Question 1

Roughly how many American workers currently belong to unions?

Accepted Answer

A)   one in two
B)   one in four
C)   one in eight
D)   one in six
E)   one in tenF) B) and C)
G) A) and D)

Question 2

According to the Center for Responsive Politics,what was roughly the amount spent on lobbying in the United States in 2009?

Accepted Answer

A)   $250 billion
B)   $10 billion
C)   $350 million
D)   $35 billion
E)   $3.5 billionF) C) and D)
G) All of the above

Question 3

Identify the defining characteristics of an interest group.How do interest groups differ from political parties?

Accepted Answer

An interest group is any organization th...

Question 4

The support of ________ was critical to passage of a controversial prescription drug program for the elderly in 2003.

Accepted Answer

A)   the AARP
B)   Greenpeace
C)   the ACLU
D)   the NAACP
E)   the ABAF) A) and D)
G) B) and C)

Question 5

The term iron triangle refers to

Accepted Answer

A)   a tightly-knit set of lobbying groups.
B)   the relationship among the Congress, the military, and defense contractors.
C)   a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest.
D)   the strategy of lobbying all three branches of government simultaneously.
E)   a corrupt relationship among the president, Congress, and the Supreme Court.F) B) and E)
G) C) and D)

Question 6

A flaw in pluralism theory is the fact that

Accepted Answer

A)   the interest group system is unrepresentative because some interests are far better organized and more powerful than others.
B)   the public interest is never served by policies that promote special interests.
C)   larger groups always prevail politically over smaller groups.
D)   political parties better represent different interests than do interest groups.
E)   All these answers are correct.F) A) and B)
G) C) and E)

Question 7

Which of the following organizations is NOT an example of a single-issue group?

Accepted Answer

A)   Sierra Club
B)   National Rifle Association
C)   Izaak Walton League
D)   right-to-life groups
E)   MoveOn.orgF) A) and E)
G) A) and D)

Question 8

Political scientist Theodore Lowi has questioned pluralist theory by suggesting that

Accepted Answer

A)   special interests should never receive benefits from government.
B)   there is no concept of the public interest in a system that gives special interests the ability to determine the policies affecting them.
C)   policies that favor a series of minorities are inherently fairer than policies that ignore small groups in favor of a majority.
D)   the sum of people's special interests is a rough approximation of society's collective interest.
E)   Madisonian theory has created a perfect balance of special interest and common good.F) B) and E)
G) A) and E)

Question 9

The largest number of PACs are those associated with

Accepted Answer

A)   single-issue groups, such as environmental groups and right-to-life groups.
B)   labor.
C)   business.
D)   agriculture.
E)   education.F) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 10

________ wrote that "Liberty is to faction what air is to fire."

Accepted Answer

A)   James Madison
B)   Alexis de Tocqueville
C)   Thomas Jefferson
D)   Theodore Lowi
E)   Theodore RooseveltF) None of the above
G) B) and E)

Question 11

Outside lobbying does NOT include

Accepted Answer

A)   developing and maintaining close contacts with policymakers.
B)   the use of campaign contributions to legislators who favor the interest group.
C)   cultivating favorable coverage from the news media.
D)   targeting group resources on key election races.
E)   rousing citizens to contact their elected officials and express their support.F) C) and D)
G) None of the above

Question 12

A main difference between iron triangles and issue networks is that

Accepted Answer

A)   an iron triangle includes members of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, while issue networks bypass the judicial branch.
B)   issue networks involve a stable group of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists, while iron triangles exclude lobbyists in an attempt to reach impartial decisions.
C)   issue networks are generally less stable than iron triangles, in that the members of an issue network may change as the issue develops.
D)   issue networks, being less formal, rely on outside lobbying only, while iron triangles use inside lobbying only.
E)   All these answers are correct.F) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

Question 13

An informal grouping of officials,lobbyists,and policy specialists who come together temporarily around a policy problem is

Accepted Answer

A)   an iron triangle.
B)   an issue network.
C)   a caucus.
D)   a policy system.
E)   an ideological network.F) C) and E)
G) B) and E)

Question 14

Theodore Lowi's theory of interest-group liberalism

Accepted Answer

A)   constitutes a partial and wrongful abdication by government of its authority over policy.
B)   argues that lawmakers are rightly prevented from using government to promote group interests.
C)   posits that interest groups result in an efficient use of society's resources.
D)   describes the effect of groups on policy, resulting in a system of rule by majorities.
E)   deals with the tendency of officials to support the policy demands of the interest group or groups that have a special stake in a policy.F) D) and E)
G) B) and E)

Question 15

Define a PAC.What limitations do PACs face when raising funds? What limitations do they face when contributing funds? Who are the primary recipients of PAC contributions,and why? In what significant ways does a PAC differ from a Super PAC?

Accepted Answer

A PAC is the political action committee ...

Question 16

The Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v.Federal Election Commission (2010) ultimately led to the creation of

Accepted Answer

A)   Super PACs.
B)   PACs.
C)   election reform.
D)   independent-expenditure-committees (IECs) .
E)   the AARP.F) B) and D)
G) A) and E)

Question 17

Economic groups have an advantage over noneconomic groups because

Accepted Answer

A)   they nearly always have larger memberships.
B)   they are organized primarily for political purposes.
C)   they have better leadership.
D)   they have greater access to financial resources.
E)   their members are committed to their causes.F) A) and B)
G) C) and D)

Question 18

The air we breathe is an example of a

Accepted Answer

A)   private good.
B)   negative externality.
C)   material good.
D)   mass-produced good.
E)   collective good.F) B) and D)
G) None of the above

Question 19

In an effort to overcome the free-rider problem,noneconomic groups have

Accepted Answer

A)   deliberately restricted the size of their membership.
B)   joined up with economic groups.
C)   convinced government to limit the distribution of public goods to those who have contributed to the group's efforts.
D)   used Internet resources and computer-assisted mailing lists to target potential donors.
E)   adopted taxes for nonmembers.F) B) and E)
G) A) and B)

Question 20

An amicus brief

Accepted Answer

A)   is a written document in which a group explains to a court its position on a legal dispute the court is handling.
B)   is a written document in which an interest group lays out its policy preference for targeted lawmakers.
C)   prevents a lobbyist group from making campaign donations to policy makers over a specific issue.
D)   provides evidence for prosecutors of an illegal monetary relationship between a lawmaker and an interest group or PAC.
E)   prevents PACs from donating more than $5,000 to a single candidate during a primary election.F) A) and B)
G) B) and D)

Exam 9: Interest Groups: Organizing for Influence

The term iron triangle refers to

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A flaw in pluralism theory is the fact that

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Outside lobbying does NOT include

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Identify the defining characteristics of an interest group.How do interest groups differ from political parties?

Correct AnswerverifiedAn interest group is any organization th...View AnswerShow Answer

In an effort to overcome the free-rider problem,noneconomic groups have

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________ wrote that "Liberty is to faction what air is to fire."

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

According to the Center for Responsive Politics,what was roughly the amount spent on lobbying in the United States in 2009?

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Economic groups have an advantage over noneconomic groups because

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The largest number of PACs are those associated with

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A main difference between iron triangles and issue networks is that

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Which of the following organizations is NOT an example of a single-issue group?

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Theodore Lowi's theory of interest-group liberalism

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The Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v.Federal Election Commission (2010) ultimately led to the creation of

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An amicus brief

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The support of ________ was critical to passage of a controversial prescription drug program for the elderly in 2003.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

An informal grouping of officials,lobbyists,and policy specialists who come together temporarily around a policy problem is

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The air we breathe is an example of a

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Roughly how many American workers currently belong to unions?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Define a PAC.What limitations do PACs face when raising funds? What limitations do they face when contributing funds? Who are the primary recipients of PAC contributions,and why? In what significant ways does a PAC differ from a Super PAC?

Correct AnswerverifiedA PAC is the political action committee ...View AnswerShow Answer

Political scientist Theodore Lowi has questioned pluralist theory by suggesting that

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An interest group is any organization th...
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A PAC is the political action committee ...
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