Deck 1: The Context of Texas Politics

Question 1

In democratic theory, participation in the governmental process creates a moral rightness and obligates citizens to obey its laws.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

In a legitimate democracy people believe that their government is moral, fair, and just. As a result, they believe that they must obey the laws of the government.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The fact that a government conducts elections is enough to convey legitimacy on that government.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

The North American Free Trade Agreement was designed to increase trade between Latin America and the U.S. and Canada.

Question 5

In order to have a political culture all citizens must agree to the same sets of beliefs, values, and habits.

Question 6

The dominant political culture of Texas for the 19^th and 20^th Centuries has been that of the Anglo population of the state.

Question 7

The dominant political culture of Texas for most of the 20^th Century has been a conservative view of politics.

Question 8

Among the principle beliefs of Texas conservatives has been the idea that the most desirable government is one that keeps taxes low.

Question 9

The primary difference between the philosophy of laissiz-faire conservatism and pseudo-laissez faire conservatism is a belief that governmental assistance to solve problems should be directed to assist the wealthy, not the poor.

Question 10

Texas ranks in the top ten states in the amount of welfare that it provides for its less fortunate citizens.

Question 11

Texas conservatism traditionally opposed not only governmental assistance for the poor, but actively supported efforts to deny citizenship rights to the members of minority groups such as Afro-American and Mexican Americans.

Question 12

The transition of Texas from a primarily rural and agricultural economy to an urban and industrial economy began with the discovery of oil in 1901.

Question 13

The political culture of Texas has been changing more rapidly than the state's population and economy.

Question 14

According to the authors of the text, one of the primary values of the Texas political culture has been a striving to eliminate social and economic inequality.

Question 15

Compared to other states in the union, Texas ranks among the leaders in most areas of expenditures to improve the quality of life in Texas.

Question 16

According to liberal critics of Texas government is the belief that governmental inaction is the major source of Texas's low rankings on quality of life issues.

Question 17

According to conservative defenders of Texas government, lack of governmental spending on social programs is not the main reason that Texas ranks low in quality of life indexes.

Question 18

The most rapidly growing segment of the population of Texas is the Hispanic or Latino population.

Question 19

As of 2005, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the Anglo population of Texas has become a minority of the people in Texas.

Question 20

As a result of the population changes over the past forty years, the Texas political culture has become more liberal.

Question 21

Crucial to a democratic system of government is which of the following?

A) a belief by the people that their government is moral, fair, and just
B) protection of minority rights to participate in the political process
C) open, honest, and public debate of the critical issues confronting the society
D) all of the above are crucial

Question 22

In a badly run or corrupt democracy which of the following is likely to occur?

A) politicians are dominated by special interests
B) political figures seek to cloud public debate with irrelevant issues
C) the media do not point out real issues because they are corrupt or lazy
D) all of the above are likely to occur

Question 23

The federal government makes a significant impact on Texas in which of the following ways?

A) nearly one-third of the state's revenues come from the federal government
B) the federal courts oversee many of the actions of state government
C) Congress passes laws which mandate actions by state government
D) all of the above are significant

Question 24

The principle purpose of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) was to:

A) increase commerce between the United States and Latin America
B) increase the political involvement of Latin American nations
C) improve transportation between the U.S. and Mexico
D) create a mechanism to solve the political rights of illegal immigrants in the U.S.

Question 25

The political culture of a society is defined by

A) the history of the dominant group (largely Anglo)
B) the shared beliefs, values, and habits of the dominant group in a society
C) the laws and constitution adopted by the dominant group
D) the political philosophy adopted by the dominant group

Question 26

The philosophy of pseudo laissez-faire conservatism endorses all of the following except:

A) a belief that minimizes the role of government in establishing social equality
B) a belief that minimizes the role of government in establishing economic equality
C) a belief that limits governmental assistance to business
D) a belief that those who are at the bottom of the economic and social ladder are unworthy

Question 27

Which of the following have significantly altered the racist Old South political culture in Texas?

A) time
B) immigration from Northern states
C) federal governmental activity
D) all of the above

Question 28

A "favorable business climate" is identified in the textbook as a state which does the following?

A) establishes strict ecological standards for companies doing business in Texas
B) insists on worker protections such as minimum wage and protections for labor organization
C) is identified with low taxes, weak labor unions, and little regulation by government
D) is identified with a state with a corporate income tax

Question 29

Texas's rank among the states on expenditures for such things as spending on arts and welfare places it in the:

A) top one-quarter of the states
B) the second quartile (one-quarter)
C) the third quartile
D) the bottom quartile

Question 30

Compared to most of the other urban states, the tax structure of Texas is:

A) relatively progressive
B) neither progressive nor regressive
C) relatively regressive
D) among the most regressive in the nation

Question 31

The most recent census of Texas's population shows that the largest segment of the population is:

A) the Hispanic population of Texas
B) the Asian American population
C) the Anglo population
D) the Afro American population

Question 32

The most rapidly growing segment of the population according to the 2000 U.S. Census is the:

A) Asian American population
B) Anglo population
C) Hispanic population
D) Afro American population

Question 33

The population of Texas, compared with other states, is:

A) growing much slower than the other states
B) growing at about the same rate as the other urban states
C) growing much faster than the population of other states
D) not clear from the census data

Question 34

As one moves from east to west in Texas the amount of rainfall:

A) significantly increases at the rate of 5 inches per 100 miles
B) remains relatively constant
C) decreases at the rate of 5 inches per 100 miles
D) it generally depends on the year that the measurement is taken

Question 35

The fact that the Hispanic population of Texas is primarily concentrated in the South and West Texas area is the result of:

A) laws which restricted the areas in which Hispanics could live
B) the economic opportunity available to Hispanics
C) initial patterns of immigration
D) economic incentives offered by the local governments

Question 36

Generally, Afro Americans and Hispanics tend to be politically more _____ than Anglos.

A) conservative
B) moderate
C) liberal
D) liberal on some issues, conservative on others

Question 37

If current trends continue, the majority of Texans in 2040 will be:

A) Afro American
B) Anglo
C) Asian American
D) Hispanic

Question 38

The population of Texas is primarily located in which region of the state?

A) North Texas
B) East Texas
C) South Texas
D) West Texas

Question 39

Which of the following was not a major factor in the placement of cities in Texas?

A) transportation
B) economic development
C) political action by the state government
D) economic interaction with other regions of the nation

Question 40

How well does Texas meet the test of a "well-run democracy"? What evidence can you cite to demonstrate how Texas either meets the tests or doesn't meet the tests?

Question 41

How do actions by the federal government affect the way Texas is governed? Cite at least two examples.

Question 42

How did the events preceeding the admission of Texas into the Union in 1845 affect the development of the political culture of Texas?

Question 43

How did the execution of Javier Suarez Medina affect the relationship between Mexico and the United States?

Question 44

Trace the development of the Texas economy from the beginning of the 20^th Century to the 1990s.

Question 45

Describe the current demographics of Texas. If current trends continue, what will be the demographic distribution of the population by the year 2040?