Texas Gov Mid-Term Quizzes

There are rights guaranteed to Texans in Article 1 of the Texas Constitution that go far beyond those guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution.

True

State constitutions are designed to perform which of the following functions?

To set up local governments

Both the U.S. and Texas Constitutions have detailed instructions that outline how they can be amended.

True

Why did Texas need to create a new constitution in 1861?

After Texas joined the Confederacy in February 1861, a new constitution was needed since Texas was no longer part of the United States.

The first federal constitution that Texas operated under was the Mexican Constitution of ________.

1824

The Constitution of ________ was written in the aftermath of Texas rejoining the United States after the Civil War, and following the guidelines of Johnson’s Presidential Reconstruction.

1866

Texas has operated under how many constitutions?

7

By including this feature, the Texas Constitution of 1836 showed the direct influence of the U.S. Constitution.

government divided into three branches with a system of checks and balances

The Texas Constitution of 1869 was written by members of the Radical Republicans, including ten elected African Americans.

True

Which component of government was created by the Constitution of 1869?

A strong governor’s office

After the Civil War, Republicans dominated Texas politics until

Democrat Richard Coke was elected governor in 1873.

The current Texas Constitution has been amended fewer than 250 times.

False

When drafting the Texas Constitution of 1876, the framers wanted to create a government based on which of the following principles?

the necessity of strong limitations on the power of state government

The Texas Declaration of Independence listed which of these grievances against the Mexican government?

The government of Mexico failed to provide a system of public education.

Checks and balances are not part of the state government created by the Texas Constitution of 1845.

False

A system of government in which power is divided between a central government and regional governments is known as

federalism

Why is dual federalism compared to a layer cake?

The powers of the different levels of government are separate and distinct.

Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution is often called the “States’ Rights Amendment” and is commonly used by states to challenge actions by the federal government?

Tenth Amendment

In what way did President Biden establish a larger role for the federal government in responding to the coronavirus pandemic?

Mandating that masks be worn on public transportation and on federal property

Which of these is a defining characteristic of federalism?

Rather than being held exclusively or primarily by one body, governing authority is divided at different levels between several bodies.

In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment right to “keep and bear arms” was a fundamental right and also applied at the state level. This is an example of

the incorporation of the Bill of Rights

With categorical grants,

states are given money from the federal government to spend on specific issues or to solve specific problems that are determined by the federal government.

When a government is described as “sovereign,” it means that

the government has ultimate political authority within a defined geographic area.

What is federalism under the New Deal best characterized as?

cooperative federalism

Cooperative federalism is also known as

marble-cake federalism.

Which amendments to the U.S. Constitution are collectively known as the “Civil War Amendments”?

the Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments

If you travel from Texas to Kansas, your driver’s license must be recognized as giving you the legal authorization to drive a car in Kansas. Which part of the U.S. Constitution makes this so?

the full faith and credit clause

The U.S. Constitution created a system of government where both the federal and state governments are sovereign. This means that both the federal and state governments derive their power from

the people, through their constitutions.

Which of the following is true about the supremacy clause?

In a conflict between federal and state laws, federal laws take precedence and will override state laws.

According to the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, any powers not delegated to the national government by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states,

belong to either the people or the state.

Which of the following requires state governments to spend their own money to meet standards imposed on them by the federal government?

unfunded mandates

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

dual federalism or layer-cake federalism.

As federal regulations became more intrusive, forcing states to change their policies in order to meet national goals, some people began calling our system of government one engaging in ________ federalism.

coercive

Which 2013 U.S. Supreme Court case struck down the formula for determining the states covered under the Section 5 preclearance requirement of the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

Shelby County v. Holder

Parties use social media for which of the following?

voter mobilization

No Democrat has won Texas in a presidential race since ________.

Jimmy Carter

How often do political parties in Texas hold their state conventions?

every two years

The Latino movement known as La Raza Unida mostly occurred during the

1970s.

In Texas today, rural areas have become more ______________, while urban areas have become more ___________.

Republican; Democratic

The temporary party organization only gets activated

when there is a campaign for the party to organize

Local issues are always ideological in nature.

False

The Libertarian Party is both socially and economically liberal.

False

Texas Democrats have been relegated to minority status in the state since 1994.

True

As of 2020, most Democrats in Texas today consider themselves to be “Blue Dog Democrats.”

False

The Tea Party has been one of the most successful political movements in Texas.

True

Under a system of proportional representation, each district only has one representative.

False

The Shivercrats believed that the Democratic Party had become too liberal.

True

What kind of electoral districts are used in Texas?

single-member districts

The primary function of the precinct convention is to write the party platform.

False

Primaries are the final elections to be held in the election cycle.

False

Primary elections in Texas are generally held in March.

True

What type of primary allows a voter to choose on Election Day which party they will vote for?

open primary

A closed primary allows only those individuals who________ to participate.

are a registered member of their political party

Dates for special elections are specified by the Texas Secretary of State, who oversees and administers all elections in Texas.

False

What is the most basic and fundamental duty citizens have in a democracy?

voting

Photo IDs issued by the United States government, such as passports or citizenship certificates, are acceptable forms of identification to cast a vote in any Texas election.

True

Suffrage refers to

the right to vote.

Poll taxes, such as those once used in Texas, disenfranchised poor voters.

True

In 2020, straight-ticket voting was first implemented in Texas elections.

False

Which of the following laws was written specifically to deal with expanding and protecting voting rights?

Voting Rights Act of 1965

In 1923, the Texas legislature established ____________________ to prohibit African Americans from voting in the Democratic primary.

the White primary

In order to vote in Texas, you must meet which of the following requirements?

be a resident of Texas, a U.S. citizen, and at least 18 years of age

In Texas, candidates for state office and lobbyists have to file quarterly reports detailing their spending and donations with which agency?

Texas Ethics Commission

In Texas, how much money can an individual donate to a campaign for a state-level, nonjudicial office, such as for Texas House?

There is no limit.

If everyone acted as free riders, there would be more interest groups and problems would be solved more quickly.

False

Receiving the benefits of collective action without contributing is known as

the “free rider problem.”

Interest groups often offer incentives to join, such as selective benefits, to overcome the free rider problem.

True

The practice of combining several individual campaign contributions into one larger contribution from a group in order to increase the group’s impact is known as

bundling.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is best described as what kind of interest group?

civil rights

Dark money is political money that comes from donors whose names must always be disclosed.

False

Most Texans are actively engaged in what goes on in their neighborhoods and communities.

False

In order to gain access to politicians, interest groups in Texas will often

spend money on entertaining politicians.

Interest groups often employ _____________________ as lobbyists in order to gain access to those in Texas government.

former legislators and government officials

How long must a former member of a governing body or former executive head of a regulatory agency wait before he or she can lobby that agency?

2 years

Texas has ________ laws dealing with lobbying by former government officials.

weak

Which type of group contributed the most to candidates running for seats in the Texas Legislature in 2020?

Ideological/single issue

A private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns is called a(n)

political action committee

When people talk about “get out the vote” (GOTV) efforts, what does this mean?

activities such as phone banking, texting, or canvassing to encourage people sympathetic to your position to go vote in an upcoming election

When individuals or interest groups take out ads concerning a campaign issue but do not tie them directly to any particular candidate, it is best known as

issue advocacy.

Most Texans do not contact public officials or elected representatives very often.

True

Interest groups are able to help publicize issues to get the attention of both voters and members of the legislature.

True

Who among the following tend to receive the most campaign contributions in Texas?

incumbents

Which 2009 U.S. Supreme Court case created the opportunity for those opposed to powerful incumbents to create organizations without having to disclose their donors?

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

If you are a lobbyist, it is your job to

influence government decision makers on behalf of an interest group.

Police departments are now required to report officer-involved shootings to the state.

True

The most controversial issue facing police in Texas and across the United States, and the subject of many protests throughout 2020, involves

the use of force.

The Sandra Bland Act requires which of the following?

Jail deaths must be investigated by an independent agency.

How does being convicted of a felony in Texas impact your ability to vote?

Felons are allowed to vote upon full discharge of their sentences.

If you are convicted of a misdemeanor in Texas, you retain your right to vote.

True

One of the most frequent criticisms of the grand jury is that it usually hears only what the prosecutor chooses to let it hear.

True

If sentenced by a judge to probation, you would most likely have to do which of the following?

have a steady job, report to your probation officer on a regular basis, abstain from drug and alcohol use, and pay any fines or restitution

Plea bargains are not often used in Texas criminal trials.

False

It is more expensive to place a person on probation than in prison.

False

Suppose you are arrested and taken to jail. You must appear before a judge and be told what charges you are being accused of and reminded of your right to an attorney and right to remain silent. What is this process called?

arraignment

Money that is provided by the defendant to make sure that he or she shows up for any required court appearances is called

bail.

People on death row in Texas rarely wait more than a year before execution.

False

If a person cannot provide bail on his or her own or cannot pay a bondsman, then the accused can, in some circumstances, be released

on personal recognizance.

In a felony case, before a defendant goes to trial, who grants a verdict that there is sufficient evidence to begin prosecution and that a threshold of probable cause has been met?

the grand jury

Scientific advances in DNA technology have helped exonerate many people who were wrongfully convicted.

True

In Texas, felony juries are composed of ________ people and misdemeanor juries are composed of ________ people.

12; 6