Deck 7: Political Parties, Interest Groups, Elections, and Campaigns in Texas

Question 1

In the wake of Hurricane Rita, Governor Perry proposed

A) building a giant seawall to protect the Texas Gulf Coast from hurricanes.
B) a moratorium on building near the coast.
C) a regional evacuation management system.
D) the state of Texas should not issue mandatory evacuation orders in the future because they infringe on individual liberty.
E) installing a desalinization facility on Galveston Island.

Answer 1

a regional evacuation management system.

Question 2

The three categories of local government in Texas are cities,

A) counties, and special districts.
B) counties, and commissions.
C) townships, and counties.
D) commissions, and mayors.
E) commissions, and special districts.

Answer 2

counties, and special districts.

Question 3

Counties are

A) political subdivisions.
B) incorporated areas of townships.
C) responsible for enforcing city ordinances.
D) special districts.
E) prohibited from levying taxes.

Answer 3

political subdivisions.

Question 4

The most populous county in Texas is

A) Brewster.
B) Loving.
C) Harris.
D) Walker.
E) Travis.

Question 5

District attorneys are

A) appointed officials who act as defense attorneys in criminal cases.
B) appointed officials who prosecute criminal cases.
C) appointed officials who certify all official documents.
D) elected officials who prosecute criminal cases.
E) elected officials who act as defense attorneys in criminal cases.

Question 6

The commissioner's court is the

A) judicial body of a county in Texas.
B) executive body of a county in Texas.
C) judicial and executive body of a county in Texas.
D) legislative body of a county in Texas.
E) judicial body of an extraterritorial jurisdiction.

Question 7

Which of the following officials serves as the chief law enforcement officer in a county?

A) the county attorney
B) the district attorney
C) the sheriff
D) the county commissioner
E) the deputy

Question 8

Which of the following is true regarding the growth rates of Texas counties between the years 2001-2005?

A) Rural counties grew at the fastest rate.
B) Many urban counties lost population.
C) The counties with the greatest population loss were rural.
D) The population of Texas grew evenly among the state's 254 counties.
E) Only urban counties experienced population losses.

Question 9

In a strong mayor-council city, the mayor is

A) appointed by the city council.
B) appointed by county officials.
C) elected countywide.
D) elected citywide.
E) nominated by the city council and confirmed in a citywide election.

Question 10

Which governments are most numerous in Texas?

A) cities
B) towns
C) counties
D) airport authorities
E) special districts

Question 11

The form of county government in Texas

A) is decided by the voters in each county.
B) is different depending on the population size of the county.
C) is not mentioned in the state constitution.
D) is prescribed by the Texas constitution.
E) is based on the structure of the Mexican colonial charter of Texas.

Question 12

The Texas Municipal League is the lobbying arm for

A) city governments.
B) county governments.
C) state governments.
D) district governments.
E) minor league baseball.

Question 13

The process of annexation involves

A) merging the territorial boundaries of two cities.
B) merging the territorial boundaries of two counties.
C) incorporating surrounding territory into a city.
D) deleting territory from a city.
E) subdividing a large county into smaller counties.

Question 14

Which of the following characterizes the mayor in a weak mayor-council system?

A) The mayor is appointed by the city manager.
B) The mayor's power is essentially equal to that of other city council members.
C) The mayor can hire and fire other members of the city council
D) The mayor can only vote if there is a tie.
E) The mayor cannot serve for two consecutive terms.

Question 15

Single-member district elections have

A) reduced the number of elected officials.
B) limited the ethnic and racial diversity of local government.
C) had no impact on the ethnic and racial diversity of local government.
D) increased the power of Anglos in local government.
E) increased the ethnic and racial diversity of local government.

Question 16

Which of the following types of elections or voting methods are more likely than at-large elections to yield results that closely reflect a city's population?

A) at large elections
B) at-large-by-place elections
C) proportional representation
D) runoff elections
E) multimember district elections

Question 17

Special districts are

A) unifunctional.
B) bifunctional.
C) trifunctional.
D) quadrafunctional.
E) multifunctional.

Question 18

The most common type of special district is a ___________district.

A) water
B) road
C) tax
D) sewage
E) school

Question 19

Charter schools operate under a contract granted by

A) city governments.
B) the state government.
C) county governments.
D) the federal government.
E) the Ford Foundation.

Question 20

The roots of local government in Texas date back to the colonial period.

Question 21

The Local Government Code is the Texas statutory code containing state laws about local governments.

Question 22

The 1876 constitution made no mention of county government.

Question 23

Home-rule refers to the state government's authority to rule a city.

Question 24

Most Texas cities are in home-rule counties.

Question 25

Texas has the largest number of counties of any state.

Question 26

Most county judges are elected.

Question 27

Most county officers are elected to four-year terms.

Question 28

Cities with fewer than 5,000 residents are general-law cities.

Question 29

City commission governments have city managers.

Question 30

In a city commission government, each member of the commission has authority in a specified functional area.

Question 31

In a council-manager government, the mayor is in charge of running the city.

Question 32

In a weak mayor-council, the mayor has essentially the same power as other members of the city council.

Question 33

Municipalities have broad regulatory authority.

Question 34

The issue of annexation has caused very little political controversy.

Question 35

Traditionally, city council elections in Texas have tended to be single-member district elections.

Question 36

The method of cumulative voting grants each voter a single vote.

Question 37

The Texas Constitution does not set up special districts.

Question 38

There is no uniformity in either geographic size or population size of school districts.

Question 39

Discuss charter schools in Texas.

Question 40

Describe the four forms of city governments.

Question 41

Briefly discuss how county governments obtain money needed to provide county services

Question 42

Briefly explain the roles of at least five county officers.

Question 43

Explain the basic rules laid out in the Municipal Annexation Act.

Question 44

Explain the different types of elections and methods for voting, as well as how they have affected the ethnic and racial make-up of local government.

Question 45

Using at least two examples of special districts, explain why special districts may be preferable to city or county government and how they differ from city or county government.

Question 46

Discuss the different responsibilities of cities, counties, and special districts.

Question 47

Why did the Texas legislature create home-rule cities? How do home-rule cities operate differently than general-law cities? Is home rule a good idea?