General elections in Texas are held
A) every six months on the first day of January and the first day of July.
B) every year on the first Monday in October.
C) every two years in even numbered years on the Tuesday following the first Monday
in November.
D) every two years in even numbered years on the first Tuesday in March.
E) every four years on the Tuesday following the first Monday in November.
The only Texas governor to be impeached by the Texas House and convicted by the
Texas Senate was
A) E.J. Davis.
B) James Ferguson.
C) Miriam Ferguson.
D) William Clements.
E) Andrew Johnson.
Which of the following must be considered when conducting serious, scientific public
opinion polls?
I. Question phrasing
II. Sample selection
III. Method of contacting respondents
IV. Timing of polls
A) III only
B) I and III
C) III and IV
D) I, III, and IV
E) I, II, III, and IV
The enumerated powers of the national government are found in
A) the Declaration of Independence.
B) the Preamble.
C) Article I of the Constitution.
D) Article III of the Constitution.
E) Article VII of the Constitution.
As of 2008, how many of the members of the state’s two highest courts were
Democrats?
A) Nine
B) Seven
C) Three
D) One
E) None
The Bill of Rights refers to _________________ of the Constitution.
A) the Preamble
B) Article IV
C) the first five amendments
D) the first ten amendments
E) the first eleven amendments
The Texas governor
A) lacks any significant independent removal power over his appointments.
B) determines the length of service for all gubernatorial appointments.
C) has the power to assign members of his or her party to House and Senate
committees.
D) has extensive managerial power over most members of the executive branch.
E) is obligated by law to appoint people with whom he has no personal or political
relationship.
Which of the following is an example of a Progressive era reform?
A) Iowa holds caucuses every four years to nominate a presidential candidate.
B) Powerful members of the Democratic Party influence the party’s nominee for
president.
C) Many states have runoff elections if candidates do not win by a certain margin.
D) Many states hold primaries to allow citizens a say in which candidate is nominated.
E) The Electoral College, not the people, technically elects the president every four
years.
Which state agency changed to appointing members in the 1980s to ensure the adoption
of education reform measures, and then reverted to electing members once the reforms
were enacted?
A) Texas Education Agency
B) State Board of Education
C) Commissioner of Education
D) Texas Higher Education Coordinating Committee
E) Texas Parent Teacher Association
Which of the following is true of PACs?
A) PACs seldom play a meaningful role in congressional campaigns.
B) PACs often provide more than half of an incumbent member of Congress’s campaign
spending.
C) PACs are the organizational arm of congressional campaigns.
D) Contributions to PACs are tax-deductible.
E) Members of PACs often engage in grassroots lobbying.
Who is the longest serving governor in Texas history?
A) George W. Bush
B) Ann Richards
C) Rick Perry
D) Bill Clements
E) Dolph Briscoe
Which of the following is NOT a pillar of the No Child Left Behind Act?
A) Educational experts and legislators designing “best practices”
B) Empowering parents to continue education at home
C) State and local flexibility in the use of federal funds
D) Results-centered accountability
E) School choice in the event of failing schools
Great Britain used the principle of mercantilism to justify
A) its legal authority over the colonies.
B) its assistance in the French and Indian Wars.
C) strict import/export controls on the colonies.
D) allowing colonists to levy their own taxes.
E) westward migration and settlement.
Besides being an attempted attack on U.S. soil, the failed underwear bombing upset
Americans because
A) the Bush administration did not focus on Nigeria in the war on terror.
B) President Barack Obama never addressed the issue.
C) the would-be attacker was praised by the Iraqi government.
D) despite being warned repeatedly about extremist tendencies of the individual, the
government failed to put him on a no-fly list.
E) Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was able to go through security under an assumed
name and did not get caught until it was too late.
The Bush Administration distanced its foreign policy from that of the Clinton
Administration by
I. rejecting the Kyoto Protocol.
II. securing Senate approval for NAFTA.
III. refusing to participate in the International Criminal Court.
IV. completing negotiations that led to the establishment of the World Trade
Organization.
A) I only
B) III only
C) I and II
D) II and IV
E) I, II, and III
In keeping with the Texan Creed’s emphasis on constitutionalism, each Texas
constitution has
A) delineated the responsibilities of state government in precise and certain terms.
B) empowered the executive with strong, centralized authority to administer the state.
C) called for a full-time legislature populated by professional politicians.
D) limited the authority of government.
E) created a government of expansive powers designed to grow and adapt to the social
needs of the people.
Abolitionists worked toward
A) ending slavery.
B) abolishing suffrage limits for women.
C) continuing the slave trade.
D) the emancipation of women.
E) eliminating discrimination for all Americans.
Workers earned their highest minimum wage during the _________ administration.
A) Ronald Reagan
B) George W. Bush
C) Franklin D. Roosevelt
D) Bill Clinton
E) Gerald Ford
In 2010, approximately ______ journalists were accredited to sit in Congress’s press
gallery.
A) 200
B) 500
C) 700
D) 1,000
E) 1,300
During the 2010-2011 term, over ________ cases were filed with the Supreme Court.
A) 9,000
B) 6,600
C) 5,700
D) 4,200
E) 2,000
Which of the following was NOT included in the 1984 education reform legislation
known as House Bill 72?
A). Increased teacher pay
B) A competency test for teachers
C) A requirement that student athletes must pass their courses in order to participate in
sports
D) Major reforms to the system for financing public schools
E) Tutorials for failing students
A committee that is established on a temporary basis is called a/an ________
committee.
A) standing
B) ad valorem
C) select
D) pro tempore
E) discharge
A quasi-judicial process in which a bureaucratic agency settles disputes between two
parties is called:
A) dispute resolution.
B) discretion.
C) administrative adjudication.
D) rule-making.
E) bureaucratic arbitration.
A direct democracy is a system
A) in which an elite makes decisions for the society.
B) in which representatives meet to discuss policy and make decisions.
C) in which the masses have certain rights, but decisions are made by a council.
D) in which all members of the polity meet to discuss policy and make decisions.
E) that was used by a majority of the colonies.
Which of the following is a reason that term limits for governors and legislators are not
as popular as they once were?
A) Term limits give the political parties too much power to choose candidates.
B) People were tired of having to learn about new candidates every few years.
C) There was no continuity in the laws made by the legislators.
D) Too many legislators were becoming lobbyists after leaving office.
E) Governors have always been well-liked.
Which of the following is the largest ethnic minority in Texas?
A) African Americans
B) Hispanics
C) Jews
D) Asians
E) Native Americans
In 1765, the American colonists initiated a major protest against the
A) Treaty of Paris.
B) Quartering Act.
C) Sugar Act.
D) Tea Act.
E) Stamp Act.
Why do third parties fare better in European countries than they do in the United
States?
A) Third parties are more frequently on the ballot in open primaries in Europe.
B) The United States has a proportional representation system.
C) European countries use a proportional representation electoral system.
D) Third parties receive better funding in Europe from the government.
E) Corporations give more money to third parties in Europe.
Which of the following is a joint legislative committee that provides legal advice, bill
drafting, program evaluation, and other services to members of the Texas legislature?
A) Legislative Budget Board
B) Calendars Committee
C) Legislative Council
D) Office of the Lieutenant Governor
E) House Bill Analysis Office
The words and ideas of political philosopher John Locke flow through
A) the Olive Branch Petition.
B) the Declaration of Independence.
C) The Crisis.
D) the Articles of Confederation.
E) the Stamp Act.