Gov Exam Mass Media and Interest Groups

When the behavior of citizens and policymakers, as well as the political agenda itself, is increasingly shaped by technology, it is known as what? A. media events B. mass media C. high-tech politics D. infotainment E. social media

C

A non-litigant group or individual that wants to attempt to influence the court in a particular case can file A. an amicus curae brief B. a writ of error coram nobias C. a habeus corpus petition D. a writ of certorari E. a writ of mandamus

A

Large special interest groups use selective incentives to get people to participate because the incentives A. are benefits that can be denied to those who do not contribute B. are easier to manage due to the organization's size C. are beneficial because members can choose to contribute D. work better when dealing with large numbers of people E. are easier to administer and beneficial in terms of cost

A

TV, radio, and the internet are ________ media; newspapers and magazines are ______ media. A. electronic, print B. public, private C. private, public D. liberal, conservative E. conservative, liberal

A

The largest amount of political coverage in newspapers during presidential campaigns is devoted to A.day-to-day campaign activities B. the platforms of major parties C. candidates' policy stands on domestic issues D. candidates' stands on foreign policy issues E. candidates' experience and qualifications

A

The media act as a(n)____________ between the people and policymakers A. key linkage institution B. unappreciated mediator C. sole form of communication D. necessary evil E. negative element of democracy

A

The media plays a major role in establishing the public agenda by A. deciding how prominently to cover issue-related stories B. refusing to publicize the opinions of a pundit deemed "too political" C. reviewing the accuracy of candidates' campaign ads D. reporting political news from foreign nations E. making available the complete text of presidential addresses and press releases

A

The primary function of PACs is A. contribute money to candidates for election B. coordinate local get-out-the-vote campaigns C. promote the defeat of incumbents in the federal and state legislatures D. organize protest demonstrations and other acts of civil disobedience E. contact Congress to suggest legislation

A

What is lobbying? A. communicating with government officials to persuade them to support a particular policy position B. conducting surveys to gauge public opinion on a policy issue C. convincing potential members to Join an interest group by offering them material benefits D. fundraising for political candidates E. educating the public about the activities of the government

A

Which of the following is hyperpluralists' main criticism of the interest group system? A. interest groups are too powerful and government is too deferential to their demands. B. interest groups are too weak to have much influence in government C. elected officials are too heavily influenced by PACs D. business groups tend to dominate over other types of interest groups E. labor unions tend to dominate over other types of interest groups

A

A(n) _________ refers to an organization that seeks to influence public policy A. corporation B. interest group C. institute D. faction E. administration

B

Interest groups are important subjects of study in American politics, because A. they are always successful in getting their demands met by government B. they provide a venue for citizens to participate in government C. most lobbyists eventually serve in Congress D. they determine what issues get covered in the media E. they determine who runs for elected office

B

James Madison described how a government could be designed to control the effects of A. monarchies B. factions C. representative government D. political parties E. trade associations

B

Media coverage of an issue is most likely to change public opinion when A. the issue directly affects few Americans know very little B. coverage is extensive and is either overwhelmingly positive or negative C. that issue is discussed in editorial columns and on broadcasts that emphasize news analysis, such as CNN's Crossfire D. a major newspaper runs a series of articles analyzing the issue in depth E. the media provides a diverse range of perspectives on the issue

B

TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, the internet, and other forms of communication are collectively referred to as the _____ A. World Wide Web B. mass media C. media conglomeration D. world of high-tech politics E. 4th branch of government

B

Th primary interest of publicly owned media is ______; the primary interest of privately owned media is ______. A. making a profit; serving the public interest B. serving the public interest; making a profit C. spreading propaganda; being as objective as possible D. serving the state; serving the people E. undermining democracy; supporting democracy

B

The average length of time that a presidential candidate was given to talk uninterrupted on the TV news in 1969 was _________. In 2004, it was _______. A. 5 sec; 5 sec B. 43 sec; 8 sec C. 5 min; 5 sec D. 8 min; 5 min E. 10 min; 10 sec

B

The free-rider problem occurs when A. interest groups seek public funding to advance their special interests B. people benefit from an interest group's efforts without making any contribution C. elected officials provide government services for those who have helped their campaigns. D. political campaigns manipulate the news media in order to obtain free advertising E. congressional candidates win elections because they belong to the party of a popular president.

B

The three points of an iron triangle include A. an independent agency, a state, and a member of Congress B. an administrative agency, an interest group, and a congressional committee C. a cabinet department, an interest group, and the House majority leader D. a regulatory commission, a corporation, and the white house office

B

Voters who rely exclusively on television network news coverage o national elections are most likely to be aware of A. which special interest groups have endorse which candidates B. the relative strength of each candidate's support as indicated by public opinion polls C. candidates' positions on international issues D. candidates' positions on domestic issues E. candidates' congressional voting records

B

Which of the following interest groups is an example of an equality interest A. the United Auto Workers B. the National Organization for Women C. the World Wildlife Fund D. Common Cause E. the Christian Coalition

B

A major difference between political parties and interest groups is that A. interest groups typically shift their positions on issues over time, while political parties tend to keep the same position on issues over time. B. interest groups usually recruit candidates for office while political parties usually limit themselves to making campaign contributions to candidates. C. political parties seek to gain control of government, while interest groups seek to influence public policy D. political parties tend to have narrow coalitions of support, and interest groups tend to have broad coalitions of support. E. political parties usually focus on one issue, while interest groups focus mainly on many issues.

C

In 1934, Congress created which body to regulate the use of airwaves? A. Federal Trade Commission B. Equal Opportunity Commission C. Federal Communicaitons Comission D. Department of the Interior E. Department of Media Communications

C

In order to overcome the free rider problem, many interest groups offer selective/material benefits. What are selective/material benefits? A. the policies that interest groups help to bring about B. gifts given to members of Congres in return for their support on legislation C. benefits given to only group members D. campaign contributions to elected officials E. bonuses given to the most effective lobbyists.

C

Interest groups and political parties both promote US democracy by A .expressing detailed, ideologically distinct programs B. centralizing public authority C. linking citizens to the political process D. increasing domination of the political process by elites E. lobbying members of Congress

C

Interest groups representing businesspeople and investors are often among the most successful lobbying groups, for all of the following reasons EXCEPT A. such groups have financial resources to mount sustained campaigns on their own behalf B. many such groups have been in existence for several decades or more, allowing them to master the legislative system and to develop close ties with legislators C. In many districts, these groups' constituents make up the majority of voters D. These groups; constituents contribute heavily to many legislators' campaigns, and in doing so, gain greater access to legislators. E. economic lobbyists often campaign for obscure or minute changes to tax law about which the public knows little, and therefore frequently meet little opposition

C

The theory that all interest groups are and should be free to compete for influence in government, resulting gin healthy democratic compromise and balance is called A. elite power politics B. socialism C. pluralism D. rational choice E. institutionalism

C

The use of in-depth reporting to unearth scandal, scams, and schemes, at times putting reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders, is referred to as _______ journalism. A. guard-dog B. gatekeeping C. investigative D. criminalistic E. law-and-order

C

What is an event called that is publicly staged for the media and that is significant just because the media are there? A. political event B. campaign event C. media event D. reporter event E. legislative event

C

What is the main objective of most labor unions? A. to protect consumers from unsafe products B. to protect the interests of business within an industry C. to protect jobs and secure favorable wages and benefits for their members D. to ensure equality of all people under the law E. to support free trade policies.

C

Which of the following is an activity that lobbyists regularly engage in? A. answering emails from elected officials' constituents B. speaking on behalf of elected officials at press conferences C. providing elected officials with information about an interest groups' position on a bill or issue D. providing legal counsel to interest groups in court cases E. introducing bills in Congress

C

Which of the following is an assumption of pluralism? A. only wealthy interests have influence over government decisions B. government decisions reflect the preferences of elites C. interest groups are integral to government decisions D. policymakers care more about public opinion than interest groups' preferences E. political parties matter more than interest groups in shaping government policies.

C

A corporate lobbyist would be LEAST likely to have an informal discussion about a pending policy matter with which of the following? A. a member of the white house staff in whose district the corporation has a plant. B. a member of the white house staff concerned about the issue. C. a member of the staff of the Senate committee handling a matter of concern to the corporation. D. a federal judge in whose court a case important to the corporation is being heard. E. a journalist for a major newspaper concerned about the issue.

D

How do lobbyists typically seek to influence members of Congress A. by introducing bills B. by filing amicus curiae briefs C. by organizing protests and demonstrations on Capitol Hill D. by providing specialized expertise E. by offering them money to vote a particular way

D

PAC contributions to members of Congress ensure A. favorable legislative outcomes B. predictable voting among politicians C. priority for specific issues D. access to the legislative process E. distribution of information to the public

D

The legislative successes of the NRA, anti-abortion activists, and other powerful interest groups demonstrate that A. US domestic policy has grown more conservative in the 1990s B. the influence of PACs has weakened in recent years C. the power of interest groups depends on the degree of support for their positions in the white house D. majority opinion on an issue can sometimes be overridden by the intensity of a minority;s

D

The news media select what stories to cover and give the most press to A. stories that detail important public policy B. stories that eXplain politicians' positions on issues C. stories that demonstrate the efforts being made by politicians on legislation D. stories that are controversial and negative E. stories that detail the impact of legislation and presidential activity.

D

Research suggests that the overriding bias in the news is one toward stories that ______. A. favor liberals B. favor conservatives C. are humanitarian D. put the president in a good light E. will draw the largest audience

E

What to right-to-work laws uphold? A. pleadings based on amicus curiae briefs B. the public's right to collective goods C. the requirement that workers in a union shop must join the union D. selective benefits E. a worker's freedom to decline the opportunity to join a union

E

Which of the following forms an "iron triangle"? A. president, congress, supreme court B. president, house majority leader, Senate majority leader. C. interest group, Senate majority leader, House majority leader D. executive department, house majority leader, president E. executive department, congressional committee, interest group

E

Which of the following most accurately describes media coverage of elections? A. coverage of presidential primaries gives relatively equal power to states regardless of then they hold their primaries B. coverage tends to focus on issues rather than on which candidate is ahead in public opinion polls C. reporters who use secret sources in their campaign coverage are shielded by federal law from having to reveal those sources D. radio and tv stations must provide on their news broadcasts equal time for, and equal coverage of major party candidates. E. network news coverage is usually dominated by reporters who offer relatively short sound bites from candidates.

E