Deck 8: The Texas Executive Branch

Question 1

The Department of Public Safety is responsible for all of the following EXCEPT

A) the Texas Rangers.
B) drivers' licensing.
C) animal and insect control.
D) motor vehicle inspections.
E) truck weighing stations.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

What is the Texas governor's greatest judicial power?

A) the power to appoint judges to appeals courts, with the senate's consent
B) the power to appoint judges to vacancies in the courts
C) the power to restrict the types of cases the appeals courts may decide
D) the power to remove judges
E) the power to appoint all judges in the state

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What is the ultimate check on the governor?

A) impeachment
B) the Sunset review process
C) the budgetary review process
D) campaign donations
E) elections

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Who was the first Republican governor of Texas since Reconstruction, and when was he or she elected?

A) Allan Shivers in 1948
B) William Clements in 1978
C) Ann Richards in 1990
D) George W. Bush in 1994
E) Rick Perry in 2000

Question 5

What is the most important function of the Texas governor's staff?

A) to keep the governor informed about problems and issues
B) to act as lobbyists for the governor's agenda in the legislature
C) to represent the governor's office in different parts of the state
D) to organize the governor's electoral campaigns
E) to keep the governor organized by coordinating his or her appointments

Question 6

In Texas, what is the primary effect of a plural executive?

A) It dilutes the power of the governor and fragments the executive branch.
B) It grants the governor additional powers, since it makes for a powerful executive branch.
C) It makes the executive branch less accountable to the voters.
D) It leads to excessive corruption within the executive branch.
E) It puts too much power in the hands of a small group of officials.

Question 7

Which of the following is the best example of the Texas governor's military powers?

A) The governor can declare martial law during a natural disaster.
B) The governor can use federal troops stationed in camps within Texas.
C) The governor receives a National Guard pension when he or she retires.
D) The governor automatically possesses the rank of general in the U.S. Armed Forces.
E) The governor can call in federal troops to assist the state if the governor deems it necessary.

Question 8

Why did the Texas constitution establish a plural executive?

A) Texas was following the structure of the federal executive.
B) There was suspicion of a strong chief executive.
C) The complications of running a state as large as Texas necessitate a plural executive.
D) It was necessary in order for the executive branch to be as dominant as possible.
E) It was necessary to provide an important check on the state legislature.

Question 9

In Texas, why are gubernatorial elections held in off years?

A) so that gubernatorial elections will not be influenced by a presidential election
B) so that candidates cannot run for governor and a federal office at the same time
C) so that voters will not become overwhelmed by too many candidates in one year
D) because Texas happened to become part of the United States during an off year
E) so that presidential elections will not be influenced by the gubernatorial election

Question 10

______ is the only Texas governor to be both impeached and convicted.

A) E. J. Davis
B) James Ferguson
C) Ann Richards
D) Miriam Ferguson
E) No governor of Texas has been both impeached and convicted.

Question 11

Which of the following is not a qualification a person would need to be a viable candidate for governor of Texas?

A) thirty years of age
B) born in Texas
C) prior political experience
D) U.S. citizenship
E) access to money

Question 12

The governor of Texas has

A) strong formal powers granted by the Texas constitution.
B) few formal powers, so the office is one of the weakest chief executives in the United States.
C) the power to appoint all of the other officials in the executive branch.
D) the power to appoint all state judges.
E) an average amount of power compared to governors of other states.

Question 13

In Texas, which officer in the plural executive is not elected by voters?

A) the secretary of state
B) the attorney general
C) the comptroller
D) the lieutenant governor
E) the commissioner of agriculture

Question 14

In Texas, if a sitting governor is unable to hold office due to impeachment and conviction, resignation, or death, who becomes governor?

A) the secretary of state
B) the lieutenant governor
C) the Speaker of the state House of Representatives
D) the comptroller of public accounts
E) a temporary replacement appointed by the lieutenant governor

Question 15

What makes the greatest difference between strong and weak governors of Texas?

A) the willingness to use formal powers
B) the frequency of vetoes
C) the differences in personality
D) the partisan makeup of the legislature
E) the percentage of the total vote they receive in their election bid

Question 16

For a Texas governor, what is the benefit of a post-adjournment veto?

A) It requires a two-thirds majority from both houses to override it.
B) The legislature is prevented from overriding it.
C) It allows the governor to veto specific provisions of a bill.
D) It is the only way to veto legislation without giving reasons.
E) It requires a unanimous vote from both houses to override it.

Question 17

Which of the following is the best example of the Texas governor's exercise of senatorial courtesy?

A) The governor will not appoint someone to office unless that appointee's state senator agrees.
B) The governor will not veto a bill without first giving the bill's senate sponsor an opportunity to amend it.
C) The senate will use the governor's budget plan as its blueprint for the upcoming session.
D) The governor will address the full senate at the beginning of each legislative session.
E) The senate will automatically approve any nominee submitted by the governor.

Question 18

When the Texas governor strikes out particular spending provisions in an appropriations bill, it is called

A) a line-item veto.
B) a post-adjournment veto.
C) a pocket veto.
D) an unconstitutional action.
E) budget reconciliation.

Question 19

What is the most significant and far-reaching of the Texas governor's powers?

A) the power to appoint boards and commissions
B) the power to call special sessions
C) the power to submit a budget to the legislature
D) the line-item veto power
E) the post-adjournment veto power

Question 20

The Texas governor has all of the following legislative powers EXCEPT the power to

A) address the legislature in State of the State speeches.
B) sign and veto bills.
C) call special sessions.
D) break tie votes in the senate.
E) lobby the legislature on important bills.

Question 21

The Texas State Board of Education is responsible for all of the following EXCEPT

A) adopting textbooks.
B) setting minimum high school graduation requirements.
C) funding public school districts.
D) determining the licensing requirements for public school teachers.
E) establishing accreditation standards for Texas public schools.

Question 22

Setting local telephone and electric rates is the responsibility of the

A) Public Utilities Commission.
B) comptroller of public accounts.
C) attorney general.
D) federal Department of Energy.
E) utility companies; there is no state regulation of these.

Question 23

The governor has the ability to declare martial law in Texas.

Question 24

All of the following have been a lieutenant governor of Texas EXCEPT

A) Bob Bullock.
B) Rodney Ellis.
C) Rick Perry.
D) Bill Ratliff.
E) David Dewhurst.

Question 25

What is the purpose of the Sunset Advisory Commission in Texas?

A) It reviews state agencies every twelve years to see if they are still needed.
B) It administers state programs for the elderly.
C) It oversees the retirement of state bureaucratic workers.
D) It runs the Texas Chamber of Commerce.
E) It operates all state retirement homes.

Question 26

Authority over railroads throughout Texas was given to the ______ in 2005.

A) Railroad Commission of Texas
B) Texas Department of Transportation
C) lieutenant governor
D) attorney general
E) General Land Office

Question 27

What is the primary task of the Texas secretary of state?

A) to oversee the state's foreign, economic, and diplomatic policy
B) to handle elections and voter registration
C) to collect child-support payments
D) to coordinate and plan projects in conjunction with the federal government
E) to oversee the state's economic interactions with other states

Question 28

In Texas, the plural executive is held accountable through all of the following EXCEPT

A) the budgetary process.
B) Sunset review.
C) the impeachment process.
D) elections.
E) appointment by the governor.

Question 29

Which office is charged with ensuring the accuracy of official weights and measures?

A) the Department of Agriculture
B) the Department of Weights and Measures
C) the attorney general
D) the comptroller
E) the General Land Office

Question 30

The Texas governor has many formal powers, making him or her one of the United States's strongest chief executives.

Question 31

The governor of Texas currently serves a two-year term in office.

Question 32

Which of the following about the lieutenant governor in Texas is incorrect?

A) The lieutenant governor is chair of the Legislative Budget Board.
B) The lieutenant governor presides over the senate.
C) The lieutenant governor is elected in a statewide election.
D) The lieutenant governor's powers are primarily executive, not legislative.
E) The lieutenant governor is first in line for succession of the governor.

Question 33

Which of the following statements concerning the Texas Department of Insurance is incorrect?

A) It is a single-member commission.
B) The department's commissioner is appointed for a two-year term.
C) The department makes sure that all Texans are covered by health insurance.
D) It regulates the insurance market in Texas.
E) The current department has been in effect since 1993.

Question 34

Which state office was eliminated in 1996?

A) attorney general
B) animal commissioner
C) state treasurer
D) sheriff
E) roads and highways commissioner

Question 35

The ______ is the oldest state agency in Texas.

A) General Land Office
B) Texas Ranger Division
C) Railroad Commission
D) Department of Public Safety
E) Agriculture Commission

Question 36

In Texas, what is the most important power of the state comptroller?

A) estimating tax revenues for the legislature
B) overseeing the state police and the Texas Rangers
C) enforcing all state land-use and takings laws
D) regulating the oil industry in the state
E) certifying election results in the state

Question 37

George W. Bush was the first Republican governor of Texas since Reconstruction.

Question 38

The governor makes approximately 3,000 appointments to executive boards and commissions during a single term in office.

Question 39

The chief lawyer for Texas is the

A) chief justice of the state supreme court.
B) attorney general.
C) secretary of state.
D) state comptroller.
E) lieutenant governor.

Question 40

Almost one-half of the attorney general's employees are involved in what government task?

A) enforcing civil rights laws
B) investigating complaints about local police behavior
C) collecting child-support payments
D) defending state laws in federal court
E) providing advisory opinions to state agencies

Question 41

What is the plural executive? Describe the offices that constitute the plural executive in Texas. How does this compare with the executive branch of government under the U.S. Constitution? What are the political principles behind the creation of the plural executive?

Question 42

Describe the most important formal powers of the Texas governor under the state constitution. How do these powers reflect a commitment to the principle of checks and balances?

Question 43

It has often been claimed that the Texas governor's greatest political power is the power of appointment. What kind of opportunities does the governor have to exercise this power, and what are some of the possible effects of this power on the executive branch?

Question 44

The attorney general in Texas is responsible for overseeing the registration of voters.

Question 45

The structure of the Texas executive branch is centralized, with much formal authority allocated to the governor.

Question 46

Texas has a plural executive made up of multiple popularly elected offices.

Question 47

The office of Texas governor is one of the weakest in the nation. Why is this the case? What are some of the limitations that the Texas constitution places on the governor? What are some of the informal powers the governor may use to bolster the power of the office?

Question 48

What is the basic structure of the Texas bureaucracy? What are some of the problems of accountability in the bureaucracy, and what have been some of the solutions to these problems? What is the function of the Sunset Advisory Commission?

Question 49

There are approximately twenty state boards and commissions within the Texas plural executive.

Question 50

The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission has mandated that no government official may serve in any single office for more than twelve years.

Question 51

The Texas governor has strong powers for granting clemency.

Question 52

In Texas, the lieutenant governor is also the president of the senate and may cast a vote to break a tie.

Question 53

The attorney general's office offers advisory opinions to state agencies concerning the legality of actions.

Question 54

Both the lieutenant governor and the secretary of state in Texas have the authority to call a special session of the legislature.

Question 55

The comptroller of public accounts directs the collection of taxes for the state of Texas.