Deck 4: The Executive Department and the Office of the Governor of Texas

Question 1

What former governor was President George H.W.Bush's chief of staff?

A) John Connally
B) Richard Riley
C) Bruce Babbitt
D) John Sununu

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which state pays its governor the highest salary?

A) Maine
B) New York
C) Nevada
D) Texas

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What office was created under the 1836 constitution to administer state-owned land?

A) Texas Bureau of Land Management
B) Texas Land Board
C) General Land Office
D) Texas Department of Agriculture

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In 2014,____________ was elected governor of Texas.

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

Question 5

Unlike most other statewide governing offices,what governing body has varied greatly in form and structure over the years?

A) Office of the Attorney General
B) State Board of Education
C) General Land Office
D) Texas Department of Agriculture

Question 6

Which of the following defines tenure of office?

A) the ability of elected officials to succeed themselves
B) the term length
C) the term limit
D) both the ability of elected officials to succeed themselves and the term length

Question 7

The governor of Texas's salary is ________ per year.

A) $70,000
B) $90,000
C) $150,000
D) $179,000

Question 8

Most of the work of the attorney general involves ________ rather than ________.

A) civil law; criminal law
B) ceremonial functions; executive functions
C) judicial review; prosecution
D) criminal law; civil law

Question 9

In most instances,the adoption of articles of impeachment results in

A) the removal of an office holder.
B) a trial in the senate.
C) a trial in a judicial court.
D) a statewide recall vote.

Question 10

The office of lieutenant governor is different from the office of the vice president in that

A) the office of lieutenant governor has a two-year term versus the vice president's four-year term.
B) when governors leave their states, lieutenant governors become acting governors.
C) lieutenant governors are usually from the opposition party, whereas vice presidents are not.
D) lieutenant governors have powers nearly coequal with governors, whereas the vice presidents have few formal powers.

Question 11

The voters of Wisconsin voted to not recall Governor Walker in 2011 because they

A) felt the governor was doing a good job.
B) did not like the idea of using a recall to remove a governor.
C) were expecting the governor to be impeached later that same year.
D) did not want the state's lieutenant governor to become governor.

Question 12

What is currently the Texas Railroad Commission's primary function?

A) regulation of the oil and gas industry
B) safety oversight for rail, trucking, and river traffic
C) regulatory authority over terminals, wharves, and heavy industries
D) promoting rail and trucking while regulating the safety and environmental aspects of the industry

Question 13

Which of the following informal qualifications for governor is nearly universal in Texas?

A) fraternal membership
B) military service
C) holding a law degree
D) having previously held elected office

Question 14

Prior to the election of George W.Bush to the presidency,when was the last time a Texas governor had gone on to higher elected office?

A) 1941
B) 1962
C) 1977
D) 1992

Question 15

What tool is used to forecast state economic growth,keep track of business cycles,and generally provide information on the health of the economy of Texas?

A) SMU Business Index
B) Index of State Economic Momentum
C) Dow Jones Economic Sentiment Indicator
D) State of Texas Econometric Model

Question 16

In states without a lieutenant governor,who is usually next in succession to the governor's office?

A) the leader of the state senate
B) the vice governor
C) the leader of the state house of representatives
D) the chief justice of the state supreme court

Question 17

Since the end of World War II,Texas had one female governor:

A) Lurleen Wallace.
B) Miriam Ferguson.
C) Wendy Davis.
D) Ann Richards.

Question 18

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 19

Which office created in 1876 functions as the chief fiscal and revenue forecasting office and is responsible for investing state funds?

A) the Texas Department of Treasury
B) the comptroller of public accounts
C) the office of treasurer
D) the general accounting office

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT among the formal qualifications for the office of governor in Texas?

A) 30 years of age
B) registered voter
C) resident of the state for five years
D) U.S. citizenship

Question 21

Who was the first Texas governor to be elected to three consecutive four-year terms?

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

Question 22

Identify the six variables used to measure the formal powers of the office of governor.

Question 23

Which state government sector has the largest number of employees?

A) business and economic development
B) public safety and criminal justice
C) health and human services
D) education

Question 24

The Texas legislature can override the governor's general veto with a ______ vote in each house.

A) majority
B) three-fifths
C) two-thirds
D) three-fourths

Question 25

Which of the following best describes the effect the expansion of a governor's ability to appoint and remove agency heads would have on executive authority?

A) It would diminish executive authority.
B) It would have little to no effect.
C) It would increase executive authority.
D) It would have a negative effect on executive authority.

Question 26

In the process known as ________,the governor must clear his or her appointments with the state senator from the appointee's home district.

A) political reciprocity
B) the "southern custom"
C) "good politics"
D) senatorial courtesy

Question 27

In a large majority of the states,the legislature can override the governor's veto with a ______ vote in each house.

A) majority
B) three-fifths
C) two-thirds
D) three-fourths

Question 28

Do you think the informal qualifications for governor will be more or less important in the future? Explain.

Question 29

In Texas,the state budget is submitted by

A) the governor.
B) the Legislative Budget Board.
C) the senate budget committee.
D) the comptroller of public accounts.

Question 30

In Texas the trend in recent years has been to expand the staff of the governor's office.Who was the first Texas governor to use a professional staff of advisors?

A) George W. Bush
B) John Connally
C) Bill Clements
D) Dolph Briscoe

Question 31

The Sunset Advisory Commission

A) is composed of members appointed by the governor.
B) reviews most state agencies every 12 years.
C) has yet to abolish a state agency.
D) was discontinued in the mid-1970s.

Question 32

Why is it very difficult to hold a specific person in Texas government responsible for anything?

A) The state constitution shields all government employees from responsibility for public actions and policies.
B) Government is fragmented and policy responsibility is divided.
C) The media in Texas do a very poor job at investigating wrongdoing in government.
D) Most officials usually cite the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution and refuse to say anything that could incriminate them.

Question 33

By recommending policy initiatives to state legislators and coordinating with state agencies that administer programs and implement policies,the governor is demonstrating his or her role as

A) party leader.
B) intergovernmental coordinator.
C) chief legislator.
D) crisis manager.

Question 34

The secretary of state publishes the ________,which is the source of official notices or rules,meetings,executive orders,and opinions of the attorney general that are required to be filed by state agencies.

A) Capitol Minutes
B) Executive Calendar
C) Texas Weekly Bulletin
D) Texas Register

Question 35

The power of the Texas governor to remove government officials is

A) very strong.
B) moderately strong.
C) moderately weak.
D) very weak.

Question 36

The line-item veto

A) is a key power of the Texas governor.
B) was declared unconstitutional in the 1980s.
C) is possessed by only a small percentage of state governors.
D) applies to all bills except the budget.

Question 37

The largest expenditure of state funds is for

A) interest on the government debt.
B) infrastructure upkeep.
C) state buildings and vehicles.
D) personnel.

Question 38

The Texas legislature can override the governor's line-item veto with a ______ vote in each house.

A) majority
B) three-fifths
C) two-thirds
D) three-fourths

Question 39

What are the formal and informal qualifications for governor? Based on the informal qualifications,what groups of Texas citizens have been excluded from the governorship?

Question 40

The chief record keeper and election official for the state of Texas is the

A) secretary of state.
B) state recorder.
C) supervisor of elections.
D) lieutenant governor.

Question 41

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

Question 42

What are the informal powers of the Texas governor?

Question 43

Explain how tenure is an important determinant of power.With this in mind,are you in favor of term limits for elected officials? Why or why not?

Question 44

What are the budget and legislative powers of the Texas governor? Does this give the governor a strong position? Why or why not?

Question 45

Define senatorial courtesy.How can senatorial courtesy be viewed in both a negative light and a positive light?

Question 46

Explain how the office of the governor of Texas can be strong politically despite the fact that it is formally very weak.

Question 47

How does the plural executive system function in Texas? In what ways does it diminish the power of the governor?