In what way does the Defense of Marriage Act complicate the gay, lesbian, and transgendered battle for equal rights?
Select one: a. It defines what marriage is and is not. b. States do not have to recognize same-sex marriages. c. States do not have to recognize same-sex marriages from other states. d. All of the above are true. answer: D
"Massive resistance" was developed in order to combat​
​the federal government's efforts to desegregate the United States.
In 1956, Governor Allan Shivers declared which demonstration an "orderly protest" and sent the Texas Rangers to support the protestors?
Mansfield School Desegregation Incident
Minnie Fisher Cunningham is most notable for​
​leading Texas suffragists.
Fifty-three percent of Texans believe we spend too little on which specific public policy?
Elementary and secondary education
The individuals who designed and participated in "Massive resistance" are ultimately responsible for
slowing the pace of racial integration in the United States.
Texas's comparatively low levels of funding to social programs illustrate which type of political subculture?
Individualistic
The first Texas cowboys were
Native Americans and Mestizos.
One result of the proliferation of maquiladoras has been​
​the ecological endangerment of the Rio Grande.
The view that ​inequity is inevitable and that personal responsibility is the determinate of an individual's quality of life is an example of
Texas conservatism.
States serve as public policy
laboratories.
How many of the states bordering Texas have casino gambling?
four
Southern states viewed Brown v. Board of Education, the Twenty-Fourth Amendment, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and Voting Rights Act of 1965 as
an encroachment of their states' rights.
The attempt to enhance the power of state and local governments, especially by substituting more flexible block grants instead of restrictive categorical grants in aid is called
devolution
Governor Perry's desire to eliminate some federal agencies was based on
Select one: a. the idea that the federal government should be "reigned in." b. what he sees as government waste and duplication of efforts by states. c. his 2012 presidential campaign. d. all of the above. answer: D
Delegated powers that come with an office or position are called
inherent powers
Powers shared by the state and national government as stated in the U.S. Constitution are called
concurrent
None of the following gambling games are allowed in Texas gambling establishments except
poker
Powers found in Article 1, Section 8 and are explicitly listed in the U.S. Constitution are called
expressed powers
Texas is one of __________ states that decided not to expand medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
21
Texas gives its voters the power to do which of the following?
Approve constitutional amendments
Compared to the United States and other state constitutions, Texas generally has
Select one: a. more words. b. more total amendments. c. higher frequency of amendments per year. d. all of the above. Answer: D
Constitutions are expected to do all of the following except
identify political leaders.
Which is another name for the merit selection of judges?
The Missouri Plan
When state governments misuse their powers, the response is usually to
place constitutional limitations and restrictions on those powers.
The constitution stipulates that state judges are to be selected by which method?
Partisan election by the voters
The Texas Constitution makes the governor a relatively weak executive; however, he maximizes influences with
Select one: a. his tenure in office. b. his appointive powers. c. his veto power. d. all of the above. Answer: D
Common law refers to
customs upheld by courts and derived from British tradition.
The kind of ballot that results from the election of a large number of independent executive and judicial officers is a
long ballot
Texas does not permit voters to decide directly on
legislative appointments.
A gathering of party members who voted in the party's primary for the purpose of electing delegates to the county or district convention is
precinct convention.
All of the following are part of the state's Democratic Party's platform except they
believe the federal government should not change the No Child Left Behind program.
State and local party organizations are ________ who exercise considerable discretion on most party matters.
semi-independent actors
The formal issue positions of a political party is a
party platform.
Since 1998, the GOP achieved their most impressive gains
Select one: a. by reelecting Governor George Bush. b. with Republicans sweeping every statewide office. c. by succeeding in the redistricting of Texas' congressional delegation in 2004. d. All of the above are true. Answer: D
In 2006, Kinky Friedman had to collect 45,000 signatures of eligible voters who had not voted in the March 7 primary in order to be on the ballot, because
he was a third-party candidate who had not received 5 percent of the vote during the primary.
If contending party factions in a precinct are evenly divided, a walkout is possible if one side or the other looses a key vote and claims that a grave injustice was done. Such a group will conduct its own convention called a
rump convention
By 2014, Republicans had regained a partisan edge among voters who identify with a specific party in part because ​of the
​changing views of middle- and upper-class white Americans.
In recent years, the Republican Party had developed two factions with two different styles of leadership except
pro-minority party activists.
All of the following are part of the state's Republican Party's platform except they
propose amnesty for long-term, working illegal immigrants.
Business and agriculture interest groups are interested in all of the following except
encouraging government regulations.
Education and local government groups lobby for all of the following except
encouraging unfunded state mandates.
According to state law, when registering, lobbyists are required to reveal to the state
Select one: a. for whom the person lobbies. b. information about their clients and employers. c. the policy areas of concern. d. all of the above. Asnwer: D
Texas law states that ex-legislators
can become lobbyists with no restrictions.
A successful lobbyist will attempt all of the following except
establish rapport with all members of the legislature.
All of the following are exempt from lobbyists' reports except
costs above expenditure threshold of $500 per year.
The blurring of lines between the state and a special interest group is called
co-optation.
An organization created by interest groups to promote common goals is identified as what type of organization?
Umbrella
A conflict of interest is problematic for the public because​ a
public officer may choose personal interest over the interests and welfare of the public.
"Iron triangles" are composed of which of the following?
Legislative committee members, high-ranking bureaucrats, and representatives of special interests
Which profession is the most frequently represented in the U.S. legislature?
Law
Final passage of a bill requires a vote of
a simple majority in both houses.
According to your text, which statement best describes the Texas legislators?
Select one: a. They receive most of their income from outside sources. b. They are more focused on their full-time careers. c. They are more focused on outside sources of income than on the public interest. d. All of the above. Answer: D
How does a bill become a law?
Introduction to the senate, assigned to committee, committee action, senate calendar
Gerrymandering is most commonly used to protect which legislative incumbents?
Legislators who support the agenda of powerful special interests
The Texas Constitution requires the speaker of the house to be selected by
the majority of the membership of the house.
The redrawing of district and precinct lines following the national census to reflect population changes defines
reapportionment.
The House Calendars Committee controls the
flow of legislation from the committees to the house floor.
Which two individuals are the presiding officers of the state legislature?
The lieutenant governor and the speaker of the house
Which is one of the most powerful committees in the senate?
Finance
The revenues from the management of public lands are dedicated to the Permanent School Fund, which benefit
public schools.
Articles of impeachment in the Texas Senate against a governor require a vote of
two-thirds.
All of the following are appointed by the governor except
members of the State Board of Education.
The Texas Department of Agriculture is responsible for
coordination of pesticide management policies and programs for the Department of Agriculture and several other state agencies.
One of the most persuasive tools the governor has is the
threat of veto.
Constitutionally, a state-of-the-state message must be given by the governor
at the beginning of each legislative session
Texas has a plural executive, which means that
the governor shares executive power with several other independently elected executives and boards.
An item veto allows the governor to do which of the following?
Remove funds for specific items or projects without killing the entire bill
The governor's authority to reject a proposed law is almost an absolute power because
the legislature is seldom in session when the governor issues a veto.
In the history of Texas, the only other female governor other than Miriam Ferguson was
Ann Richards.
Which of the following is not an original jurisdiction of the Texas Supreme Court?
Ruling in death penalty cases
District courts are often described as the _________ of the state, and as a group these courts are called the general trial courts.
chief trial courts
Which of the following statements about execution in Texas is correct?
Texas has executed individuals who were juveniles at the time of the crime.
When an individual is not indicted by a grand jury, a _________ is issued.
no bill
Currently, there are _____district courts, all of which function as single-judge courts.
456
The Supreme Court consists of one chief justice and _________ associate justices.
eight
Original jurisdiction of a court involves all of the following except
a review of the record
Which is not an example of a criminal case?
Breach-of-contract
Appellate proceedings are based on
review of law as applied in the original court.
A criminal case does not involve
cases that deal primarily with individual or property rights.