Question 1

Which of the following is not a description of an interest group?
A) Its members pursue a common goal.
B) It attempts to affect public policy.
C) Members seek to achieve their desired goals through political means.
D) It is usually made up of a large number of people.
E) It is typically active only at the national level of government.

Accepted Answer

While interest groups can be active at various levels of government, they are not typically limited to the national level. Some interest groups may focus their efforts on state, local, or even global policy issues.

Question 2

______ was the former Texas Speaker of the House who was indicted for taking an illegal gift from a law firm that specialized in collecting delinquent taxes for local governments.
A) "Gib" Lewis
B) "Pete" Laney
C) Bill Ratliff
D) Tom Craddick
E) Sam Rayburn

Accepted Answer

"Gib" Lewis was indicted for taking an illegal gift from a law firm that specialized in collecting delinquent taxes for local governments.

Question 3

Which of the following is the farmers' interest group that influenced the writing of the Texas Constitution of 1876?
A) the Grange
B) the 8F Group
C) EMILY's List
D) the Texas Natural Resource Council
E) the Texas Farm Bureau Association

Accepted Answer

The Grange, also known as the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, was a farmers' interest group that was active in Texas during the late 1800s. They advocated for pro-farmer policies and played a significant role in the drafting of the Texas Constitution of 1876.

Question 4

The largest and most effective public employee interest group in Texas is made up of
A) firefighters.
B) police officers.
C) teachers.
D) justices of the peace.
E) autoworkers.

Accepted Answer

The largest and most effective public employee interest group in Texas is the Texas State Teachers Association (TSTA), representing over 68,000 teachers and school personnel.

Question 5

The 8F Crowd was
A) an influential cartel of political activists who wrote the Texas Constitution of 1876.
B) a loose but influential group of Texas businessmen.
C) the first Latino civil rights organization in Texas.
D) a group of corrupt politicians dependent on bribery during the early twentieth century.
E) a group of eight Florida businessmen who came to Texas hoping to get elected to the Texas legislature.

Accepted Answer

The 8F Crowd was a loose but influential group of Texas businessmen who exerted significant political influence in the state during the early twentieth century. They were known for using their wealth and influence to control legislative politics and promote their own business interests.

Question 6

Which of the following is not a reason that interest groups are useful to politicians?
A) Interest groups provide necessary information and expertise to politicians.
B) Campaign funding often comes from interest groups.
C) Interest groups provide politicians with an agenda on which they may run for office.
D) Interest groups can mobilize voters and mount publicity campaigns.
E) Interest groups can supply campaigns with workers.

Accepted Answer

Interest groups primarily serve to influence policy and politicians by providing expertise, funding, and mobilizing support rather than setting a politician's entire agenda for office. While they may influence or suggest policy directions, politicians typically develop their own platforms based on a variety of inputs and considerations.

Question 7

Which of the following groups have had notable political success by litigating in federal courts?
A) professional groups
B) public employee interest groups
C) civil rights groups
D) chemical company lobbyists
E) business lobbyists

Accepted Answer

Civil rights groups have had notable political success by litigating in federal courts. Examples include the success of Brown v. Board of Education in desegregating schools and the Supreme Court rulings in cases such as Loving v. Virginia and Obergefell v. Hodges, which established the constitutional right to marry regardless of race or sexual orientation, respectively. While professional groups, public employee interest groups, business lobbyists, and chemical company lobbyists may also engage in litigation, they have not had the same level of political success as civil rights groups in federal courts.

Question 8

Bribery is
A) a common practice with lobbyists.
B) legal as long as the payoff is publicized.
C) a rare, but not unheard of, problem in Texas today.
D) most commonly offered in the form of steak dinners.
E) unheard of in Texas politics due to the stiff penalties involved.

Accepted Answer

Bribery is still a problem in Texas today, although it may not be as prevalent as in the past. While lobbyists may be involved, bribery is not legal even if the payoff is publicized. There is no specific form in which bribery is commonly offered. The penalty for bribery can be stiff, but it still occurs despite the potential consequences.

Question 9

Which interest is not represented in a list of the top interest groups in Texas?
A) trial lawyers
B) the environment
C) the gas and oil industry
D) public employees
E) agriculture

Accepted Answer

The question asks which interest is NOT represented in the list, and options A, C, D, and E are all listed as top interest groups in Texas. Therefore, the correct answer is B, the environment, as it is not listed in the top interest groups.

Question 10

The practice of combining several individual campaign contributions into one larger contribution from a group in order to increase the group's impact is known as
A) bribery.
B) PAC-ing.
C) bundling.
D) soft money.
E) hard money.

Accepted Answer

Bundling is the practice of combining several individual contributions into one larger contribution from a group. This allows the group to have a greater impact on the election while still abiding by contribution limits set by federal law. Bribery involves offering money or gifts to influence someone's actions, PAC-ing refers to the creation and funding of political action committees, soft money is money given to political parties for party-building activities, and hard money is donations directly to candidates or political parties subject to federal contribution limits.

Question 11

Which of the following is the best example of a public interest group?
A) the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund
B) the Texas Medical Association
C) Common Cause
D) Texans for Lawsuit Reform
E) the Texas Bar Association

Accepted Answer

Common Cause is a nonpartisan public interest group that advocates for political reform and government accountability, with a focus on issues such as campaign finance, voting rights, and ethics in government. The other groups listed are more focused on specific professional or ethnic interests, or on specific policy issues.

Question 12

All of the following are benefits an interest group has over private citizens EXCEPT
A) interest groups have staffs with greater expertise than one person can have.
B) individuals often do not have the necessary time to lobby government.
C) interest groups have greater legitimacy with politicians than citizens do.
D) interest groups usually have access to more money and other material resources than individual citizens.
E) interest groups provide a way for individuals to pool money together to get more "bang for the buck."

Accepted Answer

Interest groups do not necessarily have greater legitimacy with politicians than individual citizens do. In fact, politicians are generally supposed to represent the interests and concerns of all their constituents, not just those of interest groups.

Question 13

Lobbyists can do all of the following except
A) provide information to politicians.
B) write bills.
C) testify before legislative committees.
D) entertain politicians.
E) none-lobbyists can do all of the above.

Accepted Answer

Lobbyists can indeed provide information to politicians, write bills (or draft language for bills), testify before legislative committees, and entertain politicians as part of their efforts to influence legislation and policy. Therefore, none of the options listed are exceptions to what lobbyists can do.

Question 14

The Texas Medical Association is best described as what kind of interest group?
A) professional
B) pubic employee
C) public interest
D) ideological
E) civil rights

Accepted Answer

The Texas Medical Association represents the professional interests of physicians in Texas.

Question 15

Interest groups are often powerful in states
A) with a strong two-party rivalry.
B) dominated by one party.
C) that have a weak or nonexistent party system.
D) with powerful third parties.
E) with low voter turnout.

Accepted Answer

Interest groups are often powerful in states that are dominated by one party because they can focus their efforts on influencing a smaller group of decision-makers. In states with strong two-party rivalry or a weak or nonexistent party system, interest groups may struggle to gain influence or may have to appeal to a broader range of decision-makers. Powerful third parties may also dilute the influence of interest groups by creating additional decision-making bodies to influence. Low voter turnout may limit the overall influence of interest groups by reducing the number of people who can be mobilized to support their causes.

Question 16

Texas has ______ laws dealing with lobbying by former government officials.
A) no
B) numerous
C) weak
D) strong
E) two

Accepted Answer

The answer of Texas has ______ laws dealing with lobbying...

Question 17

What did "Bo" Pilgrim do in 1989?
A) He distributed $10,000 checks to state senators while lobbying them on a bill.
B) He established the first political action committee devoted solely to Texas politics.
C) He united a number of food production companies to create a single-industry lobbying group.
D) He was convicted of bribing three Texas legislators with promises of free fried chicken for life.
E) He bought a number of votes on a controversial bill by offering legislators free turkeys for Thanksgiving.

Accepted Answer

In 1989, "Bo" Pilgrim distributed $10,000 checks to state senators while lobbying them on a bill, an action that drew significant attention and criticism.

Question 18

One important way for interest groups to gain access to those in Texas government is to employ ______ as lobbyists.
A) retired sports stars
B) political science majors
C) Republican campaign consultants
D) former legislators and government officials
E) celebrities

Accepted Answer

Former legislators and government officials have experience in the workings of government, and have often built relationships with current officials. This gives them an advantage in lobbying efforts and gaining access to those in Texas government.

Question 19

Which of the following is not a common way for interest groups to gain access to politicians and policy makers?
A) hiring former politicians as lobbyists
B) spending money on entertaining politicians
C) building support on an issue with constituents
D) forming PACs that allow members to bundle large contributions to candidates
E) running for office themselves

Accepted Answer

Running for office themselves is not a common way for interest groups to gain access to politicians and policy makers. It is more common for interest groups to use lobbying tactics such as hiring former politicians as lobbyists, spending money on entertaining politicians, building support on an issue with constituents, and forming PACs that allow members to bundle large contributions to candidates.

Question 20

What was the problem Speaker Sam Rayburn identified with the "steak men" at the beginning of the twentieth century?
A) They were politicians who were in the pocket of the cattle industry.
B) They were legislators who would "sell" their votes on a bill for free steak dinners.
C) They were legislators who would attempt to cut all the meat out of the budgets.
D) They were lobbyists who Rayburn said were full of "bull."
E) They were legislators who were in the pocket of the meat-packing industry.

Accepted Answer

Speaker Sam Rayburn identified the "steak men" as legislators who would accept free steak dinners in exchange for their vote on a bill. Therefore, the correct answer is B.

Quiz 6: Interest Groups and Lobbying

Which of the following is not a description of an interest group?

______ was the former Texas Speaker of the House who was indicted for taking an illegal gift from a law firm that specialized in collecting delinquent taxes for local governments.

Which of the following is the farmers' interest group that influenced the writing of the Texas Constitution of 1876?

The largest and most effective public employee interest group in Texas is made up of

The 8F Crowd was

Which of the following is not a reason that interest groups are useful to politicians?

Which of the following groups have had notable political success by litigating in federal courts?

Bribery is

Which interest is not represented in a list of the top interest groups in Texas?

The practice of combining several individual campaign contributions into one larger contribution from a group in order to increase the group's impact is known as

Which of the following is the best example of a public interest group?

All of the following are benefits an interest group has over private citizens EXCEPT

Lobbyists can do all of the following except

The Texas Medical Association is best described as what kind of interest group?

Interest groups are often powerful in states

Texas has ______ laws dealing with lobbying by former government officials.

What did "Bo" Pilgrim do in 1989?

One important way for interest groups to gain access to those in Texas government is to employ ______ as lobbyists.

Which of the following is not a common way for interest groups to gain access to politicians and policy makers?

What was the problem Speaker Sam Rayburn identified with the "steak men" at the beginning of the twentieth century?