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Q:
What is the importance of extraterritorial jurisdiction of cities?
Q:
What are the two main type of city government allowed by the state of Texas? Which one of these offers the most flexibility?
Q:
What recommendations for the improvement of county government have been suggested?
Q:
What are the results of the fact that county governments are run on a partisan basis?
Q:
Name and explain the main duties of each of the elected county-wide officials in county government.
Q:
What is the role of the county in local government? Which of the functions of the county are functions which are performed for the state of Texas? To what extend does the state supervise the operation of county government? What factors limit the ability of the state to supervise the operations of county government?
Q:
The major source of funding for most counties is
A. local property taxes
B. sales taxes
C. state aid
D. federal aid
Q:
Which of the following is not true of school districts in Texas?
A. the decisions of school boards are generally well known
B. there is generally wide-spread interest in the activities of school districts
C. the number of school districts has been steadily increasing in Texas
D. school board members are elected in elections which are often contested
Q:
Councils of Government (COGs) serve which purpose?
A. they assist in the planning and coordination for local governments
B. they are watchdogs to monitor local government activities for the federal government
C. they are policy-making units for local governments
D. they monitor local governments for the state government
Q:
Special districts have the advantage of which of the following?
A. they are easy to organize and operate
B. they offer great flexibility to solve problems
C. they are able to remove technical problems from the political arena
D. all of the above
Q:
Special Districts do not possess one of the powers granted to cities. That power is the power to
A. impose taxes on property
B. spend money on improvements
C. pass ordinances which govern such things as building codes and stray animals
D. appoint persons to serve as administrative officers
Q:
Critics of nonpartisan elections argue all but the following:
A. nonpartisan elections rob the voter of the most important symbol that they have for making choices- party labels
B. nonpartisan elections depend on personalities and extraneous matters
C. nonpartisan election undermine the political parties
D. nonpartisan elections make it easier to criticize the administration in power
Q:
A system in which candidates are voted upon by all of the citizens in the municipality is known as
A. non-partisan system
B. at-large election system
C. district election
D. proportional system
Q:
The form of city government in which the city council acts as the legislative branch and adopts such items as tax rates, budget, and ordinances and appoints an administrator to run the city is called a
A. strong-mayor council system
B. council-manager system
C. mayor-manager system
D. commission form
Q:
A city with a population of over _____ in Texas may choose to adopt a home-rule charter.
A. 1,500
B. 5,000
C. 10,000
D. 100,000
Q:
Of the 1,210 municipalities in Texas
A. a majority of the cities are general law cities
B. a majority of the cities are home-rule cities
C. a majority are unincorporated
D. a majority are controlled by the Office of Municipal Government of the State of Texas
Q:
The ability of municipal governments to control areas outside of the city limits is known as
A. annexation
B. city home-rule
C. extraterritorial jurisdiction
D. municipal governance
Q:
The form of government used by nearly all home-rule cities in Texas is the ________ form of government.
A. strong mayor-council.
B. commission
C. weak mayor-council.
D. council-manager.
Q:
Which of the following forms of local government best fits the idea of executive integration?
A. strong mayor form
B. county government
C. weak mayor council form of city government
D. commission form of city government
Q:
Prospects for reform of county government are made more difficult by which of the following?
A. opposition from big city mayors
B. opposition from urban legislators
C. opposition from state-wide political figures
D. opposition from county officials from smaller counties
Q:
Counties do not possess one of the powers granted to cities. That power is the power to
A. impose taxes on property
B. spend money on improvements such as airports and libraries
C. pass ordinances which govern such things as building codes and stray animals
D. appoint persons to serve as department heads
Q:
Which of the following have been suggested to improve management practices for counties?
A. adoption of a civil service system
B. adoption of centralized purchasing
C. unit road and bridge systems
D. all of the above have been suggested
Q:
Most county governments in Texas utilize a personnel system in which
A. employees are hired on the basis of who they have supported in political races
B. employees are not always treated fairly on salary and job related issues
C. employees are not always required to possess professional qualifications for their jobs
D. all of the above are problems
Q:
Among the problems not created by the partisanship of county government is which of the following?
A. citizens have a difficulty time determining who is responsible for solving a problem
B. commissioners often squabble over petty problems
C. politics may inhibit solving difficult problems because no one wants the blame for problems
D. county government is more bureaucratic than other levels of government
Q:
Which of the following officers of the county is responsible for preparing a budget for county operations and submitting it to the Commissions Court in counties of less than 225,000?
A. County Auditor
B. County Treasurer
C. County Judge
D. County Tax-Assessor Collector
Q:
Which of the following officials presides over the county commissioners court?
A. county judge
B. county clerk
C. county attorney
D. county sheriff
Q:
The official responsible for conducting elections in most counties is the
A. county attorney
B. county judge
C. tax assessor-collector
D. county clerk
Q:
Which of the following officials is responsible for recording wills, deed, and property records?
A. county judge
B. county clerk
C. county tax assessor-collector
D. county attorney
Q:
Which of the following is not a required function of county government?
A. administration of justice
B. custody of land titles and deeds
C. conduct of elections for the state
D. provision of sanitary waste disposal facilities
Q:
County officials are selected in which manner?
A. County officials are elected by the voters in partisan elections in November of the even year
B. County officials are selected in non-partisan elections in the odd years
C. County officials are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate
D. County officials are selected by the mayors of the cities within the county
Q:
The state of Texas picks up almost three-fourths of the cost of public schools.
Q:
School districts depend heavily on local property taxes and state assistance.
Q:
Municipal governments have the broadest source of income of any local governments.
Q:
County governments depend heavily on local property taxes as their main source of income.
Q:
Most special districts, other than school districts, are profoundly undemocratic.
Q:
Texas has more special districts than any other state in the nation.
Q:
Special districts in Texas are closely supervised by a single state agency located in the Secretary of State's office.
Q:
A special district is a unit of local government created to perform a broad variety of functions.
Q:
Most cities in Texas utilize non-partisan elections for the selection of their city council and mayor.
Q:
According to the authors, really large cities often fare best with either a mayor-council or a mayor-manager form of city government.
Q:
In the commission form of city government, the elected commissioners are responsible for running a city department and serving on the city's legislative body called the city commission.
Q:
The strong-mayor form of city government is most common among the nation's larger cities.
Q:
One of the problems with the city-manager system of city government is that the political problems of the municipality may not be addressed.
Q:
In cities which use the council-manager system of city government, the city manager is appointed by the mayor.
Q:
The most common form of city government among the smaller cities of Texas is the aldermanic form of city government.
Q:
The most common form of city government among home-rule cities is a form of the council-manager system of government.
Q:
Cities with a population greater than 5,000 are allowed to have a home-rule charter.
Q:
Significant changes in the structure and function of county government in Texas will require amendments to the Texas Constitution
Q:
Given that most Texans live in urban areas, the prospects for the reform of county government are good.
Q:
The lack of ordinance power makes it difficult for county government to protect citizens in unincorporated areas.
Q:
Most counties in Texas utilize a unit road system which pools equipment and personnel to build and maintain roads.
Q:
With the exception of a few larger counties, county government in Texas generally utilizes the spoils system to hire employees.
Q:
The emphasis on partisan politics in county government can lead to governance problems.
Q:
The only responsibility of the county sheriff is to enforce county ordinances.
Q:
County judges for the constitutional county court are required to have legal experience and a law degree.
Q:
Other than the county commissioners, all other elected county-wide officials in the county are elected at-large in partisan elections.
Q:
The county commissioners court is the final court of appeals for cases arising in the county's judicial system.
Q:
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Avery v Midland County resulted in county commissioners precincts being equal in population.
Q:
County commissioner's precincts are drawn to make sure that the precincts are equal in geographical size.
Q:
The legal status of the county is that of administrative sub-division of the state and as such counties do not have the option of home-rule.
Q:
Counties handle many state government functions such as courts, record keeping, and law enforcement.
Q:
County government is the oldest form of local government in America.
Q:
What factors account for the fact that the wealthy and the non-wealthy may receive very different justice in Texas courts? How has the legislature responded in the area of legal representation for the poor criminal defendant?
Q:
What are the two types of juries used in Texas and how is each selected? Does the traditional method of selecting trial juries insure that the poor are equally treated?
Q:
What are the main issues facing the Texas judiciary? How has the legislature responded to one of these issues?
Q:
What is the structure of the Texas appellate courts? How does this differ from that of most of the other states in the Union? How are the judges of each selected?
Q:
What are the three types of trial courts in Texas? What is the basic jurisdiction of each? How are the judges of each selected?
Q:
What are the two schools of thought concerning the method of judicial selection? What problems arise with each?
Q:
Which of the following are currently problems with the Texas criminal justice system?
A. innocent people have been convicted of crimes that they did not commit
B. guilty people have been allowed to make plea bargains and are on the streets too soon
C. there are not enough courts and judges to handle the problem efficiently
D. all of the above
Q:
Which of the following statements is most correct concerning the Texas legislature's response to the ruling by the Texas Supreme Court that the public school financing system violated the Texas Constitution?
A. the legislature immediately moved to correct the problems
B. there have been numerous efforts and half-efforts, but none have proven successful.
C. the legislature has not dealt with the problem and the courts may close the schools
D. as of the writing of the textbook, the legislature has temporarily solved the most immediate problems, but a long-term solution has not been achieved
Q:
Among the basic civil rights mentioned in the textbook are
A. the right to equal treatment under the law
B. the right to participate in the political process
C. the right to free speech and expression
D. all of the above
Q:
The Texas Fair Defense Act of 2001 attempted to remedy the problem of unequal justice by establishing
A. a public defender system for all felonies with the state providing some funding
B. a requirement that all appointed judges meet a minimum standard of ability
C. limits on death appeals
D. uniform sentencing guidelines
Q:
Which of the following is cited as reasons that the Texas judicial system does not function efficiently?
A. there are too many cases for the courts to handle effectively
B. the system of partisan elections may cause judges to avoid difficult cases
C. the need to raise campaign cash causes questions about the impartially of the judges
D. all of the above
Q:
The principal police agency in Texas is known as the
A. Department of Public Safety
B. Texas Rangers
C. Texas State Police
D. Texas Sheriffs Association
Q:
When a person agrees to plead guilty in return for a lesser punishment, that person is making a
A. common plea
B. cop-out
C. plea bargain
D. false statement
Q:
Grand Jury selection differs from that of petit (trial) juries in which of the following ways?
A. membership is determined by random drawing
B. membership is recommended by a committee appointed by the district judge charged with creating the grand jury, with the judge having the authority to strike, but not add, names to the list
C. members are appointed by the District Attorney
D. members are appointed by the District Judge charged with empanelling a grand jury
Q:
The Texas court with final jurisdiction on civil cases is the
A. Court of Criminal Appeals
B. Court of Appeals
C. Texas Supreme Court
D. District Courts
Q:
The Courts of Appeals do not have jurisdiction over
A. all criminal appeals from either the county courts or the district courts
B. all civil appeals from either the county courts or the district courts
C. cases involving the imposition of capital punishment
D. cases involving the constitutionality of laws
Q:
You have been tried and convicted in a county court of a class B misdemeanor. If you wish to appeal the case, to which court would you attempt to appeal?
A. District Court
B. the Court of Appeals for your district
C. the Texas Supreme Court
D. the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals
Q:
Mid-term vacancies in justice and county courts are filled by:
A. appointment by the governor
B. appointment by the county judge
C. special elections
D. appointment by the county commissioner's court of the county