Which of the following is not a qualification a person would need to be a viable candidate for governor of Texas?
answer
born in Texas
question
Who was the first Republican governor of Texas since Reconstruction, and when was he or she elected?
answer
b. William Clements in 1978
question
3. In Texas, why are gubernatorial elections held in off years?
answer
a. so that gubernatorial elections will not be influenced by a presidential election
question
4. What is the most significant and far-reaching of the Texas governor's powers?
answer
a. the power to appoint boards and commissions
question
5. The Department of Public Safety is responsible for all of the following EXCEPT
answer
c. animal and insect control
question
6. For a Texas governor, what is the benefit of a post-adjournment veto?
answer
b. The legislature is prevented from overriding it.
question
7. What makes the greatest difference between strong and weak governors of Texas?
answer
c. the differences in personality
question
8. In Texas, which officer in the plural executive is NOT elected by voters?
answer
a. the secretary of state
question
9. Which of the following about the lieutenant governor in Texas is incorrect?
answer
d. The lieutenant governor's powers are primarily executive, not legislative.
question
10. Almost one-half of the attorney general's employees are involved in what government task?
answer
c. collecting child-support payments
question
11. Which state office was eliminated in 1996?
answer
c. state treasurer
question
12. In Texas, the plural executive is held accountable through all of the following EXCEPT
answer
e. appointment by the governor.
question
13. Which of the following statements concerning the Texas Department of Insurance is incorrect?
answer
c. The department makes sure that all Texans are covered by health insurance.
question
14. Authority over railroads throughout Texas was given to the ______ in 2005.
answer
a. Texas Department of Transportation
question
15. The Texas State Board of Education is responsible for all of the following EXCEPT
answer
a. funding public school districts.
question
16. What is the purpose of the Sunset Advisory Commission in Texas?
answer
a. It reviews state agencies every twelve years to see if they are still needed.
question
1. The highest fine an individual can receive upon criminal sentencing is ___________.
answer
b. $10,000
question
2. An individual convicted of a ______ felony will receive a punishment of two to ten years in prison and possibly a fine.
answer
d. third-degree
question
3. Which of the following groups of crimes are considered second-degree felonies?
answer
d. bigamy, sexual assault, arson, and manslaughter
question
4. In misdemeanor convictions, individuals lose their rights to which of the following?
answer
e. The individual will not lose any of these rights.
question
5. In a situation in which the defendant may have committed his or her first offense, the judge is more likely to issue a punishment of ______.
answer
a. probation
question
6. For felonies, in general, most probation sentences run for up to ______ years of community supervision.
answer
c. ten
question
7. In regard to the rules of community supervision (probation) requirements, what are the results of compliance versus violation?
answer
b. A criminal in compliance will likely receive an early release of up to one-third the term, while a criminal in violation may be sent to jail for the remainder of his or her sentence.
question
8. Which of the following makes the decision to grant parole?
answer
c. the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles
question
9. An individual convicted of a nonviolent crime must serve how much of his or her term before being considered for parole?
answer
c. at least one-fourth of fifteen years, or whichever is less
question
10. During the first appearance before a judge, referred to as the arraignment, what will likely happen?
answer
a. The judge will repeat the due process rights of the accused and set bail.
question
11. A written statement issued by a grand jury that charges a suspect with a crime and states that a trial is warranted is referred to as a
answer
d. true bill.
question
12. Misdemeanor juries in the state of Texas require ______ members, while felony juries require ______ members.
answer
b. six; twelve
question
13. Jurors determine a guilty verdict in criminal cases
answer
a. with a unanimous vote.
question
14. In Texas, the legal standard of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt is used in which types of cases?
answer
d. both felony and misdemeanor cases
question
15. Which of the following is not likely to be included in a plea bargain?
answer
c. a recommendation for a higher sentence with a lower fee
question
16. In the 1972 case of Ruiz v. Estelle, the U.S. federal court determined that
answer
a. inmates' constitutionally guaranteed rights had been violated in Texas prisons.
question
17. In the past twenty years, the costs of prison construction and maintenance have risen from approximately ______ to approximately ______.
answer
a. $147 million; $3 billion
question
18. What type of offenses are Texas prison inmates most likely to be imprisoned for?
answer
d. violent offenses
question
19. What percentage of Texas prison inmates has been convicted of drug offenses?
answer
c. 18 percent
question
20. More than one hundred death-row inmates in Texas have been represented by
answer
c. court-appointed attorneys with troubled histories whose performances became an issue on appeal.
question
1. What types of cases does the Texas Supreme Court hear?
answer
a. civil appeals
question
2. The Texas Supreme Court and court of criminal appeals have appellate jurisdiction, which means they have the authority to do what?
answer
b. review the decisions of lower courts to determine whether legal principles and court procedures were followed correctly
question
3. Which of the following is NOT an example of general jurisdiction under a Texas district court?
answer
e. family law matters
question
4. Often county courts in Texas have jurisdiction over which matters?
answer
e. probate cases, serious criminal misdemeanors, and civil cases where the amounts in dispute are relatively small, and appellate cases of municipal or justice of the peace courts
question
5. Justice of the peace courts handle which kind of disputes?
answer
c. small claims
question
6. What percentage of the 819 justices of the peace in Texas are non-lawyers?
answer
e. 93 percent
question
7. In Texas, trial lawyers tend to support
answer
a. Democratic judicial candidates.
question
8. Which of the following is not a major criticism of the method of judicial selection in Texas today?
answer
e. The governor has too much power in judicial selection.
question
9. Why does it typically cost more money to win a seat on the Texas Supreme Court than a seat on the Texas court of criminal appeals?
answer
b. There are few interest groups that contribute money to the criminal appeals court candidates' campaigns, which keeps down the costs of the election.
question
10. Between 1980 and 1985, judicial candidates in Texas made a mass change in their campaign strategies. What was that change?
answer
d. Candidates began making a switch from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party.
question
11. A recent Texas poll found that _____ percent of judges felt that campaign contributions had at least some influence on judicial decisions.
answer
c. 86
question
12. In what year were there no Democratic representatives in the Texas Supreme Court races because the Republican candidates were so strong?
answer
e. 2000
question
13. Why is it difficult for voters to learn about judicial candidates in Texas?
answer
c. Voters are called upon to vote for too many different judicial races in a single election.
question
14. Approximately ______ of Texas appellate judges are women.
answer
c. 40 percent
question
15. Which of the following is not a reason, listed by the text, that there are few minority judges in Texas?
answer
e. Minority candidates tend to be outspent by white candidates.
question
16. Appealing a case to the federal courts of appeal when all justices will hear the case, rather than the typical panel of three, is referred to as hearing a case ______.
answer
c. en banc
question
17. Which of the following supported the amendment proposed by Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock to update the countywide election process?
answer
d. African American voters
question
18. A study showed that retention elections lead to the defeat for the incumbent in ______ percent of instances.
answer
a. 1.6
question
1. Given the budget structure and constitutional limitations upon spending and taxing, legislators seeking to balance the budget are left with
answer
c. concentrated on a few state agencies.
question
3. Which phrase best characterizes Texas's reputation in terms of taxes and services?
answer
b. low service, low tax
question
4. According to our text, what determines the amount of tax revenue generated from oil and natural gas produced in Texas?
answer
b. market price and the amount produced
question
5. Overall, the tax system in Texas is generally considered to be regressive, which means that
answer
a. the tax burden consumes a greater percentage of income received by lower-income individuals.
question
6. Who pays the greatest portion of their income in property taxes?
answer
c. poor homeowners and renters
question
7. What is the argument commonly used by supporters of a state income tax?
answer
e. It is a fairer and more reliable source of revenue.
question
8. Next to revenue generated by state taxes, the second largest source of state revenue comes from
answer
c. the federal government.
question
9. Which statement regarding state-federal spending in Texas is true?
answer
b. Texas spends less on state-federal programs than most states do.
question
10. The Permanent School Fund (PSF) was created in
answer
a. 1854.
question
11. Which of the following agencies is responsible for managing the Permanent School Fund?
answer
b. the Texas Board of Education
question
12. The Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF) is commonly known as the
answer
c. Rainy Day Fund.
question
13. One significant component of the budget process that is relatively unique to Texas is
answer
a. the constitutional mandate that Texas legislators write a budget every two years.
question
14. The Texas Constitution specifies that state payments for assistance to needy children and their caretakers shall not exceed ______ percent of the states' budget in any biennium.
answer
a. 1
question
15. The Legislative Budget Board (LBB) is chaired by the
answer
d. lieutenant governor.
question
16. The purpose of the Biennial Revenue Estimate (BRE) is to
answer
a. provide a detailed forecast of total revenues that the state is expected to take in.
question
17. ______ monitors state agencies to ensure that they comply with the state budget.
answer
b. The LBB, in conjunction with the State Auditor's Office
question
18. Which of the following statements is true?
answer
c. The legislative session was particularly difficult because the Great Recession had significantly reduced state revenue.
question
19. Taking into account increasing Medicaid and school district funding, the general revenue shortfall for the 2012-2013 biennium budget was
answer
b. between $24 and $27 billion.
question
20. To address the budget shortfall in the 2012-2013 budget, the most common tactic used by the legislature was
answer
c. spending cuts.
question
1. The Texas Supreme Court's decision in Edgewood ISD v. Kirby was that
answer
a. undue reliance upon property taxes to fund public education violated the Texas Constitution.
question
2. Which of the following statements regarding public policy in Texas is true?
answer
c. 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.
question
3. Which statement is true regarding public education throughout much of the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century?
answer
b. Public education was handled privately and by local government.
question
4. The three main issues that have shaped education policy in Texas during the last fifty years are
answer
c. funding, desegregation, and educational excellence.
question
The legal doctrine at issue in the Plessy v. Ferguson case is the
answer
a. separate but equal doctrine.
question
6. 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.
answer
c. lower than
question
7. By the late 1960s, de facto segregation
answer
b. was still a problem in urban public schools with a large minority population.
question
8. San Antonio v. Rodriguez dealt with the
answer
d. constitutionality of using property taxes to fund public schools.
question
9. In Edgewood ISD v. Kirby, the key constitutional issue was
answer
b. whether the phrase "an efficient system of free public schools" included school financing.
question
10. Among the most important findings of the 1983 report were
answer
c. test scores were declining and functional illiteracy was increasing.
question
11. Ross Perot was appointed by Governor Mark White to chair a committee on education. As committee chair, he was particularly scornful of
answer
d. athletic programs.
question
12. The high school graduation rates in Texas are
answer
d. improving dramatically due to the reforms of the 1980s.
question
13. Which statement is true regarding poverty in Texas?
answer
d. In Texas, the poverty rate among children is much higher than in the rest of the United States.
question
14. In the 1960s, welfare policy in Texas reflected
answer
a. a policy of minimizing the cost to Texas while maximizing the use of federal dollars.
question
15. Welfare reforms are measured along which two dimensions?
answer
c. the number of people on welfare and the success of getting people into the workforce
question
16. Federal money for Medicaid programs
answer
c. is accompanied by federal rules and regulations, which states must comply with to maintain federal funding of the program.
question
17. Which statement is true?
answer
c. Texas leads the nation in the percentage of residents who lack health insurance coverage.
question
18. In legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court ruled that
answer
c. the tax penalizing people who failed to purchase medical insurance was constitutional.
question
19. Responding to the Supreme Court decision on national health care legislation of 2010, Governor Perry announced that
answer
d. Texas would not participate in the expanded Medicaid program.
question
20. According to a report released in July 2012 by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, relative to other states, Texas is ranked ______ in health care services and delivery.
answer
c. last
question
1. One of the most notable effects of bicameralism in the Texas legislature is that it
answer
d. permits more opportunities to kill or significantly modify a bill.
question
2. What is the function of the "local and consent" calendar?
answer
c. It is reserved for uncontroversial bills that are not expected to have major opposition.
question
3. Which of the following is not a legislative power of the Texas governor?
answer
d. removing, for suitable cause, the Speaker or lieutenant governor
question
4. Which of the following statements about special sessions of the Texas legislature is true?
answer
c. Special sessions are common, held an average of once a year since 1876.
question
5. In 2004 and 2005, three special sessions were called in the Texas legislature to deal with
answer
c. school finance.
question
6. What is the main difference between a bill and a resolution?
answer
d. Unlike a bill, a resolution, if passed, lacks the force of a public law.
question
7. Which of the following statements about the Texas legislature is incorrect?
answer
c. Only the senate has the constitutional authority to launch investigations into problems concerning the state.
question
8. Constituency services provided by Texas representatives may include all of the following EXCEPT
answer
b. providing legal services in court.
question
9. In Texas, who can write a bill?
answer
d. anyone at all
question
10. In the Texas legislature, when a committee chair "pigeonholes" a bill, what happens?
answer
a. The bill is set aside before it is ever discussed in committee.
question
11. In Texas, why is a governor's post-adjournment veto so powerful?
answer
a. It cannot be overturned by the legislature.
question
12. Why is the comptroller of public accounts so important to the legislature?
answer
b. The comptroller informs the legislature how much money it has to spend on the budget.
question
13. Which of the following statements about partisanship in the Texas legislature is correct?
answer
b. Historically, partisanship has been rather low, but in recent years the legislature has moved into a more partisan era.
question
14. The Legislative Redistricting Board has the authority to draw new districts if
answer
b. the legislature fails to redistrict in the first regular session.
question
15. What is the importance of the Supreme Court case Reynolds v. Sims?
answer
c. It declared the constitutional principle of "one person, one vote."
Haven't found what you need?
Search for quizzes and test answers now
Quizzes.studymoose.com uses cookies. By continuing you agree to our cookie policy
