1. (Points: 1) Which of the following was not a goal for those writing the Texas constitution?

1. (Points: 1) Which of the following was not a goal for those writing the Texas constitution?a. giving independence to the judiciary by making all judges appointed, instead of electedb. strong popular control of state governmentc. checking the powers of the governord. limits on the ability of the government to impose taxese. restrictions on the power of the government to get into debtSave Answer 2. (Points: 1) The system of distributing powers between states and a central government is calleda. filtration.b. constitutionalism.c. separation of powers.d. checks and balances.e. federalism.Save Answer 3. (Points: 1) The Texas constitutional convention of 1861 was dominated bya. representatives of business and the railroads.b. lawyers and slaveholders.c. supporters of an independent Republic of Texas.d. small farmers and ranchers.e. supporters of Governor Sam Houston.Save Answer 4. (Points: 1) Which of the following was not part of the Ratliff-Junell proposal for Texas constitutional change?a. The length of terms of office would grow but there would also be term limits.b. The legislature would hold veto sessions in order to consider overriding any gubernatorial vetoes.c. The judiciary should be appointed by the governor, with confirmation by the Senate.d. The governor would be given the authority to appoint several state office holders who are now elected.e. The executive branch should be reorganized to look more like the U.S. presidency.Save Answer 5. (Points: 1) Which of the following is not part of the original articles of the Texas Constitution of 1876?a. All of the above are part of the original articles of the Texas constitution.b. the establishment of a bicameral legislature.c. the duty to maintain a system of public educationd. the establishment of a plural executivee. a bill of rightsSave Answer 6. (Points: 1) Which of the following statements about the Texas Constitutional Convention of 1865 is not true?a. The state had to formally reject the right of secession.b. Texas had to return to the federal government parts of Oklahoma seized by Texas Confederate soldiers.c. Texas had to repudiate the war debt incurred by the state.d. There were strong Union and secessionist factions at the convention.e. Texas had to accept the abolition of slavery.Save Answer 7. (Points: 1) Approximately how often has the Texas constitution been amended?a. between 100 and 200 timesb. more than 750 timesc. between 50 and 75d. fewer than 30 timese. between 400 and 500 timesSave Answer 8. (Points: 1) Under the Texas constitution, who has the power of impeachment?a. The House of Representatives has the power to impeach, while the state supreme court has the power to try and convict.b. Texas has no constitutional provisions for impeachment.c. The Senate has the power to both impeach and convict.d. The Texas Supreme Court has the power to impeach and convict.e. The House of Representatives has the power to impeach, while the Senate has the power to try and convict.Save Answer 9. (Points: 1) Which of the following statements best describes the structure of the Texas legislature?a. Texas has a plural legislature divided up into six different chambers.b. Since independence from Mexico, Texas has had a bicameral legislature.c. One of the complaints against the Reconstruction constitution was that it created a unicameral legislature.d. Texas’s first unicameral legislature was established while the state was a member of the Confederacy.e. Texas has always had a unicameral legislature.Save Answer 10. (Points: 1) In the 2007 constitutional amendment election, ______ percent of registered voters participated.a. 8b. 25c. 2d. 10e. 40Save Answer 11. (Points: 1) The domination of Texas politics by Republicans after the Civil War endeda. with the victory of the Populist Party in 1892.b. in an armed standoff in the capital between the Republican governor and the Democratic legislature in 1872.c. with the Democrats’ victory in the 1892 elections.d. through a peaceful transfer of power in 1900.e. in 1888, with violent riots by farmers in Houston, Dallas, and Austin.Save Answer 12. (Points: 1) The Mexican War of Independence against ______ grew out of the ______.a. Spain; United States War of Independence.b. United States; United States War of Independence.c. France; French Revolution.d. Spain; War of 1812.e. Spain; Napoleonic Wars.Save Answer 13. (Points: 1) The Texas constitution isa. an economic treatise disguised as a blueprint for government.b. a long, complex, and often overly detailed document.c. difficult to amend, compared to the U.S. Constitution.d. a tightly argued, brief document of general principles.e. based on the fundamental principle of liberal progressivism.Save Answer 14. (Points: 1) Which of the following describes a significant difference between the structure of the Texas executive department and the structure of the U.S. executive branch?a. In Texas, the executive department is made up of several elected offices, instead of just one.b. The chief executive in Texas does not have the power to check the legislature with a veto, as the U.S. president can.c. The governor is considered president of the Texas Senate, while the U.S. president is not considered the presiding officer over the U.S. Senate.d. The governor has term limits, while the U.S. president does not.e. The governor of Texas is paid more than the U.S. president.Save Answer 15. (Points: 1) Which of the following is not a reason for the low level of voter turnout for constitutional amendments?a. Elections for amendments are held in “off” years, when no candidates are on the ballot.b. Voters generally have little information about these amendments.c. Most amendments are relatively insignificant for most voters.d. Many amendments are not controversial.e. Negative advertising in the media has had the effect of alienating possible voters.Save Answer 16. (Points: 1) What was the main criticism of the current Texas constitution behind the Ratliff-Junell proposal for a new constitution?a. The constitution gave the executive branch too much power over the legislative process.b. The constitution was too easy to amend.c. The constitution is too restrictive and cumbersome for contemporary government.d. The constitution allowed for too many corrupt interest groups to control Texas politics.e. A new constitution should be drafted at least every century in order for it to be representative of the people.Save Answer 17. (Points: 1) Which of the following is not a similarity between the U.S. Constitution and the Texas constitution?a. Both constitutions divide authority between a central government and regional governments.b. Both constitutions have been amended several hundred times.c. Both constitutions create a system of checks and balances between the different branches of government.d. Both constitutions derive their power from the authority of the people.e. Both constitutions have a clause providing the legislature with the authority to make all laws necessary and proper to carrying out its expressed powers.Save Answer 18. (Points: 1) Which principle of government is the key to understanding the drafting of the Texas Constitution of 1876?a. the necessity of strong limitations on the authority of state officialsb. the need for governmental subsidy and regulation of economic growthc. the value of states’ rightsd. the importance of civil right protections for African Americans and Latinose. checks and balancesSave Answer 19. (Points: 1) The Texas Constitution of 1869 was createda. by members of the Texas Republican Party.b. because Texas needed a new constitution when it joined the Confederacy.c. as a reaction against Reconstruction.d. in order to limit the power of state government.e. to abolish slavery.Save Answer 20. (Points: 1) Which of the following was not part of the annexation agreement between Texas and the United States?a. Texas would retain title to its public lands.b. Texas ceded all military armaments, bases, and facilities to the United States government.c. Texas could divide itself into as many as five separate states.d. Texas was responsible for paying all foreign debts it incurred while independent.e. Texas could maintain its own army and navy for twenty-five years.Save Answer 21. (Points: 1) What is the most important difference between the U.S. Constitution and state constitutions?a. Civil rights are not found in state constitutions.b. The U.S. Constitution contains no checks and balances.c. States are subordinate to the federal government.d. State constitutions contain no checks and balances.e. Most state constitutions create confederated forms of government.Save Answer 22. (Points: 1) Who were the Radical Republicans?a. followers of the pro-Union governor Sam Houstonb. the first Republicans since Reconstruction in Texas to win elected office during the 1960sc. those Republicans who opposed admitting Texas into the Uniond. those Republicans who proposed to write a new U.S. constitution in the late 1990se. Republicans after the Civil War who controlled Reconstruction policy in the former Confederate statesSave Answer 23. (Points: 1) Which of the following is the best definition of a confederation?a. a system of government in which all political power granted by the people is clearly expressed in a constitution, making a written bill of rights unnecessaryb. a system of government where powers are balanced evenly between the federal government and the statesc. a system of government that permits slaveryd. a system of government in which the national government has extensive powers over the statese. a system of government in which states maintain their sovereigntySave Answer 24. (Points: 1) Texas became an independent republic in ______ and became part of the United States in ______.a. 1844; 1845b. 1827; 1869c. 1827; 1861d. 1836; 1845e. 1845; 1876Save Answer 25. (Points: 1) The majority of delegates to the Convention of 1836 that drafted the constitution for a newly independent Republic of Texas were froma. Mexico.b. Spain.c. slave-owning southern states.d. New England and New York.e. Texas.Save Answer 26. (Points: 1) Which of the following is not found in the Texas bill of rights?a. freedom of religious worshipb. no religious tests for officeholdersc. guarantees of equal treatment under lawd. the right to trial by jurye. the right to employmentSave Answer 27. (Points: 1) What is the major difference between the bill of rights in the Texas constitution and the U.S. Bill of Rights?a. The Texas constitution grants to Texans rights that are not found in the U.S. Constitution.b. There is no bill of rights in the Texas constitution.c. The Texas bill of rights is far less detailed than the federal Bill of Rights.d. The Texas constitution does not grant specific rights to former slaves.e. The Texas constitution has no specific rights for those accused of a crime.Save Answer 28. (Points: 1) The Texas constitution requires which of the following for amendment?a. the governor’s signatureb. only a majority vote from the voters of Texasc. a two-thirds vote in county conventions convened for the purpose of amending the constitutiond. a majority vote in both houses of the state legislaturee. a two-thirds vote in both houses of the state legislature and a majority vote from the voters of TexasSave Answer 29. (Points: 1) Which of the following statements best describes the post–Civil War governorship of E. J. Davis?a. Davis was a Democratic Confederate sympathizer who frequently clashed with the federal Congress.b. Davis tried to return Texas to independence rather than reentering the Union after the Civil War.c. Davis sought to decentralize government in Texas, moving toward a policy of home rule.d. Davis was a Republican who used the centralized powers of the governorship to maintain control over his regime.e. Davis sought to bring Texas into a cooperative relationship with the United States after the Civil War.Save Answer 30. (Points: 1) Under the 1836 Republic of Texas Constitution,a. slavery was completely outlawed.b. Texas had no president.c. Congress was bicameral.d. there was no formal judicial system.e. Congress had only one house.Save Answer 31. (Points: 1) Which of the following is not a function of state constitutions?a. to forbid certain government actions by establishing civil libertiesb. to set the proper tax rates for state and county authoritiesc. to create political institutions and explain what their powers ared. to establish the basic rules and guidelines for state governments to operate.e. to prevent concentrations of too much power in one office, through a series of checks and balancesSave Answer 32. (Points: 1) Which of the following was not an important part of the 1827 constitution of Coahuila y Tejas, established when Texas was part of Mexico?a. The constitution of Coahuila y Tejas attempted to restrict the spread of slavery.b. The constitution of Coahuila y Tejas established a unicameral legislature.c. The constitution of Coahuila y Tejas established Catholicism as an official religion.d. The constitution of Coahuila y Tejas divided the state into three separate districts.e. The constitution of Coahuila y Tejas established a bicameral legislature.Save Answer 33. (Points: 1) In what year was Texas’s current constitution ratified?a. 1999b. 1845c. 1946d. 1828e. 1876Save Answer 34. (Points: 1) Philosophically, the Texas constitution reflects aa. desire to use public institutions to boost the state’s economic infrastructure.b. faith in the ability of political institutions to create good public policy.c. distrust of politicians and political power.d. belief that a dominant political class is best selected to run the government.e. commitment to home rule.Save Answer 35. (Points: 1) Who made up the Grange, and what effect did they have on the writing of the Texas constitution?a. They were a group of pro-Union Republicans who controlled the state after the Civil War.b. They were a group of pro-independence landowners who wanted Texas to secede from the Union.c. They were early wildcatters who wanted land grants from the state so they could explore for oil.d. They were an agricultural group who wanted a government that would improve the plight of farmers.e. They were a consortium of railroad entrepreneurs who wanted a constitution that would aid business interests.