American Government 100 Part IV

American Government 100 Part IV

Patterson, pgs. 248-261

Woll, pgs. 248-256, A:AG23-17

Interest Groups

True/False Questions

1. One strategy that had always been applied by farm lobbyists—always approach Congress supporting each other requesting equal amounts of assistance based on acreage—the 2014 farm bill was no different. True or False

2. When Congress addressed the farm issue in 2014, it was determined to cut the costs of agricultural programs as part of a broader effort to reduce government spending. True or False

3. According to Patterson, the amount of money spent on electioneering pales alongside the amount spent on lobbying. True or False

4. Similar to political parties, groups are a linkage mechanism; they serve to connect citizens with government. True or False

5. Traditionally, groups that pursue public or collective goods, such as a safer environment, do not have organizational difficulties because of the popularity of issues they support. True or False

6. The interest-group system overrepresents business interests and fosters policies that serve a group’s interest more than the society’s broader interests. True or False

7. According to Patterson, Americans are more likely than citizens of other nations to join organized groups. True or False

8. Unlike Western Europe, state and local governments are not allowed to hire lobbyists to represent them in Washington, D.C. True or False

9. The extraordinary number of interest groups in the United States does not mean that the nation’s various interests are equally well organized. True or False

10. For the size of the country’s population, the United States has the fewest lobbyists in the federal capital compared to the major capitals of Western Europe. True or False

11. Most union members today work in the private sector, despite the fact that it has only a fifth of the number of workers as does the public sector. True or False

12. The fact is private–industry unionized workers have dramatically dwindled in membership to less than a tenth. True or False

13. Agricultural groups that are members of the Farm Bureau and the Farmers Union tend to agree on almost all policy issues. True or False

14. Ideological groups on both the left and the right have increased substantially in number since the 1960s. True or False

15. The congressional campaign finance reforms of the 1970s served to weaken campaign finance laws that ultimately contributed to party polarization. True or False

16. Emily’s List has made an effort to be non-partisan when supporting candidates running for public office. True or False

17. Single-issue groups have risen sharply in number in the past half century and now pressure government on almost every conceivable policy. True or False

18. Membership in environmental groups has dramatically diminished since the 1960s. True or False

19. Although the number of citizens’ groups has mushroomed in recent decades, they are substantially outnumbered by economic groups. True or False

20. As economist Mancur Olson noted, it is not rational, in a purely economic sense, for individuals to contribute to a group when they can obtain its benefit for free. True or False

21. Although it might be thought that the interests of groups with large memberships would typically prevail over the interests of smaller groups, the reverse is more often true. True or False

22. Because the Big Three (Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors), compete with one another for a portion of automobile market, they refuse to work together on policy issues. True or False

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Why did the farm lobbies attack the 2014 farm bill that had reached the Senate? a) Farm subsidies would be based on a farm’s full acreage, b) farm subsidies would be based on the number of acres planted, c) farm subsidies would be provided equally no matter the commodity, d) farm subsidies would be eliminated because it was a form of welfare that Republicans had always opposed.

2. The pluralist theory of American politics holds that society's interests are most effectively represented through the efforts of: a) individuals, b) lawmakers, c) groups, d) public bureaucracies.

3. According to the Center for Responsive Politics estimates that when all spending is taken into account, lobbying spending exceeds election spending by: a) more than two to one, b) more than three to one, c) more than five to one, d) it doesn’t exceed spending for elections.

4. What did James Madison address in his famous Federalist 10? a) the dangers of factions trampling on the legitimate interests of other groups and society as a whole, b) the proposed constitution could not fully address the dangers of slavery, c) the judiciary could only be constrained by the will of the people, d) there was a serious need to provide public financing of campaigns for federally elected officials.

5. The following can be defined as any organization that actively seeks to influence public policy: a) interest group, b) faction, c) pressure group, d) all the above.

6. Which of the following interest groups are by far the most thoroughly organized? a) public interests, b) business enterprise, c) single-issue groups, d) citizens’ groups.

7. What are the traditional means by which groups communicate with and influence political leaders? a) letter writing and the media, b) grass roots organizing and precinct walking, c) lobbying and electioneering, d) demonstrations and protest rallies.

8. How many lobbyists are registered in Washington, D.C.? a) roughly 1,200, b) roughly 5,400, c) roughly 6, 300, d) roughly 12,000.

9. Economic groups outnumber those of all other groups by more than: a) 2 to 1, b) 3 to 1, c) 4 to 1, d) 5 to 1.

10. More than half of all groups formally registered to lobby Congress are: a) labor unions, b) public organizations, c) professional associations, d) business organizations.

11. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce represents about how many businesses? a) nearly 1 million, b) nearly 3 million, c) nearly 5 million, d) nearly 7 million.

12. The largest labor group with twelve million members and nearly sixty affiliated unions: a) the Teamsters, b) the AFL-CIO, c) the United Mine Workers, d) the Farm Workers of America.

13. At its height, unionized labor represented a third of the workforce but today only: a) one in four, b) one in five, c) one in eight, d) one in fourteen.

14. What percent of public-sector employees are unionized? a) about 13%, b) slightly more than 19%, c) less than 29%, d) more than a third.

15. People who join not for material gain, but to promote a cause in which they believe: a) solidary incentives, b) social incentives, c) educational interests, d) purposive incentives.

16. Their efforts have contributed to the election of senators and representatives that hold uncompromising conservative or liberal views, which has contributed to the party polarization: a) legal associations, b) citizen based political action committees, c) community service protective societies, d) organizational social networks.

17. In what way are citizens’ groups different from business firms? a) business firms allow everyone that is interested to join, c) citizens groups are highly restrictive and charge exorbitant fees to join, c) business firms tend to have a comprehensive agenda, from environmental protection to support for the minimum wage, d) business firms only allow their fellow employees to participate in their political activities.

18. According to James Madison from Federalist 10, which of the following faction was considered the most common and durable? a) property, b) national defense, c) state uniformity, d) slavery.

19. Why do corporations have the greatest built-in advantage compared to all other groups? a) they have the public’s support, b) the legal system is rigged to their advantage, c) they have the money to pay for expensive lobbyists, d) the media is controlled by corporate power with the public having no access to policymakers.

20. A benefit, such as a job provided by an economic group that is given directly to a particular individual in return for the dues they pay: a) collective benefit, b) inherent incentive, c) selective advantage, d) private good.

21. Goods that are by definition benefits that belong to all; they cannot be granted or withheld on an individual basis: a) collective goods, b) cooperative goods, c) integrated goods, d) communal goods. (It’s the air we breathe & the national forests and are sometimes called public goods as well.

22. When someone can obtain the good even if they do not contribute to the group’s effort: a) numeric incentive, b) free-rider problem, c) charitable plus, d) additional acquisition.

23. How many NPR listeners contribute to their local station? a) 1 in 2, b) 1, 5 c, 1 in 7, d) 1 in 10.

24. Troubled financial institutions received $700 billion in taxpayers’ money to rescue them from bankruptcy in 2008 and 2009 because: a) the American people had compassion for them, b) their risky investments had brought them to that point, c) foreign investors had manipulated and cheated American firms, d) excessive regulation by government created the mess.

25. The most powerful lobbying organization in Washington, D.C. that defends social security, Medicare, and other programs affecting retirees: a) NRA, b) AARP, c) AMA, c) NAACP.

Fill-in Questions

1. How do the major political parties differ from interest groups?

a) Parties address a ______of issues so as to appeal to ______blocs of voters.

b) Parties are in the business of trying to win ______.

2. How do Interest groups differ from the major political parties?

a) Interest groups concentrate on ______affecting their interests.

b) A group may involve itself in ______, but its purpose is to influence the policies of concern to it.

3. Foreign governments that hire lobbyists to work in Washington, D.C., are most concerned with:

a) _____ sales

b) ______aid,

c) ______, and

d) ______practices.

4. How does the structure of the U.S. government contribute to the proliferation of lobbying groups in America?

a) Because of ______and the separation of powers, the American system offers numerous points at which groups can try to influence public ______.

b) If unsuccessful with legislators, groups can turn to ______or to the ______.

c) If thwarted at the national level, groups can turn to ______and local governments.

5. What are the advantages that an economic group has over a citizens’ group?

a) Economic activity provides the ______

b) with the ______necessary for ______action.

c) Individuals are encouraged to join the group because of ______they receive.

6. What are some of the inherent disadvantages that citizens’ groups have?

a) They do not generate ______or fees as a result of economic activity.

b) The ______they offer prospective members are not exclusive.

c) Collective goods cannot be granted or withheld on an ______basis.

Misplaced Obsession with PACs

by Larry Sabato (Woll, pgs. 248-256)

True or False Questions

1. Sabato believes that PACs may be making a positive contribution by providing the means to increase the flow of information during elections. True or False

Multiple Choice Questions

1. PACs grew in number from 113 in 1972 to the following number by 1988: a) 1,223, b) 2,427, c) 3,729, d) 4,196.

2. Which of the following PACs raise more money by direct mail and tend to be accountable to no one? a) corporate PACs, b) trade associations, c) ideological PACs, d) labor PACs.

3. What are the overriding factors that determine a legislator's votes? a) Party affiliation, b) ideology, c) constituents' needs and desires, d) all the above.

4. The most fundamental institutional check on PACs, according to Sabato are: a) the press, b) public interest organizations, c) free, regular elections, d) the values of elected officials.

Fill-in Questions

1. When do PACs affect legislative proceedings to a decisive degree?

a) the less ______the issue, the more likely the PAC funds can change or influence congressional votes.

b) PAC money has more of an effect in the ______of the legislative process, such as agenda setting and votes in subcommittees.

c) PACs are also more likely to influence the legislature when the issue is ______and ______, or unopposed by other organized interests.

d) PACs also have a greater impact when large groups of them are ______(such as business and labor).

2. Political parties serve a positive purpose in our pluralistic society for they:

a) help build ______of groups

b) attempt to represent a ______, rather than a narrow one

c) they are a ______force in a diverse society.

Answers

Patterson, pgs. 248-261

True or False

1. False

3. True

5. False

7. True

9. True

11. False

13. False

15. True

17. True

19. True

21. True

Multiple Choice Questions

1. b

3. b

5. d

7. c

9. a

11. b

13. c

15. d

17. d

19. c

21. a

23. d

25. b

Fill-In Questions

1. a) broad range, diverse, b) elections.

3. a) arms, b) foreign, c) immigration, d) trade

5. a) organization, b) resources, political c) economic benefits

Woll, pgs. 248-256

True or False Question

1. True

Multiple Choice Questions

1. d

3. d

Fill-In Questions

1. a) visible, b) initial stages, c) specialized, narrow, d) allied

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