Final Exam Govt 2306 – Flashcards
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Approximately what percentage of the current population of Texas is Hispanic?
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35 percent
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In 1944, the Supreme Court case Smith v. Allwright ended
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White primaries
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Which racial or ethnic group in Texas is concentrated in East Texas?
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African Americans
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What was Stephen F. Austin's role in the development of Texas?
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He worked with the Spanish government to bring American settlers into Texas.
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Which city in Texas currently has the largest population?
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Houston
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Dallas developed in the late nineteenth century as a result of
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the intersection of two railroad lines
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Historically, the economy of Fort Worth has been associated with what industry?
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cattle
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The economy of San Antonio rests on all of the following except
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the high-tech industry
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Congress gained the power to tax income through
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the sixteenth Amendment
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State legislatures lost the power to appoint their U.S. senators under
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the Seventeenth Amendment
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The Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is the legal basis for
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federal intervention into state responsibilities
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During the Nullification Crisis in 1833, South Carolina tried to assert the right to veto (or nullify)
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national legislation passed by Congress
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Dual federalism is also known as
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layer-cake federalism
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The relationship between the states and the federal government changed dramatically soon after
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the great depression began
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Under the New Deal, federalism is frequently described as
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cooperative federalism
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For eligible participants, the Social Security Act of 1935 instituted all of the following EXCEPT
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universal health care for all Americans
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Medicaid, a national program providing health care for the poor, was added to the existing Social Security program under
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Lyndon Johnson's Great Society
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The use of block grants, allowing states considerable leeway in how federal money is spent, was championed by President ______ under the name New Federalism.
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Nixon
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When the federal government requires a state to meet federal guidelines without offering financial support to pay for these programs, it is known as
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an unfunded mandate
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The most local voting district is called the
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precinct
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Which demographic group is the fastest growing in Texas?
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Latinos
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The fastest-growing demographic group in Texas is _____________, the majority of whom vote _____________.
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Hispanic; Democratic
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The last Democratic president that carried the state of Texas was
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Jimmy Carter in 1976.
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The main role of the precinct convention is to
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Select delegates for the county convention
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In Texas, the highest level of temporary party organization is the
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State convention.
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The _____________ is a meeting held by a political party following its precinct conventions for the purpose of electing delegates to its state convention.
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County convention
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In Texas, primary elections are usually held in
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March
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Runoff primaries are generally held
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The second Tuesday in April
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A(n) ______ occurs when the winner of a primary election fails to win an absolute majority of the votes cast.
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Runoff election
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What is the purpose of a primary election?
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To select a Party's candidate for the general election
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Which of the following is not a type of election found in Texas?
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distinguished
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The ______ election decides who is elected to an office.
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general
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Which of the following is the purpose of special elections?
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To fill vacancies in elected offices
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Officially, Texas has a
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Closed primary
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The first Tuesday following the first Monday in November of even-numbered years is the day for which election?
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General election
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In Texas, special elections are held for all of the following reasons EXCEPT to:
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Impeach a corrupt politician
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Major statewide officials are elected in nonpresidential election years because
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Such a system prevents popular presidential candidates from influencing state elections
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General elections are held
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In even-numbered years
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Independent candidates are rarely on the Texas ballot because
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The signature/petition requirements are often too stringent
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When the governor strikes out specific spending provisions in large appropriations bills, it is called
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the line-item veto
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Why is the comptroller of public accounts so important to the legislature?
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The comptroller informs the legislature how much money it has to spend on the budget
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How is the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives chosen?
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The Speaker is elected by members of the House
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Which of the following statements about partisanship in the Texas legislature is correct?
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Historically, partisanship has been rather low, but in recent years legislature has moved into a more partisan era.
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The governor of Texas has
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few formal powers, so the office is one of the weakest chief executives in the United States
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In Texas, if a sitting governor is unable to hold office due to impeachment and conviction, resignation, or death, who becomes governor?
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the lieutenant governor
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______ is the only Texas governor to be both impeached and convicted.
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James Ferguson
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What is the most significant and far-reaching of the Texas governor's powers?
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the power to appoint boards and commissions
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Which of the following is the best example of the Texas governor's military powers?
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The governor can declare martial law during a natural disaster
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The Texas governor has all of the following legislative powers EXCEPT the power to
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break tie votes in the senate.
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When the Texas governor strikes out particular spending provisions in an appropriations bill, it is called
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a line-item veto
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For a Texas governor, what is the benefit of a post-adjournment veto?
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It cannot be overturned by the legislature
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What is the Texas governor's greatest judicial power?
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the power to appoint judges to vacancies in the courts
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Why did the Texas constitution establish a plural executive?
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There was suspicion of a strong chief executive.
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In Texas, which officer in the plural executive is not elected by voters?
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the secretary of state
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The chief lawyer for Texas is the
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attorney general
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Almost one-half of the attorney general's employees are involved in what government task?
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collecting child-support payments
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What types of cases does the Texas Supreme Court hear?
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civil appeals
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Which of the following best describes the requirement(s) necessary to be a judge of the Texas Supreme Court?
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thirty-five years of age, citizen of the United States, resident of Texas, practicing attorney or judge
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Which court in Texas has automatic jurisdiction over all death penalty cases?
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the court of criminal appeals
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Next to revenue generated by state taxes, the second largest source of state revenue comes from
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the federal government
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Federal matching funds are
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awarded to states that agree to fund a federal program on behalf of their own citizens.
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Which statement regarding state-federal spending in Texas is true?
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Texas spends less on state-federal programs than most states do.
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Which statement concerning matching funds in Texas is true?
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Texas has historically participated in matching funds at a relatively low rate
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Authorized by voters in 1991, the Texas state lottery generates a sizeable sum for the state budget. Which of the following statements regarding the Texas lottery is true?
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The lottery is played by large numbers of people from all social classes
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The Permanent School Fund (PSF) was created in
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1854
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66. The main purpose of the Permanent School Fund (PSF) is to
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fund primary and secondary schools in the state.
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Which of the following statements regarding public policy in Texas is true?
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The policies of the national government influence Texas, but, for the most part, large segments of public policy, such as education, infrastructure, and legal matters, are state and local matters.
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Which ideology reflected the public policy agenda in Texas during the first decade of the twenty-first century?
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conservative ideology
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The three main issues that have shaped education policy in Texas during the last fifty years are
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funding, desegregation, and education excellence
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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.
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lower than
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The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Plessy v. Ferguson in
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Brown v. Board of Education
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By the late 1960s, de facto segregation
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was still a problem in urban public schools with a large minority population
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Among the most important findings of the 1983 report were
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test scores were declining and functional illiteracy was increasing
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The high school graduation rates in Texas are
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among the lowest of all fifty states
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Dropout rates in Texas are
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highest among minorities
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The most persistent social problem facing Texas is
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The most persistent social problem facing Texas is poverty
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The percentage of Texans living in poverty is approximately
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15 percent.
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The generally accepted standard by which poverty is measured in the United States is the
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the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services poverty index
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Which statement is true regarding poverty in Texas?
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In Texas, the poverty rate among children is much higher than in the rest of the United States.
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A home-rule charter
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specifies the number of members serving on the city's governing body
