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1
Q

Which best describes interest groups in the early to mid-1800s?

Most interest groups were based around civil rights of women and often took on unconventional forms of protest.

They were mostly single-issue groups, seated in Christian revivalism, or focused on business interests.

They focused largely on transportation issues, especially the creation of a system of national highways and interstates.

They were largely anti-religion and focused efforts on the rights of industrial laborers.

A

They were mostly single-issue groups, seated in Christian revivalism, or focused on business interests.

2
Q

How did James Madison propose to overcome the problem of factions?

By banning the formation of interest groups

By adopting a system of direct democracy

By discouraging citizens from expressing their political views in public

By allowing groups to participate in the political process

A

By allowing groups to participate in the political process

3
Q

Which of the following groups lobbies on behalf of business interests?

The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)

The Chamber of Commerce

The National Rifle Association

The National Education Association

A

The Chamber of Commerce

4
Q

An appeal to membership in an interest group based on passion or purpose would be most appropriate for a(n) ______ interest group or organization.

religious or ideological

trade

business

professional

A

religious or ideological

5
Q

A leader of the National Rifle Association (NRA) would be very unlikely to propose a policy position of highly restricted gun control because _______.

the strength of single-issue groups is the intensity of members’ beliefs, which are shared by their leaders

very few interest groups are governed democratically, but the NRA is and such a proposal would never pass

members may drop out if they disagree with leadership or do not like the direction the organization is taking

NRA members enjoy an unusual amount of influence on the organization’s leadership and policy decisions

A

the strength of single-issue groups is the intensity of members’ beliefs, which are shared by their leaders

6
Q

One reason for the rise of public interest groups in the 1960s and 1970s was __________.

Americans’ growing cynicism about government during the Vietnam War

the decline in political parties

technological developments that made interest group activities easier

the lifting of legal restrictions on lobbying activities

A

Americans’ growing cynicism about government during the Vietnam War

7
Q

The __________ problem occurs when people fail to join a group because they can get the benefits the group offers without contributing to the group’s efforts.

hyperpluralist

free rider

pluralist

collective good

A

free rider

8
Q

Which Constitutional provision guarantees the right of interest groups to organize?

Second Amendment

The majority faction clause

First Amendment

Preamble

A

First Amendment

9
Q

The Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC created the possibility for unlimited spending in elections by __________.

individual donors

corporations

political parties

foreign contributors

A

corporations

10
Q

How are interest groups most likely to attempt to influence court decisions?

Using money from political action committees to try to shape public opinion on the issue

Lavishing expensive gifts on judges

Urging Congress to change court jurisdictions

Filing amicus curiae briefs arguing in favor of a particular outcome

A

Filing amicus curiae briefs arguing in favor of a particular outcome

11
Q

Which is an interest group least likely to do?

Influence how policies are implemented

Support candidates running for elections

Influence the legislative process

Run candidates in elections

A

Run candidates in elections

12
Q

The __________ effort occurs at the end of the campaign and is an attempt to get the candidate’s supporters to the polls on Election Day.

direct mail

inoculation advertising

wooing the undecided

get-out-the-vote

A

get-out-the-vote

13
Q

Which is the most telling indicator of whether or not an individual is likely to join and participate in an interest group?

Religious affiliation

Party affiliation

Level of wealth

Geographic location

A

Level of wealth

14
Q

Which interest group is a good example of the modern trend of fewer members physically attending events, but thousands or tens of thousands participating in social media such as Twitter or Facebook?

Occupy Wall Street

Children’s Defense Fund

Liberty University Coalition

EMILY’s List

A

Occupy Wall Street

15
Q

Why has the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) been so successful at attracting large numbers of Americans to join?

Some states require all people older than the age of 65 to have a valid AARP membership.

AARP offers its members popular benefits such as consumer discounts and other services.

AARP’s political action committee is one of the wealthiest in the United States.

AARP has the support of wealthy benefactors who help fund their organization.

A

AARP offers its members popular benefits such as consumer discounts and other services.

16
Q

Which best describes the ability of watchdog groups to monitor lobbying activities?

Due to a 1995 lobbying disclosure law, it is now easier to monitor lobbying activities.

A 2007 law reduced disclosure requirements, making it more difficult to monitor lobbying activities.

It is difficult to monitor congressional lobbying, which has no disclosure requirements.

It is difficult to monitor executive branch lobbying, which has no disclosure requirements.

A

Due to a 1995 lobbying disclosure law, it is now easier to monitor lobbying activities.

17
Q

Which of the following is an example of lobbying?

Fundraising for a cause by selling small goods or services

Trying to influence government officials to support a particular policy decision

Protesting government policy decisions by having a sit-in at a college

Expressing indignation at changes in policy by blogging about the issue

A

Trying to influence government officials to support a particular policy decision

18
Q

How did the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 affect lobbyists?

It limited the number of hours each lobbyist could work during a single session of Congress.

It required all organizations and firms to register their employees as lobbyists if they worked with government contracts.

It set limits on how many lobbyists could be employed by a political action committee (PAC).

It required lobbyists to file a report regarding each of their clients, including how much money they were paid by them for lobbying services.

A

It required lobbyists to file a report regarding each of their clients, including how much money they were paid by them for lobbying services.

19
Q

Something of value that cannot be withheld from a nonmember of a group, for example, a tax write-off or a better environment.

A

collective good

20
Q

Founded in 1867 as an educational organization for farmers, The Grange evolved into the first truly national interest group by working to protect the political and economic concerns of farming communities and rural areas.

A

The Grange

21
Q

A conservative religious interest group credited with helping to mobilize conservative Evangelical Christian voters from its founding in 1978 through the presidency of Ronald Reagan (1981-1989).

A

Moral Majority

22
Q

The theory that interest groups form as a result of changes in the political system.

A

disturbance theory

23
Q

Founded in 1886, the AFL brought skilled workers from several trades together into one stronger national organization for the first time. It merged in 1955 with the Congress of Industrial Organizations to form the AFL-CIO.

A

American Federation of Labor (AFL)

24
Q

A major interest group, founded in 1835, to advocate for the abolition of the institution of slavery throughout the United States.

A

American Anti-Slavery Society

25
Q

Lobbying reform banning gifts to members of Congress and their staffs, toughening disclosure requirements, and increasing time limits on moving from the federal government to the private sector.

A

Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007

26
Q

A broad group of political and social activists from the 1890s to the 1920s who opposed corruption in government, supported regulation of monopolies, and sought improvement of socioeconomic conditions.

A

Progressive movement

27
Q

The tendency to form small-scale associations for the public good.

A

civic virtue

28
Q

A 1995 federal law that employed a strict definition of lobbyist and established strict reporting requirements on the activities of lobbyists.

A

Lobbying Disclosure Act

29
Q

A major pro-business lobbying group founded in 1912.

A

U.S. Chamber of Commerce

30
Q

A group that represents a specific industry.

A

trade association

31
Q

The activities of a group or organization that seek to persuade political leaders to support the group’s position.

A

lobbying

32
Q

A Southern Baptist minister who, in 1978, founded the conservative religious interest group The Moral Majority.

A

Jerry Falwell

33
Q

The theory that political power is distributed among a wide array of diverse and competing interest groups.

A

pluralist theory

34
Q

Cooperative relationships that facilitate the resolution of collective problems.

A

social capital

35
Q

A person who finances a group or individual activity.

A

patron

36
Q

An organization that seeks a collective good that if achieved will not selectively and materially benefit group members.

A

public interest group

37
Q

A lawyer who in 1973 founded the Children’s Defense Fund to protect the rights of children, particularly those who are members of disadvantaged groups.

A

Marian Wright Edelman

38
Q

A large labor union founded in 1955 by the merging of the American Federation of Labor (AFL) and its one-time rival the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO).

A

AFL-CIO

39
Q

A group with the primary purpose of promoting the financial interests of its members.

A

economic interest group

40
Q

A religious interest group founded in 1989 to advance conservative Christian principles and traditional values in American politics.

A

Christian Coalition

41
Q

The major gun-rights lobbying group in the United States, which opposes gun control and advances an expansive interpretation of the Second Amendment.

A

National Rifle Association (NRA)

42
Q

A collection of people or organizations that tries to influence public policy.

A

interest group

43
Q

Officially recognized fund-raising organization that represents interest groups and is allowed by federal law to make contributions directly to candidates’ campaigns.

A

political action committee (PAC)

44
Q

A Southern Baptist minister and television evangelist who ran for president in 1988 and in 1989 founded the conservative religious interest group The Christian Coalition.

A

Pat Robertson

45
Q

An organization founded in 1895 by manufacturers to combat the growth of organized labor.

A

National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)

46
Q

A public interest group created in 1874 with the goal of outlawing the sale of liquor. Its activities included prayer groups, protest marches, lobbying, and the destruction of saloons.

A

Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)

47
Q

Potential members fail to join a group because they can get the benefit, or collective good, sought by the group without contributing the effort.

A

free rider problem

48
Q

Interest group representative who seeks to influence legislation that will benefit his or her organization or client through political and/or financial persuasion.

A

lobbyist

49
Q

The theory that public policies are the result of narrowly defined exchanges or transactions among political actors.

A

transactions theory

50
Q

Why might a U.S. citizen join an interest group rather than simply exercising his or her right to vote?

Interest groups twist research in order to get the support of the public.

Interest groups offer further means of political participation.

Interest groups campaign privately to earn the support of officials rather than trying to spread information about a little-known issue.

Interest groups represent the interests of their members rather than the interests of the general populace.

A

Interest groups offer further means of political participation.

51
Q

Which of the following would be considered a single-issue interest group?

National Organization for Women (NOW)

American Medical Association (AMA)

Christian Coalition

National Rifle Association (NRA)

A

National Rifle Association (NRA)

52
Q

Which of the following can legally raise money from individuals and then distribute it in the form of direct contributions to political candidates?

Interest groups

Political action committees (PACs)

Labor unions

Corporations

A

Political action committees (PACs)

53
Q

Why might a group that lobbies for an end to gender discrimination see more free rider members than other types of group?

Women are less likely than men to join interest groups.

Other people try to take credit for the group’s accomplishment.

Reducing gender discrimination is a collective good.

Many people do not know that they have to pay dues to the group.

A

Reducing gender discrimination is a collective good.

54
Q

Which theory argues that political power is widely distributed among diverse interest groups?

Transaction theory

Truman theory

Pluralist theory

Olson theory

A

Pluralist theory

55
Q

Which best describes the relationship between interest groups and their members?

Interest groups prevent the group members from gaining access to benefits.

Interest groups represent the interests of members to policy makers.

Interest groups provide high levels of influence or electoral clout in Congress.

Interest groups provide financial support to members.

A

Interest groups represent the interests of members to policy makers.

56
Q

In which time period did the U.S. see an uptick in the rise of public interest groups, due in part to the progressive spirit of the time?

1960s and 1970s

1930s and 1940s

1830s through early 1900s

2000s and 2010s

A

1960s and 1970s

57
Q

Which is the most likely way in which pluralism enhances democracy?

By discouraging compromise

By streamlining the legislative process

By ensuring that all interests are represented

By allowing policymakers to operate under conditions of full information

A

By ensuring that all interests are represented

58
Q

What distinguishes political parties from interest groups?

Political parties run candidates for office; interest groups do not.

Political parties lobby all branches of government, while interest groups are limited to congressional lobbying.

Political parties are restricted in how they receive and use their funding; interest groups have no such limits.

Political parties are formed by elected officials, while interest groups are formed by citizens.

A

Political parties run candidates for office; interest groups do not.

59
Q

What region of the United States has the lowest rate of union membership?

the northeast

the west

the south

the midwest

A

the south

60
Q

What might a large potential group do to overcome the free-rider problem?

Give selective benefits only to group members

Give campaign contributions to elected officials

Give bonuses to the most effective lobbyists

Give gifts to members of Congress in return for their support on legislation

A

Give selective benefits only to group members

61
Q

How do lobbyists typically seek to influence members of Congress?

By advocating on the collective special interests of various groups

By introducing bills

By offering them money to vote a particular way

By filing amicus curiae briefs

A

By advocating on the collective special interests of various groups

62
Q

What restriction did the Ethics in Government Act place on members of the executive branch?

They are prohibited from receiving any gifts from lobbyists.

They are permanently barred from lobbying after they leave government service.

They must disclose any gifts received from lobbyists.

They cannot serve as lobbyists before their agencies for two years after leaving government service.

A

They cannot serve as lobbyists before their agencies for two years after leaving government service.

63
Q

Which is an argument against interest groups?

They do not represent people equally.

They harm special interests.

They are not part of the political process.

They are ineffective.

A

They do not represent people equally.

64
Q

Which is most likely true of single-issue interest groups?

They are smaller than other types of interest groups.

They are more cohesive than other types of interest groups.

They are more racially diverse than other types of interest groups.

They are larger than other types of interest groups.

A

They are more cohesive than other types of interest groups.