Deck 25: State Governors

Question 1

Which of the following is true about term limits for governors?

A)Eight states have three-term limits
B)They have been found to be unconstitutional by the Supreme Court
C)They are typically opposed by about 80% of the public
D)Most states have no term limits
E)Most states limit their governors to two terms

Answer 1

E

Question 2

How many states hold their gubernatorial elections during midterm election years?

A)11
B)48
C)22
D)34
E)5

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The provision that permits governors to veto individual items in an appropriations bill while signing the remainder of the bill into law is the

A)veto.
B)line item veto.
C)reduction veto.
D)amendatory veto.
E)compulsory veto.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Item veto provisions vary from state to state.

Question 5

In most states, the governor formally shares executive power with other elected officials.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT one of the roles or functions people tend to expect governors to perform?

A)Primary interpreter of state laws
B)Political party leader
C)Chief policy maker
D)Chief recruiter of best available advisers and administrators
E)Shaper of the state budget

Question 7

From 1970 to 2004, approximately 74% of incumbent governors seeking reelection were victorious.

Question 8

Every state permits the governor to serve three or more consecutive terms in office.

Question 9

Most state governors have traditionally been

A)first-time office holders.
B)business people.
C)private attorneys.
D)state legislators.
E)housewives.

Question 10

More governors have come from which statewide elected office than all others?

A)Secretary of State
B)Auditor
C)Lieutenant governor
D)Agriculture commissioner
E)Attorney general

Question 11

The provision that allows governors to return a bill to the state legislature with suggested changes, conditions, or amendments is a(an)

A)line item veto.
B)reduction veto.
C)veto.
D)amendatory veto.
E)voluntary veto.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT one of the reasons governors have had more managerial control over their states in recent years?

A)Systems analysis
B)Customer focus
C)Performance measurement and management
D)Strategic planning
E)Lack of legislative oversight

Question 13

The majority of states (more than 25) hold gubernatorial elections at the same time as presidential elections.

Question 14

Unlike the President, governors generally

A)do not have line item veto power.
B)share executive power with other elected officials.
C)lack appointive power.
D)have more legislative support.
E)do not have any term limits.

Question 15

As of 2010, how many female governors had there been in American history?

A)59
B)91
C)3
D)32
E)173

Question 16

In most states if the governor dies, becomes disabled, or resigns from office, the __________________ takes over.

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

Question 17

Governors have exclusive and unconditional authority to pardon violators of state law in what proportion of states?

A)one out of ten
B)one-quarter
C)two-thirds
D)three-quarters
E)one-third

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a constitutional power of most governors?

A)Preparation of the state budget
B)Issuance of executive orders
C)Granting of pardons or clemency
D)Introducing proposed constitutional amendments
E)Vetoing of legislation

Question 19

How many states elect a secretary of state?

A)44
B)17
C)35
D)4
E)50

Question 20

At the state level, who is responsible for publishing laws, supervising elections, licensing professionals, and issuing certificates of incorporation?

A)Secretary of state
B)Lieutenant governor
C)Governor
D)Auditor
E)Attorney general

Question 21

In 2006, 27 incumbent governors ran for reelection.What percentage of them won?

A)74%
B)52%
C)39%
D)93%
E)27%

Question 22

As of 2010, how many Hispanic governors were in office?

A)0
B)1
C)2
D)4
E)5

Question 23

In 2010, how many governors had never held any elected office before being elected?

A)None
B)2
C)4
D)13
E)21

Question 24

The state attorney general publishes the laws, supervises elections, licenses professionals, and issues certificates of incorporation.

Question 25

The major criticism of reorganization is that most current proposals give too much authority and power to the governor.

Question 26

How many states hold gubernatorial elections at the same time as presidential elections?

A)None
B)11
C)39
D)42
E)50

Question 27

In states in which the lieutenant governor is elected on the same ticket as the governor, the job of the lieutenant governor depends on the discretion of the governor.

Question 28

Which state does NOT allow a governor to run for more than one consecutive term?

A)Wisconsin
B)Virginia
C)Colorado
D)Florida
E)Texas

Question 29

Which of the following is true about the pay of governors?

A)It is considerably less than that of CEOs of major corporations
B)It is on par with those of head football coaches at major public universities
C)It is less than $70,000 in most states
D)It is lower than the average of American workers
E)It is more than $200,000 in most states

Question 30

Between 1970 and 2004, what percentage of incumbent governors seeking reelection won?

A)98%
B)53%
C)74%
D)28%
E)61%

Question 31

What is the most common minimum age to be governor, as set by the states?

A)25
B)40
C)30
D)21
E)35

Question 32

Most governors are white males, who are about

A)30-35 years old.
B)35-40 years old.
C)40-55 years old.
D)60-69 years old.
E)18-21 years old.

Question 33

Which of the following is true about governors?

A)Most are females
B)Most are not from the state where they are elected
C)Most are African-Americans
D)Most are 30-40 years old
E)Most have held other elected offices

Question 34

Only a few states actually have some form of overseas office, used to attract business, encourage tourism, and promote local industries and products.

Question 35

Executive orders supplementing a law are more important than the general guidelines contained in legislation.

Question 36

While governors have become more important in recent decades, they have had to deal with the twin problems of

A)increased revenue and decreased appropriations.
B)interstate compacts and foreign competition.
C)federal grants and term limits.
D)legislative dependence and judicial activism.
E)rising expectations and scarcity of resources.

Question 37

What is the lowest age requirement of any state for a person to be eligible to become governor?

A)18
B)21
C)25
D)30
E)35

Question 38

Most states limit their governors to _________ term(s) in office.

A)three
B)unlimited
C)two
D)five
E)one

Question 39

How many states have a two-term limit for governors?

A)35
B)39
C)43
D)12
E)5

Question 40

Which state's governor has the highest salary ($206,500)?

A)New York
B)Connecticut
C)Florida
D)California
E)Massachusetts

Question 41

Which of the following states' governors have moderate formal powers?

A)Arkansas
B)Arizona
C)Alabama
D)Alaska
E)None of the above

Question 42

Approximately what percentage of states' budgets in 2007 was spent on education?

A)17
B)25
C)36
D)41
E)52

Question 43

Which of the governmental powers in the text is identified as perhaps the most important?

A)Preparing the state budget
B)Issuing executive orders
C)Granting pardons or clemency
D)Making appointments
E)The veto

Question 44

Which of the following states' governors have weak formal powers?

A)Arkansas
B)Arizona
C)Alabama
D)Alaska
E)None of the above

Question 45

Every state EXCEPT which two have four-year terms for their governors?

A)New Hampshire and Vermont
B)California and Oregon
C)Nebraska and Kansas
D)South Carolina and Georgia
E)Minnesota and Wisconsin

Question 46

How many states' governors prepare and present a budget to the legislature every year?

A)None
B)21
C)25
D)29
E)43

Question 47

As of 2010, how many African-American governors were in office?

A)0
B)1
C)2
D)4
E)5

Question 48

What did Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle make a central issue of his campaign?

A)Health insurance
B)Education
C)Stem-cell research
D)Environmental protection
E)Cutting taxes

Question 49

Problems faced by governors when trying to recruit qualified people for public office include all of the following EXCEPT

A)it is difficult to get people to leave the private sector for a short period of time.
B)relatively low salaries.
C)pressure from other political leaders to have friends appointed.
D)relatively few qualified people in the private sector.
E)high turnover in many state positions.

Question 50

Which of the following states has severe restrictions on their governors' appointive powers?

A)Mississippi
B)South Carolina
C)Texas
D)All of the above
E)None of the above

Question 51

How many states hold their gubernatorial elections at the same time as presidential elections?

A)11
B)40
C)2
D)28
E)37

Question 52

Which of the following states' governors have strong formal powers?

A)Arkansas
B)Arizona
C)Alabama
D)Alaska
E)None of the above

Question 53

How did one become governor in the early U.S.government (the 1770s and 1780s)?

A)By presidential appointment
B)By federal congressional appointment
C)By election by the state's legislature
D)By election by the people (though at that time, "the people" were only white males above the age of 21)
E)By state senate appointment

Question 54

In early 2010, 16% of governors, U.S.senators, and U.S.congressional representatives were women.What percentage of state legislators were women?

A)16%
B)18%
C)20%
D)22%
E)24%

Question 55

What was the primary reason for Californians' 2003 recall of Governor Gray Davis?

A)Public anger over a sex scandal
B)Public anger over taxes and budget issues
C)Public anger over perceived favoritism to L.A.and Sacramento voters
D)Public anger over Davis's religious practices
E)Public anger over a bribery scandal

Question 56

Which of the following best describes a typical governor's control over the budgetary process?

A)The governor controls most of the process personally.
B)The governor's party controls most of the process.
C)The governor's executive-level agencies control most of the process.
D)Health care and prisons are the only areas in which most governors have complete control of the process.
E)Governors can really only affect expenditures at the edges of the overall budget.

Question 57

Which of the following states' governors have moderately strong formal powers?

A)Arkansas
B)Arizona
C)Alabama
D)Alaska
E)None of the above

Question 58

In 2011, the Republican party controlled how many governor's offices?

A)28
B)35
C)21
D)40
E)31

Question 59

What was the primary reason for New Jersey Governor James Florio's defeat in 1993?

A)A recession
B)His recommendation for a tax increase
C)His lack of support for environmental issues
D)His support of same-sex marriage
E)His refusal to address the issue of illegal immigration

Question 60

Which of the following states does NOT have a governor with weak formal powers?

A)Rhode Island
B)Massachusetts
C)Indiana
D)Alabama
E)North Carolina

Question 61

When a governor rejects legislation passed by a legislature it is called a(n)

A)abstention.
B)overturn.
C)denial.
D)amendment.
E)veto.

Question 62

Which of the following is NOT one of the tools governors have at hand to influence policy?

A)The opportunity to focus the public's attention on particular issues, problems, or policy proposals
B)The ability to appoint people they want to lead state agencies
C)Formal constitutional powers to pardon individuals convicted of state crimes
D)A governor's role as party leader
E)The management of time

Question 63

A key weapon in getting programs passed is the governor's

A)command of the state National Guard.
B)ability to grant pardons.
C)personal ties with the president.
D)fiscal planning and budgetary powers.
E)age.

Question 64

An amendatory veto allows governors to

A)veto part of a bill without having to veto the entire bill.
B)reduce a particular appropriation.
C)return a bill to the legislature with suggested language changes, conditions, or amendments.
D)None of the above
E)All of the above

Question 65

Governors often use the National Guard to help with the aftermath of

A)floods.
B)earthquakes.
C)fires.
D)hurricanes.
E)All of the above

Question 66

What is the biggest source of state revenues?

A)User fees
B)Federal grants
C)Taxes
D)Bonds
E)Charitable contributions

Question 67

Governors often issue pardons near the very end of their terms because

A)they are politically unpopular.
B)that is when most convictions occur.
C)state legislatures are less likely to approve pardons early in governors' terms.
D)it takes a long time for governors to review the merits of applications for pardons.
E)crime rates typically rise near the end of governors' terms.

Question 68

How many states allow the governor an item veto?

A)25
B)29
C)32
D)43
E)47

Question 69

From what does a governor's executive order gain its power?

A)From implied powers as chief executive
B)From specific constitutional grants
C)From their state legislature's delegation of authority
D)All of the above (depending upon the state)
E)None of the above

Question 70

Approximately what percentage of state revenues (in 2007) came from sales taxes?

A)12
B)18
C)24
D)33
E)52

Question 71

What is required in most states for a legislature to override a governor's veto?

A)Majority
B)Supermajority
C)Two-thirds vote
D)Three-fourths vote
E)A legislature cannot override a governor's veto.

Question 72

Public welfare, health care, and hospitals accounted for what percentage of state spending in 2007?

A)less than 2
B)8
C)18
D)35
E)45

Question 73

Which of the following is true regarding state National Guard units?

A)They are often used by governors to help with the aftermath of natural disasters
B)They have never been deployed to wars outside the U.S.
C)They receive most of their funding from state legislatures
D)They cannot be used by Congress or the President without the approval of governors
E)All of the above are true

Question 74

Perhaps the governor's most important job is to

A)grant pardons and clemency.
B)command the state National Guard.
C)recruit talented people for state office.
D)help establish the legislature's agenda.
E)create redistricting plans for the state legislature.

Question 75

Allowing governors to decrease a particular appropriation is called a(n)

A)veto.
B)spending veto.
C)line item veto.
D)purposeful veto.
E)reduction veto.

Question 76

On average, about what percent of bills sent to them do governors veto?

A)4%
B)25%
C)13%
D)33%
E)1%

Question 77

Approximately what percentage of state revenues (in 2007) came from the federal government?

A)27
B)30
C)45
D)48
E)52

Question 78

In 2006 Florida Governor Jeb Bush vetoed $448.7 million from the state's $74 billion budget.This is an example of

A)a line item veto.
B)executive slashing.
C)managerial orders.
D)an amendatory veto.
E)reductionary privilege.

Question 79

Highway spending accounted for what percentage of state spending in 2007?

A)Less than 2
B)7
C)18
D)21
E)25

Question 80

To spend state money, the legislature must pass a(n) _______________________ measure.

A)appropriations
B)budgetary
C)fiscal
D)monetary
E)pay-as-you-go