Deck 16: The Social and Economic Forces of Texas Politics

Question 1

Urbanization has been particularly significant in Texas, with ___ of the country's ten largest cities in the state.

A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five
E) six

Answer 1

three

Question 2

The key element in the Texas myth of origins is

A) the legacy of slavery.
B) is untrue.
C) the Alamo.
D) individualism.
E) urbanization.

Answer 2

the Alamo.

Question 3

In the individualistic subculture, governments should be

A) expanded.
B) strengthened.
C) multiplied.
D) limited.
E) more helpful.

Answer 3

limited.

Question 4

According to the moralistic subculture, taking part in politics is a

A) right of the few.
B) burden.
C) duty.
D) right of the many.
E) prerogative of the few.

Question 5

The Texas State Data Center estimates that _______ will become the majority of the Texas population by 2040.

A) Anglos
B) African Americans
C) Asian Americans
D) Hispanics
E) Native Americans

Question 6

The group which has had the most dramatic increase in Texas in recent years is

A) Asians.
B) Anglos.
C) African Americans.
D) Hispanics.
E) Europeans.

Question 7

The African American population of Texas _________ after the Civil War.

A) increased due to a rising birth rate
B) remained the same
C) decreased due to declining birth rate
D) boomed
E) decreased due to northern migration

Question 8

The term "Anglo" in Texas politics describes a(n) _________ group.

A) diverse
B) homogenous
C) ethnic
D) regional
E) minority

Question 9

The most controversial factor in recent attempts to reform school financing has been

A) property taxes.
B) charter schools.
C) vouchers.
D) race and ethnicity.
E) poverty.

Question 10

By 2009, Texas' population had reached

A) 19.2 million people.
B) 20.8 million people.
C) 22.8 million people.
D) 24.8 million people.
E) 26.8 million people.

Question 11

About ___ percent of Texas residents are noncitizens.

A) 5
B) 10
C) 15
D) 20
E) 25

Question 12

These two racial and ethnic groups have the lowest level of educational attainment in the state of Texas, leading to wide disparities in income.

A) Anglos and African Americans
B) Hispanics and Asian Americans
C) Hispanics and African Americans
D) Anglos and Asian Americans
E) African Americans and Asian Americans

Question 13

Of the following economic areas, which has declined in importance in Texas?

A) Oil
B) Interregional trade
C) Service
D) High-tech industries
E) Exporting goods and services

Question 14

The world's largest trading bloc was created by

A) NATO.
B) COMECON.
C) the European Union.
D) the Soviet bloc.
E) NAFTA.

Question 15

The shared U.S.-Mexico border makes all of the following issues problematic EXCEPT

A) illegal immigration.
B) isolation.
C) unequal health facilities on either side of the border.
D) natural resource concerns.
E) trade.

Question 16

Texans have traditionally displayed a strong trust in government.

Question 17

Compared to other states, Texas spends more on public education and public welfare.

Question 18

The authors argue that understanding the dominant political subcultures of Texas is critical to understanding what Texans expect of their government.

Question 19

The Texan preference for limited government can be traced to the individualistic and traditionalistic subcultures.

Question 20

In 2010 Anglos accounted for more than 50% of Texas's population.

Question 21

As a percentage of the population, Hispanics have shown dramatic growth in Texas since 1860.

Question 22

Texas had tipped from mostly rural to mostly urban by 1950.

Question 23

Scholars estimate that Texas' economic growth will decrease the number of families living in poverty by 2030.

Question 24

Economic diversification in the last decades has allowed Texas more economic stability.

Question 25

Texas' exports to Mexico have significantly increased the passage of NAFTA.

Question 26

While political myths may be very powerful, they may be largely

A) true.
B) untrue.
C) literary.
D) spiritual.
E) forgotten.

Question 27

In an effort to reduce energy costs, Texas

A) instituted rolling blackouts.
B) deregulated the electricity industry.
C) invested in solar power.
D) invested in wind power.
E) initiated a state takeover of electricity providers.

Question 28

The Texas Ranger is part of the Texas myth symbolizing the idea of

A) the Alamo.
B) corporatism.
C) individualism.
D) community.
E) interdependence.

Question 29

Despite their strong distrust of government, Texans still desire

A) a state income tax.
B) a wide variety of public services.
C) more government regulation of business.
D) activist state judges.
E) a full-time state legislature.

Question 30

The Texas Ranger may be said to epitomize which subculture?

A) Moralistic
B) Traditionalistic
C) Opportunistic
D) Individualistic
E) Separatist

Question 31

In the traditionalistic subculture, governments should be

A) expanded.
B) eliminated.
C) smaller.
D) more powerful.
E) more helpful.

Question 32

According to the individualistic subculture, governments serve a strictly ________ purpose.

A) decorative
B) practical
C) ceremonial
D) obsolete
E) spiritual

Question 33

Some scholars question the concept of political subcultures because

A) they only apply to Texas.
B) politicians, not people, create political subcultures.
C) every state has different political subcultures.
D) the theory is too difficult to test.
E) other theories are more current

Question 34

Of the 23 Native American groups in Texas, how many remain?

A) 3
B) 4
C) 5
D) 7
E) 9

Question 35

Spain and Mexico had little success in encouraging their citizens to settle in what is now Texas, because the area was seen as a(n)

A) unattractive border area.
B) U.S. territory.
C) hostile land.
D) foreign territory.
E) no-man's land.

Question 36

Hispanics in Texas are estimated to be about what percent of the state's population by 2020?

A) 25
B) 35
C) 45
D) 55
E) 65

Question 37

North and west of the line between Texarkana and San Antonio was settled by those from the Upper South, enforcing which political subculture?

A) Moralistic
B) Traditionalistic
C) Individualistic
D) Separatist
E) Liberal

Question 38

North and West Texas are very influenced by the individualistic subculture due to immigration there from

A) California.
B) the Northwest.
C) the Midwest.
D) New England.
E) the Upper South.

Question 39

African Americans first entered Texas in significant numbers as

A) farmers.
B) slaves.
C) carpetbaggers.
D) migrant workers.
E) cowboys.

Question 40

The Rio Grande Valley region is overwhelmingly

A) industrial.
B) Hispanic.
C) wealthy.
D) dominated by high-tech industries.
E) more educated than other regions.

Question 41

Population growth is creating challenges for local governments in all of the following areas EXCEPT

A) waste disposal.
B) alternative energy production.
C) education.
D) the water supply.
E) road construction.

Question 42

Some of the poorest counties in the United States are found in which Texas region?

A) The Metroplex
B) The Upper Rio Grande
C) Upper East Texas
D) The High Plains
E) The South Texas border

Question 43

Approximately ______ Texans speak a primary language other than English.

A) 500,000
B) 2 million
C) 4 million
D) 6 million
E) 10 million

Question 44

Minority groups make up over half of the population in __ of Texas' ten largest cities.

A) 2
B) 3
C) 4
D) 5
E) 6

Question 45

The Texas population can be described as increasing in all of the following EXCEPT

A) density.
B) age.
C) ruralization.
D) isolation.
E) homogeneity.

Question 46

The growth in the Texas population is part of a national trend of population growth in the

A) Gulf states.
B) Midwestern states.
C) North and West.
D) South and West.
E) Atlantic states.

Question 47

Of the largest Texan cities, ________ has grown the least since 2000.

A) Houston
B) San Antonio
C) Austin
D) Dallas
E) Galveston

Question 48

Of the different racial groups in Texas, which group had the highest percentage of college degrees in 2000?

A) Hispanics
B) Anglos
C) Asians
D) African Americans
E) Native Americans

Question 49

The high percentage of noncitizens in Texas is significant because of all of the following issues EXCEPT

A) reapportionment.
B) voting.
C) social services.
D) language.
E) poverty.

Question 50

The textbook demonstrates which of the following key changes in the demographic composition of Texas:

A) Texas' large cities.
B) the continued importance of farming.
C) the dramatic shift from rural to urban.
D) the growth of the service industry.
E) the expansion of suburbs.

Question 51

In 1999, the per-capita income for Anglo Texans was nearly _____ than that of African Americans.

A) $1,000 more
B) $10,000 more
C) $20,000 more
D) $10,000 less
E) $1,000 less

Question 52

Race and ethnicity are major factors in all of the following aspects of Texas politics and government EXCEPT

A) admission to Texas colleges and universities.
B) jury selection.
C) state and local government contracts.
D) executive power.
E) redrawing political districts.

Question 53

If Texas were an independent nation, it would rank ____ in terms of the size of its economy.

A) 4th
B) 12th
C) 16th
D) 23rd
E) 27th

Question 54

The gross state product of Texas in 2008 was about

A) $1 million.
B) $100 million.
C) $100 billion.
D) $1 trillion.
E) $10 trillion.

Question 55

In response to the economic downturn of the 1980s the Texas state legislature enacted

A) "pay as you go" budgeting.
B) education tax credits.
C) property tax increases.
D) zero based budgeting.
E) sales tax increases.

Question 56

Half of the 2.4 million jobs created in Texas in the 1990s were in

A) services and trade.
B) agriculture.
C) high-tech.
D) oil and gas.
E) medical professions.

Question 57

The development of economic and social interdependence across national borders is

A) economic regionalism.
B) transnational regionalism.
C) international cooperation.
D) economic cooperation.
E) regional globalism.

Question 58

According to your text, Texas has benefitted_______ since implementation of NAFTA in 1991.

A) marginally
B) somewhat
C) very little
D) not at all
E) enormously

Question 59

Which town is an entry point for imports from Mexico?

A) Brownsville
B) Del Rio
C) Galveston
D) Laredo
E) Dallas

Question 60

The Border Industrialization Program created

A) braceros.
B) maquiladoras.
C) illegal immigration.
D) Mexican independence from the U.S.
E) a closed border.

Question 61

The maquiladora program depends on the creation of _______in Mexico and the U.S.

A) twin plants
B) automobiles
C) farms
D) tariff barriers
E) labor-sharing agreements

Question 62

The maquiladora program has produced over 3,000 plants in Mexico, but

A) only a few in the U.S.
B) was ignored by U.S. corporations.
C) none in the U.S.
D) little in the way of jobs.
E) no other economic development.

Question 63

The maquiladora program has been resisted in the U.S. by

A) automobile manufacturers.
B) NAFTA.
C) organized labor.
D) farm workers.
E) physicians.

Question 64

The main sector encouraged by NAFTA is

A) manufacturing.
B) trade.
C) service.
D) agriculture.
E) energy industries.

Question 65

NAFTA is an example of

A) Using trade barriers to encourage competition.
B) transnational regionalism.
C) laissez-faire economics.
D) mercantilism.
E) economic isolationism.

Question 66

In 2007, Texas exported goods to Mexico worth over

A) $60 million.
B) $60 billion.
C) $600 billion.
D) $6 trillion.
E) $60 trillion.

Question 67

Colonias along the Texas-Mexico border are

A) immigrants.
B) inhabitants.
C) metropolises.
D) border towns.
E) rural slums.

Question 68

Health care issues along the Texas-Mexico border include all of the following EXCEPT

A) poor housing.
B) lack of sanitation.
C) high levels of birth defects.
D) hepatitis.
E) misuse of antibiotics.

Question 69

In 2008, there were over ________ illegal immigrants in the United States.

A) 1,200
B) 12,000
C) 120,000.
D) 1,200,000.
E) 12,000,000.

Question 70

Texas has approximately ___ % of all illegal immigrants living in the United States.

A) 4
B) 6
C) 8
D) 10
E) 12

Question 71

Although U.S. exports to Mexico increased by 4 times, Texas' share in exports

A) rose by 6 times.
B) rose by 3 times.
C) only doubled.
D) fell.
E) halved.

Question 72

Colonias along the Texas-Mexico border are examples of

A) economic interdependence.
B) the problems of the Mexican government.
C) the inefficiencies of the Texas government.
D) population growth.
E) transnational regionalism.

Question 73

The issue of illegal immigration is complicated in Texas by

A) the desire for the cheap labor of immigrants north of the border.
B) the poor work these immigrants do.
C) the fact that these workers take highly desirable jobs.
D) increased revenues from taxation.
E) the immigrants force the increase of wages.

Question 74

The idea of individualism is embodied in the image of the Texas Ranger.

Question 75

One of the key challenges facing Texas in the twenty-first century is a declining population.

Question 76

The Texan preference for limited government can be traced to the individualistic and traditionalistic subcultures.

Question 77

The traditionalistic subculture holds that hierarchically-organized governments are good.

Question 78

The moralistic and individualistic subcultures conflict in their ideas of social welfare.

Question 79

The authors argue that understanding the dominant political subcultures of Texas is critical to understanding what Texans expect of their government.

Question 80

As a percentage of the population, Hispanics have shown dramatic growth in Texas since 1860.