Texas Government Chapter 3

Government is a process of decision making conditioned by all of the following except a. the people. c. interest groups. b. history and political parties. d. bureaucracy.

Constitutions are expected to do all of the following except a. assign constitutional power. b. identify political leaders. c. place limitations on the government. d. establish major governing institutions.

A constitution promotes _________if the general public agrees that the government has the right to govern its citizens. a. social contract c. legitimacy b. treatise d. legality

The constitutions of the Texas Republic and first states constitutions are products of a. plantation culture. b. Anglo protestant slaveholders. c. some provisions of Spanish-Mexican law. d. All of the above are true.

Which of the following concerning the Texas Constitution of 1836 is not correct? a. It called for a careful separation of church and state. b. It legalized slavery in Texas. c. It prohibited the president from serving consecutive terms. d. It established a federal system of government for the Republic.

Texas fought and won its independence from which of the following countries? a. Spain c. Mexico b. Great Britain d. United States

The constitution of the Republic of Texas adopted some provisions from Spanish-Mexican law, including a. homestead protections. b. protection for a wife's property rights. c. concept of community property. d. All of the above are true.

Which is a correct statement about Texas? a. Texas won independence in 1836 and gained statehood in 1845. b. Texas won independence in 1845 and gained statehood in 1861. c. Texas won independence in 1836 and gained statehood in 1861. d. Texas won independence in 1836 and gained statehood the same year.

Common law refers to a. superior law that establishes governing institutions and organizes their formal power relationship. b. laws that deals with the basic principles of government. c. customs upheld by courts and derived from British tradition. d. law passed by legislatures and written into code books.

What issued delayed Texas annexation to the United States in 1836? a. The slavery controversy in the United States b. The dense population of Texas c. The heavy Catholic population in Texas d. A Republic constitution did not exist

Which of the following is not true of the Texas Constitution of 1845? a. It was similar to other southern state constitutions of the time. b. It exempted homesteads from foreclosure. c. It provided for community property. d. It granted the governor a term of four years.

The kind of ballot that results from the election of a large number of independent executive and judicial officers is a a. selective ballot. c. long ballot. b. short ballot. d. ballot.

Which is a correct statement about the Texas Constitution of 1866? a. Secession from the union was nullified. b. Confederate war debts were renounced. c. A civilian government was established. d. All of the above are true.

Which of the following is not correct about the Texas Constitution of 1869? a. It centralized state power in the hands of the governor. b. It provided for annual legislative sessions. c. It decentralized the Texas public school system. d. It allowed the governor to appoint all major state offices.

Which of the following is not true of the Reconstruction Act of 1867? a. It made the 1866 Constitution void. b. It required Confederate states to adopt constitutions that met with the approval of the U.S. Congress. c. It deposed civilian elected officials and restored military rule. d. It was passed by the Radical Democrats in Congress.

Which of the following was the slogan of the Texas Grange going into the 1875 Constitutional Convention? a. "Retrenchment and reform" c. "Reconstruction of die" b. "Onward to the Future" d. "Republicanism for victory"

The Constitution of 1875 was opposed by all of the following groups with the exception of a. Blacks. c. Democrats. b. Republicans. d. railroad interests.

Texas Grangers were opposed to the idea of a. public education. b. strengthening local government. c. giving counties administrative and judicial functions. d. segregated schools.

A pragmatic view of the role of state constitutions should not lead to the conclusion that they are a. only incidental to good government. b. governed by scoundrels and unconcerned citizens. c. fundamental to a good government. d. reactionary.

The U.S. Supreme Court has interpreted the ________Amendment to extend many national constitutional guarantees to the states. a. Tenth c. Fifteenth b. Seventeenth d. Fourteenth

Article 1, Section 19 of the Texas Constitution protects against a. double jeopardy. c. unreasonable search and seizures. b. forced self-incrimination. d. due process.

Law passed by legislatures and written into code books is a. writ of habeas corpus. c. statutory law. b. amendments. d. separation of powers.

Which of the following is not a guaranteed additional right granted by the current Texas Constitution? a. It prohibits discrimination based on sex. b. It prohibits the garnishment of wages for any reason. c. It forbids imprisonment for debt. d. It guarantees victims rights.

Which is not encompassed by the principle of check and balances? a. Veto power of the governor b. Impeachment and conviction power given to the legislature c. Confirmation of appointments given to the House of Representatives d. Appointments made by the governor

Which of the following is not true of the Texas Legislature? a. It is bicameral. b. Senators serve six-year terms and Representatives serve four-year terms. c. The Texas Constitution sets legislative salaries at $7,200 a year. d. The legislature meets in biennial regular sessions.

Article 3 of the Texas Constitution assigns power to a _______ legislature consisting of the 31 members of the senate and the 150 members of the house of representatives. a. bicameral c. polar b. unicameral d. unitary government

Which state agency is permitted to recommend salary increases for legislators? a. Legislative Budget Board c. Texas Ethics Commission b. Texas Audit Board d. Sunset Advisory Board

Which is a correct statement about Texas special sessions? a. There are no restrictions on how long a special session can last. b. The legislators are the only ones that are able to call themselves into session. c. Texas special sessions are more restrictive than any other state. d. The leadership of the legislature sets the agenda of special sessions.

Which statement is correct regarding term limitations of legislators in the Texas state constitution? a. Legislators are limited to one term. b. Legislators are limited to two consecutive terms. c. Legislators are limited to serve two non-consecutive terms. d. Term limits do not exist in the constitution.

State constitutional provisions voided by a conflicting U.S. constitutional is a. deadwood. c. writ of habeas corpus. b. statutory law. d. checks and balances.

According to the Texas Constitution, which of the following is not true concerning the executive branch of government? a. It is technically a plural executive. b. The governor has no term limits. c. The Constitution sets the legislature salary as low. d. The requirements to be governor are stricter in Texas than other states.

Which power allows the governor to appoint supervisory boards but not operational directors for most state agencies? a. Removal c. Indirect appointive b. Budgetary d. Directive authority

The Texas Constitution makes the governor a relatively weak executive; however, he maximizes influences with a. his tenure in office. c. his veto power. b. his appointive powers. d. All of the above are true.

The power of some governors to reduce amounts in an appropriations bill without striking them out is defined as a. pocket veto. c. line item veto. b. item veto. d. reduction veto.

Texas and Oklahoma are the only states that have a. a district court in every city. c. a probate court. b. a commissioners court. d. two courts of final appeals.

Which of the following is not a power granted to the Texas governor? a. Limited removal power c. Item veto b. Indirect appointive powers d. Reduction veto

Which of the following is not a proposal to reform the process of selecting judges in Texas? a. Merit plan c. Nonpartisan elections b. Life terms d. Term limits

The constitution stipulates that state judges are to be selected by which method? a. Partisan election by the voters c. Appointment by the governor b. Election by the legislators d. Nonpartisan election by the voters

Which is another name for the merit selection of judges? a. The Missouri Plan c. The Montana Plan b. The Mississippi Plan d. The Massachusetts Plan

The state government decentralizes power by assigning many functions to units of local government, especially a. special districts. c. councils of government. b. general law cities. d. counties.

________ is a document authorizing the establishment of a city with a population of 5,000 or less whose structure and organization are prescribed and limited by state law. a. General-law charter c. Special district b. Home-rule charter d. County

Which of the following has limited purposes in terms of local government? a. Counties c. Special districts b. Cities d. All of the above are true.

Which election method allows citizens to place proposals on the ballot for voter approval? If the measure passes, it becomes law. a. Referendum c. Popular recall b. Initiative d. Electoral vote

Which method of election permits voters to determine if an ordinance or statute will go into effect? a. Initiative c. Popular recall b. Referendum d. Electoral vote

Texas gives its voters the power to do which of the following? a. Popular recall c. Initiative b. Approve constitutional amendments d. Referendum

Which of the following is true about the Texas Constitution's amendment process? a. Proposals by the voters b. Proposal by the majority vote of the legislature c. Ratification after approval by the governor d. Ratification by the majority of voters

Article 17 of the Texas Constitution provides for a. proposal by the majority vote of the legislature. b. ratification after approval by the governor. c. ratification by the majority of voters. d. proposal of Constitutional Amendments.

Texas does not permit voters to decide directly on a. Constitutional amendments. c. legislative salaries. b. the state income tax. d. legislative appointments.

James Leininger has been a major force in Texas politics because a. he is co-founder of Texas Public Policy Foundation, which influences Texas's tax and education policies. b. he was the driving financial force behind the constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage. c. he is a major sponsor of Governor Perry's political career. d. All of the above are true.

Which is not a correct statement about the present-day Texas Constitution? a. It is one of the most restrictive. b. It has been amended 474 times. c. It is the longest state constitution. d. It is the fourth most frequently amended state constitution.

he Constitutional Convention of 1974 was divided over which issue? a. A right- to-work provision to restrict organized labor b. The merit system of selecting judges c. Setting the salary of state legislators d. Reducing the term of the governor to two years

Opposition to the 1975 proposed constitutional overhaul centered on all of the following issues except a. fear of greater government costs. c. biennial legislative sessions. b. more power to the legislature. d. possibility of an income tax.

When state governments misuse their powers, the response is usually to a. throw out the old constitution and replace with a new one. b. place constitutional limitations and restrictions on those powers. c. make the document more flexible. d. recall the officials.

Which statement most accurately reflects state constitutions? a. They are poorly written and, as a result are interpreted to be overly restrictive. b. They are generally less restrictive than the U.S. Constitution. c. They require several hundred amendments to reflect the times. d. They are generally shorter than the U.S. Constitution.

State constitutions require more amendments because of each of the following except a. interest groups frequently feel safer when their interests are protected in a constitution. b. citizens are wary of strong governments and prefer detailed restrictions. c. state constitutions are poorly written and arranged. d. state constitutions are usually written in general terms and need additional clarification.

Compared to the United States and other state constitutions, Texas generally has a. more words. b. more total amendments. c. higher frequency of amendments per year. d. All of the above are true.

During the decade that followed the Civil War, Texas went from a period of Reconstruction to one of reconstitution. This was defined by a. the drive to guarantee former slaves their political and civil rights. b. the centralization of state power created an anti-government political environment. c. the attitudes of those who wrote and ratified it. d. All of the above are true.

In 1867, the Radical Republicans in Washington prevailed among the postwar factions with a. strengthening military rule. b. the removal of local officials. c. requiring former Confederate states to ratify the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments. d. All of the above are true.

Which of the following is true about the Constitution of 1869? a. It gave the governor the power to appoint members of the Texas Supreme Court. b. The legislature was permitted to meet annually. c. It created the perception that it was more concerned with punishing than reconstructing Texas. d. All of the above are true.

Which U.S. Supreme Court case voided the Texas' governor's election of 1873? a. Davis v. Coke c. Ex parte Rodriguez b. Ex parte Davis d. Ex parte Grant