Question

Chapter 3 51. What percentage of the Texas Senate is elected during a presidential election year? A. 25

percent B. 33 percent C. 50 percent D. 100 percent 52. In 2010, there were about 811,147 constituents per state senate district in Texas. What is the only state that had more constituents per senator? A. Massachusetts B. New York C. Florida D. California 53. In what way are Texas, Montana, Nevada, and North Dakota similar? A. They are all in the central time zone. B. All four voted for Mitt Romney in the 2012 election. C. All have unlimited speed limits on certain controlled-access highways. D. The legislature of each state only meets every other year. 54. What is the annual limit on special legislative sessions in the state of Texas? A. 2 B. 5 C. 9 D. None of these answers is correct. 55. Which state does not pay its legislators a salary except for a per diem expense based on federal policy? A. New Hampshire B. New Mexico C. Texas D. Oklahoma 56. To be eligible to run for the Texas House you must A. be a registered voter. B. be at least 26 years of age. C. have resided in the district for two years. D. have resided in the state for three years. 57. Dimensions of a candidate such as race, ethnicity, religion, and national background A. cannot be considered by the electorate in voting. B. make a difference, depending on the demographics of the district. C. are sometimes called “birthright” characteristics. D. will be considered by party insiders in determining electability. 58. Why was the Legislative Redistricting Board’s multimember plan invalidated by a federal court in 1971? A. the “Matthew syndrome” B. possible unfairness to majority voters C. findings in Lawrence v. Texas D. possible unfairness to minority voters 59. Multimember districts promote majority representation or domination, and single-member districts can promote ________ representation. A. democratic B. geographical C. republican D. equal 60. Redistricting is A. generally synonymous with reapportionment. B. the process of allocating U.S. senators to districts. C. generally synonymous with the federal census. D. drawing district boundary lines for political advantage. 61. In the early twentieth century ________ areas were generally overrepresented in many state legislatures. A. urban B. minority C. rural D. wealthy 62. Most campaign contributions come from A. super PACs. B. contributors who live outside the district. C. the candidates’ political party. D. federal matching funds. 63. Each election year, about ________ of the House members face opposition in the general election. A. a quarter B. one-third C. half D. two-thirds 64. Which of the following is NOT among the powers of the speaker of the house in the Texas House of Representatives? A. committee chair appointment B. bill referral to committees C. appoints members to calendar committee D. appoints all members of standing committees 65. The lieutenant governor is not formally a senator and cannot vote except in cases of a tie, yet he or she has great power over the senate. Why? A. the bully pulpit and the ear of the governor B. senatorial tradition C. powers similar to those of the speaker of the house D. a popular sovereignty mandate 66. Assume both the Texas House and Senate have passed omnibus transportation bills. The bills are almost identical, with slight differences. How will these differences be reconciled prior to the bill being sent to the governor for consideration? A. by a special committee that is chaired by the speaker and vice-chaired by the lieutenant governor B. in conference committee C. the governor’s staff will reconcile any differences D. in the standing committees that have jurisdiction 67. Which type of legislative committee is most important? A. standing B. conference C. interim D. special 68. Who submits a recommended budget to the Texas legislature? A. a standing committee in the senate B. the Legislative Budget Board C. a standing committee in the house D. the governor’s office of budget and management 69. The House Insurance Committee is hearing testimony from the Texas Department of Insurance about the effectiveness of recent procedural changes within the department. Which legislative function is this committee demonstrating? A. lawmaking B. budget and taxation C. oversight D. management 70. In any given legislative session, most bills A. pass committee muster but are voted down after floor debate. B. make only minor changes to existing law. C. die in conference committee. D. clear every hurtle, but are vetoed by the governor. 71. After the sixtieth day, before a bill can be considered on the floor of the senate, a two-thirds vote is almost always required. Why? A. two-thirds super majority is always required in the senate B. quorum requirements of the Texas Constitution C. senate rules about the order bills come out of committee D. None of these answers is correct. 72. Closed riders are amendments to an appropriations bill that are A. closed to further changes except from the standing committee that originally authored the bill. B. shielded from public inspection until they go to conference committee. C. proposed in a closed committee for state security reasons. D. those amendments proposed in a special session. 73. A state senator that usually considers all the options and then chooses the one he or she believes is the best is demonstrating the ________ representational role. A. traditional B. delegate C. moral D. trustee 74. What are the two different calendars for minor bills in the Texas State House? A. local and consent B. consent and priority C. priority and routine D. routine and extraordinary 75. Which of the following describes how major and minor bills submitted in the Texas legislature are similar? A. They are equally distributed among the standing committees. B. They equally likely to pass the legislature. C. They are equally likely to have companion bills submitted in the other chamber. D. They receive final action toward the end of the legislative session. Chapter 4 76. Which of the following is NOT among the formal qualifications for the office of governor in Texas? A. 30 years of age B. registered voter C. resident of the state for five years D. U.S. citizenship 77. 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 78. Which state pays its governor the lowest salary? A. Maine B. New York C. Nevada D. Texas 79. The governor of Texas’s salary is ________ per year. A. $70,000 B. $90,000 C. $150,000 D. $179,000 80. In states without a lieutenant governor, who is usually next in succession to the governor’s office? A. the leader of the state senate B. the vice governor C. the leader of the state house of representatives D. the chief justice of the state supreme court 81. The office of lieutenant governor is different from the office of the vice president in that A. the office of lieutenant governor has a two-year term versus the vice president’s four-year term. B. when governors leave their states, lieutenant governors become acting governors. C. lieutenant governors are usually from the opposition party, whereas vice presidents are not. D. None of these answers is correct. 82. What former governor was President George H. W. Bush’s chief of staff? A. John Connally B. Richard Riley C. Bruce Babbitt D. John Sununu 83. Prior to the election of George W. Bush to the presidency, when was the last time a Texas governor had gone on to higher elected office? A. 1941 B. 1962 C. 1977 D. 1992 84. In most instances, the adoption of articles of impeachment results in A. the removal of an office holder. B. a trial in the senate. C. a trial in a judicial court. D. a statewide recall vote. 85. The voters of Wisconsin voted to not recall Governor Walker in 2011 because they A. felt the governor was doing a good job. B. did not like the idea of using a recall to remove a governor. C. were expecting the governor to be impeached later that same year. D. did not want the state’s lieutenant governor to become governor. 86. 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. inability to appoint any administrative heads C. tenure limits D. plural executive structure 87. Most of the work of the attorney general involves ________ rather than ________. A. civil law; criminal law B. ceremonial functions; executive functions C. judicial review; prosecution D. criminal law; civil law 88. Which office created in 1876 functions as the chief fiscal and revenue forecasting office and is responsible for investing state funds? A. the Texas Department of Treasury B. the comptroller of public accounts C. the office of treasurer D. the general accounting office 89. What tool is used to forecast state economic growth, keep track of business cycles, and generally provide information on the health of the economy of Texas? A. SMU Business Index B. Index of State Economic Momentum C. Dow Jones Economic Sentiment Indicator D. State of Texas Econometric Model 90. What office was created under the 1836 constitution to administer state-owned land? A. Texas Bureau of Land Management B. Texas Land Board C. General Land Office D. Texas Department of Agriculture 91. What is currently the Texas Railroad Commission’s primary function? A. regulation of the oil and gas industry B. safety oversight for rail, trucking, and river traffic C. regulatory authority over terminals, wharves, and heavy industries D. promoting rail and trucking while regulating the safety and environmental aspects of the industry 92. Unlike most other statewide governing offices, what governing body has varied greatly in form and structure over the years? A. Office of the Attorney General B. State Board of Education C. General Land Office D. Texas Department of Agriculture 93. Which of the following defines tenure of office? A. the ability of elected officials to succeed themselves B. the term length C. the term limit D. both the ability of elected officials to succeed themselves and the term length 94. Who was the first Texas governor to be elected to three consecutive four-year terms? A. George W. Bush B. Rick Perry C. Bill Clements D. Dolph Briscoe 95. 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 diminish executive authority. B. It would have little to no effect. C. It would increase executive authority. D. It would have a negative effect on executive authority. 96. The chief record keeper and election official for the state of Texas is the A. secretary of state. B. state recorder. C. supervisor of elections. D. None of these answers is correct. 97. 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 98. The SOS publishes the ________, which is the source of official notices or rules, meetings, executive orders, and opinions of the attorney general that are required to be filed by state agencies. A. Capitol Minutes B. Executive Calendar C. Texas Weekly Bulletin D. Texas Register

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