Deck 11: Groups and Interests

Question 1

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 a group will promote his or her goals and enhance his or her political influence.
D) activists realize that it is easier to form an interest group than it is to engage in other forms of political participation.
E) a politician has lost an election and wants to challenge the results.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

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 do not participate in politics.
D) who work in manual labor and unskilled occupations.
E) who identify as Democrats.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

When a coalition of credit card companies forms an interest group called the Partnership to Protect Consumer Credit, this indicates 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.
E) the credit card companies lack solidary benefits to offer their customers.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The Christian Coalition is best described as a(n) ______ group.

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

Question 5

Which of the following is not a key organizational component of interest groups?

A) members
B) money
C) leadership
D) newsletter and website
E) an agency or office

Question 6

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) lawfulness; political feasibility
E) legitimacy; power

Question 7

Grandparents, tall people, and undergraduates are all examples of

A) political parties.
B) pluralist interest groups.
C) political action committees.
D) potential interest groups.
E) public interest groups.

Question 8

When a group is called a membership association, it means that

A) the group accepts anyone as a member.
B) members play an important role in the daily activities of the group.
C) members vote directly for the leaders.
D) membership is a mandatory requirement for receiving any of the group's benefits.
E) every decision the group makes must be voted on and approved by every member.

Question 9

Which of the following is not a function of interest groups?

A) to influence governmental decisions
B) to lobby government officials
C) to get their members elected to political office
D) to educate their members and the public about the issues that affect them
E) to monitor government programs to make sure their members are not adversely affected

Question 10

Which of the following is a main theoretical assumption of pluralism?

A) Competition among interests will produce balance, with all interests regulating each other.
B) Competition among interests will produce extreme public policy, with one interest dominating all others.
C) Every interest should not 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.
E) Interests inherently present a danger to liberty.

Question 11

The best description of the ideal of pluralism is that

A) the public good should always trump individual interests.
B) interests should be free to compete with each other 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.
E) interest groups are factions that endanger political and economic equality.

Question 12

What contemporary political scientists call an interest group, James Madison called a(n)

A) mob.
B) faction.
C) oligarchy.
D) corporation.
E) social movement.

Question 13

Successful interest groups quickly become

A) bureaucratized.
B) corrupted.
C) outdated.
D) rich.
E) legally prohibited.

Question 14

Organized interest groups enhance American democracy by

A) fielding large numbers of electable candidates.
B) financing large numbers of election campaigns.
C) empowering less potent segments of society.
D) representing the interests of large numbers of people and encouraging political participation.
E) placing initiatives on the ballot.

Question 15

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.
E) unlike other interest groups, they have no membership requirements and allow any member of the public to join.

Question 16

Which of the following statements best describes the status of lobbyists for foreign interests in the United States?

A) Federal law forbids foreign nations from lobbying the federal government but does permit foreign-owned businesses to lobby.
B) Both foreign nations and foreign business interests lobby strongly for economic benefits, military aid, and other issues.
C) Treaty laws permit lobbying by representatives of foreign nations, but no foreign corporation may lobby the foreign government unless it is incorporated in the United States.
D) American citizens may not lobby the federal government on behalf of a foreign entity, but foreign nationals may do so.
E) Only American citizens can lobby the federal government on behalf of a foreign corporation if it is incorporated in the United States.

Question 17

The National League of Cities is a good example of a

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

Question 18

The Teamsters and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) are examples of what kind of interest group?

A) a public interest group
B) a business group
C) a labor group
D) an ideological group
E) a professional association

Question 19

When paid staff conduct most of the daily business of a group, that group is best described as a

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

Question 20

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) there are no legitimate interests that do not already have representation.
E) these interests often want to stay hidden from public view.

Question 21

The free-rider problem occurs because

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

Question 22

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) right.
D) solidary benefit.
E) purposive benefit.

Question 23

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 a direct result of a more broadly defined First Amendment freedom of association.
E) is due to the decline in the United States' multiparty system.

Question 24

The free-rider phenomenon

A) becomes increasingly problematic in very large groups.
B) becomes increasingly problematic in very small groups.
C) is not affected in any way by the size of the group in question.
D) is not related to groups in any way because it is an individual-level problem.
E) makes collective action considerably easier.

Question 25

Approximately how many members does AARP have?

A) 3,800
B) 38,000
C) 338,000
D) 3,800,000
E) 38,000,000

Question 26

Why is it important for interest groups to offer selective benefits?

A) It is necessary to limit the extent of the free-rider problem.
B) If they do not, people will join political parties instead.
C) Selective benefits are the only way to measure the success of an interest group.
D) If they do not, people will accuse the groups of being antidemocratic.
E) Selective benefits allow interest groups to make the profits they need to continue operating.

Question 27

One way that the 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) pluralism
E) public good

Question 28

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
E) travel discount

Question 29

What is the primary variable for predicting the likelihood of joining an interest group?

A) having an interest shared by others
B) having a higher income and education
C) already being a member of a political party
D) having connections with government officials
E) the region of the country in which an individual lives

Question 30

If one enjoys the benefits of a group's collective efforts but did not contribute to those efforts, one is called a

A) citizen.
B) subject.
C) free rider.
D) lobbyist.
E) political activist.

Question 31

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) dramatically decreased.
E) experienced relatively modest decline.

Question 32

Interest groups most effectively serve

A) the working classes.
B) the powerless.
C) the upper classes.
D) government bureaucrats.
E) racial and ethnic minorities.

Question 33

Which of the following statements about political parties and interest groups is most accurate?

A) Political parties have remained nearly unchanged throughout American history while interest groups have become considerably less numerous, active, and influential in recent years.
B) Both political parties and interest groups have become much more active and influential in recent years.
C) Both political parties and interest groups have become much less active and influential in recent years.
D) Political parties have become more influential in recent years, while interest groups have become less numerous, active, and influential.
E) Political parties have declined in influence in recent years, while interest groups have become more numerous, active, and influential.

Question 34

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.
E) representation before government.

Question 35

Which group is best adapted to organizing the lower classes?

A) a public interest group
B) an ideological interest group
C) a professional association
D) a political party
E) a business group

Question 36

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 favors the interests of large states over those of small states.
E) that it gives too much influence to religious organizations and therefore threatens the separation of church and state.

Question 37

The first organized interest groups arose in response to the

A) debates about the ratification of the Constitution.
B) Civil War.
C) economic interventions of the federal government during the 1890s.
D) New Deal policies during the 1930s.
E) New Politics movement of the 1960s.

Question 38

What are political parties more capable of doing than interest groups?

A) raising money
B) providing solidary benefits
C) providing purposive benefits
D) articulating a clear and persuasive ideology
E) organizing people on a mass scale

Question 39

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

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

Question 40

If people were motivated to join an environmental organization because they strongly believed in protecting the environment and supported the goals of the group, then we would say they were motivated by

A) pluralism.
B) solidary benefits.
C) purposive benefits.
D) informational benefits.
E) material benefits.

Question 41

The New Politics movement gave rise to what type of interest group?

A) ideological
B) partisan
C) labor
D) public interest
E) professional association

Question 42

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) limit the campaign contributions lobbyists can raise on behalf of clients.
D) encourage administrative agencies to negotiate with important interest groups.
E) eliminate iron triangles.

Question 43

Which of the following groups would be considered part of the New Politics movement?

A) the Christian Coalition
B) the AFL-CIO
C) the Sierra Club
D) the Democratic Party
E) the Republican Party

Question 44

Which of the following issues is not part of the agenda of the New Politics movement?

A) environmental protection
B) occupational health and safety legislation
C) industrial deregulation
D) nuclear disarmament
E) women's rights

Question 45

Which of the following are lobbyists not required by federal law to disclose?

A) who they are working for
B) how much they are paid
C) who they are lobbying
D) what they are looking for
E) how many members they represent

Question 46

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) an interest group, an executive agency, and the media.
E) the media, a legislative committee, and the federal courts.

Question 47

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) the personal relationships between lobbyists and politicians.
E) a 1961 Supreme Court decision.

Question 48

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

A) iron triangle.
B) membership association.
C) New Politics movement.
D) issue network.
E) 527 committee.

Question 49

Which of the following is not a job regularly performed by lobbyists?

A) testifying before congressional committees
B) holding interviews with reporters
C) helping raise funds for political campaigns
D) placing ads in newspapers
E) nominating a candidate to run for political office

Question 50

What distinguishes lobbying from other strategies of influence?

A) Lobbying is the least expensive and the most democratic strategy of influencing government.
B) Lobbyists try to exert pressure directly on government officials themselves.
C) Lobbyists attempt to influence government directly by running for elected office.
D) Lobbying is the only form of influence that has explicit First Amendment protection from regulation.
E) Lobbying involves advertising in order to create a positive image of an organization.

Question 51

What is the most important attempt to limit the influence of lobbyists in recent years?

A) the USA PATRIOT Act
B) the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
C) the 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act
D) the indictment of Jack Abramoff
E) the Negotiated Rulemaking Act of 1990

Question 52

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between lobbyists and Congress in recent years?

A) The relationship between Congress and lobbyists has become distant and strained.
B) The relationship between lobbyists and Congress has become so close that many have argued that lobbyists have become like staff members to the Republican leadership.
C) Lobbyists are more heavily relied on for information but are less important as sources of campaign contributions.
D) Since the breakdown of iron triangles, most successful lobbyists have moved on to state legislatures.
E) Lobbyists have abandoned Congress and focused their lobbying efforts on the executive and judicial branches.

Question 53

______ 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) Michael Bloomberg
E) Karl Rove

Question 54

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

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

Question 55

Which of the following groups was not established through the New Politics movement?

A) Common Cause
B) National Organization for Women
C) National Association of Manufacturers
D) Environmental Defense Fund
E) Physicians for Social Responsibility

Question 56

Which of the following statements about lobbyists and members of Congress is incorrect?

A) Many members of Congress list lobbyists as treasurers of their re-election campaigns.
B) Interest groups will often hire lobbyists whom they know to be key fund-raisers for the politicians they hope to influence.
C) Many of Washington's top lobbyists have close ties to important members of Congress or were themselves important political figures.
D) Lobbyists have substantial influence in setting the legislative agenda.
E) Members of Congress are forbidden from ever working for an interest group once they leave office.

Question 57

Parties with a direct interest in a regulatory rule or decision are often termed

A) amicus curiae.
B) stakeholders.
C) partisans.
D) lobbyists.
E) iron triangles.

Question 58

In the world of lobbyists, to be "Microsofted" has come to mean 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 themselves up to adverse actions by state governments.
D) allowed other companies to become free riders on their costly lobbying efforts.
E) been legally prohibited from lobbying members of Congress as a result of their overuse of PACs.

Question 59

Another name for lobbying is

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

Question 60

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 e-mails, on members of Congress or a state legislature.
D) the act of working on a re-election campaign.
E) making illegal campaign contributions to government officials.

Question 61

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

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

Question 62

Populists supported the initiative because they

A) saw it as a way to limit the influence of interest groups in the legislative process.
B) saw it as a way to enhance the influence of labor unions and business interests in the legislative process.
C) thought it was a way to enhance the power of the judiciary at the expense of the executive branch.
D) saw it as a way to allow interest groups to circumvent the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act.
E) believed the Founding Fathers wanted the nation to have more direct democracy.

Question 63

When interest groups take out advertisements and hold marches, these are examples of

A) mobilizing public opinion.
B) partisan politics.
C) lobbying.
D) litigating.
E) issue networking.

Question 64

The fact that interest groups favor the wealthy and well educated can be understood as a reflection of what eternal dilemma in American politics?

A) Liberty is often inconsistent with equality.
B) Democracy has not been helpful in reducing the number of factions.
C) There are no efficient means of organizing the working class in the United States.
D) Organized associations and groups inhibit freedom.
E) It is difficult to have majority rule and also protect minority rights.

Question 65

Which of the following has Congress not done in recent years in order to limit the influence of interest groups?

A) limited the size of gifts to its own members from lobbyists and interest groups
B) banned the practice of honoraria for giving speeches
C) prohibited lobbyists from paying for most meals, trips, and parties for members of Congress
D) broadened the definition of people and organizations that must register as lobbyists
E) outlawed all contact between lobbyists and members of Congress during legislative sessions

Question 66

Money swapping occurs when a(n)

A) interest group makes a contribution to a not-for-profit group which, in turn, provides laundered campaign funds to politicians.
B) politician trades a vote on a piece of legislation for campaign contributions from an interest group.
C) PAC makes a soft money contribution to a political party in order to influence the party's platform.
D) interest group makes a contribution to a president who, in turn, appoints a member of the interest group to a position in an executive agency.
E) interest group enters into an iron triangle with an executive agency and a congressional committee.

Question 67

Most initiative campaigns today are sponsored by

A) candidates for political office who see it as a way to engage in money swapping.
B) issue networks that want to change government policies without attracting attention from the public.
C) citizens who care deeply about a given issue.
D) interest groups seeking to circumvent legislative opposition to their goals.
E) political parties seeking to raise public awareness about a particular issue.

Question 68

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

A) Roe v. Wade
B) Webster v. Reproductive Health Services
C) Gibbons v. Ogden
D) United States v. Nixon
E) Marbury v. Madison

Question 69

By 2012, there were approximately ______ PACs in the United States.

A) 150
B) 1,500
C) 5,500
D) 15,000
E) 25,000

Question 70

How can interest groups use litigation as a strategy of influence?

A) filing amici 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) breaking apart iron triangles, directly lobbying judges, and starting PACs
E) working with 527 committees, directly lobbying judges, and engaging in institutional advertising

Question 71

A 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
E) $5,000,000

Question 72

Which of the following statements about PACs is most accurate?

A) The number of both labor PACs and ideological/public interest PACs has decreased significantly since 1980.
B) The number of both labor PACs and ideological/public interest PACs has increased dramatically since 1980.
C) The number of ideological/public interest PACs has increased dramatically since 1980, while the number of labor PACs has remained essentially the same.
D) The number of ideological/public interest PACs has decreased dramatically since 1980, while the number of labor PACs has remained essentially the same.
E) The number of ideological/public interest PACs has increased dramatically since 1980, while the number of labor PACs has decreased significantly.

Question 73

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between New Politics forces and the courts during the 1970s and 1980s?

A) New Politics forces frequently protested court decisions but never engaged in litigation during the 1970s and 1980s.
B) New Politics forces did not litigate during the 1970s and 1980s because they were legally barred from bringing cases on behalf of their causes.
C) New Politics forces attempted to use the courts during the 1970s and 1980s to pursue their goals but failed to win any significant judicial decisions in their favor.
D) New Politics forces chose to completely avoid the courts during the 1970s and 1980s and pursued a strategy aimed at lobbying Congress instead.
E) New Politics forces made significant use of the courts during the 1970s and 1980s, and judicial decisions were instrumental in advancing their goals.

Question 74

Interest groups are permitted to spend as much money as they want on issue advocacy during a campaign season, as long as they

A) do not coordinate their efforts with a candidate's own campaign organization.
B) are not also actively lobbying the federal government on behalf of the position taken in the issue ad.
C) are willing to publicize their membership lists.
D) present both sides of the issue in their issue advocacy ads.
E) do not employ any person who has formerly worked on a political campaign.

Question 75

Which of the following has been eliminated as a result of 2002 campaign-finance reforms?

A) PACs
B) soft money
C) laws limiting the amount a candidate may spend of his or her personal fortune
D) interest group lobbying
E) grassroots mobilization

Question 76

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 iron triangle.
E) an issue network.

Question 77

What is the primary function of a political action committee (PAC)?

A) to raise grassroots support for a particular interest
B) to organize and coordinate a strategy of litigation
C) to build better networks between interest groups and political parties
D) to raise and distribute money to election campaigns
E) to produce and carry out an institutional advertising campaign

Question 78

Which of the following groups has had the greatest success with a strategy of litigation?

A) the National Chamber of Commerce
B) the National Rifle Association
C) the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
D) the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
E) the AARP

Question 79

When interest groups generate phony letters and phone calls in order to resemble a grassroots movement, this technique is called

A) sandlot ball.
B) astroturf lobbying.
C) populism with the people.
D) gerrymandering.
E) hardball politics.

Question 80

A grassroots lobbying campaign occurs

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