AP Gov Chapter 9 - Interest Groups

PACs tend to contribute money to a. incumbents b. challengers c. Independents d. liberal Democrats e. liberal Republicans

a. incumbents

Ideological groups are distinct from single issue groups in a. the number of issues with which they are concerned b. the intensity of their members' opinions c. their tendency to get involved in election campaigns d. that members do not seek to influence the political process e. All these answers are correct

a. the number of issues with which they are concerned

The most fully organized interests are those that represent a. agriculture b. business c. civil liberties d. labor e. the environment

b. business

Interest group activity is basic to the democratic process because it a. is the only legitimate basis of government action b. serves to promote the concerns of various interests in society c. is by far the best means of deciding policy issues d. is an effective substitute for political party activity e. is entirely fair to all interests in society

b. serves to promote the concerns of various interests society

The theory that nearly all interests are adequately presented through group activity is a. republicanism b. constitutionalism c. elitism d. pluralism e. interest-group liberalism

d. pluralism

An interest group that focuses on policy benefits for senior citizens would be an example of a(n) a philosophical interest group b. ideological group c. a professional group d. business group e. single issue group

e. single issue group

Another name for an interest group is a. a faction b. a cabal c. a political party d. a coalition e. a constituency

a. a faction

Outside lobbying does not include a. developing and maintaining close contacts with policymakers b. the use of campaign contributions to legislators who favor the interest group c. cultivating favorable coverage from the news media d. targeting group resources on key election races e. rousing citizens to contact their elected officials and express their support

a. developing and maintaining close contacts with policymakers

By definition, the interest-group system consists of all interests that are _____ and seek _____ goals. a. organized; political b. cohesive; narrow c. mobilized; ideological d. small;narrow e. None of these answers is correct

a. organized; political

A flaw in pluralism theory is the fact that a. the interest group system is unrepresentative because some interests are far better organized and more powerful than others b. the public interest is never served by policies that promote special interests c. larger groups always prevail politically over smaller groups d. political parties better represent different interests than do interest groups e. All these answers are correct

a. the interest group system is unrepresentative because some interests are far better organized and more powerful than others

A primary difference between a political party and a typical interest group is that the party a. promotes public policies b. adapts its policy positions c. supports candidates for public office d. influences policymakers e. addresses a narrow range of issues

b. adapts its policy positions

A set of lobbyists, legislators, policy experts, and executives who come together temporarily in debate over a complex policy issue is a. an iron triangle b. an issue network c. a caucus d. a policy system e. an ideological network

b. an issue network

The situation where individuals are tempted not to contribute to a cause they will get the benefits even if they do not participate is called a. the size factor b. the free-rider problem c. the special interest paradox d. the disincentive factor e. the zero-sum game

b. the free-rider problem

Public interest groups are distinguished by the fact that a. their leaders are elected by secret ballot of the group's members b. their members receive no direct economic benefit from attainment of the group's goals c. they do not lobby government officials directly, but rely instead of public service announcements to get their views across to society d. they always pursue goals in which there is a high level of agreement among society members e. All these answers are correct

b. their members receive no direct economic benefit from attainment of the group's goals

Critics of pluralist theory argue that a. special interests should never receive benefits from government b. there is no collective interest in a system where each special interest determines which policy benefits it receives c. policies which favor a series of minorities are inherently fairer than policies which ignore small groups in a favor of a majority d. the sum of people's special interests is a rough approximation of society's collective interest e. Madisonian theory has created a perfect balance of special interest and common good

b. there is no collective interest in a system where each special interest determines which policy benefits it receives

The term iron triangle refers to a. a tightly-knit set of lobbying groups b. the relationship between the Congress, the military, and defence contractors c. a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest d. the strategy of lobbying all three branches of government simultaneously e. a corrupt relationship between the president, Congress, and the Supreme Court

c. a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who are concerned with promoting a particular interest

James Madison argued a. against all interest groups b. for the advocacy of self-interest free from all systems of restraint c. for regulation of interests through a governing system of checks and balances d. for the replacement of interest groups by formal political parties e. for a powerful journey

c. for regulation of interests through a governing system of checks and balances

A main difference between iron triangles and issue networks is a. an iron triangle includes members of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, while issue networks bypass the judicial branch. b. issue networks involve a stable group of bureaucrats, legislators and lobbyists, while iron triangles exclude lobbyists in an attempt to reach impartial decisions. c. issue networks are generally less stable than iron triangles, such that the members of an issue network may change as the issue develops. d. issue networks, being less formal, rely on outside lobbying only, while iron triangles use inside lobbying only. e. All these answers are correct.

c. issue networks are generally less stable than iron triangles, such that the members of an issue network may change as the issue develops.

Economic groups have an advantage over non-economic groups because a. they nearly always have larger memberships b. they are organized primarily political purposes c. they have better leadership d. they have greater access to financial resources e. their members are committed to their causes

d. they have greater access to financial resources

A basic research for the existence of so many interest groups in the United States is a. the American tradition of free association b. the extent of diverse interests in American society c. America's federal system of government d. both the American tradition of free association and America's federal system of government e. All these answers are correct

e. All these answers are correct