Deck 11: Interest Groups

Question 1

An interest group is an organization of like-minded individuals who seek to influence governmental policy decision. As such, they are

A) a threat to democracy.
B) acting in accordance with the commonly accepted principles of democracy.
C) wasting their time.
D) engaging in activities that are unconstitutional.
E) acting outside of the accepted forms of participation,

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following individuals wrote this about Americans propensity for joining groups: "Americans of all ages, all stations in life, and all types of disposition, are forever forming associations."

A) George Washington
B) Alexander Hamilton
C) Thomas Jefferson
D) Robert Dahl
E) Alexis de Tocqueville

Answer 2

E

Question 3

The constitutional basis for interest group activity is

A) the Tenth Amendment.
B) the Fifth Amendment.
C) the Twentieth Amendment.
D) the First Amendment.
E) the Eighteenth Amendment

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT an example of an interest group?

A) the American Association of Retired Persons
B) the United Auto Workers
C) the American Israeli Political Advisory Committee
D) Left-handed Americans
E) the National Organization for Women

Question 5

Actual groups are

A) groups which currently exist.
B) groups which focus only on real issues as opposed to hypothetical issues.
C) groups which focus on crime as opposed to the economy.
D) groups which focus on American public policy even though they are headquartered in foreign countries.
E) groups that are created under the right circumstance.

Question 6

Potential groups are

A) groups that could come into being under the right circumstances.
B) groups that have already been formed.
C) groups with a headquarters and organizational structure.
D) a formal organization of people.
E) groups that currently exist.

Question 7

The textbook describes Ralph Nader as a(n)

A) policy entrepreneur
B) pest.
C) opportunist.
D) revolutionary.
E) republican.

Question 8

For James Madison in Federalist no. 10, what was the solution to keep groups in democracy from banding together into a majority, and taking away the rights of the minority?

A) Nothing, it is inevitable.
B) This will not happen, so do not worry about it.
C) Enlarge the size of the nation to create cross-cutting cleavages.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 9

James Madison discusses the potential dangers of interest groups in

A) Common Sense.
B) Federalist no. 37.
C) Federalist no. 10.
D) the Declaration of Independence.
E) the Constitution.

Question 10

A nonprofit interest group working for the general public interest is known as a PIRG, which stands for

A) peoples' interest research group.
B) popular interest research group.
C) public interest research group.
D) primary interest research group.
E) None of the above.

Question 11

Political parties formed

A) in the very early years of the republic.
B) shortly after the Civil War.
C) at the turn of the twentieth century.
D) in the turbulent 1960s.
E) after the Great Depression

Question 12

As James Madison saw it, the causes of faction are

A) found in different religions.
B) a direct result of economic differences.
C) "sown in the nature of man."
D) easily recognizable.
E) non-threatening.

Question 13

Which of the following best explains why the number of interest groups has proliferated?

A) The government now plays a greater role in our lives.
B) People now watch more television.
C) Congress now has a longer schedule.
D) The president no longer has use of the line item veto.
E) Voting is too time consuming.

Question 14

The organizational ease with which groups form in the United States is generally attributable to its

A) democratic culture.
B) lack of opportunities for disadvantaged persons.
C) division between classes.
D) sympathy for the underclass.
E) undemocratic culture.

Question 15

The term collective action refers to

A) a riot.
B) a primary election.
C) a petition drive.
D) the political action of individuals who unite to influence policy.
E) the political action of a single person.

Question 16

Politicians rely upon interest groups for information because

A) interest groups possess expertise.
B) citizens expect them to do so.
C) groups are always well funded and willing to make generous campaign contributions.
D) the Constitution demands it.
E) Federalist 10 recommended it.

Question 17

The McCain-Feingold Act of 2002

A) regulated the campaign work of interest groups.
B) regulated the campaign work of political parties.
C) ended the use of soft money and limited the use of issue ads.
D) None of the above.
E) All of the above.

Question 18

The groups that band together to bundle small donations into larger donations are called

A) political action committees.
B) political development committees.
C) political lobbying committees.
D) All of the above.
E) None of the above.

Question 19

The Federalist Society lobbying organization focuses more on

A) raising campaign funds.
B) legal issues.
C) emphasizing "big" government over a "states' rights philosophy."
D) representing the military-industrial complex.
E) women's rights.

Question 20

Which American president is accredited with having said, "The business of America is business"?

A) Franklin Delano Roosevelt
B) Franklin Pierce
C) Calvin Coolidge
D) John Fitzgerald Kennedy
E) Thomas Jefferson

Question 21

In recent years the number of unionized workers has

A) increased.
B) decreased.
C) remained roughly the same.
D) increased exponentially.
E) equaled the number of CEOs.

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT an example of a public interest group?

A) the Natural Resources Defense Council
B) the National Taxpayers Union
C) the National Association of Manufacturers
D) Common Cause
E) the National Corn Growers Association.

Question 23

An example of a government interest group would be the

A) National League of Cities.
B) National Organization of Women.
C) League of Women Voters.
D) National Rifle Association.
E) National Association of Manufacturers.

Question 24

The group Common Cause has committed itself to

A) campaign finance reform.
B) universal healthcare.
C) federal vouchers for private schools.
D) congressional term limits.
E) the elimination of abortion rights.

Question 25

In the 1985 Supreme Court case of Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority, the Court ruled that

A) the Constitution prohibits states from forming interest groups.
B) states were not exempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act.
C) affirmative action was unconstitutional.
D) testing employees for drugs was a violation of the Fourth Amendment.
E) fares for transit would be decided by the federal government.

Question 26

The Americans for Democratic Action is an example of a(n)

A) ideological interest group.
B) conservative interest group.
C) business group.
D) public interest group.
E) single issue group.

Question 27

Who authored the opinion in the case of Garcia v. San Antonio Metropolitan Transit Authority?

A) Justice Harry Blackmun
B) Justice Clarence Thomas
C) Justice William Rehnquist
D) Justice Earl Warren
E) Justice John Roberts

Question 28

The B'nai B'rith's Anti-Defamation League is an example of

A) a public interest group.
B) a religious interest group.
C) a civil rights group.
D) a government interest group.
E) a state interest group.

Question 29

The Prohibition movement was spearheaded by

A) civil rights groups.
B) public interest groups.
C) business groups.
D) religious groups.
E) government interest group.

Question 30

Which of the following types of groups is committed to legal equality and social justice for all Americans?

A) public interest groups
B) civil rights groups
C) religious groups
D) ideological groups
E) government groups

Question 31

All of the following are civil rights groups EXCEPT

A) the National Organization for Women.
B) the American Indian Movement.
C) the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
D) the United Auto Workers.
E) none of these are civil rights groups.

Question 32

Perhaps the best-known public interest group, which lobbies for honesty and openness in government, is

A) Honest Government.
B) Common Cause.
C) Peoples' Cause.
D) OpenSecrets.org.
E) Taxpayers Union.

Question 33

Among some of the various kinds of interest groups are

A) ideological interest groups.
B) civil rights interest groups.
C) economic interest groups.
D) government interest groups.
E) All of the above.

Question 34

One of the oldest and best-known ideological interest groups is

A) the Americans for Democratic Action.
B) the Americans for Conservative Action.
C) the Americans for Liberal Action.
D) the Americans for Government Action.
E) the Americans for Republican Government.

Question 35

A good example of a single-issue interest group that lobbies only on one issue is

A) the National Rifle Association (NRA).
B) the National Abortion Rights Action League (NARAL).
C) the Sierra Club, on environmental protection.
D) National Coalition to Ban Handguns
E) All of the above.

Question 36

Which of the following types of interest groups is least willing to compromise?

A) public interest groups
B) religious groups
C) single-issue groups
D) ideological groups
E) government interest groups

Question 37

The Sierra Club is primarily concerned with

A) restoring old Hollywood films.
B) protecting the environment.
C) mountain climbing.
D) hunting.
E) the Sierra Mountains.

Question 38

Those people who benefit from the actions of interest groups without actually being members of the group are called

A) coincident beneficiaries.
B) auxiliary beneficiaries.
C) free riders.
D) constituents
E) None of the above.

Question 39

Lobbyists are ___________ in the game of politics.

A) considered a nuisance
B) largely ignored
C) key players
D) considered dangerous
E) considered illegitimate

Question 40

The formal, organized attempt to influence legislation is called

A) lobbying.
B) canvassing.
C) petitioning.
D) bribery.
E) brokering.

Question 41

Members of Congress may become lobbyists after they leave office. However, they must honor a waiting period of

A) five years.
B) six months.
C) one year.
D) sixty days.
E) ten years.

Question 42

Members of Congress

A) can never be lobbyists.
B) do not have to register as lobbyists.
C) often become lobbyists.
D) have no advantage in serving as lobbyists.
E) do not think lobbying is worth their time.

Question 43

Grassroots pressure _______________ the policy-making process.

A) gets in the way of
B) slows down
C) guarantees the success of
D) "greases the wheels" of
E) undermine

Question 44

The term free rider was coined by

A) Nelson Rockefeller Jr.
B) Al Gore.
C) Mancur Olson Jr.
D) Eleanor Roosevelt.
E) Jimmy Carter

Question 45

Most PACs focus on

A) religious activities.
B) foreign activities.
C) a broad range of issues.
D) a narrow range of issues
E) women's issues.

Question 46

The 1978 Ethics in Government Act

A) was not applied to interest groups.
B) was declared illegal by the Supreme Court.
C) was totally ignored by interest groups.
D) had some effect on lobbying activity.
E) disallowed personal contact between lobbyists and politicians.

Question 47

The first PAC was created as early as

A) 1876.
B) 1948.
C) 1902.
D) 1976.
E) 1776

Question 48

The federal agency which regulates PACs is the

A) Federal Communications Commission.
B) Federal Elections Board.
C) Federal Elections Commission.
D) Federal Securities Commission.
E) Federal Oversight Commission.

Question 49

Political scientist David Truman argued that interest groups have a stabilizing effect upon the American political system because

A) Americans do not have overlapping group memberships.
B) groups compete and therefore check each other.
C) groups do not compete for political influence.
D) Americans rarely join groups to advocate for them.
E) they replace participation by citizens.

Question 50

The iron triangle is a relationship among

A) the media, congressional candidates, and voters.
B) congressional elites, lobbyists, and bureaucrats.
C) the media, congressional committees, and voters.
D) federal agencies, the media, and interest groups.
E) citizen elites from various interest groups.

Question 51

"Contract with America" proposals are associated with

A) Republicans.
B) Liberals.
C) Democrats.
D) Socialists.
E) Greens.

Question 52

Legalization of marijuana in most states has led to an increase in lobbyist expenditures from $35,000 in 2011 to over __________ in 2019.

A) $45,000
B) $100,000
C) $1,000,000
D) $5,000,000
E) $1,000,000,000

Question 53

Emily's List provides campaign funds for

A) Candidates from coastal states
B) female candidates
C) Southern candidates
D) Conservative candidates
E) Republican candidates

Question 54

Americans often see corporate interests as sinister.

Question 55

Foreign and domestic observers have long noted the propensity of Americans to form and join groups.

Question 56

The Second Amendment specifically relates to freedom of association.

Question 57

Often it takes little more than one or a few dynamic leaders to create the conditions whereby a potential group becomes an actual interest group.

Question 58

In a free society, actual groups may form and even become more powerful on short notice.

Question 59

From the very beginning of the republic, national leaders have wrestled with the idea of interest groups.

Question 60

A human tendency toward disagreement and disharmony does not affect the presence of interest groups.

Question 61

Very few interest groups have thrived since the early days of the republic.

Question 62

A faction is defined as a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse or passion or interests.

Question 63

The success of liberal interest groups led to the rise of conservative counterpart groups.

Question 64

Increasing income and educational levels have led to increased levels of political activity in the United States over the past sixty years.

Question 65

Political action committees have no interest in fund-raising activities.

Question 66

Interest groups really have no effect on democracy.

Question 67

A new form of collective action has begun with Internet use such as personal blogs and personal video sites on the Web.

Question 68

Interest group activity enfolded the perspectives of the abolitionist movement.

Question 69

Interest groups seldom possess the expertise to provide relevant information about policy goals to party leaders, public officials, and bureaucrats.

Question 70

Although interest groups are an important element in American democratic life, many observers fear that their effects are not all positive.

Question 71

The "factions" that so concerned Madison are now not very powerful or well financed.

Question 72

Very few organized groups regularly seek to influence American governmental policies.

Question 73

Interest groups represent a peculiar irony of democracy.

Question 74

Most people take political action to protect or enhance their economic well-being.

Question 75

The goal of Economic Interest Groups is to help their members make or keep money.

Question 76

Herbert Hoover said in 1935 that "The business of America is business."

Question 77

Heading the list of business-oriented trade associations is the National Organization of Women.

Question 78

John Kenneth Galbraith once called labor unions an important "countervailing power" that could stand up to and dilute the power of business.

Question 79

The power and number of union members has substantially increased in the last decade in the United States.

Question 80

Although business and labor often appear at odds, they occasionally join forces.