What percentage of the Texas House of Representatives is elected during a presidential election year?
GOVT2306 Texas Government
Exam 2
Question 1What percentage of the Texas House of Representatives is elected during a presidential election year?
33 percent
25 percent
100 percent
50 percent
Question 2What percentage of the Texas Senate is usually elected during a presidential election year?
25 percent
33 percent
100 percent
50 percent
Question 3The House Insurance Committee is hearing testimony from the Texas Department of Insurance about the effectiveness of recent procedural changes within the department. Which legislative function is this committee demonstrating?
budget and taxation
management
oversight
lawmaking
Question 4The main function of the Sunset Advisory Commission is to:
Recommend a budget to the state legislature
Oversee state agencies
Redraw legislative districts
Set the legislative calendar
Question 5A voter who wants his representative to make decisions based solely on the will of the people desires which type of representative?
A citizen-legislator
A trustee
A delegate
A professional legislator
Question 6Table 3.2 – Legislative Salaries in the 10 Most Populous States
State
Base Salary, 2014
California
$90,526
Texas
$7,200
Florida
$29,697
New York
$79,500
Illinois
$67,836
Pennsylvania
$84,012
Ohio
$60,584
Georgia
$17,342
North Carolina
$13,951
Michigan
$71,685
Source: National Conference of State Legislatures. See http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/2014-ncsl-legislator-salary-and-per-diem-table.aspx.
Based on Table 3.2, how does a Texas legislator’s salary compare to other populous states?
Texas legislators are paid much more than other populous states
Texas legislators are paid more than any other state
Texas legislators are paid about the same as other populous states
Texas legislators are paid much less than other populous states
Question 7Most campaign contributions for Texas legislature races come from
the candidates’ political party.
super PACs.
federal matching funds.
contributors who live outside the district.
Question 8To be eligible to run for the Texas Senate you must
have resided in the state for at least three years.
have resided in the district for at least two years.
be at least 26 years of age.
meet a minimum income qualification.
Question 9In an average legislative session in the Texas legislature, about __ percent of all bills introduced will actually be passed into law.
41
11
2
24
Question 10Which of the following is NOT among the powers of the speaker of the house in the Texas House of Representatives?
bill referral to committees
appoints all members of standing committees
appoints members to calendar committee
committee chair appointment
Question 11In any given legislative session, most bills
clear every hurtle, but are vetoed by the governor.
make only minor changes to existing law.
die in conference committee.
pass committee muster but are voted down after floor debate.
Question 12Table 3.6 – Competitive and Noncompetitive Seats in the Texas House and Senate, 2016 Election
Safe Democratic
Safe Republican
Competitive
Unopposed
House
20 (13%)
39 (26%)
9 (6%)
82 (55%)
Senate
4 (25%)
5 (31%)
0 (0%)
7 (44%)
According to Table 3.6, does the Texas House or Senate have a greater proportion of Safe Republican seats?
They both have an equal proportion of Safe Republican seats
Cannot be determined
House
Senate
Question 13All of the following arguments for annual sessions EXCEPT:
Annual sessions raise the legislature’s profile and check executive power
Annual sessions afford legislators more time to study proposed legislation
Annual sessions allow for more continuous oversight
Annual sessions allow for more rapid responses
Question 14Which of the following groups benefits the most from gerrymandering?
Females
Incumbents
Hispanics
Democrats
Question 15How long is the Texas legislative session?
140 days
6 months
one year
two years
Question 16Why did the state of Texas draw new district lines in 2003?
Because the 2001 map was ruled unconstitutional
Because the Democrats won control of the legislature
Because the Republicans won control of the legislature
Because of reapportionment that occurred in 2002
Question 17Map 3.1 – Percentage of Women Legislators by State
SOURCE: Adapted from Center for American Women and Politics, Women in State Legislatures 2016. http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/women-state-legislature-2016.
According to Map 3.1, which of the states below has the lowest proportion of women in its legislature?
Tennessee
Kansas
Texas
North Carolina
Question 18The practice of redrawing electoral boundaries for political advantage is known as
Gerrymandering.
Redistricting.
Reallocation.
Reapportionment.
Question 19Multimember districts promote majority representation or domination, and single-member districts can promote ________ representation.
democratic
geographical
republican
equal
Question 20What is the pay of a member of the Texas legislature, taking into account salary and per diem compensation, in a year that the legislature is in session?
$74,100
nothing
$55,800
$28,200
Question 21Which type of legislative committee is most important?
special
conference
standing
interim
Question 22Why was the Legislative Redistricting Board’s multimember plan invalidated by a federal court in 1971?
findings in Lawrence v. Texas
the “Matthew syndrome”
dilution of the impact of rural voters
possible unfairness to minority voters
Question 23In what way are Texas, Montana, Nevada, and North Dakota similar?
All have unlimited speed limits on certain controlled-access highways.
The legislature of each state only meets every other year.
They are all in the central time zone.
All four voted for Mitt Romney in the 2012 election.
Question 24Map 3.1 – Percentage of Women Legislators by State
SOURCE: Adapted from Center for American Women and Politics, Women in State Legislatures 2016. http://www.cawp.rutgers.edu/women-state-legislature-2016.
According to Map 3.1, in which region of the country can legislatures with the highest proportion of women be found?
The Midwest
The South
The Northwest
The Northeast
Question 25Table 3.6 – Competitive and Noncompetitive Seats in the Texas House and Senate, 2016 Election
Safe Democratic
Safe Republican
Competitive
Unopposed
House
20 (13%)
39 (26%)
9 (6%)
82 (55%)
Senate
4 (25%)
5 (31%)
0 (0%)
7 (44%)
According to Table 3.6, which chamber is less competitive overall?
Both are equally competitive
Senate
Cannot be determined
House
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