Texas State Government Exam Solutions
Course Introduction
This course offers an in-depth exploration of the structure, functions, and processes of government in the state of Texas. Students will examine the Texas Constitution, the organization of state and local institutions, the roles of the legislature, executive, and judiciary, and the unique political culture that shapes public policy in Texas. The course also addresses current issues and debates affecting Texas governance, with an emphasis on the relationships between state and federal systems, public participation, and policy outcomes. Through analysis of historical developments and contemporary challenges, students gain a comprehensive understanding of how Texas government operates and impacts the lives of its citizens.
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) 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
Q2) Which racial or ethnic group in Texas is concentrated in East Texas?
A) Hispanics
B) German Americans
C) African Americans
D) Asian Americans
E) Caucasian Americans
Answer: C
Q3) Provincialism has been a defining pattern of Texas political culture.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
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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) After the Civil War and Reconstruction had ended, politics in Texas were dominated for several decades by
A) the Republican Party.
B) the Whig Party.
C) the Progressive Party.
D) no political party with any consistency.
E) the Democratic Party.
Answer: E
Q2) Edward House, a prominent Texan and important ally for President Woodrow Wilson, helped pass many progressive policies known as the New Freedom.
A)True
B)False
Answer: True
Q3) The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution prevents state governments from imposing "cruel and unusual" punishments.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
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Page 4
Chapter 3: The Texas Constitution
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56 Verified Questions
56 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8300
Sample Questions
Q1) The state of Texas has had three constitutions in the course of its history.
A)True
B)False
Answer: False
Q2) In what year was Texas's current constitution ratified?
A) 1828
B) 1845
C) 1876
D) 1946
E) 1999
Answer: C
Q3) Which of the following is not found in the Texas bill of rights?
A) guarantees of equal treatment under law
B) guarantees of no religious tests for officeholders
C) the right to employment
D) the right to trial by jury
E) freedom of religious worship
Answer: C
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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) The Libertarian Party can be considered
A) fiscal liberals and social liberals.
B) fiscal conservatives and social liberals.
C) fiscal conservatives and social conservatives.
D) Fiscal liberals and social liberals.
E) ideologically neutral.
Q2) Latinos currently make up over 50 percent of the Texas population. A)True
B)False
Q3) In the 2010 general election, every official elected at the state level was Republican. A)True
B)False
Q4) The main role of the precinct convention is to
A) nominate candidates for state and local office.
B) develop the party platform in preparation for the state convention.
C) select delegates for the county convention.
D) mobilize grassroots support in the precinct.
E) raise money for future campaign efforts.
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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) Republicans have won every statewide election in Texas since 1994.
A)True
B)False
Q2) One effect of the high cost of campaigns in Texas is that
A) parties become more important in organizing and funding candidates.
B) candidates are often very wealthy individuals willing to use their own money in campaigns.
C) sometimes there is no one willing to run for major statewide office.
D) candidates increasingly turn to illegal sources of funds.
E) candidates drop out of high-profile races when the money dries up.
Q3) In Texas, ______ is/are responsible for redistricting.
A) the governor
B) the legislature
C) the courts
D) county courts at law
E) precinct captains
Q4) The Motor Voter law requires all voters to have a driver's license.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Discuss how political parties organize elections and the electorate in Texas.
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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) Interest groups are limited to lobbying the legislature; they cannot lobby executive agencies or the courts.
A)True
B)False
Q3) There are no legal restrictions on lobbying by former Texas governors or legislatures.
A)True
B)False
Q4) Spending on issue advocacy ads by PACs need not be reported by a candidate.
A)True
B)False
Q5) Interest groups representing labor organizations dominate Texas politics.
A)True
B)False
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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) If the Texas legislature fails to redistrict, the task of redistricting then falls to the federal district courts.
A)True B)False
Q2) 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.
Q3) What is the main difference between a bill and a resolution?
A) A resolution is just another name for a bill.
B) A resolution deals only with issues affecting local government, while a bill deals with the entire state.
C) All bills require the signature of the governor, but no resolution does.
D) Unlike a bill, a resolution, if passed, lacks the force of a public law.
E) A resolution must be passed unanimously; a bill needs only a majority.
Q4) The lieutenant governor is also a member of the Texas House of Representatives. A)True B)False
Page 9
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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) Almost one-half of the attorney general's employees are involved in what government task?
A) enforcing civil rights laws
B) investigating complaints about local police behavior
C) collecting child-support payments
D) defending state laws in federal court
E) providing advisory opinions to state agencies
Q3) The Texas governor has strong powers for granting clemency.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The governor has the ability to declare martial law in Texas.
A)True
B)False
Q5) 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?
10
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Chapter 9: The Texas Judiciary
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77 Verified Questions
77 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8306
Sample Questions
Q1) The majority of cases in municipal courts involve
A) family law.
B) traffic and parking violations.
C) civil cases, especially torts.
D) felony crimes.
E) city ordinances.
Q2) Which of the following is not a major criticism of the method of judicial selection in Texas today?
A) It is overly partisan.
B) The need to raise campaign contributions compromises the independence of the judges.
C) Too often voters know nothing about the judicial candidates for whom they are voting.
D) In many cases ballots can be overloaded with judicial elections, making them complicated.
E) The governor has too much power in judicial selection.
Q3) The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the Voting Rights Act applies to state judicial elections.
A)True
B)False
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Chapter 10: Crime and Corrections Policy
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69 Verified Questions
69 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8307
Sample Questions
Q1) A minor criminal offense, usually punishable by a small fine or a short jail sentence, is a(n)
A) felony.
B) indictment.
C) petty crime.
D) misdemeanor.
E) capital crime.
Q2) It is possible for a two-time offender of a DWI to be charged with a third-degree felony.
A)True
B)False
Q3) Which of the following groups of crimes are considered second-degree felonies?
A) aggravated sexual assault, robbery, bribery, and stalking
B) robbery, stalking, aggravated assault on a public servant, and violation of a protective order
C) manslaughter, bigamy, capital murder, and forgery of a check
D) bigamy, sexual assault, arson, and manslaughter
E) speeding and reckless driving
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Chapter 11: Public Finance in Texas
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74 Verified Questions
74 Flashcards
Source URL: https://quizplus.com/quiz/8308
Sample Questions
Q1) The National Research University Fund (NRUF) was established through a constitutional amendment to provide a source of funding for
A) community colleges in poorly performing districts.
B) community colleges in primarily minority districts.
C) independent school districts who sought to reduce the dropout rate.
D) school tuition relief based on the high rate of tuition increases colleges were experiencing.
E) universities seeking to achieve national prominence as research institutions.
Q2) Federal matching funds are
A) state monies going to support the federal government in its efforts to reduce the deficit.
B) awarded to states that agree to fund a federal program on behalf of their own citizens.
C) always distributed to states without any strings attached.
D) only awarded to states that have an income tax.
E) so small that they are an inconsequential part of state budget policy.
Q3) Explain the impact of the Great Recession on the budget of Texas.
Q4) Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the budgetary process in Texas.
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Page 13
Chapter 12: Public Policy in Texas
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82 Verified Questions
82 Flashcards
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Sample Questions
Q1) Poverty among children in Texas is about the same as the national average.
A)True
B)False
Q2) Why does Texas have a relatively underperforming public education sector in comparison to national norms and averages?
Q3) One of the perverse effects of public welfare is that it encourages fathers to stay connected to their families and help raise their children.
A)True
B)False
Q4) The generally accepted standard by which poverty is measured in the United States is the
A) unemployment index.
B) the caloric intake index.
C) the index of income inequality.
D) the United Nations global poverty index.
E) the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services poverty index.
Q5) Discuss several court cases that have had an impact on public education in Texas.
Q6) What are some of the considerations in evaluating welfare policy?
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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) Commissioner governments are designed to run school districts and other special districts throughout the state.
A)True
B)False
Q2) All of the following are functions of county government except
A) law enforcement.
B) bridge and road construction.
C) flood control.
D) record keeping.
E) county tax rates.
Q3) 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?
Q4) San Antonio operates under which form of city government?
A) mayor-council style
B) council-manager style
C) commissioner style
D) council-mayor style
E) at-large style
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