Tex1 Ch 3

bicameral

Confederacy

constitution

federalism

Grange

impeachment

limited government

necessary and proper clause

plural executive

Radical Republicans

republican government

separation of powers

supremacy clause

unicameral

The Constitution Convention of 1974 was called in response to a. the need for compliance with provisions of the Voting Rights Act. b. the fear of Democrats of an impending Republican shift in the state. c. a reform movement based on the bribery allegations against major politicians in the state. d. the power grasps of Governor Edmund Davis.

Judges in the state of Texas are a. appointed by the governor and confirmed by the Senate. b. appointed by the lieutenant governor. c. elected by the voters. d. chosen by a commission established by the state bar of Texas.

In the November 2009 constitutional amendment elections, voters were asked to consider _______ proposed amendments. a. one b. eleven c. sixty d. 110

Texas adopted its third constitution in 1845 in response to a gaining its independence. b statehood. c secession. d Reconstruction.

Which of the following is not a function of a state constitution? a. Concentrate political power in the hands of a small group of leaders b. Provide legitimacy to state political institutions c. Delegate power to specific institutions d. Limit political power

The Constitution of 1836 was written in response to the a. Mexican-American War. b. Texas Declaration of Independence. c. Civil War. d. Seven Years' War.

The Texas Bill of Rights prohibits the denial or abridgment of free and equal rights on the basis of a. sex. b. race. c. creed. d. All of the above

Constitutional amendments in Texas are proposed by the legislature and approved by the a. voters of the state. b. governor. c. lieutenant governor. d. supreme court of Texas.

The Constitution of ________ abolished slavery in Texas. a. 1845 b. 1865 c. 1866 d. 1876

The Constitution of _________ was drafted following Texas's secession from the Union. a. 1860 b. 1861 c. 1865 d. 1866

It is the job of the _____________ to make recommendations for salary increases for members of the Texas legislature. a. governor b. Texas Ethics Commission c. Texas legislature d. comptroller

A significant number of the delegates attending the convention that wrote the Constitution of 1876 were affiliated with the a. Ku Klux Klan. b. Grange. c. Republicans. d. Populists.

The current Texas Constitution was first adopted in a. 1827. b. 1876. c. 1932. d. 1974.

In 1827, _______________ was established as the state religion and was supported by the state. a. Catholicism b. Protestantism c. Southern Baptist d. Judaism

The Constitution of 1836 differed from the Constitution of Coahuila y Tejas because it included constitutional protection for a. community property. b. slavery. c. homestead protections. d. debtor relief.

The first federal (or national) constitution that Texas operated under was actually the a. Articles of Confederation. b. Confederate Constitution. c. Spanish Constitution. d. Mexican Constitution.

______________ was elected to serve as governor of the state of Texas under the Constitution of 1869. a. Jim "Pa" Ferguson b. Andrew Johnson c. Edmund Davis d. Jim Hobby

In 1994, state senator Bill Ratliff and state representatives proposed a new constitution for Texas because they thought the 1876 constitution a. centralized too much power in the governor's office. b. impeded the development of a true two-party system. c. was too vague and created conflict in interpreting the document. d. was too lengthy, cluttered, and disorganized to produce an efficient modern government.

The Texas Constitution provides for a state legislature with _____ members in the Senate and ____ members in the House. a. 100; 435 b. 31; 150 c. 50; 100 d. 435; 100

Article IV of the Texas Constitution provides for a(n) ________ executive. a. single b. appointed c. plural d. None of the above

The framers of the constitution of Texas drafted a document based on the principals of a. strengthening government powers to protect the civil rights of newly freed slaves. b. strong parties and the will of the majority. c. popular control and limited government. d. centralizing power to the executive branch.

By 1860, there were over approximately ______________ slaves in Texas, accounting for more than 30 percent of the state's population. a. 58,000 b. 180,000 c. 130,000 d. 100,000

Which of the following is not a function of state constitutions? a. to prevent concentrations of too much power in one office, through a series of checks and balances b. to create political institutions and explain what their powers are c. to forbid certain government actions by establishing civil liberties d. to establish the basic rules and guidelines for state governments to operate. e. to set the proper tax rates for state and county authorities

Who were the Radical Republicans? the first Republicans since a. Reconstruction in Texas to win elected office during the 1960s b. those Republicans who opposed admitting Texas into the Union c. Republicans after the Civil War who controlled Reconstruction policy in the former Confederate states d. followers of the pro-Union governor Sam Houston e. those Republicans who proposed to write a new U.S. constitution in the late 1990s

In the 2007 constitutional amendment election, ______ percent of registered voters participated. a. 8 b. 10 c. 40 d. 25 2

The supremacy clause of the U.S. Constitution states that a. the constitution of Texas is the supreme law in Texas. b. laws passed by the national government are supreme over all state laws. c. state laws take precedence over national laws when they conflict. d. the president is the supreme government authority throughout the United States. e. all laws passed by the Texas legislature are supreme, even if they conflict with federal laws.

Which of the following statements best describes the post-Civil War governorship of E. J. Davis? a. Davis was a Republican who used the centralized powers of the governorship to maintain control over his regime. b. Davis sought to decentralize government in Texas, moving toward a policy of home rule. c. Davis sought to bring Texas into a cooperative relationship with the United States after the Civil War. d. Davis tried to return Texas to independence rather than reentering the Union after the Civil War. e. Davis was a Democratic Confederate sympathizer who frequently clashed with the federal Congress.

Approximately how often has the Texas constitution been amended? a. more than 750 times b. between 50 and 75 c. between 400 and 500 times d. fewer than 30 times e. between 100 and 200 times

Which of the following statements about republican government is incorrect? a. Republican government is part of a system of representative democracy. b. Under a representative government, power derives from the people. c. The right to republican government is not guaranteed in the Texas bill of rights. d. The Texas constitution gives the people a right to reform or to abolish their government. e. The right to republican government is guaranteed in the Texas bill of rights.

Which of the following describes a significant difference between the structure of the Texas executive department and the structure of the U.S. executive branch? a. The chief executive in Texas does not have the power to check the legislature with a veto, as the U.S. president can. b. In Texas, the executive department is made up of several elected offices, instead of just one. c. The governor of Texas is paid more than the U.S. president. d. The governor is considered president of the Texas Senate, while the U.S. president is not considered the presiding officer over the U.S. Senate. e. The governor has term limits, while the U.S. president does not.

Under the Texas constitution, who has the power of impeachment? a. The Senate has the power to both impeach and convict. b. The House of Representatives has the power to impeach, while the state supreme court has the power to try and convict. c. The Texas Supreme Court has the power to impeach and convict. d. The House of Representatives has the power to impeach, while the Senate has the power to try and convict. e. Texas has no constitutional provisions for impeachment.

Which of the following is not a reason for the low level of voter turnout for constitutional amendments? a. Negative advertising in the media has had the effect of alienating possible voters. b. Voters generally have little information about these amendments. c. Many amendments are not controversial. d. Elections for amendments are held in off years, when no candidates are on the ballot. e. Most amendments are relatively insignificant for most voters.

The domination of Texas politics by Republicans after the Civil War ended a. with the victory of the Populist Party in 1892. b. with the Democrats victory in the 1892 elections. c. in 1888, with violent riots by farmers in Houston, Dallas, and Austin. d. through a peaceful transfer of power in 1900. e. in an armed standoff in the capital between the Republican governor and the Democratic legislature in 1872.

Which of the following is not found in the Texas bill of rights? a. no religious tests for officeholders b. freedom of religious worship c. the right to trial by jury d. guarantees of equal treatment under law e. the right to employment

Texas became an independent republic in ______ and became part of the United States in ______. a. 1827; 1861 b. 1836; 1845 c. 1844; 1845 d. 1827; 1869 e. 1845; 1876

The Texas Constitution of 1869 was created a. because Texas needed a new constitution when it joined the Confederacy. b. by members of the Texas Republican Party. c. to abolish slavery. d. in order to limit the power of state government. e. as a reaction against Reconstruction.

Which of the following is not part of the original articles of the Texas Constitution of 1876? a. All are part of the original articles of the Texas constitution. b. the duty to maintain a system of public education c. the establishment of a plural executive d. the establishment of a bicameral legislature. e. a bill of rights

Which of the following statements best describes the structure of the Texas legislature? a. Since independence from Mexico, Texas has had a bicameral legislature. b. Texas has a plural legislature divided up into six different chambers. c. One of the complaints against the Reconstruction constitution was that it created a unicameral legislature. d. Texas has always had a unicameral legislature. e. Texas first unicameral legislature was established while the state was a member of the Confederacy.

What is the most important difference between the U.S. Constitution and state constitutions? a. The U.S. Constitution contains no checks and balances. b. State constitutions contain no checks and balances. c. States are subordinate to the federal government. d. Civil rights are not found in state constitutions. e. Most state constitutions create confederated forms of government.

Which of the following was not an important part of the 1827 constitution of Coahuila y Tejas, established when Texas was part of Mexico? a. The constitution of Coahuila y Tejas established a unicameral legislature. b. The constitution of Coahuila y Tejas established a bicameral legislature. c. The constitution of Coahuila y Tejas attempted to restrict the spread of slavery. d. The constitution of Coahuila y Tejas divided the state into three separate districts. e. The constitution of Coahuila y Tejas established Catholicism as an official religion.