American Government 2305 – Interest Groups

1 July 2024
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grandparents, tall people, and undergraduates are all examples of _____?
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potential interest groups
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the best description of the idea of pluralism is that _____.
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it's the theory that government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies bargaining compromise - best policy emerges, both sides win.
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James Madison called an interest group a _____.
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"faction"
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_______ once wrote that "America was a nation of joiners."
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Alexis de Tocqueville
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Which of the following is NOT an economic group?
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National Rifle Association (NRA)
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Members of interest groups in the United States are typically people with _______.
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higher levels of income and education
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Interest groups most effectively serve the ____.
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upper classes
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Which group is best adapted to organizing the lower classes?
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A public interest group.
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What are political parties more capable of doing rather than interest groups?
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Organizing people on a mass scale.
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Public interest groups differ from other types of interest groups in that...
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Public interest groups focus on the roles that all Americans share; they represent the people as citizens -- actual people. Other interest groups are created to gain federal funding for specific groups of people that share similarities.
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When a coalition of credit card companies form an interest group called the Partnership to Protect Consumer Credit, this indicates that...
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private interests are hiding behind the ideas of public interests
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It is difficult for political scientists to categorize unrepresented interests because...
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there are no organizations that can present their identities and demands.
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What is the primary variable for predicting the likelihood of joining an interest group?
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having a higher income and education
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The Teamsters and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations are examples of _____.
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a labor group
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Organizes interest groups enhance American democracy by...
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representing the interests of large numbers of people and encouraging political participation.
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Interest groups are concerned with the ______ of government, while political parties are concerned with the ______ of the government.
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policies; personnel
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The Christian Coalition is a(n) _______ group.
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ideological
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The National Governor's Association is a good example of _____.
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state and local governments acting as organized interests to lobby for government benefits.
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Which of the following statements about political parties and interest groups is most accurate?
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The percentage of voters identifying themselves as either Democrats and Republicans has been declining since the 1970's.
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Which of the following is a main theoretical assumption of pluralism?
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Competition among interests will produce balance, with all interests regulating each other.
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A criticism of interest group pluralism is _______.
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class bias in favor of those with greater financial resources.
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If one enjoys the benefits of a group's collective efforts but did NOT contribute to those efforts, one is called a ________.
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free-rider
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One way that AARP has been effective at overcoming the free-rider problem is by providing _______ benefits to its members.
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selective
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Why is it important for interest groups to offer selective benefits?
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It is necessary to limit the extent of the free-rider problem.
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Which of the following is NOT a key organizational component of interest groups?
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newsletter and websites
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Successful interests groups quickly become _____.
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bureaucratized
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When a group is called a membership of association, it means that...
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members play an important role in the daily activities of the group.
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A _________________ exists when paid off staff conduct most of the daily business of a group.
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staff organization
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A benefit that is sought by an interest group and that once achieved cannot be denied to nonmembers is called a _______.
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free-rider
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The solitary benefits of interests groups include ___________.
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friendship, networking, and consciousness raising.
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AARP has approximately ______ members today.
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39 million (39,000,000)
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Many interests groups are initially organized because...
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a political entrepreneur with a strong commitment to a particular set of goals believes a group will promote his or her goals and enhance his or her political influence.
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The free-rider problem occurs because...
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people benefit from an interest group's efforts without making any contribution.
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The free-rider phenomenon refers to...
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potential members of a group failing to join the actual group, as they know they will receive the same benefits whether they are active members or not.
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When membership in an organization allows for a reduction in the price of museum tickets, it is called a ________.
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material benefit
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A _______ is the best example of an informational benefit provided by many interest groups.
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newsletter
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If citizens were motivated to join an environmental organization because they strongly believed in protecting the environment and supported the goals of the group, we can conclude that they were motivated by _________.
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purposive benefits
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The major organizational factors shared by most interest groups are...
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leadership, money, an agency or office, and members.
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Since the 1930's, the number and scale of interest groups at the national level has...
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dramatically increased.
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What happened in the late nineteenth century?
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the abolition of slavery.
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Which of the following issues is NOT part of the agenda of the New Politics movement?
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The movement is made up of upper-middle-class professionals and intellectuals for whom the civil rights and antiwar movements were formative experiences.
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The New Politics movement gave rise to __________ groups.
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public interest
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Which of the following groups was NOT established through the New Politics movement?
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National Association of Manufacturers.
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The increased number and importance of interest groups...
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is a response to an increase in the size and activity of government.
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Which of the following groups is most likely to belong to the New Politics movement?
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The Sierra Club.
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Members of the New Politics movement...
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strengthened public interest groups.
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A full-page, fully paid spread in the New York Times publicizing a major oil company is best described as __________.
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institutional advertising
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Lobbying is...
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attempting to influence decisions made by elected officials.
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What is the most important and beneficial resource that lobbyists provide government officials?
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Information.
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Which of the following is NOT a job regularly performed by lobbyists?
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Nominating a candidate to run for a political office.
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The _______ protects the practice of lobbying.
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first amendment
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Another name for lobbying is ________.
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petitioning
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In the lobbying world, to be "Microsofted" means that a company has...
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become vulnerable to adverse legislation and investigation as a result of failing to lobby the federal government.
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The Negotiated Rulemaking Act of 1990 was designed to...
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"to encourage agencies to use negotiated rule making when it enhances the informal rule making process."
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Parties with a direct interest in a regulatory rule or decision are often called ______.
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stakeholders
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___________ was an important Washington lobbyist who was indicted in 2005 on charges of violating federal lobbying laws.
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Jack Abramoff
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An iron triangle is made up of an alliance between ____________.
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a legislative committee, an interest group, and an executive agency.
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A loose, informal relationship of public officials, interests groups, and activists who are all concerned with the same policies is called _________.
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issue network
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What is the most important attempt to limit the influence of lobbyists in recent years?
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The 1995 Lobbying Disclosure Act.
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Which of the following groups has had the greatest success with a strategy of litigation?
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The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
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How can interest groups use litigation as a strategy of influence?
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filing amici curiae briefs, financing lawsuits, and bringing a suit on behalf of the group.
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Which of the following Supreme Court cases illustrates the use of litigation by an interest group?
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Webster v. Reproductive Health Services
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_________ is a strategy that attempts to mobilize the widest and most favorable climate of opinion.
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Lobbying
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A grassroots lobbying campaign occurs when...
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an interest group mobilizes its members and their families throughout the country to write their representatives in support of group's position.
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In recent years, the religious right has had a great effect on American politics through ____________.
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grassroots mobilizations
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______________ occurs when interest groups generate phony letters and phone calls in order to resemble a grassroots movement.
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Astroturf lobbying
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A PAC can contribute ________ to any candidate for federal office, provided it contributes to at least five different candidates each year.
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$5,000
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By 2012, there were approximately _____ PACs in the United States.
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5500
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Which of the following has been eliminated as a result of 2002 campaign finance reforms?
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soft money.
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Interest groups are permitted to spend as much money as they want on issue advocacy during a campaign season, as long as they...
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do not coordinate their efforts with a candidate's own campaign organization.
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Most initiative campaigns today are sponsored by...
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interest groups seeking to circumvent legislative opposition to their goals.
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Alexis de Tocqueville argues that the proliferation of groups promoted...
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governmental responsiveness.
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Why is the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 important to lobbyists?
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It requires agencies to create opportunities for public comments before implementing new rules and regulations.
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What distinguishes lobbying from other strategies of influence?
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Lobbyists try to exert pressure directly on governmental officials themselves.
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Lobbyists are...
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employees of the interests groups established to influence the outcome of elections and legislation.
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____________ occurs when interest groups take out advertisements and hold marches.
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mobilizing public opinion
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What is the primary function of a political action committee (PAC)?
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raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates.
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Individuals and organizations can give an unlimited amount to ______.
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broadcasts and telecommunication ads related to an election.
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The fact that interest groups favor the wealthy and well educated can be understood as a reflection of what eternal dilemma in American politics?
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Liberty is often inconsistent with equality.