Political Science Final

Which statement explains how a well-organized political party differs from a less-well-organized party?

A well organized party is better positioned to advance its legislative agenda

Which statement explains why government bureaucracies tend to become influential interest groups?

Bureaucrats in specialized agencies have a major role in crafting legislation.

Which statement explains why a candidate for office in the United States would find the issue of abortion politically challenging?

Catholics and protestant fundamentalists are highly influential interest groups

FDR's Democratic coalition consisted of __________.

Catholics, Jews, and blacks

Which statement explains what has happened to federal oversight of the financial industry since the 1980s?

Congress has generally delivered whatever the financial industry wanted, repealing laws and rolling back safeguards

The amount of money currently spent on lobbying the federal government is roughly $_________ per year.

9 billion

Which statement explains why the issue of access challenges the pluralist theory?

Pluralists assume that all groups have access to policy makers when some groups are actually shut out of the system almost entirely

The National Rifle Association generally supports __________ candidates.

Republican

The Republican Party became more coherently conservative under the leadership of __________.

Ronald Reagan

Which of these is an example of a country with a dominant-party system?

Russia

Stable, moderate party systems made democracy possible in which former totalitarian nations?

Spain and West Germany

Which statement explains why unions seem powerful to the American public?

Strikes at large, unionized companies attract a lot of media attention

Which statement explains why Sweden has a higher voter turnout rate than the United States?

Sweden has stronger and better-organized political parties

Which statement explains why elected officials in the United States are less likely to be able to enact the agenda of their party than elected officials in Europe?

The U.S. system is characterized by checks and balances that put obstacles in the way of legislation.

Which of the following policies would be most likely to be considered a hot potato?

a new law tightening requirements for purchasing a gun

An interest group with structured access has __________ relationship with government.

a stable and beneficial

For interest groups to function properly, there must be __________.

a strong government

States with a competitive party system tend to __________ than other states.

be less corrupt

When an industry such as coal or cotton advertises on television, it is often trying to show the public that it __________.

benefits society in general

Interest groups typically approach __________ looking for a favorable interpretation of existing rules and regulations.

bureaucrats

Interest groups in the United States tend to over-represent __________.

business interests

In most democratic countries, major parties attempt to be _________ in order to win a large number of votes

catchall parties

What distinguishes a center-right party from a right-wing party?

center right parties want to reduce the level of spending on the welfare state, whereas right wing parties wan to dismantle it

Which of these concepts is most strongly associated with Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.?

civil disobedience

In the current political environment, a party's brand is most likely to be a result of __________.

clashes between newcomers and the establishment

In democratic societies, large political parties are typically__________.

coalitions of distinct interest groups

Which of the following, if they existed in Germany, would dramatically change the way German national elections are financed?

constitutional protections for campaign donations

A government-created interest group is one that results from __________.

creation of a government program or bureaucracy

In the United States, party membership is __________.

decreasingly gradually

The British Labour Party and the U.S. Democratic Party attracted workers by __________.

demanding union rights, fair labor policies, and welfare benefits

Centralized parties tend to be more __________.

disciplined

Under Margaret Thatcher, the British Conservatives wanted to __________.

dismantle the welfare state

Which statement describes the relationship among elected officials, their constituents, and political parties?

elected officials hold themselves more accountable to PACs and constituents than to political parties

A politician who makes explosive anti-immigrant comments would most likely be part of a party that is _________.

far right

A personalistic party is most likely to arise within a nation that has a __________ party system

fluid

An interest group whose membership is dominated by retired persons is most likely to lobby __________.

for an expansion of Medicare benefits

Tocqueville noted that Americans are unusually fond of __________.

forming associations

In order to prevent interest groups from influencing politics, it would be necessary to curtail their __________.

freedom of expression

The Tobacco Institute maintains a low profile by __________ rather than operating in ways that are obvious to the public.

funding research that supports its agenda

By welcoming new groups into their ranks, parties __________.

give those groups a pragmatic and psychological stake in the political system

A "stalemate society" is one in which __________.

government is trapped by competing interests

According to Olson, small, well-organized groups often override the broader public interest because they __________.

have much to gain from favorable but narrow laws and rulings, so they lobby intensely

Which two industries contribute the most money to candidates of both major American political parties?

health care and finance

A key characteristic of Weltanschauung parties was their __________.

ideological orientation

During recent decades, party cohesion in the United States has __________.

increased

A strong party system is likely to produce __________.

ineffective public policies

Government programs tend to be difficult to cut back or eliminate in the United States because __________.

interest groups lobby to protect their benefits

The Enron energy scandal and the 2008 subprime mortgage crisis illustrate which problem?

interest groups setting up laws that favor only themselves

Which of these is true about the party system in the United States?

it is rare for individuals to change their party identification

Democrats in the U.S. Congress are more clearly __________ than they were previously.

liberal

Which of these is an example of two distinct interest groups working for the same cause?

libertarians and cancer patients both opposing laws against medical marijuana

Which statement explains why the 2010 health care reform bill contained no provision for a public insurance option?

lobbyists for the health insurance industry were able to convince congress to drop consideration of a public option

Some of the former functions of political parties have been taken over by __________.

mass media and interest group

The central concern behind the formation of single-issue interest groups tends to be __________.

moral

Political parties differ from interest groups because parties __________.

must win elections to influence policy

Which of these is a strategy that interest groups tend to avoid?

nominating a candidate to run for public office

In a weak state, interest groups _________.

often include powerful criminal gangs

A communist, one-party state is likely to be filled with political __________.

opportunists

Voters in advanced democracies tend to be less loyal to a specific political party because __________ than in the past.

parties are less differentiated form each other

Political parties in a democratic society are most likely to ignore voters' preferences when __________.

party leaders are caught up in internal squabbles

Which term describes a democratic system where all kinds of people with different opinions and values compete to influence government policy?

pluralist

What are two reasons that elections are so much more expensive in the United States than in Western Europe?

the weakness of American political parties and the decentralized nomination process

A critic of the U.S. campaign finance system is most likely to point out that __________.

there is little transparency in the way that wealthy people's money is used in the political system

Democrats and Republicans tend to agree that the tax code is __________.

too confusing

The impact of third parties like the Reform Party of the 1990s or the Green Party in 2000 makes the United States __________ party system.

two-plus

The courts are most likely to become an arena for interest group competition in a country __________.

where the rule of law is strong

Which of these was most helpful to the Occupy Wall Street protesters?

the use of social media

The trend toward negative advertising in political campaigns is spurred in by __________.

the use of soft money

Which of the following politicians would most likely be described as a "Blue Dog"?

Democratic congressman representing a conservative district

Why do dictatorships generally tolerate the presence of political parties?

Dictators use political parties to provide the illusion of a more democratic government

What did Olson believe would happen if interest groups became progressively stronger over time?

Economic growth would stagnate

Which statement describes how France differs from the United States with respect to the interest group system?

French interest groups operate in a more constrained atmosphere

Which statement explains the relationship between lobbying the executive branch and lobbying the legislative branch in the United States?

Interest groups apply roughly the same tactics when lobbying both branches

Which of these is a potential problem of corporatism?

It could undermine the good of society

Which statement explains why electoral propaganda can be considered beneficial for a democratic society?

It simplifies complex issues for voters.

Which is a major shortcoming of a government that is heavily influenced by interest groups?

Many people do not have the resources to organize into a group that can influence the government

Which statement explains how a party's level of coherence affects voters?

Parties that are coherent deliver on their election promises; voters can expect policy changes and implementation in line with party ideology.

Which statement explains why the implementation of "responsible party government" is difficult in the United States?

Party power is highly fragmented and divided across branches of government

Which statement explains why Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev deliberately undermined the Soviet party structure?

The communist party has largely filled government positions with corrupt opportunists

Which statement describes the shift in the U.S. party system that began in the 1980s?

The correct answer is: The two parties have become more polarized.

Which of these statements describes the theory of countervailing power?

The influence of interest groups tends to balance out because groups emerge on both sides of any issue

Which statement explains how political parties in the United Kingdom differ from political parties in Israel?

The selection of candidates in the United Kingdom is a bargain between national and local party organizations, whereas candidate selection in Israel is highly centralized.

Which statement describes the long-term trend for political parties in the United States?

They are increasingly prone to interest groups influence and the erosion of traditional party functions

In what sense do parties help to maintain government legitimacy?

They give citizens a way to communicate their needs to the gevernment

Which of these is a characteristic of single-party systems?

They lack competition and accountability

In which of these ways is a pluralist most like the role an interest group plays in society?

They make a positive contribution to the political system

Which statement describes parties that are part of a fluid party system?

They stand for little and do not last long

Under which of these systems is party discipline likely to be highest?

a highly centralized system in which candidate selection is in the hands of party leaders

Consider the fact that members of Congress increasingly rely on journalists, think tanks, or other areas of expertise for information or ideas on which to base policy decisions. This supports the argument that __________.

political parties are declining in their dominance of political functions

Suppose you belong to a single-issue interest group with very little funding. Which of these is your best approach to influencing public policy?

preform high-profile acts o civil disobediance

Which group has the most influence over politics in the United States?

racial and ethnic minorities

A flaw in personalistic parties is that they __________.

rarely represent a coherent ideology

In a two-party system, third parties tend to __________.

remind the major parties about voter discontent

Other than politicians themselves, where do new policy ideas tend to come from in the current political environment?

specialists in think tanks

Lobbyists often call themselves __________ to get around the registration and reporting requirements for lobbyists.

strategic consultants

A strong state is necessary for a healthy interest group environment because strong states have __________.

the ability to keep groups from acting outside the law

Rousseau influenced French attitudes toward pluralism by arguing that __________.

the general will was more important than particular wills

Which statement expresses a normative element of pluralism?

the government should support competition and interaction among interest groups

Which of these changes is likely to have the greatest impact on the number of parties in a country's political system?

the introduction of a proportional representation system

Which of these is the most significant threat to China's one-party system?

the rapid economic growth that is creating a middle class critical of corruption