Deck 6: Interest Groups

Question 1

Which political theory suggests that a system of interest group competition,whether or not intended so,advantages economic interests,placing their narrow interests over those of the collective good?

A)Pluralism
B)Institutionalism
C)Factionalism
D)Transactionalism

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Despite the notable activities by interest groups in several states,which of the following interest group techniques tends to be used the LEAST?

A)Engaging in protests or demonstrations
B)Testifying
C)Drafting legislation
D)Talking to media

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT a type of lobbyist?

A)Office
B)Contract
C)In-house
D)Voluntary

Answer 3

A

Question 4

All of the following are outsider techniques used by interest groups EXCEPT

A)issue advocacy.
B)electioneering.
C)lobbying policy makers.
D)litigation.

Question 5

In response to Senate Bill 5 in Ohio,citizens led by organized labor

A)demonstrated in the state capitol.
B)rioted in the streets.
C)hired a media firm to saturate the airwaves with ads critical of the legislature's Democratic leadership.
D)formed their own political party to contest for legislative seats in 2012.

Question 6

The systematic effort to influence public policy by pressuring governmental officials is known as

A)electioneering.
B)grassroots influence.
C)lobbying.
D)community advocacy.

Question 7

According to Mancur Olson,which is NOT a factor in overcoming the "free­rider" problem?

A)Altruism
B)Peer pressure
C)Selective benefits
D)Coercion

Question 8

Which type of lobbyist works for a lobbying firm,often takes on multiple clients,and charges clients an hourly fee?

A)In-house lobbyist
B)Contract lobbyist
C)Office lobbyist
D)Voluntary lobbyist

Question 9

According to James Madison in Federalist #10,factions

A)are worse than political parties.
B)are a necessary evil.
C)should eliminate political parties.
D)help to eliminate the separation of powers.

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT a function of a lobbyist?

A)Provide information to officials.
B)Draft legislation.
C)Give testimony before a committee hearing.
D)Cast a vote on legislation.

Question 11

Which of these is a necessary condition in order to be an interest group?

A)The ability to publicly demonstrate
B)The ability to engage in electioneering
C)Having a formal organization
D)Having an in-house lobbying staff

Question 12

Which of the following does NOT qualify as an interest group by definition?

A)Farmers
B)National Association of Manufacturers
C)Police Benevolent Association
D)Cattleman's Association

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a type of interest group?

A)Coalitional alliance
B)Membership organizations
C)Associations
D)Individual institutions

Question 14

In contrast to the two major political parties,interest groups

A)wield considerably more power in the American states.
B)attempt to aggregate public preferences and concentrate them as specific demands.
C)specifically nominate,and at times elect,candidates for public office.
D)tend to be majoritarian organizations.

Question 15

assumes that conflict is at the heart of politics and accepts that a diversity of interests will lead to consensual outcomes through the tug-and-pull of discussion and debate.

A)Conflict theory
B)Pluralism
C)Political realism
D)Filibuster

Question 16

In which state has organized labor,the "sleeping giant of American politics," placed pressure on the state government over the issue of public employee pensions?

A)South Carolina
B)Ohio
C)Texas
D)Vermont

Question 17

An incentive that is only provided to members of the group is called a(an)

A)material benefit.
B)selective benefit.
C)inclusive benefit.
D)common benefit.

Question 18

Unlike political parties,interest groups

A)nominate and run a slate of candidates for political office.
B)are not heavily involved in the electoral process.
C)do not take over the reins of government.
D)do not focus on lobbying elected officials and policy makers.

Question 19

David Truman's disturbance theory suggests that

A)interest group domination will have a cyclical nature because citizens will put forth different interests as time goes on.
B)public interests will not be represented by the constant discussion and debate between political parties and interest groups.
C)voluntary associations would form naturally out of the desire of humans to satisfy their needs.
D)interest groups can only push public dissatisfaction to a certain limit before the concerns of the majority will override their influence.

Question 20

Any formally organized body of individuals,organizations,or institutions that shares common goals and tries to influence the electoral and policy-making processes is a(n)

A)interest group.
B)collective action group.
C)political action committee (PAC).
D)political party.

Question 21

Generating genuine,ground-level support on an issue in order to apply pressure on legislators and other elected officials is known as

A)grassroots campaigning.
B)astroturf campaigning.
C)direct advocacy.
D)mobilization.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT an example of an in-kind contribution that some interest groups provide to candidates?

A)Data from public opinion polls
B)Contract lobbying
C)Membership lists for fundraising
D)Staff and field operations for support during campaigns

Question 23

In New York,lobbyists outnumber state lawmakers by a ratio of

A)five to one.
B)ten to one.
C)twenty to one.
D)thirty to one.

Question 24

Generating newsworthy events for the media to report on for free in order to bolster public opinion in favor or against a public policy is known as

A)mobilization of bias.
B)earned media.
C)astroturf campaigns.
D)grassroots mobilization.

Question 25

According to one study,the energy industry-primarily oil and gas companies and their peak associations-pumped more than $134.7 million into candidate committees and state parties between 1990 and 2004.Roughly what percentage of those contributions went to incumbents?

A)20 percent
B)50 percent
C)70 percent
D)99 percent

Question 26

Every state requires lobbyists to

A)pass certain ethics tests before given a lobbying license.
B)register with a state regulatory agency or the state legislature.
C)abide by strict disclosure requirements on lobbying activities.
D)pay a fee of at least $1,000 to become a registered lobbyist.

Question 27

In the 2012 election cycle,the total number of contributions from various interest groups to Democratic and Republican party committees in the states exceeded .

A)1,000
B)10,000
C)100,000
D)1,000,000

Question 28

One issue advocacy "weapon" that interest groups can use to bypass an unresponsive legislature is a(n)

A)legislative veto.
B)contract lobbyist.
C)filibuster.
D)initiated ballot measure.

Question 29

Which of the following is a form of outsider activity used in the practice of political speech by interest groups?

A)Issue selectivity
B)Interest group persuasion
C)Issue advocacy
D)Media-to-citizen tactics

Question 30

Which of the following institutional constraints can weaken the long-standing ties and social networks that lobbyists work tirelessly to cultivate over time?

A)Term limits
B)Gift restrictions
C)Campaign finance regulation
D)Prohibition on lobbyist aid with drafting legislation

Question 31

Interest groups do all of the following EXCEPT

A)apply pressure on public officials.
B)educate public officials on the issues.
C)nominate group members to run for office under the group's ticket.
D)serve as watchdogs,monitoring government programs.

Question 32

On average,state lawmakers are outnumbered by lobbyists

A)three to one.
B)four to one.
C)five to one.
D)six to one.

Question 33

Which of these interest group strategies constitutes electioneering?

A)Lobbying
B)Ballot initiatives
C)Explicitly supporting a candidate
D)Litigation

Question 34

Pragmatic political action committees use their campaign donations

A)as a means to display their ideology.
B)to get the name of their parent interest group recognized by citizens.
C)to gain continued access to incumbent lawmakers and policy makers.
D)in unorthodox ways that have been outlawed in many states.

Question 35

A legal entity allowing like-minded individuals who belong to a corporation,labor union,or virtually any other organization,to pool their money and contribute directly to candidates is a(n)

A)political action committee.
B)campaign finance donator.
C)contract lobbyist.
D)interest group.

Question 36

By some estimates,roughly 30 percent of all lobbyists in the states are

A)government lobbyists.
B)voluntary lobbyists.
C)office lobbyists.
D)contract lobbyists.

Question 37

One litigation strategy,most notably used by the NAACP to challenge segregation,results in the filing of what kind of lawsuit?

A)Test case
B)Abstract question case
C)All-inclusive case
D)Class-action case

Question 38

What is the term when an artificial constituency is essentially manufactured by an interest group in order to give legislators the impression that the electorate is up in arms about a certain policy?

A)Blind advocacy
B)Mobilization of advocacy
C)Faux-mobilization
D)Astroturf campaign

Question 39

Which of the following is an important venue for state level interest groups if they have been stymied by policy makers or administrators charged with implementing a law?

A)Street-Level bureaucrats
B)Chamber of Commerce
C)Courts
D)Lobbying firms

Question 40

The interest group practice of explicitly supporting candidates or political parties is known as

A)electioneering.
B)grassroots campaigning.
C)lobbying.
D)litigating.

Question 41

States with the largest economies tend to have

A)an average number of interest groups.
B)the lowest number of interest groups.
C)no significant number of interest groups over states with smaller economies.
D)the highest number of interest groups.

Question 42

As a state interest group system stabilizes,

A)it becomes increasingly difficult for the system to support more groups in competition with one another.
B)for-profit organizations become more persistent than ever.
C)institutions become relatively weak when compared to membership groups and organizations.
D)the density and diversity of interest groups begins to explode.

Question 43

The number of functioning groups relative to the size of a state's economy is known as interest group system

A)density.
B)differential.
C)diversity.
D)harmonization.

Question 44

What did James Madison,in Federalist 10,have to say about factions? In your discussion note Madison's logic.Do
you agree with his position,and is it still relevant today?

Question 45

Interest group diversity tends

A)to be the same as the interest group system density.
B)to have no relation to a state's economic diversity.
C)to be negatively related to a state's economic diversity.
D)to be positively related to a state's economic diversity.

Question 46

What is often filed on appeal of a lawsuit that offers supplemental legal arguments in an attempt to influence the reasoning of the court?

A)Third-party opinion
B)Interest-group brief
C)Dissenting opinion
D)Amicus curiae brief

Question 47

Can all interests be organized and represented? Discuss the critiques of pluralism by Schattschneider and Lindblom.Do they make convincing arguments? Provide at least one example that highlights their argument.

Question 48

How do states regulate lobbyists? Which states have the most stringent rules,and which have lax regulations? Why,if at all,do lobby regulations matter?

Question 49

During the late 1960s and during the 1970s,the number and types of interest groups in the states

A)reached a plateau.
B)greatly declined.
C)greatly expanded.
D)were consistently challenged in state courts.

Question 50

Which of the following is NOT true regarding interest group clout?

A)The oil industry remains king in Alaska and Louisiana.
B)An interest group's clout is usually determined by its own internal resources,bounded by external conditions.
C)Political scientists are able to precisely measure a group's political clout across the states.
D)When lacking in clout,some groups opt to team up with other organizations,building coalitions.

Question 51

How does a state's socioeconomic makeup influence its interest group density and diversity? Are there any
differences across the states in interest group density and diversity? If so,why?

Question 52

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the density and diversity of a state's interest group system?

A)States with more competition among parties tend to have denser interest group systems.
B)States with denser interest group systems tend to have less productive state legislatures.
C)States that have the initiative process tend to have an increased number and a greater diversity of active interest groups.
D)States with more diverse interest group systems tend to adopt fewer public policies that are more distributive and progressive.

Question 53

Which interest groups are the most powerful across the states,and which interests have the most clout in your state? How has interest group power varied over time? How does interest group power affect questions of representation within a state?

Question 54

Which of the following interests groups are understood as one of the most powerful in many states?

A)Teachers' associations
B)Petro-chemical industries
C)Environmentalists
D)Generation X