Question 1

Labor groups represent ________ percent of the total number of interest groups registered to lobby in Washington.
A)2
B)22
C)42
D)62

Accepted Answer

Labor groups represent a relatively small percentage of the total number of interest groups registered to lobby in Washington, D.C., accounting for approximately 2% of the total.

Question 2

Moveon.org began in
A)1996 as a social networking site for progressive activists opposed to free trade agreements.
B)1998 as an email group fighting against the impeachment of President Bill Clinton.
C)2003 as a protest movement fighting against the war in Iraq.
D)2010 as a lobbying organization opposed to the Affordable Care Act.

Accepted Answer

Moveon.org began in 1998 as an email group fighting against the impeachment of President Bill Clinton. It later shifted its focus to progressive activism and advocacy on a variety of issues.

Question 3

Elite pluralism refers to the fact that
A)many important government officials in the United States are not elected by the American public.
B)most American interest groups will only accept members who have a college degree and make above a certain amount of money each year.
C)political leaders in the United States have a wide range of views and are not exclusively liberal or conservative.
D)economic elites have used group politics to achieve considerably more influence than mass-based forces in the American political process.

Accepted Answer

Elite pluralism refers to the idea that economic elites, or those with significant wealth and power, have more influence in the political process than mass-based groups. This means that even though there are many interest groups and different political viewpoints represented in the government, those with the most resources and money often have the most say in decision-making.

Question 4

Which of the following is a theoretical assumption of pluralism?
A)Competition among interests will produce balance with all interests moderating each other.
B)Competition among interests will produce extreme public policy with one interest dominating all others.
C)Only some interests should 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.

Accepted Answer

Pluralism assumes that competition among different interests will balance each other, with no one interest dominating all others. This means that all interests are free to compete for influence in the United States.

Question 5

The Sierra Club is a(n) ________ group.
A)public interest
B)ideological
C)labor
D)business

Accepted Answer

The Sierra Club is a public interest group that advocates for environmental issues and protection.

Question 6

When a coalition of credit card companies forms an interest group called the Partnership to Protect Consumer Credit, this suggests 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.

Accepted Answer

Interest groups are formed by private individuals or organizations to advocate for their own interests. The fact that credit card companies are forming an interest group suggests that they are promoting their own interests, but are doing so by framing their goals as protecting consumers. This is an example of the concept of "hidden" or "masked" private interests, where private actors use public interest language to legitimize their goals.

Question 7

The best description of the ideal of pluralism is that
A)the public good should always trump individual interests.
B)interest groups should be free to compete 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.

Accepted Answer

Pluralism is the idea that a multitude of groups, not the people as a whole, govern the United States. These groups compete with one another in the political arena to have their interests and ideas heard and acted upon. It suggests that this competition among groups is healthy for a democratic society, as it ensures no single group dominates the political process.

Question 8

The Teamsters and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) are examples of ________ groups.
A)public interest
B)business
C)labor
D)ideological

Accepted Answer

The Teamsters and the AFL-CIO are both labor unions, representing the interests of workers in various industries. Therefore, they are examples of labor groups.

Question 9

How the Constitution balances the threat posed by organized interests with the need for liberty is discussed in the
A)Federalist Papers, no.7.
B)Federalist Papers, no.10.
C)Federalist Papers, no.51.
D)Antifederalist Papers, no.78.

Accepted Answer

Federalist Papers, no.10, written by James Madison, discusses how a large republic can help control the effects of factions and organized interests, balancing them with the need for liberty.

Question 10

Which of the following statements about interest groups is MOST accurate?
A)Americans are much less likely to join political and social organizations than people in other countries, but America has far more organized interest groups than other nations.
B)Americans are much more likely to join political and social organizations than people in other countries, but America has far fewer organized interest groups than other nations.
C)Americans are much less likely to join political and social organizations than people in other countries, and America has far fewer organized interest groups than other nations.
D)Americans are much more likely to join political and social organizations than people in other countries, and America has far more organized interest groups than other nations.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that Americans are more likely to join political and social organizations than people in other countries, and America has a large number of organized interest groups. This is due to the country's strong tradition of individualism and voluntarism, as well as its relatively open political system that allows for the formation of interest groups.

Question 11

The National Conference of State Legislatures is a good example of a
A)public-sector interest group.
B)professional association.
C)political action committee.
D)public interest group.

Accepted Answer

The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) is a public-sector interest group because it serves as a bipartisan organization providing support, ideas, connections, and a strong voice on Capitol Hill for state legislatures in the United States.

Question 12

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.

Accepted Answer

Public interest groups differentiate themselves from other interest groups in that they claim to serve the general welfare and not solely their individual interests. While other interest groups seek to influence government policy for their specific interests, public interest groups advocate for policies that are perceived to be in the best interests of society as a whole.

Question 13

The "poor" and the homeless are two examples of ________ interest groups.
A)public
B)potential
C)citizen
D)grassroots

Accepted Answer

Potential interest groups are those that have not yet formed or organized but have the potential to do so, such as the poor and the homeless.

Question 14

James Madison called an interest group a
A)mob.
B)faction.
C)plutocracy.
D)social movement.

Accepted Answer

James Madison referred to interest groups as "factions" in Federalist Paper No. 10, in which he described them as a natural and inevitable consequence of the diversity of opinions and interests in a society.

Question 15

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 work in manual labor and unskilled occupations.
D)who identify as Democrats.

Accepted Answer

Members of interest groups in the United States are typically people with higher levels of income and education. This is because they have the resources and time to participate in advocacy efforts, such as donating to a group's cause or lobbying elected officials. Additionally, interest groups often sponsor events that require certain levels of financial resources or social connections to attend.

Question 16

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)these interests often want to stay hidden from public view.

Accepted Answer

Unrepresented interests lack formal organizations to present their identities and demands, which makes it difficult for political scientists to categorize them.

Question 17

The Christian Coalition is a(n) ________ group.
A)public interest
B)ideological
C)labor
D)business

Accepted Answer

The Christian Coalition is a political organization that advocates for conservative, Christian values and beliefs. This makes it an ideological group, as it is based on a set of ideas and beliefs rather than a specific interest or industry.

Question 18

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)legitimacy; power

Accepted Answer

Interest groups are focused on influencing policies and specific issues, while political parties are more concerned with gaining control of government and utilizing that power to achieve their policy goals. Therefore, option C is the best choice as it highlights the fundamental difference in their focus.

Question 19

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 gives too much influence to religious organizations and therefore threatens the separation of church and state.

Accepted Answer

Interest group pluralism tends to favor those with greater financial resources, which can lead to a distortion of democracy in favor of the wealthy. This problem is often referred to as "elitism" or "pluralist bias."

Question 20

More than one-third of the groups with lobbying offices in Washington are
A)businesses and corporations.
B)labor groups.
C)ideological groups.
D)public-sector groups.

Accepted Answer

According to the article, "More than one-third of the groups with lobbying offices in Washington represent businesses and corporations". This means that a majority of lobbying groups in Washington are business and corporate entities.

Quiz 11: Groups and Interests

Labor groups represent ________ percent of the total number of interest groups registered to lobby in Washington.

Moveon.org began in

Elite pluralism refers to the fact that

Which of the following is a theoretical assumption of pluralism?

The Sierra Club is a(n) ________ group.

When a coalition of credit card companies forms an interest group called the Partnership to Protect Consumer Credit, this suggests that

The best description of the ideal of pluralism is that

The Teamsters and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) are examples of ________ groups.

How the Constitution balances the threat posed by organized interests with the need for liberty is discussed in the

Which of the following statements about interest groups is MOST accurate?

The National Conference of State Legislatures is a good example of a

Public interest groups differ from other types of interest groups in that

The "poor" and the homeless are two examples of ________ interest groups.

James Madison called an interest group a

Members of interest groups in the United States are typically people

It is difficult for political scientists to categorize unrepresented interests because

The Christian Coalition is a(n) ________ group.

Interest groups are concerned with the of government, while political parties are concerned with the of government.

A criticism of interest group pluralism is

More than one-third of the groups with lobbying offices in Washington are