Government Quiz 2

1. The speaker of the Texas House of Representatives is chosen by the _____.

Electorate

Governor

Members of the House

Lieutenant governor

None of the above

2. The approach taken by Lieutenant Governor Hobby was to __________.

Let the process develop

Be patient and ilsten to debate

Be personally involved and control the process

Both A and B

3. Special sessions of the Texas Legislature called by the governor are limited to a maximum of how many days?

10

30

50

60

90

4. Term limits would ________-.

Enhance the power of speakers

Limit the speakers' influence

Limit the voter's right to select their elected officials

Both B and C

5. Biennial sessions have the effect of _____.

Presenting legislators with many bills to consider in a relatively short time

Providing legislators with more time to schedule hearings, hold debates, and fully analyze the bills

Concentrating power in the presiding officers

Both A and C.

6. Critics of the existing system believe that initiative and referendum would __________.

Empower voters

Weaken the influence of special-interest groups

Enable the passage of term limits

All of the above

7. The number of members in the Texas House of Representatives is ___.

50

100

131

150

435

8. Which of the following reforms for the Texas legislature is/are suggested by the authors of the text?

Annual sessions

Longer terms of office for legislators

Higher salaries for legislators

More legislative control over special sessions

All of the above

9. The most significant power of a presiding officer of the Texas legislature is the right to _____.

Recognize members who wish to speak before the legislature

Vote in order to break a tie

Serve on initiative and referendum panels

Appoint members to standing committees

10. If the Texas legislature fails to redistrict, responsibility for redistricting is assumbed by _______.

The governor

The Texas Legislative Council

The Legislative Redistricting Board

The General Land Office

None of the above

11. Some limits are placed on the powers of the presiding officers of the Texas legislature by _______.

Legislators

Lobbyists and state administrators

The governors

The electorate

All of the above

12. Which of the following bodies was created in 1949 to provide research and technical services to Texas legislators?

The Legislative Budget Board

The Legislative Budget Office

The Legislative Audit Committee

The Texas Legislative Council

None of the above

13. The current salary for legislators in Texas was established by ____.

The governor

The legislature

The Texas Supreme Court

A constitutional amendment

None of the above

14. Senator Jane Nelson researched other states and found that the best way to pass term limits was through ________.

Active speakers advocating change

The initiative process

The recall process

Legislators holding hearings and passing legislation

15. Which of the following statements concerning party organization in the Texas legislature is NOT correct?

There are no party caucuses in the legislature

Both Democrats and Republicans chair standing committees in the legislature.

The presiding officers of the legislature generally de-emphasize partisanship

Party floor leaders have existed in the House for less than two decades

Party divisions are much less important in the Texas legislature than in the U.S. Congress

16. Which committees in the Texas legislature most closely resemble select committees in the U.S. Congress?

Standing committees

Subcommittees

Conference committee

Ad hoc committees

Interim committees