Assume you are a high school teacher and run into your Texas state representative by
the concession stand at a high school football game. You introduce yourself, buy the
legislator a Diet Coke, and urge the legislator to vote for higher teacher pay. According
to state law, you are now required to register as a lobbyist.
Decisions by the Texas Supreme Court not to examine a lower court ruling can have
important public policy implications.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt expanded presidential policymaking powers at the
expense of Congress.
Most Tea Partiers believe in a free market economy.
The First, Third, Fourth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution
give couples an implicit right to use condoms.
According to Education Week‘s evaluation of state education systems, the majority of
states with high-performing schools are in the Midwest.
Walter Mondale is regarded as the first “modern” vice president.
Only about 15 percent of the bills introduced in Congress are eventually signed into
law.
There are no African American senators in the 112th Congress.
Federal and state governments receive most of their revenue from similar sources.
If a state’s budget proposal calls for $30 million to go toward schools, $20 million to go
toward a new highway, and $5 million to go to fund a state agency, governors in some
states have the authority to veto the $5 million portion while leaving the other sections
intact.
In 1993, the Congress passed a law liberalizing the Hatch Act’s prohibitions on federal
employees participating in campaigns.
The nomination campaign for president begins in January of the election year.
According to voting trends, you are less likely to vote than your parents, and they are
more likely to vote than your grandparents.
Although one of the functions of American government is to establish justice, the U.S.
Constitution mentions nothing about its administration.
The U.S. solicitor general is the second-ranking member of the Department of Justice.
Texas operates with a two-year budget.
Pluralist theorists believe that it is better to have elites make decisions for the masses.
Interest groups often submit amicus curiae briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The No Child Left Behind Act is often seen as a positive reform because it forces
teachers to teach to a unified test.
The bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City was launched by
religious extremists participating in a Muslim jihad.
Before the election of Barack Obama, Virginia had not elected a Democrat for president
since 1948.
The Federal Reserve Board consists of seven members who serve 14-year terms, are
appointed by the president, and are confirmed by the Senate.
Australia’s indigenous people represent about 10 percent of its population.
The winner-take-all system stymies the success of third parties on a national scale.
America’s support of aid to Israel is likely rooted in the influence of religious groups on
government.
Most appointments the governor makes are to boards, commissions, and advisory
panels.
Historically, Hispanics are less likely to mention social issues as areas of concern to
pollsters than Anglos.
In July of 2010, FOX News conducted an online poll asking visitors to the site to decide
whether or not Lindsay Lohan should spend time in jail. This is an example of a poll
that relies on self-selection.
Most states elect their attorney general.
At times, the Supreme Court allows the use of hallucinogenic drugs in religious
observances.
In 2009, the chair of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality stated that the
“verdict was not in yet” regarding the dangers of global warming.
To serve on the trial or appellate bench at any level in Texas, you must be a licensed
attorney in the state.
The equal time rule dictates that the media must sell ads to candidates in political
campaigns.
Typically, Democrats have been better fundraisers than Republicans.
You can contribute as much money as you wish to the Presidential Election Campaign
Fund when you file your taxes.
Michael Steele was the chair of the Democratic National Committee in 2010.
Gregory Watson, an undergraduate student at the University of Texas, led the
ratification efforts for the Eighteenth Amendment.
The USA PATRIOT Act is intended to protect citizens from terrorist activities that may
be occurring within their own communities during times of war.
John Locke wrote Leviathan, in which he advocated for a strong central government.
Only President ________ was able to appoint half of the judges to the federal courts
during his term.
A) Jimmy Carter
B) George H.W. Bush
C) Bill Clinton
D) George W. Bush
E) Ronald Reagan
James Madison tried to construct a system of checks and balances to
A) control the influence of the judiciary.
B) limit the influence of factions.
C) give interest groups more places to lobby.
D) form what we now call iron triangles.
E) centralize political power.
According to the authors of the textbook, which of the following best describes the
government provision of health and human services in Texas?
A) Stingy
B) Compassionate
C) Sympathetic
D) Egalitarian
E) Generous
When voters have the opportunity to veto a bill passed by the legislature, it is known as
a
A) direct initiative.
B) indirect initiative.
C) popular referendum.
D) advisory referendum.
E) recall.
Which of the following yields less revenue for Texas than it did forty years ago?
A) Severance taxes
B) Personal income taxes
C) Sin taxes
D) The state lottery
E) Sales taxes
After the Montgomery Bus Boycott, college students
I. began to join the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
II. turned their attention to protect women’s rights.
III. began to use sit-ins as a protest tactic.
IV. formed the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
A) I and II
B) II and III
C) III and IV
D) II and IV
E) II, III, and IV
What kind of bill is an approved measure sent to the governor for signing?
A) Engrossed
B) Enrolled
C) Enabled
D) Enterprising
E) Enlisted
Which president initially engaged in a relaxation of tensions with the Soviet Union in
the late 1960s?
A) John F. Kennedy
B) Gerald R. Ford
C) Lyndon B. Johnson
D) Richard M. Nixon
E) Ronald Reagan
The process of allotting seats in the House of Representatives is called
A) redistricting.
B) gerrymandering.
C) proportionality.
D) census.
E) apportionment.
The first independent regulatory commission was the
A) Interstate Commerce Commission.
B) Federal Election Commission.
C) Equal Opportunity Employment Commission.
D) Securities and Exchange Commission.
E) Tennessee Valley Authority.
Taxes on imports used to raise government revenue and to protect infant industries are
A) import taxes.
B) industry taxes.
C) revenue taxes.
D) tariffs.
E) embargo taxes.
In Texas, appointments of judges by governors are generally viewed as an attempt to fill
the courts with judges
A) who are the most qualified jurists.
B) who share the governor’s socio-economic background.
C) who share the governor’s political ideology.
D) who are from the governor’s electoral district.
E) who are the fairest and most efficient possible candidates for the bench.
According to recent trends, which of the following people would be MOST likely vote?
A) Donald Trump because he sees the direct financial consequences of his decision
B) An eighteen-year-old college freshman because she just became eligible to vote
C) A father whose family receives welfare because he sees the direct benefits of
government
D) An African American male because he sees few candidates like him in office
E) A male when Hillary Clinton is running for office
Which elected state officeholder is informally called “governor-in-waiting” because so
many have used the position in the past as a stepping stone to run successfully for the
governorship?
A) Lieutenant governor
B) Secretary of state
C) Attorney general
D) Comptroller of public accounts
E) Land commissioner
Providing people with information, training, or resources that will enable them to
undertake desired activities is an example of a ________ technique.
A) hortatory
B) capacity
C) authoritative
D) incentive
E) free market
The president’s power to make treaties is limited by
A) the House Foreign Relations Committee.
B) the advice and consent of two-thirds of both the House and Senate.
C) State Department rules.
D) a majority vote in the Senate.
E) the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate.
Historically, how do wealthy Texans influence state politics?
A) By contributing money to public education to stimulate voter participation across the
socioeconomic spectrum
B) By volunteering their time to participate in ground work for political campaigns
C) By recruiting and funding candidates for public office or by seeking public office
themselves
D) By bribery and other forms of graft
E) By abstaining from voting as a form of protest
The Sharpstown scandal in Texas involved which of the following?
A) A number of state officials who were involved in stock fraud and bribery
B) Tax evasion by the sitting governor at the time
C) Voter fraud in state and local government elections
D) Issues concerning state redistricting plans
E) Corruption allegations against the state justices
An example of a concurrent power is
A) setting the time, place, and manner of elections.
B) coining money.
C) establishing national courts.
D) spending money for the general welfare.
E) impeaching federal officials.
A business established by government that performs functions that could be provided
by private industry is called a/an
A) independent corporation.
B) government corporation.
C) clientele agency.
D) executive agency.
E) independent regulatory commission.
What can be inferred from redistricting of Texas’s House congressional districts in the
2003 Texas legislative session?
A) Redistricting efforts by the courts are usually ineffective.
B) Gerrymandering is a fact of life in redistricting .
C) Enacting fair and balanced district lines is a goal of the legislature, no matter which
political
party is in the majority.
D) Redistricting by the courts is always fair.
E) Involvement in redistricting by state and federal courts is quite rare.
The congressional reaction to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill would MOST likely be
classified as _________ by political scientists.
A) police patrol oversight
B) adjudicative oversight
C) fire alarm oversight
D) reactive implementation
E) better-late-than-never response
Sales taxes are considered to be a(n) ________ tax.
A) progressive
B) regressive
C) user
D) income
E) flat
Suppose you are a candidate who has been participating in an illicit marital affair, and
you fear that the truth may be revealed. The MOST effective way to minimize damage
is to
A) dig out and air questionable activities of your opponents until the threat blows over.
B) bow out of the race.
C) admit to nothing.
D) air an inoculation ad.
E) ignore any attack that may be launched against you.
Early voting is prevalent in all of the following regions EXCEPT the
A) South.
B) Midwest.
C) Northeast.
D) West.
E) Southwest.
Which of the following is NOT an impediment to party cooperation in the executive
branch?
A) Independent election of executive officers
B) Officials’ aspirations to higher office
C) Lack of incentive to campaign together
D) Legal restrictions on communications between officials
E) Tendency to run independent campaigns
The U.S. Supreme Court has engaged in judicial policy making in all of the following
areas EXCEPT
A) civil rights.
B) Internet pornography.
C) women’s rights.
D) the establishment of religion.
E) gay marriage.
Texas has ‘sin taxes” on
A) gasoline and petroleum.
B) prostitution and exotic dancing.
C) cigarettes and alcohol.
D) fast food restaurants and various unhealthy pre-packaged foods (such as Twinkies) .
E) All of the above
Putting forward the most favorable possible interpretation of a specific candidate is best
known as
A) lying.
B) spin.
C) punditry.
D) libel.
E) the FOX effect.
Both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 were fought between the U.S. and
A) Great Britain.
B) France.
C) Mexico.
D) Cuba.
E) Spain.
According to the map showing the distribution of funds from the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which of the following types of states was most likely to
receive funds?
A) Small states
B) Southern states
C) Large states
D) Western states
E) Poor states
A method of voting in which voters have a number of votes equal to the number of seats
being filled, and voters may cast their votes all for one candidate or split them among
candidates in various combinations, is known as
A) proportional voting.
B) cumulative voting.
C) the Australian ballot.
D) selective voting.
E) None of the above