Practice Questions for Exam 1

When in Texas history did cattle become big business?
a. during the Republic
b. after the Civil War
c. between the 1930s and the 1950s
d. during Spanish rule
e. during the period of Mexican rule

b. after the Civil War

Which of the following technological breakthroughs did not help stimulate the cotton industry?
a. newly designed plows
b. barbed wire
c. railroad expansion
d. refrigerated storage units
e. the cotton gin

d. refrigerated storage units

Political culture is a term used to describe the
a. level of education and learning in a particular state.
b. how liberal or conservative a state is.
c. degree of public support for the arts.
d. amount of partisan bickering in a state.
e. broadly shared values and beliefs about government.

e. broadly shared values and beliefs

Which city in Texas currently has the largest population?
a. El Paso
b. San Antonio
c. Austin
d. Houston
e. Dallas

d. Houston

Which of the following would best characterize a traditionalistic individualistic political culture?
a. low taxes and deference to business leaders
b. high taxes and government run by elites
c. encouragement of active participation in government
d. government policies that promote traditional social morals
e. government policies designed to benefit the political elite

a. low taxes and deference to business leaders

______ was the chief economic product of Texas during the early twentieth century.
a. Oil
b. Steel
c. Manufacturing
d. Cotton
e. Cattle

a. Oil

Technological change in Texas is best evidenced by the
a. Civil Wars positive effect on the Texas economy.
b. development of a high-tech industry after a slump in oil prices.
c. continued reliance on oil production.
d. continued reliance on ranching.
e. boom and bust cycle of the oil industry.

b. development of a high-tech industry after a slump in oil prices.

What year was the NAFTA agreement signed?
a. 1992
b. 1982
c. 1972
d. 1988
e. 2002

a. 1992

The economy of San Antonio rests on all of the following except
a. tourism.
b. national military bases.
c. the high-tech industry.
d. a large medical research complex.
e. educational institutions.

c. the high-tech industry.

Which of the following does not reflect one of the historic characteristics that make up Texas political culture?
a. provincialism
b. preference for limited government
c. the strong role of labor unions
d. the dominance of the Democratic Party
e. the dominance of business interests

c. the strong role of labor unions

Houston is found in the Texas
a. Great Plains.
b. Panhandle.
c. Gulf coastal plains.
d. interior lowlands.
e. Basin and Range Province.

c. Gulf coastal plains.

Political culture is a term used to describe the
a. amount of partisan bickering in a state.
b. broadly shared values and beliefs about government.
c. level of education and learning in a particular state.
d. degree of public support for the arts.
e. how liberal or conservative a state is.

b. broadly shared values and beliefs about government.

Big Bend is found in what region of Texas?
a. Great Plains
b. interior lowlands
c. Gulf coastal plains
d. Panhandle
e. Basin and Range Province

Basin and Range Province

What was Stephen Austin’s role in the development of Texas?
a. He established the first free-range cattle ranch.
b. He designed the city that bears his name.
c. He worked with the Spanish government to bring American settlers into Texas.
d. He was one of Texass most successful cattle barons.
e. He was an important early oil entrepreneur.

c. He worked with the Spanish government to bring American settlers into Texas.

Approximately what percentage of the current population of Texas is Hispanic?
a. 35 percent
b. 50 percent
c. 10 percent
d. 65 percent
e. 45 percent

a. 35 percent

Which event occurred at Spindletop, Texas?
a. oil was discovered
b. the states worst race riots occurred
c. the last battle for Texas independence was fought
d. the states worst tornado disaster occurred
e. the first free-range ranch in Texas was established

a. oil was discovered

Which two Texas metropolitan areas are national centers for the high-tech industry?
a. Houston and El Paso
b. Houston and San Antonio
c. San Antonio and Waco
d. Dallas and Austin
e. Lubbock and Midland

d. Dallas and Austin

NAFTA established
a. free trade between Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
b. free trade between the United States and China.
c. free trade between Texas and Mexico.
d. a more liberalized immigration policy.
e. free trade between North and Central America.

a. free trade between Mexico, the United States, and Canada.

Historically, the economy of Fort Worth has been associated with what industry?
a. shipping
b. oil
c. cattle
d. cotton
e. computer technology

c. cattle

Provincialism is best defined as
a. the belief that God will lead.
b. the belief in limited government.
c. the belief in the free market.
d. the belief in the right to own private property.
e. a narrow view of the world.

e. a narrow view of the world.

______________ state political cultures originated in the middle states where individuals sought material wealth and personal freedom through commercial activities.

a. Moralistic
b. Monistic
c. Individualistic
d. Traditionalistic

c. Individualistic

The Texas economy diversified in the 1980s and 1990s with the rapid growth of __________ enterprises in the Austin and Dallas areas.

a. high-tech
b. industrial
c. manufacturing
d. construction

a. high-tech

The discovery of oil at _______________ in 1901 produced Texas’s first oil boom.

a. Baytown
b. Humble
c. Odessa-Permian
d. Spindletop

d. Spindletop

The ____________ sought to create a free trade zone in North America.

a. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
b. Mexico and United States Trade Treaty
c. Rio Grande Proviso
d. Treaty of Guadalupe

a. North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

One of the earliest cash crops in Texas was _______________

a. onions.
b. citrus.
c. cotton.
d. rice.

c. cotton.

_____________ took off as an industry after the Civil War, expanding throughout the state; by the twentieth century it become a cyclical industry, thriving during economic booms and struggling when international and national prices declined.

a. Fishing
b. Ranching
c. Manufacturing
d. Shipbuilding

b. Ranching

Texas is categorized as having a __________________ political culture.

a. monistic-moralistic
b. moralistic-individualistic
c. moralistic-traditionalistic
d. traditionalistic-individualistic

d. traditionalistic-individualistic

Today the African American population of the state is concentrated in

a. South and Central Texas.
b. rural areas.
c. East Texas and urban areas.
d. the Houston area, almost exclusively.

c. East Texas and urban areas.

Which of the following is not among the four distinct physical regions of the state of Texas?

a. Coastal Plains
b. Interior Lowlands
c. Great Plains
d. Great Plateau

d. Great Plateau

What are the four geographical regions of Texas?

The Gulf Coastal Plains The Interior Lowlands The Great Plains The Basin and Range Province

An important effect of the oil and gas boom in Texas was the development of a new mentality to economic life in the state called

a. comparative advantage.
b. boom and bust.
c. land fever.
d. economic exploitation.

b. boom and bust.

The ______________ Party dominated Texas politics from the end of Reconstruction until the 1990s.

a. Republican
b. Progressive
c. Democratic
d. Republic of Texas

c. Democratic

Which of the following is not used by Daniel Elazar to describe state political cultures?

a. Moralistic
b. Monistic
c. Individualistic
d. Traditionalistic

b. Monistic

States often demonstrate a distinct _____________ that is the product of their entire history.

a. ideology
b. socialization
c. political culture
d. political economics

c. political culture

The process of urbanization in Texas

a. has had only a small influence on the state’s economy and politics.
b. is now nearly complete, as nearly 88 percent of Texans live in urban areas.
c. began only in the last generation.
d. bears no relationship to the suburbanization of the state.

b. is now nearly complete, as nearly 88 percent of Texans live in urban areas.

Compared with the rest of the nation, the effect of the Great Recession (2007-2010) on Texas has been

a. much worse.
b. about the same.
c. similar to other high-tech states, but not as good as more industrial states.
d. less severe.

d. less severe.

The fastest growing ethnic group in Texas are

a. Anglos.
b. Hispanics.
c. African Americans.
d. Asian Americans.

b. Hispanics.

The _________________ Commission expanded its original mission and began regulating oil and gas production in 1917.

a. Public Utilities
b. Land
c. Railroad
d. Petroleum

c. Railroad

Compared with the rest of the nation, the population of Texas

a. is relatively young.
b. has a similar median age.
c. has higher percentages of both children and seniors.
d. is relatively old.

a. is relatively young.

______________ state political cultures were rooted in New England, where Puritans and other religious groups sought to create the Good Society.

a. Moralistic
b. Monistic
c. Individualistic
d. Traditionalistic

a. Moralistic

The concept of __________________ emphasizes rural values and Jeffersonian notions of limited government.

a. provincialism
b. socialism
c. agrarianism
e. utopianism

a. provincialism

The population of Texas has grown rapidly since the early 1990s for all of the following reasons except

a. improved nutrition.
b. the natural increase from the difference between births and deaths.
c. international immigration.
d. domestic migration.

a. improved nutrition.

______________ political culture developed in the South, reflecting the values of the slave plantation economy and its successor, the Jim Crow era.

a. Moralistic
b. Monistic
c. Individualistic
d. Traditionalistic

d. Traditionalistic

Texas is the second largest state, consisting of approximately ________________ square miles.

a. 167 million
b. 267,000
c. 627,000
d. 950,000

b. 267,000

Which of the following economic sectors dominated Texas politics throughout the latter half of the twentieth century?

a. Labor
b. Business
c. Environmental
d. Consumer

b. Business

Elite

a small group of people that dominates the political process

individualistic political culture

the belief that government should limit its role to providing order in society, so that citizens can pursue their economic self-interests

moralistic political culture

the belief that government should be active in promoting the public good and that citizens should participate in politics and civic activities to ensure that good

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

trade treaty among the United States, Canada, and Mexico to lower and eliminate tariffs among the three countries

political culture

broadly shared values, beliefs, and attitudes about how the government should function. American political culture emphasizes the values of liberty, equality, and democracy

political economy

the complex interrelations between politics and the economy, as well as their effect on one another

provincialism

a narrow, limited, and self-interested view of the world

traditionalistic political culture

the belief that government should be dominated by political elites and guided by tradition

urbanization

the process by which people move from rural areas to cities