Interest Groups #3
1) Where political parties are strong, interest groups are likely to be
a) Equally strong.
b) Independent.
c) Weak.
d) More numerous.
2) Large labor unions had no reason to exist until the era of
a) Mass production.
b) ‘ill feeling.’
c) Anti-federalism.
d) Consumerism.
3) The great wave of interest group formation in America occurred during the years
a) 1830-1840.
b) 1900-1920.
c) 1883-1896.
d) 1940-1960.
4) Workers are least likely to belong to labor unions in
a) Sweden.
b) Germany.
c) Great Britain.
d) The United States.
5) Interest groups with large staffs are likely to take political positions in accordance with
a) Rank-and-file opinion.
b) The view of the general public.
c) Staff beliefs.
d) Government policy.
6) An organization can overcome the reluctance of most people to join by providing all of the following except
a) Solidary incentives.
b) Material incentives.
c) Client incentives.
d) A significant purpose.
7) The Center for Defense Information, the Children’s Defense Fund, and the Economic Policy Institute are examples of
a) Liberal public-interest law firms.
b) Conservative public-interest law firms.
c) Liberal think tanks.
d) Conservative think tanks.
8) Pentagon officials’ leaving government in the late 1960s and early 1970s to work in the defense industry was an example of
a) Intervenor funding.
b) The revolving door.
c) Double dipping.
d) The free-rider problem.
9) About ______percent of the interest groups represented in Washington, D.C. are public-interest groups.
a) 4
b) 12
c) 20
d) 40
10) Ralph Nader rose to national prominence on the issue of
a) School busing.
b) Auto safety.
c) Nuclear power.
d) Discrimination.
11) Although farmers today have difficulty getting Congress to pass bills in their favor, they are still able to
a) Block bills that they don’t like.
b) Appeal to public sentiment.
c) Win court cases.
d) Manipulate prices by withholding their produce.
12) The American ski industry is represented in Washington by a group that seeks to influence public policy regarding skiing. This group is most accurately called a(n)
a) Membership interest.
b) Solidary group.
c) Institutional interest.
d) Public-interest lobby.
13) Probably the best measure of an interest group’s ability to influence legislators and bureaucrats is
a) The size of the membership.
b) The dollar amount of its contributions.
c) Its organizational skill.
d) Its contacts.
14) A conservative legislator will feel comfortable about a position that is favored by
a) The American Medical Association.
b) The NAACP.
c) The Farmers’ Union.
d) A Naderite organization.
15) The ‘Dirty Dozen’ refers to members of Congress who appear to be
a) Corrupt.
b) Anti-environment.
c) Unkempt.
d) Unhappy.
16) The passage of the campaign finance reform law in 1973 led to the rapid growth in
a) Political parties.
b) Interest groups.
c) PACs.
d) Revenue sharing.
17) The revolving door between government and business raises the possibility of
a) Poor communications.
b) Revenue sharing.
c) Conflicts of interest.
d) Ticket splitting.
18) Former executive branch employees may not represent anyone on any matter before their former agency for a period of ______after leaving it.
a) Six months
b) One year
c) Two years
d) Five years
19) A protest march is an example of the political resource called
a) Subversion.
b) Making trouble.
c) Illegal activity.
d) Power politics.
20) The most significant legal constraints on interest groups currently come from
a) The 1946 Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act.
b) The tax code.
c) Anti-trust legislation.
d) The Supreme Court.
ANSWERS
1) C
2) A
3) B
4) D
5) C
6) C
7) B
8) B
9) A
10) B
11) A
12) C
13) C
14) A
15) B
16) C
17) C
18) B
19) B
20) B