question

Which of the following was NOT a part of the Civil Rights Act?

answer

It guaranteed the right to vote to African Americans.

question

Constitutions serve to

answer

all of the above.

question

The most numerous type of government in Texas is

answer

special districts.

question

In which kind of Daniel Elazar's political cultures in the fifty states do citizens emphasize deference to elite rule within a hierarchical society?

answer

Traditionalistic

question

Criticisms of council-manager government include which of the following?

answer

The manager is not directly responsible to the voters, and the values of the business community tend to be promoted.

question

Those who advocate reform of the Texas Constitution generally focus on which of the following issues?

answer

All of the above

question

The threat of competition from their imperial rivals spurred ____ to establish a series of missions in what is now Texas beginning in 1690.

answer

Spain

question

Which federal agency employed more than 8 million workers in construction and other jobs during the Great Depression?

answer

Works Progress Administration

question

Which of the following powers was NOT granted to Congress under the Articles of Confederation?

answer

Levy taxes

question

Article I of the Texas Constitution contains

answer

the Texas Bill of Rights.

question

As part of the Republican devolution effort known as the Contract with America, which of the following acts was passed?

answer

Unfunded Mandate Reform Act

question

The form of municipal government in which the council acts as a policy making body and appoints a chief administrator for the city is the

answer

council-manager.

question

Following the Civil War, most African Americans in Texas voted for

answer

Republicans.

question

The judicial article of the Texas Constitution creates

answer

all of the above.

question

Which type of government has shown to prevail over time in America?

answer

A stronger, more centralized government

question

Special districts have the advantage of

answer

All of the above are advantages.

question

The last time Texans had an opportunity to vote on a new constitution was

answer

1975.

question

Which amendment to the Constitution allowed the Supreme Court to gradually incorporate the Bill of Rights to the states?

answer

Fourteenth Amendment

question

What is a requirement created by the Federal government that is not backed with any federal money?

answer

Unfunded mandate

question

All of the following about a confederal system of government are true EXCEPT:

answer

It is a system of governance whereby the subnational governments are subject to the control of the autonomous national government.

question

The constitution adopted in 1876 included provisions to do all of the following except

answer

hold annual regular legislative sessions.

question

Which of the following clauses stipulates that the states must mutually accept one another's public acts, records, and judicial proceedings?

answer

The Full Faith and Credit Clause

question

The twenty counties that voted against ratification of the constitution in 1876 were

answer

urban.

question

Which of the following assumed responsibility in the 1930s for limiting oil production in order to create a stable and profitable market?

answer

The Texas Railroad Commission

question

The Federalist Papers

answer

were propaganda put forth by those in support of the ratification of the Constitution.

question

As creations of the state, counties are responsible for

answer

all of the above.

question

A shared system of values, beliefs, and habits of behavior in regard to government and politics refers to

answer

political culture.

question

During the early 1920s, which organization controlled every elective office in Dallas and showed considerable political power statewide?

answer

The Ku Klux Klan

question

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution?

answer

Because of the Tenth Amendment, states are not constituent parts that retain their autonomy from the central government.

question

Which of the following best reflects the politics of the Jim Crow Era?

answer

The development of the White Primary

question

Which of the following were most influential in initiating and shaping the outcome of the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1875?

answer

Members of the Grange

question

The traditionalistic-individualistic political culture of Texas resulted in a constitution

answer

with a heavy emphasis on limiting government's ability to act.

question

Which of the following is NOT a critique of federal preemption?

answer

It creates a uniformity of laws and regulations.

question

The dramatic drop in the world price of oil in 1985 led to ____ in Texas.

answer

all of the above

question

The type of municipal election in which voters choose all of the members of the city council and vote for as many candidates as there are positions on the council is called a(n) ____ system.

answer

at-large

question

All of the following are true about school districts except

answer

the number of school districts has been increasing in recent years.

question

Which of the following clauses stipulates that residents of one state cannot be discriminated against by another state when it comes to fundamental matters, such as pursuing one's professional occupation, access to the courts, or equality in taxation?

answer

The Privileges and Immunities Clause

question

Which of the following county officials is responsible for recording all legal documents?

answer

County clerk

question

Which type of federalism was used under the Roosevelt administration?

answer

Cooperative federalism

question

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the Commerce Clause?

answer

Traditionally, the United States Supreme Court has ruled against Congress' use of the clause to pass laws dealing with indirect issues related to interstate commerce.

question

Which of the following officials presides over the county commissioners court?

answer

County judge

question

A federalist system refers to

answer

shared power between national and subnational governments.

question

Which 2009 United States Supreme Court ruling upholds the power of Congress to extend Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act?

answer

NAMUDNO v. Holder

question

The grant-in-aid program whereby the federal government provides financial aid to subnational units but does not prescribe how those units are to allocate the funding is known as

answer

General Revenue Sharing (GRS).

question

Amendments to the Texas Constitution may be proposed by

answer

the legislature only.

question

All but which one of the following are features of modern bureaucracies?

answer

Modern organizations are static and rarely reorganize.

question

The current salary for legislators in Texas was established by

answer

a constitutional amendment.

question

Federal courts have declared ____ as an officially sanctioned activity in public schools to be unconstitutional.

answer

all of the above

question

The procedural powers of the presiding officers of the Texas legislature include all but which one of the following powers?

answer

The power to call special sessions of the legislature

question

Which of the following courts have no civil jurisdiction and deal mainly with violations of traffic laws?

answer

Municipal courts

question

Historically, inequities in the amount of money available to local school districts in Texas have been the result of

answer

wide variations in the value of taxable property among districts.

question

Exercising the message power and the session power are among the Texas Governor's responsibilities in his or her role as

answer

chief legislator.

question

The Texas Senate has ____ members.

answer

31

question

The appellate courts in Texas operate without

answer

juries.

question

Only Texas and ____ split their highest appellate jurisdiction between two courts.

answer

Oklahoma

question

Texas has among the fewest employees per 10,000 population among the states in all but which one of the following areas?

answer

Corrections

question

The highest appeals court for criminal matters in Texas is the

answer

Court of Criminal Appeals.

question

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that there is a constitutional right to keep and bear arms based on the

answer

Second Amendment.

question

When an accused person enters a plea of guilty after negotiating a lesser charge, it is known as a

answer

plea bargain.

question

Which of the following offices represents the state and its agencies in court when the state is a party to a case?

answer

Attorney General

question

When the Texas Governor calls for a special session of the legislature, the agenda for the session is set by the

answer

Governor.

question

Gubernatorial appointments in Texas must be confirmed by the state's

answer

Senate.

question

The speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is chosen by the

answer

members of the House.

question

If both the legislature and the Legislative Redistricting Board fail to complete the reapportionment and redistricting task, the matter is resolved by the

answer

federal courts.

question

Which of the following statewide executive offices is responsible for consumer protection, particularly with regard to determining the relative safety of pesticides?

answer

Agriculture Commissioner

question

The State Board of Education is chosen by

answer

the voters.

question

The governor's item veto applies only to

answer

appropriations bills.

question

In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily stopped the states from carrying out capital punishment in large part because of its finding that the death penalty

answer

was applied in a racially biased manner.

question

The term civil liberties refers to

answer

all of the above.

question

The governor's veto power is almost absolute because

answer

the legislature often adjourns before the governor has had time to act on a bill.

question

Which of the following elected officials in Texas is responsible for supervising the leasing of state-owned lands for such purposes as oil production and grazing?

answer

Commissioner of the General Land Office

question

The 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution explicitly guarantees all of the following except

answer

the right to own firearms.

question

The ____ is authorized by the legislature to reprimand or disbar any practicing attorney in the state for fraudulent, dishonest, or unethical conduct.

answer

State Bar of Texas

question

Address and quo warranto proceedings are both methods of

answer

removing an official from office.

question

Bureaucracy is a type of organization associated with red tape, specialization, and

answer

hierarchy.

question

In the case of McDonald v. Chicago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that

answer

citizen ownership and use of firearms is a fundamental civil liberty.

question

Members of appointed boards and commissions

answer

serve without pay.

question

Which of the following is not one of the personal characteristics shared by most Texas Governors?

answer

Politically liberal

question

State administration in Texas is confusing for which of the following reasons?

answer

All of the above.

question

What is the constitutional limit on the number of terms a Governor may serve in Texas?

answer

There is no term limit

question

Members of the Texas Senate must be at least ____ years of age whereas members of the Texas House must be at least ____ years of age.

answer

26; 21

question

The most obvious function of the legislature is to

answer

make public policy through the passage of legislation.

question

The Governor has a major effect on state policy through his or her

answer

power to make approximately 3,000 appointments to boards and commissions.

question

Which of the following officials certifies elections and maintains records on campaign expenditures?

answer

Secretary of State

question

When a grand jury issues an indictment, this means that

answer

enough evidence exists to justify official charges against a defendant.

question

The "equal protection of the laws" clause, which was the basis of the Supreme Court's 1954 ruling declaring racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, is part of the ____ Amendment.

answer

Fourteenth

question

Since 1975, legislative salaries in Texas have been ____ per year.

answer

$7,200

question

The term civil rights refers to

answer

treating members of all groups equally with the members of other groups.

question

In Texas, all judges except municipal judges are

answer

chosen in partisan elections.

question

Midterm vacancies in district courts in Texas are filled by

answer

gubernatorial appointment.

question

When a bill is pigeonholed by a committee, it is

answer

put on the bottom of a committee's agenda never to be seen again.

question

A system where the governor makes appointments from a list submitted by a commission and judges must be reapproved in a referendum at regular intervals is called

answer

merit selection.

question

The number of state government employees in Texas

answer

has been increasing steadily since the 1980s.

question

When the Governor of Texas dies, resigns, or is removed from office by impeachment and conviction, the ____ becomes Governor.

answer

Lieutenant Governor

question

Which of the following elected officials in Texas is responsible for the administration of the state tax system?

answer

Comptroller of Public Accounts

question

In impeachment proceedings, the ____ must first impeach and then the ____ acts as a trial court.

answer

House of Representatives; Senate

question

State employees who report instances of illegal or unethical conduct in their agency are called

answer

whistle-blowers.

question

The process of drawing boundaries of electoral districts in such a way that one party or faction has an advantage over another is called

answer

gerrymandering.

question

Opponents of the death penalty argue all but which one of the following?

answer

Social science studies are inconclusive as to whether the death penalty deters criminal behavior.

question

Appropriations bills passed by the Texas legislature always take effect

answer

on September 1.

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