TX Gov - Exam 1

What was the primary focus for much of the Latino civil activism in the 1960s and 1970s?

organizing into labor unions

Which court case prohibited segregation of Mexican-American children on separate campuses on the basis of race?

Herminca Hernandez et al. v. Driscoll Consolidated ISD

What was the legal position of the state of Texas in Hernandez v. Texas with regard to Latinos?

Latinos were white, so excluding them from all-Anglo (white) juries could not be legal discrimination.

Which religion has permeated the political, social, and cultural activities of East Texas?

Fundamentalist Protestantism

The dominant political values and beliefs of a people is referred to as ​

​political culture.

Which region is called the "core area" of Texas?

Central Texas

What is NOT a primary agent of socialization?

​geography

The practice of excluding African Americans from primary elections in the Texas Democratic Party was known as

the white primary.

A conservative in Texas would most strongly support which kind of legislation?

legislation to limit abortion

One result of the proliferation of maquiladoras has been​

​the ecological endangerment of the Rio Grande.

What demographic of family is most likely to live in poverty in Texas?

Latino Texan

The political ideology that actively supports the expansion of civil rights and tolerates social change is​

liberal

The political ideology that ​believes in a limited role for government in the areas of taxation and economic regulation is

conservative

North Texas today is dominated by which two cities that are referred to as the Metroplex?

Dallas-Fort Worth

The defeat of the Comanches in the 1870s opened up which Texas region to Anglo American settlement?

West Texas

Which individual organized the American G.I. Forum?

Hector Garcia

Which Texas region is known as the "Trans-Pecos" region because it exhibits elements of two cultures?

Far West Texas

Which of the following can be said regarding voter participation among Texans?

Voter participation in Texas is historically low.

What was the Supreme Court's ruling in the 2016 case of Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt?

It ruled as unconstitutional that abortion clinics must comply with the same standards as ambulatory surgical centers.

When social scientists use population characteristics such as age, gender, ethnicity, employment, and income to describe groups in society, they are using

demographics

Which of the following accurately represents the partisan identity of Texans?

Women are more likely to self-identify as Democrats than are men.

Which legislation granted married women equal rights in insurance, banking, real estate, contracts, divorce, child custody, and property rights?

Martial Property Act

​Justice Kennedy's opinion in Lawrence v. Texas stated that Texas had violated the

​due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Most of Texas's public policies reflect which political ideology?​

conservative

Which of the following is NOT correct about modern South and Far West Texas?

The Rio Grande is now one of America's least ecologically endangered rivers.

Which of the following public policy issues has been supported by the Texas legislature?

passing legislation to reduce the number of abortions

Which of the following describes a Mestizo?

An individual of both Spanish and Native American lineage

\________ tested the practice of forcing vagrants or debtors to repay farmers by requiring them to work off debts and fines as labor on private farms.

The Raymondville Peonage cases

​The political influence of the Latino community in Texas is unrealized because of

​low voter turnout.

How long after Reconstruction did it take for African-American candidates to win elected office in the Texas legislature?

20 years

Through the use of the \______ clause, Congress criminalized the production and use of medical marijuana even in states where the growing and use of homegrown marijuana for medicinal purposes was legal.

commerce

Delegated powers that come with an office or position are called

inherent powers.

In recent decades, the percentage of Texas's revenue provided by the federal government has grown. This growth can be attributed to all of the following EXCEPT

a decline in the number of block grants given to Texas.

Until the 1930s, the relationship between states like Texas and the national government would best be described as

dual federalism.

Which of the following describes a feature of block grants, and one that is preferred by states?

greater administrative flexibility

During the era of transition from dual to cooperative federalism, which policy area garnered the most opposition from southern states?

civil rights

A system of government in which states or regional governments have all authority, and any central government has only the power that state governments choose to delegate to it is

a confederal system.

The system of government that is in place in an overwhelming majority of the world's countries is

​a unitary system.

Which is a true statement about the powers of the national government?

The amount of power the national government has depends on the interpretation of the "necessary and proper clause."

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.

The Twenty-Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution forbids states from which of the following?

enacting poll tax laws as a condition for voting in a national election

Over the past decade or so, Texas's political figures have been pushing for a shift in power

away from the federal government.

Powers explicitly listed in Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution are called

expressed powers.

Controversy surrounding the Affordable Care Act is an example of the friction inherent in

​federal systems.

The implied powers of the national government are designed to do whatever is necessary to

carry out the expressed powers of the national government.

The 1819 McCulloch v. Maryland case \__________ the powers of the federal government.

expanded

Which court case involved the University of Texas at Austin encouraging African-American students to go out of state to attend law school?

Sweatt v. Painter

Which system of government divides power between a national or central government and state or regional governments?

a federal system

Which is a correct statement about the Tenth Amendment?

In spite of this amendment, the U.S. Supreme Court in McCulloch v. Maryland permitted federal action through implied powers.

Which gambling game is allowed in Texas gambling establishments?

poker

When Texas receives matching funds or additional assistance from the national government for pursuing certain public policies, this is an example of

cooperative federalism.

A total of 26 states, including Texas, formally challenged what part of the Affordable Care Act?

the expansion of Medicaid

The understanding that the national government and state governments are both sovereign within their sphere of influence is called

dual federalism.

Powers of the national government stated in the U.S. Constitution are called

delegated powers.

Which is NOT a condition of categorical grant programs?

The receiving government must use the funds within the calendar year.

States serve as public policy

laboratories.

When conflict arises between federal and state laws, the \_____ states that the U.S. Constitution, as well as laws and treaties created in accordance with the U.S. Constitution, supersede state and local laws.

supremacy clause

Advocates of casino gambling in Texas highlight which policy factor?

current flow of wealth out of Texas into neighboring states

When examining casino gambling policy in the bordering states of Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas, which of the following statements is accurate?

Casino gambling is regulated by the state, and is prohibited in Texas but allowed in the bordering states.

The Plessy v. Ferguson decision allowed continued discrimination against African Americans, and it became pervasive throughout the South through the enactment of

Jim Crow laws.

The Texas Constitution of 1845 reflected which of the following?

the anti-corporate sentiment of the Old South

The Texas Constitution of 1845 made which of the following illegal?

bank corporations

Which of the following concerning the Texas Constitution of 1836 is NOT correct?

It established a federal system of government for the Republic.

The Texas Constitution of 1869 was regarded by most Texans and traditional historians as

providing a largely corrupt and abusive government.

The Constitution of 1875 was opposed by all of the following EXCEPT​

​Democrats.

Cities with populations of more than 5,000 may adopt \______ that establish any organizational structure or program that does not conflict with state law or the constitution.

home-rule charters

​The Texas Grangers were opposed to the idea of

​public education.

Which is a correct statement about Texas?

Texas won independence in 1836 and gained statehood in 1845.

Which election method allows citizens to place proposals on the ballot for voter approval? If the measure passes, it becomes law.

initiative

Opposition to the 1975 proposed constitutional overhaul centered on

the removal of biennial legislative sessions.

Which concept of the Texas Constitution states that each branch of government is assigned power to limit abuses by the others?

checks and balances

A state constitutional provision voided by a conflicting U.S. constitutional provision

is deadwood.

Why has the Texas Constitution continually needed to be amended?

because it is so detailed and restrictive

Which method of election permits voters to determine if an ordinance or statute will go into effect?

referendum

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.

bicameral

The kind of ballot that results from the independent election of a large number of executive and judicial officers is a

long ballot.

Which of the following provided for in the Texas Constitution weakens the governor's power?​

​a plural executive

Texas gives its voters the power to do which of the following?

ratify constitutional amendments

Which of the following was the slogan of the Texas Grange going into the 1875 Constitutional Convention?

"Retrenchment and reform"

The first Texas Constitution was written in 1836 after Texas gained independence from

Mexico

The constitution stipulates that state judges are to be selected by which method?

Partisan election by the voters

Article 17 of the Texas Constitution provides for proposal of constitutional amendments by

two-thirds vote of the total membership of each house of the Texas legislature.

What is directive power?

the power of a governor to issue binding orders to state agencies

The constitution of the Republic of Texas protected owner-occupied properties from forced sales under most circumstances. This is referred to as

homestead protections.

Law passed by legislatures and written into code books is

statutory law.

Common law refers to

laws developed from judicial rulings and customs over time.

Which is NOT a correct statement about the present-day Texas Constitution?

It is the longest of all the state constitutions,.

The Texas Supreme Court found in the case of Edgewood Independent School District v. Kirby that

​the method of financing the state's public schools violated the Texas Constitution.

The Texas Constitution of 1866 did all of the following EXCEPT

place restrictions on the establishment of corporations.

The state government decentralizes power by assigning many functions to units of local government, especially

counties.

Which power allows the governor to appoint supervisory boards but not operational directors for most state agencies?

indirect appointive

Which statement most accurately reflects constitutional amendments presented to voters in Texas since 1995?

Voter turnout for constitutional amendment elections is very low and most amendments presented to voters have been approved.

Which is a correct statement about Texas special sessions?

The governor sets the agenda for special sessions.

Who were the Texas Grangers?

Democrats seeking reform of big government associated with the Reconstruction

Which of the following is NOT true of the Texas legislature?​

Senators serve six-year terms and representatives serve four-year terms.

Which of the following is NOT a power granted to the Texas governor?

reduction veto power

Which statement is correct regarding term limitations of legislators in the Texas state constitution?

Term limits do not exist in the Texas constitution.

​Which of the following refers to a court order to present a person and show the legal cause for confining the individual?

​writ of habeas corpus.

Which of the following is NOT a guaranteed additional right granted by the current Texas Constitution?

It prohibits the garnishment of wages for any reason.

Government is a process of decision making conditioned by all of the following EXCEPT

the bureaucracy.