Deck 8: The Executive Branch

Question 1

In 2014,________ was elected governor of Texas.

A) Greg Abbott
B) Wendy Davis
C) Rick Perry
D) Bill Clements

Answer 1

A

Question 2

In Texas,the only constitutional method of removing a governor from office is by ________ and conviction.

A) recall
B) a two-thirds vote
C) impeachment
D) judicial proceeding

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The Texas Constitution of ________ placed strict limits on the governor's ability to control the people appointed to office and almost eliminated the possibility that appointees to office could be removed.

A) 1845
B) 1836
C) 1876
D) 1869

Answer 3

C

Question 4

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

Question 5

Governors can be quite powerful in spite of the weaknesses of the office by doing all of the following EXCEPT

A) mobilizing interest groups and editorial boards of newspapers.
B) calling special sessions of the legislature.
C) pardoning criminals and permitting fugitives to be extradited to other states.
D) filing legislative bills at the beginning of every legislative session.

Question 6

Who was the first Republican governor of Texas following 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

Question 7

The Texas governor was very powerful,and many regarded state government as oppressive and corrupt,under which constitution?

A) the Constitution of 1976
B) the Reconstruction Constitution of 1869
C) the Constitution of 1866
D) the Constitution of 1861

Question 8

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

A) 30 years of age
B) born in Texas
C) prior political experience
D) U.S. citizenship

Question 9

Constitutionally,a state-of-the-state message must be given by the governor

A) at the beginning of the governor's term.
B) 30 days after the governor has been elected.
C) at the beginning of each legislative session.
D) at the end of the governor's term in office.

Question 10

Which of the following is/are informal criterion/criteria for becoming governor?

A) Governors are historically white.
B) Governors are historically male.
C) Governors are historically protestant.
D) All of these are correct.

Question 11

What do some argue is the one advantage of a plural executive in Texas?

A) It allows the governor to pursue innovative policymaking.
B) It decreases conflict between the executive and legislative branches.
C) It constrains the governor in the pursuit of excessive policies.
D) It facilitates the coordination of public policy.

Question 12

The Texas governor is ranked ________ among other states in overall institutional powers.

A) 39th
B) 35th
C) 47th
D) 24th

Question 13

The governor may be removed from office only by impeachment with conviction by the

A) House.
B) judiciary.
C) Senate.
D) attorney general.

Question 14

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 officials in the executive branch.
D) the sole responsibility for budget making.

Question 15

Prior to ________,Texas governors were elected to two-year terms,with most being elected to a maximum of two consecutive two-year terms.Since then,governors have been able to get elected to unlimited four-year terms.

A) 1972
B) 1973
C) 1974
D) 1975

Question 16

Why is the Texas governor's power exceptionally weak as compared to that of the governors of some other states?

A) lack of a line-item veto
B) inability to appoint any administrative heads
C) tenure limits
D) plural executive system

Question 17

Who was the longest-serving governor in the history of Texas?

A) William Clements
B) George W. Bush
C) Rick Perry
D) Dolph Briscoe

Question 18

In the history of Texas,the only other female governor other than Miriam Ferguson was

A) Kay Bailey Hutchison.
B) Barbara Bush.
C) Ann Richards.
D) Barbara Jordan.

Question 19

The Texas governor only has the ________ on appropriations bills.

A) line-item veto
B) pocket veto
C) threat of a veto
D) post veto

Question 20

Which term best describes the executive branch?

A) fragile
B) fragmented
C) centralized
D) diversified

Question 21

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.

Question 22

The governor appoints people to office,but the Texas ________ must also confirm them.

A) House of Representatives
B) Ethics Commission
C) Senate
D) Commission on Appointments

Question 23

Which entity has the main responsibility for collecting child-support payments?

A) Texas governor's office
B) Texas comptroller
C) Texas attorney general
D) Texas secretary of state

Question 24

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.

Question 25

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.

Question 26

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.

Question 27

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.

Question 28

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.

Question 29

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

A) E.J. Davis
B) James Ferguson
C) Ann Richards
D) Miriam Ferguson

Question 30

The governor has some control over the final appropriations bill through the use of the ________ veto.

A) pocket
B) amendatory
C) reduction
D) line-item

Question 31

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

Question 32

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

Question 33

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.

Question 34

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

Question 35

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.

Question 36

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) personality differences
D) the partisan makeup of the legislature

Question 37

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

Question 38

What is the Texas governor's most significant executive power?

A) the power of appointment
B) the power to call special sessions
C) the power to submit a budget to the legislature
D) the line-item veto power

Question 39

What is the ultimate check on the governor?

A) impeachment
B) the Sunset review process
C) the budgetary review process
D) a campaign donation

Question 40

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.

Question 41

The ________ is the oldest state agency in Texas.

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

Question 42

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

Question 43

The Texas Constitution of 1876 placed strict limits on the governor's ability to control the people appointed to office and eliminate the possibility that appointees to office could be removed.

Question 44

Which state office was eliminated in 1996?

A) attorney general
B) animal commissioner
C) state treasurer
D) sheriff

Question 45

The legislature has the ability to declare martial law.

Question 46

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

A) estimating state 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

Question 47

The Texas governor has the power to use the pocket veto on appropriations bills.

Question 48

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

A) It is run by a multimember body appointed by the governor.
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.

Question 49

Impeachment of a governor begins in the Texas Senate.

Question 50

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

Question 51

Historically,Barbara Jordan,Miriam Ferguson,and Ann Richards are the only females who have ever served as governor of Texas.

Question 52

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

Question 53

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

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

Question 56

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

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

Question 57

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.

Question 58

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

A) It reviews state agencies every 12 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.

Question 59

Texas's chief election official is the secretary of state.

Question 60

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.

Question 61

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

Question 62

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

Question 63

The Texas Sunset Advisory Commission has mandated that no government official may serve in any single office for more than 12 years.

Question 64

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

Question 65

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

Question 66

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

Question 67

What is the plural executive? Describe the offices that constitute the plural executive in Texas.How does the plural executive 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 68

Explain the legislative powers of the Texas governor.How can the special session be a powerful tool for the governor?

Question 69

The Texas governor has strong powers for granting clemency.

Question 70

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 71

What are the key duties of the Texas secretary of state? Why is it an important position?

Question 72

Why is Texas's lieutenant governor considered the most powerful politician in the state?

Question 73

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 74

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