An organization of individuals with similar views that tries to influence government to respond favorably to its views is called a(n) | interest group |
Interest groups try to influence public policy by | lobbying government officials regardless of party affiliation |
The principal purpose of political party activity is to | gain control of government by winning elections and thus achieve party goals |
Which of the following would not be a goal of an interest group? | Getting its members elected to public office |
In the case of the NAACP v. Alabama (1958), the U. S. Supreme Court | recognized the right of association as part of the First Amendment |
Which constitutional right is the foundation of the right to form and participate in interest groups? | Freedom of association |
Which of the following is not a reason for the growth and diversity of interest groups in the United States? | A legal system that requires citizen membership in interest groups |
The United States achieves a decentralized governing structure through | federalism and separation of powers |
The decentralized structure of Texas politics and governance __________ the ability of interest groups to influence public policy | increases |
Which of the following is true of interest groups and parties in Texas? | Texas has weak political parties and influential interest groups |
The Texas Tea Party is | a powerful faction within the Texas Republican Party |
Which of the following is true of interest group organizational patterns in the United States? | Some are highly centralized, and others have a decentralized organizational structur |
Which occupational group is least likely to have a large representation in an interest group? | Receptionists |
Which of the following is not a common reason that citizens join interest groups? | They are not accepted as members of official political parties |
Most political interest groups represent | professional and managerial occupations |
Which of the following generalizations regarding interest group leadership is correct? | Interest group decisions are usually made by an active minority of the membership |
Interest groups organized to promote policies that maximize profits and wages for their members are known as | economic interest groups |
The Texas Association of Businesses and Chambers of Commerce is an example of | an umbrella organization |
Which of the following goals would a business organization be least likely to pursue? | Increased safety and environmental standards |
An example of a labor organization that is active in Texas is the | Communication Workers of America |
Which of the following is true regarding labor organizations in Texas? | Labor groups are not as numerous or as powerful as business-related groups in Texas |
Which kind of group exists to promote policies that would increase wages, adequate health and unemployment insurance, and promote safe working conditions? | Labor groups |
Which of the following interest groups would be an example of a professional group in Texas? | Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants |
Which of the following would a government employee interest group be least likely to pursue? | Decreased levels of government spending |
Texas doctors successfully used their professional organizations in lobbying the 76th Legislature to make Texas the first state that allows | doctors to collectively bargain with health maintenance organizations |
Which of the following is the largest state government employees group in Texas? | Texas Public Employees Association |
Which organization would most likely mount a vigorous campaign to oppose a reduction in the staffing levels of the Texas Rehabilitation Commission? | Texas Public Employees Association |
Which of the following is not one of the main goals of racial and ethnic groups in Texas? | Reduce government interference in the economy |
A social interest group would be least likely to get involved in which of the following issues? | Highway funding |
Which of the following is among the oldest and most effective racial and ethnic interest groups in Texas | All of the above are among the oldest and most effective racial and ethnic groups in Texas. |
Which of the following is true of women in Texas politics? | There are a variety of women’s interest groups in Texas promoting equal rights, greater political participation, and other issues important to women. |
The Christian Coalition would be most likely to promote which of the following | Banning same-sex marriage |
Which of the following would not be a cause supported by the Texas Freedom Network? | Defending the traditional family |
Common Cause of Texas is an example of | a public interest group |
Which of the following would not be among the interest groups that Texas legislators identify as most powerful? | Public interest groups advocating campaign finance reform |
Which of the following techniques do interest groups use to influence policy decisions? | All of the above are techniques used by interest groups |
Which of the following is not a function that interest groups perform in Texas? | Writing party platforms |
A lobbyist is an individual who | attempts to influence the decision making of lawmakers |
About how many registered lobbyists are there in Texas? | 1700 |
Which of the following is the most commonly employed strategy of influencing legislation? | Providing the legislator with relevant information |
Political officeholders often rely on interest groups to | provide information and expertis |
The political term grassroots refers to activity that | begins locally and spreads to broader areas |
In their grassroots and electioneering efforts, interest groups are increasingly | using the Internet and social media |
Actively campaigning in support of candidates for office by an interest group is called | electioneering |
Which of the following is an example of an electioneering technique? | Coordinating a "Get Out the Vote" (GOTV) campaign |
Typically, in order to get people to the polls, which of the following is generally employed? | Mail-outs, telephone calls, door-to-door solicitation, and transportation to the polls |
The device by which a corporation may contribute money to a political candidate is | through a political action committee |
Which of the following statements best explains campaign finance laws for candidates running for a seat in the Texas legislature? | There is no limit on how much a PAC may contribute directly to a campaign |
An interest group technique that is unethical would be | utilizing bribery |
Following the Sharpstown Bank scandal, the Texas legislature | prohibited candidates for Speaker from giving anything of value to supporters in the House |
Which Texas House Speaker was not the subject of an inquiry about potentially improper practices with regard to interest groups? | Pete Laney |
The details of political contributions and expenditures of candidates must be filed with the Texas Ethics Commission | between two and seven times each year |
Which of the following was not prohibited by an amendment to the Texas Constitution in November of 1991? | Campaign contributions from political action committees |
Ethics laws prohibit a candidate or official from receiving a contribution inside | the Texas state capitol building |
In response to big spending by lobbyists, Texas voters in 1991 approved a constitutional amendment to create the eight-member | Texas Ethics Commission |
Members of the Texas Ethics Commission are selected by the | Texas governor |
Which of the following is common in the last days of an election campaign? | Interest groups make last minute contributions to campaigns |
Which of the following is not a responsibility of the Texas Ethics Commission? | Setting legal limits on campaign contributions |
An interest group with substantial financial resources, sizable membership, unity, and a competent leadership | should have success in getting its policy preferences honored |
The political influence of interest groups is enhanced when | they are well represented within the structure of government |
The system of politics in Texas can be described as one with | weak parties and strong interest groups |
Functions of the Texas legislature include all of the following, except | appointing state judges |
The number of senators in the Texas legislature is | 31 |
The Texas legislature is ___________, meaning that it is composed of two chambers | bicameral |
The Texas House of Representatives consists of __________ members | 150 |
Legislative redistricting for both houses in Texas routinely occurs | the first odd-numbered year in a decade |
Which of the following is true of members of the Texas Senate? | They usually serve terms of four years with no term limits |
Which of the following is true of members of the Texas House of Representatives? | They serve terms of two year terms with no term limits |
A vacancy in the Texas House or Senate arising during a term is filled by | a special election |
Regular sessions of the Texas legislature meet for | 140 days, in odd-numbered years |
All Texas Senate seats are up for election every 10 years because | Senate district lines are redrawn every 10 years |
If a state legislator is a member of the National Guard and is called to active military duty for more than 30 days, what will happen? | The legislator appoints a qualified replacement who must be approved by the appropriate chamber |
Which of the following is not true regarding special sessions of the Texas legislature? | They are limited to three per year |
The redistricting practice of drawing legislative districts to favor one group or party is called | gerrymandering |
The federal court case that applied the doctrine of "one-man, one-vote" to Texas was | Kilgarlin v. Martin (1965) |
The U.S. Supreme Court found in Reynolds v. Sims (1964) that | legislative districts of bicameral state legislatures must have substantially equal populations |
The legislative redistricting maps approved by the 82nd Texas Legislature in 2011 were challenged because | they appeared to discriminate against the election of historical minority groups |
Under the Texas Constitution, those serving in the Texas legislature | cannot hold another government office |
Which of the following is not listed in the Texas Constitution as a qualification for membership in the Texas legislature? | College degree |
Which of the following groups dominates the membership of the Texas legislature? | Anglo Protestant men |
Which statement about women in the Texas state legislature is true? | In recent elections, the number of women elected to the state legislature has increased |
Educationally, most members of the Texas legislature have | attended institutions of higher learning |
Republican membership in the Texas legislature has | constituted a majority in both chambers since 2003 |
The religious denominations most represented in the Texas legislature are | Catholic and Baptist |
Turnover in the Texas legislature is most likely to be high in those | elections immediately after redistricting |
Compared to legislators in other states, those in Texas receive | low pay, reasonable allowances, and generous retirements |
Changes in compensation for members of the Texas legislature are initiated by | an Ethics Commission recommendation |
The lieutenant governor also functions as the state’s | president of the Senate |
Which of the following is not correct regarding the lieutenant governor of Texas? | He or she receives a constitutional salary of $46,000 per year |
Which of the following is not a power accorded to the lieutenant governor by the Texas Constitution or Senate rules? | Voting on all bills before the Senate |
Which of the following is not true regarding the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives? | He or she is selected by direct popular vote in a general electio |
In the Texas House, a committee that considers legislation and recommends whether it should or should not pass is called a(n) | substantive (standing) committee |
The Legislative Black Caucus has been most concerned about | hate crimes laws |
Which of the following statements is true regarding the Texas legislature? | It has Democratic and Republican caucuses that are increasingly important |
The Mexican American Legislative Caucus played an important role in | the establishment of a pharmacy college and health center |
The liberal ideological caucus in the Texas legislature is the | Legislative Study Group |
The "farm-to-table" caucus is described as a bipartisan caucus because its members include legislators | from both the Democratic and Republican Parties |
Rules relating to the procedures for operation of the Texas Senate would be dealt with in a | simple resolution |
Adopting the guitar as the state musical instrument required that the legislature uses ____________ to make the icon official | a concurrent resolution |
When an amendment to the U.S. Constitution is proposed by Congress, the Texas legislature may vote for ratification using | joint resolution requiring a simple majority vote in each body |
The wiki site "The Texas Red Tape Challenge" resulted in | changes to almost 100 laws |
A bill making exception to general law for a named individual is known as a | special bill |
To enact a law applying specifically to Collin county, the Texas legislature would pass a | local bill |
The primary function of the state auditor is to | determine if state funds have been spent by the state agencies in accordance with law |
The legislature may require reports from state agencies under a procedure known as | oversight |
Before making an appointment, the governor is expected to consult with the senator of an affected district, a process called senatorial | courtesy |
Most of the governor’s board and commission appointments to head state agencies must be submitted and approved by | at least two-thirds of the Senate |
A member of the Texas legislature would be immune from adverse judicial action if he | slanders in a speech during a legislative proceeding |
If a governor or other elected executive official is suspected of criminal activity, | the Texas House may bring charges through impeachment, after which the Texas Senate would render judgment. |
In Texas, the second 30 days of the legislative session are mainly reserved for | standing committee action on bills |
After its first reading in the House of Representatives, a bill is | referred to the appropriate committee |
Representatives occasionally engage in lengthy debates on bills, including bills that they do not oppose. This delaying action is called | chubbing |
House rules prohibit ghost voting, a practice which involves representatives | pressing the voting button for another representative |
The Texas Senate has __________ to control the flow of bills from standing committees to the floor | no calendar committees |
A two-thirds vote on the floor of the Texas Senate is required for any bill to be considered due to the use of a | blocking bill |
A senator can attempt to delay or impede a bill’s passage by speaking on the floor as long as physically possible, which is called | filibustering |
When the House and Senate pass a bill with different language in each version, | the bill will go to a House-Senate conference committee |
After a bill passes both houses of the Texas legislature, it then | becomes law with or without a governor’s signature |
If the governor vetoes a bill after the legislature has adjourned, | the bill will die and cannot be overridden |
How long does the governor have following the adjournment of the legislature in which to act on bills? | Twenty calendar days |
The lieutenant governor, Speaker of the House, and other members of the legislature authorize special research projects to help in the drafting of bills through the | Texas Legislative Council |
What are the purposes of interest groups quizlet?
Which of the following is an example of a professional interest group in Texas?
Question | Answer |
The principal purpose of political party activity is to? | gain control of government by winning elections and thus achieve party goals. |
Which of the following interest groups would be an example of a professional group in Texas? | Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants |
Which of the following is among the oldest and most effective racial and ethnic interest groups in Texas?
Question | Answer |
Which of the following is among the oldest and most effective racial and ethnic interest groups in Texas? | All of these choices are among the oldest and most effective racial and ethnic groups in Texas |