Deck 12: Government Relations

Question 1

Which of the following was not one of the gaffes that occurred during the Romney campaign's summer 2012 overseas trip?

A) he told an interviewer that the British were rightfully concerned about security preparations for the summer Olympics.
B) he complimented Israel on their successful culture, which the Palestinians did not like.
C) he criticized President Obama while on foreign soil
D) his press secretary told a New York Times reporter to kiss his posterior

Answer 1

he criticized President Obama while on foreign soil

Question 2

In which way was social media used effectively by Barack Obama in the 2008 race for the presidency?

A) to stop news coverage by the media
B) to announce his choice for Vice President
C) to censor China
D) to circulate the results of the Edelman Trust Barometer

Answer 2

to announce his choice for Vice President

Question 3

For what reason has the practice of "public relations" been virtually barred from the federal government?

A) a remark made by President Dwight D. Eisenhower
B) the passage of the 1913 Gillette Amendment
C) the Congressional gag law
D) handling of the media by Press Secretary Ari Fleisher

Answer 3

the passage of the 1913 Gillette Amendment

Question 4

All of the following indicate growth of public relations-type jobs in government EXCEPT

A) the number of new federal regulatory agencies that have sprung up since the 1970s.
B) the repeal of the Gillette Amendment
C) the number of government agencies or programs that regulate business.
D) increased opportunities in the Department of Defense.

Question 5

Titles used at the federal government level to describe public relations-related activities include all EXCEPT

A) public affairs expert.
B) public relations practitioner.
C) information officer.
D) communications specialist.

Question 6

In 2005, a GAO report revealed that the Bush administration paid _______________ on advertising and public relations contracts over a two-and-a-half-year period.

A) $1 million
B) $1.6 million
C) $1 billion
D) $1.6 billion

Question 7

Public affairs functions of the State Department do NOT include

A) responsibility for press briefings.
B) advertising and recruiting volunteers for the armed services.
C) maintaining content for the Department homepage.
D) operating foreign press centers around the nation .

Question 8

The United States Information Agency

A) is part of the Department of Defense.
B) was part of the General Accounting Office.
C) was created by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
D) has been an arm of the Central Intelligence Agency.

Question 9

In the 21st century, challenges for the USIA include all EXCEPT

A) maintaining its position in the executive branch.
B) developing worldwide information programs to address environmental issues.
C) supporting the war on drugs in producer and consumer countries.
D) building intellectual and institutional foundations of democracy in societies around the globe.

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT a communication initiative of the State Department?

A) TV Marti
B) maintaining the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service
C) Voice of America
D) delivering Internet content in over 65 countries

Question 11

AFIS is responsible for

A) coordinating public affairs operations for each of the various branches of the military.
B) periodically auditing and refining operations in each branch of the military.
C) making sure to select the best representatives of the media for embedding.
D) maintaining Stars and Stripes.

Question 12

What is the name of the newspaper AFIS is responsible for maintaining?

A) Stars and Stripes
B) Armed Forces News
C) Defense Information
D) DOD News

Question 13

Despite the Gillette Amendment, the public relations clout of the president includes all the following EXCEPT

A) traveling with his own media entourage.
B) exerting influence on the nation's agenda by controlling the "bully pulpit."
C) stifling the media's search for truth.
D) his every statement or move intriguing the media.

Question 14

Key principles used by President Ronald Reagan and his communications advisers to "manage the news" did NOT include

A) repeating the same message often.
B) going with the flow
C) staying on the offensive.
D) controlling the flow of information.

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT an example of a situation that made a president's relationship with the media sour?

A) The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001
B) President Clinton's affair with Monica Lewinsky
C) "Mission Accomplished"
D) Hurricane Katrina

Question 16

Despite a number of embarrassing events during his administration, President Bill Clinton remained quite popular because he

A) had a professorial manner.
B) had an easygoing, "just folks" demeanor.
C) like Joe/Jane Six Pack, he was unable to grasp issues easily.
D) displayed confidence by uttering, "You betcha!"

Question 17

The event that helped awaken good communications instincts in President George W. Bush was

A) Iran-Contra.
B) Desert Storm.
C) September 11, 2001.
D) Hurricane Katrina.

Question 18

Which of the following events led to "sour" media relations for George W. Bush?

A) firing Press Secretary Ari Fleisher
B) premature announcement of "Mission Accomplished" in Iraq as well as mishandling the impact of Hurricane Katrina
C) frequent press conferences at the Texas White in Crawford
D) hiring the likeable Tony Snow as press secretary

Question 19

Observers say the second-most-difficult position in any president's administration is

A) Vice President.
B) Federal Reserve Chairman.
C) Secretary of State.
D) Press Secretary.

Question 20

Chief among the responsibilities of the president's press secretary is

A) covering up for the administration's errors.
B) communicating accurately the policies and practices of the President.
C) reporting what the President says without really knowing that is what he had said or would say.
D) making a decision about a policy when cornered by media.

Question 21

The White House press secretary who resigned because his convictions differed from those of President Gerald Ford was

A) Jerald ter Horst.
B) Ron Nessen.
C) Spiro Agnew.
D) George Stephanopoulos.

Question 22

The columnist who viewed the responsibilities of the press secretary as two-way, similar to the interpreter-advocate role performed by corporate public relations people, was

A) Larry Speakes.
B) Jody Powell.
C) William Safire.
D) Marlin Fitzwater.

Question 23

Which of the following press secretaries who served President Clinton had a refreshing perspective and went on to be a cable talk show host, magazine editor, and political analyst?

A) Richard Morris
B) Dee Dee Myers
C) Marvin Fitzwalters
D) Joe Lockhart

Question 24

The former press secretary who said, "I may be crazy, but I like working with reporters" was

A) Scott McClellan.
B) Ron Nessen.
C) Ari Fleischer.
D) Mike McCurry.

Question 25

Who was President Barack Obama's first Press Secretary?

A) Robert Gibbs
B) Jay Carney
C) Scott McClellan
D) Tony Snow

Question 26

What happens in government is so significant to an organization that the number of corporations and trade associations with ________ units has grown steadily in recent years.

A) media relations
B) government relations
C) employee relations
D) lobbying

Question 27

Which of the following is NOT true about just how big a business lobbying is?

A) About $8 million a day is spent lobbying federal government.
B) State lobbyists are far less active than federal lobbyists.
C) About $3 billion a year is spent lobbying the federal government.
D) The number of federal registered lobbyists totals 11,268.

Question 28

The Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 reformed earlier lobbying laws and focused on

A) broadening activities that constitute lobbying.
B) redefining a lobbying contact as any contact made via the Internet.
C) prohibiting former employees of the federal government from registering as lobbyists.
D) mandating that anyone who speaks to a federal official about legislation must register.

Question 29

Under the 1995 disclosure rules, a "lobbyist" is

A) anyone who pays for meals for Congressional aides.
B) anyone who is paid by a third party to make more than one "lobbying contact."
C) anyone who does research or provides background for lobbying purposes.
D) anyone who asks a government official to recognize a client in the Congressional Record.

Question 30

The task of a lobbyist is ultimately rooted in the ________, which provides citizens the right to petition the government.

A) Fifth Amendment
B) Twenty-third Amendment
C) First Amendment
D) Sixth Amendment

Question 31

Lobbyists do all of the following EXCEPT

A) act as a link-or conduit-for a client's sales staff.
B) advocate for or against pending legislation with members of Congress.
C) interpret government actions for a client and client actions for a legislator.
D) repeal the rights of only lawyers to be lobbyists.

Question 32

The dramatic impact the ________ can have on a presidential race was verified by the political campaign put together by candidate Barack Obama.

A) trial by news releases
B) foreign governments
C) Internet
D) PACs

Question 33

Which of the following Websites has been called "one of the most . . . influential organizations in U.S. politics"?

A) SorosOff.com
B) GOPAC.gov
C) MoveOn.org
D) MyVote.com

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT among the largest PACS in the nation campaigning to have its candidates elected??

A) American Management Association
B) National Rifle Association
C) American Medical Association
D) American Federation of Teachers

Question 35

Which of the following presidents deserves credit for New Federalism, or the shift of political power from the federal to the state and local levels?

A) George H. W. Bush
B) Ronald Reagan
C) Bill Clinton
D) George W. Bush

Question 36

President George W. Bush indicated his belief in the importance of coordinating his administration's foreign policy message and image abroad by creating a permanent Office of Global Communications.

Question 37

Because Congress feared that then-President Theodore Roosevelt would win public support for his programs through use of a network of people who practice "public relations," they passed the Gillett Amendment in 1913 that barred use of the "practice" in federal government.

Question 38

While Congress passed a law that did prohibited government people from engaging in the "practice of public relations,"
there are thousands of public relations-related jobs at the federal level.

Question 39

According to government reports, the Bush administration spent billions of dollars on advertising and public relations contracts during George W. Bush's term.

Question 40

The Department of Defense communications include 3,727 communicators in the Army.

Question 41

As of 1999, the USIA became an important function of the Department of Defense.

Question 42

Among the major vehicles that the USIA employs to spread the "gospel of America"
are Radio Marti, beamed into Cuba, and the Voice of America, directed at other international audiences.

Question 43

Despite early 20th century efforts by Congress to limit the persuasive powers of the President of the United States, the nation's chief executive today wields unbridled public relations clout and controls the "bully pulpit."

Question 44

President Ronald Reagan's approach to communications was so effective that he is still called the "Great Communicator."

Question 45

The main role of the presidential press secretary is chief public relations spokesperson for a President's administration.

Question 46

The press secretary who was universally hailed by media for his professionalism during most of his tenure was Larry Speakes, who had been a Hill & Knowlton executive.

Question 47

The first woman to serve as presidential press secretary to President Clinton was Mary Matlin.

Question 48

Today, there are 300 members of "the imperial press corps"
looking to the presidential press secretary for news.

Question 49

The number of registered lobbyists in Washington has increased to 11,268.

Question 50

One of the functions lobbyists service is a publicity springboard.

Question 51

Informing and persuading are at the heart of what lobbyists do.

Question 52

The campaign Al Gore ran against George W. Bush established him as the first "digital presidential candidate."

Question 53

Among the most controversial political developments in recent years is the rise of PACs and their role in elections.

Question 54

In his 1980 campaign President Ronald Reagan initiated New Federalism, which called for a shift of political debate and public policy decisions to be made at state and local levels.

Question 55

Among frontline responsibilities of a public relations practitioner at the local government level are to inform constituents about legislative and regulatory changes and about various government procedures.

Question 56

How did September 11, 2001, change the communications approach of the Bush Administration?

Question 57

What is the USIA, when was it created and by whom? What is its role, and which government department today has responsibility for it?

Question 58

If the Office of the President hopes to maintain a solid image with media and the public, it must "manage the news"
by following seven principles used by President Ronald Reagan's communications advisers. What are those principles?

Question 59

The essence of a lobbyist's job is to inform and persuade. In what activities do most lobbyists take part?