chap 9
Interest groups in the United States tend to over-represent __________.
. business interests
8. The National Rifle Association generally supports __________ candidates.
Republican
14. Which statement explains why government bureaucracies tend to become influential interest groups?
a. Bureaucrats in specialized agencies have a major role in (crafting) legislation.
19. An interest group whose membership is dominated by retired persons is most likely to lobby __________.
a. for an expansion of Medicare benefits
24. The trend toward negative advertising in political campaigns is spurred in by __________.
a. the use of soft money
3. Tocqueville noted that Americans are unusually fond of __________.
b. forming associations
In order to prevent interest groups from influencing politics, it would be necessary to curtail their __________.
b. freedom of expression
15. Government programs tend to be difficult to cut back or eliminate in the United States because __________.
b. interest groups lobby to protect their benefits
10. Political parties differ from interest groups because parties __________.
b. must win elections to influence policy
17. In a weak state, interest groups _________.
b. often include powerful criminal gangs
20. Rousseau influenced French attitudes toward pluralism by arguing that __________.
b. the general will was more important than particular wills
42. Which statement explains the relationship between lobbying the executive branch and lobbying the legislative branch in the United States?
both branches
36. Interest groups typically approach __________ looking for a favorable interpretation of existing rules and regulations.
bureaucrats
22. Which statement describes how France differs from the United States with respect to the interest group system?
c. French interest groups operate in a more constrained atmosphere.
18. Which statement expresses a normative element of pluralism?
c. The government should support competition and interaction among interest groups.
12. Which of these statements describes the theory of countervailing power?
c. The influence of interest groups tends to balance out because groups emerge on both sides of any issue.
16. For interest groups to function properly, there must be __________.
c. a strong government
13. A government-created interest group is one that results from __________.
c. creation of a government program or bureaucracy
27. Which statement explains why a candidate for office in the United States would find the issue of abortion politically challenging?
catholic
40. Which of these concepts is most strongly associated with Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.?
civil disobedience
46. A "stalemate society" is one in which __________.
competing interest
The amount of money currently spent on lobbying the federal government is roughly $_________ per year
d. 9 billion
23. Which of these is a potential problem of corporatism?
d. Interest groups could supplant government as the source of social stability.
9. Which statement explains why the 2010 health care reform bill contained no provision for a public insurance option?
d. Lobbyists for the health insurance industry were able to convince Congress to drop consideration of a public option.
. In which of these ways is a pluralist most like the role an interest group plays in society?
d. Positive system.
6. Which group has the most influence over politics in the United States?
d. racial
21. A strong state is necessary for a healthy interest group environment because strong states have __________.
d. the ability to keep groups from acting outside the law
25. What are two reasons that elections are so much more expensive in the United States than in Western Europe?
d. the weakness of American political parties and the decentralized nomination process
28. Which of the following, if they existed in Germany, would dramatically change the way German national elections are financed?
donations
47. The Enron energy scandal and the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis illustrate which problem?
favors only
34. The Tobacco Institute maintains a low profile by __________ rather than operating in ways that are obvious to the public.
funding
37. When an industry such as coal or cotton advertises on television, it is often trying to show the public that it __________.
general
44. Which of the following policies would be most likely to be considered a hot potato?
gun
26. Which two industries contribute the most money to candidates of both major American political parties?
health care finance
43. Suppose you belong to a single-issue interest group with very little funding. Which of these is your
high profile
48. Which is a major shortcoming of a government that is heavily influenced by interest groups?
many people
7. Which of these is an example of two distinct interest groups working for the same cause?
marijuana
32. The central concern behind the formation of single-issue interest groups tends to be __________.
moral
39. According to Olson, small, well-organized groups often override the broader public interest because they __________.
narrow laws and rulings
41. Which of these is a strategy that interest groups tend to avoid?
nominating
5. Which term describes a democratic system where all kinds of people with different opinions and values compete to influence government policy?
pluralist
31. Which statement explains why the issue of access challenges the pluralist theory?
pluralist all groups
45. Democrats and Republicans tend to agree that the tax code is __________.
too confusing
38. The courts are most likely to become an arena for interest group competition in a country __________.
where rule of law strong
35. Which of these was most helpful to the Occupy Wall Street protesters?
the use of social media
30. An interest group with structured access has __________ relationship with government.
stable beneficial
33. Lobbyists often call themselves __________ to get around the registration and reporting requirements for lobbyists.
strategic consultants
29. Which statement explains why unions seem powerful to the American public?
strikes at large
