1. (p. 311) Economist Mancur Olson concluded that groups
A. exercise too much power in the American system.
B. increase the flexibility of government.
C. can have their benefits reduced by concerted political opposition.
D. are shown to have too much powe

A. exercise too much power in the American system.

2. (p. 282) The theory that society's interests are most effectively represented through group action is
A. republicanism.
B. constitutionalism.
C. elitist theory.
D. pluralist theory.
E. interest-group liberalism.

D. pluralist theory.

3. (p. 284) A basic reason for the existence of so many interest groups in the United States is
A. the American tradition of free association.
B. the extent of diverse interests in American society.
C. America's federal system of government.
D. the separa

E. All these answers are correct.

4. (p. 306) The Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) ultimately led to the creation of
A. Super PACs.
B. PACs.
C. election reform.
D. independent-expenditure-committees (IECs).
E. the AARP.

A. Super PACs.

5. (p. 383) The most fully organized interests are those that have which of the following as their primary purpose?
A. agriculture
B. economic activity
C. civil liberties
D. labor reform
E. reform of government

B. economic activity

6. (p. 306) The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)
A. allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on campaigns.
B. limits PACs by reducing the amount of money they can raise through contributi

A. allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on campaigns.

7. (p. 289) A purposive incentive is defined as
A. a goal of direct economic gain.
B. the opportunity to contribute to a worthy goal or purpose.
C. a goal benefiting a specific group.
D. any common purpose that brings groups together.
E. corporate profit.

B. the opportunity to contribute to a worthy goal or purpose.

8. (p. 289) Citizens' interest groups are distinguished from economic interest groups by the fact that
A. their leaders are elected by secret ballot of the group's members.
B. their members receive no direct economic benefit from attainment of the group's

B. their members receive no direct economic benefit from attainment of the group's goals.

9. (p. 290) An interest group that focuses on policy benefits for senior citizens would be an example of
A. a philosophical interest group.
B. an ideological group.
C. a professional group.
D. a business group.
E. a single-issue group.

E. a single-issue group.

10. (p. 300) Which of the following groups primarily uses litigation as its lobbying method?
A. NRA
B. ACLU
C. NAACP
D. AARP
E. NEA

B. ACLU

11. (p. 301) Why have issue networks become more prevalent?
A. the increasing power of corporate lobbying
B. the increasing diversity of interest groups
C. the increasing influence of PACs
D. the instability of candidates' positions
E. the increasing comp

E. the increasing complexity of policy problems

12. (p. 283) Some groups pursue collective goods. A collective good is one that
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

A. cannot be selectively granted or denied to individuals; it must be shared.

13. (p. 293) The situation in which individuals are tempted not to contribute to a cause because they will get the benefits even if they do not participate is called the
A. size factor.
B. free-rider problem.
C. special-interest paradox.
D. disincentive f

B. free-rider problem.

14. (p. 294) In an effort to overcome the free-rider problem, noneconomic groups have
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 wh

D. used Internet resources and computer-assisted mailing lists to target potential donors.

15. (p. 287) Roughly how many American workers currently belong to unions?
A. one in two
B. one in four
C. one in eight
D. one in six
E. one in ten

C. one in eight

16. (p. 283) Economic groups have an advantage over noneconomic groups because
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

D. they have greater access to financial resources.

17. (p. 300) "Agency capture" occurs when
A. a regulatory agency funnels money back into the lobbying organizations that are seeking policy changes.
B. regulatory agencies side with the industries they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public.

B. regulatory agencies side with the industries they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public.

18. (p. 309) A flaw in pluralism theory is the fact that
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 specia

A. the interest group system is unrepresentative because some interests are far better organized and more powerful than others.

19. (p. 296) Which citizens' group did a Fortune magazine survey rank as the nation's most powerful lobbying group?
A. the NAACP
B. the AFL-CIO
C. the AARP
D. MADD
E. Common Cause

C. the AARP

20. (p. 301) An amicus brief
A. is a written document in which a group explains to a court its position on a legal dispute the court is handling.
B. is a written document in which an interest group lays out its policy preference for targeted lawmakers.
C.

A. is a written document in which a group explains to a court its position on a legal dispute the court is handling.

21. (p. 310) In acknowledging the dilemma inherent in group activity, James Madison
A. argued that the free-rider problem would hurt some groups more than others.
B. claimed that government could listen to all groups, but should only enact policies that p

C. worried that government would be overly dominated by groups, but recognized that a free society is obliged to permit the advocacy of self-interest.

22. (p. 297) Effective inside lobbying is based upon
A. countering the aims of other groups.
B. providing useful and persuasive information to key officials.
C. mobilizing the group's members.
D. bribing or threatening officials.
E. using the media to exe

B. providing useful and persuasive information to key officials.

23. (p. 305) PACs tend to contribute the most money to
A. incumbents.
B. challengers.
C. Independents.
D. liberal Democrats.
E. liberal Republicans.

A. incumbents

24. (p. 301) A main difference between iron triangles and issue networks is that
A. an iron triangle includes members of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, while issue networks bypass the judicial branch.
B. issue networks involve a stable

C. issue networks are generally less stable than iron triangles, in that the members of an issue network may change as the issue develops.

25. (p. 308) Political scientist Theodore Lowi has questioned pluralist theory by suggesting that
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 th

B. there is no concept of the public interest in a system that gives special interests the ability to determine the policies affecting them.

26. (p. 299-300) In recent decades, lobbyists in Washington, D.C. have increasingly
A. targeted the executive branch in their efforts to influence policy decisions.
B. relied on coercive tactics, such as threats of withdrawing election support.
C. worked

A. targeted the executive branch in their efforts to influence policy decisions.

27. (p. 300) The influence of interest groups through the courts occurs through
A. initiating lawsuits.
B. lobbying for certain judges to be appointed to the bench.
C. outside lobbying only.
D. PACs.
E. both initiating lawsuits and lobbying for certain ju

E. both initiating lawsuits and lobbying for certain judges to be appointed to the bench.

28. (p. 301) The term iron triangle refers to
A. a tightly-knit set of lobbying groups.
B. the relationship among the Congress, the military, and defense contractors.
C. a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobby

C. a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest.

29. (p. 301) An informal grouping of officials, lobbyists, and policy specialists who come together temporarily around a policy problem is
A. an iron triangle.
B. an issue network.
C. a caucus.
D. a policy system.
E. an ideological network.

B. an issue network.

30. (p. 303-304) Outside lobbying does NOT include
A. developing and maintaining close contacts with policymakers.
B. the use of campaign contributions to legislators who favor the interest group.
C. cultivating favorable coverage from the news media.
D.

A. developing and maintaining close contacts with policymakers.

31. (p. 303) Grassroots lobbying is based on the assumption that officials will respond to
A. well-reasoned policy arguments.
B. the opportunity for extensive media publicity.
C. moral pleas.
D. the efforts of party organizations.
E. pressure from constit

E. pressure from constituents.

32. (p. 298) According to the Center for Responsive Politics, what was roughly the amount spent on lobbying in the United States in 2009?
A. $250 billion
B. $10 billion
C. $350 million
D. $35 billion
E. $3.5 billion

E. $3.5 billion

33. (p. 307) Early in the 2012 Republican presidential nominating race, some Super PAC televised ads were so untruthful that they were
A. ordered off the air by the Federal Election Commission.
B. taken off the air, but only after one candidate filed a sl

C. criticized even by the candidates they were intended to help.

34. (p. 303-304) The support of ________ was critical to passage of a controversial prescription drug program for the elderly in 2003.
A. the AARP
B. Greenpeace
C. the ACLU
D. the NAACP
E. the ABA

A. the AARP

35. (p. 305) The largest number of PACs are those associated with
A. single-issue groups, such as environmental groups and right-to-life groups.
B. labor.
C. business.
D. agriculture.
E. education.

C. business.

36. (p. 283) Which of the following statements would NOT be accepted by supporters of the pluralist view of interest groups?
A. People's separate interests are a legitimate basis of public policy.
B. The idea of the public interest or the collective inter

C. The opinion of the majority should always prevail in a policy dispute over the opinion of a more intense and directly affected minority.

37. (p. 282) A pluralist could be expected to argue that
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.

B. society is best seen as a collection of separate interests.

38. (p. 308) Theodore Lowi's theory of interest-group liberalism
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.

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.

39. (p. 310) James Madison's solution to the problem of factions (special interests) has, in the modern policy process, actually contributed to the problem by
A. suppressing the claims of special interests, thereby making it more difficult for them to get

B. resulting in a fragmentation of authority among policymakers, thereby providing groups more opportunities to get their way.

40. (p. 298) Which of the following is true of employment in lobbying firms by members of Congress?
A. It is very rare for a member of Congress to become a lobbyist because of the negative stigma involved.
B. Most members of Congress join lobbying firms i

C. They are prohibited by law from lobbying Congress for a set period of time after leaving office.

41. (p. 310) James Madison argued
A. against all interest groups.
B. for the advocacy of self-interest free from all systems of restraint.
C. for regulation of interests through a governing system of checks and balances.
D. for the replacement of interest

C. for regulation of interests through a governing system of checks and balances.

42. (p. 295) Economist Mancur Olson refers to what aspect of interest groups as "the size factor"?
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

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.

43. (p. 301) In the dynamics of an iron triangle, what benefit do interest groups provide to friendly bureaucratic agencies?
A. services for constituents
B. travel funds
C. campaign contributions
D. administration of mutually beneficial policies
E. lobbyi

E. lobbying support for agency programs

44. (p. 232) The limits of interest groups' influence might be gauged by the Democratic backlash against the ________, which tried to block the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1993.
A. ACLU
B. Sierra Club
C. Izaak Walton League
D. AARP
E. AFL-CIO

E. AFL-CIO

45. (p. 303) Members of the ________ generate more mail to Congress than any other group.
A. NRA
B. ACLU
C. NAACP
D. AARP
E. NEA

D. AARP

46. (p. 283) Another name for an interest group is
A. pressure group.
B. cabal.
C. political party.
D. coalition.
E. constituency.

A. pressure group.

47. (p. 285) During his visit to this country in the 1830s, Alexis de Tocqueville described the United States as "a nation of ________".
A. freeloaders
B. loners
C. joiners
D. fighters
E. stalwarts

C. joiners

48. (p. 285) The citizens of ________ are most actively involved in interest groups and community causes.
A. the United States
B. Germany
C. Italy
D. France
E. Great Britain

A. the United States

49. (p. 283) Which of the following is NOT a typical interest-group function?
A. supporting candidates for public office
B. addressing a broad and diverse range of public issues
C. working to influence policymakers
D. promoting public policies
E. working

B. addressing a broad and diverse range of public issues

50. (p. 290) Which of the following organizations is NOT an example of a single-issue group?
A. Sierra Club
B. National Rifle Association
C. Izaak Walton League
D. right-to-life groups
E. MoveOn.org

E. MoveOn.org

51. (p. 293) The air we breathe is an example of a
A. private good.
B. negative externality.
C. material good.
D. mass-produced good.
E. collective good.

E. collective good.

52. (p. 310) ________ wrote that "Liberty is to faction what air is to fire".
A. James Madison
B. Alexis de Tocqueville
C. Thomas Jefferson
D. Theodore Lowi
E. Theodore Roosevelt

A. James Madison

53. (p. 304) Under federal law, PACs can contribute no more than ________ per candidate in a primary election.
A. $1,000
B. $5,000
C. $25,000
D. $50,000
E. $100,000

B. $5,000

54. (p. 297) Most lobbyists receive support from elected officials in direct exchange for
A. money.
B. information.
C. bribery.
D. coercion.
E. deception.

B. information.

55. (p. 287) The dominant labor interest group is
A. the Teamster's Union.
B. United Auto Workers.
C. the AFL-CIO.
D. the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.
E. None of these answers is correct.

C. the AFL-CIO.

56. (p. 293) About ________ percent of people who regularly listen to National Public Radio do not donate money to their local station.
A. 10
B. 30
C. 50
D. 70
E. 90

E. 90

57. (p. 281) According to E. E. Schattschneider, the interest-group system has a
A. strong upper-class bias.
B. strong working-class bias.
C. strong bias in favor of liberal Democrats.
D. strong bias in favor of moderate Republicans.
E. strong bias in fav

A. strong upper-class bias.