Texas Govt Final Review

There are [X] members of the Texas Senate

31

What are the terms for office for members of the legislature?

Senators serve 4 year terms; House members serve 2 year terms

The court of last resort for civil cases is the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals while the Texas Supreme Court makes final decisions in most criminal cases.
A. True
B. False

B. False

There are [x] members of the Texas house of Representatives

150

[X] is a political ideology marked by the belief in a limited role for government in taxation, economic regulation, and providing social services; supports traditional values and lifestyles, and are cautious in response to social change

Conservative

[X] is a political ideology marked by the advocacy of using government to improve the welfare of individuals, government regulation of the economy, support for civil rights, and tolerance to social change

Liberal

A power that allows the governor to stop a bill from becoming law is called bill blocking
A. True
B. False

B. False

Differences in the House and Senate version of a bill are resolved in
A. Legislative Council
B. Standing Committees
C. Sunset Advisory Commission
D. Conference Committees

D. Conference Committees

Directly contacting public officials to advocate for or against public policy is called

Lobbying/Direct Lobbying

The practice of drawing district boundaries to the political advantage of the party in power is known as redistricting
A. True
B. False

B. False

Which of the following is NOT a formal qualification to become a member of the Texas House of Representatives?
A. Being a U.S. Citizen
B. Being at least 21 years of age
C. Having lived in the district for 1 year prior to being elected
D. Having lived in Texas for 5 years prior to being elected

D. Having lived in Texas for 5 years prior to being elected

Which of the following about interest groups is incorrect?
A. Interest groups nominate candidates for office
B. Interest groups work with lobbyists to achieve their goals
C. Interest groups seek narrower interests than that of political parties
D. Interest groups seek to influence the government

A. Interest groups nominate candidates to office

A criminal case does NOT involve
A. Cases that deal primarily with money charges
B. A violation of the Texas Penal Code
C. Prosecution by the state against the accused
D. A lawbreaker who may be punished by a fine/imprisonment/both

A. Cases that deal primarily with money charges

A prisoner's initial appearance before a magistrate is called
A. Bond
B. Arraignment
C. Bail
D. Arrest

B. Arraignment

How many members serve in the grand juries in Texas?
A. 12
B. 6
C. 20
D. 10

A. 12

minor crimes punishable by a county jail sentence and or fine are called

Misdemeanors

Texas has 3 branches of government

Executive Branch-Enforces the law
Judicial Branch-Interprets the law
Legislative Branch-Makes the law

Judges in Texas are selected by which process?
A. Confirmed by Texas Senate
B. Partisan Election
C. Nomination by Governor
D. A and B

D. A and B

Texas's largest single individual revenue source is
A. General Sales Tax
B. Selective Sale Tax
C. Federal Funds
D. Gross Receipts Taxes

A. General Sales Tax

The city of Houston operates under the ____________-___________ system of municipal government

strong-mayor

The purpose of a grand jury is to
A. Issue information
B. Determine if there is enough evidence to bring the accused to trial
C. Select individuals to serve on a trial jury
D. Determine if an individual is guilty or not guilty of a crime

B. Determine if there is enough evidence to bring the accused to trial

After an initial stay in prison, prisoners serving the remainder of their sentence under supervision in the community is called probation
A. True
B. False

A. True

Article 17 of the Texas Constitution provides for proposal of constitutional amendments by
A. A majority of voters voting in a special election
B. 2/3rds vote of each of the Texas legislatures and majority vote of Texas citizens
C. Majority of voters voting in a referendum
D. A majority vote of each of house of the Texas Legislature

B. 2/3rds vote of each of the Texas legislatures and majority vote of Texas citizens

Federalism is a system of government where some powers are reserved for the National Government, some reserved for the State Government, and
A. Some powers are delegated
B. Some reserved for the people
C. Some reserved for the legislature
D. Some powers are shared between the National and State governments

D. Some powers are shared between the National and State governments

Primary elections in Texas are held in
A. March
B. June
C. November
D. May

A. March

In a civil case, the individual filing the case is referred to as the
A. Prosecutor
B. Plaintiff
C. Respondent
D. Defendant

B. Plaintiff

Minnie Fisher Cunningham

19th Amendment

The Governor's line-item veto gives him the power to eliminate specific line items of any bill before it is signed into law
A. True
B. False

B. False

Which of the following is a unique aspect of the Speaker of the House of the Texas Legislature?
A. Speaker of the House assumes role of governor when the office is left vacant due to death, illness, etc.
B. Candidates must campaign to be elected Speaker of the House
C. Speaker of the House is a joint role shared by 2 people
D. Although the Speaker presides over the House of Representatives, the Speaker is chosen by the Senate

B. Candidates must campaign to be elected Speaker of the House

The Texas Legislature meets the first 140-days in even number years
A. True
B. False

B. False

The dominant political values and beliefs of a people is referred as
A. Political Disposition
B. Political Temperament
C. Political Ideology
D. Political Socialization

C. Political Ideology (?)

A runoff election is held when one of the top 2 contenders in the election did not receive a majority of the votes
A. True
B. False

B. False

Suffrage refers to a person's legal right to vote
A. True
B. False

A. True

A [X] legislature consists of 2 houses or chambers

Bicameral

How many court of appeals does Texas have?
A. 36
B. 2
C. 14
D. 254

C. 14

Appellate proceedings are based on
A. Review of law as applied in the original court
B. Witnesses
C. The jury's verdict after the appellate trial
D. Burden of Proof

A. Review of law as applied in the original court

A majority of U.S. cities, including Houston, have partisan elections that do not address political party affiliation
A. True
B. False

B. False

Which method can be used only in the Senate to delay and maybe kill a legislative measure?
A. Pigeonholing
B. Filibuster
C. Point of Order
D. Chubbing

B. Filibuster

Which of the following is NOT a power of the presiding powers of the legislature?
A. Interpreting laws and giving advisory opinions
B. Appointing the chairs and members of the conference committees
C. Assigning bills to committees
D. Recognizing members of the floor

A. Interpreting laws and giving advisory opinions

Which state agency has the responsibility to establish standards of conduct for lobbyists?
A. Texas Audit Commission
B. Texas Ethics Commission
C. Sunset Advisory Commission
D. Texas Public Policy Commission

B. Texas Ethics Commission

The entire senate or house acting as a whole to debate, amend, and vote on legislation defines
A. Filibuster
B. Pairing
C. Floor Action
D. Chubbing

C. Floor Action

The ______________ ________________ is the presiding officer at the Texas Senate

Lieutenant Governor

Once a special session of the legislature has been called, the agenda is determined by the
A. Legislatures
B. Governor and the presiding officers
C. Presiding officers
D. Governor

D. Governor

A method of selecting nominees from a political party where party members elect the candidates who represent them in the general election is known as a

A. Primary Election
B. Precinct Convention
C. Party Caucus
D. Party Convention

A. Primary election

General Elections in Texas are held in
A. June
B. March
C. May
D. November

D. November

Most of Texas's public policies reflect which political ideology?
A. Conservative
B. Moderate
C. Independent
D. Liberal

A. Conservative

One of the duties of the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts is to function as the state's attorney
A. True
B. False

B. False

Texas population growth can be attributed to the following
A. Senior Citizens
B. All minorities
C. Hispanics
D. Anglos

C. Hispanic

The Governor may call for a [X] day special session if the legislature does not complete it's work during regular session

30

The current salary for Texas legislatures is [X] per month

$7,200