govvy

Which of the following is the main reason interest groups are often successful in getting legislation passed to benefit their members?

A narrow constituency derives the benefits from such legislation but the costs are spread broadly across the population.

The bar graph shows the National Rifle Association's spending on Democratic and Republican candidates over several decades of election cycles in support of gun ownership rights. How could a visual best be created to better understand how the spending of the NRA compares to that of gun control proponents?

A pie chart that tallies total spending by both the NRA and gun control proponents since 1992

Which best describes a likely reason for the information depicted in the graph?

An increase in concerns over media bias

A 2017 study in The American Economic Review found that watching Fox News during an election cycle increased a Democrat's chances of voting Republican by 28 percent. Conversely, by watching MSNBC Republicans were more inclined to vote Democrat by 8 percent. This scenario best illustrates which of the following about the media?

Cable news programming is oftentimes ideologically driven and effective in persuading citizens to adopt their point of view.

For which of the following tasks would using the bar graph as currently designed be the LEAST helpful?

Calculating the election cycle spending based on the intervals shown on the vertical axis

Which of the following provides the most accurate explanation of how consumer-driven media increases partisan polarization?

Consumer-driven media reinforces existing political biases in individuals.

The vice of the groupist theory is that it conceals the most significant aspects of the system. The flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper-class accent. Probably about 90 percent of the people cannot get into the pressure system. The notion that the pressure system is automatically representative of the whole community is a myth fostered by the universalizing tendency of modern group theories. Pressure politics is a selective process ill designed to serve diffuse interests. The system is skewed, loaded, and unbalanced in favor of a fraction of a minority. E. E. Schattschneider, The Semisovereign People, 1960 Which of the following activities would the author most likely be concerned about interest groups engaging in?

Forming iron triangles with bureaucratic agencies and congressional committees

The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) urges its members to take action in support of what they term "animal friendly" legislation through their website. In addition to providing information about important issues that legislators may vote on, the nonprofit organization also describes the best ways to contact a legislator and tips on how best to interact with lawmakers. Which of the following is being illustrated in the scenario?

Interest groups sometimes form around a narrow set of issues with the goal of impacting policy making.

Based on the table, which of the following political action committees (PACs) is most partisan in its allocation of contributions to candidates?

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers

Which of the following statements about Americans' trust in the mass media is best supported by the data in the graph?

It generally decreased over time.

Which of the following most accurately describes media coverage of elections?

Network news coverage is usually dominated by reporters who offer relatively short sound bites from the candidates.

In 1980, a small group of parents personally affected by drunk driving formed the group Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). Over the past four decades, they have grown in number and have lobbied on state and local levels promoting legislation such as stricter limits on blood alcohol levels for drivers. MADD is an example of which of the following?

Single-issue group with the goal of impacting policy making

An important Senate race takes place in the state of Georgia. Rather than focus on the issue positions taken by the candidates, a 24-hour cable news station instead focuses primarily on poll results and campaign strategies using a "big board" to show the counties where each candidate has the most support. Which of the following is an effect of this type of new coverage?

The electorate will be less able to accurately compare the policy platforms of candidates running in the election.

Which of the following best describes César Chávez' view on the use of violence versus nonviolence?

The use of nonviolent actions allows more people to be involved in the movement and effect change.

Which of the following is most directly related to the large amount of money spent by outside groups in the 2012 election?

The use of super PACs as a mechanism to raise money and influence elections

Which of the following is true of amicus curiae briefs?

They are used by interest groups to lobby courts.

Which of the following is true of political action committees (PACs) ?

They make campaign contributions in hopes of gaining access to legislators.

The three points of an iron triangle include

an administrative agency, an interest group, and a congressional committee

The largest amount of political coverage in newspapers during presidential campaigns is devoted to

day-to-day campaign activities

The agenda-setting function of the media refers to the power to

decide which issues are important enough to bring to public attention

The media's effect on public opinion can best be described as

influencing which issues the public sees as important

One of the best strategies that interest groups can use to achieve their goals is

lobbying members of Congress to make small changes in existing policy

In the process and structure of public policymaking, "iron triangles" refer to the

networks of congressional committees, bureaucratic agencies, and interest groups that strongly influence the policy process

Lobbyists try to influence legislators mainly through

providing legislators with information on technical issues

Tom believes that the government should be limited in its regulation of the economy, but he wants to find out more about economic policy. As he researches the topic, he increasingly relies on a well-respected conservative blog as his main source of information. Tom's actions demonstrate the tendency of individuals to seek out information from sources that

reinforce existing political beliefs

Which of the following is a true statement about the role of the media in providing citizens with information?

Demand for instantaneous news reporting has led to the growth of 24-hour news operations and a shift to online media consumption.

The vice of the groupist theory is that it conceals the most significant aspects of the system. The flaw in the pluralist heaven is that the heavenly chorus sings with a strong upper-class accent. Probably about 90 percent of the people cannot get into the pressure system. The notion that the pressure system is automatically representative of the whole community is a myth fostered by the universalizing tendency of modern group theories. Pressure politics is a selective process ill designed to serve diffuse interests. The system is skewed, loaded, and unbalanced in favor of a fraction of a minority. E. E. Schattschneider, The Semisovereign People, 1960 Which of the following statements about interest groups would the author most likely agree with?

Interest groups tend to over-represent elite interests