question

The single most important account in the Texas treasury is the:

answer

General Revenue Fund

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A progressive tax is placed upon:

answer

income

question

The largest share of public land revenue in Texas derives from:

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oil lease fees and royalties

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The most important single tax in Texas is the:

answer

general sales tax

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The largest portion of revenue for the State of Texas comes from:

answer

federal funds in the form of grants

question

The most significant agency in budget preparation is the:

answer

Legislative Budget Board

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Texas transportation policy has resulted in:

answer

the construction of highways for use by automobiles, trucks, and buses

question

An excise tax levied on a natural resource taken from the earth is a:

answer

severance tax

question

A bond whose repayment is guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the state is a:

answer

general obligation bond

question

Most taxes in Texas are collected by the:

answer

comptroller of public accounts

question

A court that is said to have specific authority to decide a particular type of case has:

answer

exclusive jurisdiction

question

The injured party in a civil trial is the:

answer

plaintiff

question

We know that innocent people have been convicted of crimes they did not commit because of an improved:

answer

technology system

question

Official misconduct is a misdemeanor offense. Such cases are tried in:

answer

district court

question

Which scientific development has found that some persons convicted of murder and sentenced to death actually did not commit the crime?

answer

DNA Testing

question

The term "court of record" means that:

answer

a transcript of court proceedings is made by a stenographer

question

The court that is responsible for formulating the rules of civil procedure is:

answer

the Texas Supreme Court

question

Which of the following is NOT a Texas constitutional guarantee regarding jury rights of persons in Texas?

answer

Jury verdicts in all cases must be unanimous

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It is common for adults convicted for the first time of nonviolent misdemeanors and lesser felonies to:

answer

be placed under community supervision

question

A vacancy on a district court bench is filled by:

answer

gubernatorial appointment, with Senate confirmation

question

The Commissioner of Education gets into office as a result of:

answer

appointment by the governor with confirmation by the Texas senate

question

The ability of the Public Utilities Commission to regulate communication in Texas is somewhat limited by:

answer

the policies of the national government

question

What is the purpose of the payroll tax collected by the Texas Workforce Commission?

answer

to provide unemployment compensation

question

Red tape contributes to the image of bureaucracies as:

answer

inefficient

question

The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board:

answer

approves all new degree programs in state colleges and universities

question

The state agency charged with ensuring a supply of safe drinking water for colonias (predominantly Hispanic settlements along the Rio Grande) is the:

answer

Texas Water Development Board

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A system that hires friends and supporters without regard for competency and expertise is called a:

answer

patronage system

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Decisions by local school boards and superintendents are primarily shaped:

answer

by state rules

question

Fragmentation of the Texas Executive Branch into independent agencies was done by various legislatures to:

answer

avoid the problem of power becoming centralized

question

Which of the following is NOT performed by the Texas Education Agency?

answer

It creates attendance zones for all public elementary and secondary schools in Texas

question

The governor's removal power:

answer

is limited to removing the governor's own agency board appointees with two-thirds Senate consent

question

Several of Texas' political traditions and institutions stem from the state's experiences after the Civil War,:

answer

and an era which gave blacks civil rights called Reconstruction

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The Texas governor who was constitutionally removed from office was:

answer

James E. Ferguson

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The governor in Texas, under the state constitution, is allowed to serve:

answer

unlimited terms

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A Texas governor who lacks constitutional authority must rely on:

answer

all of the above

question

Who in state government is the collector of revenue?

answer

the comptroller of public accounts

question

The Texas plural executive:

answer

is largely independent of gubernatorial control

question

The penalty for conviction on being impeached is:

answer

removal from office and disqualification from holding public office in Texas

question

If a member of the Texas Transportation Commission has a question concerning the legal responsibilities of his or her office, whom would he or she consult for advice?

answer

the attorney general

question

When the governor consults with a senator from an appointee's home district to obtain support for a nomination, the governor is respecting the tradition of:

answer

senatorial courtesy

question

Elections under single-member districts increase the probability that:

answer

more black and Hispanic candidates will be elected

question

When the two chambers pass a bill with a different language in each version,:

answer

the bill will go to a conference committee

question

The essence of representative government is:

answer

entrusting the enactment of laws to popularly elected legislative assemblies

question

The size of the chambers in the Texas Legislature is:

answer

150 in the House of Representatives and 31 in the Senate

question

Regular sessions of the Texas Legislature occur:

answer

biennially in odd-numbered years for no more than 140 days

question

Voters elect a new House of Representatives:

answer

in every even-numbered year

question

Filibustering:

answer

is most effective when undertaken at the end of a session

question

Turnover in the Texas legislature is most likely to be high in an:

answer

election immediately after redistricting

question

The principle agent in making public policy in Texas is the:

answer

legislature

question

Legislative redistricting for both houses in Texas occurs in:

answer

the first odd-numbered year in a decade

question

Which US amendment prevents states from requiring payment of a poll tax as a condition for voting?

answer

the 24th

question

Texas' Latino population is:

answer

more than half the state's total population when added to the black population

question

The principle means of political participation for most Texans is:

answer

voting

question

Turnout in Texas primary elections:

answer

is declining in percentage terms

question

The case of Smith v. Allwright (1944) held that:

answer

any party rule prohibiting blacks from membership in the party and participation in its primary election was unconstitutional because primary elections were a substantive part of the political process

question

The National Voter Registration Act of 1933:

answer

required states to make voter registration available at welfare and driver-licensing offices

question

The size of the vote necessary to win a special election in Texas is a:

answer

simple majority

question

The single variable that appears to be the best socioeconomic predictor of likelihood of an individual to vote is:

answer

years of formal schooling

question

The practice of many Texans of voting in the Democratic primary and then voting Republican at the general election is:

answer

called crossover voting

question

The size of the vote necessary for a candidate to win a general election is a:

answer

plurality

question

Precinct chairs are selected by:

answer

the party primary election

question

Returns from the party primaries for statewide office are canvassed by the:

answer

state party executive committee

question

The Reform Party:

answer

was largely the outgrowth of support for Ross Perot

question

Liberals would support which of the following policies?

answer

equal pay for equal work laws regarding women

question

After Reconstruction and until the 1960s, Texas was dominated by:

answer

the Democratic Party

question

Because of the political culture in Texas, conservatism is:

answer

strong in both parties in Texas

question

Which one of the following geographic areas is a Democratic stronghold in Texas?

answer

El Paso

question

Precinct conventions in Texas are usually:

answer

lightly or sparsely attended

question

Straight-ticket voting is popular among those who:

answer

are most loyal to their party

question

The Libertarian Party:

answer

fielded no candidates for statewide office in 2004

question

The triangular relationship described in the text includes:

answer

legislators, bureaucrats, and lobbyists

question

An organization becomes an interest group when it:

answer

seeks to influence a governmental policy decision

question

The details of political contributions and expenditures that a candidate must file with the Texas Ethics Commission must be filed:

answer

between two and seven times each year

question

A major benefit of interest groups to office holders is that they:

answer

provide information and expertise

question

Political parties lack the ability to resist interest groups because they are:

answer

all of the above

question

Common Cause of Texas is an example of a:

answer

public interest group

question

The major objective of an interest group is to:

answer

advance its own interests

question

A major result of grassroots activity by interest groups is that:

answer

it creates the appearance of public support for the group's program

question

In electioneering, an interest group would be unlikely to:

answer

participate actively and publicly in the primary campaign

question

The term "grassroots" refers to activity that:

answer

begins locally and spreads to broader areas

question

Most general-law cities are:

answer

very small in population

question

In most counties, who receives and pays out county funds?

answer

county treasurer

question

The forms of municipal government characterized by a dispersed administrative structure are:

answer

commission and weak mayor-council

question

Under the Texas Constitution, counties:

answer

are administrative arms of the state

question

The term "intergovernmental relations" is another name for:

answer

federalism

question

Elected county officials:

answer

have political party identification

question

Revenue sources for cities include all of the following EXCEPT:

answer

income tax

question

A city law is referred to as a city:

answer

ordinance

question

Who has the responsibility for keeping the peace in each county?

answer

county sheriff

question

The sheriff and county judge:

answer

are state officials paid and selected locally

question

State governments retain substantial authority over:

answer

the operation of schools, the conduct of elections, and the enforcement of criminal laws

question

The Texas Grange:

answer

advocated "retrenchment and reform"--a weak and cheap government

question

Constitutional amendments are voted on in elections called by:

answer

the legislature

question

Voter turnout for amendments:

answer

is always low

question

A system of government in which power is divided between a general government and associated regional governments is a:

answer

federal system

question

The governor's role in the constitutional amendment process:

answer

is limited to the ability to use personal influence to sway the outcome

question

The Texas Bill of Rights:

answer

contains a provision guaranteeing equal rights to women--something not found in the federal Constitution

question

The Texas Constitution is lengthy and detailed primarily because:

answer

too much policy is spelled out in the constitution

question

The US Constitution forbids states from denying anyone equal protection under:

answer

the 14th Amendment to the US Constitution

question

Under the national supremacy clause of the US Constitution:

answer

federal laws and treaties enacted under the US Constitution take precedence over state constitutions and laws

question

Moralistic culture:

answer

both b and c

question

Population shifts in Texas:

answer

match the national pattern with shifts from rural to urban and from large cities to suburbs

question

"A community's habits, attitudes, and patterns of behavior regarding government" is defined as its:

answer

political culture

question

Which international agreement probably has the most direct and immediate impact on Texas?

answer

NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement)

question

Maquiladoras

answer

are manufacturing operations where supply and distribution facilities are on the Texas side and assembly is on the Mexican side of the national boundary

question

One of the fastest growing economic sectors in Texas today is

answer

the service industry

question

The African American population of Texas:

answer

resides mainly in urban counties of North Central, Northeast, and Southeast Texas

question

The Asian American population of Texas is:

answer

primarily immigrant, having come from Southeast Asia

question

The population groups, which together comprise almost 95% of the Texas population, are:

answer

Hispanics, African Americans, and Anglos

question

Elazar insists that traditionalistic influences of the Old South:

answer

still linger, and many Texans have inherited southern racist attitutdes

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