question

An organization of individuals with similar views that tries to influence government to respond favorably to its views is called a(n)

answer

interest group

question

Interest groups try to influence public policy by

answer

lobbying government officials regardless of party affiliation

question

The principal purpose of political party activity is to

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gain control of government by winning elections and thus achieve party goals

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Which of the following would not be a goal of an interest group?

answer

Getting its members elected to public office

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In the case of the NAACP v. Alabama (1958), the U. S. Supreme Court

answer

recognized the right of association as part of the First Amendment

question

Which constitutional right is the foundation of the right to form and participate in interest groups?

answer

Freedom of association

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Which of the following is not a reason for the growth and diversity of interest groups in the United States?

answer

A legal system that requires citizen membership in interest groups

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The United States achieves a decentralized governing structure through

answer

federalism and separation of powers

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The decentralized structure of Texas politics and governance __________ the ability of interest groups to influence public policy

answer

increases

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Which of the following is true of interest groups and parties in Texas?

answer

Texas has weak political parties and influential interest groups

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The Texas Tea Party is

answer

a powerful faction within the Texas Republican Party

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Which of the following is true of interest group organizational patterns in the United States?

answer

Some are highly centralized, and others have a decentralized organizational structur

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Which occupational group is least likely to have a large representation in an interest group?

answer

Receptionists

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Which of the following is not a common reason that citizens join interest groups??

answer

They are not accepted as members of official political parties

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Most political interest groups represent

answer

professional and managerial occupations

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Which of the following generalizations regarding interest group leadership is correct?

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Interest group decisions are usually made by an active minority of the membership

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Interest groups organized to promote policies that maximize profits and wages for their members are known as

answer

economic interest groups

question

The Texas Association of Businesses and Chambers of Commerce is an example of

answer

an umbrella organization

question

Which of the following goals would a business organization be least likely to pursue?

answer

Increased safety and environmental standards

question

An example of a labor organization that is active in Texas is the

answer

Communication Workers of America

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Which of the following is true regarding labor organizations in Texas?

answer

?Labor groups are not as numerous or as powerful as business-related groups in Texas

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Which kind of group exists to promote policies that would increase wages, adequate health and unemployment insurance, and promote safe working conditions?

answer

Labor groups

question

Which of the following interest groups would be an example of a professional group in Texas?

answer

Texas Society of Certified Public Accountants

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Which of the following would a government employee interest group be least likely to pursue?

answer

Decreased levels of government spending

question

Texas doctors successfully used their professional organizations in lobbying the 76th Legislature to make Texas the first state that allows

answer

doctors to collectively bargain with health maintenance organizations

question

Which of the following is the largest state government employees group in Texas?

answer

Texas Public Employees Association

question

Which organization would most likely mount a vigorous campaign to oppose a reduction in the staffing levels of the Texas Rehabilitation Commission?

answer

Texas Public Employees Association

question

Which of the following is not one of the main goals of racial and ethnic groups in Texas?

answer

Reduce government interference in the economy

question

A social interest group would be least likely to get involved in which of the following issues?

answer

Highway funding

question

Which of the following is among the oldest and most ?effective racial and ethnic interest groups in Texas

answer

?All of the above are among the oldest and most effective racial and ethnic groups in Texas.

question

Which of the following is true of women in Texas politics??

answer

There are a variety of women's interest groups in Texas promoting equal rights, greater political participation, and other issues important to women.

question

The Christian Coalition would be most likely to promote which of the following

answer

Banning same-sex marriage

question

Which of the following would not be a cause supported by the Texas Freedom Network??

answer

?Defending the traditional family

question

Common Cause of Texas is an example of

answer

a public interest group

question

Which of the following would not be among the interest groups that Texas legislators identify as most powerful?

answer

Public interest groups advocating campaign finance reform

question

Which of the following techniques do interest groups use to influence policy decisions?

answer

All of the above are techniques used by interest groups

question

Which of the following is not a function that interest groups perform in Texas?

answer

Writing party platforms

question

A lobbyist is an individual who

answer

attempts to influence the decision making of lawmakers

question

About how many registered lobbyists are there in Texas?

answer

1700

question

Which of the following is the most commonly employed strategy of influencing legislation?

answer

Providing the legislator with relevant information

question

Political officeholders often rely on interest groups to

answer

provide information and expertis

question

The political term grassroots refers to activity that

answer

begins locally and spreads to broader areas

question

In their grassroots and electioneering efforts, interest groups are increasingly

answer

using the Internet and social media

question

Actively campaigning in support of candidates for office by an interest group is called

answer

electioneering

question

Which of the following is an example of an electioneering technique?

answer

Coordinating a "Get Out the Vote" (GOTV) campaign

question

Typically, in order to get people to the polls, which of the following is generally employed?

answer

Mail-outs, telephone calls, door-to-door solicitation, and transportation to the polls

question

The device by which a corporation may contribute money to a political candidate is

answer

through a political action committee

question

Which of the following statements best explains campaign finance laws for candidates running for a seat in the Texas legislature?

answer

There is no limit on how much a PAC may contribute directly to a campaign

question

An interest group technique that is unethical would be

answer

utilizing bribery

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Following the Sharpstown Bank scandal, the Texas legislature

answer

prohibited candidates for Speaker from giving anything of value to supporters in the House

question

Which Texas House Speaker was not the subject of an inquiry about potentially improper practices with regard to interest groups?

answer

Pete Laney

question

The details of political contributions and expenditures of candidates must be filed with the Texas Ethics Commission

answer

between two and seven times each year

question

Which of the following was not prohibited by an amendment to the Texas Constitution in November of 1991?

answer

Campaign contributions from political action committees

question

Ethics laws prohibit a candidate or official from receiving a contribution inside

answer

the Texas state capitol building

question

In response to big spending by lobbyists, Texas voters in 1991 approved a constitutional amendment to create the eight-member

answer

Texas Ethics Commission

question

Members of the Texas Ethics Commission are selected by the

answer

Texas governor

question

Which of the following is common in the last days of an election campaign?

answer

Interest groups make last minute contributions to campaigns

question

Which of the following is not a responsibility of the Texas Ethics Commission?

answer

Setting legal limits on campaign contributions

question

An interest group with substantial financial resources, sizable membership, unity, and a competent leadership

answer

should have success in getting its policy preferences honored

question

The political influence of interest groups is enhanced when

answer

they are well represented within the structure of government

question

The system of politics in Texas can be described as one with

answer

weak parties and strong interest groups

question

Functions of the Texas legislature include all of the following, except

answer

appointing state judges

question

The number of senators in the Texas legislature is

answer

31

question

The Texas legislature is ___________, meaning that it is composed of two chambers

answer

bicameral

question

The Texas House of Representatives consists of __________ members

answer

150

question

Legislative redistricting for both houses in Texas routinely occurs

answer

the first odd-numbered year in a decade

question

Which of the following is true of members of the Texas Senate?

answer

They usually serve terms of four years with no term limits

question

Which of the following is true of members of the Texas House of Representatives?

answer

They serve terms of two year terms with no term limits

question

A vacancy in the Texas House or Senate arising during a term is filled by

answer

a special election

question

Regular sessions of the Texas legislature meet for

answer

140 days, in odd-numbered years

question

All Texas Senate seats are up for election every 10 years because

answer

Senate district lines are redrawn every 10 years

question

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??

answer

The legislator appoints a qualified replacement who must be approved by the appropriate chamber

question

Which of the following is not true regarding special sessions of the Texas legislature?

answer

They are limited to three per year

question

The redistricting practice of drawing legislative districts to favor one group or party is called

answer

gerrymandering

question

The federal court case that applied the doctrine of "one-man, one-vote" to Texas was

answer

Kilgarlin v. Martin (1965)

question

The U.S. Supreme Court found in Reynolds v. Sims (1964) that

answer

legislative districts of bicameral state legislatures must have substantially equal populations

question

The legislative redistricting maps approved by the 82nd Texas Legislature in 2011 were challenged because?

answer

they appeared to discriminate against the election of historical minority groups

question

Under the Texas Constitution, those serving in the Texas legislature

answer

cannot hold another government office

question

Which of the following is not listed in the Texas Constitution as a qualification for membership in the Texas legislature?

answer

College degree

question

Which of the following groups dominates the membership of the Texas legislature?

answer

Anglo Protestant men

question

Which statement about women in the Texas state legislature is true?

answer

?In recent elections, the number of women elected to the state legislature has increased

question

Educationally, most members of the Texas legislature have

answer

attended institutions of higher learning

question

Republican membership in the Texas legislature has

answer

constituted a majority in both chambers since 2003

question

The religious denominations most represented in the Texas legislature are

answer

Catholic and Baptist

question

Turnover in the Texas legislature is most likely to be high in those

answer

elections immediately after redistricting

question

Compared to legislators in other states, those in Texas receive

answer

low pay, reasonable allowances, and generous retirements

question

Changes in compensation for members of the Texas legislature are initiated by

answer

an Ethics Commission recommendation

question

The lieutenant governor also functions as the state's

answer

president of the Senate

question

Which of the following is not correct regarding the lieutenant governor of Texas?

answer

He or she receives a constitutional salary of $46,000 per year

question

Which of the following is not a power accorded to the lieutenant governor by the Texas Constitution or Senate rules?

answer

Voting on all bills before the Senate

question

Which of the following is not true regarding the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives?

answer

He or she is selected by direct popular vote in a general electio

question

In the Texas House, a committee that considers legislation and recommends whether it should or should not pass is called a(n)

answer

substantive (standing) committee

question

The Legislative Black Caucus has been most concerned about

answer

hate crimes laws

question

Which of the following statements is true regarding the Texas legislature?

answer

It has Democratic and Republican caucuses that are increasingly important

question

The Mexican American Legislative Caucus played an important role in

answer

the establishment of a pharmacy college and health center

question

The liberal ideological caucus in the Texas legislature is the

answer

Legislative Study Group

question

The "farm-to-table" caucus is described as a bipartisan caucus because its members include legislators

answer

?from both the Democratic and Republican Parties

question

Rules relating to the procedures for operation of the Texas Senate would be dealt with in a

answer

simple resolution

question

Adopting the guitar as the state musical instrument required that the legislature uses ____________ to make the icon official

answer

a concurrent resolution

question

When an amendment to the U.S. Constitution is proposed by Congress, the Texas legislature may vote for ratification using

answer

joint resolution requiring a simple majority vote in each body

question

The wiki site "The Texas Red Tape Challenge" resulted in

answer

changes to almost 100 laws

question

A bill making exception to general law for a named individual is known as a

answer

special bill

question

To enact a law applying specifically to Collin county, the Texas legislature would pass a

answer

local bill

question

The primary function of the state auditor is to

answer

determine if state funds have been spent by the state agencies in accordance with law

question

The legislature may require reports from state agencies under a procedure known as

answer

oversight

question

Before making an appointment, the governor is expected to consult with the senator of an affected district, a process called senatorial

answer

courtesy

question

Most of the governor's board and commission appointments to head state agencies must be submitted and approved by

answer

at least two-thirds of the Senate

question

A member of the Texas legislature would be immune from adverse judicial action if he

answer

slanders in a speech during a legislative proceeding

question

If a governor or other elected executive official is suspected of criminal activity,

answer

?the Texas House may bring charges through impeachment, after which the Texas Senate would render judgment.

question

In Texas, the second 30 days of the legislative session are mainly reserved for

answer

standing committee action on bills

question

After its first reading in the House of Representatives, a bill is

answer

referred to the appropriate committee

question

Representatives occasionally engage in lengthy debates on bills, including bills that they do not oppose. This delaying action is called

answer

chubbing

question

House rules prohibit ghost voting, a practice which involves representatives

answer

pressing the voting button for another representative

question

The Texas Senate has __________ to control the flow of bills from standing committees to the floor

answer

no calendar committees

question

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

answer

blocking bill

question

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

answer

filibustering

question

When the House and Senate pass a bill with different language in each version,

answer

the bill will go to a House-Senate conference committee

question

After a bill passes both houses of the Texas legislature, it then

answer

becomes law with or without a governor's signature

question

If the governor vetoes a bill after the legislature has adjourned,

answer

the bill will die and cannot be overridden

question

How long does the governor have following the adjournment of the legislature in which to act on bills?

answer

Twenty calendar days

question

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

answer

Texas Legislative Council

Texas Government Test 4 (Chapters 7 ; 8) – Flashcards

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