Deck 3: The Texas Constitution in Perspective

Question 1

Texas fought and won its independence from which of the following countries?

A)Spain
B)Great Britain
C)Mexico
D)United States

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Constitutions are expected to do all of the following except

A)assign constitutional power.
B)identify political leaders.
C)place limitations on the government.
D)establish major governing institutions.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Common law refers to

A)superior law that establishes governing institutions and organizes their formal power relationship.
B)laws that deal with the basic principles of government.
C)customs upheld by courts and derived from British tradition.
D)law passed by legislatures and written into code books.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

During the decade that followed the Civil War,Texas went from a period of Reconstruction to one of reconstitution.This was defined by

A)the drive to guarantee former slaves their political and civil rights.
B)the centralization of state power created an anti-government political environment.
C)the attitudes of those who wrote and ratified it.
D)all of these choices are true.

Question 5

Which U.S.Supreme Court case voided the Texas' governor's election of 1873?

A)Davis v.Coke
B)Ex parte Davis
C)Ex parte Rodriguez
D)Ex parte Grant

Question 6

The constitutions of the Texas Republic and first state constitutions are products of

A)plantation culture.
B)Anglo protestant slaveholders.
C)some provisions of Spanish-Mexican law.
D)all of these choices are true.

Question 7

The kind of ballot that results from the election of a large number of independent executive and judicial officers is a

A)selective ballot.
B)short ballot.
C)long ballot.
D)ballot.

Question 8

The constitution of the Republic of Texas adopted some provisions from Spanish-Mexican law,including

A)homestead protections.
B)protection for a wife's property rights.
C)concept of community property.
D)all of these choices are true.

Question 9

Which of the following was the slogan of the Texas Grange going into the 1875 Constitutional Convention?

A)"Retrenchment and reform"
B)"Onward to the Future"
C)"Reconstruction of die"
D)"Republicanism for victory"

Question 10

Which of the following is not correct about the Texas Constitution of 1869?

A)It centralized state power in the hands of the governor.
B)It provided for annual legislative sessions.
C)It decentralized the Texas public school system.
D)It allowed the governor to appoint all major state offices.

Question 11

Which of the following concerning the Texas Constitution of 1836 is not correct?

A)It called for a careful separation of church and state.
B)It legalized slavery in Texas.
C)It prohibited the president from serving consecutive terms.
D)It established a federal system of government for the Republic.

Question 12

Which is a correct statement about the Texas Constitution of 1866?

A)Secession from the union was nullified.
B)Confederate war debts were renounced.
C)A civilian government was established.
D)All of these choices are true.

Question 13

What issue delayed Texas annexation to the United States in 1836?

A)The slavery controversy in the United States
B)The dense population of Texas
C)The heavy Catholic population in Texas
D)A Republic constitution did not exist

Question 14

Which of the following is not true of the Reconstruction Act of 1867?

A)It made the 1866 Constitution void.
B)It required Confederate states to adopt constitutions that met with the approval of the U.S.Congress.
C)It deposed civilian elected officials and restored military rule.
D)It was passed by the Radical Democrats in Congress.

Question 15

When state governments misuse their powers,the response is usually to

A)throw out the old constitution and replace with a new one.
B)place constitutional limitations and restrictions on those powers.
C)make the document more flexible.
D)recall the officials.

Question 16

Which is a correct statement about Texas?

A)Texas won independence in 1836 and gained statehood in 1845.
B)Texas won independence in 1845 and gained statehood in 1861.
C)Texas won independence in 1836 and gained statehood in 1861.
D)Texas won independence in 1836 and gained statehood the same year.

Question 17

Government is a process of decision making conditioned by all of the following except

A)the people.
B)history and political parties.
C)interest groups.
D)bureaucracy.

Question 18

Which of the following is true about the Constitution of 1869?

A)It gave the governor the power to appoint members of the Texas Supreme Court.
B)The legislature was permitted to meet annually.
C)It created the perception that it was more concerned with punishing than reconstructing Texas.
D)All of these choices are true.

Question 19

Which of the following is not true of the Texas Constitution of 1845?

A)It was similar to other southern state constitutions of the time.
B)It exempted homesteads from foreclosure.
C)It provided for community property.
D)It granted the governor a term of four years.

Question 20

A constitution promotes _________if the general public agrees that the government has the right to govern its citizens.

A)social contract
B)treatise
C)legitimacy
D)legality

Question 21

The Texas Constitution makes the governor a relatively weak executive;however,he maximizes influences with

A)his tenure in office.
B)his appointive powers.
C)his veto power.
D)all of these choices are true.

Question 22

State constitutional provisions voided by a conflicting U.S.constitutional provision is

A)deadwood.
B)statutory law.
C)writ of habeas corpus.
D)checks and balances.

Question 23

The Constitution of 1875 was opposed by all of the following groups except

A)Blacks.
B)Republicans.
C)Democrats.
D)railroad interests.

Question 24

Texas Grangers were opposed to the idea of

A)public education.
B)strengthening local government.
C)giving counties administrative and judicial functions.
D)segregated schools.

Question 25

Which of the following is not a power granted to the Texas governor?

A)Limited removal power
B)Indirect appointive powers
C)Item veto
D)Reduction veto

Question 26

Law passed by legislatures and written into code books is

A)writ of habeas corpus.
B)amendments.
C)statutory law.
D)separation of powers.

Question 27

Which of the following is not a proposal to reform the process of selecting judges in Texas?

A)Merit plan
B)Life terms
C)Nonpartisan elections
D)Term limits

Question 28

Article 3 of the Texas Constitution assigns power to a _______ legislature consisting of the 31 members of the senate and the 150 members of the house of representatives.

A)bicameral
B)unicameral
C)polar
D)unitary government

Question 29

Which state agency is permitted to recommend salary increases for legislators?

A)Legislative Budget Board
B)Texas Audit Board
C)Texas Ethics Commission
D)Sunset Advisory Board

Question 30

The U.S.Supreme Court has interpreted the ________ Amendment to extend many national constitutional guarantees to the states.

A)Tenth
B)Seventeenth
C)Fifteenth
D)Fourteenth

Question 31

Which of the following is not true of the Texas legislature?

A)It is bicameral.
B)Senators serve six-year terms and representatives serve four-year terms.
C)The Texas Constitution sets legislative salaries at $7,200 a year.
D)The legislature meets in biennial regular sessions.

Question 32

The constitution stipulates that state judges are to be selected by which method?

A)Partisan election by the voters
B)Election by the legislators
C)Appointment by the governor
D)Nonpartisan election by the voters

Question 33

Texas does not permit voters to decide directly on

A)constitutional amendments.
B)the state income tax.
C)Legislative salaries.
D)legislative appointments.

Question 34

Which power allows the governor to appoint supervisory boards but not operational directors for most state agencies?

A)Removal
B)Budgetary
C)Indirect appointive
D)Directive authority

Question 35

Article 1,Section 19 of the Texas Constitution protects against

A)double jeopardy.
B)forced self-incrimination.
C)unreasonable search and seizures.
D)due process.

Question 36

Which is another name for the merit selection of judges?

A)The Missouri Plan
B)The Mississippi Plan
C)The Montana Plan
D)The Massachusetts Plan

Question 37

Which is not a correct statement about the present-day Texas Constitution?

A)It is one of the most restrictive.
B)It has been amended 474 times.
C)It is the longest state constitution.
D)It is the fourth most frequently amended state constitution.

Question 38

Which of the following is not a guaranteed additional right granted by the current Texas Constitution?

A)It prohibits discrimination based on sex.
B)It prohibits the garnishment of wages for any reason.
C)It forbids imprisonment for debt.
D)It guarantees victims rights.

Question 39

Which statement is correct regarding term limitations of legislators in the Texas state constitution?

A)Legislators are limited to one term.
B)Legislators are limited to two consecutive terms.
C)Legislators are limited to serve two nonconsecutive terms.
D)Term limits do not exist in the constitution.

Question 40

Which is a correct statement about Texas special sessions?

A)There are no restrictions on how long a special session can last.
B)The legislators are the only ones that are able to call themselves into session.
C)Texas special sessions are more restrictive than any other state.
D)The leadership of the legislature sets the agenda of special sessions.

Question 41

Which statement most accurately reflects state constitutions?

A)They are poorly written and,as a result,are interpreted to be overly restrictive.
B)They are generally less restrictive than the U.S.Constitution.
C)They require several hundred amendments to reflect the times.
D)They are generally shorter than the U.S.Constitution.

Question 42

Discuss the various methods of selecting judges in Texas.Which do you think is the most appropriate,and why?

Question 43

State constitutions require more amendments because of each of the following except

A)interest groups frequently feel safer when their interests are protected in a constitution.
B)citizens are wary of strong governments and prefer detailed restrictions.
C)state constitutions are poorly written and arranged.
D)state constitutions are usually written in general terms and need additional clarification.

Question 44

Which of the following is true about the Texas Constitution's amendment process?

A)Proposals by the voters
B)Proposal by the majority vote of the legislature
C)Ratification after approval by the governor
D)Ratification by the majority of voters

Question 45

Opposition to the 1975 proposed constitutional overhaul centered on all of the following issues except

A)fear of greater government costs.
B)more power to the legislature.
C)biennial legislative sessions.
D)possibility of an income tax.

Question 46

Compared to the United States and other state constitutions,Texas generally has

A)more words.
B)more total amendments.
C)higher frequency of amendments per year.
D)all of these choices are true.

Question 47

Which election method allows citizens to place proposals on the ballot for voter approval? If the measure passes,it becomes law.

A)Referendum
B)Initiative
C)Popular recall
D)Electoral vote

Question 48

The Constitutional Convention of 1974 was divided over which issue?

A)A right-to-work provision to restrict organized labor
B)The merit system of selecting judges
C)Setting the salary of state legislators
D)Reducing the term of the governor to two years

Question 49

Discuss the ways in which a governor can become an extremely powerful governor despite limitations in Texas Constitution and statutes.

Question 50

Trace the history of Texas Constitutions and the political cultural environments that influenced the writing and ratifications of the various documents.

Question 51

Outline and discuss provisions in the Texas state constitution,including specific articles.Explain the process used to amend the document.Why has the constitution been amended so many times? What would you do to change the process,and why?

Question 52

How does the Texas Bill of Rights protect the personal rights of individuals? Compare these protections to those granted by the U.S.Constitution.

Question 53

Explain the effort made in the 1970 to revise the Texas Constitution.Why did the efforts fail? Do you think there will be additional efforts made to rewrite the document? Explain.

Question 54

Texas gives its voters the power to do which of the following?

A)Popular recall
B)Approve constitutional amendments
C)Initiative
D)Referendum

Question 55

Which method of election permits voters to determine if an ordinance or statute will go into effect?

A)Initiative
B)Referendum
C)Popular recall
D)Electoral vote

Question 56

Article 17 of the Texas Constitution provides for

A)proposal by the majority vote of the legislature.
B)ratification after approval by the governor.
C)ratification by the majority of voters.
D)proposal of constitutional amendments.

Question 57

Describe the political climate that existed during the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1875.How did the administration of E.J.Davis influence the new constitution?

Question 58

________ is a document authorizing the establishment of a city with a population of 5,000 or less whose structure and organization are prescribed and limited by state law.

A)General-law charter
B)Home-rule charter
C)Special district
D)County

Question 59

Consider the present Texas Constitution.Should this constitution be rewritten to integrate amendments and streamline the document? Are there fundamental changes that you would propose?​

Question 60

The state government decentralizes power by assigning many functions to units of local government,especially

A)special districts.
B)general law cities.
C)councils of government.
D)counties.