Question 1

According to Harold Laswell, politics is best defined as:

Accepted Answer

The distribution of goods and services among people

Question 2

Which type of good is both rivalrous and excludable, and is efficiently distributed by markets?

Accepted Answer

Private good

Question 3

What is the main problem associated with non-excludable goods?

Accepted Answer

Free-rider problem

Question 4

Which tribe was known as the 'Lords of the Plains' and became dominant after acquiring horses?

Accepted Answer

Comanche

Question 5

The concept of 'path dependence' in politics means:

Accepted Answer

Once a solution is adopted, it tends to persist until it fails

Question 6

Which geological period is responsible for the oil and shale beds in Texas due to mass extinction and sea deposits?

Accepted Answer

Cretaceous

Question 7

What was the primary goal of Spanish missions in Texas?

Accepted Answer

To convert Native Americans to Catholicism and Spanish citizenship

Question 8

Which group of settlers was uniquely suited to the Texas frontier due to their warrior culture and rejection of European hierarchy?

Accepted Answer

Anglo-Celts

Question 9

During the French and Indian War, control of which river was considered a strategic asset for trade and expansion?

Accepted Answer

Mississippi River

Question 10

Which constitutional principle is NOT one of the four key principles of the Texas Constitution of 1876?

Accepted Answer

Judicial supremacy

Question 11

What was the main reason the Anglo-Celts migrated westward into Texas after the War of 1812?

Accepted Answer

To seek new land and opportunities, driven by their borderer instinct

Question 12

Which of the following best describes the 'Empresario' system in late Spanish control of Texas?

Accepted Answer

A system where land was managed by appointed colonizers who recruited settlers

Question 13

Which event directly led to the United States acquiring the Mississippi River and clarifying Texas as Spanish territory?

Accepted Answer

The Louisiana Purchase

Question 14

Which Texas tribe lived in the Eastern Piney Woods, built villages, and engaged in trade, but died out due to European diseases?

Accepted Answer

Caddo

Question 15

What was the main impact of Amerind commodities on global agriculture in the 20th century?

Accepted Answer

They contributed roughly 3/5 of global agricultural products

Question 16

Which principle of politics explains why institutional rules are necessary to solve collective action problems?

Accepted Answer

Institutions routinely help solve collective action problems

Question 17

Why did the Spanish missions in Texas ultimately fail to create a Hispanicized core population?

Accepted Answer

Native populations died out, moved away, or became hostile

Question 18

Which constitutional amendment process is unique to Texas compared to the U.S. Constitution?

Accepted Answer

Requires publication in newspapers and majority approval by state voters

Question 19

Which of the following is NOT a function of the Texas Legislature?

Accepted Answer

Enforcing laws

Question 20

Which group was most opposed to Texas annexation due to concerns about slavery?

Accepted Answer

The Whig Party of the Northeast

Foundations of Texas Politics and Government: Historical and Institutional Context

Study Guide - Practice Questions