chapter 6

Which of the following would be considered an interest group?

- doctors who join together to lobby for more funding for hospitals - members of a community who join together to advocate for improvements in their neighborhood - citizens from across Texas who join an organization that advocates standardized testing reforms in schools.

Which of the following descriptions of interest groups are accurate?

-Groups provide valuable research and education to policy makers and the public on specific issues. -Business interests often have more influence than other interests. -Groups that represent a narrow set of interests are often more successful than those that represent broad interests.

Study the information in the table, and then determine which statements can be supported by the information. Table 6.1 Measures of Texas Civic Health

-Of all civic engagement activities, Texans engage in political ones the least.-Texans express less trust and engagement in their society and social structures than most Americans.-Low levels of involvement and volunteer activities correlate with low voter turnout.

Which of the following statements can be supported by the information provided in the table below?

-The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United vs. FEC led to a dramatic increase in campaign spending by outside groups in presidential elections. -Citizens United vs. FEC led to the creation of large and well-funded super PACs. -Republican candidates for president have been the most likely to benefit from the impacts of the decision in Citizens United vs. FEC.

Select which individuals below may become lobbyists for interest groups through the "revolving door" without restrictions.

-former senior legislative staffers -former legislators -former executive branch officials

Groups that represent which interests tend to dominate the Texas government?

Business

Analyze the figure below, and then determine which of the following statements are correct.

Correct: Texas House incumbents raised more money than both incumbents and challengers in the Senate races. Challengers in House races received more money than did incumbents in Senate races. Approximately 70 percent of all donations made in races for the state legislature are given to incumbents.

Which of the following are examples of incentives that interest groups use to overcome free rider problems?

Correct: an organizational magazine or newsletter invitations to special conferences listing an individual's name as a sponsor of an organization discounts on insurance and travel

Influential political scientist E. E. Schattschneider once stated, "The flaw with the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper-class accent."Which of the following best expresses what he meant by this?

Interest groups represent issues important to higher socioeconomic groups

The scene from the state legislature illustrates which important point about the role interest groups serve in the policy-making process? "When Representative Ken King (R-Canadian) introduced a bill regarding education on the House floor, Representative Abel Herrero (D-Corpus Christi) asked his colleagues in the House whether Raise Your Hand Texas had taken a position on his bill. At that point, one of them showed Herrero a text message showing that the group had supported the bill during the committee stage of the process."

Legislators use support from groups as info cues on quality of legislation

Which of the following is a primary criticism of the practice known as the "revolving door"?

Officials take actions to improve their chances of lucrative lobbying futures.

Judging from the organization's description, CIEA could be best categorized as what kind of interest group? "The Coalition of Independent Educator Associations (CIEA) is made up of non-unionized education associations across America. Keeping educators connected, CIEA collaborates and focuses on serving its members in each state and on the national level.Source: cieaonline.org"

Peak Association

What is the primary goal of interest groups when they interact with policy makers?

Policies that are beneficial for their group

Which of these rights from the First Amendment guarantees the right of individuals to become a part of interest groups?

Right to associate with others

Because of their significant influence in Texas, particularly in the primary elections, Republican candidates must pay close attention to the issues that are important to which subset of voters?

evangelical Christians

Texas is near the top of the nation in measures of social connectedness that lead to civic engagement.

false

What is the single biggest benefit of interest groups to policy makers?

information

In this quote about organizing around interests for policy change, what is the meaning of grassroots? "I recommend trying this kind of grassroots organizing for a week or a year, or a month or a lifetime—working for whatever change you want to see in the world. Then one day you will be talking to a stranger who has no idea you played any part in the victory she or he is celebrating.—Gloria Steinem, cofounder of Ms. magazine and American feminist leader"

mobilizing other individuals within the public to action

A(n) _________ is an entity, usually created by groups, to raise and distribute funds to preferred candidates during campaigns.

political action committee

Match each of the following examples of interest groups to the general type of interest group that best describes it.

public-employee interest group Correct label:Association of Texas Professional Educators civil rights group Correct label:League of United Latin American Citizens public interest group Correct label:Sierra Club professional group Correct label:Texas Medical Association