Deck 7: The Politics of Interest Groups

Question 1

What is the best definition of a lobbyist?

A) Someone who works to get a candidate elected to office
B) Someone who sits on a congressional committee
C) Someone who attempts to influence the decision making of lawmakers
D) Someone who issues rulings on major court cases
E) Someone who organizes protest marches and acts of civil disobedience

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which interest group technique would be illegal in the state of Texas?

A) A lobbyist has flowers delivered to a legislator for her birthday.
B) A lobbyist sends an elected official a report outlining legislation his group would like to see passed.
C) A lobbyist invites a legislator to her home for a dinner party.
D) A lobbyist gives a pistol worth $250 to a senator's chief of staff.
E) A lobbyist gives a painting worth $5,000 to a member of the Texas House of Representatives.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

A social interest group would be least likely to get involved in which of the following issues?

A) School prayer
B) Women's rights
C) Bilingual education
D) Civil rights
E) Highway funding

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Which of the following generalizations regarding interest group leadership is correct?

A) Interest group decisions are usually made by an active minority of the membership.
B) Leadership roles in interest groups are widely shared among many active members.
C) Elected officials are usually the leaders of interest groups.
D) Most interest group members can afford to devote significant time to interest group activities.
E) Members of most interest groups must pay additional fees in order to rise to leadership positions.

Question 5

Angela is a member of an interest group.She is actively campaigning in support of candidates who support her group's agenda.Which interest group activity is Angela engaging in?

A) Lobbying
B) Grassroots pressure
C) Electioneering
D) Bribery
E) Sloganeering

Question 6

The Texas Association of Business (TAB)is an example of which type of group?

A) A trade association
B) A trade union
C) An umbrella organization
D) A public interest group
E) A political action committee

Question 7

Which of the following statements regarding the Texas Tea Party is true?

A) It has become a powerful faction within the Texas Republican Party.
B) It is a political party that formed to challenge both the Republican and Democratic parties.
C) It is an interest group that promotes the interests of tea growers and distributors.
D) It has become a minor faction within the Texas Democratic Party.
E) Its influence has weakened considerably since the election of Donald Trump as president.

Question 8

Which of the following is the most commonly employed strategy of influencing legislation?

A) Debating with legislators to prove them wrong
B) Providing legislators with relevant information
C) Abandoning the legislature and lobbying the governor
D) Providing cash bribes to legislators to change their votes
E) Organizing volunteers to call,write,and email elected officials

Question 9

Which of the following goals would a business organization be least likely to pursue?

A) Tax reductions,breaks,and subsidies
B) Limits on lawsuits against corporations
C) Fewer concessions to labor unions
D) Increased safety and environmental standards
E) A freeze on minimum wage increases

Question 10

Which constitutional right is the foundation of the right to form and participate in interest groups?

A) Free speech
B) Right of association
C) Right to vote
D) Equal protection under the laws
E) The right to a fair trial

Question 11

Which of the following statements regarding women in Texas politics is true?

A) There are a variety of women's interest groups in Texas promoting equal rights,greater political participation,and other issues of general importance.
B) Women have not yet organized into interest groups in Texas.
C) There are a few women's interest groups,but they mostly focus on economic growth and law enforcement issues.
D) Organizations representing women are more numerous and more powerful than organizations representing any other group.
E) Most interest groups with a large female membership are partisan political interest groups.

Question 12

In response to big spending by lobbyists,Texas voters in 1991 approved a constitutional amendment to create which state agency?

A) Texas Ethics Commission
B) Texas Rangers Association
C) Texas Governor's Association
D) Texas Common Cause
E) Texas Lobbyist Association

Question 13

Which of these is an example of a labor organization that is active in Texas?

A) Communication Workers of America
B) League of United Latin American Citizens
C) Texas Independent Producers and Royalty Owners Association
D) Texas Health Care Association
E) Texas State Employees Association

Question 14

In their grassroots and electioneering efforts,interest groups are increasingly turning to which tactic?

A) Paying lobbyists to write legislation
B) Using the Internet and social media
C) Providing campaign advice to candidates for office
D) Relying on direct mail and phone banking
E) Sending gifts to and providing favors for selected legislators

Question 15

Which of the following interest group techniques is considered illegal and unethical?

A) Lobbying
B) Campaign financing
C) Providing favors and gifts
D) Electioneering
E) Offering bribes to elected officials

Question 16

How do interest groups try to influence public policy?

A) By lobbying only one specific political party
B) By working only with a political party's leaders
C) By lobbying government officials regardless of party affiliation
D) By ignoring key decision makers in the political process
E) By ignoring politicians entirely and taking their case to the people

Question 17

Which of the following interest groups would be an example of a professional group in Texas?

A) Teamsters
B) National Rifle Association
C) Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants
D) League of United Latin American Citizens
E) Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund

Question 18

Which of the following statements regarding labor organizations in Texas is true?

A) Labor groups are not as numerous or as powerful as business-related groups in Texas.
B) Labor groups are more numerous but less powerful than business-related groups in Texas.
C) Labor groups are more numerous and more powerful than business-related groups in Texas.
D) Labor groups are not as numerous but are more powerful than business-related groups in Texas.
E) Labor groups and business-related groups have just about equal membership and power in Texas.

Question 19

Which occupational group is least likely to have a large representation in an interest group?

A) Lawyers
B) Accountants
C) Physicians
D) Receptionists
E) Teachers

Question 20

What are the two principal ways in which the United States achieves a decentralized governing structure?

A) Republicanism and checks and balances
B) Republicanism and federalism
C) Federalism and checks and balances
D) Federalism and separation of powers
E) Popular sovereignty and separation of powers

Question 21

When are so-called "late train" campaign donations typically made?

A) Within two weeks after a candidate announces he or she is running for office
B) During the regular legislative session
C) In the week leading up to Election Day
D) On Election Day
E) Immediately following the November election into early December

Question 22

What did the U.S.Supreme Court do in the case of NAACP v.Alabama (1958)?

A) Recognized that all persons are created equal
B) Recognized the right of association as part of the First Amendment
C) Ruled that provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment were applicable to the states
D) Ruled that the poll tax was unconstitutional and discriminatory
E) Declared that corporations have the same civil rights as individual citizens

Question 23

Which of the following statements best explains campaign finance laws for candidates running for a seat in the Texas legislature?

A) There is no limit on how much a PAC may contribute directly to a campaign.
B) There is no limit on how much a corporation can donate directly to a campaign.
C) There is no limit on how much a labor union can donate directly to a campaign.
D) There are no disclosure requirements for campaigns and lobbyists.
E) There are limits on how much a PAC can raise,but not on how much it may contribute to a campaign.

Question 24

To what does the political term grassroots refer?

A) An activity that begins locally and spreads to broader areas
B) An activity that starts at the state level and works down
C) Lobbying efforts related to agriculture
D) An interest group technique that has produced little or no growth
E) Legislation that has an impact on the environment

Question 25

Which of the following statements regarding interest group organizational patterns in the United States is true?

A) All interest groups in the United States are highly decentralized.
B) All interest groups in the United States are highly centralized.
C) Some are highly centralized,and others have a decentralized organizational structure.
D) Interest groups at the state level are highly decentralized,while national interest groups are highly centralized.
E) Interest groups in states with strong political parties must be decentralized by necessity.

Question 26

What is the name for an organization of individuals with similar views that tries to influence government to respond favorably to its views?

A) Voluntary association
B) Benevolent society
C) Interest group
D) Political party
E) Social club

Question 27

What is the principal purpose of political party activity?

A) To achieve changes through the constitutional amendment process
B) To gain control of government by winning elections and thus achieve party goals
C) To influence public officials who are already in office to respond to the party's goals
D) To obtain favorable treatment for party members in governmental activities
E) To find suitable candidates to run for political office on the party's behalf

Question 28

How may corporations in Texas legally contribute money to a political candidate?

A) Through a political action committee
B) Directly through the union that represents its workers
C) Directly from the corporation's funds
D) Through a special state tax transfer fund
E) By limiting their direct contributions to less than $2,000 per candidate

Question 29

The Christian Coalition would be most likely to promote which of the following?

A) Banning same-sex marriage
B) Allowing women unrestricted access to abortion and contraception
C) Financing a national health insurance program
D) Programs to provide food and health care to the poor
E) Fewer restrictions on immigrants from neighboring nations

Question 30

Under the provisions of legislation approved by the Texas Ethics Commission,which interest group activity is still legal in the state of Texas?

A) Lobbyists providing more than $500 in food and drink annually for a lawmaker
B) Campaign contributions from political action committees
C) Honoraria in recognition of professional services
D) Lobby-paid pleasure trips for elected officials
E) Lobbyists giving an official a contribution in the Capitol building itself

Question 31

What action did the Texas legislature take following the Sharpstown Bank scandal?

A) Banned lobbyists from the Capitol building in Austin
B) Prevented lobbyists from giving cash payments to lawmakers
C) Prohibited former Texas legislators from becoming lobbyists for Texas interest groups
D) Changed laws allowing gifts to exchange hands between state Senate and House members
E) Prohibited candidates for Speaker from giving anything of value to supporters in the House

Question 32

Who selects the members of the Texas Ethics Commission?

A) Voters in a general election
B) The Texas state legislature
C) The Texas governor,lieutenant governor,and House Speaker
D) The U.S.Congress
E) The chief justice of the Texas Supreme Court

Question 33

Which of the following is not a reason for the growth and diversity of interest groups in the United States?

A) A political culture that values the right of association and citizen organizations
B) A decentralized government structure that provides many access points
C) A lack of unified and responsible political parties
D) The increasing complexity of American society
E) The breakdown of the traditional two-parent nuclear family in the United States

Question 34

About how many registered lobbyists were there in Texas at the start of the 86th legislative session in 2019?

A) 27
B) 270
C) 2,700
D) 27,000
E) 270,000

Question 35

Which of the following is an example of an electioneering technique?

A) Coordinating a "Get Out the Vote" (GOTV)campaign
B) Having lunch with elected officials to establish personal relationships
C) Getting group members to email or call legislators to influence their vote on an important issue
D) Testifying at a committee hearing
E) Sending a legislator front-row tickets to an Astros game

Question 36

Texas legislators would be unlikely to identify which type of interest group as a "power group"?

A) Public interest groups advocating campaign finance reform
B) An interest group representing oil and gas companies
C) A professional association representing physicians
D) A trade association representing the tobacco industry
E) A teacher organization such as the Texas American Federation of Teachers

Question 37

Which of the following causes would the Texas Freedom Network be unlikely to support?

A) Defending civil liberties
B) Strengthening public schools
C) Protecting religious freedom
D) Defending the traditional family
E) Eliminating references to evolution in textbooks

Question 38

What name is given to interest groups organized to promote policies that maximize profits and wages for their members?

A) Economic interest groups
B) Social groups
C) Public interest groups
D) Social movements
E) Free-market interest groups

Question 39

Which organization would most likely mount a vigorous campaign to oppose a reduction in the staffing levels of the Texas Rehabilitation Commission?

A) Christian Coalition
B) Texas Public Employees Association
C) Texas Association of Business
D) AFL-CIO
E) National Rifle Association

Question 40

How often must the details of political contributions and expenditures of candidates be filed with the Texas Ethics Commission?

A) Between two and seven times each year
B) Every seven years
C) Between four and seven times each biennium
D) Only once during the campaign process
E) On a monthly basis

Question 41

What was the impact of the Citizens United v.Federal Election Commission case in 2009?

Question 42

Identify and discuss the factors that contribute to the success or effectiveness of interest groups.Which factors seem most important?

Question 43

Common Cause Texas is an example of which type of interest group?

A) A public interest group
B) A trade association
C) A trade union
D) An umbrella organization
E) A religion-based group

Question 44

Describe how interest groups attempt to influence elections through electioneering and campaign financing.Explain the role and influence of political action committees (PACs)in this process.

Question 45

Explain the difference between the legal gifts and favors that a lobbyist may provide and illegal bribery.

Question 46

What is an interest group,and how is it different from a political party?

Question 47

Based on what you have learned about interest group membership and objectives,and using your career goals as a starting point,which type of interest group are you more likely to join and why? Assess the strength of your potential group relative to other kinds of groups active in Texas politics.

Question 48

Describe how lobbyists attempt to influence elected officials through personal contact and through grassroots mobilization.How might these techniques enhance representative government,and how might they distort the democratic process?

Question 49

Describe the different types of social groups in Texas,and explain why they exist.

Question 50

Distinguish between a professional interest group and a public employee interest group.In what ways are their goals and membership different? Which of the two would be more likely to attract public school teachers as members?

Question 51

What effect does the decentralized structure of Texas politics and governance have on the ability of interest groups to influence public policy?

A) It decreases the ability of interest groups to influence public policy.
B) It eliminates the ability of interest groups to influence public policy.
C) It increases the ability of interest groups to influence public policy.
D) It benefits economic and professional interest groups only.
E) It benefits single-issue interest groups only.

Question 52

Distinguish between a business group and a labor group.In what ways are their goals and membership different? Despite their differences,what makes them both "economic" interest groups?

Question 53

Why does Texas have weak political parties and strong interest groups,when its characteristics would lead researchers to expect the opposite?

Question 54

Explain why interest groups in Texas have proliferated over the last few decades.What are the potential positive and negative aspects of this proliferation?

Question 55

What name is given to individuals who receive benefits from an interest group without paying the cost of membership?

A) Fifth wheels
B) Party poopers
C) Scabs
D) Hangers-on
E) Free riders

Question 56

How are interest groups regulated? Are these regulations effective?

Question 57

Describe the characteristics of interest groups,distinguishing between an interest group and a political party.In what ways are their goals and membership different? In what ways do they interact with one another?

Question 58

Compare and contrast centralized and decentralized structures of interest groups.Which,if either,seems to work best? Is there any special reason why an interest group would choose one structure over the other?

Question 59

Interest groups in Texas must operate under the laws of the state.What are the state regulations regarding interest groups,and how are they enforced? Comment on the perceived effectiveness of these regulations in Texas.