Deck 6: Interest Groups

Question 1

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

Answer 1

B

Question 2

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

A) issue advocacy.
B) electioneering.
C) lobbying policymakers.
D) litigation.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

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.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

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

Question 5

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 6

__________ 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 7

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

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

Question 8

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 9

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 policymakers.

Question 10

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 11

Which of the following is NOT a type of lobbyist?

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

Question 12

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 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 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 15

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 16

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 17

Despite the notable activities by interest groups in several states in 2011, 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

Question 18

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 19

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 20

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 21

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

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

Question 22

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 policymakers.
D) in unorthodox ways that have been outlawed in many states.

Question 23

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 24

Interest groups do all of the following EXCEPT

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

Question 25

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 26

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 27

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 28

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

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

Question 29

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

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

Question 30

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 31

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 32

Which of these interest group strategies constitutes electioneering?

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

Question 33

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 34

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 35

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 36

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 37

Approximately how much money did interest groups contribute to Democratic and Republican party committees in 2010?

A) $100 million
B) $500 million
C) $1 billion
D) $5 billion

Question 38

By some estimates, roughly 20 percent of all lobbyists in the states are

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

Question 39

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 40

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 41

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 42

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

A) Public school teachers
B) Petro-chemical industry
C) Environmentalists
D) Generation X

Question 43

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 44

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

Question 45

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 46

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 47

What did James Madison, in Federalist 10, have to say about factions? In discussing his argument, be sure to note his logic. Do you agree with his position, and is it still relevant today?

Question 48

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 opinions
B) Interest-group briefs
C) Dissenting opinions
D) Amicus curiae brief

Question 49

How does a state's socio-economic 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 50

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 51

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 52

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 53

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 54

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.