Deck 7: Interest Groups and Business Corporations

Question 1

According to Figure 7.1

A) citizens have only one way to influence government.
B) political parties are a vital link in the pluralist model.
C) citizens have more than one way to influence government.
D) access to public officials is difficult.
E) none of the above

Answer 1

C

Question 2

According to pluralists, interest groups can perform a vital function in a democracy because

A) elections are inadequate in communicating people's preferences.
B) they increase the amount of money in elections, thus allowing more candidates to run for office.
C) they are difficult to form, so only the most intensely interested people will form groups.
D) the government is closed to all but the most numerous groups.
E) money is important in politics, and only groups can raise enough to be influential.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

James Madison's word or phrase for interest groups was

A) political parties.
B) pressure groups.
C) factions.
D) pluralists.
E) citizens' forums.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The great upsurge of public interest groups has taken place since the

A) 1930s.
B) turn of the century.
C) late 1960s.
D) early 1980s
E) beginning of the 1990s.

Question 5

Pluralists tend to see interest groups as

A) dangerous to democracy.
B) important tools of political representation.
C) an insignificant force in American politics.
D) unimportant to truly democratic outcomes.
E) incapable of promoting the public interest.

Question 6

The rules of the political game in American politics ________ the formation of interest groups.

A) outlaw
B) neither encourage nor discourage
C) encourage
D) mandate
E) undermine

Question 7

According to Table 7.1, which of the following is an example of a public interest?

A) civil rights
B) environmental protection
C) consumer protection
D) charitable
E) all of the above

Question 8

Traditionally, most interest groups form based on

A) social movements.
B) the public interest.
C) citizen groups.
D) environmental interests.
E) economic interests

Question 9

Which statement is TRUE?

A) The number of interest groups has remained stable since the 1960s.
B) Most of the change in the number of interest groups has to do with the number of unions.
C) Interest group activity has decreased since the 1960s.
D) The number of interest groups has increased dramatically since the 1960s.
E) none of the above

Question 10

Earmarks are

A) special provisions in appropriations bills directed at specific organizations.
B) rarely used by members of Congress.
C) mostly in non-defense appropriations bills.
D) only hurtful to legislators' reelection chances.
E) spending bills that typically cost taxpayers a few million dollars

Question 11

That citizens have more than one way to influence government leaders is indicative of

A) an elitist view of American democracy.
B) a pluralist view of American democracy.
C) a capitalistic view of American democracy.
D) a socialistic view of American democracy.
E) an irrational view of American democracy.

Question 12

Pluralists believe that interest groups

A) are an important instrument for obtaining both democracy and the public interest.
B) occur only in societies where multiple competing interests exist, and will result in the destruction of all but the largest interests.
C) lead to corruption and manipulation of government institutions, and therefore are essentially undemocratic.
D) damage both democracy and popular sovereignty by alienating one segment of society against another.
E) interest groups are too powerful and undermine the systemic of checks and balances.

Question 13

Which of the following is a characteristic of interest groups?

A) Organizations with large memberships, especially, are usually able to gain access to the executive branch to express their views.
B) It is common for a single corporation to maintain an office in Washington, DC to keep watch over activities that might affect the company.
C) Large-membership organizations with substantial resources can usually gain access to congressional hearings.
D) Most public interest groups are large-scale organizations that depend on donations from members to fund the group's activities.
E) all of the above

Question 14

__________ are those who support interest groups as important for attaining democracy and the public interest.

A) Elitists
B) Federalists
C) Anti-federalists
D) Pluralists
E) Lobbyists

Question 15

Interest groups are

A) sharply distinguished from pressure groups and lobbies.
B) private organizations that try to shape public policy.
C) organizations that try to gain office and run the government.
D) any organization that deals with the government.
E) organizations that field candidates for political office.

Question 16

Which of the following is a factor explaining the formation of interest groups?

A) rules of the game
B) federalism
C) the growth of government
D) diverse interests
E) all of the above

Question 17

A public interest group is

A) usually a labor union.
B) another name for a PAC.
C) a political party that runs for office in states and localities.
D) a citizens' group organized around a cause or idea.
E) a pressure group focused on policy change for profit.

Question 18

Interest groups are

A) private organizations that try to shape public policy.
B) private organizations that field candidates for public office.
C) public organizations that provide oversight services for Congress.
D) public organizations that consolidate legislative and executive budgetary proposals.
E) public organizations that field candidates for political office.

Question 19

The ________ in the United States encourages the formation of interest groups.

A) politics of interest groups
B) political culture
C) rules of the political game
D) concentration of power
E) none of the above

Question 20

Part of the reason there are more interest groups now than in the nineteenth century is that

A) there are fewer diverse interests now.
B) the political culture has changed away from individualism.
C) government has grown in its responsibilities.
D) there are more political parties.
E) there are more voters.

Question 21

What type of group is the National Council of Non-profit Associations?

A) a nonprofit group or association
B) a PAC
C) a private interest association
D) a 527
E) an iron triangle

Question 22

Professional groups, such as the American Medical Association, are able to exert much influence in Washington because

A) of the size of their membership and the respect they have within their own communities.
B) their members play a prominent role in the community and they are able to make large campaign contributions.
C) of the political savvy of their highly educated members, and the respect they have in their communities.
D) of laws that favor professional organizations over citizens and the political savvy of their highly educate members.
E) of laws that favor professional organizations over citizens, along with the prominent position of its members in their community.

Question 23

What type of group is the NAACP?

A) a public interest group or association
B) a PAC
C) a private interest association
D) a 527
E) an iron triangle

Question 24

A public interest group

A) collects money and makes contributions to candidates in federal elections.
B) tries to gain advantages or protections for its own members, predominantly economic groups.
C) is another broad and generic name for an interest group.
D) is a type of group that might be involved in public interest activities.
E) tries to get government to act in ways that will serve interests that are broader and more encompassing than the direct economic or occupational interests of their own members.

Question 25

Doctors, lawyers, and dentists are MOST likely to belong to

A) producer groups.
B) professional groups.
C) public interest groups.
D) labor unions.
E) non-profit groups

Question 26

Private interests

A) are more likely than public interests to be declared pornographic.
B) are connected in one way or another to the general welfare of the community.
C) most usually suffer from the lack of ability to offer members selective benefits.
D) are associated with benefits for some fraction of the community.
E) are more difficult to satisfy than public interests.

Question 27

Which of the following statements about interest groups and candidates is true??A) Typically, only environmental groups endorse candidates.
B) Professional groups regularly endorse candidates for office.
C) Labor unions are the least likely of interest groups to endorse candidates.
D) Nearly all types of groups endorse candidates for office.
E) Very few interest groups actually endorse candidates for office.

Question 28

Labor unions' main role is to

A) limit access to jobs that hire union workers.
B) protect job of their members and secure maximum benefits for them.
C) promote the benefits of a strong labor force in the United States.
D) lobby against tariffs and free trade.
E) lobby to create legislation that discourages outsourcing.

Question 29

A private interest association

A) collects money and makes contributions to candidates in federal elections.
B) tries to gain advantages or protections for its own members, predominantly economic groups.
C) is another broad and generic name for an interest group.
D) is a type of group that might be involved in public interest activities.
E) tries to get government to act in ways that will serve interests that are broader and more encompassing than the direct economic or occupational interests of their own members.

Question 30

The recent growth in lobbying by business firms and industry seems to be tied to

A) increased presidential influence over the bureaucracy.
B) additional governmental regulation of the economy.
C) deregulation of the economy.
D) hyper-competition in the global economy.
E) court decisions concerning the rules of lobbying.

Question 31

An interest group that advocates for a cause or an ideology is known as a(n)

A) business interest group.
B) private interest association.
C) public interest association.
D) association of professional interests.
E) labor group.

Question 32

Compared to labor unions around the world, American labor unions

A) are more political.
B) are more powerful.
C) are more concerned with bread-and-butter issues.
D) count a higher percentage of workers as members.
E) have become more important over time.

Question 33

What type of group is the Family Research Council?

A) a public interest group or association
B) a PAC
C) a private interest association
D) a 527
E) an iron triangle

Question 34

People active in public interest groups tend to be motivated by

A) money.
B) power.
C) material benefits.
D) ideological concerns.
E) selective incentives.

Question 35

A pressure group

A) collects money and makes contributions to candidates in federal elections.
B) tries to gain advantages or protections for its own members, predominantly economic groups.
C) is another broad and generic name for an interest group.
D) is a type of group that might be involved in public interest activities.
E) tries to get government to act in ways that will serve interests that are broader and more encompassing than the direct economic or occupational interests of their own members.

Question 36

A good example of a private interest group is

A) the American Red Cross.
B) Common Cause.
C) the American Farm Bureau Federation
D) the Urban League.
E) Focus on the Family.

Question 37

Which of the following is an example of a public interest group?

A) the American Red Cross
B) the Trial Lawyers Association
C) the National Federation of Independent Business
D) the American Farm Bureau Federation
E) the Service Employees International Union

Question 38

What type of group is the National Federation of Independent Business?

A) a public interest group or association
B) a PAC
C) a private interest association
D) a 527
E) an iron triangle

Question 39

According to the authors of Struggle for Democracy, most observers believe that the political power of labor unions

A) is increasing.
B) is about where it has been since the 1950s.
C) has eroded in dramatic ways over the past several decades.
D) is becoming increasingly tied to the socialist movement.
E) has never been important in American politics.

Question 40

A union

A) collects money and makes contributions to candidates in federal elections.
B) tries to gain advantages or protections for its own members, predominantly economic groups.
C) is another broad and generic name for an interest group.
D) is a type of group that might be involved in public interest activities.
E) tries to get government to act in ways that will serve interests that are broader and more encompassing than the direct economic or occupational interests of their own members.

Question 41

Many public interest groups are spawned by

A) corporations.
B) social movements.
C) professional groups.
D) members of Congress.
E) election outcomes.

Question 42

For whom did Jack Abramoff pay for expensive golfing vacations in Scotland?

A) George W. Bush
B) Tom DeLay
C) Bill Clinton
D) Nancy Pelosi
E) Bill Frist

Question 43

The "inside game" of interest groups activity involves

A) efforts to mobilize public opinion, voters, and important contributors in order to place pressure on officials.
B) indirect methods of bringing pressure to bear on both elected and appointed officials.
C) the direct interaction of the interest group representative and government officials.
D) organizing influential people in a voting district in order to "turn out the vote" for a particular candidate.
E) establishing a public relations campaign to improve a group's image.

Question 44

When an interest group files an amicus curiae brief, the group

A) requests the court to issue a restraining order to prevent interference from another person or group.
B) is responding to a suit for damages filed by an opposing party.
C) files an argument in support of one side or the other.
D) protests the involvement of another party in the case.
E) issues a report after the Court's decision in support of it.

Question 45

Given the general pattern of lobbying the executive branch, we would expect agricultural interest groups

A) not to lobby the executive branch at all.
B) to lobby the president directly.
C) to lobby the courts heavily.
D) to lobby the Food and Drug Administration.
E) to lobby Congress heavily.

Question 46

In lobbying Congress, interest groups spend most of their time trying to cultivate relationships with

A) congressional leaders.
B) party leaders.
C) congressional members and their staff.
D) voters in representatives' districts.
E) congressional pages and clerks.

Question 47

The "inside game" of interest group activity depends most significantly on

A) favors given.
B) substantial honoraria.
C) access.
D) bribery.
E) ideas.

Question 48

The "inside game" of interest group activity concerns

A) bribing members of Congress.
B) lobbying; the politics of one-on-one persuasion.
C) educating the public about the goals of an interest group.
D) publishing the voting records of members of Congress.
E) mobilizing voters to support pro-interest group legislators.

Question 49

One-on-one persuasion is an important component of

A) the outside game of interest group activity.
B) pressure tactics in the game of interest group action.
C) the inside game of interest group activity.
D) campaign contributions in elections.
E) none of the above

Question 50

What is Jack Abramoff best known for?

A) establishing the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
B) improperly funneling money to John Kerry's presidential campaign
C) bribing Republican members of Congress
D) public interest lobbying
E) supporting ethics violations changes in Congress

Question 51

The inside game of interest group activity involves

A) efforts to mobilize public opinion, voters, and important contributors in order to place pressure on officials.
B) indirect methods of bringing pressure to bear on both elected and appointed officials.
C) the direct contact of interest group representatives and government officials.
D) organizing influential people in a voting district in order to turn out the vote for a particular candidate.
E) efforts of outreach and to recruit new members.

Question 52

The main difference between the inside game and the outside game in interest group politics is the

A) type of groups that play them.
B) type of policy under consideration.
C) government institution being lobbied.
D) type of people to whom groups directly appeal.
E) all of the above

Question 53

Payoffs for lobbying members of the executive branch can be high because

A) Congress has little power to oversee the bureaucracy and cannot interfere with lobbying.
B) presidents grant significant access to interest groups.
C) executive branch officials are not very knowledgeable about policy.
D) executive agencies have broad discretion how to implement policies.
E) all of the above

Question 54

The "inside game" in interest group politics works best when

A) groups offer members selective incentives.
B) issues are salient to the general public.
C) issues are narrow and technical.
D) groups try to change policy on a symbolic issue.
E) groups can mobilize voters.

Question 55

Public interest or citizens' groups are generally

A) created by political action committees.
B) organized around some cause or idea.
C) well-financed groups that represent large corporations.
D) based on an economic or occupational interest.
E) effective at providing material incentives for membership.

Question 56

Many successful lobbyists today

A) are young and naive.
B) are former government officials.
C) never come into contact with government officials or their staff.
D) directly bribe government officials.
E) regularly skirt the rules.

Question 57

Interest groups sometimes lobby the courts in cases involving other parties by filing what kind of brief?

A) standing to sue brief.
B) amicus curiae brief
C) writ of mandamus brief
D) writ of certiorari brief
E) an interest group brief

Question 58

The key to success in lobbying the executive branch is

A) illicit campaign contributions.
B) personal contact and cooperative long-term relationships.
C) having members of the interest group call agency officials.
D) staging protests, such as sit-ins.
E) mobilizing voters to contact bureaucratic officials.

Question 59

When an interest group tries to mobilize or influence ________, it is generally playing the "inside game" in interest group politics.

A) members of Congress
B) its own members
C) campaign contributors from a representative's district
D) other interest groups
E) voters

Question 60

African-Americans best lobbied which institutional to produce change?

A) the presidency
B) Congress
C) federal agencies
D) the courts
E) state governments

Question 61

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 did which of the following??A) It banned soft money contributions to political parties.
B) It explicitly created 527's.
C) It lowered hard money contributions by PACs.
D) It lowered hard money contributions by individuals.
E) C & D

Question 62

________ issues that are important to an interest group is one of the central features of new-style lobbying.

A) Deceiving the public about
B) Educating the public about
C) Informing the president about
D) Informing legislators about
E) all of the above

Question 63

Which of the following is a potential problem with the interest group system?

A) Interest groups tend to represent the wealthier and better-educated segments of society.
B) Membership in most interest groups has declined over time.
C) Interest groups work in secret, so that neither the public nor the media is well informed about their activities.
D) Interest groups only have access to legislators and cannot influence the president or the judiciary.
E) Interest groups are not effective at the federal level of government.

Question 64

A trend in interest group politics up until the early 2000's is

A) the increasing importance of PACs.
B) a decline in the number of interest groups in the last twenty years.
C) the rise of labor as a significant force in presidential campaigns in the last twenty years.
D) the increasing closeness between interest groups and political parties over the last twenty years.
E) a decline in lobbying effects in Congress.

Question 65

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 ?A) is also known as McCain-Feingold.
B) legislated the legality of 527's.
C) lowered hard money contributions by PACs.
D) lowered hard money contributions by individuals.
E) eliminated the public financing of federal elections.

Question 66

One way that interest groups influence the courts is by

A) donating money to judges' efforts to be appointed to the federal bench.
B) supporting or opposing the appointment of a justice to the Supreme Court.
C) apply for standing in a case to indirectly influence court decisions.
D) A & B
E) all of the above

Question 67

Which of the following is NOT a way for interest groups to influence federal courts?

A) contributing to the election campaigns of judges
B) filing an amicus curiae brief
C) attempting to influence the federal judiciary appointments
D) having an organization that is not a party in a suit file an argument in support of one side or another
E) bringing a test case to the courts

Question 68

Political Action Committees (PACs)

A) are entities created by interest groups to make contributions to political campaigns.
B) are informal alliances between Congress and interest groups to negotiate policy.
C) are able to contribute unlimited amounts to campaigns.
D) coalitions that form around policy ideas.
E) none of the above.

Question 69

Interest groups have borrowed many of the techniques of ________, involving advances in computer and communications technology, to get their message to the public and to channel responses to public officials.

A) CD lasers
B) satellite technology
C) direct marketing
D) home shopping channels
E) legislators

Question 70

Soft money was initially seen as good for campaigns because it was supposed to be used for

A) party-building activities and getting out the vote.
B) influencing presidential elections, only.
C) influencing congressional elections, only.
D) positive ads.
E) negative ads.

Question 71

Which of the following is an example of an "outside game" interest group activity?

A) educating the public on issues that are important to an interest group
B) sponsoring or directly publishing research results about an issue important to an interest group
C) mobilizing the membership of an interest group
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 72

Where interest groups seem to matter the most is

A) getting members of Congress to change their minds on salient policy issues.
B) in the small details of legislation, forged mainly in the committees and subcommittees of Congress.
C) lobbying the courts.
D) when the interest group represents the least advantaged groups in America.
E) influencing public opinion.

Question 73

The idea that alliances form between interest groups, bureaucratic agencies, and subcommittees of Congress has been called

A) capture.
B) clientelism.
C) iron triangles.
D) interest group liberalism.
E) subgroup politics.

Question 74

The "outside game" in interest group politics refers to attempts by groups to

A) contact officials personally.
B) attract new members.
C) identify and mobilize support among a wider public.
D) bribe public officials directly.
E) lobby members of Congress.

Question 75

Which of the following best describes what is known as the "outside game"?

A) interest group activity in which lobbyists pressure legislators one-on-one to influence their decisions
B) interest group activity in which public support is identified and mobilized
C) interest group activity in which only private groups are involved
D) interest group activity in which only public groups are involved
E) interest group activity that focuses on executive branch lobbying.

Question 76

If there is an upper-class bias in the interest group system, then the concept of ________ is violated.

A) popular sovereignty
B) elitism
C) political equality
D) political independence
E) political influence

Question 77

Educating the public on issues that are important to interest groups is a feature of what kind of lobbying??A) Amicus curiae lobbying
B) new-style lobbying
C) traditional lobbying
D) counteractive lobbying
E) direct lobbying

Question 78

The most economically well-off interest groups are

A) public interest groups.
B) PACs.
C) business corporations and the professions.
D) public unions.
E) civil rights groups.

Question 79

Which of the following is an example of a direct marketing technique that an interest group might use?

A) publishing voting records of members of Congress
B) lobbying administrative officials in the executive branch
C) amicus curiae
D) targeting mail and telephone calls to certain individuals or groups
E) lobbying members of Congress

Question 80

Expenditures by political parties on general public education, voter registration, and voter mobilization are known as

A) soft money.
B) hard money.
C) campaign finance reform.
D) independent expenditures.
E) illicit contributions.