Researchers find that the more amicus curiae briefs filed in support of a cause, the more
likely that party will win.
You have been labeled a “cockroach” by the chair of your constitutional revision
convention. You are likely opposed to any changes in the existing constitution.
According to national trends, you are more likely to vote for a Republican than are your
parents.
The Texas Constitution establishes a constitutional county court in most (but not all) of
the state’s 254 counties.
It is the role of the legislature to make public policy and the executive branch to
implement public policy.
Native American tribes can claim trust lands at any time.
The right to bear arms is guaranteed by the Third Amendment.
Suppose you want to run for office as a third party candidate. One of the best
opportunities for you to fare well in election is when the public’s approval of the two
parties plummets.
In Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that the state had a right to regulate all aspects
of second-trimester abortions, and that in the third trimester, abortions would only be
legal if the life and health of the mother were at stake.
Bureaucratic agencies form one corner of issue networks.
The Texas Constitution contains additional individual rights that the U.S. Constitution
does not.
A polling question with limited respondent options sometimes paints an inaccurate
picture of the true sentiments of the general public.
One of the rules of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program is that single
mothers with children over the age of five are required to find work within two years of
receiving benefits.
President Jimmy Carter appointed three Supreme Court justices.
The Patient Protection and Affordability Act of 2010 was one of the first attempts at
health care reform.
Texas “front loaded” its primary in 2008.
A winner-take-all system makes voting even more important because one vote could
decide the election.
The Supreme Court has generally decided an increasing number of cases in every term
since 1950.
In 2000, a poll conducted by then-Governor George W. Bush’s campaign said, “John
McCain calls the campaign finance system corrupt, but as chairman of the Senate
Commerce Committee, he raises money and travels on the private jets of corporations
with legislative proposals before his committee. In view of this, are you much more
likely to vote for him, somewhat more likely to vote for him, somewhat more likely to
vote against him or much more likely to vote against him?” This is an example of a
push poll.
State and local governments are generally required to have balanced budgets.
References to public opinion polls in the media have increased dramatically over time.
The direction and intensity of public opinion about hot-button issues are significantly
different between whites and Hispanics.
The Texas attorney general has extensive statewide authority over criminal cases.
Texas government made a commitment to modernize the state criminal justice system in
the 1950s with an increased focus on rehabilitation and a decreased focus on revenge.
The Constitution outlines the methods by which states choose electors.
Israel’s 1981 raid on Iraq’s Osiraq nuclear reactor is an example of counterproliferation.
American Indians have recovered hunting, fishing, and land rights in significant civil
rights victories.
Because it is such a big state, Texas has more prisoners than any other state in the
union. However, the Texas prison population is actually one of the smallest on a per
capita basis.
Most Court watchers agree that oral argument is a useful way to predict the outcome of
a decision.
PACs in Texas concentrate their contributions mainly on incumbents and legislative
committee chairs.
Senator Barack Obama’s acceptance speech for the 2008 Democratic nomination
occurred on the 45th anniversary of the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a
Dream” speech.
The Missouri Compromise likely deepened the divisions between the North and the
South.
Under the Federal Employees Political Activities Act of 1993, if you are a federal
employee who is an avid Republican, you are entitled to attend a Republican political
rally.
The Senate is organized more loosely than the House of Representatives.
According to the text, ________________ permanently changed the nature of the
federal bureaucracy,
A) George Washington.
B) Thomas Jefferson.
C) James Monroe.
D) Andrew Jackson.
E) Abraham Lincoln.
Since the 1940s, a(n) ______ system of selection has been proposed for Texas judges
by the bar association.
A) affirmative action
B) merit
C) nonpartisan election
D) quota
E) initiative and referendum
Which of the following presidents did NOT file plans for his funeral?
I. Gerald R. Ford
II. George W. Bush
III. Bill Clinton
IV. Jimmy Carter
A) II only
B) IV only
C) II and III
D) I, II, and III
E) I, II, and IV
The key provisions of the Ethics in Government Act address
A) the definition of a lobbyist more clearly than the Lobbying Disclosure Act.
B) financial disclosure and employment after government service.
C) registration and financial disclosure.
D) employment after government service and employees of the legislative branch.
E) financial disclosure and defining who is a lobbyist.
The gender gap
A) is characterized by women favoring Republican candidates by ten to fifteen points.
B) varies widely in size but has been present in most recent elections.
C) carried Ronald Reagan into office on the strength of women’s votes.
D) did not exist in the 2004 presidential election.
E) was relatively insignificant in the 1996 presidential election.
The Cold War ended when communist regimes in Eastern Europe collapsed in
A) 1969.
B) 1976.
C) 1982.
D) 1989.
E) 1996.
Economic diversification in the latter half of the twentieth century in Texas has been
tied to the rise of
A) agriculture.
B) petroleum.
C) shipping and transportation.
D) service industries and finance.
E) high tech industries.
Superdelegates are somewhat similar to electors in the Electoral College in that both
A) are bound to a particular candidate.
B) are only used by Democrats.
C) serve relatively undemocratic functions.
D) are selected by leaders of the national party organization.
E) reflect the demographic diversity in the United States.
The chief legal counsel for the State of Texas is the
A) district attorney.
B) attorney general.
C) criminal district attorney.
D) county attorney.
E) secretary of state.
Which of the following was NOT a factor in the decline of Native American tribes in
Texas?
A) Cholera
B) Smallpox
C) Military campaigns
D) The 1900 Galveston Hurricane
E) Forced removal to reservations in other states
Which of the following would be most likely to support adoption of the initiative
process in Texas?
A) Citizen advocacy groups
B) Interest groups who have been successful in their lobbying efforts
C) The U.S. Department of Justice
D) Civil rights advocates
E) Former governors
Which of these settlements was established for religious reasons?
A) Jamestown
B) Maryland
C) New Amsterdam
D) New York
E) Georgia
Policy adoption
A) prohibits the implementation of policies approved by the legislature.
B) occurs immediately after the problem-recognition phase of the process.
C) gives policies legal force.
D) provides guidelines for legislative consideration of policy proposals.
E) gives policies judicial protection.
As a lobbyist, which of the following would your clients most like to see you
accomplish?
A) Including funding that benefits your interest in the biennial budget
B) Getting the Texas House to pass a bill that benefits your interest
C) Getting the Texas Senate to pass a bill that benefits your interest
D) Convincing the legislature to create a dedicated fund that benefits your interest
E) Enacting a dedicated fund that benefits your interest through a constitutional
amendment
A federal agency stepping in to regulate hot dogs as a choking hazard before they
become a serious health risk is an example of
A) police patrol oversight.
B) adjudicative oversight.
C) fire alarm oversight.
D) responsive rule making.
E) the early bird catching the worm.
Congress first met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
One of the president’s checks on judicial power is
A) the line-item veto.
B) the pardon.
C) impeachment.
D) the general veto.
E) commander in chief.
In April 2010, the Gulf Coast of the United States experienced a tremendous disruption
to its ecosystem when an offshore drilling well leased by the oil company
________________ exploded.
A) Exxon-Mobil
B) British Petroleum (BP)
C) Royal Dutch Shell
D) Chevron Corporation
E) BG Group
District courts in Texas exercise
A) only criminal jurisdiction.
B) only civil jurisdiction.
C) only civil jurisdiction in cases involving less than $200.
D) only appellate jurisdiction.
E) both criminal and civil jurisdiction.
Medicaid was designed to provide health care
A) for the aged and ill.
B) for the poor.
C) for the working class.
D) for children.
E) for everyone.
Suppose a crisis necessitates President Barack Obama to send troops to enter homes of
individuals suspected of terrorism. The justification for this unconstitutional act would
MOST likely be
A) the necessary and proper clause.
B) the inherent powers of the presidency.
C) U.S. v. Nixon.
D) the War Powers Act.
E) the supremacy clause.
All of the following scenarios would be affected by income security EXCEPT
A) a 70-year-old choosing to retire.
B) an accident that limits a person’s ability to work.
C) a college student’s decision to take summer classes and not take a job.
D) the poor economy causing a person’s job to be eliminated.
E) the death of a man with two children and a stay-at-home wife.
The results of the Iowa caucuses were different from those of the ultimate outcome of
the primary election campaign in that
A) Democrat Barack Obama did not win the Democratic caucus.
B) Republican Mike Huckabee won his party’s caucus.
C) Republican John McCain was not on the ballot in Iowa at all.
D) Republican Mitt Romney swept the Iowa caucuses.
E) Democrat Hillary Clinton won the Democratic caucus.
Cooperative federalism has been likened to a ____ cake.
A) layer
B) marble
C) red velvet
D) sheet
E) pound
When Texas rejoined the union after the Civil War,
A) the ratification of the Texas Constitution formally ended Reconstruction.
B) it ended segregation in public education.
C) it decreased the governor’s salary.
D) it abolished slavery.
E) it prohibited the election of African Americans to the legislature and to Congress.
Many people believe that it is necessary to set up ____________ to protect the U.S.
from overseas competition.
A) trade deficits
B) outsourcing of manufacturing jobs
C) a protectionist system
D) limitations on imports
E) ways of expanding free trade
What is the most common occupation of presidents before holding that office?
A) Military leader
B) Farmer
C) Businessman
D) Journalist
E) Lawyer
Honoring out-of-state driver’s licenses is an example of the consequences of
A) the supremacy clause.
B) sovereign immunity.
C) checks and balances.
D) the full faith and credit clause.
E) federalism.
About _____ percent of those asked in a 2010 poll could name the Speaker of the
House.
A) 10
B) 30
C) 50
D) 70
E) 90
The United States Supreme Court held, in Avery v. Midland County (1968), that
A) county commissioner precincts must be drawn to produce equal population districts.
B) the death penalty violated the Eighth Amendment of the U. S. Constitution.
C) the state of Texas must establish a public school system in all counties.
D) the citizens of Texas could sue the state and any of its agencies for redress against
specific grievances.
E) public school financing in Texas was unconstitutional.
When the governor appoints an individual to the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, he
or she is exercising the duties of the
A) chief executive officer of Texas.
B) chief of state of Texas.
C) chief law enforcement officer of Texas.
D) commander in chief of the Texas military and Texas Rangers.
E) chief budget officer of Texas.
Al-Jazeera
A) has been responsible for many sleeper cells in London and other parts of Europe.
B) broadcasts from Qatar.
C) models itself after FOX News.
D) is modeled after Voice of America.
E) has frequently set the American public agenda.
There are _______ Cabinet departments.
A) ten.
B) twelve.
C) thirteen.
D) fourteen.
E) fifteen.