Question 1

Identify the six variables used to measure the formal powers of the office of governor.

Accepted Answer

The formal powers of the office of governor can vary from state to state within the United States, but political scientists often measure these powers using six key variables:

1. **Tenure of Office**: This refers to the length of term the governor serves and whether they can succeed themselves in office. Some states have term limits, while others do not, which can affect a governor's power by influencing their political strategy and longevity in office.

2. **Appointment Power**: This variable assesses the governor's authority to appoint officials to the executive branch and other state government positions. The extent of this power can depend on whether appointments require confirmation by the state legislature or other bodies.

3. **Budgetary Power**: This is the governor's ability to propose and influence the state budget. Governors with strong budgetary powers can shape policy priorities by controlling state spending and may have the power to use line-item vetoes to reject specific parts of budget bills.

4. **Veto Power**: This includes the governor's ability to veto legislation passed by the state legislature. The strength of this power is determined by the types of vetoes available (such as line-item vetoes or amendatory vetoes) and the difficulty the legislature faces in overriding a veto.

5. **Party Control**: This variable considers the political dynamics between the governor and the state legislature, specifically whether the governor's party controls the legislature. A governor whose party controls the legislature may have an easier time passing their legislative agenda.

6. **Formal Powers of the Office**: This encompasses various other legal and constitutional powers granted to the governor, such as the power to call special legislative sessions, grant pardons, and exercise emergency powers.

These six variables help to create a framework for comparing the formal powers of governors across different states and understanding how these powers can influence their effectiveness and the overall governance of their states.

Question 2

In states without a lieutenant governor,who is usually next in succession to the governor's office?

Accepted Answer

A)   the leader of the state senate
B)   the vice governor
C)   the leader of the state house of representatives
D)   the chief justice of the state supreme court A

Question 3

What is currently the Texas Railroad Commission's primary function?

Accepted Answer

A)   regulation of the oil and gas industry
B)   safety oversight for rail, trucking, and river traffic
C)   regulatory authority over terminals, wharves, and heavy industries
D)   promoting rail and trucking while regulating the safety and environmental aspects of the industry A

Question 4

What are the formal and informal qualifications for governor? Based on the informal qualifications,what groups of Texas citizens have been excluded from the governorship?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the formal and informal qualifications...

Question 5

Most of the work of the attorney general involves ________ rather than ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   civil law; criminal law
B)   ceremonial functions; executive functions
C)   judicial review; prosecution
D)   criminal law; civil law

Question 6

Explain how tenure is an important determinant of power.With this in mind,are you in favor of term limits for elected officials? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain how tenure is an important determinant...

Question 7

In most instances,the adoption of articles of impeachment results in

Accepted Answer

A)   the removal of an office holder.
B)   a trial in the senate.
C)   a trial in a judicial court.
D)   a statewide recall vote.

Question 8

By recommending policy initiatives to state legislators and coordinating with state agencies that administer programs and implement policies,the governor is demonstrating his or her role as

Accepted Answer

A)   party leader.
B)   intergovernmental coordinator.
C)   chief legislator.
D)   crisis manager.

Question 9

The office of lieutenant governor is different from the office of the vice president in that

Accepted Answer

A)   the office of lieutenant governor has a two-year term versus the vice president's four-year term.
B)   when governors leave their states, lieutenant governors become acting governors.
C)   lieutenant governors are usually from the opposition party, whereas vice presidents are not.
D)   lieutenant governors have powers nearly coequal with governors, whereas the vice presidents have few formal powers.

Question 10

Which of the following defines tenure of office?

Accepted Answer

A)   the ability of elected officials to succeed themselves
B)   the term length
C)   the term limit
D)   both the ability of elected officials to succeed themselves and the term length

Question 11

Which of the following best describes the effect the expansion of a governor's ability to appoint and remove agency heads would have on executive authority?

Accepted Answer

A)   It would diminish executive authority.
B)   It would have little to no effect.
C)   It would increase executive authority.
D)   It would have a negative effect on executive authority.

Question 12

The secretary of state publishes the ________,which is the source of official notices or rules,meetings,executive orders,and opinions of the attorney general that are required to be filed by state agencies.

Accepted Answer

A)   Capitol Minutes
B)   Executive Calendar
C)   Texas Weekly Bulletin
D)   Texas Register

Question 13

What are the informal powers of the Texas governor?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the informal powers of the...

Question 14

The line-item veto

Accepted Answer

A)   is a key power of the Texas governor.
B)   was declared unconstitutional in the 1980s.
C)   is possessed by only a small percentage of state governors.
D)   applies to all bills except the budget.

Question 15

In the process known as ________,the governor must clear his or her appointments with the state senator from the appointee's home district.

Accepted Answer

A)   political reciprocity
B)   the "southern custom"
C)   "good politics"
D)   senatorial courtesy

Question 16

Why is the Texas governor's power exceptionally weak as compared to that of the governors of some other states?

Accepted Answer

A)   lack of a line-item veto
B)   inability to appoint any administrative heads
C)   tenure limits
D)   plural executive system

Question 17

The voters of Wisconsin voted to not recall Governor Walker in 2011 because they

Accepted Answer

A)   felt the governor was doing a good job.
B)   did not like the idea of using a recall to remove a governor.
C)   were expecting the governor to be impeached later that same year.
D)   did not want the state's lieutenant governor to become governor.

Question 18

What office was created under the 1836 constitution to administer state-owned land?

Accepted Answer

A)   Texas Bureau of Land Management
B)   Texas Land Board
C)   General Land Office
D)   Texas Department of Agriculture

Question 19

Explain how the office of the governor of Texas can be strong politically despite the fact that it is formally very weak.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain how the office of the governor...

Question 20

Why is it very difficult to hold a specific person in Texas government responsible for anything?

Accepted Answer

A)   The state constitution shields all government employees from responsibility for public actions and policies.
B)   Government is fragmented and policy responsibility is divided.
C)   The media in Texas do a very poor job at investigating wrongdoing in government.
D)   Most officials usually cite the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution and refuse to say anything that could incriminate them.

Exam 4: The Executive Department and the Office of the Governor of Texas