Inquisitive Ch. 2 The Texas Constitution Questions and Answers Graded A+

Inquisitive Ch. 2 The Texas Constitution Questions and Answers Graded A+ What important functions are performed by state constitutions? Correct: Specify the limits and uses of power by state institutions and individuals. Divide authority within the political institutions of the state. Clarify the source of a state's political power. Incorrect: Empower the Republican and Democratic parties within the state. Establish limits on the influence of the federal government over states. Which of the following is the correct definition of the term unicameral? A legislature that only has one body. Before voters participate in a constitutional amendment election, what step must happen first? The legislature votes to put the amendment on the ballot. The U.S. Constitution specifies how powers are allocated within state-level institutions. False. Relative to the U.S. Constitution, the Texas Constitution is _____ and adopts a tone of _____ governance. Longer. Limited. Which of the following concepts in the Texas Constitution of 1836 were adapted from Spanish-Mexican law? Correct: Government retention of mineral rights. Homestead protections. Community property. Incorrect: Criminal prosecution. Protection of slavery. Select the states whose constitutions are over 80,000 words in length and have more than 300 amendments. Texas (92,025 words, 507 amendments) Alabama (402,852 words, 946 amendments) Rank the sovereignty of the different levels of government from most to least powerful. National > state > local. Study the following data on election turnout in Texas and determine which of the following statements are accurate. Turnout of registered voters in Texas constitutional amendment elections compared with presidential elections. Correct: Turnout for presidential elections is far higher than turnout for constitutional amendment elections. Turnout for constitutional amendment elections is consistently low. Incorrect: Presidential and constitutional amendment elections are held at the same time. Well-advertised constitutional amendments can boost turnout to well over 30 percent. Match the each characteristic or provision to the constitution it belongs to: the Texas Constitution of 1845, the Texas Constitution of 1861, or the Texas Constitution of 1869. Constitution of 1845 Detailed the original agreement for Texas's statehood. Provided for possible emancipation of enslaved people. Constitution of 1861 Made it illegal to free enslaved people. Declared allegiance to the Confederacy. Constitution of 1869 Created a much more powerful governor. Was heavily influenced by Radical Republicans. The authors of the Texas Constitution were influenced by the U.S. governing documents and the writers of The Federalist Papers, such as James Madison. Select the passages of Madison's text from Federalist 51 that reflect how government is structured to protect people from government becoming too powerful. Usurpations are guarded against by a division of the government into distinct and separate departments. Divided between two distinct governments. Subdivided among distinct and separate departments. Local governments in Texas, such as cities and counties, derive their authority from which sources? Correct: The Texas constitution. The citizens of Texas. Incorrect: The U.S. Constitution. American citizens. The county commissioners' court. The residents of the city. What is the meaning of the term impeachment? A charge of wrongdoing. The government of Texas is separated into many parts. In addition to having three branches of government, one branch—the executive—is divided into a plural executive with different constituencies. Which of the following has been a difficult outcome of this fractured structure? Outsized influence of energized factions of the public and interest groups. Which of the following statements about similarities between the Texas Constitution and the U.S. Constitution are true? Correct: Both protect the rights of individual citizens. Both establish the people as the foundational source of government power. Both provide the power for branches to limit the actions of one another. Both give the distinct branches of government autonomous powers. Incorrect: Both specifically define authority very specifically to prevent abuses of power. Both define the authority to regulate and conduct elections. What effect did the creation of decentralized boards and other districts outside the authority of the governor have on the Texas government? Correct: It made it more difficult to revise and reform policies affecting government power. It created a system more susceptible to special interests. Incorrect: It made the people's voice in government stronger. It further enhanced the one-party dominance of the state. Because the framers believed that education was so important, they included Article 7 in the state constitution. Select the portion of text from Article 7 that best expresses what the framers thought was the most important element that would protect our system of government. A general diffusion of knowledge. Place the following events in the history of Texas in order from oldest to most recent. Texas's independence from Mexico (1836) State of Texas joins the United States (1845) Civil War (1861 to 1865) Fourteenth amendment ratified (1868) Grange movement influences new Texas Constitution (1876) Texas Equal Rights Amendment added to the state constitution (1972) Which of the following characteristics have been central in all of Texas's constitutions since Texas joined the United States? Correct: Federalism. Individual rights. Division of power. Strong popular control. Incorrect: Flexibility. Strong government. Which of the following is the most accurate characterization of the current Texas Constitution? A long and complex collection of specifically written policy. Answer the question using your knowledge of the current Texas Constitution and the graphics below. Which statement best explains why certain states have the longest state constitutions? States with narrowly written and restrictive constitutions generally have the longest state constitutions. How does the plural executive, as specified in Article 4 of the Texas Constitution, influence Texas government? Correct: It protects against concentration of power. It ensures that each member of the plural executive has an independent base of power. It diffuses the functions of the executive among multiple offices. Incorrect: It makes the governor more powerful. It ensures that policies are implemented more efficiently. The civil liberties protections in the _____ have largely been incorporated to apply to states through the due process clause of the _____. Bill of Rights. Fourteenth Amendment. Identify which of the following characteristics are unique to the Texas Bill of Rights, and which apply to both the U.S. and Texas Bills of Rights. Texas Bill of Rights Appears as the first article of the Constitution. Specifies the right to a republican government. Specifies provisions of public policy. Both U.S. and Texas Bills of Rights Includes liberties of speech and press. Guarantees freedom of religion. Which of the following is one of the most important themes of the Constitution of 1876? Limited spending. Which of these have served as sources of frustration for states in their relationship with the federal government? Correct: Supremacy clause. Necessary and proper clause. Fourteenth Amendment. Incorrect: Tenth Amendment. How do both the U.S. and Texas constitutions seek to prevent tyranny? Correct: Separation of powers. Natural self-interests. Checks and balances. In January 2016, Governor Greg Abbott proposed a convention of states to consider a series of amendments to the U.S. Constitution, including one to "Restore the balance of power between the federal and state governments by limiting the former to the powers expressly delegated to it in the Constitution." This proposal counters the Supreme Court's interpretation of which part of the U.S. Constitution that led to an enormous net expansion of power? Necessary and proper clause.