Govt exam 2

Washington, D.C., is home to many different interest groups. Place the interest groups in order from those with the most presence in the nation's capital to those with the least.

- corporate groups and trade associations- citizen groups- government groups- professional associations- labor groups

Order the political candidates on their likelihood of attracting campaign donations from interest groups from most likely to least likely.

-incumbent member of majority party-incumbent member of minority party-challenger candidate from majority party-challenger candidate from minority party

PACs play an important role in congressional elections. In House elections, PACs are particularly beneficial to (1), who receive about half of their campaign funds from PACs, whereas (2), only receive about 15 percent of their campaign funds from PACs. Senate candidates overall are (3), reliant on PAC contributions than candidates for the House of Representatives. However, in Senate elections, (4) still have the advantage in terms of PAC donations.

1. Incumbents2. Challengers3. Less4. Incumbents

Label the each example of an interest group benefit with the type of benefit it represents.

An individual joins an environmental protection organization to meet and network with other local environmentalists.solidary Correct label:solidary An individual draws pride from having contributed to an interest group's introduction of a particular piece of legislation.purposive Correct label:purposive An interest-group member receives a free T-shirt for joining.material Correct label:material An interest-group member receives discounts from local businesses related to the interest group.material Correct label:material

Match the U.S. Supreme Court case to the effect it had on campaign spending

Buckley v. Valeo- introduced idea that campaign contributions count as speechCitizens United v. FEC (2010)- government could not restrict independent expenditures by corporationsMcCutcheon et al. v. FEC (2014)-removed limits on individuals' campaign contributions

Why can it be challenging to find quality candidates to run for office?

Candidates expect to have their lives scrutinized during a campaign. Party leaders are rarely willing to offer monetary support unless a candidate can raise some funds on his or her own. Even running for a lower office requires raising large sums of money. Political parties do not invest a lot of energy in candidate recruitment.

How are campaigns different now compared to several decades ago?

Correct Answer(s) Almost all campaigns make use of public-opinion polls of likely voters. Campaigns make use of big data to inform their campaign strategies. Campaigns more often engage in micro-targeting. Incorrect Answer(s) Campaigns rarely employ negative ads because they are generally ineffective

Which statements about redistricting are true?

Correct Answer(s) Redistricting is conducted to account for population shifts within a state. Redistricting can sometimes result in gerrymandering, in which districts are drawn in such a way to give one group (party, race, or ethnic group) an advantage over another. Incorrect Answer(s) The courts have banned the establishment of majority-minority districts through redistricting. Redistricting is a nonpartisan process that is carried out by the U.S. Census Bureau every 10 years.

What resources do the most successful groups have?

Correct Answer(s) staff members money

Which activities may be part of a campaign?

Correct Answer(s) television advertisements voter-mobilization drives town halls rallies

Lobbying refers to direct contact by an interest group specifically with a member of Congress.

False

How can interest groups use ballot initiatives to achieve their goals?

Groups can put laws of interest directly to the voters, bypassing the legislative process.

Relative to campaigns in the nineteenth century, today's campaigns require ________ effort by campaign workers and _________ campaign money.

LessMore Relative to campaigns in the nineteenth century, today's campaigns require ________ effort by campaign workers and _________ campaign money.

Which statement(s) accurately describe how lobbyists interact with Congress?

Lobbyists provide political information to members of Congress. Lobbyists provide policy information to busy members of Congress.

Which of the following statements are correct regarding the stability of party identification?

Looking at the electorate as a whole, party identification is stable. Individuals rarely change their party identification.

Which of the following are true about majority-minority districts?

Most such districts occur because of the geographic concentration of minority populations. The Supreme Court has generally opposed the creation of such districts. They occur when more than 50 percent of the people living in the district come from a minority racial or ethnic background.

Match the organization to the correct description.

PACs-can contribute up to $5,000 to a federal candidate for officeSuper PACscannot contribute directly to candidatesCorrect label:may raise unlimited sums from corporations, unions, and individuals

The __________ or caucus votes determine the allocation of __________ at the party's convention. In addition to selecting the party's nominee, delegates also vote on the ______

PrimaryDelegatesParty Platform The __________ or caucus votes determine the allocation of __________ at the party's convention. In addition to selecting the party's nominee, delegates also vote on the __________ at the convention. presidential elec

In 1972, the Democratic Party changed its convention rules and required that state delegations to the national convention include women and members of minority groups in proportion to their representation among the party's membership in that state. Which group made this rule change and has power over the national party's rules?

The national party itself

Which two (possibly contradictory) statements best reflect the current state of parties in the electorate?

There are more independent voters now than ever before. Party identification has gotten stronger among active voters.

How do 527s and 501(c)(4)s differ from more traditional campaign finance groups such as political action committees?

These groups are not subject to the spending limits of the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act.These groups cannot coordinate directly with campaigns.

Which of the following statements best characterizes people's attachments to political parties?

Which of the following statements best characterizes people's attachments to political parties?

Since America's Founding, candidates for president have been nominated using a variety of methods. Put the following nomination methods in order from earliest in American history to the most recent.

congressional "King Caucus"delegates chosen by state party leadersdelegates chosen by primaries and caucuses

What is the most important factor in determining how many major political parties a country has?

electoal rule

Place these steps for electing a president in the proper order (from earliest to latest).

form an exploratory committeeprimaries and caucusesthe conventiongeneral electionelectoral collegeinauguration

You've just been assigned a group project. There is one person in your group who does none of the work but is happy to take the "A" you all earn for the final product. This person's behavior is an example of what concept?

free rider

Identify a primary reason interest groups make PAC donations to politicians' campaigns.

gain access to lawmaker

What is an example of an outsider strategy?

grassroots mobilization

The following terms are often confused. Interest groups are concerned with influencing the policies of government, chiefly through lobbying. Political action committees are interested in influencing who gets elected, though they do not run their own candidates. Finally, political parties are interested in the personnel of government, often directly running candidates for political office.

interest groups, political action committees, political parties

Sort the following attributes into whether they are more characteristic of interest groups or of political parties.

interest groups:more limited in scopetry to influence the government through activities such as lobbying.Political Parties:run candidates in electionsmore responsive to the public at large

Many people who are skeptical or critical of parties and party leaders suggest that they are too divided along _____ and conservative line. many people have ____ opionons and values. they believe that parties do a _____ job representing citizens

liberal, moderate, poor

Match the type of campaign on the left with each campaign characteristic that describes it on the right.grassroots campaignmass media campaign

local campaign-grassroots campaignorganizationally driven-grassroots campaignstatewide campaign-mass media campaignmoney-intensive-mass media campaign

Match the frequency of the election cycle to the corresponding election type.

presidential electionsfour years Correct label:four years midterm electionstwo years Correct label:two years congressional electionstwo years Correct label:two years

Interest groups are often categorized by the causes or people they represent. Match each example of a specific interest group to the correct interest group category.

public interest groupsThe Sierra Club Correct label:The Sierra Club government groupsNational League of Cities Correct label:National League of Cities economic and corporate groupsAmerican Beverage Association Correct label:American Beverage Association labor groupsAFL-CIO Correct label:AFL-CIO professional associationsAmerican Bar Association Correct label:American Bar Association

Lobbying Congress mostly involves what two activities?

• meeting with legislators and staffs • testifying at legislative hearings