Question 1

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 2

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 D)
G) All of the above

Question 3

An interest group that focuses on policy benefits for senior citizens would be an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  a philosophical interest group.
B)  an ideological group.
C)  a professional group.
D)  a business group.
E)  a single-issue group.F) A) and B)
G) C) and E)

Question 4

Economist Mancur Olson refers to what aspect of interest groups as "the size factor"?

Accepted Answer

A)  Larger interest groups are able to draw on greater financial resources,which makes them more capable of getting the ear of lawmakers and thus achieving policy change.
B)  The interests of groups with large memberships would typically prevail over the interests of smaller groups.
C)  Small groups are ordinarily more united on policy issues and often have more resources,enabling them to win out more often than large groups.
D)  The smaller an interest group,the more likely that its motivating issue will be subsumed by the agenda of a larger interest group.
E)  Small interest groups can often enhance their bargaining power by linking themselves to the agenda of a larger interest group that has greater resources.F) A) and B)
G) A) and D)

Question 5

Economic groups have an advantage over non-economic 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) All of the above

Question 6

A pluralist could be expected to argue that

Accepted Answer

A)  the presidency is more representative of society's interests than is the Congress.
B)  society is best seen as a collection of separate interests.
C)  U.S.society is best run by a power elite.
D)  most interests are poorly represented through the group process.
E)  the judiciary is more representative of society's interests than is the Congress.F) C) and D)
G) A) and B)

Question 7

Which citizens' group did a Fortune magazine survey rank as the nation's most powerful lobbying group?

Accepted Answer

A)  the NAACP
B)  the AFL-CIO
C)  the AARP
D)  MADD
E)  Common CauseF) A) and C)
G) None of the above

Question 8

Some groups pursue collective goods.A collective good is one that

Accepted Answer

A)  cannot be selectively granted or denied to individuals; it must be shared.
B)  is provided by a public service organization.
C)  is secured by the president.
D)  is secured by Congress.
E)  None of these answers is correct.F) A) and B)
G) B) and D)

Question 9

Discuss interest-group liberalism and indicate how Madison's constitutional solution for controlling groups has itself become part of the problem in American politics.

Accepted Answer

Interest-group liberalism holds that the...

Question 10

During his visit to this country in the 1830s,Alexis de Tocqueville described the United States as "a nation of _______."

Accepted Answer

A)  freeloaders
B)  loners
C)  joiners
D)  fighters
E)  stalwartsF) D) and E)
G) B) and D)

Question 11

In order to overcome the free-rider problem,non-economic 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) A) and B)
G) C) and E)

Question 12

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) C) and D)
G) B) and D)

Question 13

Most lobbyists receive support from elected officials in direct exchange for

Accepted Answer

A)  money.
B)  information.
C)  bribery.
D)  coercion.
E)  deception.F) None of the above
G) B) and E)

Question 14

Members of the ________ generate more mail to Congress than any other group.

Accepted Answer

A)  NRA
B)  ACLU
C)  NAACP
D)  AARP
E)  NEAF) B) and C)
G) B) and D)

Question 15

About ________ percent of people who regularly listen to National Public Radio do not donate money to their local station.

Accepted Answer

A)  10
B)  30
C)  50
D)  70
E)  90F) B) and D)
G) None of the above

Question 16

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) C) and D)
G) All of the above

Question 17

________ 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) A) and E)
G) A) and D)

Question 18

The term iron triangle refers to

Accepted Answer

A)  a tightly-knit set of lobbying groups.
B)  the relationship between 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) D) and E)
G) A) and B)

Question 19

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) A) and D)
G) C) and D)

Question 20

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) A) and C)

Exam 1: Interest Groups: Organizing for Influence

Economic groups have an advantage over non-economic groups because

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

During his visit to this country in the 1830s,Alexis de Tocqueville described the United States as "a nation of _______."

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Economist Mancur Olson refers to what aspect of interest groups as "the size factor"?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A flaw in pluralism theory is the fact that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The term iron triangle refers to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In order to overcome the free-rider problem,non-economic groups have

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Theodore Lowi's theory of interest-group liberalism

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which citizens' group did a Fortune magazine survey rank as the nation's most powerful lobbying group?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A pluralist could be expected to argue that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The largest number of PACs are those associated with

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Members of the ________ generate more mail to Congress than any other group.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Discuss interest-group liberalism and indicate how Madison's constitutional solution for controlling groups has itself become part of the problem in American politics.

Correct AnswerverifiedInterest-group liberalism holds that the...View AnswerShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

An interest group that focuses on policy benefits for senior citizens would be an example of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Political scientist Theodore Lowi has questioned pluralist theory by suggesting that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Most lobbyists receive support from elected officials in direct exchange for

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Some groups pursue collective goods.A collective good is one that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

About ________ percent of people who regularly listen to National Public Radio do not donate money to their local station.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified
Interest-group liberalism holds that the...
View Answer

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified

Correct Answer
verified
An interest group is any organization th...
View Answer

Correct Answer
verified