Deck 8: Interest Groups

Question 1

Which of the following is a theoretical assumption of pluralism?

A) Competition among interests will produce balance, with all interests regulating each other.
B) Competition among interests will produce extreme public policy, with one interest dominating all others.
C) Only some interests should be free to compete for influence in the United States.
D) All interests are not equally free to compete for influence in the United States.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Organized interest groups enhance American democracy by

A) fielding large numbers of electable candidates.
B) financing large numbers of election campaigns.
C) empowering less potent segments of society.
D) representing the interests of large numbers of people and encouraging political participation.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

"Nader's Raiders" were a(n)

A) environmental protection group in the 1970s that fought for carbon emission reductions.
B) consumer advocacy group in the 1960s that fought for laws and regulations to improve product safety.
C) pro-choice group in the 1980s that sought to protect federally funded access to abortions for women in the South.
D) peace group in the 1960s that fought for a reduction in the number of nuclear weapons worldwide.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

A criticism of interest group pluralism is

A) its inherent propensity for compromise, the character of which tends to be antidemocratic.
B) its class bias in favor of those with greater financial resources.
C) that its ideals are too closely associated with Marxist-Leninist ideology and are therefore unacceptable to the majority of Americans.
D) that it gives too much influence to religious organizations and therefore threatens the separation of church and state.

Question 5

The best description of the ideal of pluralism is that

A) the public good should always trump individual interests.
B) interest groups should be free to compete for governmental influence.
C) interest groups are factions that endanger liberty.
D) democracy is best served by legalizing but regulating the influence of interest groups.

Question 6

The National League of Cities is a good example of a

A) public-sector interest group.
B) professional association.
C) political action committee.
D) public interest group.

Question 7

What is the primary variable for predicting the likelihood of joining an interest group?

A) having an interest shared by others
B) having a higher income and education
C) already being a member of a political party
D) the region of the country in which an individual lives

Question 8

Labor groups represent ________ percent of the total number of interest groups registered to lobby in Washington.

A) 2
B) 12
C) 32
D) 52

Question 9

James Madison called an interest group a

A) mob.
B) faction.
C) plutocracy.
D) social movement.

Question 10

The Teamsters and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations are examples of ________ groups.

A) public interest
B) business
C) labor
D) ideological

Question 11

How the Constitution balances the threat posed by organized interests with the need for liberty is discussed in the

A) Federalist Papers, no. 7.
B) Federalist Papers, no. 10.
C) Federalist Papers, no. 51.
D) Anti-Federalist Papers, no. 78.

Question 12

Grandparents, tall people, and undergraduates are all examples of

A) political parties.
B) political action committees.
C) potential interest groups.
D) public interest groups.

Question 13

Public interest groups differ from other types of interest groups in that

A) they claim to serve the common good, not just their own particular interests.
B) they were the first political associations to use the strategy of direct mailing.
C) they were the first group to abandon lobbying and take up only grassroots activism.
D) unlike other interest groups, their status is like that of a charity, not a political organization.

Question 14

The Sierra Club is a(n) ________ group.

A) public interest
B) ideological
C) labor
D) business

Question 15

Members of interest groups in the United States are typically people

A) with higher levels of income and education.
B) from the lower socioeconomic levels.
C) who work in manual labor and unskilled occupations.
D) who identify as Democrats.

Question 16

The Christian Coalition is a(n) ________ group.

A) public interest
B) ideological
C) labor
D) business

Question 17

When a coalition of credit card companies forms an interest group called the Partnership to Protect Consumer Credit, this suggests that

A) credit card companies are interested in the public good.
B) private interests are hiding behind the ideals of public interests.
C) public interest groups are now actively involving private corporations.
D) the free-rider problem does not apply to private corporations.

Question 18

The collection of grassroots online activist organizations that have redefined membership and fund-raising practices and streamlined staff structure are referred to as the

A) 527s.
B) pluralists.
C) Super PACs.
D) netroots.

Question 19

It is difficult for political scientists to categorize unrepresented interests because

A) there are no constitutional means for unorganized interests to compete for attention.
B) there are no organizations that can present their identities and demands.
C) there are no measurements of interests and needs outside of representation.
D) these interests often want to stay hidden from public view.

Question 20

Interest groups are concerned with the ________ of government, while political parties are concerned with the ________ of government.

A) values; goals
B) membership; authority
C) policies; personnel
D) legitimacy; power

Question 21

AARP has approximately ________ members today.

A) 38,000
B) 338,000
C) 3,800,000
D) 38,000,000

Question 22

When membership in an organization allows for a reduction in the price of museum tickets, it is called a

A) solidary benefit.
B) promotion offer.
C) material benefit.
D) purposive benefit.

Question 23

National defense is a good example of a

A) material benefit.
B) collective good.
C) solidary benefit.
D) purposive benefit.

Question 24

A benefit that is sought by an interest group and that once achieved cannot be denied to nonmembers is called a

A) free rider.
B) collective good.
C) solidary benefit.
D) purposive benefit.

Question 25

Which of the following issues is part of the agenda of the New Politics movement?

A) telecommunications deregulation
B) occupational health and safety legislation
C) industrial deregulation
D) nuclear disarmament

Question 26

A membership association is a group

A) that accepts anyone as a member.
B) in which members play an important role in the daily activities and administration.
C) in which members vote directly for their leaders.
D) in which only members may receive benefits.

Question 27

The New Politics movement gave rise to ________ groups.

A) ideological
B) partisan
C) labor
D) public interest

Question 28

One way that AARP has been effective at overcoming the free-rider problem is by providing ________ benefits to its members.

A) selective
B) elective
C) free-rider
D) public good

Question 29

The free-rider phenomenon is

A) more problematic in very large groups.
B) more problematic in very small groups.
C) not affected in any way by the size of the group in question.
D) not related to groups in any way because it is an individual-level problem.

Question 30

The solidary benefits of interest groups include

A) friendship and consciousness-raising.
B) special services and goods.
C) information and money.
D) identification with the purpose or ideology of the group.

Question 31

Many interest groups are initially organized because

A) most state-level government agencies will only negotiate policy implementation with organized groups.
B) funding opportunities provided by the federal bureaucracy encourage collective action.
C) a political entrepreneur with a strong commitment to a particular set of goals believes a group will promote his or her goals and enhance his or her political influence.
D) a politician has lost an election and wants to challenge the results.

Question 32

If a person enjoys the benefits of a group's collective efforts but does not contribute to those efforts, he or she is called a

A) citizen.
B) subject.
C) free rider.
D) lobbyist.

Question 33

Why is it important for interest groups to offer selective benefits?

A) It is necessary to limit the extent of the free-rider problem.
B) If they do not, people will join political parties instead.
C) Selective benefits are the only way to measure the success of an interest group.
D) If they do not, people will accuse the groups of being antidemocratic.

Question 34

A ________ exists when paid staff conduct most of the daily business of a group.

A) staff organization
B) free-rider group
C) lobbyist firm
D) 527 committee

Question 35

Since the 1930s, the number and scale of interest groups at the national level has

A) dramatically increased.
B) experienced relatively modest growth.
C) remained relatively stagnant.
D) experienced relatively modest decline.

Question 36

The liberal-leaning MoveOn.org and the conservative-leaning Americans for Prosperity are examples of

A) iron triangles.
B) issue networks.
C) netroots political associations.
D) legacy organizations.

Question 37

Netroots groups are less expensive to organize than traditional interest groups because they

A) do not provide any selective benefits to their members.
B) spend much less time communicating with their members and much more time lobbying policy makers.
C) have a streamlined staff structure with fewer staff who often work from virtual offices.
D) are always run entirely by volunteers who take no salary.

Question 38

The major organizational factors shared by most interest groups are

A) very close links with the national news media, direct ties to a member of Congress, a headquarters in Washington, D.C., and members.
B) very close links with the national news media, connections with Hollywood, direct ties to the president of the United States, and members.
C) leadership, money, an agency or office, and members.
D) leadership, a rigid hierarchical structure, access to loans from the Federal Reserve, and members.

Question 39

A ________ is the best example of an informational benefit provided by many interest groups.

A) consciousness-raising workshop
B) free T-shirt
C) newsletter
D) health insurance program

Question 40

The free-rider problem occurs because

A) members of Congress are presented with many opportunities to amend a piece of legislation.
B) the benefits of a group's actions are available only to a specific segment of society.
C) the benefits of a group's actions are broadly available and cannot be denied to nonmembers.
D) members of Congress listen only to organized interest groups and not to public opinion polls.

Question 41

A full-page, fully paid spread in the New York Times publicizing a major oil company is best described as

A) going public.
B) lobbying.
C) institutional advertising.
D) an issue network.

Question 42

What is the most important and beneficial resource that lobbyists provide government officials?

A) money
B) information
C) campaign workers
D) legal assistance

Question 43

________ is a strategy that attempts to mobilize the widest and most favorable climate of opinion.

A) Litigation
B) Creating a "war room"
C) Creating an iron triangle
D) Going public

Question 44

How do interest groups use litigation as a strategy of influence?

A) They file amicus curiae briefs, finance lawsuits, and bring a suit on behalf of the group.
B) They directly lobby judges, use direct-mail solicitations, and make campaign contributions to members of Congress.
C) They engage in institutional advertising, activate issue networks, and directly lobby judges.
D) They work with 527 committees, directly lobby judges, and engage in institutional advertising.

Question 45

In 2014, there were approximately ________ PACs in the United States.

A) 150
B) 1,500
C) 5,000
D) 15,000

Question 46

Which of the following groups has had the greatest success with a strategy of litigation?

A) the National Chamber of Commerce
B) the National Rifle Association
C) the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
D) the Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Question 47

In recent years, the religious right has had a great effect on American politics through

A) grassroots mobilization.
B) gaining access.
C) campaign financing.
D) iron triangles.

Question 48

A grassroots lobbying campaign occurs when

A) an interest group mobilizes its members and their families throughout the country to write their representatives in support of the group's position.
B) a spontaneous show of political support for a particular position manifests itself.
C) interest groups organize to support a dark-horse presidential candidate.
D) an interest group buys advertisements in newspapers around the country in order to publicize an issue.

Question 49

The practice of lobbying is protected by

A) the First Amendment.
B) state and federal laws dating from the 1930s.
C) internal rules of Congress.
D) a 1961 Supreme Court decision.

Question 50

Which of the following groups is most likely to belong to the New Politics movement?

A) blue-collar workers whose formative experience was the Great Depression
B) upper-middle-class professionals, for whom the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s were key experiences
C) conservative evangelical southerners, reacting to the cultural changes of the 1960s
D) recent immigrants to the United States

Question 51

Which of the following was eliminated as a result of 2002 campaign finance reforms?

A) PACs
B) soft money
C) laws limiting the amount a candidate may spend of his or her personal fortune
D) interest group lobbying

Question 52

Parties with a direct interest in a regulatory rule or decision are often called

A) amicus curiae.
B) stakeholders.
C) lobbyists.
D) iron triangles.

Question 53

Which of the following Supreme Court cases illustrates the use of litigation by an interest group?

A) Roe v. Wade (1973)
B) Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989)
C) Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)
D) United States v. Nixon (1974)

Question 54

A loose, informal relationship of public officials, interest groups, and activists who are all concerned with the same policies is called

A) an iron triangle.
B) a membership association.
C) the New Politics movement.
D) an issue network.

Question 55

Another name for lobbying is

A) stalking.
B) mobilizing.
C) petitioning.
D) litigating.

Question 56

A political action committee (PAC) can contribute ________ to any candidate for federal office, provided it contributes to at least five different federal candidates each year.

A) $500
B) $5,000
C) $50,000
D) $500,000

Question 57

Interest groups are permitted to spend as much money as they want on issue advocacy during a campaign season, as long as they

A) do not coordinate their efforts with a candidate's own campaign organization.
B) are willing to publicize their membership lists.
C) present both sides of the issue in their issue advocacy ads.
D) do not employ any person who has formerly worked on a political campaign.

Question 58

The increased number and importance of interest groups

A) causes a subsequent expansion in government.
B) is a response to an increase in the size and activity of government.
C) is a response to a decrease in the size and activity of government.
D) is due to the decline in the United States' multiparty system.

Question 59

Lobbying is

A) an attempt by an individual or group to influence the passage of legislation by exerting indirect pressure, through advertisements and media coverage, on members of Congress or a state legislature.
B) an attempt by an individual or group to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of Congress or a state legislature.
C) an attempt by an individual or group to influence the passage of legislation by exerting indirect pressure, through phone calls or emails, on members of Congress or a state legislature.
D) the act of working on a reelection campaign.

Question 60

An iron triangle is made up of an alliance between

A) a legislative committee, an executive agency, and the federal courts.
B) the federal courts, the state courts, and interest groups.
C) a legislative committee, an interest group, and an executive agency.
D) the media, a legislative committee, and the federal courts.

Question 61

Individuals and organizations can give an unlimited amount of money to

A) U.S. Senate candidates.
B) U.S. presidential candidates.
C) political parties.
D) Super PACs.

Question 62

The federal government has made many attempts to regulate lobbying over the course of American history. Discuss the federal government's rules regarding lobbying and what impact they have on the strategies employed by lobbyists. In your answer, be sure to discuss specific laws passed by Congress as well as recent Supreme Court decisions on campaign finance.

Question 63

The fact that interest groups favor the wealthy and well educated can be understood as a reflection of what dilemma in American politics?

A) Liberty is often inconsistent with equality.
B) Democracy has not been helpful in reducing the number of factions.
C) There are no efficient means of organizing the working class in the United States.
D) Organized associations and groups tend to inhibit freedom.

Question 64

The Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971

A) states that individuals may contribute up $15,000 to any candidate for federal office in any primary or general election.
B) requires that each candidate or campaign committee itemize the full name and address, occupation, and principal business of each person who contributes more than $100.
C) states that political action committees can contribute $500,000 to any candidate for federal office in any primary or general election.
D) eliminated unrestricted "soft money" donations to the national political parties.

Question 65

Most initiative campaigns today are sponsored by

A) candidates for political office who see it as a way to engage in money swapping.
B) issue networks that want to change government policies without attracting attention from the public.
C) citizens who care deeply about a given issue.
D) interest groups seeking to circumvent legislative opposition to their goals.

Question 66

Describe some of the different strategies that interest groups use to gain influence on public policy. In your answer, be sure to give specific examples of each of the strategies you discuss.

Question 67

Which of the following was NOT part of the ethics rules enacted by Congress in 2007?

A) a prohibition on lobbyists from paying for most meals, trips, parties, and gifts for members of Congress
B) a requirement to disclose the amounts and sources of small campaign contributions collected from clients and "bundled" into large contributions
C) a requirement to disclose the funds lobbyists use to rally voters to support or oppose legislative proposals
D) a prohibition on all PAC contributions to members of Congress

Question 68

Describe some different types of interest groups that are currently active in American politics. How do so-called netroots organizations differ in their organization, communication, objectives, recruitment, and tactics from more traditional interest groups?

Question 69

________ occurs when interest groups take out advertisements and hold marches.

A) Mobilizing public opinion
B) Partisan politics
C) Lobbying
D) Litigating

Question 70

What distinguishes lobbying from other strategies of influence?

A) Lobbying is the least expensive and the most democratic strategy of influencing government.
B) Lobbyists try to exert pressure directly on government officials themselves.
C) Lobbying is the only form of influence that has explicit First Amendment protection from regulation.
D) Lobbying involves advertising in order to create a positive image of an organization.

Question 71

Anonymous is a(n)

A) interest group closely associated with the New Politics movement.
B) Super PAC that gives primarily to Republican candidates.
C) loosely associated network of activists and hackers that specializes in online protests.
D) "dark money" 501(c)(4) organization.

Question 72

________ led the drive to kill the 2007 immigration reform bill supported by President Bush and a number of congressional Democrats.

A) Anonymous
B) Grassfire.org
C) MoveOn.org
D) EMILY'S List

Question 73

What are some of the historical reasons for the proliferation of interest groups during the 1960s? Using examples of specific organizations, explain how the groups that emerged in the 1960s differed from the groups that preceded them.

Question 74

Analyze the theory of pluralism. Your essay should discuss the following: (A) the main assumptions of pluralism concerning the role of interests and factions in American politics; (B) James Madison's concerns about factions and their effects on government; and (C) some contemporary criticisms of pluralism in American politics.

Question 75

What is the primary function of a PAC?

A) to raise grassroots support for a particular interest
B) to build better networks between interest groups and political parties
C) to raise and distribute money to election campaigns
D) to produce and carry out an institutional advertising campaign