American Gov MCQ: American Government Chapter 9

An amicus brief

A. is a written document in which a group explains to a court its position on a legal dispute the court is handling
B. Is a written document in which an interest group lays out its policy preference for a targeted lawmakers
C. Prevents a lobbyist group from making campaign donations to policy makers over a specific issue
D. Provides evidence for prosecutors of an illegal monetary relationship between a lawmaker and an interest group or PAC
E. Prevents PACs from donation more then $5,000 to a single candidate during a primary election

Answer: A

Which citizens' group did a fortune magazine survey rank as the nation's most powerful lobbying group?

A. the NAACP
B. the AFL-CIO
c. the AARP
d. MADD
e. Common Cause

Answer: C

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 of the above

Answer: A

"Agency Capture" occurs when

A. a regulatory agency funnels money back into the lobbying organizations that are seeking policy changes
B. regulatory agencies side with the industries they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public
C. the executive branch takes back control of a regulatory agency by passing regulation to prevent undue influence by lobbying organization
D. a regulatory agency must be dismantled because it has become corrupted
E. An election results in the replacement of an agency's leadership through appointive positions under a new president

Answer: B

Economic groups have an advantage over non-economic groups because

A. they nearly always have larger memberships
B. they are organized primarily for political purposes
C. they have better leadership
D. they have greater access to financial resources
E. their members are committed to their causes

Answer: D

Roughly how many American workers currently belong to unions

A. one in two
B. one in four
C. one in eight
D. one in six
E. one in ten

Answer: C

In order to overcome the free-rider problem, non-economic groups have

A. deliberately restricted the size of their membership
B. Joined up with economic groups
C. Convinced government to limit the distribution of public goods to those who have contributed to the group's efforts
D. Used Internet resources and computer-assisted mailing lists to target potential donors
E. Adopted taxes for nonmembers

Answer: D

The situation in which individuals are tempted not to contribute to a cause because 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

Answer: B

Some groups pursue collective goods. A collective good is one that

A. Cannot be selectively granted or denied to individuals; it must be shared
B. Is provided by public service organization
C. Is secured by the president
D. Is secured by Congress
E. None of the above

Answer: A

Why have issue networks become more prevalent than iron triangles?

A. the increasing power of corporate lobbying
B. The increasing diversity of interest groups
C. The increasing influence of PACs
D. The instability of candidates' positions
E. The increasing complexity of policy problems

Answer: E