What is one of the reasons that interest groups have proliferated over the past half century?

1. Developments in technology made interest group activities easier.
2. The increasing power of political parties led to more interest group formation.
3. A decrease in the scope of government brought out interest groups seeking to protect their interests.
4. Legal restrictions on lobbying activities were lifted as part of the New Deal.

What is an iron triangle?

1. a joining together of interest groups or individuals to achieve common goals
2. a form of sub government composed of leaders of interest groups, government agencies, and congressional committees
3. a nonprofit, tax-free policy planning organization that concentrates on policy development
4. an organization that solicits and receives campaign contributions from corporations, unions, trade associations, and other groups.

Which of the following statements best represents the hyperpluralist view?

1. All legitimate interests in the political system can get a hearing from government once they are organized.
2. Awesome power is held by the largest corporations.
3. There are too many special interest groups getting too much of what they want.
4. When one group throws its weight around too much, its opponents are likely to intensify their organization and thus restore balance to the system.

Which of the following is a pluralist belief?

1. Only wealthy interests have influence over government decisions.
2. Government decisions reflect the preferences of elites.
3. A rough approximation of the public interest emerges from competition between groups.
4. Policymakers care more about public opinion than interest groups’ preferences.

What is the main goal of each of the three elements of an iron triangle?

1. abolishing free-riders
2. creating more opportunities for collective action.
3. fostering democratic deliberation
4. protecting their self-interests

Which is a consequence of hyperpluralism?

1. reduced agency budgets
2. termination of government programs
3. contradictory and confusing policies
4. growth in the number of political parties.

In order to overcome the free-rider problem, many interest groups offer selective benefits. What are selective benefits?

1. the policies that interest groups help to bring about

1. gifts given to members of Congress in return for their support on legislation.

1. benefits given only to group members
2. campaign contributions to elected officials

Which of the following is an example of the free-rider problem?

1. a political action committee contributing to candidates from both major political parties.
2. an elected official relying on information from lobbyists
3. an environmentalist deciding not to join an environmental group but appreciating the group’s environmental stewardship
4. an environmental group disagreeing on what policy goals to pursue

What is an amicus curiae brief?

1. a written argument submitted to a court in support of one side of a case
2. an internal memo circulated among interest group leaders, briefing them on the details of a court case
3. a petition submitted to Congress in support of or opposition to a judicial nominee
4. a petition submitted to an executive branch agency, requesting a review of the agency’s decision.

What is a Political Action Committee (PAC)?

1. an organization within a political party that coordinates campaign events.
2. an organizations that focuses on grassroots lobbying
3. an organization that conducts voter registration drives
4. an organization that solicits campaign contributions from like-minded individuals and distributes them to political candidates

Which of the following is a typical way for lobbyists to seek to influence members of Congress?

1. by offering them money to vote a particular way.
2. by filing amicus curiaebriefs
3. by organizing protests and demonstrations on Capitol Hill
4. by providing specialized expertise

How do interest groups lobby the courts?

1. through letter-writing campaigns addressed to particular judges
2. by publishing editorials in major newspapers stating their views on cases
3. by bringing lawsuits to the courts on behalf of classes of citizens
4. by meeting with judges to express their views on cases.

Which of the following is an activity that lobbyists regularly engage in?

1. answering e-mails from elected officials’ constituents
2. speaking on behalf of elected officials at press conferences.
3. providing elected officials with innovative ideas for addressing a policy problem
4. providing legal counsel to interest groups in court cases

How did the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 affect lobbyists?

1. It limited the number of hours each lobbyist could work during a single session of Congress.
2. It required all lobbyists to join the Labor Union of American Lobbyists and Government Relations Experts.
3. It set limits on how many lobbyists could be employed by a PAC.
4. It required lobbyists to file a report detailing the sources of their lobbying income.

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

1. 527 organizations.
2. coordinating committees
3. iron triangles
4. Political Action Committees (PACs)

In which of the following might Political Action Committees (PACs) invest their contributions in order to maximize their political influence?

1. members of the minority party in Congress.
2. challengers
3. incumbents
4. presidential candidates

What is lobbying?

1. communication as a representative of a group with government officials to persuade them to support a particular policy
2. conducting surveys to gauge public opinion on a policy issue
3. convincing potential members to join an interest group by offering them material benefits.
4. fundraising for political candidates and educating the public about the activities of government

Which of the following is the main type of organization that lobbies on behalf of workers?

1. public interest group
2. trade association.
3. union shop
4. labor union

What is the main objective of most labor unions?

1. to protect consumers from unsafe products
2. to protect the interests of businesses within an industry.
3. to promote better working conditions and higher wages
4. to provide jobs for the unemployed

How did James Madison propose to overcome the problem of factions in Federalist No. 10?

1. by adopting a system of direct democracy.
2. by banning the formation of interest groups
3. by discouraging citizens from expressing their political views in public
4. by expanding their sphere of participation

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