Question 1

What distinguishes lobbying from other strategies of influence?

Accepted Answer

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 2

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

Accepted Answer

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 3

A ________ exists when paid staff conduct most of the daily business of a group.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 4

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

Accepted Answer

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.

Question 5

The free-rider phenomenon

Accepted Answer

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 6

________ occurs when interest groups generate phony letters and phone calls in order to resemble a grassroots movement.

Accepted Answer

A)   Sandlot ball
B)   Astroturf lobbying
C)   Populism
D)   Gerrymandering
E)   Hardball politics

Question 7

The Christian Coalition is a(n)  ________ group.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 8

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

Accepted Answer

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 9

A PAC can contribute ________ to any candidate for federal office, provided it contributes to at least five different federal candidates each year.

Accepted Answer

A)   $500
B)   $5,000
C)   $50,000
D)   $500,000
E)   $5,000,000

Question 10

The solidary benefits of interest groups include ________.

Accepted Answer

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 11

________ is a strategy that attempts to mobilize the widest and most favorable climate of opinion.

Accepted Answer

A)   Litigation
B)   Creating a "war room"
C)   Creating an iron triangle
D)   Going public
E)   Creating an issue network

Question 12

The free-rider problem occurs because

Accepted Answer

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 13

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

Accepted Answer

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 14

________ was an important Washington lobbyist who was indicted in 2005 on charges of violating federal lobbying laws.

Accepted Answer

A)   Valerie Plame
B)   Jack Abramoff
C)   Paul Wolfowitz
D)   Michael Bloomberg
E)   Karl Rove

Question 15

A loose, informal relationship of public officials, interest groups, and activists who are all concerned with the same policies is called ________.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 16

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

Accepted Answer

A)   values; goals
B)   membership; authority
C)   policies; personnel
D)   lawfulness; political feasibility
E)   legitimacy; power

Question 17

________ occurs when interest groups take out advertisements and hold marches.

Accepted Answer

A)   Mobilizing public opinion
B)   Partisan politics
C)   Lobbying
D)   Litigating
E)   Issue networking

Question 18

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

Accepted Answer

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 19

What has been the effect of interest groups on political parties? Describe some of the differences between those who join interest groups and those who participate in political party organizations.

Accepted Answer

Interest groups have had a significant i...

Question 20

Which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

A)   Spending in U.S. elections is much higher than in any other country on earth.
B)   Officials representing super PACs will likely spend more in 2016 than in 2012.
C)   both a and b
D)   Super PAC officials tend to spend more in midterm rather than presidential elections.
E)   The Supreme Court justices determined that super PACs were unconstitutional.

Exam 11: Groups and Interests

What distinguishes lobbying from other strategies of influence?

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

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The free-rider problem occurs because

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Which of the following statements is true?

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The free-rider phenomenon

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A loose, informal relationship of public officials, interest groups, and activists who are all concerned with the same policies is called ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The solidary benefits of interest groups include ________.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

________ is a strategy that attempts to mobilize the widest and most favorable climate of opinion.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The Christian Coalition is a(n) ________ group.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

________ was an important Washington lobbyist who was indicted in 2005 on charges of violating federal lobbying laws.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A ________ exists when paid staff conduct most of the daily business of a group.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A PAC can contribute ________ to any candidate for federal office, provided it contributes to at least five different federal candidates each year.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

________ occurs when interest groups generate phony letters and phone calls in order to resemble a grassroots movement.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

________ occurs when interest groups take out advertisements and hold marches.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What has been the effect of interest groups on political parties? Describe some of the differences between those who join interest groups and those who participate in political party organizations.

Correct AnswerAnswered by ExamLex AIInterest groups have had a significant i...View AnswerShow Answer

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

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Interest groups have had a significant i...
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