Deck 9: Interest Groups

Question 1

A group that uses its website to generate and send 10,000 e-mails to a representative is
engaged in Astroturf lobbying.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton did not have super PACs running ads on their behalf in 2016.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The Sierra Club is an example of a peak association.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

As of 2016, over 50 percent of the members of Congress who retired at the end of the 113th
Congress had moved to lobbying jobs.

Question 5

Selective incentives are benefits given to all citizens in the community.

Question 6

Confederated groups often experience conflict.

Question 7

The AARP and the National Rifle Association are centralized groups.

Question 8

In general, interest groups have an easier time working to implement a new change than trying to prevent a change in the status quo.

Question 9

Interest group officials only lobby legislators.

Question 10

The amount of money spent on lobbying today in the United States is about 20 percent of total
federal spending.

Question 11

Federal laws limit interest group electioneering and lobbying efforts.

Question 12

Interest groups are more likely to be successful when their goals involve positive lobbying.

Question 13

When few people know or care about a policy change, interest groups are typically able to dominate the policy-making process.

Question 14

Most large, well-known organizations are centralized groups.

Question 15

Most interest group leaders avoid media coverage.

Question 16

Interest group lobbying is heavily regulated by the federal government.

Question 17

Mass protests are a form of grassroots lobbying.

Question 18

The Automobile Association of America (AAA) is an interest group.

Question 19

The members of the AARP select their own leaders.

Question 20

Interest groups such as the National Wild Turkey Federation are more likely to succeed when their issues attract little attention from the general public.

Question 21

Why has the number of interest groups increased dramatically in the past 50 years?

A) The courts have tried to stay out of political decisions, making lobbying Congress more important.
B) The average income of most Americans has gone up faster than inflation, giving people more money to donate to interest groups.
C) Money has become less important in politics due to the public funding of elections.
D) The size of the federal government and the types of issues it has involved itself in has increased substantially.

Question 22

Why do lobbying firms often hire former members of Congress?

A) Powerful party leaders pressure lobbying firms to do so.
B) Former members of Congress will work more cheaply because of their government pension.
C) Doing so makes it less likely that the group will be audited or investigated by federal agencies like the Internal Revenue Service.
D) Former members of Congress can provide the group with important information, such as what kinds of policies individual legislators will support.

Question 23

________ are a constant challenge to interest groups.

A) Free riders
B) Solidary benefits
C) Purposive benefits
D) Emotional benefits

Question 24

Lobbying in general is anti-majoritarian because

A) lobbying is not mentioned anywhere in the U.S. Constitution.
B) lobbying is inconsistent with democratic principles.
C) groups tend to lobby for changes that help a small fraction of the population.
D) only those groups with large sums of money are able to influence the political process.

Question 25

The Business-Industry Political Action Committee (BIPAC), which is an association of several hundred businesses and trade associations, is an example of ________.

A) draining the swamp
B) a citizens' movement
C) a peak association
D) a mass association

Question 26

Lobbyists

A) are not regulated by the federal government.
B) control public policy at the national level of government.
C) are regulated by the federal government.
D) do not exist in a pluralist system.

Question 27

What is one advantage of a confederal group structure?

A) The group can cut down on costs.
B) The group can overcome the free rider problem more easily.
C) The group has more influence with Congress.
D) The group can find out what members want more easily.

Question 28

When an interest group's leadership (for example, that of the National Rifle Association) is concentrated in its headquarters, it has a ________ organizational structure.

A) centralized
B) latent
C) peak association
D) mass association

Question 29

The Sierra Club, which has more than 3 million members, is an example of a ________.

A) capitalist movement
B) socialist movement
C) peak association
D) mass association

Question 30

Reports, protests, and informal meetings are all examples of ________.

A) insider strategies
B) pluralism
C) electioneering
D) lobbying

Question 31

Who spends the most on lobbying?

A) American Medical Association
B) National Association of Realtors
C) National Rifle Association
D) U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Question 32

Which of the following describes a peak association?

A) composed of several independent local and state offices
B) made up of businesses or other organizations rather than individuals
C) based out of a centralized headquarters rather than having locations throughout the country
D) made up of a large number of dues-paying individuals as members

Question 33

The revolving door is

A) the nature of interest group influence in Washington.
B) the movement of personnel between the government and interest groups.
C) the policy expertise of interest group staff members.
D) a group of individuals who move between the private sector and interest groups.

Question 34

One of the most effective ways that labor unions overcome the free rider problem is through

A) protests and strikes.
B) union campaign donations or material benefits provided to members of Congress.
C) advertisements featuring celebrities who encourage workers to join unions.
D) coercion or union shop laws requiring workers to pay union dues as a condition of employment.

Question 35

Why is the revolving door regulated?

A) Too many donations to an interest group can be a sign of corruption.
B) It is easier to lobby the executive branch because of the number of bureaucrats.
C) Government officials might give lobbyists what they want in exchange for a future job.
D) Centralized interest groups have an easier time lobbying because they are more efficient.

Question 36

The Family Research Council, whose lobbying activities focus on a wide range of policies from gay marriage to estate taxes, is an example of a

A) citizen group.
B) labor organization.
C) single-issue group.
D) trade association.

Question 37

An interest group is best defined as an organization that

A) influences policy by running candidates for office.
B) watches over government for the purpose of informing the public.
C) tries to influence public policy for a group of people with common interests.
D) sets rules for the government to follow.

Question 38

The National Independent Automobile Dealers Association (NIADA) comprises 50 largely independent state-level organizations that provide membership benefits to car dealers. NIADA is an example of a group with a ________ organizational structure.

A) centralized
B) latent
C) confederal
D) peak association

Question 39

Collective spending by interest groups in the United States amounts to

A) 50 percent of federal spending.
B) 33 percent of federal spending.
C) 15 percent of federal spending.
D) less than 1 percent of federal spending.

Question 40

Which one of the following is a characteristic of mass associations?

A) Members are individuals who often pay dues.
B) Members always have a direct say in selecting group leadership.
C) A membership of 40 million is required to qualify.
D) Only liberals are allowed to join.

Question 41

Interest groups sometimes draft legislative proposals. They are most likely to give these proposals to

A) legislators who oppose their cause to try to win converts to their group's side.
B) legislators who already support their cause and who have significant influence in Congress.
C) legislators who are undecided about matters that affect the group.
D) other competing interest groups in an effort to build a bipartisan coalition.

Question 42

A group that can raise money for the purpose of contributing to candidates or spending on campaigns is known as ________.

A) a political action committee
B) a 501(c) organization
C) a peak association
D) an issue advocacy group

Question 43

Lobbyists contact executive branch bureaucrats because

A) the executive branch determines whether laws are constitutional.
B) executive branch bureaucrats provide lobbyists with most of their policy research.
C) executive branch bureaucrats create the federal budget, which ultimately affects virtually every interest group.
D) executive branch bureaucrats change the ways regulations are written and policies are implemented.

Question 44

The biggest drawback for an interest group in pursuing litigation is that

A) litigation is often time-consuming and costly.
B) litigation can be overturned by future court decisions.
C) federal judges refuse to hear cases with interest groups as participants.
D) Americans tend to look down on groups that bring politics into the courts.

Question 45

Astroturf lobbying occurs when

A) group members spontaneously contact policy makers.
B) a group lobbies members of Congress in their home districts.
C) a group organizes a large number of contacts with policy makers by regular people.
D) a group organizes a contacting effort directed at policy makers, but it tries to make the effort look spontaneous.

Question 46

One consequence of Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) is that

A) there is no longer soft money in federal elections.
B) citizens can give as much as they desire to individual candidates in federal campaigns.
C) now there is unlimited independent spending by corporations and labor unions in federal elections.
D) the members of Congress cannot create any laws governing federal elections.

Question 47

When members of the National Rifle Association send letters, make calls, or express their demands, they are

A) engaging in a mass demonstration.
B) engaging in grassroots lobbying.
C) attempting to drain the swamp at the federal level.
D) playing politics, perhaps to the detriment of their cause.

Question 48

The key to direct lobbying is to focus on

A) converting opponents into supporters.
B) undecided legislators.
C) legislators who already share the group's policy goals.
D) legislators who are willing to accept campaign contributions.

Question 49

Direct lobbying

A) is usually focused on legislators and bureaucrats who do not agree with the interest group proposal.
B) is usually focused on legislators and bureaucrats who agree with the interest group proposal.
C) usually is not used to influence fence-sitters.
D) has been replaced by social media.

Question 50

Why would corporations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Citibank work together?

A) Policy makers are more likely to respond to large coalitions with a diverse membership.
B) The president responds to coalitions and can then put pressure on Congress.
C) Coalitions of groups can often make up a majority of Americans and create pressure through elections.
D) Coalitions allow groups to exploit loopholes in campaign finance laws.

Question 51

A ________ can contribute unlimited amounts on electioneering.

A) Super PAC
B) PAC
C) 527 organization
D) 501(c)(3) organization

Question 52

Coalitions sometimes present problems for groups because

A) groups may agree on general goals but disagree on specifics.
B) group leaders almost never want to share power with others.
C) the different agendas of various groups often cause internal strife that results in the coalition breaking up.
D) research shows that Republicans in Congress will not support an issue-even one
Backed by conservative groups-if it is supported by a liberal group as well.

Question 53

When the NRA gave money to Donald Trump's campaign in 2016, it was engaging in ________.

A) electioneering
B) the revolving door
C) free riding
D) Astroturf lobbying

Question 54

By joining the AARP, members receive travel and insurance discounts, which are examples of ________.

A) solidary benefits
B) selective incentives
C) informational benefits
D) purposive benefits

Question 55

When an interest group files an amicus curiae brief, it is trying to influence policy through ________.

A) drafting regulations
B) testimony
C) litigation
D) drafting laws

Question 56

Material benefits are

A) provided to all members of a community.
B) given to free riders.
C) provided specifically to the members of an interest group.
D) typically reserved to those who donate to political campaigns.

Question 57

Which one of the following is a tactic used by a group conducting an outside strategy?

A) working with other groups, litigating, and mobilizing public opinion
B) drafting legislation, conducting research, and working with other groups
C) electioneering, grassroots lobbying, and using the initiative process
D) using political action committees, mobilizing public opinion, and testifying before Congress

Question 58

For a group to take advantage of grassroots lobbying, which one of the following characteristics is essential?

A) a large number of members
B) a good media strategy
C) a good legal team
D) a political action committee that organizes voters

Question 59

Inside strategies are actions taken

A) outside government.
B) at the federal level.
C) at the state level.
D) at the federal, state, or local levels.

Question 60

Astroturf lobbying is sometimes ineffective because

A) citizens generally make poor lobbyists.
B) elected officials often do not take the opinions of average citizens seriously.
C) interest groups often fail to take advantage of the latest communications technology.
D) elected officials do not believe it reflects the mainstream views of their constituents.

Question 61

How can interest group officials mobilize public opinion?

Question 62

Interest groups

A) simply reflect the conflictual nature of American politics.
B) are a new political force never envisioned by the Founders.
C) have done serious harm to American elections and government.
D) allow large groups to dominate small groups, creating representational distortion.

Question 63

Lobbyists typically focus on

A) their enemies serving in government.
B) their friends serving in government.
C) lawmakers who are undecided on a given issue.
D) congressional leaders.

Question 64

What information can be extracted from the data presented in the figure?

Question 65

Which type of group is not allowed to participate in any political activities or lobbying aside from certain limited exceptions?

A) political action committees
B) 527 organizations
C) 501(c)(3) organizations
D) 501(c)(4) organizations

Question 66

Is gun control a typical interest group issue?

Question 67

What is the primary difference between a traditional political action committee (PAC) and a 527 organization?

A) There are no major differences.
B) Unlike PACs, 527s are not subject to contribution limits and spending caps.
C) PACs can spend money only on advertising, while 527s can only make donations to candidates.
D) The money given to 527s is tax-deductible, while the money given to PACs is not.

Question 68

What is the difference between solidary and purposive benefits?

Question 69

What is the difference between a mass association and a peak association?

Question 70

Which one of the following statements best characterizes the influence of interest groups?

A) Most groups are only successful some of the time, regardless of their resources.
B) Most groups get what they want from government most of the time.
C) Interest groups are completely powerless.
D) Only groups with many members and large budgets are successful.

Question 71

What can be concluded from the data presented in this figure?

Question 72

How can interest group officials cultivate media contacts?

Question 73

What is the revolving door? What are its implications for the American democracy?

Question 74

Which of these government policies is MOST likely the result of lobbying from the private sector?

A) subsidies for tobacco growers
B) automatic cost of living adjustments for Social Security recipients
C) the expansion of public lands, such as national parks and monuments, for preservation and recreation
D) advocacy of a national civil rights bill to prevent discrimination based on sexual preference

Question 75

Why is the AARP considered a centralized group?

Question 76

Interest groups prefer

A) issues that attract a lot of public attention.
B) issues that do not attract a lot of public attention.
C) controversial issues.
D) external issues.

Question 77

Why does the effectiveness of grassroots lobbying depend, at least partly, on perceptions of how much a group has done to motivate participation?

Question 78

Which one of the following is a key factor in determining a group's success in the policy process?

A) the level of citizen interest surrounding its policy request
B) how long the group has been working in the policy area
C) how much support the president received in the last election from the group supporting the policy
D) the number of issue advocacy advertisements that the group runs on behalf of the policy

Question 79

Which one of the following statements is accurate?

A) The solution to lobbying is more lobbying.
B) It is fairly easy to measure interest group influence.
C) All interest groups are inherently equal.
D) Lobbying costs almost $1 trillion per year.

Question 80

What makes a political action committee "super"?

A) the number of donors
B) the amount of money the group takes in and spends
C) The group labels itself; it is an attempt for more media coverage.
D) It is a designation for all PACs created after 2015.