Deck 9: The Executive Branch

Question 1

How did Rick Perry make history in 2014?

A) He was inducted into the Texas Hall of Fame.
B) He was the first Texas governor to be elected to a third term.
C) He was the first Texan elected president of the United States.
D) He became the second Texas governor to be indicted on criminal charges.
E) He became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in Texas.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which person would be eligible to serve as Texas governor,according to the state constitution?

A) A 30-year-old U.S.citizen who has resided in Texas for five years
B) A 25-year-old U.S.citizen who has resided in Texas for seven years
C) A 35-year-old U.S.citizen who has resided in Texas for two years
D) A 40-year-old Mexican citizen who has resided in Texas for twenty years
E) A 50-year-old Canadian citizen who has resided in Texas for five years

Answer 2

A

Question 3

If an oil company wants to drill on public land,from whom would it secure the drilling lease?

A) Board of Regents of the University of Texas
B) State Board of Education
C) Comptroller of public accounts
D) Commissioner of the General Land Office
E) Attorney general

Answer 3

D

Question 4

For which task can a Texas governor use "executive orders"?

A) Punish elected officials
B) Appoint judges
C) Suspend habeas corpus
D) Abolish boards and commissions
E) Declare a state law unconstitutional

Question 5

What distinguishes a full pardon from a conditional pardon?

A) They are,in fact,identical.
B) A full pardon restores civil rights.
C) A conditional pardon requires community service.
D) Only the Board of Pardons and Paroles may grant full pardons.
E) A full pardon cannot be granted posthumously.

Question 6

What is the name of the process that attempts to keep state agencies efficient and responsive to current needs?

A) The sunset review process
B) The oversight process
C) Bureaucratic oversight
D) The iron triangle process
E) Public administration procedures

Question 7

What is the only constitutionally prescribed method of removing a governor of Texas from office before the end of a term?

A) Recall
B) Impeachment
C) Address
D) Quo warranto
E) Referendum

Question 8

Which official is responsible for ensuring that gas pumps,grocery store scales,and other meters are accurate?

A) Director of the National Bureau of Standards
B) Texas commissioner of agriculture
C) U.S.attorney general
D) U.S.secretary of agriculture
E) Texas secretary of state

Question 9

Which of the following statements regarding the governor's legislative powers is true?

A) The governor has no veto power over appropriations bills.
B) The governor is solely responsible for submitting the state's budget.
C) The governor may call a limited number of special sessions.
D) The governor has absolute veto power without challenge once the legislature has adjourned.
E) The governor may issue only three vetoes during any one term in office.

Question 10

How did a constitutional amendment in 1936 impact the governor's clemency powers?

A) It gave the governor almost unlimited clemency power.
B) It established the Board of Pardons and Paroles.
C) It allowed the governor to grant conditional pardons only.
D) It forbade the governor to grant reprieves.
E) It made the attorney general a co-equal with the governor in granting clemency.

Question 11

What is the main judicial power of the governor of Texas?

A) Removing any judge on his or her own initiative for incompetence
B) Appointing of the appellate divisions,with Senate consent
C) Filling vacancies arising in state,district,and appellate courts
D) Recommending to the Commission on Judicial Conduct that a sitting judge be removed
E) Exercising the power of judicial review

Question 12

What is the term for supervised release from prison before completion of a sentence,on condition of good behavior?

A) Parole
B) Pardon
C) Executive clemency
D) Executive mercy
E) Early release

Question 13

Which factor had most to do with the removal of Governor Ferguson?

A) An allegation of moral turpitude
B) Misuse of state funds and a conflict with the University of Texas
C) His opposition to statewide prohibition
D) His improper deposit of $100,000 in state insurance funds
E) His well-documented views about the inferiority of women

Question 14

Which of the following statements regarding the Texas governor's staff is true?

A) It has become increasingly more diverse.
B) It has been limited to 185 through an amendment to the Texas Constitution.
C) It has shrunk chiefly because governors have become less active recently.
D) It has become less important thanks to social media.
E) It has grown in power due to limits in the governor's ability to hire and fire staff members.

Question 15

Which of the following executives is elected rather than appointed by the governor?

A) Texas health commissioner
B) Adjutant general,Texas Military Forces
C) Texas secretary of state
D) Director,Office of State-Federal Relations
E) Texas attorney general

Question 16

In which of the following situations would the governor's informal powers be more important than the governor's formal powers?

A) A vacancy opens in a major administrative position midyear.
B) A law is passed with which the governor disagrees.
C) The budget approved by the legislature includes funding for a particular program the governor finds objectionable.
D) A natural disaster strikes,and the National Guard must be mobilized.
E) Two weeks into the session,the legislature has not yet passed a bill the governor considers important.

Question 17

To what does the term plural executive refer?

A) Texas prepares two separate state budgets each year.
B) The governor appoints most all executive officers.
C) Most top executive officials in Texas are elected.
D) The governor must share power with the lieutenant governor.
E) The governor is not Texas's highest-ranking officer.

Question 18

What is the line of gubernatorial succession in Texas?

A) Lieutenant governor,secretary of state,attorney general
B) Lieutenant governor,chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas,attorney general
C) Lieutenant governor,president pro tempore of the Senate,agriculture commissioner
D) Lieutenant governor,president pro tempore of the Senate,Speaker of the House,attorney general,chief justices of the 14 courts of appeals
E) Lieutenant governor,senior U.S.senator from Texas,senior U.S.representative from Texas

Question 19

Which job does the Texas Constitution require the comptroller of public accounts to carry out?

A) Offer revenue bonds for sale when the state is out of money.
B) Reduce spending for all programs when funding gets within 30 percent of running out.
C) Stop payments to those who have been on welfare support for two years.
D) Balance the Texas state budget for each fiscal year.
E) Certify that appropriations bills passed by the legislature can be covered by expected revenue.

Question 20

Which of the following statements regarding a governor's informal power is true?

A) It stems from popularity with the public and is based on traditions,symbols,and ceremonies.
B) It is rooted in the constitutional power to appoint officials.
C) It is used only rarely and in extreme circumstances.
D) It depends heavily on the support she or he gets from the lieutenant governor.
E) It holds sway only with members of his or her own political party.

Question 21

With Senate approval,the governor appoints the five members of which important law enforcement agency?

A) Texas Border Patrol
B) Texas Maritime Commission
C) Texas Rangers
D) Texas Department of Public Safety
E) Texas Joint Chiefs of Staff

Question 22

When a governor accepts an invitation to speak at a charitable event,he or she is attempting to expand which type of power?

A) Informal power
B) Legislative power
C) Judicial power
D) Executive power
E) The "power of the purse"

Question 23

Effective governors should be able to do all but which of the following?

A) Make impressive speeches.
B) Remain at ease while communicating in interviews.
C) Communicate directly with Texans by writing newspaper articles of their own.
D) Attempt to play the role of chief of state.
E) Accept all invitations to deliver speeches and participate in dedications,banquets,and other public events.

Question 24

The governor's success in dealing with lobbyists,legislators,and the media depends primarily on which component?

A) State ordinances
B) Campaign contributions
C) Executive orders
D) Social media skills
E) Input and support of staff

Question 25

Oversight of Texas education is divided between the commissioner of education and which agency?

A) The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
B) The attorney general's office
C) The Board of Regents
D) The State Board of Education
E) The Texas Education Agency

Question 26

According to Texas law,the commissioner of agriculture must have significant experience in which occupation?

A) Physician
B) Lawyer
C) Teacher
D) Lobbyist
E) Farmer

Question 27

What occurs if the Senate fails to confirm a gubernatorial recess appointment?

A) The governor is prevented from reappointing that person to the same position.
B) The governor may not appoint anyone to that position in the future.
C) The governor must reappoint that person to another position.
D) The House may call a special session to appoint that person.
E) The rejected appointee must appeal to the Texas Supreme Court.

Question 28

What compensation does the governor of Texas receive?

A) A salary of over $150,000 per year,along with staff and maintenance for a personal residence
B) A salary of $75,000 per year,along with staff and maintenance for a personal residence
C) A salary of almost $100,000 per year,along with reimbursement for personal and political travel
D) A salary of $40,000 per year,along with a per diem for daily living expenses
E) A salary of $250,000 per year,along with a lifetime pension

Question 29

The Texas Veterans Land Board and state veteran's cemeteries fall under which office?

A) Texas land commissioner
B) U.S.Department of Defense
C) Texas Agriculture Commission
D) Adjutant general,Texas Military Forces
E) Texas Environmental Board

Question 30

The governor's "military power" extends to which organization?

A) Texas State Guard
B) U.S.Army
C) U.S.National Guard
D) Texas Maritime Commission
E) Every police force in Texas

Question 31

How do governors commonly repay major contributors to their election campaigns?

A) With appointments to key policymaking positions
B) By direct cash payment from the state treasury
C) With nothing more than sincere thanks
D) Through ceremonies to name roads and bridges after them
E) By running newspaper advertisements thanking the donors

Question 32

The Texas attorney general can initiate quo warranto proceedings that do which of the following?

A) Explain to higher courts the legal reasoning used in lower court decisions
B) Establish a new trial when there is an appeal from a court that keeps no records
C) Challenge an official's right to hold public office
D) Create the first step in an impeachment hearing
E) Prevent the governor from being indicted for a federal crime

Question 33

Which official has the job of administering the state's tax system and acting as its treasurer?

A) Attorney general
B) Comptroller of public accounts
C) Secretary of state
D) Land commissioner
E) Lieutenant governor

Question 34

Which of the following is a role of the Texas land commissioner?

A) Overseeing the Permanent School Fund
B) Administering the state's severance taxes
C) Collecting property taxes
D) Serving as president pro tempore of the Texas Senate
E) Filing a lawsuit to overturn federal health care reform

Question 35

The Texas Constitution requires that the governor and all other elected officials must acknowledge which of the following?

A) The supremacy of the U.S.Constitution
B) The equality of all Texas citizens
C) The right of Texas to secede from the Union
D) The unrestricted right to bear arms
E) The existence of a Supreme Being

Question 36

According to the Texas Constitution,how many terms may a governor of Texas serve?

A) Two four-year terms
B) Unlimited terms
C) A single four-year term
D) Three two-year terms
E) Two two-year terms

Question 37

What is another name for a public employee?

A) A politician
B) A lobbyist
C) An appointee
D) A bureaucrat
E) An administrator

Question 38

Which of these is a limitation to the governor's appointment powers?

A) A lack of removal power
B) A requirement of House approval
C) Few overlapping six-year terms
D) A lack of recess appointment power
E) The tradition of senatorial courtesy

Question 39

Which of the following statements regarding attempts by the legislature to override a governor's veto is true?

A) George W.Bush was the only governor to have the legislature override his vetoes.
B) The legislature has overridden most vetoes in the modern era.
C) Overriding a veto has occurred only once since the O'Daniel administration in 1941.
D) There has never been a successful veto override in Texas.
E) The Texas legislature routinely overrides more vetoes than any other state legislature.

Question 40

Which of these is a legislative power of the Texas governor?

A) Assuming command of the Texas Rangers
B) Appointing the chairs of legislative committees
C) Hiring a new chief of staff
D) Ordering the Texas State Guard to patrol the Mexican border
E) Signing bills and concurrent resolutions

Question 41

What occurs should the governor and lieutenant governor both be out of the state at the same time?

A) The president pro tempore of the Senate becomes acting governor.
B) A special election is held,and the office is filled by direct popular vote.
C) The Texas Senate selects one of its members to become governor.
D) The senator with the most seniority becomes governor.
E) The chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court becomes acting governor.

Question 42

Why are the actions of the state bureaucracy less visible to the public than other aspects of state government?

A) Most Texans rarely need to interact with the state bureaucracy.
B) The large number of agencies means they are covered less by the media.
C) The state bureaucracy is the least important part of state government.
D) Most Texans are uninterested in an efficient state bureaucracy.
E) State law requires most activities of the state bureaucracy to be done in secret.

Question 43

What is the most direct legislative power a governor possesses?

A) "Message power"
B) Veto authority
C) Prorogation of bills
D) Special session power
E) The "power of the purse"

Question 44

Which of the following statements correctly characterizes Governor Perry's impact on the state judiciary?

A) Perry removed virtually all sitting judges and replaced them with political supporters.
B) Perry used his appointment power to increase the number of white male judges.
C) Perry appointed fewer than 50 judges and had little impact on the judiciary.
D) Perry's appointments moved the judiciary in a very pro-environment direction.
E) Perry heavily influenced the judiciary by appointing about 250 judges.

Question 45

How many senators must vote "yea" in order for an impeachment article to be approved?

A) A simple majority
B) Three-fifths
C) Three-fourths
D) All of them
E) Two-thirds

Question 46

Which military power action of Governor Abbot was highly criticized?

A) Deploying Texas State Guard troops to the border to deal with the rising number of unaccompanied minors crossing into the United States
B) Using members of the Texas Military Forces to impose martial law during race riots in Dallas sparked by events in Ferguson,Missouri
C) Mobilizing the Texas Air National Guard to respond to the fertilizer plant explosion in the city of West,Texas
D) Ordering Texas Army National Guard troops to fight alongside U.S.Army,Navy,Air Force,and Marines in Afghanistan and Iraq
E) Ordering the Texas State Guard to monitor U.S.military forces participating in Operation Jade Helm 15

Question 47

Which of these provides Texans' most direct connection to their state government?

A) The governor's office
B) The attorney general's office
C) The Texas Rangers
D) The state bureaucracy
E) The Texas Supreme Court

Question 48

What needs to happen for the governor to be able to remove a judge from office?

A) The Texas Senate and the Texas House must both agree by two-thirds vote.
B) The lieutenant governor must agree with the decision.
C) The attorney general must agree with the decision.
D) The Texas Senate must unanimously agree.
E) The chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court must agree.

Question 49

Jenifer is obtaining her driver's license.Which aspect of state government is she interacting with?

A) The attorney general's office
B) The Texas Highway Patrol
C) The state bureaucracy
D) The governor's office
E) A congressional precinct

Question 50

What reprieve powers does the governor have in cases involving persons facing a death sentence?

A) The governor may grant a full pardon to a person convicted of a felony.
B) The governor may remit a fine to a person who has been assessed one.
C) The governor may grant one 30-day stay of execution of a death sentence.
D) The governor may commute a death sentence to life imprisonment at hard labor.
E) The governor may only suspend the execution of individuals who were convicted as minors.

Question 51

In Texas,who has the primary responsibility for enforcing the law?

A) State troopers
B) Municipal police and county sheriffs' departments
C) Texas Rangers
D) Constables in the various counties
E) Texas Army National Guard

Question 52

What is one thing Texas governors must rely on to gain support for their legislative agendas?

A) Personal wealth
B) Strong constitutional powers
C) Skills in personal relations
D) Judicial approval
E) The "power of the purse"

Question 53

Which executive official or department represents the state in civil court,issues advisory opinions on legal questions,and enforces child support orders?

A) The Texas attorney general
B) The U.S.Department of Justice
C) The Texas comptroller of public accounts
D) The Texas Department of Transportation
E) The lieutenant governor

Question 54

What is the governor's most significant constitutional budget power?

A) Transferring funds from one line item to another
B) Reducing funds in one or more line items on his own initiative
C) Vetoing all or part of the biennial legislative appropriations act
D) Submitting a draft budget for legislative consideration
E) Appointing members to the House Finance Committee

Question 55

Which of the following was true of Governor Perry's use of social media?

A) He had only a Twitter account,and it attracted very few followers.
B) He placed a ban on the use of social media accounts by the executive branch.
C) He made aggressive use of multiple social media accounts to enhance his informal powers.
D) He made little use of social media accounts since most young people don't vote.
E) His inappropriate social media posts were widely mocked by the public.

Question 56

When the governor consults with a senator from an appointee's home district to obtain support for a nomination,the governor is respecting which tradition?

A) Legislative veto
B) Recess appointment
C) Vacancy appointment
D) Senatorial courtesy
E) Habeas corpus

Question 57

How do the governor's informal powers support his or her formal power to deliver the State of the State message?

A) Through the use of legislative assistants,the governor can introduce a bill in the state legislature.
B) If the governor is popular with the people,a direct appeal through the media might bring pressure on legislators to follow his or her agenda.
C) By communicating with other state and national leaders,the governor's influence within his or her party grows.
D) The budget the governor submits to the legislature always determines the direction of the session's bills.
E) Control over major administrative boards can be determined by the governor's approach to appointments.

Question 58

Who did Texans elect in 1978 as their first Republican governor since Reconstruction?

A) Rick Perry
B) George W.Bush
C) Ann Richards
D) William Clements
E) E.J.Davis

Question 59

What is the principal function of the governor's staff,in political terms?

A) To raise election campaign funds
B) To protect their boss from adverse situations
C) To discourage opponents in future elections
D) To make the final decisions about appointments to important government offices
E) To write legislation for him or her to approve

Question 60

How are state agencies created?

A) All are created by the Texas Constitution.
B) All are created by the legislature.
C) Some are created by the Texas Constitution and some by the legislature.
D) Some are created by the executive branch and some by the judicial branch.
E) All are created by the U.S.Constitution.

Question 61

Are the costs of gubernatorial travel abroad worth the benefits to the state of Texas? Was it appropriate for a conservative Texas governor to undertake a trade mission to Communist Cuba? Explain your answer.

Question 62

Given the structural and constitutional weaknesses imposed on the Texas governor,what attributes or strategies do successful governors employ?

Question 63

What are the sources and uses of a governor's informal powers?

Question 64

Explain the governor's clemency powers.What other influence does the Texas governor have over the state judiciary?

Question 65

How has the size of the Texas governor's staff fluctuated over time? What role do staff members play in supporting the governor?

Question 66

Explain why raising campaign funds is important to win a gubernatorial election and how donations influence the actions of governors once in office.

Question 67

Identify three executive officials appointed by the governor,and describe their functions.Do you think the governor should be able to appoint his or her lieutenant governor in Texas? Why or why not?
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Question 68

Explain how the governor may get involved in pork-barrel politics.

Question 69

The constitutionally weak executive structure in Texas shows the influence of anti-Reconstruction forces that opposed the policies of which former Texas governor?

A) S.W.T.Lanham
B) Oscar Branch Colquitt
C) E.J.Davis
D) Andrew Jackson Hamilton
E) Ann W.Richards

Question 70

Explain the term plural executive and how it operates in Texas.What are the potentially negative and positive aspects of a plural executive? Do you think Texas should move to a more unitary executive branch? Explain why or why not.

Question 71

Which state agency is most concerned with economic activity?

A) The state attorney general's office
B) Texas Environmental Protection Agency
C) Railroad Commission of Texas
D) Health and Human Services Commission
E) Board of Regents

Question 72

Identify three judicial powers a Texas governor has.Which do you think has the most impact on the day-to-day lives of Texans? Explain.

Question 73

Describe the selection and main responsibilities of the Texas secretary of state.

Question 74

What is message power? In what way is message power a form of legislative power?

Question 75

Compare and contrast the patronage and merit systems.Do you believe the merit system truly results in more efficient government? Explain your answer.

Question 76

What is the name of the system by which government officials are hired,promoted,and fired based on objective criteria such as tests,experience,and performance?

A) Spoils system
B) Patronage system
C) Senatorial courtesy
D) Executive privilege
E) Merit system

Question 77

Compare and contrast the various types of vetoes a Texas governor may use.

Question 78

What are some informal powers of the Texas governor,and why are they effective?

Question 79

Outline the governor's various options for vetoing bills and his or her powers to call special sessions.How may the governor use each to enhance his or her influence over legislators?

Question 80

Under what circumstances might a governor call a special session? What are some advantages and disadvantages to the governor in calling a special session?