Most economic regulation was undertaken by the national government during our
nation’s first century.
The youngest member of Congress is a female Democrat.
Dillon’s Rule says that local government has power only at the will of state
governments.
Some people believe that giving political parties more power could increase voter
turnout.
Often cited as among the best of all contemporary constitutions, the 1845 Texas
Constitution was noted for its straightforward and simple form.
U.S. Supreme Court decisions can be appealed to state supreme courts.
Straw polls are a reliable way to predict election results.
During a time of peace, Americans would likely be most concerned about domestic
issues.
According to the General Accounting Office, one to two million immigrants have
illegally entered the United States in each year since 1992.
After Reconstruction, many southern state constitutions were rewritten so whites could
reassert political power.
Reporters generally steer clear of rumors of candidate misdeeds.
Assume that you are a landlord in Texas wishing to remove tenants from your property.
To do so, you will file a forcible entry and detainer action in a justice of the peace court.
Among the most critical roles of a political party chairperson is fundraising.
Ratification of a constitutional amendment by conventions in three-fourths of the states
is the most common method of ratification.
The first business and trade associations were formed in the late 1970s.
Imagine you were a senator in the 1960s, and you were in a debate with a fellow
senator. If he referred to you as “my very able, learned, and distinguished colleague,” he
probably viewed you as a venerable opponent and thought highly of you.
In a single transferable vote proportional representation system, candidates must reach a
certain quota to be considered a winner; if they do not, they might actually be able to
win if they receive leftover votes from the winner.
The Supreme Court has held that de facto discrimination is unconstitutional.
The Republican Party’s 2008 platform advocated drilling for oil on American land.
The South used to be a Democratic stronghold.
Interest groups do not wish to shape public agenda, merely convey information to the
public.
No Texas legislators in the past twenty-five years have been Hispanics.
The initiative process is designed primarily as a way to enhance the influence of interest
groups in the constitutional revision process.
Counties in Texas have broad powers beyond what may be stipulated in the
Constitution and in statutes passed by the legislature.
The New Deal established the national government as a major regulator of private
businesses and provider of Social Security and as ultimately responsible for maintaining
a stable economy.
The 1836 Texas Constitution for the Republic of Texas contained a declaration of rights.
A former clerk for Justice Harry Blackmun has complained that the clerks of the Court
are too ideological and have too much power.
Starting with an 1850 amendment to the state constitution, the executive power of Texas
government was constitutionally decentralized through the creation of a weak governor
and a plural executive.
The Warren Court had little difficulty implementing the decision it handed down in
Brown v. Board of Education.
The Texas legislature has stripped the power to plan subdivisions from county
governments and given it to special districts.
The New Deal period was characterized by intense governmental activity on the
national level.
Almost half of Americans took advantage of early voting in the 2008 election.
Alexander Hamilton was an outspoken supporter of factions.
In which of the following areas does the Texas governor have the strongest legal footing
to issue executive orders?
A) Budgetary transfers between agencies
B) Emergency management
C) Public health
D) Public education
E) Police and public safety
Lawyers may reject potential jurors for any reason EXCEPT
A) a juror’s political views.
B) a juror’s race or sex.
C) a juror’s residence.
D) a juror’s personal relationships with the defendant, plaintiff, or judge.
E)a juror’s sexual orientation.
Which of these discriminatory practices has the Supreme Court declared illegal?
A) Male-only draft registration
B) Rape laws that apply only to female victims
C) Single-sex public nursing schools
D) Male-only alimony laws
E) State restrictions on same-sex marriage
In Texas, who elects the party chairperson for each party?
A) The Texas congressional delegation
B) The state legislature
C) The state party convention
D) The county conventions
E) The precinct captains
Which of the following is the best explanation of why most American Indian
reservations are in the West today?
A) Tribes had difficulty crossing the Rocky Mountains when they established their
settlements.
B) European settlers and the U.S. government pushed Indian tribes westward.
C) Only the Indian tribes in the West survived after those in the East died of exposure to
European disease.
D) Indian tribes moved westward in hopes to expand economic power.
E) Most American Indian reservations are not in the West.
Which Article of the Constitution establishes the legislative branch?
A) Article I
B) Article II
C) Article III
D) Article IV
E) Article V
Why would people who attend church be more likely to vote?
A) Christian doctrine encourages civic participation.
B) Representatives of political parties speak at churches regularly.
C) Group membership fosters social capital.
D) The Democratic Party openly supports the values of Christianity.
E) They want to break down the wall of separation between church and state.
Justices of the peace are required to
A) have degree in law.
B) be over 25 years of age.
C) have a high school diploma.
D) be registered voters.
E) have practiced law for five years..
Which of the following is NOT one of the “Big Seven” intergovernmental associations?
A) National Association of Counties
B) United States Conference of Mayors
C) National League of Cities
D) National Governor’s Association
E) National Local Government Bureau
The basis for the United States’ intervention in the Caribbean and Latin America was
the
A) Madison Doctrine.
B) Adams Policy.
C) Roosevelt Corollary.
D) Southern Principle.
E) Hoover Doctrine.
The media is also known as the
A) fourth estate.
B) third branch.
C) news empire.
D) end of government.
E) civic establishment.
A famous journalist and author who voiced his concern about how easy it was to
manipulate public opinion was
A) Joe McCarthy.
B) Walter Lippmann.
C) Edward R. Murrow.
D) Ernie Pyle.
E) George Gallup.
A 1912 constitutional amendment in Texas allowed some municipalities to adopt “home
rule” status, which made it possible
A) for some cities to decide their own structure and powers under certain limitations.
B) to avoid boundary disputes due to redistricting.
C) for two or more cities to consolidate public service provisions.
D) for special districts to be consolidated.
E) for counties to be abolished in Texas.
The term ‘senatorial courtesy” refers to the practice where
A) the governor invites membership of the Texas Senate to dine with him in small
groups at the governor’s mansion during a regular session as a courtesy and to promote
his policy agenda.
B) the governor will only make an appointment if given the go-ahead from the Senator
in whose district the nominee resides.
C) state senators use courteous language when addressing the governor during meetings
and with one another on the floor or in committee meetings.
D) the governor consults with a state senator before the governor vetoes a bill
sponsored by that senator.
E) the governor directs most of his communications during a session with members of
the Senate rather than the House because of the traditional greater stature of the upper
chamber.
A 1969 amendment to remove “deadwood” provisions from the Texas Constitution of
1876 was proposed by
A) the Texas legislature.
B) the Citizens Advisory Committee.
C) State Representative Anna Mowery.
D) Governor John Connally.
E) the Legislative Council.
If you donate money to the Sierra Club, your contribution is tax-deductible. This tactic
used by the government to encourage the public to support environmental policies is
a/an ________ technique.
A) authoritative
B) capacity
C) incentive
D) hortatory
E) free market
According to the Legislative Budget Board, in the 2010-2011 biennial state budget,
approximately _____ percent of the Texas budget was devoted to education.
A) 2
B) 8
C) 19
D) 26
E) 41
Montesquieu urged that governments should include a system of ________ to give the
three branches some degree of oversight and control of each other.
A) federalism
B) checks and balances
C) command and control
D) social contract
E) constitutional safeguards
Delegates to the Second Continental Congress formed a Committee of Five to write the
Declaration of Independence. The committee’s chair was
A) Benjamin Franklin.
B) James Madison.
C) Thomas Jefferson.
D) Samuel Adams.
E) John Adams.
According to the text, _______ is considered a critical component of political
socialization.
A) newspaper reading
B) civic education
C) watching the news
D) being bilingual
E) Internet surfing
In Great Britain, handguns are
A) illegal to own.
B) restricted in a manner similar to the limits imposed in Mexico.
C) subject to more lax laws than those that exist in the United States.
D) not regulated.
E) possible to own after a background check.
________ established the legitimacy and viability of national governmental intervention
in the economy.
A) The New Deal
B) World War II
C) The Fair Labor Standards Act
D) The National Labor Relations Board
E) The Wagner Act
President Richard M. Nixon’s visit to China in the 1970s BEST embodies which
method of foreign policy?
A) Dtente
B) Military power
C) Diplomacy
D) Economic power
E) Covert action
The USA Patriot Act allows
I. searching library records.
II. searching medical records.
III. searching private property without notice
IV. foreign intelligence collection.
A) I only
B) IV only
C) II and III
D) I, III and IV
E) I, II, III, and IV
In covering Congress, members of most news organizations concentrate of three groups
of individuals, including
I. the majority and minority leaders and the Speaker of the House.
II. chairs of key committees, particularly those involved in major policy decisions.
III. ideologically extreme members.
IV. local members of Congress.
A) I, II, and III
B) II, III, and IV
C) I, II, and IV
D) I, III, and IV
E) I, II, III, and IV
Some scholars believe the United States should help create a _________________,
which would partner democracies to counter countries that sponsor or harbor terrorists.
A) League of Nations
B) United Nations
C) International Economy Organization
D) League of Democracies
E) World Bank
The historic roots of American foreign and defense policy were formed in the period
A) immediately following the Revolutionary War.
B) leading up to World War II.
C) of isolationism in the early 20th century.
D) following the Cold War.
E) after the establishment of the League of Nations.
Which of the following presidents had a similar military policy to the Roosevelt
Corollary?
A) Richard M. Nixon
B) George Washington
C) George W. Bush
D) Jimmy Carter
E) Abraham Lincoln
Why has the Austin city council had one Hispanic member and one African-American
member for the past few decades?
A) Such a system was mandated by a U.S. Supreme Court decision.
B) Such a system was mandated by a Texas Supreme Court decision.
C) The single-member district system encourages such an outcome.
D) The proportional representation system encourages such an outcome.
E) There has been an informal “gentleman’s agreement” in place that reserves one seat
for a Hispanic member and one seat for an African-American member.
The policy that the United States would provide military assistance to anti-communist
groups fighting against pro-Soviet governments was called the
A) Carter Doctrine.
B) Mutual Assistance Policy.
C) Bush Principle.
D) Reagan Doctrine.
E) Powell Doctrine.
The Constitution initially mandated that each member of the House of Representatives
should represent ________ citizens.
A) 200,000
B) 130,000
C) 60,000
D) 30,000
E) 100,000
Governors in ________ states have general veto powers.
A) all fifty
B) forty-nine
C) more than half of
D) fewer than half of
E) no
Congress can determine the number of judges and the boundaries of federal judicial
districts and circuits because
A) of provisions of the Judiciary Act of 1789.
B) the U.S. Constitution authorizes them to do so.
C) presidents have historically deferred to Congress for such actions, even though they
have the ultimate power.
D) the Senate has exclusive power to confirm federal judges.
E) the Sixteenth Amendment gives Congress the power to reorganize the judicial
branch.