Deck 17: The Texas Constitution

Question 1

The Texas constitution has been amended over

A) 100 times.
B) 200 times.
C) 300 times.
D) 400 times.
E) 500 times.

Answer 1

400 times.

Question 2

The authors argue that the U.S. Constitution is a more __________document than the Texas constitution.

A) enduring and flexible
B) precise and legalistic
C) accurate and realistic
D) egalitarian and fair
E) detailed and partisan

Answer 2

enduring and flexible

Question 3

The experience of the Republic of Texas is embodied in

A) state mythology.
B) the modern state courts.
C) the 1869 constitution.
D) the constitution of Coahuila y Tejas.
E) the economy of the state.

Answer 3

state mythology.

Question 4

The creation of the Republic of Texas resulted indirectly from

A) harsh Mexican rule.
B) Anglo immigration.
C) the arrival of slavery.
D) the end of slavery.
E) massive Black immigration.

Question 5

The issue that delayed the statehood of Texas was

A) its constitution.
B) its Mexican influence.
C) voting rights.
D) slavery.
E) its poor Native American policy.

Question 6

Radical Reconstruction was the period in which politics in Texas were dictated by the

A) Texas legislature.
B) U.S. president.
C) U.S. congress.
D) U.S. Supreme Court.
E) governor of Texas.

Question 7

The Texas Reconstruction Constitution of 1869 gave most power to the

A) governor.
B) senate.
C) legislature.
D) local government.
E) judiciary.

Question 8

The Texas Constitution of 1876 was primarily the creation of

A) the white old guard of Texas.
B) the federal government.
C) white newcomers to the state.
D) newly-emancipated African American legislators.
E) African Americans.

Question 9

The most influential interest group in the Texas convention of 1875 was

A) teachers.
B) oil men.
C) farmers.
D) organized labor.
E) lawyers.

Question 10

The Texas constitution of 1876 can be said to have been

A) favorable towards a strong governor.
B) favorable towards a strong state legislature.
C) antigovernment.
D) reactionary.
E) centralist.

Question 11

The Texas state executive branch can be described as

A) strong.
B) nominally fragmented.
C) excessively fragmented.
D) having its actions subjected to oversight by the state legislature.
E) dominated by part-time employees.

Question 12

The choice of low-paid, part-time legislators has the unintended consequence of

A) creating citizen lawmakers.
B) creating professional politicians.
C) creating incompetent legislators.
D) discouraging citizens from running for office.
E) increasing the power of interest groups.

Question 13

The constitutional convention of 1974 failed largely due to debate about

A) civil rights.
B) right-to-work laws.
C) political parties.
D) the powers of the governor.
E) constitutional amendments.

Question 14

____________were highly influential in the failure of the constitutional convention of 1974.

A) Minorities
B) Incumbent politicians
C) Grange members
D) Oil and gas interests
E) Women

Question 15

Changes to the Texas constitution have recently shown a marked _____________ trend.

A) pro-business
B) anti-business
C) libertarian
D) pro-agriculture
E) pro-labor

Question 16

Texas has had just one constitution.

Question 17

The current Texas constitution was adopted in 1876.

Question 18

In general, the Texas constitution is considerably simpler than the U.S. Constitution.

Question 19

The constitution of the Republic of Texas was heavily influenced by southern traditions.

Question 20

During Radical Reconstruction, Congress rejected the Texas constitution of 1866.

Question 21

Just after the Civil War, African Americans gained the vote under the Texas constitution.

Question 22

The Grange, or Patrons of Husbandry, represented bankers.

Question 23

The Texas constitution mandates that the legislature meets yearly to enact a balanced budget.

Question 24

The Texas constitutional convention of 1974 was immune to special interests.

Question 25

The Texas courts appear to be taking a greater role in interpreting the state constitution.

Question 26

A constitution is a document that creates the __________ for a government.

A) day to day details
B) legal framework
C) political framework
D) principles
E) bill of rights

Question 27

When Mexico declared its independence from Spain, Texas was politically part of

A) the United States.
B) Mexico.
C) France.
D) New Mexico.
E) no country; it was an independent republic.

Question 28

The first state religion of Texas was

A) Calvinism.
B) Lutheranism.
C) Catholicism.
D) Protestantism.
E) Mormonism.

Question 29

The Texas constitution with the shortest life was that of

A) 1827.
B) 1845.
C) 1861.
D) 1874.
E) 1869.

Question 30

The constitution of 1866 was short-lived because

A) of its weak structure.
B) it did not embody clear principles.
C) of Reconstruction.
D) it ended slavery.
E) it was too long.

Question 31

The election of 1869 was marred by

A) electioneering.
B) low turnout.
C) numerous ballot proposals.
D) powerful interest groups.
E) fraud.

Question 32

Although many delegates to the 1875 convention were business professionals, _________ interests had an overwhelming influence.

A) fishing
B) farming
C) shipping
D) foreign
E) oil

Question 33

Only under ___________ did Blacks in Texas gain the right to vote.

A) the Republic of Texas
B) the Constitution of 1866
C) the New Deal
D) the Confederacy
E) Radical Reconstruction

Question 34

The Grange was the popular name of the

A) Patrons of Husbandry.
B) Temperance League.
C) Ku Klux Klan.
D) Republican Party.
E) Democratic Party.

Question 35

The Texas constitution has been amended about how many times?

A) 250
B) 450
C) 650
D) 850
E) 1050

Question 36

Influences on the constitution of the Republic of Texas include

A) the New Mexico Constitution.
B) the California Constitution.
C) the constitutions of the New England states.
D) the Arkansas constitution.
E) the U.S. Constitution.

Question 37

Political issues in the U.S. at the time Texas joined the union included all of the following EXCEPT

A) slavery.
B) expansion.
C) regional politics.
D) race.
E) oil exploration.

Question 38

The Reconstruction Constitution of Texas was required by

A) Andrew Johnson's reconstruction.
B) Radical Reconstruction.
C) the Constitution of 1866.
D) Texas law.
E) the Texas governor.

Question 39

African Americans earned the right to vote in Texas with ratification of

A) the 1836 constitution.
B) the 1845 constitution.
C) the 1861 constitution.
D) the 1866 constitution.
E) the 1869 constitution.

Question 40

Texas joined the Confederacy in

A) 1860.
B) 1861.
C) 1862.
D) 1863.
E) 1864.

Question 41

The Civil War was followed in Texas by

A) Radical Reconstruction.
B) secession.
C) a return to the Republic of Texas.
D) annexation by Mexico.
E) annexation by the United States.

Question 42

Texas' period as the Republic of Texas can best be described as

A) long and successful.
B) long, with mixed results.
C) short and disastrous.
D) short and formative.
E) long and formative.

Question 43

The Republic of Texas was created in

A) 1836.
B) 1856.
C) 1866.
D) 1876.
E) 1886.

Question 44

Under the Republic of Texas, slavery was

A) retroactively banned.
B) forbidden.
C) encouraged.
D) ignored.
E) legalized.

Question 45

The Constitution of Coahuila y Tejas was written under rule by

A) the United States.
B) Mexico.
C) France.
D) the Republic of Texas.
E) Spain.

Question 46

In order to legally secede from the United States, Texas would need

A) approval from both the Texas state and U.S. governments.
B) a constitutional amendment only.
C) an executive order signed by the Texas governor only.
D) a coup d'etat by the Texas National Guard.
E) an executive order signed by the President of the United States.

Question 47

The Texas constitution differs from the U.S. Constitution in

A) principles.
B) structure.
C) its legislature.
D) length.
E) lacking a bill of rights.

Question 48

Which of the following is NOT a principle embodied in the Texas constitution?

A) separation of powers
B) limited government
C) popular sovereignty
D) universal suffrage
E) the traditionalist subculture

Question 49

The principle of the Texas constitution of 1876 that was clearly not achieved when the constitution was drafted was

A) popular sovereignty.
B) abolition of slavery.
C) separation of powers.
D) limited government.
E) contract theory.

Question 50

Regarding the legislative branch, the drafters of the Texas constitution of 1876 wanted to encourage

A) part-time, low paid legislators.
B) part-time, high paid legislators.
C) full-time, low paid legislators.
D) full-time, high paid legislators.
E) legislators with no party affiliation.

Question 51

In Texas, schools are governed at the_________ level.

A) national
B) state
C) regional
D) local
E) county

Question 52

Voting rights in Texas were originally limited by the use of

A) poll taxes.
B) racial quotas.
C) understanding tests.
D) licenses.
E) preprimaries.

Question 53

The Texas constitution has been amended _____times, compared to 27 times for the U.S. Constitution.

A) 14
B) 93
C) 117
D) 243
E) 467

Question 54

The principle of popular sovereignty in the Texas constitution of 1876 was

A) never fulfilled.
B) rejected.
C) quickly fulfilled.
D) implemented upon signing of the constitution.
E) fulfilled over decades.

Question 55

The Texas constitution of 1876 embodies all of the following principles EXCEPT

A) contract theory.
B) unitary government.
C) popular sovereignty.
D) the white man's burden.
E) limited government.

Question 56

The political centralization of the Reconstruction period in Texas was ____________ by the Constitution of 1876.

A) intensified
B) dissipated
C) continued
D) adopted
E) reversed

Question 57

Poll taxes, used in Texas until 1966, limited the voting rights of

A) women.
B) whites.
C) the wealthy.
D) minorities.
E) Catholics.

Question 58

Elections of Texas governors and of board and commission members are staggered, leading to the

A) governor having complete control of the boards and commissions.
B) boards and commissions flouting Texas law.
C) boards and commissions being relatively independent of the governor.
D) creation of an unusually high number of boards and commissions.
E) governor having no control over the boards and commissions.

Question 59

The Texas public school system is

A) centralized.
B) decentralized.
C) nonexistent.
D) highly centralized.
E) run by the federal government.

Question 60

The Texas constitution significantly differs from the U.S. Constitution in its

A) separation of powers.
B) process for choosing judges.
C) federal system.
D) bicameral legislature.
E) strong governor.

Question 61

The Texas constitution can be described as being very

A) idealistic.
B) vague.
C) detailed.
D) egalitarian.
E) short.

Question 62

In response to the fiscal crisis Governor Perry, Speaker of the House Straus and Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst

A) shut down the government.
B) eliminated the Children's Health Insurance Program.
C) requested a 5% budget cut from state agencies.
D) opted-out of the federal Medicaid program.
E) privatized the state highway program..

Question 63

Amendments to the Texas constitution with only a limited, local impact are voted on by

A) all Texas citizens.
B) majority party voters.
C) citizens only of the locality involved.
D) citizens of the relevant county.
E) citizens who proposed the amendment only.

Question 64

The 1974 attempt to reform the Texas constitution was largely impeded by those wishing to gain

A) labor reform.
B) welfare reform.
C) looser regulations on oil and gas.
D) reelection.
E) a return to the 1866 constitution.

Question 65

For special interest groups trying to prevent policy change from new legislation, the need for two-thirds approval of new amendments to the Texas constitution

A) has been tremendously helpful.
B) had no effect.
C) is beneficial as long as they have the support of the Governor.
D) has both helped and hurt these groups.
E) has been a tremendous obstacle.

Question 66

This group's role in the interpretation of the constitution has increased in recent years:

A) schools
B) attorneys
C) farmers
D) special interest groups
E) courts.

Question 67

The two-thirds vote necessary to adopt constitutional amendments often works to the advantage of

A) the governor.
B) interest groups.
C) the legislature.
D) the Republican Party.
E) the Democratic Party.

Question 68

When constitutional amendments are the only issues on the ballot, Texas voters turn out at the rate of approximately

A) 10%
B) 20%
C) 30%
D) 40%
E) 50%

Question 69

One of the problems with the many amendments to the Texas constitution is that amendments sometimes

A) undermine the principles of the drafters of the constitution.
B) may be of very small scope.
C) fail to bring about the desired change.
D) are overly broad.
E) bring too much political change.

Question 70

Following the failure to produce a new constitution in 1974, Texas returned to

A) using referenda to enact change.
B) broad constitutional reform.
C) the use of amendments to the constitution.
D) the dominance of the Establishment.
E) its practice of maintaining its constitution unchanged.

Question 71

Issues that plagued the constitutional convention of 1974 included all EXCEPT

A) gambling.
B) the Permanent University Fund.
C) right-to-work.
D) those who didn't want a new constitution.
E) immigration.

Question 72

Proposition 12 was a controversial measure to change limits on monetary damages in

A) suits for libel.
B) automobile collisions.
C) immigration cases.
D) custody cases.
E) medical malpractice suits.

Question 73

Election turnout for presidential elections in Texas is usually around _________ percent of registered voters.

A) 4
B) 24
C) 44
D) 64
E) 84

Question 74

The current Texas constitution was written in 1975.

Question 75

The first Texas constitution was the one that lasted the longest.

Question 76

The legal framework of a constitution is to be carried out by statutory law.

Question 77

Radical Reconstruction was welcomed by all Texans.

Question 78

The first Texas constitution was adopted under Spanish rule.

Question 79

The influence of the Republic of Texas on the current constitution can be attributed to the Republic's long history.

Question 80

During the Civil War, Texas was part of the Confederacy.