Deck 1: The Context of Texas Politics

Question 1

Texas's admission to the Union was controversial because Texas permitted slavery.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The Reconstruction era administration of Governor E.J.Davis was praised by most Texans for its sound management of state finances.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Because Texas did not suffer the physical destruction that burdened the other Confederate states,economic recovery and development came quickly after the Civil War.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The Texas Coast,along with the entire U.S.Gulf Coast,was first mapped by General Alonzo Alvarez de Pineda.

Question 5

The first Spanish missions were established in Texas to extend Spanish domination and to convert Native Americans to Christianity.

Question 6

Labor Unions became popular in Texas during the Progressive Era of the 1890s.

Question 7

In Texas,the 1990s were marked by a period of economic diversification.

Question 8

Political legitimacy is the belief that government is founded on morally right principles and citizens should,therefore,follow its laws.

Question 9

Though the Emancipation Proclamation was issued on January 1,1863,African American Texans consider Emancipation Day to be June 19,1865.

Question 10

After the mid-1870s,the Mexican government began to fear further Anglo-American settlement and acted to curtail it,only to be met with greater demands for concessions by the settlers.

Question 11

From the very beginning after the discovery of oil in Texas,the industry has dominated state politics in Texas.

Question 12

As an impresario,Stephen F.Austin established the first Anglo settlements in Austin.

Question 13

With the discovery of a huge East Texas oil field in 1930,Texas became the world's leading oil producer.

Question 14

Even by the late 1990s,more Texans were employed by the oil industry than in high-tech industries.

Question 15

Texas was potentially much more attractive to settlers from the United States because land was free if one could obtain a government grant.

Question 16

The population of Texas shifted from largely rural to about sixty percent urban in the decade of the 1980s.

Question 17

Historically,Texas has been relatively free from racial or ethnic discrimination.

Question 18

Because so many Democrats were disqualified from holding political office as a result of their support for the Confederacy,the Republican Party was able to dominate Texas political institutions until well into the twentieth century.

Question 19

The population of San Antonio at the time of the first European exploration was perhaps as high as 250,000 Native Americans.

Question 20

Although cotton was the principal export of Texas well into the twentieth century,in terms of the self-image of Texans,the myth and imagination of the frontier has been far more important than cotton farming.

Question 21

The first native Texan to be elected governor was

A) Sam Houston.
B) Davy Crockett.
C) Richard Coke.
D) James S. Hogg.
E) J. Davis.

Question 22

Following the Civil War,most African Americans in Texas voted for

A) Republicans.
B) Democrats.
C) Populists.
D) Greenbacks.
E) Whigs.

Question 23

A federal system is one in which governmental powers are shared among three branches of government.

Question 24

During the early 1920s,which organization controlled every elective office in Dallas and showed considerable political power statewide?

A) The Republican Party
B) The Populist Party
C) The Roman Catholic Church
D) The Texas Railroad Commission
E) The Ku Klux Klan

Question 25

The flags of all of the following except ____ have flown over Texas at some time in its history.

A) Spain
B) France
C) Great Britain
D) Mexico
E) the Confederacy

Question 26

The term "pseudo laissez-faire" applies to the position of those who are opposed to government economic intervention except when they get in trouble and require government assistance.

Question 27

In a moralistic political culture,citizens believe that the state and the nation are designed to further the shared interests of everyone.

Question 28

The threat of competition from their imperial rivals spurred ____ to establish a series of missions in what is now Texas beginning in 1690.

A) Portugal
B) Britain
C) Spain
D) Pirates
E) France

Question 29

The first Anglo-American colony in Texas during the period of Mexican rule was established by

A) Moses Austin.
B) Stephen F. Austin.
C) Davy Crockett.
D) George Mifflin Dallas.
E) Sam Houston.

Question 30

Due to its laissez-faire ideology,Texas ranks high on its business climate compared to other states.

Question 31

Which of the following best reflects the politics of the Jim Crow Era?

A) The dominance of the Grange during the post Civil War Era
B) The founding of the Railroad Commission
C) The popularity of Populists in the 1890s
D) The development of the White Primary
E) The passage of the Terrell Election Law

Question 32

To prevent the spread of the Standard Oil Company's monopoly into Texas,the state's attorney general in 1889 began to file "antitrust" suits against companies affiliated with Standard Oil.This suspicion of a major corporation is an expression of

A) the Populist tradition in state politics.
B) the state's laissez faire culture.
C) the power of the Republican Party.
D) the state's cowboy culture.
E) the power of the national government.

Question 33

The Texas army that won the decisive Battle of San Jacinto was led by

A) Moses Austin.
B) Stephen F. Austin.
C) Davy Crockett.
D) Sam Houston.
E) Robert E. Lee.

Question 34

If current population trends hold,the population of Texas will be over 50 percent Hispanic by 2020.

Question 35

The transformation of the Texas economy in the twentieth century began with

A) the opening of overseas agricultural export markets.
B) the oil industry boom prompted by the discovery of the Spindletop field.
C) the construction of numerous military facilities during World War II.
D) the shift from a manufacturing to a service economy.
E) none of the above.

Question 36

Which of the following political parties flourished in Texas near the end of the nineteenth century and favored monetary reform and railroad regulation?

A) Populist
B) Greenback
C) "Know-Nothing"
D) Socialist
E) Republican.

Question 37

Political activity by freed slaves gave rise to

A) the Democratic Party.
B) the Republican Party.
C) the Ku Klux Klan.
D) socialism.
E) the National Grange.

Question 38

Texas Republicans have generally expressed the view that the regulations of the environment by the Environmental Protection Agency are an overstepping of national power in a federal system.

Question 39

Social Darwinism is the belief that governments should not come to the aid of less fortunate in society.

Question 40

The "Grangers" who were so influential in Texas politics during the 1870s were members of a national

A) religious movement.
B) equal rights movement.
C) labor union.
D) farmers' organization.
E) oil and gas industry organization.

Question 41

The idea that those who are at the top of the socioeconomic ladder deserve to be there is characteristic of

A) socialism.
B) social Darwinism.
C) liberalism.
D) moralism.
E) none of the above.

Question 42

According to Daniel Elazar,the Texas political culture can best described as

A) moralistic.
B) individualistic.
C) traditionalistic.
D) a combination of traditionalist and individualist.
E) a combination of moralist and individualist.

Question 43

A well-run democracy is characterized by all but which one of the following features?

A) Government decisions are dominated by special interests.
B) Government decisions are made on the basis of law.
C) The media report public policy debates in a fair manner.
D) Citizens pay attention to public policy debates and then vote their preferences.
E) Politicians debate questions of public policy honestly.

Question 44

In a democracy,the legitimacy of the government is based on

A) the existence of a written constitution.
B) the government's willingness to protect property rights.
C) the existence of an absolute right to freedom of expression.
D) the people's participation in making the laws that govern them.
E) The principle of "innocent until proven guilty" in criminal law.

Question 45

A number of factors led to the Texas Revolution in 1836.Discuss the issues that led to the fighting of the Texas Revolution and the impact of that revolution on the political culture of Texas.

Question 46

What impact did the Civil War and Reconstruction have on Texas politics? What,if any,aspects of the state's political system continue to show the influence of this period in Texas history?

Question 47

The border that Texas shares with Mexico has resulted in which of the following consequences?

A) Texas leaders have developed foreign policies toward Mexico independent of the national government.
B) Mexico's proximity to Texas has no impact on the Texas economy or Texas politics.
C) The political choices of Texas leaders have no consequences beyond their own borders.
D) Decisions made by Texas policymakers can have repercussions on relations between the United States as a whole and Mexico.
E) Since the passage of NAFTA, commerce between Mexico and the United States has decreased.

Question 48

In which kind of Daniel Elazar's political cultures in the fifty states do citizens emphasize deference to elite rule within a hierarchical society?

A) Liberalistic
B) Moralistic
C) Individualistic
D) Collectivistic
E) Traditionalistic

Question 49

When George W.Bush was elected U.S.president in 2000,which state level office did he leave?

A) The Texas Senate
B) The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
C) The Attorney General's Office
D) The Texas Governorship
E) Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court

Question 50

In 1948,____ defeated former Governor Coke Stevenson by 87 votes to win a U.S.Senate seat.

A) Lyndon Johnson
B) Allan Shivers
C) Tom Connally
D) Sam Rayburn
E) William P. Hobby

Question 51

How has Texas changed-politically,socially,and economically-since World War II? How have these changes affected the state's political culture? Is Texas becoming less distinctive and more like other states as a result of these changes?

Question 52

In a federal system,governmental powers

A) reside solely in the national government.
B) are shared between the national and state governments.
C) are given only to the states.
D) are divided between the national government and the private sector.
E) are divided between state and local governments.

Question 53

The economic idea that if business flourishes,prosperity will follow and benefits will accrue to all Texans is called

A) liberalism.
B) traditionalism.
C) laissez faire.
D) trickle-down theory.
E) conservatism.

Question 54

Decisions of the federal government that have an impact on Texas include which of the following?

A) Allocation of federal grants
B) Mandates to institute background checks on gun purchasers
C) Congressional declarations of war
D) Presidential orders to release federal disaster-relief funds
E) All of the above

Question 55

Texas has a political culture that is best described as

A) conservative.
B) liberal.
C) backward.
D) pro-government.
E) generous to the poor.

Question 56

In 2002,Mexican President Vicente Fox cancelled a trip to Texas to visit President Bush because

A) the Mexican President is a socialist and President Bush is a Republican.
B) the Mexican President was unable to persuade the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles or Governor Rick Perry to stop the execution of a Mexican citizen.
C) the Mexican government was opposed to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
D) the American government was not cooperating with Mexico to reduce drug traffic.
E) Mexican trucking firms were being unfairly penalized for bringing unsafe trucks across the border.

Question 57

A shared system of values,beliefs,and habits of behavior in regard to government and politics refers to

A) political socialization.
B) political economy.
C) political patterns.
D) political culture.
E) political ideology.

Question 58

If present population rates continue,by 2020,Hispanics will account for ____ of the population of Texas.

A) one-tenth
B) one-fourth
C) one-third
D) a majority
E) two-thirds

Question 59

Which of the following assumed responsibility in the 1930s for limiting oil production in order to create a stable and profitable market?

A) The Humble Oil and Refining Company
B) The Texas Railroad Commission
C) The Texas Department of Energy
D) The U.S. Department of Energy
E) The Public Utilities Commission

Question 60

The dramatic drop in the world price of oil in 1985 led to ____ in Texas.

A) property foreclosures
B) bank failures
C) the loss of thousands of jobs
D) the loss of tax revenues
E) all of the above

Question 61

Discuss the concepts of political culture expressed by Daniel Elazar.Compare and contrast the ideas of traditionalistic,moralistic,and individualistic political cultures.Explain how different political culture ideas might result in different public policies.

Question 62

Discuss the dominant traits of the Texas political culture.Explain how the theory of laissez-faire differs from its practice in Texas politics?