Deck 6: Interest Groups

Question 1

__________ are more likely to join interest groups.

A) Those with more education
B) Those with less education
C) Those with less income
D) Women

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Lobbying may involve __________.

A) direct contact between consultants and government officials
B) the purchase of media conglomerates
C) lobbyists themselves running against selected officials
D) currying favor with apathetic voters

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Evangelical Protestant denominations _____________.

A) are not particularly politically important at the national level
B) tend to represent the poor
C) have been the most potent religious force in American politics
D) are politically important but only at the local level

Answer 3

C

Question 4

The __________ was formed to block ranchers from grazing cattle in Yosemite National Park.

A) Fish and Wildlife Service
B) Sierra Club
C) Park Rangers Club
D) Yosemite National Park Club

Question 5

The great interest group surge that occurred between 1900 and 1920 is attributable to __________.

A) technological advances, such as the development of radio
B) the addition of the Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution
C) the rise of the Democratic Party
D) the appearance of new problems, such as immigration and industrialization

Question 6

The __________ is a large organization known to lobby for business against government regulation, viewing itself as a "shadow-government policymaking body."

A) Wish List
B) Business Round Table
C) Chamber of Commerce
D) National Association of Manufacturers

Question 7

Alexis de Tocqueville noted that __________.

A) American society was very similar to French society before the Reign of Terror
B) the American government was hostile to organized efforts to change its policies
C) Americans were disinterested in cooperating with others
D) Americans tended to join groups more than citizens of other nations

Question 8

Social media can foster virtual participation in groups, but the life span of these groups is __________.

A) likely to be short
B) likely to accelerate only after several years
C) entirely based on the life spans of its youngest members
D) entirely based on their initial success

Question 9

Technological changes have had what effect on interest groups?

A) They have limited their effectiveness.
B) They have worked against their formation.
C) They have accelerated their formation.
D) They have lessened their importance.

Question 10

A main interest of labor unions is to __________.

A) protect workers' wages
B) channel money primarily to Republicans
C) protect the jobs of company executives
D) ensure the safety of abortion clinics

Question 11

Political efficacy gives people the sense that __________.

A) they are insignificant
B) they can make a difference
C) they lack political power
D) they are entitled to government benefits

Question 12

The thesis behind Bowling Alone suggests that interest group membership has __________.

A) increased because of technology
B) decreased because of public policy
C) increased because of public policy
D) decreased because of technology

Question 13

Which constitutional amendment facilitates group formation?

A) the First Amendment
B) the Second Amendment
C) the Eighth Amendment
D) the Twenty-eighth Amendment

Question 14

Cargill and Archer-Daniels-Midland are examples of __________.

A) large agribusinesses
B) small agribusinesses
C) family farms
D) mid-size family farms

Question 15

___________ are now the most numerous type of interest group and, in the aggregate, the most powerful.

A) Labor groups
B) Business organizations
C) Environmental groups
D) Social issues groups

Question 16

Examples of interest groups that formed before the Civil War included __________.

A) associations representing the nonprofit sector
B) trade unions and business associations
C) abolitionist and proslavery groups
D) associations of elderly persons seeking protections for Social Security

Question 17

The decline of labor unions has had a negative impact on __________.

A) Wal-Mart
B) workers' wages
C) single-issue interest groups
D) CEO pensions

Question 18

Organizations that try to achieve at least some of their goals with government assistance are called __________.

A) political parties
B) interest groups
C) political action committees
D) national party committees

Question 19

The Founders, including James Madison, __________.

A) embraced interest groups
B) attempted to make interest groups illegal
C) feared the mischief of factions
D) regulated interest groups in Article IV of the Constitution

Question 20

Those wishing to organize citizen groups on a low budget would find __________ particularly useful.

A) radio
B) books
C) television
D) the Internet

Question 21

The revolving door tradition in Washington can lead to __________.

A) lax regulations
B) lower taxes
C) unitary government
D) powerless presidents

Question 22

What is lobbying?

Question 23

Despite their liberal reputations, entertainment industry moguls are known to donate to conservative Republicans when their __________ guide them to do so.

A) loyalty to Republicans
B) business interests
C) ideological views
D) dislike of Democrats

Question 24

Which interest group lobbies against gun control?

A) NRA
B) NBA
C) AARP
D) NOW

Question 25

Which of the following interest groups focuses on equal rights for gay and lesbian students?

A) NOW
B) Lambda Defense Fund
C) EMILY's List
D) Organizing for America

Question 26

When Representative Billy Tauzin (R-La.), who steered the Bush administration's Medicare drug bill through the House of Representatives, left public service to work as a pharmaceutical industry lobbyist, he typified the __________ of interest groups.

A) revolving door tradition
B) K Street strategy
C) indirect procurement mode
D) blocking action

Question 27

Litigation is a tactic used by interest groups to lobby ________.

A) the president
B) the Congress
C) the courts
D) state governments

Question 28

Single-issue groups __________.

A) willingly compromise to expand their base
B) rarely compromise
C) are easily appeased
D) rarely get the attention they seek

Question 29

Some evangelicals have edged to the left ideologically on some issues and, therefore, are more prone to support __________.

A) the Republican Party's politcal agenda
B) environmental protections
C) prohibitions against same-sex marriage
D) higher taxes on the poor

Question 30

The environmental movement in the United States, whose beginning, in 1970, is marked by Earth Day, __________.

A) has grown substantially in size since
B) rarely has public opinion on its side
C) supports oil drilling in northern Alaska
D) is associated with ecoterrorism

Question 31

Which of following special interest groups are known for raising money and spending it specifically on political advertising?

A) PACs and Super PACs
B) 527s and Super PACs
C) PACs and 527s
D) Super PACs and 501(c)s

Question 32

Specialized interest groups that raise and donate money to election campaigns are known as __________.

A) political parties
B) voluntary contribution groups
C) candidate steering committees
D) political action committees

Question 33

The most successful interest group for women's election to national office is __________.

A) EMILY's List
B) the Independent Women's Forum
C) the National Organization of Women
D) Women Workers of America

Question 34

__________, one of three strategies mentioned in the textbook, is used by interest groups to affect public policy.

A) initiating appointments
B) blocking appointments
C) recalling appointments
D) influencing appointments

Question 35

Successful lobbying is based on __________.

A) party affliation
B) managerial competence
C) friendship
D) expertise

Question 36

To affect increases or decreases in the enforcement of laws, interest groups lobby __________.

A) the White House
B) newspapers
C) the Congress
D) the courts

Question 37

When President Obama and his administration launched healthcare reform, deals were cut with which type of interest group?

A) single-issue voters
B) healthcare businesses
C) religious conservatives
D) labor unions

Question 38

Former members of Congress, congressional staffers, White House aides, and federal bureaucrats are recruited as lobbyists by lobbying firms because of their __________.

A) passion for political infighting
B) interest in retiring from Washington
C) friendship with union members
D) contacts with government officials

Question 39

Which of the following goals is more likely to lead to the success of interest groups than the others?

A) the promotion of broad policy changes
B) the promotion of sweeping social changes
C) the promotion of government action
D) the promotion and preservation of the status quo

Question 40

The success of interest groups is not affected by __________.

A) size
B) party affiliation
C) money
D) cohesion

Question 41

What was the impact of civil disobedience in twentieth-century America?

Question 42

What is meant by direct and indirect lobbying? Identify the various forms of each and assess their effectiveness in achieving group objectives.

Question 43

What is a grassroots movement? How is it mobilized? What are some of the factors that have changed the rules of the game?

Question 44

Why has the labor movement declined in influence in the United States? Is the decline in the strength of the labor movement related to the strength of business interests in the United States?

Question 45

Discuss the factors that account for the large number of interest groups in the United States.

Question 46

Explain why citizens have stopped joining interest groups.

Question 47

Describe (with examples) three methods that interest groups utilize to lobby the government.

Question 48

How have the increased use of the Internet by the public and the development of Web pages by interest groups affected the lobbying process? Will Internet technologies increase interest group membership?

Question 49

What did President Obama learn from President Clinton in regard to healthcare reform?

Question 50

How can an interest group lobby the federal courts?

Question 51

What are the main ideas drawn out in Putnam's Bowling Alone?

Question 52

Analyze the reason for the support of some large corporations for healthcare reform and the opposition to it of some small businesses.

Question 53

Madison believed that trying to eliminate factions (or interest groups) would be worse than living with their abuses. Do you agree? Why or why not? Assess the advantages and disadvantages of the existence of strong, active interest groups.