Review Sheet for Exam I

Chapter 1

Caddo
Comanches
The first modern European nation to lay claim to the territory of Texas was…

Why did the French settlement attempted near Matagorda Bay fail?

What is a presidio?

The first area settled by the Tejanos was…

Of the six flags flown over Texas, which represented republics?

Nathaniel P. Banks

Two major ideological groups in Texas during the era of Reconstruction were….

The "carpetbagger's constitution" reversed which right of former slaves and whites who had
participated in the Civil War?

Election of 1874

Approximately how long did one-party Democratic rule last in Texas?

Which of the following elements dominated the land-based economy of post-Reconstruction

Texas and is/are still important today?

sitio or legua

What was the primary use of land in Texas from the 1820s to the 1860s?

In the years following the Civil War, ________ became Texas's economic mainstay.

Between 1900 and 1950, what accelerated the demographic shift from a rural society to an
urban society in Texas?
What industry dominates the Texas economy, employing nearly 80 percent of the private sector
workforce?

evangelical Protestants

moralistic political subculture

individualistic political subculture

traditionalistic political subculture

Which group was forced to adopt the traditionalistic political subculture because of their
subservient role?

Classical liberalism

Chapter 2

social contract theory

theory of popular sovereignty

Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution

Supremacy clause

Republic of Mexico's constitution

Reconstruction constitution

"carpetbagger's constitution"
The current Texas Constitution was approved by voters in….
The Spanish constitutions contributed what key element to the political climate of Texas?
In addition to a preamble and appendix, how many articles are contained in the Texas
Constitution?
What does the Texas Constitution contain that the U.S. Constitution does not?
Why might the partisan election of judges be cause for concern?
Article 1 of the Texas Constitution
Why does the Texas Constitution create a fragmented executive branch?
Ideally, a constitution should…
Which state's constitution is the longest?
Except in the state of Delaware, two steps are involved in changing constitutions:
Why are state constitutions amended more frequently than the U.S. Constitution?
Between 1975 and 2011, the Texas legislature proposed 290 amendments for voter approval,
and of these, voters accepted ________ percent.
Which of the following aspects of the process of amending the state constitution contributes
to low voter turnout?
Many reformers believe the Texas Constitution is in need of a comprehensive revision. Why is
this unlikely to happen?
What was the result of a bill introduced in 1999 calling for a general revision of the Texas
Constitution?
federalism

Tenth Amendment
Necessary and Proper Clause

national bank

Chapter 3

What percentage of the Texas Senate is elected during a presidential election year?

In 2010, there were about 811,147 constituents per state senate district in Texas. What is the
only state that had more constituents per senator?

In what way are Texas, Montana, Nevada, and North Dakota similar?

special legislative sessions

Which state does not pay its legislators a salary except for a per diem expense based on federal
policy?

To be eligible to run for the Texas House you must…

"birthright" characteristics”
Why was the Legislative Redistricting Board's multimember plan invalidated by a federal court
in 1971?

Geographical representation

Multimember districts

single-member districts

Redistricting

In the early twentieth century ________ areas were generally overrepresented in many state
legislatures. Why?

Most campaign contributions come from…

Each election year, about ________ of the House members face opposition in the general
election.

Powers of speaker of the house in the Texas House of Representatives.

super PACs.

The lieutenant governor is not formally a senator and cannot vote except in cases of a tie, yet
he or she has great power over the senate. Why?

conference committee

standing committee

the Legislative Budget Board

legislative oversight

After the sixtieth day, before a bill can be considered on the floor of the senate, a two-thirds
vote is almost always required. Why?

Closed riders

Trustee representation

Delegate representation

What are the two different calendars for minor bills in the Texas State House?