Deck 1: The Context of Texas Politics

Question 1

Significant changes in the Texas economy at the turn of 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 these

Answer 1

B

Question 2

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

Answer 2

B

Question 3

A well-run democracy is not characterized by which of these 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.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which political party 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 5

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 these

Question 6

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

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

Question 7

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 8

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

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 9

Which of these 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 10

Who established the first Anglo-American colony in Texas during the period of Mexican rule?

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

Question 11

Which of these best describes "majority rule" in a democracy?

A)​Majorities must allow minority groups an opportunity to honestly debate questions concerning public policy.
B)​Minorities must be afforded the right to vote.
C)​Minorities must have the right to be treated equally under the law.
D)​Majorities must not take away minorities' freedom of expression.
E)​All of these describe "majority rule" in a democracy.

Question 12

Which of these would characterize a bad or poorly run democracy?​

A)​The media consistently fails to hold politicians on all sides accountable.
B)Issues concerning public policy are debated honestly in a public forum.
C)​Mass apathy and private influence are minimized if not eliminated completely.
D)​Government policy is arrived at through public policy, debate, and compromise.
E)Government decisions are made on the basis of law; no one has an unearned advantage over another.

Question 13

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 14

Which of these decisions of the federal governmenthave an impact on Texas?

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 these

Question 15

What 1901 event transformed the Texas economy from an agricultural climate to a more oil-based climate?

A)​Spindletop
B)​Standard Oil Company's monopolization in the United States
C)the Texas Revolution
D)admission as a state into the United States
E)the Spanish American War

Question 16

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

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

Question 17

The United States government has which type of political system?

A)​federal
B)confederate
C)unitary
D)totalitarian
E)monarchy

Question 18

Whichcountry or group has notclaimedsovereignty over Texas at some time in its history?

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

Question 19

Which type of taxes are most likely to increase in Texas?​

A)​regressive
B)​progressive
C)​proportional
D)​sales
E)​federal

Question 20

​The belief people that people should obey laws because they feel their government is morally just in making them is a definition for _____.

A)​legitimacy
B)​democracy
C)​federalism
D)​law enforcement
E)foreign policy

Question 21

According to Daniel Elazar,how can the Texas political culture be best described?

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

Question 22

A shared system of values,beliefs,and habits of behavior in regard to government and politics refersto political _____.

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

Question 23

​Which ideological philosophy has dominated Texas politics since the end of the Civil War?

A)​conservatism
B)​liberalism
C)​socialism
D)​communism
E)​totalitarianism

Question 24

Which of these is defined as ideology?

A)the belief that Texas and its people are inherently better than other states and their people
B)the process of how power and resources are distributed in a society
C)ashared system of values, beliefs, and habits of behavior in regard to government and politics
D)asystem of beliefs and values about the nature of the good life and the good society, and the part to be played by government
E)the system for implementing decisions made through the political process

Question 25

A recent debate over whether Mexico is meeting its 1944 treaty obligations concerned which issue?

A)​water policy
B)​education policy
C)​execution of Mexican nationals convicted of murder
D)​immigration policy
E)​NAFTA

Question 26

According to the 1944 treaty between the United States and Mexico,the U.S.government would permit a certain amount of water from the Colorado River toflow through to Mexico and _____.

A)​Mexico would send an equal amount of water from the Rio Grand tributaries to Texas farmers.
B)​Texas would fully support the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
C)​Texas would reduce the death sentences of some Mexican nationals convicted of murder in Texas to life imprisonment.
D)​Texas would allow Mexican nationals easier entry into the state.
E)​Mexico would increase border security to limit the immigration of Texas residents into Mexico.

Question 27

​Compared with other states,where does Texas rank in general on items concerning overall quality of life?

A)​near the bottom
B)​in the lower half
C)somewhere near the middle
D)​in the upper half
E)​near the top

Question 28

​Which statementsupports opposition to Texas's efforts to be more deeply involved in foreign affairs?​

A)​If all fifty states had independent relations with foreign countries, it would create confusion between the federal government and those countries.
B)Texas's domestic actions may already have had an impact with foreign countries.
C)​Most state foreign policy initiatives, such as Texas's trade agreements with Mexico, deal with friendly relations rather than disputes.
D)​The U.S. Constitution does not disallow states from entering into voluntary, informal arrangements with foreign governments.
E)​All of these statementssupport opposition to Texas's efforts tobe more deeply involved in foreign affairs.

Question 29

The economic belief that government should have minimal,if any,involvement in regulating the free market is known as _____.

A)socialism
B)democracy
C)liberalism
D)moralism
E)laissez faire

Question 30

A political ideology that,in general,supports government regulation of economic life and opposes government regulation of personal life is known as what?

A)conservatism
B)​liberalism
C)​socialism
D)​communism
E)​totalitarianism

Question 31

Generally speaking,the business climate in Texas is _____ for businesses and _____ for labor unions.​

A)​favorable; unfavorable
B)​unfavorable; favorable
C)​unfavorable; also unfavorable
D)​favorable; also favorable
E)​neither favorable nor unfavorable; the same

Question 32

​Which freeway has been dubbed "the NAFTA highway"?

A)​Interstate 35
B)​Interstate 45
C)​Interstate 10
D)​Interstate 37
E)​Interstate 20

Question 33

The power to formulate U.S.foreign policy officially belongs to _____.

A)state governments
B)the U.S. government
C)local governments
D)certain individual citizens with money and influence
E)foreign governments

Question 34

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

A)liberalistic
B)moralistic
C)individualistic
D)collectivist
E)traditionalistic

Question 35

Sharing aborder with Mexico has resulted in which consequence for Texas?

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 36

A recent study published by CNBC surveying corporate chief executives ranked which state last in treatment toward business and industry?

A)​Rhode Island
B)​Texas
C)​California
D)​New York
E)​Florida

Question 37

In which political culture are citizens more likelytobelieve that the state and the nation are designed to further the shared interests of everyone?

A)moralistic
B)traditionalistic
C)individualistic
D)idealistic
E)fatalistic

Question 38

Which statement supports Texas's efforts to be more deeply involved in foreign affairs?​

A)​The U.S. Constitution does not forbid states to enter into voluntary, informal arrangements with foreign governments.
B)​Article I, Section 10 of the U.S. Constitution forbids state agreements with foreign powers.
C)​The 1799 Logan Act prohibits U.S. citizens from actively corresponding with foreign governments or their agents.
D)​If states are allowed to compete for business with foreign countries, their rivalry will cause them to lower labor and environmental standards.
E)​If all fifty states have independent relations with foreign countries, there will be confusion between the federal government and those countries.

Question 39

Which rivers serves as a border separating Texas and Mexico?​

A)​Rio Grande
B)​Red
C)​Colorado
D)​Sabine
E)​Brazos

Question 40

After winning its freedom from Mexico in 1836,Texas's economic landscape could be best described as _____.

A)​poor, rural, and agricultural
B)rich and plentiful with the immediate discovery of oil.
C)diversified with the development of computers and various petrochemicals
D)rich and plentiful with the advent of NASA during the 1830s
E)​none of these

Question 41

​How is Texas's political culture a blend of traditionalistic and individualistic? ​

Question 42

Which of the following domestic policies does the state of Texas spend very little on compared to other states?​

A)​education
B)​the arts
C)​the environment
D)​health
E)​all of these

Question 43

As of 2010,African Americans comprise of what percentage of the Texas population?​

A)​3 percent
B)​6percent
C)​9percent
D)​12percent
E)​15percent

Question 44

Does a government have to be democratic to be considered legitimate? Can a nondemocratic government be just as legitimate? Explain your answer and,in doing so,be sure to define ​legitimacy​ anddemocracy.​

Question 45

According to a 2009 publication by Professor Andrew Oswald,Texas is considered one of the _____ places to live in the United States.​

A)​happiest
B)​unhappiest
C)​richest
D)​safest
E)unsafest

Question 46

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 47

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 cultures might result in different public policies.

Question 48

Which ethnic group,on average,is considered to be the wealthiest in Texas?​

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

Question 49

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 50

Where are the largest concentrations of Hispanics located in Texas?​

A)​South and West Texas
B)​North and East Texas
C)​North and West Texas
D)​South and East Texas
E)​Central Texas

Question 51

​What is the approximate population of Texas as of 2010?

A)​65 million
B)​45 million
C)​25 million
D)​15 million
E)​5 million

Question 52

​What is one way a well-run democracy is different from a poorly run democracy?​

Question 53

​How did Mexico react soon after Texas was admitted as the twenty-eighth U.S.state in the Union?​

Question 54

​What is one way Texas conducts foreign policy?​

Question 55

​​How would an entrepreneur in Texas be accurately described as a practitioner of pseudo laissez faire?

Question 56

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 57

Since the publication of the 2010 U.S.Census,which racial/ethnic minority group is considered the most populous in Texas?

A)​Hispanics
B)​African Americans
C)​Asian Americans
D)​Native Americans
E)​Canadian Americans

Question 58

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 59

​Which groups is considered to be the original Texas residents prior to the sixteenth century?

A)​Native Americans
B)​Spaniards
C)​African Americans
D)​Anglos
E)​Asian Americans

Question 60

Which region in Texas has the largest concentration of African Africans?​

A)East Texas
B)​West Texas
C)​South Texas
D)​rural Texas
E)​the Texas Panhandle

Question 61

Cross-Chapter Essay Question (Chapters 1 and 14): ​Your text argues that one of the state's major shortcomings is "private influence over public policy." Explain how this concept is demonstrated by Texas's approach to water rights.

Question 62

Cross-Chapter Essay Question (Chapters 1 and 12): ​Explain how Texas's emphasis on creating a favorable business climate affects the state's ability to provide state services.