Deck 6: Interest Groups

Question 1

Recently,Shelly joined The Comato Group,an interest group that advocates the consumption of organic food and speaks against the use of chemicals in farming.Shelly claims that the benefits offered by the group to its members is what motivated her to join the group.The member benefits include a free supply of ingredients for organic farming and discounts on organic food products.What type of incentive motivated Shelly to join The Comato Group?​ 

A) Purposive incentive 
B) Solidary incentive​ 
C) Intangible incentive​ 
D) Material incentive​ 
E) Immaterial incentive

Answer 1

D

Question 2

In reality,all lobbying groups,organizations,and other political entities represent special interests.​ 

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Which of the following is true of the right to petition the government?​ 

A) It prohibits citizens from suing the government. 
B) It is guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.​ 
C) It is a right limited to the members of Congress.​ 
D) It forbids citizens from demanding redress of grievances.​ 
E) It allows citizens and groups of citizens to lobby members of Congress.​

Answer 3

E

Question 4

Live and Teach Better is an interest group that was lobbying members of Congress to improve the health benefits of teachers in Wisconsin.Only about 20 percent of the total number of teachers in Wisconsin are members of the group and contribute to it.Recently,it was successful in lobbying for better health benefits for teachers throughout the city.Even though most of the teachers in the city did not make an effort to help the members of the interest group,they were able to enjoy the improved health benefit plans.In this scenario,the problem faced by the members of the interest group is known as the _____.

A) dispersed cost problem 
B) union decline problem​ 
C) free rider problem​ 
D) independent expenditure problem​ 
E) free rater problem​

Question 5

Which of the following is true of tax breaks for special interest?​ 

A) They require the government to spend more on interest groups than subsidies. 
B) Demanding tax breaks is becoming an increasingly unpopular objective.​ 
C) They are more difficult to obtain than subsidies.​ 
D) They do not look like government spending.​ 
E) Increasing the amount of tax paid by a rival interest group is an example of a tax break.

Question 6

Which of the following is true of interest groups?​ 

A) They are usually disorganized and chaotic. 
B) They consist of a group of people sharing diverse objectives.​ 
C) They influence the government only through direct methods.​ 
D) They pursue their goals in every branch of government.​ 
E) They influence the government only through indirect methods.

Question 7

Both the number of PACs (political action committees)and the amount of money PACs spend on elections have declined at an alarming rate in recent years.​ 

Question 8

Which of the following is true of entrepreneurial theory? 

A) This line of thought focuses on the importance of leaders who establish an organization. 
B) This line of thought focuses on the ideologies of an organization.​ 
C) This line of thought focuses on the people who are affected by an organization.​ 
D) This line of thought focuses on the importance of funds necessary to run an organization.​ 
E) This line of thought focuses on the problem of free riders who benefit from an organization.​

Question 9

Brandon is a member of a group that plans on planting 10,000 trees throughout their city within a year.Since Brandon is an environmentalist,he feels a deep sense of satisfaction while planning the locations for planting trees,organizing events for raising the necessary funds,and helping the group gather support from the other people in the city.He feels that he will be able to make a tremendous contribution to the environment by being a member of the group.Which of the following types of incentives most likely motivated Brandon to join the group?​ 

A) A material incentive 
B) A purposive incentive​ 
C) A solidary incentive​ 
D) A monetary incentive​ 
E) A tangible incentive

Question 10

Elisa,a forty-year-old woman,has been teaching literature in a school for the past 10 years.She has a passion for reading and writing books.She has recently joined a book club as she gets to read a wide variety of books and also gets to discuss some of her books with the members of the group.The purpose of the group is to help people who love literature get together and share their views.Since Elisa feels a sense of belonging with the group,a _____ most likely motivated Elisa to join the book club.

A) material incentive 
B) purposive incentive​ 
C) solidary incentive​ 
D) monetary incentive​ 
E) tangible incentive​

Question 11

The freedom to form interest groups and to lobby the government is protected by the _____.​ 

A) Twenty-fourth Amendment 
B) Magna Carta​ 
C) Bill of Rights​ 
D) Massachusetts Body of Liberties​ 
E) Seventeenth Amendment

Question 12

Which of the following is a purpose of interest groups in American politics? 

A) They help bridge the gap between citizens and government. 
B) They help conduct campaigns for candidates of primary elections.​ 
C) They restrict citizens from taking action on various issues.​ 
D) They dictate the duties of government officials.​ 
E) They keep the public from interfering in government affairs.

Question 13

Interest groups may form-and existing groups may become more politically active-when:​ 

A) the number of privately owned companies increases. 
B) the government expands its scope of activities.​ 
C) the government fails and there is anarchy.​ 
D) the government becomes inactive in regulating certain matters.​ 
E) the private sector increases its scope of activities.

Question 14

The _____ guarantees the right of the people "to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." 

A) First Amendment 
B) Fifth Amendment​ 
C) Seventh Amendment​ 
D) Fourteenth Amendment​ 
E) Nineteenth Amendment

Question 15

Which of the following is true of a purposive incentive? 

A) It is the satisfaction gained from being in a group that stands for what a person believes in. 
B) It is the satisfaction gained from feeling a sense of belonging to a group. 
C) It is the satisfaction gained from receiving benefits such as discounts for being a part of a group.​ 
D) It is the satisfaction gained from making friends and associating with the members of a group.​ 
E) It is the satisfaction gained from being able to dictate the actions of the members of a group.

Question 16

If a group stands for something that an individual believes is very important,he or she can gain considerable satisfaction in taking action from within that group.Such satisfaction is referred to as a solidary incentive.

Question 17

If the Senate passes a bill opposed by a group,which of the following is the next step that can be taken by the group?​ 

A) It can lobby trial court judges to oppose the bill. 
B) It can shift its lobbying efforts to the Supreme Court.​ 
C) It can lobby the executive agency that implements laws.​ 
D) It can lobby members of Congress to act in the interests of the group.​ 
E) It can shift its lobbying efforts to the House of Representatives.

Question 18

Interest groups often provide public officials with specialized and detailed information that might be difficult to obtain otherwise.​ 

Question 19

Many political scientists have long believed that majoritarianism contains elements of truth and that pluralism and elite theory are only ideals.

Question 20

A group becomes an interest group when it: 

A) seeks to entertain its members with no broader purpose. 
B) facilitates worship and community. 
C) seeks to affect practices of the government.​ 
D) does not have political aims.​ 
E) has a tax-exempt status.​

Question 21

Which of the following is true of pluralists? 

A) They contend that conflicts among groups divide a nation into hostile camps. 
B) They contend that no one group can dominate the political process. 
C) They state that politics is the result of collaboration of interest groups and not competition among them.​ 
D) They contend that the influence of interest groups on government is undemocratic.​ 
E) They state that politics is the governance of a country by established laws.​

Question 22

_____ maintain that the influence of interest groups on government is not undemocratic because individual interests are indirectly represented in the policymaking process through these groups.​ 

A) Marxists​ 
B) Textualists​ 
C) Elitists​ 
D) Pluralists​ 
E) Secularists​

Question 23

Unlike interest groups,political parties:​ 

A) are often policy specialists. 
B) are tightly organized. 
C) are policy generalists.​ 
D) do not compete for public office.​ 
E) have only a handful of key policies to promote.​

Question 24

Which of the following statements is true of trade organizations?​ 

A) They seek policies that harm other organizations instead of policies that benefit their own. 
B) They usually support policies that benefit specific industries.​ 
C) They are formed with the goal of working for the public good.​ 
D) They represent the people over the age of sixteen who are working.​ 
E) They are formed with the main purpose of protecting consumer rights.​

Question 25

Daniel is a member of Tree for Life,a public interest group that helps protect forests throughout the United States of America.They hold many demonstrations on the importance of forests and have representatives who lobby public officials for laws that impose strict restrictions on the rate of deforestation.In this scenario,Daniel is a member of a(n)_____.​ 

A) identity interest group 
B) ideological interest group​ 
C) professional interest group​ 
D) business interest group​ 
E) labor interest group​

Question 26

Which of the following statements is true of public interest?​ 

A) A clear public interest does not exist. 
B) A single public-interest group usually represents all American people.​ 
C) All lobbying groups represent public interest.​ 
D) Public-interest groups do not include environmental groups.​ 
E) All political parties represent public interest.​

Question 27

Which of the following is an example of a professional interest group?​ 

A) The American Political Science Association 
B) The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People​ 
C) The National Urban League 
D) The Tea Party Movement 
E) The National Wildlife Federation

Question 28

_____ deal with problems such as sub-standard housing,discrimination in the granting of credit,and business inaction on complaints of buyers.​ 

A) Identity interest groups 
B) Consumer interest groups​ 
C) Professional interest groups​ 
D) Business interest groups​ 
E) Labor interest groups​

Question 29

Which of the following types of interest groups has other aims other than benefiting narrow economic interests?​ 

A) A labor interest group 
B) A professional interest group​ 
C) A business interest group​ 
D) An agricultural interest group​ 
E) A public-interest group​

Question 30

Which of the following is true of consumer interest groups?​ 

A) They represent all trade organizations. 
B) They are organized to protect the rights of buyers.​ 
C) They are organized to work on behalf of agricultural interests.​ 
D) They help protect the rights of private-sector workers.​ 
E) They represent people who share the same race.​

Question 31

Which of the following is the largest and most effective broad-based agricultural interest group?​ 

A) The American Farm Bureau Federation 
B) The National Association of Social Workers​ 
C) Common Cause​ 
D) Consumers Union​ 
E) The National Grange​

Question 32

In the context of American democracy,which of the following is true of majoritarianism?​ 

A) It is a belief that public policy should be in accordance with the opinion of the most powerful in the nation. 
B) It is believed to be a startlingly poor description of how politics actually works.​ 
C) It is believed to contain elements of truth and practicality.​ 
D) It contends that the government is controlled by one or more elite groups.​ 
E) It contends that the influence of interest groups on government is undemocratic.

Question 33

Ellaine is a member of Equal Life,an interest group.The group organizes protests and lobbies the Congress for strict actions against people who harass members of the gay or lesbian community.They have gathered many supporters over the years and plan to continue their efforts for the betterment of the community.In this context,Ellaine is a member of a(n)_____.​ 

A) identity interest group 
B) consumer interest group​ 
C) professional interest group​ 
D) business interest group​ 
E) labor interest group​

Question 34

Which of the following is an example of an ideological interest group?​ 

A) The National Education Association 
B) The Club for Growth​ 
C) The National Grange​ 
D) The Farm Bureau​ 
E) The American Medical Association​

Question 35

Unlike private-sector unions,public-sector unions:​ 

A) are composed of less than 10 percent of the total public-sector workers. 
B) have seen a steady decline over the last several decades.​ 
C) do not have the right to strike over wages and working conditions.​ 
D) do not have the right to vote for their own bosses.​ 
E) do not have any influence on the government.​

Question 36

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

A) The National Association of Manufacturers 
B) The American Federation of Labor​ 
C) The American Medical Association​ 
D) The American Civil Liberties Union​ 
E)  The American Farm Bureau Federation​

Question 37

Which of the following statements is true of labor unions?​ 

A) The strength of labor unions has increased drastically over the last several decades. 
B) It is much easier to form and maintain unions in the United States than in most other industrial nations.​ 
C) Most business owners in the United States will make enormous efforts to ensure that their own businesses are unionized.​ 
D) Today members of organized labor make up more than 30 percent of all wage and salary workers.​ 
E) The political power of labor unions has waned over the last several decades.​

Question 38

Which of the following is one of the two umbrella organizations that includes small and large corporations and businesses in the U.S.?​ 

A) Young Entrepreneur Council 
B) Consumers Cooperative Services 
C) National Council of Agricultural Employees​ 
D) National Association of Manufacturers​ 
E) Produce Marketing Association​

Question 39

Traditionally,business interest groups have been viewed as staunch supporters of the _____.​ 

A) Federalist Party 
B) Democratic Party​ 
C) Communist Party​ 
D) Republican Party​ 
E) Egalitarian Party​

Question 40

Which of the following statements is true of right-to-work laws?​ 

A) These laws have helped reduce the free rider problem significantly. 
B) These laws ban foreign immigrants from being promoted to high managerial positions in an organization.​ 
C) These laws are followed by 45 states in the United States of America.​ 
D) These laws ban unions from collecting dues from workers whom they represent but who have not joined the union.​ 
E) These laws have made it compulsory for workers over the age of 35 to join unions.​

Question 41

_________ is the apt label that has been given to campaigns that masquerade as grassroots mobilizations,but are not.A.Amicus curiaeB.Astroturf lobbyingC.Stare decisisD.Habeas corpus

Question 42

Which of the following is true of interest group representatives or lobbyists?​ 

A) Their movement between their groups' headquarters and congressional offices is restricted. 
B) They are frequently asked to testify before congressional committees on the effect or potential effect of particular legislation or regulations.​ 
C) They are seldom consulted when Congress drafts new legislation.​ 
D) Since interest groups are a temporary feature of American government, lobbying has not yet developed into a profession.​ 
E) A professional lobbyist can represent only a single interest group throughout his or her career.​

Question 43

The _____ banned unlimited donations to campaigns and political parties,called soft money.​ 

A) Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act of 2003 
B) Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002​ 
C) Trade Act of 2002​ 
D) Foreign Investment and National Security Act of 2007​ 
E) Economic Stimulus Act of 2008​

Question 44

Which of the following is true of American interest groups?​ 

A) Interest groups are an insignificant part of the American government system. 
B) Interest groups have become a permanent part of American government.​ 
C) Each interest group can only be represented by a single lobbyist throughout its existence.​ 
D) All the major interest groups have headquarters in Los Angeles.​ 
E) Interest group representatives are seldom consulted when Congress drafts new legislation.​

Question 45

Which of the following is true of the provisions under the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946?​ 

A) Every registered lobbyist had to make quarterly reports on his or her activities. 
B) Anyone violating the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act could be imprisoned for up to three years.​ 
C) No person or organization was allowed to receive money to influence legislation.​ 
D) Any groups or persons seeking to influence legislation indirectly needed to register.​ 
E) Anyone violating the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act could be fined up to $1000.​

Question 46

The _________ included provisions requiring the disclosure of lawmakers' requests in legislation.A.Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946B.Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007C.Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002D.Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995

Question 47

Indirect techniques of influencing government policy can be particularly effective because:​ 

A) a large amount of election support is provided to public officials through indirect methods. 
B) indirect techniques require considerably less effort from interest groups than direct methods.​ 
C) public officials are often more impressed by contacts from voters than from lobbyists.​ 
D) indirect techniques are more well planned than direct lobbying techniques.​ 
E) lobbyists demand more benefits than common voters.​

Question 48

The _________ is a system by which a particular interest group evaluates the performance of legislators based on how often the legislators have voted with the group's position on particular issues.A.earmarking systemB.rating systemC.shaping systemD.mobilizing system

Question 49

_____ is an indirect technique used by interest groups to influence government policy.

A) Lobbying 
B) Providing election support​ 
C) Forming political action committees​ 
D) Mobilizing constituents​ 
E) Participating in elections​

Question 50

Which of the following is a reason why interest groups get bad press?​ 

A) They allow only wealthy and influential people to join their groups. 
B) They do not receive enough funding to make a difference.​ 
C) They cater more to the interests of the state than to their own interests.​ 
D) They are almost always unsuccessful in campaigning for their causes. 
E) They have an enthusiasm gap between supporters and opponents of any given subsidy.

Question 51

_____ are special provisions benefitting a lawmaker's constituents,also known as "pork barrel legislation."​ 

A) Profits 
B) Benefits​ 
C) Perks​ 
D) Wages​ 
E) Earmarks​

Question 52

Since the 1970s,corporations,labor unions,and special interest groups have been allowed to raise funds and make campaign contributions through _____.​ 

A) political action committees 
B) public advantage committees​ 
C) democracy-in-action committees​ 
D) policy action committees​ 
E) issue advertisement committees​

Question 53

In the Citizens United v.Federal Election Commission case,the Court ruled that political action committees (PACs)could accept unlimited contributions for making _____.

A) dispersed costs 
B) concentrated benefits​ 
C) bundled expenditures​ 
D) independent expenditures​ 
E) tax exempts​

Question 54

The _____ syndrome refers to the frequent transition of those who leave positions with the federal government to become lobbyists or consultants for the private-interest groups they helped to regulate.​ 

A) "democratic doorway" 
B) "revolving door"​ 
C) "political portal"​ 
D) "glass ceiling"​ 
E) "political breach"​

Question 55

In March 2010,the _____ banned earmarks that benefit profit-making corporations.

A) Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act 
B) Republican-led House Appropriations Committee 
C) Honest Leadership and Open Government Act 
D) Lobbying Disclosure Act 
E) Democratic National Committee

Question 56

Under the 1946 Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act,_____.​ 

A) lobbying was prohibited 
B) bundled campaign contributions were banned​ 
C) only persons or organizations whose principal purpose was to influence legislation were required to register​ 
D) only persons whose lobbying was directed at agencies in the executive branch were required to register as lobbyists and file quarterly reports​ 
E) members of Congress were prohibited from accepting gifts or travel paid for by lobbyists​

Question 57

_________ contends that,as a practical matter,the government is controlled by one or more exclusive groups,typically drawn from the wealthiest members of society.A.Disturbance theoryB.Elite theoryC.Pluralist theoryD.Entrepreneurial theory

Question 58

Organizations involved in _____ were exempt from the provisions of the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995.​ 

A) bundled campaigning 
B) netroots blogging​ 
C) policymaking​ 
D) grassroots lobbying​ 
E) counter petitioning​

Question 59

Lobbying refers to:​ 

A) the attempts to shape public opinion through online campaigns. 
B) the indirect techniques used by government officials to gain the confidence of interest groups.​ 
C) the direct attempts by individuals or organizations to influence administrative decisions of government.​ 
D) the peaceful demonstrations that are designed to make a statement about a group's interests.​ 
E) the evaluation of performance of legislators based on how often they have voted with an interest group's position on particular issues.

Question 60

_________ are expenditures that are not coordinated with a candidate's campaign or a political party.A.Bundled expendituresB.Dispersed costsC.Concentrated costsD.Independent expenditures​

Question 61

Discuss the difference between public-sector unions and private-sector unions.​

Question 62

Describe 527 and 501(C)4 organizations.

Question 63

Discuss the major provisions of the Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946 and the reasons why it failed to regulate lobbying to a great degree.​

Question 64

Discuss lobbying as a direct method of influencing government policy.​

Question 65

Discuss the difference between interest groups and political parties.​