Deck 7: Interest Groups

Question 1

If a group of people supporting housing equity organized themselves and attempted to affect policymakers, they would have formed which of the following?

A) An interest group
B) A political party
C) A lobby
D) A civil interest group
E) A social movement

Answer 1

A

Question 2

James Madison believed that having multiple organizations in the political system would result in which of the following?

A) Conflict between the organizations that would divide the American republic
B) Smaller states having the power to check large states
C) Undermining of effective government because of limitations in the political process
D) Prevention of the formation of oppressive majorities, thereby protecting rights of political minorities
E) Control of the government by the organization with the greatest monetary influence

Answer 2

D

Question 3

People who become members of interest groups for material incentives are joining for which of the following reasons?

A) For a sense of belonging to the group
B) For ethical or ideological reasons
C) To improve their economic opportunities or gain economic benefits
D) To institute change for political, economic, or social impact on the whole society
E) Because they have been pressured to do so

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following statements best characterizes social movements?

A) Social movements represent issues of concern only to social elites.
B) Social movements may express the opinions of the weak and oppressed.
C) Social movements rarely demand social change.
D) Interest groups seldom spawn social movements.
E) Traditional political parties often spawn social movements.

Question 5

How did Alexis de Tocqueville complete the following quote in 1834, "In no country of the world has principle of association been"?

A) More successfully used or applied to a greater multitude of objectives than in America
B) More subject to abuse than in America
C) More subject to abuse in America, where two, but only two, factions have control over the entire scope of government
D) Less successfully used or applied than in America
E) More distorted and misunderstood than in America

Question 6

When we talk about a lobbyist, we talk about a person or group that is which of the following?

A) Part of an association of individuals
B) Someone or something that attempts to influence legislation and the administrative decisions of government
C) Inevitably associated with one of the two major parties
D) A member of Congress who challenges the majority position
E) A member of the president's cabinet who argues against any change

Question 7

Which of the following theories sees political struggle as the pitting of different groups against each other to reach a compromise?

A) Pluralism
B) Majoritarianism
C) Socialism
D) Elitism
E) Totalitarianism

Question 8

Many interest groups employ which of the following, who are hired to represent the group's interests to the government?

A) Members of Congress
B) Members of the White House Executive Office of the President
C) Judges
D) Lobbyists
E) Activists

Question 9

Enticing individuals to join an interest group for solidary incentives has become easier because of which of the following?

A) Changes in federal law
B) The creation of virtual currency
C) The intense partisanship in the federal government
D) The increased diversity of the U.S. population
E) The advent of social media

Question 10

According to poll data, what fraction of the American population belongs to at least one group or association?

A) One-third
B) One-half
C) One-quarter
D) Two-thirds
E) One-tenth

Question 11

A lobbyist is defined as which of the following?

A) Any association that employs an interest group to influence the government
B) An individual affiliated with one of the two major parties
C) An individual or organization that attempts to influence legislation and the administrative decisions of government
D) A government worker who is not an elected official
E) A member of Congress who shapes the legislative agenda to benefit powerful interest groups

Question 12

Which of the following is the ability of interest groups to mandate or defeat policies needed for the public good?

A) Elitism
B) Majoritarianism
C) Pluralism
D) Hypermajoritarianism
E) Hyperpluralism

Question 13

A free rider is which of the following?

A) An interest group member
B) A participant in a social movement
C) Someone granted free passage to Washington DC to demonstrate
D) Someone who benefits from the actions of a group without joining it
E) A civil rights activist

Question 14

Which of the following best describes how the U.S. Constitution protects interest groups?

A) Through the First Amendment's right to "petition the Government for a redress of grievances"
B) Through the First Amendment's right to "peaceably assemble"
C) Through the Fourth Amendment's protection against illegal search and seizure
D) Through the Fifth Amendment's right against self-incrimination
E) Through the First Amendment's right to "petition the Government for a redress of grievances" and the First Amendment's right to "peaceably assemble"

Question 15

People who join an interest group for solidary incentives are joining for which of the following reasons?

A) To improve their economic opportunities
B) For a sense of belonging to the group
C) For ethical beliefs or ideological reasons
D) To obtain political, social, or economic change
E) To become a free rider

Question 16

An interest group is an organized group of individuals who share common interests and do which of the following?

A) Seek to win elections
B) Attempt to influence policymakers
C) Aspire to control government
D) Wish to overhaul the judicial process
E) Try to subvert legislative action

Question 17

Someone joining an interest group because they want benefits such as emergency assistance or discounts is joining for which of the following reasons?

A) Material incentives
B) Solidary incentives
C) Purposive incentives
D) Philosophical incentives
E) Social incentives

Question 18

The free-rider problem increases the difficulty of attracting which of the following?

A) Young people
B) Paying members
C) Media attention
D) Votes in Congress
E) Cooperation from other interest costs

Question 19

Which of the following best describes an interest group?

A) Any association of individuals
B) A group of people who want to gain control of the government
C) An organization that actively attempts to influence government policy
D) Any organization that requires members to pay dues
E) An organization set up to support a particular candidate for public office

Question 20

Latino Americans became part of a social movement to improve the lives of immigrant workers.  This could be considered an interest group when which of the following occurred?

A) The United Farm Workers and La Raza joined forces as a recognized advocacy group.
B) Conditions continued to deteriorate for many undocumented farm laborers.
C) Cesar Chavez first considered taking up their cause.
D) Protesters began receiving widespread media attention.
E) Workers began to demand better working conditions for themselves.

Question 21

Interest groups recognize that the greatest concern of legislators is which of the following?

A) Supporting the principles of their political party
B) Getting reelected
C) Voting for the ideas of their constituents
D) Being totally informed on issues they will have to vote on
E) Pleasing the congressional leadership

Question 22

Since 1960, the greatest growth in unionization has occurred among which of the following groups?

A) Military personnel
B) Public employees
C) Professional athletes
D) Private sector employees
E) Information technology employees

Question 23

Which of the following best describes how lobbyists provide advisory assistance to legislators?

A) Testifying before legislative committees
B) Assisting legislators with the drafting of bills
C) Providing technical expertise to legislators
D) Providing exotic vacations to legislators
E) Testifying before legislative committees, assisting legislators with the drafting of bills, and providing technical expertise to legislators

Question 24

Some argue that the interest group system is most likely to leave out which of the following groups?

A) Poor Americans
B) Workers in the public sector
C) Workers in the private sector
D) The agriculture industry
E) Small businesses

Question 25

In recent years, private sector union membership has done which of the following?

A) It has plateaued.
B) It has completely disappeared.
C) It has doubled.
D) It has tripled.
E) It has declined.

Question 26

Successful interest groups and their representatives try to cultivate long-term relationships with which of the following?

A) Foreign ambassadors
B) Legislators and government officials
C) Federal judges
D) Business leaders
E) Police commissioners and chiefs of police

Question 27

What types of interest groups are defined as economic interest groups?

A) Business, labor, and public interest groups
B) Labor, agricultural, and environmental groups
C) Business and labor groups and foreign governments
D) Business, labor, and professional groups
E) Professional and agricultural groups and foreign governments

Question 28

In recent years, public employee unions have come under increasing challenge over issues related to which of the following?

A) Issue networks
B) International trade
C) Wages and pensions
D) Medicare and Medicaid
E) Grassroots mobilization

Question 29

Most interest groups have a bias toward which of the following?

A) The middle and upper classes
B) Environmental groups
C) The common good
D) The political right
E) The political left

Question 30

If a lobbyist is trying to convince a legislator to support a particular bill, one of the most valuable resources in doing so  is which of the following?

A) A large budget
B) A small but very vocal membership
C) A long history of supporting that particular legislator
D) A large, politically active membership
E) A group of policy experts willing to draft legislation for the legislator

Question 31

What role do interest groups play in educating policymakers about political issues?

A) Interest groups are never considered a valid source of information because they are so biased.
B) So few people are members of interest groups that any communication policymakers receive from such groups is considered insignificant.
C) They are an important source of political information.
D) They tend to confuse policymakers and often alienate them.
E) They serve to overwhelm policymakers with too much information.

Question 32

The National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL) and the National Rifle Association (NRA) are examples of which of the following?

A) Economic interest groups
B) Single-interest group
C) Public-interest group
D) Foreign interest group
E) Fringe interest group

Question 33

The most numerous types of interest groups in the United States are which of the following?

A) Economic interest groups
B) Social interest groups
C) Liberal interest groups
D) Environmental interest groups
E) Public interest groups

Question 34

Which of the following is true of political endorsements by interest groups?

A) They are relatively ineffective today.
B) They are not very important because candidates can publicize the fact that their campaign is endorsed by groups but they cannot identify the specific source of the endorsement.
C) They are important because the group can publicize its choices in its membership publications.
D) They are a violation of campaign finance reform laws.
E) They are allowed in local elections but forbidden in races for federal office.

Question 35

Which of the following is an example of a collective benefit?

A) Copyright law
B) Satellite television and radio
C) Smartphones
D) Compensation to wrongly convicted individuals
E) Loans to college students

Question 36

AARP and AAA have members in every congressional district, a reflection of strength in which of the following areas?

A) Leadership
B) Size and resources
C) Ability to rally the public
D) Cohesiveness
E) Grassroots tactics

Question 37

A lobbyist from the NRA (National Rifle Association) meeting with a member of Congress to discuss firearms legislation is an example of which of the following?

A) The free-rider problem
B) A party coalition
C) An indirect technique
D) A direct technique
E) A boycott

Question 38

Which of the following statements regarding the existence of interest groups is true?

A) Public-interest groups and civil rights make up a large percentage of interest groups lobbying Congress.
B) Interest group leaders are from the lower socioeconomic groups.
C) Interest groups demonstrate the validity of the elite theory model of the U.S. political system.
D) Interest groups can be problematic for democracy because members of the middle or upper classes often dominate them.
E) Interest groups are required by the Constitution.

Question 39

An interest group's ability to get members to call their representatives quickly or contribute extra money when needed is an example of which of the following?

A) The group's camaraderie
B) The group's leadership
C) The group's cohesiveness
D) The group's longevity
E) The group's latent interests

Question 40

Generally speaking, groups that work toward a common or national good are considered which of the following?

A) Organized labor
B) Material incentive groups
C) Ideological groups
D) Solidary incentive groups
E) Public-interest groups

Question 41

What are the differences between a social movement and an interest group?  How are they related?

Question 42

Which of the following is seen as the most desired result of lobbying efforts?

A) A positive view of the interest group by the executive branch
B) A positive view of the interest group by the general public
C) Legislation passed by Congress and signed by the president that is favorable to that interest group's members
D) A positive view of the interest group by the judicial branch
E) The largest salaries for the leaders of that interest group

Question 43

The existence of interest groups poses challenges to democracy in which of the following ways?

A) It demonstrates the validity of the pluralist model.
B) It demonstrates the validity of the majoritarian model.
C) It guarantees that small groups have no particular advantage.
D) It appears that the upper classes often dominate interest groups.
E) It contradicts many tenets of the Bill of Rights.

Question 44

Leaders of some of the largest interest groups, such as the NRA or AARP,  are said to form "an elite within an elite" for which of the following reasons?

A) They live in or near Washington, D.C.
B) They work in or near Washington, D.C.
C) They are highly paid, putting them in an upper-income bracket.
D) They have access to members of Congress and their staffs on a regular basis.
E) All of these are correct.

Question 45

Describe the categories of economic interest groups, and provide examples of each.

Question 46

Discuss the different reasons Americans join interest groups. Provide examples of interest groups that demonstrate their benefits.

Question 47

The results of lobbying efforts do not always favor the interest of the most powerful groups for which of the following reasons?

A) Members of Congress are often opposed to the influence of interest groups.
B) Not all interest groups have an equal influence in government.
C) Competing interests often cancel out the objectives the groups are trying to achieve.
D) Public opinion has been overwhelmingly opposed to interest groups pressuring Congress.
E) Mobilizing members of interest groups can be difficult.

Question 48

Groups specially formed to raise and contribute funds to support electoral candidates and that are subject to campaign finance laws are known as which of the following?

A) Political action committees
B) Unions
C) Special interests
D) 501 (c)(3) organizations
E) 501 (c)(4) organizations

Question 49

Describe two different categories of economic interest groups, and contrast these groups with public interest groups.

Question 50

Direct techniques used by interest groups include which of the following?

A) Using YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook to generate influence
B) Using public relations firms to polish their image with the public
C) Building alliances with other groups to increase their collective effectiveness
D) Using constituents to lobby Congress on behalf of an issue
E) Staging demonstrations, marches, and boycotts

Question 51

The most powerful interest groups, those with the most resources and political influence, are primarily what types of interest groups?

A) Civil rights
B) Public interest
C) Educational
D) Business, union, trade, or professional
E) Environmental

Question 52

Which of the following is an example of an interest group that is powerful without having a large number of members, but that does have members with high social status and significant economic resources?

A) The National Rifle Association (NRA)
B) National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
C) American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
D) American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
E) National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

Question 53

Explain the different types of incentives people have for participating in various types of interest groups.

Question 54

Generating public pressure and awareness may do which of the following?

A) Convince policymakers that public opinion overwhelmingly supports the interest group's position
B) Mislead the public on environmental issues
C) Bypass the legislative process
D) Force bureaucrats to answer to congressional committees
E) Lobby lawmakers directly

Question 55

Explain the constitutional and political reasons why there are so many interest groups in the United States.

Question 56

Interest groups are seen as having legitimate concerns about particular issues, but not necessarily about broader issues.  This explains the success of interest groups that focus on which of the following issues?

A) Gun control
B) Funding of abortions
C) Tobacco farming
D) Pro-Israel groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)
E) All of these are correct.

Question 57

Explain the free-rider problem faced by interest groups and how they combat the problem.

Question 58

Corporations using climate control are doing which of the following?

A) Manipulating environmental legislation to lessen its impact
B) Making donations to PACs that support their candidate of choice
C) Artificially manufacturing grassroots activity to sway legislators
D) Using direct lobbying to wine and dine legislators
E) Using public relations techniques to create a favorable public image

Question 59

The concept that interest groups are really an elitist phenomenon rather than a manifestation of pluralism is supported by which of the following facts?

A) Public-interest groups are the most powerful groups.
B) Only a small percentage of the interest groups lobbying Congress are business groups.
C) The power of unions has declined over the past three decades.
D) Religious groups and recreational groups have the largest financial footprint in Washington, D.C.
E) Most Americans are not represented by interest groups.

Question 60

Compare and contrast the beliefs regarding interest groups expressed by Alexis de Tocqueville and James Madison.

Question 61

Explain the factors that make an interest group powerful.

Question 62

Explain why the results of lobbying efforts do not always favor the most powerful groups. Discuss why not all interest groups have an equal influence on government.

Question 63

Discuss the direct techniques used by interest groups to influence government decisions.

Question 64

Explain how lobbyists influence legislation or policy by highlighting three common techniques employed by lobbyists.

Question 65

Discuss the tactics used by interest groups as part of information campaigns.

Question 66

Explain the view that interest groups are really an elitist phenomenon. Support or dispute this view with examples.

Question 67

Explain how technology has changed the methods interest groups use to promote their agendas to members of Congress.

Question 68

Explain the differences between interest groups and political parties.

Question 69

Explain how interest groups make use of the public in their efforts to influence policy and legislation.