Chapter 6

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

Using the information presented in the infographic, complete the following statement on contributions to Texas legislature candidates in 2018. In the 2018 legislative races, interest groups representing finance, insurance, and real estate; ideologies/single issues; and general business were the top three contributors. Republicans received about $ _ million from these groups, and democrats received about $ _ million.

-31.5 -5.8

The power of _ means that groups are more likely to contribute to candidates or parties that are already in office if a _ may have views closer to their own positions

-incumbency advantage -challengerw

Analyze the infographic below, and then determine which of the following statements about contributions to the Texas legislature in 2018 are correct.

Correct: -Finance, insurance, and real estate interest groups contributed more money than any other interest groups -Lawyers and lobbyists gave about equally to Democrats and Republicans -Labor contributed more to Democrats than to Republicans Incorrect: Democrats received more funds from interest groups than did Republicans

The rights to associate with others and to petition government are not guaranteed by either the U.S. or Texas Constitution

False

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

False: "Texas near the bottom of social contentedness that lead to civic engagement."

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

Read the following quotation, and then answer the question that follows. I recommend trying this kind of grassroots organizing for a week or a year, or a month or 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 In this quote about organizing around interests for policy change, what is the meaning of grassroots?

Mobilizing other individuals within the public to action

Which of the following statements on the number of lobby lists per 100,000 people is accurate?

States in the southern part of America tend to have fewer lobbyists per 100,000 people

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

information

The text below describes the purpose of the Coalition of Independent Educator Associations (CIEA). The Coalition of Independent Educator Associations (CIEA) is made up of non-unionized education associations across America. Keeping Educators connected, CIEA collaborates and crocuses on serving its members in each state and on the national level. Judging from the organization's description, CIEA could be best categorized as what kind of interest group?

-Peak association

Complete the following statement: Recent efforts to reform the _ because of criticisms that it has been the subject of _ by the oil and gas industry have been _.

-Texas Railroad Commission -Interest-group capture -Unsuccessful

The small staffs and limited office funds of most legislators often lead them to rely on ____ to provide ____ of legislation that legislators can tweak to make their own.

-interest groups -first drafts

Which of the following descriptions of interest groups are accurate?

Correct Answer(s) 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. Groups provide valuable research and education to policy makers and the public on specific issues. Incorrect Answer(s) Interest groups that advocate for major policy changes are more successful than those that advocate for the status quo. Even when groups successfully organize large coalitions to achieve broad public interests, they rarely have a lasting impact.

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

Correct Answer(s) former legislators former senior legislative staffers former executive branch officials Incorrect Answer(s) former senior state agency officials

What is the usefulness of "late-train" contributions?

Correct answers: -To help retire campaign debt of winning candidates -To build a relationship with a winning candidate after the election Incorrect answers: -To support a PAC -To help elect a candidate in the Texas railroad commissioner's race

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

Correct: -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. Incorrect: -The Citiuzens United vs. FEX decision by the Supreme Court in 2010 caused a dramatic increase in spendinf by super PACs between 2004 and 2016

Which of the following are changes in campaign financing allowed by the Supreme Court ruling in Citizen United v. Federal Election Commission?

Correct: -Certain types of interest groups can avoid having to disclose their political contributors -Interest groups can spend unlimited funds on behalf of candidates so long as the efforts are not coordinated with a campaign. Incorrect: -Citizens United helped curb the amount of "dark money" flowing in politics -Incumbents now have an opportunity to see which political donors oppose them for re-elections.

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

Review the image of the transcript from the ad that was run during the 2013 Super Bowl and then answer the question. An advertisement from a political action committee intended to attract support from the public by promoting a position, like the ad detailed in the transcript from Mayors Against Illegal Guns, is known as what?

Issue advocacy

Read the excerpt from the textbook to determine the answer to the question below. 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 YourHand 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. The scene from the state legislature illustrates which important point about the role interest groups serve in the policy-making process?

Legislators use support from groups as infromation cues on the 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.

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

policies that are beneficial for their groups