The California Legislature
Response to the following multiple choice questions:
1. In May 2010, ________ percent of Californians approved of the job the legislature was doing.
a. 10 c. 30 b. 16 d. 70
2. The two most important functions of the California legislature are
a. representation and policymaking. b. representation and re-election.
c. lawmaking and raising taxes. d. oversight and blocking executive orders.
3. What are the two main jobs of a legislator?
a. monitoring California's borders and fundraising b. representing the district and making policy
c. giving speeches and attending political party functions d. vetoing bills and pardoning citizens convicted of crimes
4. What are the two types of representation?
a. forward and reverse c. delegate and trustee b.formal and informal d. political & delegation
5. Making sure that legislation is implemented by the bureaucracy in the manner intended by the legislature is called
a. legislature practice. c. oversight. b. constituent service. d. representation.
6. Since California elections are winner-take-all elections, it has the impact of
a. excluding minorities from public office. b. excluding third parties from holding seats in the state legislature.
c. reducing the cost of running for office. d. increasing the number of women office holders.
7. Legislators
a. may represent more than one district. b. most often are defeated for re-election.
c. ignore local interests and look out for the good of the state. d. need to focus on the interests of their constituents.
8. How many members serve in the California Assembly?
a. 40 c. 75 b. 60 d. 80
9. How many members serve in the California Senate?
a. 40 c. 75 b. 60 d. 80
10. What is one of the biggest obstacles that someone encounters when running for an elected position in the state legislature?
a. giving speeches b. recruiting volunteers c. currying favor within a political party d. fundraising
11. State senate districts
a. have roughly 2 million voters. b. are roughly twice as large as assembly districts.
c. are reapportioned every five years. d. have more voters in urban districts than in rural districts.
12. Gerrymandering refers to
a. a procedure that is used by California legislators to stop a vote on a bill.
b. drawing district lines in a way that is equal for only two political parties.
c. drawing district lines in a way that favors one political party over another.
d. the recruitment of lobbyists in order to raise campaign funds.
13. What is the structure of the California legislature?
a. There are two chambers, which consist of the Assembly and Parliament.
b. There are two chambers, which consist of the House of Representatives and Senate.
c. There is only one chamber as the Senate dominates.
d. There are two chambers, which consist of the Assembly and the Senate.
14. The leader of the state senate in California is the
a. president pro tem. c. minority leader. b. speaker. d. lieutenant governor.
15. The speaker of the assembly
a. is the legislator who has served the most time. b. is not term-limited.
c. is elected by the entire assembly, generally on a party-line vote. d. is permitted to vote in the senate.
16. The leader of the California Assembly is called the
a. majority leader. c. majority pro tem. b. speaker. d. governor.
17. In California, the powers of the Speaker of the Assembly are
a. more extensive than those of the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. b. extremely limited.
c. constantly being redefined by the California Supreme Court. d. expanded by executive orders.
18. The committee system in the state legislature allows for
a. specialization and attention to detail on the part of legislators. b. less input by lobbyists.
c. greater input by third party leaders. d. greater public scrutiny of the legislature's working habits.
19. Bills introduced in the legislature
a. are forwarded to the governor to be signed or vetoed.
b. must pass both houses with identical language before being sent to the governor.
c. if passed by both houses, automatically become law.
d. rarely become law.
20. What type of items may pass in California's legislature?
a. executive orders, border disputes, and city ordinances b. county measures, laws, and city ordinances
c. laws, constitutional amendments, and resolutions d. foreign treaties, resolutions, and constitutional amendments
21. How many bills did the California legislature pass in the 2013-2014 legislative session?
a. 988 c. 1,431 b. 1,191 d. 1,970
22. The process by which members of the legislature exchange or trade votes is called
a. constituent service. c. logrolling. b. oversight function. d. filibustering.
23. What factors make the California legislature weaker in comparison to Congress?
a. the Speaker of the House, presidential recess appointments, and congressional staffers
b. logrolling, the vice president of the United States, filibusters
c. term limits, low media coverage, and the line-item veto
d. oversight, gerrymandering, court decisions
24. Term limits had at least one positive effect on the state legislature. Term limits have resulted in
a. reduced reliance on money in running campaigns. b. less influence in legislative affairs by interest groups.
c. more women being elected to the legislature. d. greater control by third parties.
25. The rules of the legislature
a. permit the majority to rule. b. favor the Democrats. c. favor the Republicans.
d. permit a minority to block important legislation.
CHAPTER -The Governor and the Executive Branch
Response to the following multiple choice questions:
26. What are the major factors that cause the California governor to be invisible?
a. Media coverage of Sacramento and the governor is limited.
b. California laws forbid the governor from interacting with the media and attending social events.
c. The governor's day-to-day responsibilities do not provide much time for public appearances.
d. The media provides more coverage of members of the Assembly and Senate than of the governor.
27. Why did Arnold Schwarzenegger's popularity fade away in 2005?
a. He nominated Gray Davis to serve on the California Supreme Court and attended the Democratic National Convention as a keynote speaker.
b. He attended high-end fundraisers in Hollywood and allowed oil companies to drill off the coast of Santa Barbara, thereby causing a major oil spill.
c. He pursued a costly special election, and antagonized the members of his own party with his moderate positions on many issues.
d. His Terminator Five movie was a box office failure thereby causing an economic downfall for the entertainment industry.
28. What was Arnold Schwarzenegger's approval rating at the end of his time in office?
a. 73 percent c. 38 percent b. 55 percent d. 23 percent
29. What California governor had little interest in photo opportunities?
a. Arnold Schwarzenegger c. Earl Warren b. Gray Davis d. Jerry Brown
30. All of the following are among the formal powers of the governor EXCEPT
a. vetoing legislation. c. developing a vision for the state.
b. drawing up the budget. d. organizing the executive branch.
31. The governor is the commander-in-chief of
a. all military forces stationed in California. b. the California National Guard.
c. all county sheriff's departments. d. only the police department in Sacramento.
32. What is an example of the governor's formal powers?
a. greeting foreign government officials b. making a public speech about the state's budget
c. drawing up the state's budget d. persuading legislators
33. The governor's most significant powers are
a. acting as the commander-in-chief and making legislative recommendations.
b. preparing the state budget and using the line-item veto.
c. developing a vision for the state and managing executive actions.
d. campaigning and managing the daily tasks of the governor's office.
34. In California, large organizations similar to federal departments that contain a number of related bureaus are called
a. franchise tax boards. c. superagencies. b. real estate tax collectors. d. political action committees.
35. Which of the following is an informal power of the governor?
a. vetoing legislation c. using the public to make his case b. granting clemency d. drawing up the budget
36. What specific area requires the governor to get the legislature's cooperation?
a. budget c. the line-item veto b. interest group connections d. great speeches
37. One of the most important powers the governor has in terms of the budget process is the
a. appointment power. b. role of commander-in-chief. c. line-item veto.
d. day-to-day management of state agencies.
38. The California governor can use the line-item veto
a. for state appropriation measures. b. for federal appropriation measures.
c. for pardons that involve nonviolent crime. d. to control excessive spending by the state board of equalization.
39. After the primary election in 2010, Governor Schwarzenegger
a. tried to run unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor.
b. was a lame duck governor and made no public appearances.
c. campaigned actively and successfully for Proposition 14 and against Proposition 24.
d. accepted an appointment as the ambassador to Austria.
40. State employees
a. report directly to the governor. b. report only to their union representatives.
c. answer only to the legislature. d. are sometimes in agencies that are not under the control of the governor.
41. The lieutenant governor serves as acting governor when the governor is
a. out of the state. b.running for president.
c. in a major dispute with the legislature. d. the candidate of a third party.
42. The official who enforces state laws and oversees district attorneys in California is the
a. secretary of state b. controller c. attorney general d. superintendent of public instruction
43. Which state official is also a member of the state board of equalization?
a. secretary of state c. treasurer b. insurance commissioner d. controller
44. The state board of equalization is charged with the responsibility of
a. distributing state highway funds. b. auditing all state expenditures.
c. controlling the expenditures of the executive branch. d. overseeing the assessment and administration of property taxes.
45. The superintendent of public instruction is
a. a member of the state board of equalization. b. the only member of the plural executive elected on a nonpartisan basis.
c. appointed by the governor. d. oversees higher education in the state of California.
46. This member of the plural executive is a major political competitor for the governor and can set his or her own political agenda.
a. secretary of state c. superintendent of public instruction b. attorney general d. lieutenant governor
47. Who is the current lieutenant governor?
a. Cruz Bustamante c. Gavin Newsom b. Abel Maldonado d. John Garamendi
48. What is the responsibility of the secretary of state?
a. enforcing California laws b. managing California elections
c. overseeing the collection of taxes in California d. managing California's money and investments
49. What proposition made the insurance commissioner an elected position?
a. Proposition 8 c. Proposition 75 b. Proposition 58 d. Proposition 103
50. Why is education administration a confusing policy area?
a. The board of education is appointed by the Assembly and the Senate, thereby causing philosophical differences among the board members.
b. The superintendent of public instruction shares power with an appointed board of education.
c. The superintendent of public instruction has been vacant for the last ten years thereby lacking proper leadership to administer policy.
d. The board of education oversees private schools whereas the superintendent of public instruction manages public schools.