parties in Texas
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70 Verified Questions
70 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Providing a label that helps voters identify those seeking office is an important function of
A) the state.
B) political parties.
C) interest groups.
D) the media.
E) the governor.
Q2) During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Texas was
A) one-party Republican.
B) one-party Democrat.
C) one-party Republican with liberal and conservative factions.
D) a two-party, competitive state (with Republicans and Democrats).
E) one-party Populist.
Q3) The Dixiecrats abandoned the national Democratic Party in the 1948 presidential election over the issue of
A) the Cold War.
B) civil rights.
C) the national deficit.
D) welfare reform.
E) prayer in schools.
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Chapter 5: Elections in Texas
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70 Verified Questions
70 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8302
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) 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.
Q3) ______ is the traditional start of the general election campaign in Texas.
A) Independence Day
B) Memorial Day
C) Labor Day
D) Halloween
E) Thanksgiving
Q4) List and discuss the reasons why campaigns in Texas are so expensive.
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) More money is spent in Texas by the communications industry than any other represented interest.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Most PAC spending in Texas represents A) business.
B) labor.
C) single-issue ideological organizations.
D) consumers.
E) agriculture.
Q3) It is vital for lobbyists to gain access to politicians and policy makers. Describe some of the ways in which interest groups and their representatives gain access in Texas politics. What are some of the potential abuses of this process?
Q4) Lobbyists can do all of the following except
A) provide information to politicians.
B) write bills.
C) testify before legislative committees.
D) entertain politicians.
E) none-lobbyists can do all of the above.
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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) In the Texas legislature, all bills dealing with state revenue must
A) start in the House of Representatives.
B) be initiated by the governor's official budget plan.
C) pass both houses of the legislature with a two-thirds majority.
D) be approved by the state supreme court before becoming law.
E) start in the state senate.
Q2) Which of the following statements about partisanship in the Texas legislature is correct?
A) Partisan rivalries have been high throughout the history of the Texas legislature.
B) Historically, partisanship has been rather low, but in recent years the legislature has moved into a more partisan era.
C) The legislature was divided by partisan bickering before the 1980s, but the conflict has decreased steadily since then.
D) The Texas constitution was amended in 1986 to forbid partisanship from interfering with the legislative process.
E) Typically, with Democrats as the majority party, partisanship has been much higher than with Republicans in control.
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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 governor of Texas currently serves a two-year term in office.
A)True
B)False
Q2) 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?
Q3) In Texas, what is the most important power of the state comptroller?
A) estimating tax revenues for the legislature
B) overseeing the state police and the Texas Rangers
C) enforcing all state land-use and takings laws
D) regulating the oil industry in the state
E) certifying election results in the state
Q4) The comptroller of public accounts directs the collection of taxes for the state of Texas.
A)True B)False
Q5) The governor has the ability to declare martial law in Texas.
A)True
B)False
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 is the particular problem in Texas judicial elections known as the "name game"?
A) Voters will often vote for a candidate by looking at her or his party affiliation, not his or her name.
B) Many voters will vote for a judicial candidate whose name they are familiar with, even if they know nothing about the candidate.
C) Judicial candidates sometimes make up colorful nicknames, like "Hang 'Em High" Johnson, that serve as free advertisements for their judging beliefs.
D) Only big-name candidates can raise enough campaign contributions.
E) Voters will often vote for a candidate whose name is listed first on the ballot.
Q2) There are ______ courts of appeals in Texas, with ______ justices serving those courts.
A) 9; 80
B) 14; 80
C) 14; 453
D) 453; 453
E) 915; 1,490
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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) Discuss the options a judge and prosecutor may have when addressing a criminal case. Review the levels of criminal charges and the possibility of a plea bargain and probation. Based on this knowledge, how "tough" is the Texas system?
Q2) In a situation in which the defendant may have committed his or her first offense, the judge is more likely to issue a punishment of ______.
A) probation
B) community service
C) temporary jail time
D) a reduction in sentence
E) absolution of crime
Q3) 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.
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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 Permanent University Fund (PUF) was established in 1876 with a land grant of 1 million acres. It contributes to the support of
A) all institutions of higher education in Texas.
B) virtually all community colleges in Texas.
C) only institutions designated by the state legislative body.
D) the University of Texas and Texas A & M university systems.
E) all Texas educational institutions, regardless of size or need.
Q2) Taking into account increasing Medicaid and school district funding, the general revenue shortfall for the 2012-2013 biennium budget was
A) between $24 and $27 million.
B) between $24 and $27 billion.
C) about $87 million.
D) well over $100 billion.
E) nearly $1 trillion.
Q3) Texas's 6.25 percent sales tax is the tenth highest in the nation.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Identify and discuss the major players in the budget process in Texas (offices or entities).
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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) In the case of Edwards Aquifer Authority v. Burrell Day and Joel McDaniel (2012), farmers argued that
A) the rights to the water in the aquifer were beyond the reach of the federal government because of long-standing precedent dating back to Mexican common law.
B) they had the rights to the water based upon their ownership of the land above it.
C) they had water rights because they have prior claim pursuant to Texas sovereignty under federalism.
D) they had water rights based on the eminent domain doctrine of the federal Constitution.
E) unless water is in a sealed container aboveground, no one can own it.
Q2) Ross Perot was appointed by Governor Mark White to chair a committee on education. As committee chair, he was particularly scornful of A) high teacher salaries.
B) the cost of education per pupil.
C) the high incidence of violence in public school classrooms.
D) athletic programs.
E) low college graduation rates.
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Page 14
Chapter 13: Local Government in Texas
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59 Verified Questions
59 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) 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
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) In Texas, what is the name of the officer who presides over the county commissioners court?
A) county judge
B) executive commissioner
C) justice of the peace
D) sheriff
E) constable
Q4) Special districts are the most common form of government in Texas.
A)True
B)False
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