Multiple Choice-Circle the best answer to each question

1) Which country was NOT one of the six nations to rule over Texas? a) Spain b) France c) Mexico d) Confederate States of America e) Brazil 2) What is the best description of Texas political culture? a) Conservative/Traditionalist b) Socialist c) Liberal d) Anarcho-Communist e) Far-Left Progressive 3) Which of the following has NOT been a siginificant part of the Texas economy? a) Cotton b) Cattle c) Oil d) Diamonds e) Service 4) What year was the current Texas Constitution adopted? a) 1999 b) 1789 c) 1876 d) 2000 e) 1492 5) What are some of the more popular aspects of Texas political culture? a) Low Taxes b) Small Government c) Emphasis on Individual Freedom d) High Property Taxes e) Answers A, B, and C 6) Texas' first experience with a republican form of government came as a part of which country? a) Spain b) France c) Mexico d) The United States e) The Confederate States 7) Which of the following do Texas voters almost always reject? a) Centralization of power b) Annual Sessions of the legislature c) Increased powers for the governor d) Bigger government e) All of the above 8) The current Texas Constitution was a reaction against Reconstruction. It shifted power from the Executive to the _________ branch: a) Judicial b) Legislative c) Police d) Media e) Education 9) What does a Constitution do? a) Provides structure for a government b) Establishes a government's power and authority c) Limits a government's power and authority d) All of the above e) None of the above 10) State Constitutions are amended much more frequently than the US Constitution. This is because: a) The US Constitution cannot be amended b) State Constitutions don't mean anything c) States deal directly with the citizenry more often than the federal government d) Some State Constitutions were written in German e) States governments are indecisive 11) What does a federal system of government mean? a) Power is centralized at the national level b) Power is concentrated within the States c) Power is shared between the national and State governments d) Power is only held by the President e) Power is only held by the Senate 12) What portion of the US Constitution empowers State governments? a) The Supremacy Clause b) The 1st Amendment c) The 2nd Amendment d) The 10th Amendment e) None of the above 13) What is the definition of the term sovereign? a) Possessing supreme political authority within a geographic area b) To share power with others c) Undergoing a period of extreme hardship d) Another word for Governor e) This word does not exist 14) The earliest form of Federalism in America featured a clear-cut boundary between Federal and State governments. It's known as: a) Cooperative Federalism b) Coercive Federalism c) Dual Federalism d) New Federalism e) Anarchy 15) A(n) _______ __________ is when the federal government requires the States/local governments to do something without providing any money: a) Raw Deal b) Unfunded Mandate c) Bum Steer d) Sneaky Pete e) Ponzy Scheme 16) An organization which acts as the intermediary between the people and the government is: a) A political party b) A party platform c) A trade union d) A key club e) The Peoples' Court 17) This ideology tends to be anti-elite, pro-farmer, and pro-labor: a) Populist b) Progressive c) Liberal d) Conservative e) Anarchist 18) This ideology tends to be pro-elite, pro-centralized government and believes the best educated should lead: a) Populist b) Progressive c) Liberal

d) Conservative e) Anarchist 19) The smallest political subdivision in the United States is a(n): a) Senate District b) House District c) Election Precinct d) Education Precinct e) Special District 20) The degree to which democrats and republicans have become less moderate is known as: a) political correctness b) political madness c) political awareness d) partisan polarization e) political realism 21) Elections (held in March) where citizens select a party's nominees for the general election: a) Primary Election b) General Election c) Special Election d) Runoff Election e) School Board Election 22) Elections (held in November) where voters cast ballots to select public officials: a) Primary Election

b) General Election

c) Special Election

d) Runoff Election e) School Board Election 23) Third parties/minor parties use this method to nominate candidates for the general election a) Runoff b) Caucus c) Hootenanny d) Joint Committee e) Popular Vote 24) Political Scientists believe the changing nature of elections may be due to: a) Catholic/male voters moving to the political right b) The decline of labor unions c) The 24-hour news cycle d) All of the above e) None of the above 25) The proportion of people who cast ballots in an election is known as: a) voter apathy b) voter sidelining c) voter turnout d) voter support e) voter reluctance 26) Texas' historic restrictions on voting include: a) poll tax b) white primary c) property owners only d) annual registration e) all of the above

27) An organization established to influence government decisions is a: a) Influence Group b) Elite Organization c) Focus Group d) Interest Group e) Focus Organization 28) The process of influencing members of the Executive and/or Legislative branches by direct communication is: a) Planking b) Catfishing c) Chubbing d) Lobbying e) Bribery 29) The Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) a) Regulates interests groups and candidates in Texas b) Monitors the drawing of State House Districts c) Regulates the banking industry in Texas d) Discusses philosophical concepts of governing e) Advocates for interest groups in Texas 30) The TEC states that PACs may not donate to legislators a) from 20 days before through 20 days after the regular session b) from 20 days before through 30 days after the regular session c) from 30 days before through 20 days after the regular session d) from 90 days before through 100 days after the regular session e) ever 31) The Texas Legislature is bicameral, meaning it a) has two chambers; a Senate and a House b) meets twice every two years c) features two senators from every county d) only meets two times each year e) gets two months off each year 32) The Texas Senate consists of how many Senators? a) 15

b) 100 c) 50 d) 31 3) 99 33) The Texas Legislature meets biennially for 140 days. This means: a) it has a regular session once every two years that lasts for 140 days b) it has a regular session for two weeks each month c) it has a regular session twice every year d) it has a regular session once every year e) it has a regular session once every five years 34) Who is the only person that can call a special session of the Texas Legislature? a) The President of the United States b) The Texas Governor c) The Land Commissioner d) The Speaker of the House e) Chuck Norris 35) Which function is the State legislature NOT responsible for? a) The responsibility to create, alter, and enact laws for the State b) Enacting the biennial budget c) Establishing State sales tax d) Oversight responsibility of State agencies e) Deciding Guilt or Innocence of Accused Murderers 36) State Representatives have two year terms. State Senators have terms of a) four years b) six years c) eight years d) ten years e) twenty years 37) Each special session of the State legislature lasts for a) 90 days b) 60 days c) 30 days d) 7 days e) 1 day 38) After a bill is introduced in the State House/Senate, a ______________ gives it a favorable or unfavorable report. a) Committee b) Coalition c) Focus Group d) Citizen Council e) Supercomputer 39) After a bill is passed by both the Senate and House, it is sent to the Governor. The Governor can then: a) Sign the bill b) Ignore the bill c) Veto the bill d) All of the above e) None of the above 40) __________ is the process of drawing political districts to achieve advantage of one party over another (it's legal). a) Hornswoggling b) Bamboozling c) Hoodwinking d) Political Gerrymandering e) Bait-And-Switch