Deck 12: Groups and Interests

Question 1

According to the Madisonian theory,what does a good constitution promote?

A)many interest groups
B)firm regulation of interest groups
C)a limited number of interest groups
D)government subsidies for interest groups
E)tax breaks for interest groups

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The National League of Cities and Council of State Governments help make up what is known as the __________ lobby.

A)moral
B)beltway
C)business
D)consumer
E)public-sector

Answer 2

E

Question 3

The theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the government is called

A)pluralism.
B)determinism.
C)capitalism.
D)interest-group liberalism.
E)functionalism.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The fact that a group of individuals would all benefit from draining a swamp but that any individual can shirk his or her part of the duties illustrates the concept of

A)free riding.
B)negative externalities.
C)positive externalities.
D)collective optimization.
E)groupthink failures.

Question 5

The Natural Resources Defense Council,Common Cause,and the Union of Concerned Scientists are groups driven primarily by

A)labor interests.
B)moral interests.
C)the public interest.
D)economic interests.
E)the research lobby.

Question 6

Interest groups tend to concern themselves with the

A)policies of government.
B)personnel of government.
C)issues relevant to businesses.
D)issues relevant to individual citizens.
E)issues relevant to foreign nations.

Question 7

In order to function,most groups need all of the following EXCEPT a(n)

A)membership base.
B)financial structure.
C)cadre of scholars.
D)leadership and decision-making structure.
E)agency that carries out the group's tasks,like a public-relations or lobbying office.

Question 8

The American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Petrochemical Refiners Association are examples of interest groups driven primarily by

A)labor interests.
B)moral interests.
C)the public interest.
D)economic interests.
E)the research lobby.

Question 9

In order to obtain adequate political representation,forces from the bottom rungs of the socioeconomic ladder must be organized together on a massive scale through

A)labor unions.
B)interest groups.
C)political parties.
D)conscriptive service.
E)creative redistricting.

Question 10

James Madison argued that organized interests would have less opportunity to dominate the political process if the nation

A)was large with diverse interests.
B)was small with diverse interests.
C)was large with common interests.
D)was small with common interests.
E)had a strong party system.

Question 11

What is the relationship between government activity and interest-group activity?

A)As government activity declines,interest-group activity increases.
B)As government activity increases,interest-group activity declines.
C)As government activity increases,interest-group activity increases.
D)Interest-group activity increases regardless of government activity.
E)Interest-group activity decreases regardless of government activity.

Question 12

Which term describes an organized group of individuals or organizations that makes policy-related appeals to government?

A)corporation
B)lobbying firm
C)interest group
D)political action committee
E)527 group

Question 13

When a set of environmentalists banded together to form the Sierra Club to influence government policy,they created a(n)

A)corporation.
B)lobbying firm.
C)interest group.
D)political action committee.
E)527 group.

Question 14

What do interest-group politics tend to reflect the bias of?

A)religious activists
B)unemployed and homeless persons
C)low-wage service employees
D)well-educated,upper-income professionals
E)unionized workers

Question 15

According to Mancur Olson,small groups are able to overcome the collective action problem more easily than large groups because small groups

A)are generally not formed for self-interest reasons.
B)are more personal and thus more vulnerable to interpersonal persuasion.
C)are generally formed by labor interests,which are better at enforcing collective action.
D)have fewer resource needs.
E)tend to focus on providing public goods instead of private goods.

Question 16

According to Madison,how are the problems of factions best controlled?

A)The government exercises its coercive powers to control group activities that become violent or subversive.
B)The government places limits on the number of interest groups allowed in society.
C)The government encourages the formation of many groups so that no single interest can tyrannize the others.
D)The government places limits on the amount of money that groups may contribute to political campaigns.
E)The government gives corporations the same legal status as people.

Question 17

Which of the following is a way in which interest groups may enhance democracy?

A)Interest groups provide life insurance.
B)Interest groups educate their members.
C)Interest groups rent office space in Washington,D.C.
D)Interest groups organize camping trips.
E)Interest group members may date each other.

Question 18

According to the pluralist doctrine,competing interests will lead to which of the following?

A)corporatism
B)class warfare
C)consumerism
D)consolidation
E)compromise

Question 19

Interest groups are sometimes confused with which of the following?

A)politicians
B)charges
C)delegations
D)political action committees
E)corporations

Question 20

According to the Federal Elections Commission,some political action committees (PACs) are more represented than others.Which of the following is an example of a PAC that is overrepresented in the United States?

A)labor
B)trade associations
C)cooperative
D)corporations and businesses
E)health-related industries

Question 21

After the president signs a piece of legislation into law,why do interest groups not stop working with the executive branch?

A)They do not want it to look like they only cared about passing the legislation.
B)The friendships developed with executive branch members lead to subsequent get-togethers.
C)Groups typically fear that there might be attempts to undo the legislation in Congress.
D)Faithful implementation of the law is not guaranteed and requires continued contact.
E)The executive branch requires continued input from all lobbying groups under the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act.

Question 22

When the Sierra Club initiated a public media campaign to encourage citizens across the country to support its environmental initiatives,it used the strategy known as

A)going public.
B)new politics.
C)network advocacy.
D)direct group representation.
E)lobbying.

Question 23

In 1990,Congress encouraged administrative agencies to engage in direct and open discussion with affected stakeholders when developing new regulations through the __________ Act.

A)Public Interest
B)Negotiated Rulemaking
C)Regulatory Participation
D)Interest Group Pluralism
E)Public Affairs

Question 24

Mobilizing ordinary citizens to write to their representatives in support of a group's position is a specific example of a

A)media blitz.
B)mass pressure group.
C)direct group representation.
D)public relations campaign.
E)grassroots lobbying effort.

Question 25

In the quest for political influence,outsider strategies include

A)going public.
B)using the courts.
C)gaining access to key decision makers.
D)participating in bureaucratic rule making.
E)making campaign contributions.

Question 26

Which choice was a major technological factor contributing to the rise and success of new political forces in the 1970s and 1980s?

A)computerized direct-mail campaigns
B)random digit dialing for telemarketing
C)public access programming required for city cable system franchises
D)hypertext markup language (HTML) protocols for initial website development
E)the development of SMS text messaging

Question 27

A strategy that launches a media campaign to build popular support is called

A)going public.
B)new politics.
C)network advocacy.
D)direct group representation.
E)lobbying.

Question 28

Which term describes the strategy of obtaining political influence by both gaining access to key decision makers and using the courts?

A)an insider strategy
B)a beltway strategy
C)going public
D)an outsider strategy
E)a citizen's strategy

Question 29

An attempt by a group to influence the policy process through persuasion of government officials is known as

A)access.
B)lobbying.
C)corridoring.
D)media management.
E)going public.

Question 30

An example of an outsider strategy used by the Sierra Club is

A)providing congressional testimony on new environmental rules.
B)bringing a lawsuit under the Endangered Species Act.
C)supporting candidates who promote environmental protection.
D)lobbying members of Congress to support legislation to protect the environment.
E)meeting with leaders of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Question 31

The federal Administrative Procedure Act (as amended) requires most federal agencies to

A)prohibit interest groups from influencing the rule-making process.
B)set specific timelines for termination of regulations after legislative approval.
C)reduce existing paperwork requirements and streamline the regulatory process.
D)provide notice and opportunity for comment before implementing new regulations.
E)seek formal congressional approval before new rules may go into effect.

Question 32

An example of a case in which the NAACP successfully used the courts to make an early declaration that segregation of the schools was unconstitutional was

A)Brown v.Board of Education.
B)Janey v.Fleet School District.
C)Abrams v.Little Rock Public Schools.
D)Atkinson v.State School Superintendent of Public Instruction.
E)Heart of Atlanta v.United States.

Question 33

What part of the 1996 regulations affecting the actions of lobbyists is still in effect today?

A)relaxes control over the practice of honoraria
B)limits the size of individual gifts to no more than $50
C)bans travel of congressional representatives on corporate jets
D)allows businesses to deduct lobbying costs as a business expense
E)prohibits businesses from deducting lobbying costs as a business expense

Question 34

A companion brief to an existing court case is called

A)in camera.
B)lex scripta.
C)amicus curiae.
D)non compos mentis.
E)writ of mandamus.

Question 35

Recent regulations on lobbying

A)required disclosure of bundled contributions from lobbyists.
B)relaxed restrictions on gifts to members of Congress.
C)prohibited interest groups from running voter mobilization drives.
D)allowed members of Congress to travel on corporate jets free of charge.
E)prohibited corporate and union expenditures for political purposes.

Question 36

The formation of many interest groups in the 1930s came about because of

A)the dramatic expansion of the national government.
B)a sharp uptick in the number of political entrepreneurs.
C)the leftist movement that gained hold during the Great Depression.
D)federal deregulation of interest-group formation.
E)the development of radio and broadcast media.

Question 37

An example of a case in which groups (specifically women's groups) seeking support from the courts suffered a major defeat for the women's rights movement was the Supreme Court case

A)Roe v.Wade.
B)Eisenstadt v.Baird.
C)Taylor v.Caldecott.
D)Webster v.Reproductive Health Services.
E)Griswold v.Connecticut.

Question 38

The rotation of people between jobs as members and staff in Congress and as lobbyists working with Congress has been labeled

A)iron triangles.
B)rotation station.
C)insider trading.
D)sleeper cells.
E)revolving door politics.

Question 39

In the quest for political influence,insider strategies include

A)going public.
B)running media campaigns.
C)using electoral politics.
D)meeting with a senator.
E)holding a demonstration on the sidewalk outside the Supreme Court.

Question 40

Today,few federal agencies would implement a new rule without

A)obtaining the direct comment of the president.
B)getting new authorizing legislation from Congress.
C)obtaining a court order.
D)consulting the affected interest groups.
E)discussing the matter with an independent team of academics.

Question 41

A device that allows groups to propose laws that the public will vote on in the next general election ballot,thereby bypassing elected officials,is a(n)

A)recall.
B)run-off.
C)petition.
D)initiative.
E)redress requisition.

Question 42

Which court case laid the legal framework allowing independent expenditures by interest groups?

A)Buckley v.Valeo
B)McConnell v.FEC
C)Citizens United v.FEC
D)Colorado Republican Federal Campaign Committee v.FEC
E)Caperton v.Massey

Question 43

Artificially orchestrating a grassroots campaign to make it appear that constituents care about an issue when in reality they do not is called

A)Astroturf lobbying.
B)stealth lobbying.
C)misguided lobbying.
D)simulated lobbying.
E)synthetic lobbying.

Question 44

Most initiatives today are actually sponsored by

A)interest groups.
B)political parties.
C)individual citizens.
D)state legislative leaders.
E)members of Congress.

Question 45

When the Service Employees International Union spent over $30 million in independent campaign activity on behalf of Barack Obama,they exemplified the strategy of

A)contributions through PACs.
B)campaign activism.
C)vote buying.
D)Internet campaigning.
E)Astroturf lobbying.

Question 46

A financial services company that supports legislation making it more difficult for investors to sue for fraud hires a Washington-based firm to generate and mail thousands of letters of support to members of Congress.This strategy is also known as

A)Astroturf lobbying.
B)franking.
C)advertising.
D)grassroots lobbying.
E)protesting.

Question 47

Interest groups focus on helping their favorite candidates win elections,while political action committees focus on influencing elected officials.

Question 48

An expensive,well-designed ad published in the New York Times that features the successful track record in environmental protection by a major oil company is an example of

A)lobbying.
B)corridoring.
C)going public.
D)damage control.
E)network advocacy.

Question 49

The Watergate scandal was triggered by the illegal

A)trading of arms for hostages in Iran.
B)taping of presidential conversations in the White House.
C)use of unregistered cash from corporate executives by the Nixon campaign.
D)entry of Republican workers into the Democratic National Committee office.
E)use of wiretapping of Democratic candidates' phones.

Question 50

Which of the following indicates an increase in interest-group activity?

A)earmarks
B)set asides
C)grants-in-aid
D)revenue streams
E)block grants

Question 51

Organized protests as a strategy for winning support for a group's policy positions

A)are generally not protected as free speech because of inherent dangers in protests.
B)create a sense of community and raise the consciousness of people outside the protest.
C)have no record of success in the United States,though they have been used successfully elsewhere.
D)are effective for unions but are not effective for other groups.
E)tend to work for Democrats but not for Republicans.

Question 52

According to the text,a diversity of interests enhances American democracy because it promotes compromise and moderation.

Question 53

The framers of the U.S.Constitution were fearful of factions.

Question 54

Interest groups work primarily by trying to get candidates elected.

Question 55

According to Madisonian theory,a good constitution encourages multitudes of interests so that no single interest can ever tyrannize the others.

Question 56

Special congressional appropriations for expenditures on particular projects in specific states or districts that lobbyists seek for their group are called

A)earmarks.
B)set asides.
C)grants-in-aid.
D)revenue streams.
E)block grants.

Question 57

Which late nineteenth-century group originally promoted the political tactic known as the initiative?

A)Populists
B)Socialists
C)Libertarians
D)party bosses
E)muckrakers

Question 58

In contrast to political parties,interest groups tend to concern themselves with government personnel.

Question 59

Within the universe of interest-group politics,political power rather than an abstract conception of the public good is likely to prevail.

Question 60

Limits on campaign contributions and requirements that each candidate or campaign committee provide the full name and address,occupation,and principal business of each person who contributes more than $100 are features of the

A)Kennedy-Obama plan of 2007.
B)McCain-Feingold legislative proposal of 2002.
C)Bipartisan Campaign Control and Reform Act of 1986.
D)Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 (as amended in 1974).
E)Buckley decision of 1976.

Question 61

The Christian right is a powerful movement made up of a number of interest groups that offer virtually no material benefits to members.

Question 62

The rules of Congress allow its members to travel on corporate jets as long as they pay an amount equal to first-class airfare.

Question 63

Large groups manage to overcome the free-rider problem more frequently than their smaller counterparts.

Question 64

Politics in which interest groups predominate is politics with a distinctly upper-class bias.

Question 65

The forces behind the "sexual revolution" avoided using the courts as a significant strategy to advance their goals after the 1970s.

Question 66

In American society,empirical research shows that groups form roughly in proportion to people's interests.

Question 67

So many individuals and groups clamor for the president's time and attention that only the most skilled and well-connected members of the lobbying community can hope to influence presidential decisions.

Question 68

To obtain adequate political representation in the United States,forces from the bottom rungs of the socioeconomic ladder generally must be organized on the massive scale associated with political parties.

Question 69

The influence of interest groups has declined in recent years.

Question 70

Interest groups help craft language in legislation.

Question 71

The unique status of the office of the president of the United States prevents it from being a target of lobbying activities.

Question 72

The 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act requires all organizations employing lobbyists to register with Congress and to disclose whom they represent.

Question 73

Membership in interest groups is randomly distributed in the population.

Question 74

Modern research indicates that interest groups easily form in response to changes in the political environment.

Question 75

Many businesses bring lawsuits to influence government policy.

Question 76

The prospect of full and faithful implementation of a law is guaranteed once the interest group is successful in getting its bill passed by Congress.

Question 77

Lobbyists serve a useful purpose in the legislative and administrative process by providing valuable information.

Question 78

Most interest groups endeavor to maintain good relations with both political parties.

Question 79

In recent years,interest groups have become much more numerous,more active,and more influential in American politics.

Question 80

Many Washington lobbyists double as fund-raisers for political campaigns.