Deck 8: Political Influence and Political Communication

Question 1

Which among the following is an example of an outside strategy that might be pursued by an interest group?

A) approaching members of Parliament as they leave the chamber
B) encouraging members to email their elected representatives
C) receiving government funding and state sponsorship
D) hiring a professional lobbyist

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation was established as a(n) ________.

A) privately-owned radio and television network
B) non-profit, non-government corporation
C) instrument to promote the views of the governing political party
D) countermeasure to fears that American broadcast networks would move into Canada

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Movements such as Greenpeace that seek to influence various international institutions are described as ____________ social movements.

A) transnational
B) anti-globalist
C) mainstream
D) borderless

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Outside strategies are, by definition, strategies ________.

A) in which interest groups use experts from outside their groups to interact with decision-makers
B) that are less likely than inside strategies to stimulate opposition and criticism
C) in which interest groups develop close contacts with decision-makers and the public service in order to influence public policy
D) in which interest groups appeal to the public for support to put pressure on decision-makers

Question 5

What issue inspired Lois Gibbs to organize the citizens of Love Canal New York, in 1978?

A) welfare reform
B) chemical pollution
C) gender equality
D) voting rights

Question 6

The term 'lobbying' is derived from the old practice of _____________.

A) throwing projectiles at the House of Commons
B) posing questions to MPs during Question Period
C) utilizing the airwaves for public information campaigns
D) approaching MPs in the lobby of the British House of Commons

Question 7

The attempt by governments and politicians to control and shape the presentation of news in order to affect the public's evaluation of news stories is known as ____________.

A) news management
B) investigative journalism
C) priming
D) infotainment

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT one of the goals of the Tea Party social movement that developed in the United States in 2009?

A) limited government
B) promoting gender equality in government
C) promoting traditional family values
D) protecting gun ownership

Question 9

The Canadian government's Court Challenges program was established to ________.

A) help those seeking to challenge the excessive power of the courts
B) assist those accused of a crime who could not afford a lawyer
C) assist equality-seeking groups in challenging discriminatory laws and policies
D) assist the medical profession in fighting malpractice lawsuits

Question 10

Which of the following terms is NOT used to describe the tendency for organizations based on social movements to become more conventional in nature?

A) institutionalization
B) routinization
C) maturation
D) demobilization

Question 11

The Fraser Institute is a ________.

A) labour union
B) professional organization
C) think tank
D) students group

Question 12

Which question did Mancur Olson ask when studying the membership of interest groups?

A) Are interest groups broad-based or narrowly-based?
B) What kinds of interest groups exist?
C) What is meant by the 'public interest'?
D) Under what conditions is it rational for individuals to join groups?

Question 13

A selective incentive is a benefit that ________.

A) rewards volunteers in an interest group who raise a lot of money for the group
B) is selected as being the most valued by an interest group
C) is given to a group member who is selected at random
D) is offered to members of an interest group but not to the public

Question 14

Selecting and highlighting some facets of events or issues to promote a particular interpretation, evaluation, or solution in a news story is best described as ________.

A) priming
B) framing
C) investigative journalism
D) infotainment

Question 15

The St. John's Harbour Atlantic Canada Action Program (ACAP) was successful in ________.

A) convincing cruise ships to visit St. John's
B) ending the killing of seals in the harbour
C) stopping oil drilling in the harbour
D) convincing governments to finance a sewage treatment plant

Question 16

Which of the following is not a feature of institutionalized interest groups?

A) well established membership base
B) paid professional staff
C) spontaneous organization
D) permanent offices

Question 17

While public interest groups are primarily concerned with promoting a cause that they believe in, self interest groups are concerned with ________.

A) maintaining unity
B) increasing freedom for society as a whole
C) ensuring direct access to government
D) gaining benefits for their members

Question 18

Which of the following social movements was NOT developed during the wave of protest during the 1960s?

A) Environmental movement
B) American Civil Rights movement
C) Anti-globalization movement
D) Gay and lesbian movement

Question 19

According to the text, what could be considered one of the chief causes of the deregulation of financial markets that contributed to the recession of 2007-2009?

A) lobbying by American financial institutions
B) government overspending and debt
C) a lack of spending and too much belt-tightening
D) the inability of Congress to reduce financial regulations

Question 20

The free rider problem occurs when individuals ________.

A) ride public transit without paying the appropriate fares
B) enjoy the benefits of a group without contributing
C) are able to profit from direct access to politicians
D) belong to groups that they don't really believe it

Question 21

Feminist, Aboriginal, and environmental interest groups that have received funding from the Canadian government are obligated to support government policies.

Question 22

What is lobbying?

Question 23

Online digital media has increased the availability of political information.

Question 24

In calculating their taxes, businesses in Canada can deduct contributions to interest groups and other expenses while individuals cannot.

Question 25

Amnesty International, a group that mounts public pressure to try to prevent human rights abuses around the world is an example of a(n) ______________.

A) self-interest group
B) public interest group
C) free-rider group
D) old social movement

Question 26

What is the problem with infotainment?

Question 27

The Tea Party movement in the U.S originated in the decision of tobacco companies to set up third party interest groups to counter anti-tobacco taxes.

Question 28

All social movements are associated with progressive (leftist) and human rights-oriented politics

Question 29

Care2 is a petition site that focusses on ______________.

A) animal rights
B) environmental issues
C) healthy living
D) All of the above

Question 30

Radical interest groups cannot use the judicial system to advance their interests.

Question 31

It is argued that there has been an increase in the quality of traditional sources of political information.

Question 32

What is the difference between a social movement and an interest group?

Question 33

Interest groups exist exclusively or primarily for political purposes.

Question 34

How does the free rider problem affect interest groups?

Question 35

According to the text, news coverage is affected by a concern to broadcast ________ stories.

A) entertaining
B) newsworthy
C) factual
D) violent

Question 36

A political system in which the state actively collaborates with selected major interest to seek a consensus concerning the country's major economic and social policies is known as _____________.

A) the iron law of oligarchy
B) neo-corporatism
C) an institutional interest group
D) socialism

Question 37

What are some of the pitfalls of a concentration of corporate ownership in the media?

Question 38

Public interest groups exist to seek exclusive and specific benefits for their members.

Question 39

Many professional lobbyists are persons who have had high-level experience in government.

Question 40

The tendency of news and public affairs programming to treat news as infotainment is a result of ________.

A) the need to attract large audiences in order to be profitable
B) government regulation of the media
C) state ownership of the media
D) news management by the government

Question 41

Describe how online media is transforming political communication and discuss its positive and negative characteristics.

Question 42

What are the pros and cons of an inside strategy when it comes to influencing government? Discuss using an example.

Question 43

Explain the media's role as a "watchdog" and problems that result from media expectations.