Question1
Which of the following best describes the effect the expansion of a governor's ability to appoint and remove agency heads would have on executive authority?
A. It would increase executive authority.
B. It would diminish executive authority.
C. It would have a negative effect on executive authority.
D. It would have little to no effect.
Question 2
The governor has a major effect on state policy through his or her _____.
A. ability to control the courts
B. domination of the budget process
C. appointment of the attorney general
D. power to make approximately 3,000 appointments to boards and commissions
Question 3
The style of ballot form in which candidates are listed by office with party affiliation listed by their name is known as the
A. party line format.
B. straight party ticket.
C. party column format.
D. office block format.
Question 4
administering the state's tax system, and acting as its treasurer is the job of the Texas:
A. Attorney General
B. Comptroller of Public Accounts
C. Land Commissioner
D. Secretary of State
Question 5
Which of the following informal qualifications for governor is nearly universal in Texas?
A. fraternal membership
B. military service
C. holding a law degree
D. having previously held elected office
Question 6
How does Texas compare to the rest of the country in terms of percentage of eligible voters who actually vote?
A. about average
B. well above average
C. below average
D. a bit above average
Question 7
Today in Texas, what are the two main factions in the Republican Party?
A. business value conservatives and social value conservatives
B. social value conservatives and business value progressives
C. business value progressives and business value conservatives
D. social value conservatives and evangelical conservatives
Question 8
The newest element of capital-intensive politics is the use of ________ to communicate directly with likely voters.
A. e-mail
B. Social Media
C. autodialing apps with prerecorded messages
D. The Internet
Question 9
the term "plural executive" refers to the fact that in Texas
A. the governor must share power with the lieutenant governor
B. most top executive officials are elected
C. the governor appoints most all executive officers
D. there are two state budgets prepared
Question 10
the executive responsible for the inspection and accuracy of gas pumps in the state is:
A. Agricultural Commissioner
B. Secretary of State
C. Attorney General
D. Land Commissioner
Question 11
rendering opinions on law and serving as the state's representative in civil cases is the
A. Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts
B. Texas Secretary of State
C. Texas State Bar Association
D. Texas Attorney General
Question 12
unlike the President, the Texas governor may influence state spending by use of their
line-item veto
executive budget
appointment powers
powers of personal persuasion
Question 13
What is the voter participation measure used most often by political scientists?
A. percentage of registered voters
B. percentage of voting-age population
C. percentage of voting-age U.S. citizen population
D. percentage of voting-eligible population
Question 14
What is the impact of Texas political culture on political participation?
A. It discourages political participation.
B. It strongly encourages political participation.
C. It moderately encourages political participation.
D. It has no significant effect on political participation.
Question 15
What is the most important function of the precinct convention?
A. nominating local delegates to the Electoral College
B. election of permanent officers
C. selection of candidates for local offices
D. selection of delegates to the county convention
Question 16
Why is the Texas governor's power exceptionally weak as compared to that of the governors of some other states?
A. lack of a line-item veto
B. plural executive system
C. inability to appoint any administrative heads
D. tenure limits
Question 17
What is the lowest level of the permanent party organization in Texas?
A. county chair
B. precinct chair
C. district chair
D. ward chair
Question 18
Which third party emphasizes the importance of small government and personal responsibility?
A. Natural Law Party
B. Reform Party
C. Green Party
D. Libertarian Party
Question 19
what is currently the Texas Railroad Commission's primary function?
A. safety oversight for rail, trucking, and river traffic
B. regulatory authority over terminals, wharves, and heavy industries
C. regulation of the oil and gas industry
D. promoting rail and trucking while regulating the safety and environmental aspects of the industry
Question 20
________ is the basic belief system that guides the party.
A. Party ideology
B. Party identification
C. The party line
D. The party platform
Question 21
With the growth of the Internet, what has become one of the easiest ways to participate in politics?
A. voting
B. attending rallies
C. making financial contributions
D. signing paper petitions
Question 22
the state official for elections and voter registration is the:
A. Attorney General
B. Comptroller of Public Accounts
C. Secretary of State
D. Lieutenant Governor
Question 23
Which group had the lowest turnout rate in Texas in the 2012 presidential election?
A. Hispanic
B. African American
C. white
D. Asian American
Question 24
The state of Texas's history of restricting access to voting is very much in keeping with its
A. traditionalistic political culture.
B. states rights political culture.
C. moralistic political culture.
D. individualistic political culture.
Question 25
In most instances, the adoption of articles of impeachment results in
A. a trial in a judicial court.
B. a statewide recall vote.
C. the removal of an office holder.
D. a trial in the senate.
Question 26
In Texas, when is a runoff primary required?
A. when the winner of the first primary is disqualified
B. when no candidate receives a majority of votes
C. when no candidate receives a plurality of votes
D. when there is only a .02% difference in total votes for the top two candidates
Question 27
What embittered most Texans and left them hostile to the Republican Party following the Civil War?
A. Edmund J. Davis's governorship
B. the Emancipation Proclamation
C. Abraham Lincoln
D. U.S. military rule from 1866-1869
Question 28
The Texas presidential preference primary is held in what month?
A. February
B. March
C. April
D. May
Question 29
Labor-intensive politics historically included all of the following EXCEPT
A. printing election ballots.
B. selecting candidates.
C. organizing campaigns.
D. broadcast advertising.
Question 30
Which of the following elections would typically have a higher voter turnout?
A. local election
B. primary election
C. general election
D. off-year election
Question 31
The expansion of political participation in the southern U.S. states has come about largely because of
A. suffrage movements of the early twentieth century.
B. federal government intervention.
C. the Fifteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
D. the civil rights movement.
Question 32
Imagine you are a die-hard member of party A, but wanted the less popular candidate from party B to be party A's general election opponent. What type of primary election system would allow you to vote for the less popular candidate in party B during the primaries without changing parties?
A. closed primary system
B. semi-closed primary system
C. None of these answers is correct.
D. open primary system
Question 33
Ballot eligibility requirements are set by
A. the parties
B. federal law
C. tradition
D. the states
Question 34
Which group had the highest turnout rate in Texas in the 2012 presidential election?
A. white
B. Hispanic
C. Asian American
D. African American
Question 35
What is the most common form of political participation?
A. signing a petition
B. attending a rally
C. financial contributions
D. voting
Question 36
Most of the money used in political campaigns comes from
A. political action committees.
B. political party war chests.
C. individual contributions.
D. federal matching funds.
Question 37
The power of the Texas governor to remove government officials is
A. very weak.
B. moderately strong.
C. moderately weak.
D. very strong.
Question 38
By recommending policy initiatives to state legislators and coordinating with state agencies that administer programs and implement policies, the governor is demonstrating his or her role as
A. crisis manager.
B. intergovernmental coordinator.
C. party leader.
D. chief legislator.
Question 39
Which of the following is NOT among the formal qualifications for the office of governor in Texas?
A. 30 years of age
B. resident of the state for five years
C. registered voter
D. U.S. citizenship
Question 40
Today the regulation of campaign finances in Texas is limited to the requirement that all candidates and PACs file reports with the
A. U.S Department of Justice
B. Texas State Ethics Commission
C. Texas Secretary of State
D. Texas Election Board
Question 41
if an oil company wants to drill on public land, from who would it secure the drilling lease?
A. Texas Railroad Commission
B. Agriculture Commissioner
C. Comptroller of Public Accounts
D. Texas Land Commissioner
Question 42
Why was Texas's 2011 voter ID law rejected by the U.S. Justice Department?
A. because of the authority granted in Section 5 of the Federal Voting Rights Act
B. because of the legacy of restricted access to the ballot
C. because the data Texas provided demonstrated minorities would be adversely affected
D. because new data generated by the federal government demonstrated minorities would be adversely affected
Question 43
The state party chair is selected by
A. the national party chair.
B. mail-in ballots from all precinct chairs.
C. the state convention.
D. the state's top ranking office holder.
Question 44
Why is it very difficult to hold a specific person in Texas government responsible for anything?
A. The state constitution shields all government employees from responsibility for public actions and policies.
B. Most officials usually cite the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution and refuse to say anything that could incriminate them.
C. Government is fragmented and policy responsibility is divided.
D. The media in Texas do a very poor job at investigating wrongdoing in government.
Question 45
Texas has a
A. blanket primary system.
B. closed primary system.
C. special type of open primary system.
D.semi-closed primary system.
Question 46
In state elections from 2002 to 2012, which sector contributed the most amount of PAC money to campaigns?
A. business
B. ideology
C. environmental
D. labor
Question 47
In the process known as ________, the governor must clear his or her appointments with the state senator from the appointee's home district.
A. political reciprocity
B. the "southern custom"
C. "good politics"
D. senatorial courtesy
Question 48
In Texas, how long prior to an election must you register in order to be eligible to vote?
A. 10 days
B. 30 days
C. 15 days
D. 0 days (same day registration)
Question 49
Which of the following helps increase voter turnout in an election?
A. party competition
B. party competition in a district
C. all of the above
D. closeness of the election