Political science test 3
had convinced billionaire Rupert Murdoch to start Fox in 1996
The Success of conservative talk radio
Why does the Texas oil industry lobby focus on influencing the Texas Railroad Commission?
The Texas Railroad Commission oversees the state oil industry.
Which statement best describes economic activity in Texas?
The Texas economy is highly diversified, with a strong presence in several industries.
Which of the following statements best summarize the control the governor of Texas enjoys over state agencies?
The governor makes few significant appointments to state agencies and therefore possesses minimal control over policy decisions.
The Pharmaceutical Industry Labor-Management Association (PILMA) sought to defeat a bill in Texas to lower drug prices. PILMA has no individual members and receives most of its money from the pharmaceutical industry. It is best described as a(n)
astroturf organization
the media serves as a ------function when it alerts the public to unethical or illegal activities by the government.
Watch dog
True or false: CNN has continued to emphasize hard news rather than sensationalism.
false-CNN has featured intensive coverage of a number of sensational trials to boost ratings.
The Texas Farmers Union (not to be confused with the Texas Farm Bureau) represents which segment of the Texas agricultural industry?
family farms and ranches
Which of the following constitutional rights most protect the role of interest groups in the U.S. political system?
freedom of association
The interests of state and federal agencies are represented by
government organizations
An "astroturf organization" is one that lacks
grassroots organization
Which group of Americans have the highest level of voter participation?
highest 20 percent of income earners
Which of the following accurately describe the Texas Municipal Leaque?
highly organized focused committees influential members
Americans' opinions about politics are formed in large measure through which of the following frames of reference?
identifying with political parties leaning toward particular ideologies
The situation where people align themselves politically with other members of a group they belong to, such as race or religion, is called
identity politics
What is the primary goal of lobbying?
influencing members of the legislature
Which of the following are among interest groups' judicial lobbying options?
influencing the selection of federal judges lawsuits filing amicus curie briefs
Interest groups rely on what two main lobbying strategies?
inside lobbying outside lobbying
For a movement to succeed, it must
institutionalize its goals
The Texas Municipal League, which represents Texas city officials, derives its greatest strength from
its influential membership
In what ways does a professional association differ from a trade association?
its members typically hold a state-issued professional license the state regulates the scope of its members' practice
The Texas Farm Bureau represents which segment of the Texas agricultural industry?
large agricultural producers
protest activity is
less common in the United States than in many Western democracies.
True or false: Nonmembership organizations do not have broad-based citizen support.
true
Among economic groups, which type are the most numerous?
business groups
The interest-group system in the United States overrepresents
business interests
Who or what can be a part of membership organizations?
businesses individual citizens
Which of the following are tactics widely used by conservative and liberal partisan talk shows?
character assassination imagined catastrophe name calling
Which type of group typically has to deal with the problem of free riders?
citizens' groups
On which issues have regional differences persisted to the present day?
civil rights social welfare
The incentives that most noneconomic groups offer include
collective goods
A PAC is a specialized kind of interest group that:
collects money for campaign contributions and other activities.
Which of the following is an example of a group that cannot draw strength from geographic distribution?
commercial shrimp fishermen
In general, which political values do white evangelical Protestants support?
conservative values
a----is a representative who acts in response to what their constituencies say they want, no matter their own personal opinion.
delegate
The news media operate as gatekeepers, which means that they
determine which events will be covered and which will not
In general, Americans who believe that the government should not interfere with the free market are
economic conservatives
An activity in which an interest group engages in order to influence the outcome of an election is known as
electioneering
Interest groups that are not directly involved in litigation may file amicus curie briefs to
encourage a ruling that is beneficial to their cause
Approximately how many nonmembership organizations are registered with the Texas Ethics Commission?
2,000
In 1980, the viewers of ABC, CBS, and NBC evening news were roughly 40 years of age, on average. Today that average is roughly
60 years old
Which of the following are examples of media performing a signaling function?
A radio station informing people of severe weather conditions in the next few days A local daily newspaper alerting people on the spread of a novel viral infection in the locality
increased the entertainment content in traditional news outlets as audiences for those outlets began to shrink.
Cable television
is a service that alerts local newsrooms to topics that are trending on social media
Crowdtangle
Individuals may benefit from the work of interest groups even if they don't participate in the groups' activities. Because of this, some groups have v) difficulty recruiting members, a phenomenon known as the
Free rider
What did James Madison think of the future of interest groups?
He believed that competition between groups would prevent any one from dominating.
How have advances in technology affected the free-rider problem?
It has lessened it.
What is the effect of "information overload." as noted by Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon?
It reduces people's ability to concentrate on any particular message.
Why did the communist movement fail in America?
Its goals were too at odds with American values.
Why is it unnecessary for the Texas Municipal League to maintain constant contact with its members?
Its processes are so organized that it functions efficiently without it.
Which political leader wrote that the government must dilute the influence of factions and interest groups by filtering their views through properly structured governing institutions?
James Madison
Which of the following would be considered outside lobbying activities used by interest groups?
Letter-writing campaigns Public demonstrations
When the Fairness Doctrine was eliminated in 1987, most radio stations dropped their
News Cast
What is a potential problem with the media's watchdog function, according to critics?
Overzealous coverage of minor scandals heightens the public's distrust of government officials.
In some campaigns, which of the following has begun to replace in the political party as the nominating and electing agent?
PACs
Which of the following is a regulation that affects Texas PACs?
PACs cannot contribute to candidates during a window that begins 30 days prior to the legislative session and ends 20 days after the session ends PACs are required to designate a campaign treasurer. PACs must create complete reports identifying every donor who contributed at least $50 to the campaign.
Why is it important that the media perform the common-carrier function?
People cannot support or oppose a leader's plans if they do not know about them.
Which of the following is true of the professionalism of the Texas legislature?
Poor working conditions and low pay contribute to high turnover among legislative staff.
What new technology led to the chaos that spurred the establishment of the Federal Communications Commission?
Radio
Which of the following is an example of a government organization?
SLIGS
example of a government organization?
SLIGS
Which of the following is not an example of a state and local interest group?
State Board of Education
Which of the following is an example of a peak business organization?
Texas Association of Manufacturers
Which of the following is an example of a specialized "educational" association?
Texas High School Coaches Association
----is responsible for enforcing requirements for interest groups and political candidates to report information on money collected and activities.
Texas ethics committee
How is interest group influence weakened in competitive, two-party states?
The parties assume a greater role in recruiting and supporting candidates, replacing a vital function of interest groups.
How does a well-compensated, professional legislative staff reduce the influence of interest groups?
The staff provides most of the research for legislators, who rely less on interest group research.
How does the party structure in Texas affect interest group power and influence?
The weakened structure of party competitiveness strengthens interest group influence.
In describing sources of news on the Web, what do analysts mean by the metaphor "the long tail"?
There are a few heavily visited websites on one end and thousands of lightly visited sites on the other.
How has the interest group tactic of entertaining legislators changed over the years?
There is far less provision of entertainment, food, and bribes, but it is still a key part of the process
Which of the following accurately describe ways in which interest groups can use litigation to advance their cause?
They can file amicus briefs. They can sponsor litigation on behalf of their members
How do media gatekeepers affect American citizens?
They determine what messages we see and hear.
Which of the following correctly describes members of the "inattentive audience"?
They pay attention to news when a major event occurs, such as COVID-19. They pay only sporadic attention to the news.
What is the primary distinction between trade associations and peak business organizations?
Trade associations represent more specific business interests such as the oil industry.
working with members of the legislature to draft legislation encouraging members of an interest group to contact legislators regarding legislation testifying before a committee hearing about the effect of proposed legislation
Which of the following are considered lobbying efforts?
Which of the following are reasons why the amount of traditional news the typical American watches has declined since the 1970s?
Younger people stopped watching the dinner-time news. Cable television and other high-choice media became available.
Who would be least likely to be a member of a professional association?
a bank teller
For which of the following interest groups would the free-rider problem be most severe?
a large group with very diffuse possible benefits
Interest groups tend to rely on the courts to advance their policy goals when they have
a low chance of achieving their goals through legislation a cause that's unpopular with the public
According to right-to-work laws,
a person cannot be denied employment based on membership or nonmembership in a labor organization
Nonmembership organizations represent
a single company, organization, or individual
Generally, protests ----- have not been popular in the United States.
against U.S. military action
In an attempt to influence court decisions, interest groups may file "friend of the court" briefs, otherwise known as .
amicus curide
What is the most common technique used by interest groups to promote their interests?
lobbying the state legislature
Which of the following make it likely that interest groups will continue to dominate state politics in Texas?
low levels of political participation the traditionalistic/individualistic political culture the decentralized administrative structure
When people grow up in a neighborhood that is diverse, due to crosscutting, they are more likely to develop
moderate political opinions
In its pursuit of electioneering, an interest group's most import resource is
money
Compared to citizens in Europe, Americans are
more likely to contribute time and money to political campaigns.
The states that border Mexico all have
more than 800 registered lobbyist
Which of the following industries have, in the past, dominated the Texas economy?
oil cattle cotton banking
Which of the following describes a high-choice media system?
one in which people have a large number of places to go for information
Tufts University's Sarah Sobieraj and Jeffrey Berry's study described the basis for partisan talk show programming as paritsan
outrage
An interest group may form a---- whose main goal is to raise and spend money to influence the outcome of elections.
political action group
When the journalists use framing, they are
presenting a selective version of reality
The---- is the public official who has the greatest access to the media.
president
Which of the following is the primary goal of most state and local interest groups?
protecting local interests from state activities
What is the primary goal of retail trade associations?
protecting their trades from undesirable state regulation
In terms of leadership and organization, the Texas Municipal League draws strength from its
quick adoption of stands on key legislative items strong, proactive legislative committee
The Texas Automobile Association seeks to protect and promote the interests of its member businesses that are involved in the sales of goods and services and thus is an example of a
retail trade association
Yellow journalism featured
sensationalized stores
Which of the following are traditional functions of the news media (press)?
signaling watchdog common-carrier
Peak business organizations focus on which of the following goals?
supporting legislation that would foster a "good business climate" in Texas
What is the largest news outlet that began on the Internet?
the Huffington Post
All media outlets, whether broadcast, print, cable, or on the Internet, that are in the business of creating and reporting original news stories are called
the news media
In priming, who or what determines how people will interpret the information they receive?
the press
Which of the following make it likely that interest groups will continue to dominate state politics in Texas?
the traditionalistic/individualistic political culture low levels of political participation the decentralized administrative structure
According to recent polls, which of the following are men much more likely to support than women?
the use of military force
The United States has a high-choice media system, which means that
there are a large number of sources from which people can choose to get their information
What are the three types of agricultural interest groups in Texas?
those that represent suppliers those that represent commodity groups those that represent general farming interests
What are the three types of agricultural interest groups in Texas?
those that represent suppliers those that represent general farming interests those that represent commodity groups
What are the main goals of interest groups' public relations activities?
to create a favorable image for the group to influence public opinion regarding a particular issue
