Govt 2306
Final Exam Study Guide
1. What industries were most important as Texas developed in the twentieth century?
2. What is the demographic composition of Texas with regards to racial/ethnic groups?
3. Know the different types of political culture with regards to people’s philosophy about
government’s involvement in their lives.
4. What type of political culture does Texas have according to Daniel Elazar?
5. Please define and explain civic culture.
6. Compare and contrast state constitutions with our U.S. Constitution.
7. Know when the current Texas Constitution was written and what were important elements in
that constitution.
8. Who was the Grange and what significant role did they play in Texas?
9. How does the Texas Bill of Rights compare to the U.S. Bill of Rights?
10. Explain and discuss the court case Ruiz v. Estelle and how it impacted public policy in Texas.
11. Explain and discuss what the term “federal preemption of state authority” means.
12. Which federal program accounted for more than 40 percent of the increase in federal grant
funds in the 1990s and the early years of the twenty-first century?
13. Define and discuss the concept of entitlement programs?
14. Explain and discuss what the Legislative Budget Board is.
15. What are the backgrounds of our Texas governors?
16. What is the role of the attorney general in Texas?
17. What is the difference between a criminal case and a civil case?
18. What is tort reform?
19. What is a probate case?
20. Know the type of cases that municipal courts and justice of the peace courts hear in Texas.
21. Please define punitive damages.
22. What is a class action lawsuit?
23. What are trade associations and how do they contribute to the political landscape in Texas?
24. Define and describe a good business climate.
25. What is the Texas Association of Business?
26. Explain what the right-to-work law is.
27. What is racial profiling?
28. Explain and discuss what the religious right is.
29. What are advocacy groups?
30. Define the term political party?
31. What is a party faction?
32. What is a party platform?
33. What does the term, “solid south” mean?
34. What is a yellow dog democrat?
35. Describe and explain what the “Robin Hood plan”?
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What is the State Children’s Health Insurance Program?
What is the top ten percent rule?
What is the Trans-Texas Corridor?
Explain what the term “school choice” means.
What is an at-large election?
What is a bond election?
What does the term “long-ballot” mean?
What is prospective voting?
What is retrospective voting?
What is split-ticket voting?
What is the caucus method of delegate?
What is the Texas Two-Step?
What is a city charter?
Describe and discuss what a city manager is and does.
What is a city ordinance?
Define and discuss what the council-manager, mayor-council forms of government are and
compare them and contrast them.
Compare and contrast the terms, “general law city” and “home rule city”.
What doe the term, “conflict of interest” mean?
What is an independent school district?
What is the permanent school fund?
Explain what the commissioner’s court is and what it does.
Please explain what the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) is and what they do. Is this board
important and why so?
Please explain what the Legislative Redistricting Board (LRB) is and what they do. Is this board
important and why so?
Explain the difference between a reprieve, commutation and a pardon.
Define and explain budget execution authority.
What is the concept of the term, “plural executive”?
Explain Jacksonian democracy.
What is an Attorney General opinion?
What does the term, “punitive damages”, mean?
What does burden of proof mean?
What are a plaintiff and a defendant?
What is a plea bargain?