Category: Writing

Which of the following sentences contains an indirect object? A Melissa walked to the grocery store for milk. B Dante skimmed the magazine while waiting in the lobby. C Jorge assigned the class some math problems. D Sara went to the movie with Amal.

The fallacy of denying the antecedent, like all fallacies, has a powerful, descriptive name. Why is this fallacy called “denying the antecedent”? What is an “antecedent” in an argument and what does it mean to “deny” it? Give a thorough explanation for each question.

Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
What reasons might explain why someone (think about the different people during these times) would prefer the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution?
What were the major changes between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution?

Choice the correct answer
1. The Constitution of 1869 gave the government expanded powers, including
A. the power to appoint half of the members of the legislature.
B. the power to appoint sheriffs and constables.
C. the power to appoint judges.
D. the power to appoint members of the plural executive.
2. The Constitution of 1836 showed the direct influence of the U.S. Constitution through the inclusion of which of the following?
A. state retention of ownership of mineral rights
B. a unicameral legislature
C. a judicial system with four levels
D. government divided into three branches with a system of checks and balances
3. State constitutions are designed to perform which of the following functions?
A. to establish the mechanisms through which school districts determine grade-appropriate curricula including textbook selections
B. to ensure that power is concentrated in a unitary executive branch
C. to ensure that free, fair, and frequent elections are conducted by the federal government
D. to define the limits of power, delegate power to different institutions and individuals, and set up local governments
4. Thinking about the constitutions of Texas and the United States, both are based upon which fundamental idea?
A. The best way to prevent tyranny is to give each branch of government a little bit of control over the other branches through the process of checks and balances.
B. Political power is condensed into one unitary government to streamline the decision-making process and make it more effective.
C. the idea of community rights
D. the subordinate role that Texas has in the federal system
5. …Which of the following was a consequence of Presidential Reconstruction?
A. Former slaves were granted full rights of citizenship in the Constitution of 1866.
B. The Texas Legislature was dominated by a faction known as the “Radical Republicans” who were able to create a legislative agenda that would set the framework for the next 100 years of policy in the state.
C. Since many of the people writing the Constitution of 1866 were former secessionists, this document still reflected many of the same values of the Constitution of 1861, such as denying freed slaves the right to vote or the ability to hold public office.
D. Former Confederates were disenfranchised and prevented from voting for a specified period of time.
6. The Constitution of 1876 limits the power of government through elements such as
A. limiting the governor to serving only two terms in office.
B. limiting members of the Texas Legislature to serving only two terms in office.
C.  the requiring approval of the voters to finalize judicial appointments.
D.  regulating and limiting the government’s ability to take on debt or tax citizens.

1) While new technologies such as horizontal drilling and fracking have allowed greater access to oil and natural gas in Texas, these technologies also raised environmental concerns mostly due to
a. their need for substantial amounts of electricity.
b. their need for substantial amounts of water.
c. their need for substantial amounts of land on all sides of each well.
d. the lower quality of oil or gas produced by this method.
2) Texas requires voters to show a state-issued photo ID in order to vote. Voters without a driver’s license or other form of state-issued ID can obtain a Texas election identification certificate at no cost to the voter. Why does the state provide these election identification certificates for free?
a. All legal residents of Texas are entitled to one free government-issued ID card every four years.
b. These cards are part of a get out the vote effort conducted by the Secretary of State’s office.
c. The federal government requires that every state keep track of all residents, and therefore all legal residents are required to have at least one state-issued ID card.
d. Requiring voters to pay for something that is necessary to vote would be a poll tax, which is unconstitutional.
3) One of the primary goals of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was to
a) eliminate the need for any form of passport or documentation to travel between the United States, Mexico, or Canada.
b. reduce the role of international trade on the economy of the United States.
c. integrate the means of production across the borders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
d. eliminate or lower tariffs among Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
4) The framers of the Constitution of 1876 created a rigid and highly detailed document that provided clear instructions for how government should operate. As a result of this,
a. the Constitution must be replaced every 25 years to ensure that it is current with today’s requirements.
b. the Constitution is one of the shortest constitutions of any state in the United States today.
c. the Constitution has needed to be amended infrequently.
d. the Constitution must be amended in order to address policy changes brought about by advances in our society including things like cars, electricity, and the internet.
5) The Compromise of 1850, which was passed by the U.S. Congress,
a. allows Texas to divide itself into as many as seven separate states.
b. stated that Texas was responsible for reimbursing the federal government for costs incurred in defending Texas in any military actions.
c. established permanent borders for the State of Texas.
d. mandated that Texas must sell all public lands within five years.
6) The Constitution of Coahuila y Tejas (1824) created a unicameral legislature. How is a unicameral legislature different from a bicameral legislature?
a. A unicameral legislature has one house or chamber, while a bicameral legislature has two houses or chambers.
b. A bicameral legislature has one house or chamber, while a unicameral legislature has at least two houses or chambers.
c. A unicameral legislature is presided over by the Lieutenant Governor, while a bicameral legislature is presided over by the Speaker of the House.
d. A unicameral legislature is based on the idea of separation of powers, while a bicameral legislature is based on the idea of checks and balances.
7) Which of the following is listed in the Texas Bill of Rights, but is not in the U.S. Bill of Rights?
a. The right to freedom of expression such as free speech and a free press.
b. Protections from unreasonable searches and seizure of personal property.
c. A list of rights guaranteed to victims of crime, such as the right to restitution and the right to be protected from the accused.
d. Powers not specifically delegated to the Texas government in the Constitution belong to the federal government.
8) Why did Texas need to create a new constitution in 1861?
a. Constitutions must be revised every few years as a matter of good governance, and 1861 was the date for the next scheduled revision.
b. After Texas joined the Confederacy in February 1861, a new constitution was needed since Texas was no longer part of the United States.
c. Texas was no longer part of the Confederacy in 1861, so the constitution needed to be rewritten to reflect that status.
d. The Constitution of the United States was amended requiring that all states adopt unicameral legislatures, therefore the Texas Constitution had to be rewritten.
9) If you travel from Texas to Kansas, your driver’s license must be recognized as giving you the legal authorization to drive a car in Kansas due to which component of the U.S. Constitution?
a. the full faith and credit clause
b. the elastic clause
c. the supremacy clause
d. the public policy exception
10) Dual sovereignty allows both the federal and state governments to do which of the following?
a. It prevents federal and state governments from having any form of overlapping jurisdiction.
b. It allows states to pass laws that contradict federal laws.
c. It permits both the federal and state governments to pass and enforce their own laws even if they overlap.
d. It allows both the federal and state governments the ability to request preclearance before either the level of government amends its constitution.
11) In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled that the Second Amendment right to “keep and bear arms” was a fundamental right and also applied at the state level. This is an example of
a. application of the supremacy clause.
b. the public policy exception.
c. the incorporation of the Bill of Rights.
d. one of the consequences of dual sovereignty.
12) Texas is among several states that have decided to take what action in response to the Affordable Care Act?
a. agree to expand access to Medicaid
b. refuse to expand access to Medicaid
c. state health insurance exchanges
d. automatically enroll all residents in a state-run insurance program.
13) If someone has a medical permit that allows them to possess and consume marijuana in one state, why can it still be illegal for that person to possess and consume marijuana in Texas?
a. The doctrine of dual federalism creates a multilayered approach where states can decide which actions they will recognize and which actions they will not.
b. Under the public policy exception, states do not have to give “full faith and credit” to actions by another state if those actions are viewed as being against the policy goals of the state.
c. Only the national government can decide which states can have legal marijuana, and Texas has not yet been approved by the federal government for legalization.
d. The Tenth Amendment says that states can set their own laws and policies, even if they overrule federal law.
14) The idea of “separate but equal” allowed states to do what?
a. States could set different dates for each party to conduct its primary elections.
b. States could set up different rules to govern cities based on their population.
c. States could segregate people based on race, as long as equal facilities were provided.
d. States could decide whether or not they wanted to recognize actions taken in other states.
15) If you were brought to the United States illegally by your parents when you were a young child, which policy protects you from deportation and allows you to work legally in the United States?
a. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
b. Letting Children Stay and Work (LCSW)
c. Protecting Vulnerable Arrivals (PVAS)
d. Welcoming Immigrants Safely Home (WISH)
16) If you were brought to the United States illegally by your parents when you were a young child, which policy protects you from deportation and allows you to work legally in the United States?
a. Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
b. Letting Children Stay and Work (LCSW)
c. Protecting Vulnerable Arrivals (PVAS)
d. Welcoming Immigrants Safely Home (WISH)
17) After the Civil War, much of the area that had been part of the former Confederacy was under military occupation. This period is known as
a. Reconstruction.
b. Reintegration.
c. Reabsorption.
d. Reconstitution.
18) Which of the following is a consequence of the elastic clause?
a. The federal government often exercises powers in areas originally reserved for the states.
b. States have to recognize contracts entered into in other states such as driver licenses.
c. States can refuse to enforce or recognize actions of another state if it violates the policy of that state.
d. It only applies to activities of the state governments and not the federal government.
19) With categorical grants,
a. states are given money from the federal government to solve issues and problems, but must work with actors in the private sector.
b. federal funds are used to solve issues and problems within states, but state and local governments are bypassed and excluded.
c. states are given money from the federal government to spend on any issues or problems within the state that the state government determines are priorities.
d. states are given money from the federal government to spend on specific issues or to solve specific problems that are determined by the federal government.
20. Which of the following requires state governments to spend their own money to meet standards imposed on them by the federal government?
a. categorical grants
b. block grants
c. program grants
d. unfunded mandates

How have federal programs affected state and national welfare policies? Correct Answer(s) The New Deal caused the federal government to be far more involved in welfare programs. The policies created by Lyndon Johnson’s War on Poverty further expanded federal funding and welfare programs. In the 1990s, Texas’s proposals for welfare reform lagged far behind the federal government’s proposals.

Which of the following makes a true statement? (3 points) The Constitution itself without its amendments contains no protections for individual rights. The Constitution limits the powers of governments as one way of securing individual rights. The Bill of Rights clearly and definitively lists specific situations where rights can be limited. The Bill of Rights contains many loopholes government can use in order to restrict rights.