Texas History Test Risk Assessment & Management 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During the Texas Revolution, which battle represented the greatest strategic risk miscalculation by Mexican General Santa Anna?
- Splitting his forces before the Battle of San Jacinto (Correct answer)
- Retreating from the Alamo prematurely
- Refusing to engage Texian forces at Gonzales
- Abandoning his artillery at the Nueces River
Correct answer: Splitting his forces before the Battle of San Jacinto
Santa Anna split his forces while pursuing fleeing Texians, leaving his main column vulnerable to Sam Houston's surprise attack at San Jacinto.
Question 2: What risk management principle did Stephen F. Austin apply when negotiating the terms of his original land grant with the Mexican government?
- Demanding immediate full autonomy for colonists
- Accepting incremental concessions while building political capital (Correct answer)
- Threatening military action if terms were denied
- Bypassing Mexican officials and appealing directly to Spain
Correct answer: Accepting incremental concessions while building political capital
Austin strategically accepted incremental gains and built trust with Mexican officials over time rather than demanding everything at once.
Question 3: Which environmental hazard posed the greatest recurring risk to early Anglo-American settlers of the Texas Gulf Coast?
- Earthquakes and volcanic activity
- Hurricanes and flooding from tropical storms (Correct answer)
- Prolonged droughts and desertification
- Blizzards and extreme cold snaps
Correct answer: Hurricanes and flooding from tropical storms
The Texas Gulf Coast was regularly struck by powerful hurricanes, most devastatingly illustrated by the 1900 Galveston hurricane.
Question 4: How did the Republic of Texas manage its financial risk of near-bankruptcy in the early 1840s?
- Imposing heavy tariffs on all foreign trade
- Negotiating annexation with the United States as a long-term solution (Correct answer)
- Selling large land grants to European investors
- Defaulting on all debts and starting fresh
Correct answer: Negotiating annexation with the United States as a long-term solution
Republic leaders pursued U.S. annexation partly because the Republic's debt and financial instability made long-term sovereignty unsustainable.
Question 5: What risk did Texas cattlemen face during long drives on the Chisholm Trail in the 1870s that most threatened their profit margins?
- Attacks by professional cattle rustlers in organized gangs
- Stampedes triggered by storms, gunfire, or sudden movements
- Quarantine laws preventing entry into Kansas markets (Correct answer)
- Flooding of river crossings during spring drives
Correct answer: Quarantine laws preventing entry into Kansas markets
Kansas and Missouri enforced quarantine laws against Texas longhorns carrying tick fever, forcing trail bosses to find alternate routes or markets.
Question 6: Which risk factor most influenced Sam Houston's decision to delay the Battle of San Jacinto rather than attack Santa Anna immediately?
- Waiting for reinforcements from the United States Army
- Allowing his troops to rest and the enemy to become complacent (Correct answer)
- Receiving artillery support from the Texas Navy
- Securing a defensive river position before engaging
Correct answer: Allowing his troops to rest and the enemy to become complacent
Houston delayed to allow his outnumbered, exhausted troops to recover while Santa Anna's forces, believing themselves safe, relaxed their guard.
Question 7: What risk management measure did early Texas ranchers implement to protect cattle herds during harsh winter norther storms?
- Relocating entire herds to Mexico during winter months
- Building drift fences to prevent cattle from wandering south and dying in ravines (Correct answer)
- Breeding longhorns with European stock for cold resistance
- Keeping cattle in enclosed barns through the winter season
Correct answer: Building drift fences to prevent cattle from wandering south and dying in ravines
Ranchers erected drift fences to stop cattle from running before northers and piling up against obstacles, causing mass deaths.
Texas History Test Risk Assessment & Management 2
During the Texas Revolution, which battle represented the greatest strategic risk miscalculation by Mexican General Santa Anna?