Deck 1: The Political Culture, People, and Economy of Texas

Question 1

When Texas sold public land to private owners, it also retained ownership of the mineral rights on some of this land. These mineral rights would provide the funding for

A) transportation infrastructure.
B) prisons.
C) education.
D) social welfare programs.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Since the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, the Border region, including El Paso, McAllen, and Brownsville, has remained politically a ________ bastion.

A) Democratic Party
B) Republican Party
C) Tea Party
D) competitive two-party

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Texas's political life grew out of which region?

A) the Interior Lowlands
B) the Gulf Coastal Plains
C) the Interior Highlands
D) the Great Plains

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Houston is found in which part of Texas?

A) Interior Lowlands.
B) Great Plains.
C) Basin and Range Province.
D) Gulf Coastal Plains.

Question 5

Which of the following elements dominated the land-based economy of post-Reconstruction Texas and is/are still relevant today?

A) cattle only
B) cotton and oil only
C) oil and cattle only
D) oil, cotton, and cattle

Question 6

Within the major population centers of the Gulf Coastal Plans region, the suburban areas are becoming more __________________, while urban areas are becoming more ______________.

A) Democratic; Republican
B) Tea Party; Republican
C) Republican; Democratic
D) Democratic; Tea Party

Question 7

Approximately how long did one-party Democratic rule last in Texas?

A) 10 years
B) 50 years
C) 100 years
D) 150 years

Question 8

The phrase privatization of public property refers to the process that established

A) Texas as the second-largest state in size, next to Alaska.
B) the preservation of the Gulf Coastal Plains as the most important ongoing public policy.
C) property rules and regulations under which economic development would take place in the state.
D) the exact boundaries of Texas following the Mexican American War.

Question 9

Which city is located in the Great Plains region of Texas?

A) Lubbock
B) Fort Worth
C) El Paso
D) Houston

Question 10

Which of the following has traditionally played a prominent role in the political culture of Texas?

A) teachers' unions
B) business leaders
C) environmental groups
D) religious leaders

Question 11

Which of the following makes it difficult to classify Texas as having one unified political culture?

A) its size and diversity
B) its one party dominance
C) its religious history
D) its rural traditions

Question 12

American political culture generally highlights which values?

A) democracy, freedom, happiness
B) liberty, equality, democracy
C) democracy, equality, happiness
D) liberty, freedom, happiness

Question 13

The third wave of creative destruction involves which of the following?

A) cotton production
B) cattle distribution
C) the oil industry
D) the high-tech digital economy

Question 14

Which of the following groups are starting to challenge business groups for influence in Texas politics?

A) labor unions
B) lobbyists
C) social conservatives
D) the Democratic Party

Question 15

Almost of all of Texas's production of which agricultural product takes place within the Gulf Coastal Plains region?

A) cattle
B) timber
C) cotton
D) corn

Question 16

Provincialism is best defined as

A) the belief that God will lead.
B) a narrow view of the world.
C) the belief in an active government.
D) the belief in the free market.

Question 17

As more women, minorities, and LGBT individuals gain influence in politics,

A) aspects of provincialism are being challenged.
B) the role of provincialism in political culture has not been affected.
C) provincialism is no longer relevant.
D) provincialism continues to have no role within political culture.

Question 18

Big Bend is found in what region of Texas?

A) the Interior Lowlands
B) the Basin and Range Province
C) the Gulf Coastal Plains
D) the Great Plains

Question 19

Political culture is a term used to describe

A) the level of education and learning in a particular state.
B) the degree of public support for the arts.
C) the broadly shared values and beliefs about government.
D) the amount of partisan bickering in a state.

Question 20

Which of the following would best characterize traditional, individualistic political culture?

A) a government that limits its impact in society so that citizens can pursue their economic self-interest
B) a government that is expected to take action to advance the public welfare
C) government policies designed to benefit minority groups
D) encouragement of active participation in government

Question 21

Which two Texas metropolitan areas are national centers for the high-tech industry?

A) Lubbock and Midland
B) Houston and El Paso
C) Dallas and Austin-San Marcos
D) San Antonio and Waco

Question 22

New technologies such as ________ and ________ led to a new boom era of oil and gas production in Texas, beginning in 2008 and continuing through today.

A) oil; cotton
B) horizontal drilling; fracking
C) fracking; vertical drilling
D) steel production; fracking

Question 23

The origins of ranching and the cattle industry extend back to the late ________ century.

A) seventeenth
B) eighteenth
C) nineteenth
D) twentieth

Question 24

Higher education in Texas has benefited most from what industry?

A) cattle
B) cotton
C) oil and gas
D) dairy

Question 25

Fort Bliss and the city of El Paso worked together to create the world's largest

A) inland desalination plant.
B) single-site employer.
C) active-duty armored post.
D) military deployment center.

Question 26

Who led the Grange and Populist movements of the late nineteenth century?

A) tenant farmers
B) cattle barons
C) labor union members
D) the railroad industry

Question 27

Which racial or ethnic group in Texas is concentrated in East Texas?

A) Hispanics
B) German Americans
C) African Americans
D) Asian Americans

Question 28

Texas may have been spared some of the worst consequences of the Great Recession due to

A) its diversified economy.
B) lax rules on home equity loans.
C) rapidly rising property values.
D) a stagnant oil and gas industry.

Question 29

Which factor contributed MOST to the increase in the population of Texas?

A) domestic migration from Alaska and Hawaii
B) international immigration from Asia
C) a natural increase of births in proportion to deaths
D) people moving to Texas from Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina

Question 30

The regulation of oil and energy in Texas is performed by

A) the Texas Railroad Commission.
B) the Texas Department of Oil and Gas.
C) the governor of Texas.
D) ExxonMobil.

Question 31

Many conservative Republicans have expressed which concern about the relatively porous borders that come along with free trade and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)?

A) Many undocumented workers are coming across the border and overwhelming the state's social services.
B) The state does not have the infrastructure to keep up with the increased traffic related to the increased trade.
C) Increased international trade causes increased strain on the criminal justice system due to the unique challenges of international law.
D) The federal government has too much control over decisions that ultimately only impact the state.

Question 32

As of 2015, there were approximately ________ Latinos residing in Texas.

A) 5.1 million
B) 10.6 million
C) 19 million
D) 35 million

Question 33

In 1950, the Supreme Court case Sweatt v. Painter

A) guaranteed African Americans admission to Texas's graduate and professional schools.
B) outlawed poll taxes.
C) ended segregation of public schools.
D) ended black codes.

Question 34

Initially created to regulate the railroads, the focus of the Texas Railroad Commission later shifted to include

A) regulating oil and gas production.
B) regulating both commuter and freight trains.
C) regulating light rail.
D) regulating automobile traffic.

Question 35

Which event occurred at Spindletop, Texas?

A) Oil was discovered.
B) The first free-range ranch in Texas was established.
C) The last battle for Texas independence was fought.
D) The state's worst race riots occurred.

Question 36

When compared to the rest of the nation, the population of Texas

A) is relatively young.
B) is primarily an African American majority.
C) has a lower percentage of its population living below the poverty level.
D) has experienced a decline in Asian residents.

Question 37

As the number one importer of exports from Texas, which country has the most to lose from tighter restrictions on the border?

A) Canada
B) China
C) Taiwan
D) Mexico

Question 38

The white primary, which was the practice of excluding African Americans from Democratic Party elections in Texas, was found unconstitutional as a result of which court case?

A) Griswold v. Connecticut
B) NAACP v. Carson
C) Sweatt v. Painter
D) Smith v. Allwright

Question 39

The economy of Texas grew rapidly in the 1990s and was

A) firmly rooted in extracting resources from the land.
B) based on agricultural production.
C) grounded in a diversified economic base.
D) spread evenly throughout the state.

Question 40

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was signed by which U.S. president?

A) Ronald Reagan
B) Bill Clinton
C) Barack Obama
D) George H.W. Bush

Question 41

Texas's political life grew out of the Gulf Coastal Plains.

Question 42

The second largest city in Texas today is

A) Houston.
B) Dallas.
C) San Antonio.
D) Austin.

Question 43

Oil was the primary industry in Texas during the 1800s.

Question 44

Historically, the economy of Fort Worth has been associated with which industry?

A) oil
B) cattle
C) computer technology
D) shipping

Question 45

Agriculture accounts for 35 percent of the contemporary Texan workforce.

Question 46

The Great Recession hit Texas particularly hard, with Texas being one of the first states to enter and one of the last to exit.

Question 47

Since 1990, Texas has become more dependent on oil and gas for jobs than it had been previously.

Question 48

Which statement regarding urbanization in Texas is NOT accurate?

A) 85 percent of Texans now live in urban areas.
B) Historically, Texas urbanization depended on the spread of the railroads.
C) The origins of cities in Texas are found in Native American civilizations.
D) Urban life initially began along the Gulf Coast and gradually expanded west.

Question 49

Business interests have consistently dominated Texan political culture.

Question 50

Drilling and fracking led to a new boom era of oil and gas production in Texas that lasted from 1973 through 2006.

Question 51

All major statewide elected offices have been controlled by Republicans since 2000.

Question 52

The Border region is typically a Democratic Party bastion.

Question 53

Dallas developed in the late nineteenth century as a result of

A) the intersection of two railroad lines.
B) the development of the Port of Dallas.
C) the easy access to the Rio Grande River.
D) the development of a large international airport.

Question 54

The University of Texas and Texas A & M University systems get large sums of money for their endowments from oil and gas royalties.

Question 55

Like the one-party Democratic state, Texas provincialism has been fading as a defining feature of the political culture, although it has had a recent resurgence in some parts of the population.

Question 56

Cotton is one of the oldest crops grown in Texas.

Question 57

Dallas is located in the Basin and Range Province.

Question 58

Political culture is static and does not change.

Question 59

Which city in Texas currently has the largest population?

A) San Antonio
B) Dallas
C) Houston
D) El Paso

Question 60

Creative destruction explains how changes in technology have shaped and reshaped the Texas economy.

Question 61

People of Asian origin make up about 5 percent of the population of Texas today.

Question 62

What distinctive features have shaped politics in Texas? Discuss how they have shaped Texas politics.

Question 63

Previously-existing banking regulations and a diversified economy helped Texas escape some of the worst effects of the Great Recession.

Question 64

What have been some of the major demographic changes in Texas over the years? What have been the different social and political experiences of the three main ethnic groups in Texas?

Question 65

On average, Texans are younger than the rest of the citizens of the United States.

Question 66

Discuss the impact of Texas's political culture on Texas government and politics.

Question 67

NAFTA has created a free-trade market throughout North and Central America.

Question 68

Houston is the second-largest city in the United States.

Question 69

Describe the distinct economy and development of the three major cities of Texas. How has urbanization changed the character of Texas?

Question 70

Describe the major changes and developments in the Texas economy over time. How has Texas's economy exemplified the theory of creative destruction? In what ways has NAFTA affected the political economy of the state?