Deck 17: The Policymaking Process

Question 1

The courts can play an important role in policymaking because

A) courts make decisions that force action by other branches of government.
B) courts are less impartial and more activist than other policymaking institutions.
C) judges are especially well educated, and their power is loosely defined.
D) courts are more impartial and less activist than other policymaking institutions.
E) judges are compelled by oath to remain impartial and free from partisan bias.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Daniel Patrick Moynihan described the new role of the bureaucracy in policymaking as

A) the creation of demands.
B) the codification of flux.
C) the logic of collective action.
D) entrepreneurial politics.
E) the professionalization of reform.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Courts can be of particular use to interest groups when

A) the presidency is in the hands of the Democrats.
B) the Senate is controlled by Republicans.
C) there is no majority support for their cause.
D) their causes are strikingly popular.
E) issues are well known and noncontroversial.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which politician noted that the government is big enough to give you everything you want but is also big enough to take away everything you have?

A) Richard Nixon
B) Franklin Roosevelt
C) Harry Truman
D) Ronald Reagan
E) Gerald Ford

Question 5

The president under whom federal payments to farmers grew to six times what they had been a decade before he took office was

A) Franklin Roosevelt.
B) Ronald Reagan.
C) Lyndon Johnson.
D) Richard Nixon.
E) Jimmy Carter.

Question 6

Riots by blacks during the mid-1960s, when a large percentage of rioters were employed and relatively well educated, illustrate the principle of

A) teleological suspension.
B) shared political values.
C) the professionalism of reform.
D) client politics.
E) relative deprivation.

Question 7

Which of the following is incorrect?

A) A Republican, Richard Nixon, imposed peacetime wage and price controls.
B) A Republican, Richard Nixon, proposed a guaranteed annual income for every family, working or not.
C) A Republican, Dwight Eisenhower, sent federal troops into Little Rock, Arkansas, to enforce school desegregation.
D) Under the administration of Ronald Reagan, a Republican, federal payments to farmers grew six times larger than they had been in the 1970s.
E) None of the above

Question 8

Today, we hear far fewer debates about the _____ of proposed policies than we heard in the 1920s or 1930s.

A) complications
B) benefits
C) costs
D) legitimacy
E) popularity

Question 9

At any given time, what determines the legitimacy of the government's actions?

A) The bureaucracy
B) The U.S. Constitution
C) The legislative branch
D) The president
E) Certain shared beliefs

Question 10

Popular views on the legitimate scope of government action are affected by crises such as wars and depressions because

A) such crises tend to weaken the influence of shared political values.
B) such crises tend to weaken the power of political elites.
C) during times of crisis, people accept what government has customarily done.
D) during times of crisis, people expect government to take action.
E) courts rarely interfere with the political process in such times, and Congress is muzzled.

Question 11

An interesting psychological characteristic associated with the concept of legitimacy is that most people

A) accept what government does as legitimate.
B) challenge as illegitimate much of what government does.
C) are unaffected by most of what government does.
D) have little concept of what is best for them.
E) have little concern for personal rights and liberties.

Question 12

A generally (but not completely) accurate explanation of why government adds new programs to its agenda, despite the absence of public demand for them, is the

A) effect of cost-benefit studies.
B) role of individual, far-sighted entrepreneurs.
C) behavior of special-interest groups.
D) political culture.
E) lack of a conscious agenda.

Question 13

The bureaucracy has acquired new power in policymaking because

A) bureaucrats are very public spirited.
B) it has the confidence of the people.
C) now it frequently acts as an independent source of policy proposals.
D) it responds well to problems identified by others.
E) it is rarely inefficient or slow moving.

Question 14

Both occupational safety and urban poverty legislation were enacted at a time when

A) the problems being treated had been getting better.
B) the public perceived a crisis at hand.
C) the public was unaware of the crisis at hand.
D) the problems being treated had been growing steadily worse.
E) both were considered top priorities by the American public.

Question 15

The actions of the Republican presidents Eisenhower and Nixon illustrate that the expansion of government

A) can be controlled.
B) is closely tied to party affiliation.
C) is avoidable.
D) is a nonpartisan process.
E) is not likely if a president truly desires otherwise.

Question 16

Compared with the political agenda of the 1930s, today's political agenda (the issues that politics chooses to address) is

A) much longer.
B) slightly longer.
C) about the same.
D) slightly shorter.
E) much shorter.

Question 17

The Great Society programs, unlike the New Deal programs, were developed primarily by

A) the president.
B) nongovernmental experts.
C) Congress.
D) bureaucrats.
E) courts.

Question 18

In his commentary on the French Revolution, Alexis de Tocqueville observed that citizens are most restless when they

A) are living in abject poverty.
B) are under grinding oppression.
C) have started to become better off.
D) do not feel represented.
E) see no hope for electoral victory.

Question 19

The text notes that a remarkably large number of the blacks who rioted in U.S. cities during the 1960s were

A) poorly educated.
B) unemployed.
C) party activists.
D) young men and woman born and educated in the North.
E) both A and B.

Question 20

In an effort to understand why the government adds new issues to its agenda and adopts new programs when there is little public demand, the text looks to

A) groups.
B) institutions.
C) the media.
D) all of the above.
E) none of the above.

Question 21

What would be the most likely response of the Founders to the growing importance of the Senate as a source of political innovation and change?

A) Surprise: They saw the Senate as a moderating rather than an innovating force.
B) Surprise: They thought that constitutional limits on senatorial power would prevent any attempts at activism on the Senate's part.
C) No surprise: They saw the Senate as a force for change rather than moderation.
D) No surprise: They expected each branch of government to play a major role in political change.
E) No surprise: They assumed the Senate would generally dominate American politics.

Question 22

The free-rider problem described by the text refers to the reluctance of people to

A) support policies and programs whose benefits will be enjoyed by everybody.
B) join an interest group if the policy that group supports benefits everybody.
C) support policies and programs whose costs will be shared by everybody.
D) join an interest group if the policy that group supports benefits a narrow constituency.
E) join an interest group if there are no costs and a low level of perceptible benefits.

Question 23

The government's provision of financial aid to women and orphans during the early twentieth century was not controversial because

A) it was considered legitimate for those groups to benefit.
B) it was considered politically advantageous to support those two groups.
C) so few citizens were aware of the economic costs of this aid.
D) no special-interest group stepped forward to support this aid.
E) the aid was not solicited and involved relatively little money.

Question 24

Compared with mass attitudes, elite attitudes toward the political agenda tend to be

A) more consistent.
B) less significant.
C) less ideological.
D) more volatile.
E) less partisan.

Question 25

Attorneys general of states may influence national policy by

A) filing amicus briefs in federal cases.
B) sponsoring appeals in the federal courts.
C) supporting federal judicial nominees.
D) filing lawsuits in federal district courts.
E) settling suits with agreements that are binding on businesses throughout the country.

Question 26

Controversies that arise in majoritarian politics are most likely to be

A) between rival interest groups.
B) over who should benefit.
C) over matters of cost or ideology.
D) over the legitimacy of client claims.
E) between special interests with institutional support.

Question 27

When considering the costs and benefits of a policy, it is important to remember that it is usually the ________ that most affects politics.

A) actual dollar amount of costs and benefits
B) perception of costs and benefits
C) degree of guilt or pleasure involved
D) influence of special-interest groups
E) influence of iron triangles

Question 28

Requiring all couples applying for a marriage license to pay to be tested for HIV/AIDS would be an example of

A) concentrated benefits.
B) widespread costs.
C) widespread costs and benefits.
D) concentrated costs.
E) none of the above.

Question 29

The text argues that ideas are at least as important as interests in determining political outcomes because

A) ideas must be examined before they can be enacted.
B) interests by themselves tend to be self-defeating.
C) most interests follow explicit ideologies.
D) beliefs about the rightness of policies are matters of opinion.
E) interests are rarely as solidified as ideas.

Question 30

A high rate of crime can be categorized as

A) a widely distributed cost.
B) a narrowly concentrated cost.
C) a widely distributed benefit.
D) a narrowly concentrated benefit.
E) none of the above.

Question 31

A proposed environmental protection program offers benefits and costs that will be shared by a large number of people. The type of politics that will most likely be involved is

A) entrepreneurial politics.
B) client-centered politics.
C) interest group politics.
D) majoritarian politics.
E) egalitarian politics.

Question 32

Politicians are most likely to support programs whose costs are

A) accurately estimated.
B) remote in time.
C) immediate.
D) borne by everybody.
E) large.

Question 33

During what period was the Senate an important incubator of liberal national policies?

A) Prior to 1960 only
B) During the 1960s only
C) During both the 1960s and the 1980s
D) During the 1980s only
E) During the 1990s only

Question 34

Essential to the definition of a benefit of a proposed policy is that the program must

A) bring satisfaction to someone.
B) involve a monetary gain by some group.
C) involve a contract to some group.
D) contribute to the nation's general welfare.
E) involve a payment or subsidy to some group.

Question 35

The politics of a majoritarian issue is usually conducted by

A) finding compromises among conflicting interest groups.
B) appealing to a mass-membership interest group.
C) appealing to nonvoters.
D) appealing to large blocs of voters.
E) appealing to legal scholars.

Question 36

When Congress passed a "Do Not Call" law, it

A) adopted an idea pioneered in the states.
B) demonstrated the innovative nature of federal policymaking.
C) demonstrated the complex nature of communications policy.
D) exempted some states from its requirements.
E) reversed several state laws.

Question 37

The text observes a "close correlation" between Senate attention to new safety standards for industry coal mines and automobiles and the amount of space devoted to those questions in the

A) Congressional Quarterly.
B) Washington Times.
C) Presidential Studies Quarterly.
D) Legislative Studies Quarterly.
E) New York Times.

Question 38

An astute politician seeking election promises programs to people in a way that suggests that the programs

A) are in the national interest.
B) will distribute costs evenly across the population of working people.
C) will be self-supporting and self-renewing.
D) will distribute costs evenly among all the constituents.
E) will benefit the constituents but be paid for by others.

Question 39

Which of the following statements about the perceived distribution of the costs and benefits of a proposed program is most likely to be true?

A) It will determine who wins and who loses the battle to enact the program.
B) It will equate well with the actual costs and benefits of the program.
C) It will shape the kinds of political coalitions that form around the program.
D) It will be immune to the influence of the media and courts.
E) It will be immune to the influence of the legislature.

Question 40

The media play a major role in the creation of public policy by

A) creating new programs.
B) leading by example.
C) choosing which of thousands of proposals to cover.
D) hiring government activists as reporters.
E) hiring government activists as editors.

Question 41

The Superfund program illustrates entrepreneurial politics in action concerning the issue of

A) the cost of gasoline.
B) the effects of smog.
C) hazardous wastes.
D) beach erosion.
E) the effects of television violence.

Question 42

A proposed bill that would abolish tariffs on imported cheese, thereby hurting the dairy industry while benefiting U.S. cheese eaters, would most likely involve

A) entrepreneurial politics.
B) client-centered politics.
C) interest group politics.
D) majoritarian politics.
E) plutocracy politics.

Question 43

Tobacco price supports are less popular today than they were thirty years ago primarily because of

A) the increased costs of such supports.
B) increased international competition.
C) a decreased need for supports.
D) decreased support for tobacco growing.
E) increased support for agriculture.

Question 44

When is entrepreneurial politics possible without one or more policy entrepreneurs?

A) Never
B) When a president steps in to fill the void
C) When the populace is inattentive to an issue
D) When voters suddenly get upset about the cost of a benefit
E) In almost any circumstance or set of circumstances

Question 45

A consumer advocate who is a good example of a policy entrepreneur is

A) John Sherman.
B) Thurman Arnold.
C) Karl Marx.
D) Ralph Nader.
E) Edward Barth.

Question 46

The Founders decreased the likelihood of successful entrepreneurial politics when they

A) denied legitimacy to policy entrepreneurs.
B) fostered a participatory political culture.
C) enabled minorities to block legislation.
D) created a federal system of government.
E) created a dual-court system.

Question 47

Business leaders often fear that politicians will try to curry votes by

A) arguing that politics is subservient to economics.
B) moving political appointees into key union positions.
C) advising against government regulation.
D) blaming business for all social and economic ills.
E) attacking unions with economic concerns.

Question 48

A proposed agricultural support program will benefit the lumber industry but increase the cost of paper nationwide. What type of politics is most likely to be involved?

A) Entrepreneurial politics
B) Client-centered politics
C) Interest group politics
D) Majoritarian politics
E) Egalitarian politics

Question 49

One reason that entrepreneurial politics has become more important in recent years is

A) the relaxation of many federal regulations.
B) increased competition among special-interest groups.
C) the decentralization of Congress.
D) the declining role of consumer activists.
E) decreased competition among special-interest groups.

Question 50

Welfare recipients cost the typical taxpayers a(n) ______ amount each year.

A) small
B) moderate
C) moderately large
D) very large
E) exceptionally large

Question 51

What distinguishes client politics from interest group politics is the fact that

A) ideology plays a larger role in client politics.
B) client politics does not involve interest groups.
C) only one group benefits in client politics.
D) costs are widely distributed in client politics.
E) client politics are rarely partisan.

Question 52

The very existence of large corporations may be a threat to popular rule for several reasons. One reason cited by the text is that

A) corporations typically have unfair access to media.
B) majoritarian politics gives corporations the advantage in decisions involving the distribution of costs.
C) politicians and business leaders come from similar backgrounds.
D) a pluralistic society depends on plural corporate interests.
E) government is rarely sensitive to the interests of corporations.

Question 53

Interest group politics must involve

A) benefits to small groups and costs to large groups.
B) costs to small groups and benefits to large groups.
C) legal conflicts without specific benefits.
D) widespread costs and benefits.
E) two or more small, identifiable groups.

Question 54

Policy entrepreneurs may or may not represent the wishes of the general public, but they do have the ability to

A) shift costs from interest groups to the public.
B) assume power and redirect resources.
C) appear nonpartisan.
D) assume the leadership of an existing majority.
E) dramatize an issue convincingly.

Question 55

The process by which legislation can be enacted only for projects (such as new dams or irrigation systems) affecting several congressional districts is called

A) entrepreneurial politics.
B) social welfare.
C) economic rationality.
D) legislative courtesy.
E) logrolling.

Question 56

The clients in client politics might be any of the following except

A) farmers seeking price supports.
B) airlines seeking regulation.
C) the public seeking tax relief.
D) localities seeking new roads.
E) trucking companies seeking regulation.

Question 57

A proposed bill that would force producers of alcoholic beverages to place additional medical warning labels on their containers would most likely involve

A) entrepreneurial politics.
B) client-centered politics.
C) interest group politics.
D) majoritarian politics.
E) plutocracy politics.

Question 58

Of the following, the best example of interest group politics is

A) a vote on Social Security payment increases.
B) a fight over automobile imports from Japan.
C) the debate over military aid to El Salvador.
D) the campaign to abolish smoking in public places.
E) the debate over aid to the former Soviet Union.

Question 59

Which of the following statements about entrepreneurial politics is correct?

A) It is of greatest use to liberals attacking conservative special interests.
B) It is almost nonexistent in today's political environment.
C) It is of greatest use to conservatives attacking liberal special interests.
D) It has become less common in recent years.
E) It can be used by either liberals or conservatives.

Question 60

An example of client politics is

A) social welfare.
B) labor legislation.
C) a dairy subsidy.
D) antitrust legislation.
E) none of the above.

Question 61

The winning interest on the debate over the creation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was

A) the health-care lobby.
B) management.
C) labor.
D) government.
E) state government.

Question 62

The text suggests that the antitrust policies of the United States are

A) the strongest to be found in any industrial nation.
B) largely underfunded and thus irrelevant.
C) increasingly unpopular.
D) without majority support and constantly on the verge of extinction.
E) pretty much in the state that they were during the administration of Theodore Roosevelt.

Question 63

Like most majoritarian politics, antitrust regulation tends to reflect _____________ more than interest group activity.

A) neo-institutional constraints
B) individual experiences
C) legislative procedure
D) limitations of the executive branch
E) broad philosophies of governance

Question 64

Which president first persuaded Congress to provide funds to hire full-time lawyers to prosecute cases involving violations of the Sherman Act?

A) Taft
B) Wilson
C) T. Roosevelt
D) Truman
E) Hoover

Question 65

The Taft-Hartley Act allowed the president to obtain a court order blocking strikes that

A) involved more than one state.
B) featured picketing or marches.
C) involved the steel or coal industries.
D) involved more than one thousand employees.
E) imperiled the national health or safety.

Question 66

Corporations did not fight harder to prevent adoption of the Sherman Act of 1890 because

A) the act applied to so few industries.
B) the act was so vague.
C) enforcement of the act was left to local government, which was controlled by the corporations.
D) the act covered only price discrimination and not restraint of trade.
E) the act applied to so few practices.

Question 67

The Landrum-Griffin Act sought to regulate

A) strikes.
B) organization drives.
C) picketing.
D) all of the above.
E) the steel and coal industries.

Question 68

The Grange was an organization of outspoken

A) big businessmen.
B) factory workers.
C) schoolteachers.
D) lawyers.
E) farmers.

Question 69

The Sherman Act of 1890 was an example of

A) entrepreneurial politics.
B) interest group politics.
C) majoritarian politics.
D) client politics.
E) plutocratic politics.

Question 70

The ______was created to regulate the conduct of union organizing drives and to hear complaints of unfair labor practices.

A) NLRB
B) ACLU
C) NAACP
D) BOB
E) FCC

Question 71

On assuming office, a president cannot replace the entire National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) because

A) members serve five-year terms.
B) the Senate must confirm all nominations.
C) management and labor each appoint one member to the NLRB.
D) the NLRB is not part of the executive branch.
E) the NLRB is appointed by the Speaker of the House.

Question 72

A criticism of the Sherman Act of 1890 cited by the text is that it

A) was too specific in its definitions of monopolization.
B) was too specific in the industries it covered.
C) failed to make restraining or monopolizing trade a crime.
D) was too specific in its definition of restraint of trade.
E) failed to deal with the issue of enforcement.

Question 73

In Congress, winners and losers in labor legislation are largely determined by

A) business expenditures.
B) labor expenditures.
C) labor caucuses.
D) the partisan composition of Congress.
E) business caucuses.

Question 74

Labor-management conflict best illustrates ________ politics.

A) entrepreneurial
B) client
C) majoritarian
D) interest group
E) oligarchic

Question 75

Although antitrust feeling was strong during the early 1900s, it was

A) underground.
B) partisan.
C) uninformed.
D) overorganized.
E) relatively unfocused.

Question 76

A major determinant of the outcome of the congressional struggles over the Wagner, Taft-Hartley, and Landrum-Griffin acts was the

A) existence of economic conditions that affected public opinion.
B) overriding influence of majoritarian politics.
C) involvement of numerous consumer-activist groups.
D) fear of court action if the laws were not passed.
E) demands of the federal bureaucracy.

Question 77

The Taft-Hartley Act was largely a victory for

A) workers.
B) unions
C) Congress.
D) businesses.
E) no one.

Question 78

Which piece of legislation substantially strengthened the Sherman Act of 1890?

A) The Taft-Hartley Act
B) The Hale-Hess Monopoly Act
C) The Wagner Act
D) The Schmidt Act
E) The Clayton Act

Question 79

The Reagan administration decided to pursue the breaking up of

A) both AT&T and IBM.
B) IBM, but not AT&T.
C) AT&T, but not IBM.
D) neither AT&T nor IBM.
E) AT&T first, and then IBM.

Question 80

A decision by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) would be influenced most strongly by whether

A) a large or small business is affected.
B) a public-sector or private-sector union is involved.
C) a Democratic or Republican president made a majority of the appointments to the NLRB.
D) the interests on either side are concentrated or distributed.
E) a northern or a southern state is affected.