Question 1

In today's Washington, D.C., lobbyists are most likely to win influence or find success in Congress for groups they work for or represent by _________________.

Accepted Answer

Lobbyists are most likely to influence Congress by providing valuable information and expertise about policies, which helps busy members make informed decisions.

Question 2

Interest groups work primarily by trying to get candidates elected.

Accepted Answer

While interest groups may support certain candidates, their main focus is to influence policy and legislation by lobbying lawmakers and engaging in grassroots activism.

Question 3

In many American states, the ballot initiative process allows issues to be placed directly before voters after enough valid signatures are gathered in petition drives.This type of direct democracy measure was first promoted by late-nineteenth-century Populists as a way of counteracting interest-group influence.Today, however, most initiative drives:

Accepted Answer

Today, most initiative drives are funded by interest groups, which can afford the resources needed to gather the required number of signatures and promote their initiatives.

Question 4

Mobilizing ordinary citizens to write to their representatives in support of a group's position is a specific example of:

Accepted Answer

Mobilizing ordinary citizens to write to their representatives is a form of grassroots lobbying, where the general public is encouraged to contact legislators to influence policy decisions.

Question 5

The ________________________ affected interest groups by raising the limits for direct PAC (political action committee) contributions to campaigns to candidates for federal office, as well as limits to spending for independent campaign expenditures.

Accepted Answer

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002, also known as the McCain-Feingold Act, raised the limits on contributions by PACs and addressed independent campaign expenditures.

Question 6

An expensive, well-designed ad published in the New York Times that features the successful track record in environmental protection by a major oil company is an example of:

Accepted Answer

The answer of An expensive, well-designed ad published in the...

Question 7

Business groups tend to be _________________, as shown by the formation of many such groups over time, such as in the 1970s due to increased federal interest in and regulation of the oil and gas industry, and the education and health care sectors, and, decades before that, federal efforts to regulate interstate commerce and battle monopolies.

Accepted Answer

Business groups tend to be reactive, typically being drawn into politics to resist regulations, as evidenced by their formation in response to increased federal regulation efforts.

Question 8

Major corporations and their trade associations pay tremendous fees each year to prestigious Washington law firms, in part to gain access to centers of power, but also to:

Accepted Answer

Corporations pay law firms to ensure they are prepared to represent them in legal matters, such as court cases or administrative proceedings, which is a primary function of legal representation.

Question 9

Groups such as the American Bar Association (ABA), with a membership of lawyers and law students, and the American Medical Association (AMA), an association of physicians, are known as ________________.

Accepted Answer

These groups are known as professional lobbies because they represent the interests of professionals in specific fields, such as law and medicine, and often engage in lobbying activities to influence legislation and policy in favor of their members.

Question 10

Social media has proven to be a boon to small and specialized public interest groups, given that it allows them to:

Accepted Answer

Social media enables small and specialized public interest groups to efficiently find and mobilize supporters across the nation, expanding their reach and influence.

Question 11

Groups that lobby for influence and policy change in issue areas not covered by traditional business, industrial, or labor groups, such as consumer protection and environmental policy, are known as _________ groups.

Accepted Answer

Public interest groups focus on advocating for issues that benefit the general public, such as consumer protection and environmental policy, rather than specific business or labor interests.

Question 12

Organized protests as a strategy for winning support for a group's policy positions:

Accepted Answer

Organized protests can create a sense of community among participants and raise awareness and consciousness among the general public about the issues being protested.

Question 13

The oldest form of going public, which can be effectively used by interest groups who lack money, contacts, and expertise, is _________.

Accepted Answer

Protest, including marches, rallies, and sit-ins, is a traditional and accessible method for interest groups to gain public attention and support without requiring significant financial resources or established connections.

Question 14

Artificially orchestrating a grassroots campaign to make it appear that constituents care about an issue when in reality they do not is called:

Accepted Answer

Astroturf lobbying refers to the practice of creating a deceptive appearance of grassroots support for an issue, often orchestrated by organizations or political entities.

Question 15

Concerns that lobbyists have too much influence have, over time, led to _________________.

Accepted Answer

Over time, concerns about the influence of lobbyists have led to the adoption of legal guidelines and regulations to control and monitor their activities, ensuring transparency and reducing undue influence on legislative processes.

Question 16

In 2010, the Supreme Court struck down part of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 when it ruled that the group Citizen United should not have been kept from airing an anti-Hillary Clinton documentary via paid television time in 2008, when she was running for the Democratic nomination for president.In so doing, and on First Amendment grounds, the Court firmly established the right of corporations and labor unions to:

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. FEC established that corporations and labor unions can spend unlimited amounts on independent political expenditures, such as political advocacy, under the First Amendment.

Question 17

Economist Mancur Olson suggested that interest groups tend to have a harder time getting around the free-rider problem as they grow larger because:

Accepted Answer

As interest groups grow larger, individuals may feel less incentivized to contribute actively because they can benefit from the group's efforts without participating, leading to the free-rider problem.

Question 18

Black Lives Matter is a loose-knit, African American civil rights interest group that came to life through the use of the social media hashtag (#blacklivesmatter) after the acquittal of George Zimmerman, an Orlando, Florida area neighborhood watch volunteer, in the shooting death of a black teenager, Trayvon Martin.Despite its Internet origins, people associated with the group often engaged in the oldest form of going public in trying to bring attention to racism and the killing of young black men.This form was:

Accepted Answer

Protesting, including marches, rallies, and sit-ins, is a traditional method of public demonstration used to draw attention to social issues.

Question 19

In 2018, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), a long-established and powerful interest group for senior citizens, created a rather usual television ad campaign featuring the then 42-year-old spoken word artist J.Ivy.The idea behind the campaign was, its creators suggested, in part to form an association with the group that went beyond age.Why might lobbying groups undertake such advertising campaigns?

Accepted Answer

Lobbying groups undertake advertising campaigns to increase visibility and public support, which can help make their concerns more visible and important to those in power.

Question 20

If a financial services company supporting legislation that would make it more difficult for investors to sue for fraud hires a Washington-based firm to generate and mail thousands of letters of support to members of Congress, the company can be said to be engaging in a strategy known as:

Accepted Answer

Astroturf lobbying refers to the practice of creating a deceptive appearance of grassroots support for a policy or legislation, often by orchestrating mass communication to lawmakers.

Quiz 12: Groups and Interests