Unit 3 Questions

Question 1

Texas is often described as sharing features of both individualistic and traditionalistic political cultures for which of the following reasons?

Answer 1

Limited regulation on individuals and businesses to encourage self-interested hard work; Elites, such as business leaders, have a dominant voice in how the state is run; Social services connected to government are minimized.

Question 2

Which term describes a narrow view of the world that is associated with rural values and is often intolerant of diversity?

Answer 2

Provincialism

Question 3

Since ___, the ___ Party has enjoyed nearly unchallenged control of government in Texas

Answer 3

2002; Republican

Question 4

In recent years, business groups, a key part of the Republican base in Texas, have been challenged by which group that makes up another important part of the Republican coalition?

Answer 4

social conservatives

Question 5

Which of these is the best definition of political culture?

Answer 5

broadly shared values, beliefs, and attitudes about how the government should function and politics should operate

Question 6

When Texas entered the Union in 1845, what did Texas do with its public lands?

Answer 6

Texas retained control of its public lands

Question 7

The process of turning over public lands to private entities through sale or lease agreements for cultivation and development is called what?

Answer 7

Privatization

Question 8

The authority to regulate production and transport of oil and natural gas in Texas belongs to which agency?

Answer 8

The Railroad Commission

Question 9

Rank the sovereignty of the different levels of government from most to least powerful.

Answer 9

national, state, local

Question 10

Which guarantees are made by the Texas Constitution but not by the U.S. Constitution?

Answer 10

free and efficient public schools, victims’ rights

Question 11

The_______________clause provides Congress with the power to accomplish its constitutional tasks, while the____________ clausespecifies that national law trumps state law when the two conflict.

Answer 11

necessary and proper clause;thesupremacy clause.

Question 12

What were some of the reasons for Texas’s efforts to break away from Mexico?

Answer 12

Anglo settlers saw themselves as part of American westward expansion rather than as Mexican citizens.; Texans resented Mexico’s restrictions on civil liberties; Texans desired bilingual education

Question 13

Which of the following concepts in the Texas Constitution of 1836 were adapted from Spanish-Mexican law?

Answer 13

homestead protections; community property; government retention of mineral rights

Question 14

Which of the following had the biggest influence on the Texas Constitution of 1876?

Answer 14

The Grange

Question 15

The United States Constitution mandates that every state must have a republican form of government, which Texas abides by. What is the best way to understand the meaning of the word “republican” in the way it is used here?

Answer 15

Government made up of people elected to make decisions on behalf of the public

Question 16

How many amendments does the current Texas Constitution have?

Answer 16

More than 500

Question 17

Which of the following characterizes the system offederalism?

Answer 17

Power is divided between the central and regional governments

Question 18

Which of the following best describes the overall historical trend of the United States federal system?

Answer 18

Toward a stronger national government

Question 19

Federalism is most closely related to which other constitutional principle?

Answer 19

separation of powers

Question 20

The national government was stronger under the Articles of Confederation than it is under the Constitution.

Answer 20

false

Question 21

Why do many scholars insist that the Fourteenth Amendment is the most important amendment added to the Constitution, outside of the amendments in the Bill of Rights?

Answer 21

It opened the door for the Bill of Rights to be applied to the states as needed

Question 22

The financial strains that were placed on states and people during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl of the 1930s had what effect on the federal-state relationship?

Answer 22

States and the public were willing to accept greater national government involvement in their affairs

Question 23

The authority of states in the area of police powers includes passing laws that promote public health, safety, and welfare. What is the meaning of the termwelfare?

Answer 23

Protections against the effects of poverty, disease, and abuse

Question 24

Which of the following is responsible for border enforcement and development of immigration policies?

Answer 24

the federal government alone

Question 25

Which term describes the degree to which Republicans have become more conservative and Democrats more liberal?

Answer 25

partisan polarization

Question 26

What is political socialization?

Answer 26

the process by which someone learns an underlying set of political values and beliefs

Question 27

What are the consequences of the continued growth of partisan polarization?

Answer 27

Fewer moderates are elected to public office; Gridlock has increased in legislatures

Question 28

As late as the 1990s, many conservative Democrats in Texas would not support Democratic candidates for national office but continued voting for Democrats for statewide office. Which term represents voters who joined in this pattern?

Answer 28

Presidential Republicans

Question 29

The Shivercrat movement of the 1940s and 1950s was made up of which group?

Answer 29

conservative Texas Democrats

Question 30

Voters tend to settle in places with like-minded people; therefore, metropolitan areas tend to be more liberal, while rural areas tend to have greater concentrations of conservatives.

Answer 30

True

Question 31

While the suburban neighborhoods of Texas today may be a hybrid of Republican and Democratic voters, the suburbs have historically been Republican strongholds due to which phenomenon that developed with the greater mobility of the post–World War II United States?

Answer 31

White flight

Question 32

While Republicans still control all branches of government in Texas, they are internally divided between traditional Republicans and the Trump faction of the party over what?

Answer 32

Placing a focus on social and cultural issues or economic and governmental issues

Question 33

Because Texas requires voters to declare which party primary they wish to vote in when they arrive at the polling place, the Texas primary system is technically which of the following?

Answer 33

closed primary

Question 34

Local elections, like those for city council or school boards of trustees, are nonpartisan elections. However, many candidates in major urban centers use party labels in their campaign material. Whats the logic behind this behavior?

Answer 34

Party labels are used as information shortcuts by voters

Question 35

In states that allow straight-ticket voting, voters are allowed to do which of the following?

Answer 35

vote for all of one party’s candidates with one action

Question 36

For much of the twentieth century, why was the Texas Democratic primary election so important?

Answer 36

The winner would nearly always win the general election

Question 37

The Democratic and Republican parties have intentionally worked together to create formal structural requirements that make it difficult for independents or third-party candidates to get on the ballot.

Answer 37

TRUE

Question 38

What is the greatest expense for most campaigns?

Answer 38

media ads

Question 39

Responsibility for conducting and regulating elections belongs to which level of government?

Answer 39

the states

Question 40

A registered voter appears at their designated polling place on Election Day but does not have one of the accepted forms of voter ID required by the state. Knowing it is the last day to vote, the voter still wants to cast their ballot. What must they do to cast their ballot?

Answer 40

cast a provisional ballot