Deck 11: Groups and Interests

Question 1

Labor groups represent ________ percent of the total number of interest groups registered to lobby in Washington.

A)2
B)22
C)42
D)62

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Moveon.org began in

A)1996 as a social networking site for progressive activists opposed to free trade agreements.
B)1998 as an email group fighting against the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.
C)2003 as a protest movement fighting against the war in Iraq.
D)2010 as a lobbying organization opposed to the Affordable Care Act.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Elite pluralism refers to the fact that

A)many important government officials in the United States are not elected by the American public.
B)most American interest groups will only accept members who have a college degree and make above a certain amount of money each year.
C)political leaders in the United States have a wide range of views and are not exclusively liberal or conservative.
D)economic elites have used group politics to achieve considerably more influence than mass-based forces in the American political process.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following is a theoretical assumption of pluralism?

A)Competition among interests will produce balance with all interests moderating each other.
B)Competition among interests will produce extreme public policy with one interest dominating all others.
C)Only some interests should be free to compete for influence in the United States.
D)All interests are not equally free to compete for influence in the United States.

Question 5

The Sierra Club is a(n) ________ group.

A)public interest
B)ideological
C)labor
D)business

Question 6

When a coalition of credit card companies forms an interest group called the Partnership to Protect Consumer Credit, this suggests that

A)credit card companies are interested in the public good.
B)private interests are hiding behind the ideals of public interests.
C)public interest groups are now actively involving private corporations.
D)the free-rider problem does not apply to private corporations.

Question 7

The best description of the ideal of pluralism is that

A)the public good should always trump individual interests.
B)interest groups should be free to compete for governmental influence.
C)interest groups are factions that endanger liberty.
D)democracy is best served by legalizing but regulating the influence of interest groups.

Question 8

The Teamsters and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) are examples of ________ groups.

A)public interest
B)business
C)labor
D)ideological

Question 9

How the Constitution balances the threat posed by organized interests with the need for liberty is discussed in the

A)Federalist Papers, no.7.
B)Federalist Papers, no.10.
C)Federalist Papers, no.51.
D)Antifederalist Papers, no.78.

Question 10

Which of the following statements about interest groups is MOST accurate?

A)Americans are much less likely to join political and social organizations than people in other countries, but America has far more organized interest groups than other nations.
B)Americans are much more likely to join political and social organizations than people in other countries, but America has far fewer organized interest groups than other nations.
C)Americans are much less likely to join political and social organizations than people in other countries, and America has far fewer organized interest groups than other nations.
D)Americans are much more likely to join political and social organizations than people in other countries, and America has far more organized interest groups than other nations.

Question 11

The National Conference of State Legislatures is a good example of a

A)public-sector interest group.
B)professional association.
C)political action committee.
D)public interest group.

Question 12

Public interest groups differ from other types of interest groups in that

A)they claim to serve the common good, not just their own particular interests.
B)they were the first political associations to use the strategy of direct mailing.
C)they were the first group to abandon lobbying and take up only grassroots activism.
D)unlike other interest groups, their status is like that of a charity, not a political organization.

Question 13

The "poor" and the homeless are two examples of ________ interest groups.

A)public
B)potential
C)citizen
D)grassroots

Question 14

James Madison called an interest group a

A)mob.
B)faction.
C)plutocracy.
D)social movement.

Question 15

Members of interest groups in the United States are typically people

A)with higher levels of income and education.
B)from the lower socioeconomic levels.
C)who work in manual labor and unskilled occupations.
D)who identify as Democrats.

Question 16

It is difficult for political scientists to categorize unrepresented interests because

A)there are no constitutional means for unorganized interests to compete for attention.
B)there are no organizations that can present their identities and demands.
C)there are no measurements of interests and needs outside of representation.
D)these interests often want to stay hidden from public view.

Question 17

The Christian Coalition is a(n) ________ group.

A)public interest
B)ideological
C)labor
D)business

Question 18

Interest groups are concerned with the ________ of government, while political parties are concerned with the ________ of government.

A)values; goals
B)membership; authority
C)policies; personnel
D)legitimacy; power

Question 19

A criticism of interest group pluralism is

A)its inherent propensity for compromise, the character of which tends to be antidemocratic.
B)its class bias in favor of those with greater financial resources.
C)that its ideals are too closely associated with Marxist-Leninist ideology and are therefore unacceptable to the majority of Americans.
D)that it gives too much influence to religious organizations and therefore threatens the separation of church and state.

Question 20

More than one-third of the groups with lobbying offices in Washington are

A)businesses and corporations.
B)labor groups.
C)ideological groups.
D)public-sector groups.

Question 21

One important difference between traditional interest groups and online activist organizations is that

A)traditional interest groups typically focus on a single issue, while online advocacy organizations are often issue generalists that have a wide umbrella of issues for which they lobby.
B)online activist organizations typically focus on a single issue, while traditional interest groups are often issue generalists that have a wide umbrella of issues for which they lobby.
C)traditional interest groups typically focus on influencing government action, while online activist organizations often focus on influencing private individuals and corporations.
D)online activist organizations typically focus on influencing government action, while traditional interest groups often focus on influencing private individuals and corporations.

Question 22

If a person enjoys the benefits of a group's collective efforts but does not contribute to those efforts, he or she is called a

A)citizen.
B)subject.
C)free rider.
D)lobbyist.

Question 23

When membership in an organization allows for a reduction in the price of museum tickets, it is an example of a

A)solidary benefit.
B)promotion offer.
C)material benefit.
D)purposive benefit.

Question 24

A ________ is the best example of an informational benefit provided by many interest groups.

A)consciousness-raising workshop
B)free T-shirt
C)newsletter
D)health insurance program

Question 25

The American Associate of Retired Persons (AARP) has approximately ________ members today.

A)38,000
B)338,000
C)3.8 million
D)38 million

Question 26

The free-rider problem occurs because

A)members of Congress are presented with many opportunities to amend a piece of legislation.
B)the benefits of a group's actions are available only to a specific segment of society.
C)the benefits of a group's actions are broadly available and cannot be denied to nonmembers.
D)members of Congress listen only to organized interest groups and not to public-opinion polls.

Question 27

A benefit that is sought by an interest group and that once achieved cannot be denied to nonmembers is called a

A)free rider.
B)collective good.
C)solidary benefit.
D)purposive benefit.

Question 28

Which of the following statements about the fund-raising practices of traditional interest groups and online activist organizations is MOST accurate?

A)Traditional interest groups raise money through annual membership dues, while online activist organizations raise money through targeted fund-raising drives focused on particular issues or events.
B)Traditional interest groups raise money through targeted fund-raising drives focused on particular issues or events, while online activist organizations raise money through annual membership dues.
C)Traditional interest groups receive the majority of their funding from the federal government, while online activist organizations receive the majority of their funding from annual membership dues.
D)Traditional interest groups receive the majority of their funding from annual membership dues, while online activist organizations receive the majority of their funding from the federal government.

Question 29

Many online organized interest groups

A)require a formal application with personal references in order to become a member.
B)require a background check in order to become a member.
C)require advance payment of one year of membership dues.
D)do not require any formal membership beyond signing up for an online newsletter or signing an online petition.

Question 30

Selective benefits are

A)government programs that provide tax cuts for people at the top of the income distribution.
B)government programs that distribute food, housing, or monetary assistance to people who make less than a predetermined amount of money each year.
C)incentives that interest groups make available only to those people who are members of their organizations.
D)incentives that interest groups distribute to people who do not belong to their organizations in order to win public support for their causes.

Question 31

A ________ exists when paid staff conduct most of the daily business of a group.

A)staff organization
B)free-rider group
C)lobbyist firm
D)527 committee

Question 32

The solidary benefits of interest groups include

A)friendship and consciousness raising.
B)special services and goods.
C)information and money.
D)identification with the purpose or ideology of the group.

Question 33

________ have been one of AARP's most effective methods of mobilizing thousands of its members for political action.

A)Robocalls
B)Direct mailings
C)Email lists
D)"Telephone trees"

Question 34

Successful interest groups quickly become

A)bureaucratized.
B)corrupted.
C)outdated.
D)rich.

Question 35

One way that the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has been effective at overcoming the free-rider problem is by providing ________ benefits to its members.

A)selective
B)elective
C)free-rider
D)public good

Question 36

The free-rider phenomenon is

A)more problematic in very large groups.
B)more problematic in very small groups.
C)not affected in any way by the size of the group in question.
D)not related to groups in any way because it is an individual-level problem.

Question 37

Many interest groups are initially organized because

A)most state-level government agencies will only negotiate policy implementation with organized groups.
B)funding opportunities provided by the federal bureaucracy encourage collective action.
C)a political entrepreneur with a strong commitment to a particular set of goals believes that a group will promote and enhance his or her goals and political influence.
D)a politician has lost an election and wants to challenge the results.

Question 38

A membership association is a group

A)that accepts anyone as a member.
B)in which members play an important role in the daily activities and administration.
C)in which members vote directly for their leaders.
D)in which only members may receive benefits.

Question 39

In order to overcome the ________ problem, interest groups often provide ________ to their members.

A)free-rider; collective goods
B)free-rider; selective benefits
C)principal-agent; collective goods
D)principal-agent; selective benefits

Question 40

National defense is a good example of a

A)material benefit.
B)collective good.
C)solidary benefit.
D)purposive benefit.

Question 41

The practice of lobbying is protected by

A)the First Amendment.
B)state and federal laws dating from the 1930s.
C)internal rules of Congress.
D)a 1961 Supreme Court decision.

Question 42

Another name for lobbying is

A)stalking.
B)mobilizing.
C)petitioning.
D)litigating.

Question 43

The Administrative Procedure Act

A)requires agencies to create opportunities for public comments before implementing new rules and regulations.
B)permits interest groups to spend an unlimited amount of money on issue advocacy during a campaign.
C)allows former agency officials to work for the industries they had regulated within six months of leaving government service.
D)extends First Amendment protection to interest groups trying to lobby executive agencies.

Question 44

The American Family Association and Citizens United are examples of

A)ideologically liberal interest groups.
B)ideologically conservative interest groups.
C)federally funded government programs created in response to interest group lobbying.
D)state government-funded programs created in response to interest group lobbying.

Question 45

What is the MOST important and beneficial resource that lobbyists provide government officials?

A)money
B)information
C)campaign workers
D)legal assistance

Question 46

The New Politics movement gave rise to ________ groups.

A)ideological
B)partisan
C)labor
D)public interest

Question 47

Which of the following groups is MOST likely to belong to the New Politics movement?

A)blue-collar workers whose formative experience was the Great Depression
B)upper-middle-class professionals, for whom the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s were key experiences
C)conservative evangelical southerners reacting to the cultural changes of the 1960s
D)recent immigrants to the United States

Question 48

Which of the following is an "outsider" strategy?

A)lobbying Congress
B)litigating a case in court
C)lobbying the executive branch
D)"going public"

Question 49

Interest group activity increased considerably in the 1880s and 1890s as a result of the

A)beginning of the Civil War.
B)Supreme Court's ruling in Plessy v.Ferguson.
C)first federal government efforts at economic intervention to fight large monopolies and to regulate some aspects of interstate commerce.
D)Great Depression.

Question 50

The Negotiated Rulemaking Act of 1990 was designed to

A)forbid lobbying of administrative agencies.
B)reduce the number of lawsuits by encouraging interest groups to solve conflicts with administrative agencies through mediation.
C)encourage administrative agencies to engage in direct and open negotiations with affected interests when developing new regulations.
D)eliminate iron triangles.

Question 51

Two laws that have played an important role in opening the bureaucratic process to interest group influence are the

A)1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act and the Negotiated Rulemaking Act of 1990.
B)Negotiated Rulemaking Act of 1990 and the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946.
C)1946 Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act and the 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act.
D)1946 Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act and the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946.

Question 52

The increased number and importance of interest groups

A)causes a subsequent expansion in government.
B)is a response to an increase in the size and activity of government.
C)is a response to a decrease in the size and activity of government.
D)is due to the decline in the U.S.multiparty system.

Question 53

A full-page, fully paid spread in the New York Times publicizing a major oil company is best described as

A)going public.
B)lobbying.
C)institutional advertising.
D)an issue network.

Question 54

In the lobbying world, to be "Microsofted" means that a company has

A)become vulnerable to adverse legislation and investigation as a result of failing to lobby the federal government.
B)only lobbied members of one political party, who have just lost their majority.
C)lobbied only the federal government, opening itself up to adverse actions by state governments.
D)allowed other companies to become free riders on its costly lobbying efforts.

Question 55

Approximately ________ lobbyists are currently registered with Congress.

A)1,200
B)4,500
C)12,000
D)24,000

Question 56

Since the 1930s, the number and scale of interest groups at the national level has

A)dramatically increased.
B)experienced relatively modest growth.
C)remained relatively stagnant.
D)experienced relatively modest decline.

Question 57

Rather than offering its members ________ benefits, online advocacy organizations often offer their members ________ benefits.

A)purposive; material and informational
B)informational; material and purposive
C)material; informational and purposive
D)informational and purposive; material

Question 58

Lobbying is

A)an attempt by an individual or group to influence the passage of legislation by exerting indirect pressure, through advertisements and media coverage, on members of Congress or a state legislature.
B)an attempt by an individual or group to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of Congress or a state legislature.
C)an attempt by an individual or group to influence the passage of legislation by exerting indirect pressure, through phone calls or emails, on members of Congress or a state legislature.
D)the act of working on a re-election campaign.

Question 59

The major organizational factors shared by most interest groups are

A)very close links with the national news media, direct ties to a member of Congress, a headquarters in Washington, D.C., and members.
B)very close links with the national news media, connections with Hollywood, direct ties to the president of the United States, and members.
C)leadership, money, an agency or office, and members.
D)leadership, a rigid hierarchical structure, access to loans from the Federal Reserve, and members.

Question 60

The AARP began in

A)1932 as an effort to convince Congress to enact Social Security.
B)1958 as an effort to find affordable health insurance for retired teachers.
C)1965 as an effort to push for the passage of Medicare.
D)2001 as an effort to prevent the Bush administration's tax cuts.

Question 61

An iron triangle is made up of an alliance between

A)a legislative committee, an executive agency, and the federal courts.
B)the federal courts, the state courts, and interest groups.
C)a legislative committee, an interest group, and an executive agency.
D)the media, a legislative committee, and the federal courts.

Question 62

When an oil company is invited to participate in negotiations with the Environmental Protection Agency over a proposed rule on offshore drilling, it illustrates that

A)the First Amendment to the Constitution only allows corporations to "petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
B)Supreme Court decisions banning iron triangles have largely failed to limit interest group influence.
C)federal agencies almost always attempt to consult relevant stakeholders before implementing a new rule.
D)interest groups no longer attempt to influence representatives in Congress or judges and focus almost all of their attention, instead, on administrative agencies.

Question 63

A grassroots lobbying campaign occurs when

A)an interest group mobilizes its members and their families throughout the country to write their representatives in support of the group's position.
B)a spontaneous show of political support for a particular position manifests itself.
C)interest groups organize to support a dark-horse presidential candidate.
D)an interest group buys advertisements in newspapers around the country in order to publicize an issue.

Question 64

The legalization of same-sex marriage in 2015 illustrates the impact

A)that an interest group can have through lobbying Congress.
B)that an interest group can have through a litigation strategy.
C)that an interest group can have through Super PACs.
D)of iron triangles on the policy-making process.

Question 65

The ________ regularly uses litigation to challenge state and federal laws that restrict the rights of individuals and groups.

A)New Politics movement
B)Tea Party
C)Department of Justice
D)American Civil Liberties Union

Question 66

________ was an important Washington lobbyist who was indicted in 2005 on charges of violating federal lobbying laws.

A)Valerie Plame
B)Jack Abramoff
C)Paul Wolfowitz
D)Karl Rove

Question 67

In the 2017-18 election cycle, individuals could contribute no more than ________ to any candidate for federal office in any primary or general election.

A)$1,000
B)$2,700
C)$5,000
D)$7,500

Question 68

The National Rifle Association (NRA) has approximately how many members?

A)100,000
B)1 million
C)5 million
D)12 million

Question 69

In an iron triangle, the interest group

A)is legally excluded from any interactions with congressional committees and administrative agencies.
B)provides campaign contributions to members of Congress and lobbies for larger administrative agency budgets.
C)organizes grassroots mobilizations against administrative agencies and congressional incumbents.
D)files formal lawsuits and amicus briefs against administrative agencies and congressional incumbents.

Question 70

In an iron triangle, the congressional committee

A)supports the agency's budgetary requests and the programs the interest group favors.
B)opposes the agency's budgetary requests and the programs the interest group favors.
C)files formal lawsuits and amicus briefs against administrative agencies and interest groups.
D)is legally excluded from any interactions with interest groups and administrative agencies.

Question 71

________ occurs when interest groups generate phony letters, emails, and phone calls in order to resemble a grassroots movement.

A)Sandlot ball
B)Astroturf lobbying
C)Populism
D)Hardball politics

Question 72

Interest groups use litigation as a strategy of influence by

A)filing amicus curiae briefs, financing lawsuits, and bringing a suit on behalf of the group.
B)directly lobbying judges, using direct-mail solicitations, and making campaign contributions to members of Congress.
C)engaging in institutional advertising, activating issue networks, and directly lobbying judges.
D)working with 527 committees, directly lobbying judges, and engaging in institutional advertising.

Question 73

Brown v.Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas was a Supreme Court case pursued as part of the ________'s strategy of litigation.

A)Congress of Racial Equality
B)American Civil Liberties Union
C)Human Rights Campaign
D)National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Question 74

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

A)banned PACs.
B)limited PAC donations to $10,000.
C)prohibited any political activity from 527 committees.
D)did not restrict PACs in any significant way.

Question 75

Which of the following Supreme Court cases illustrates the use of litigation by an interest group?

A)Roe v.Wade (1973)
B)Webster v.Reproductive Health Services (1989)
C)Dred Scott v.Sandford (1857)
D)United States v.Nixon (1974)

Question 76

The term stakeholder refers to

A)members of the National Butcher's Guild.
B)organizations affected by a government policy.
C)corporations that sell government bonds or securities.
D)individual activists that participate in the New Politics movement.

Question 77

A political action committee (PAC) can contribute ________ to any candidate for federal office, provided it contributes to at least five different federal candidates each year.

A)$500
B)$5,000
C)$50,000
D)$500,000

Question 78

________ is a strategy that attempts to mobilize the widest and most favorable climate of opinion.

A)Litigation
B)Creating a "war room"
C)Creating an iron triangle
D)Going public

Question 79

In recent years, the religious right has had a great effect on American politics through

A)grassroots mobilization.
B)gaining access.
C)campaign financing.
D)iron triangles.

Question 80

A loose, informal relationship of public officials, interest groups, and activists who are all concerned with the same policies is called

A)an iron triangle.
B)a membership association.
C)the New Politics movement.
D)an issue network.