Chapter 9 – Interest Groups Test Bank NEW FOR 2010

1. Which of the following is an example of the revolving door?A. A company vice-president is sent to Washington to meet with members of the state’s

congressional delegationB. A staff member of the Senate Banking Committee is appointed to a post in the Treasury

DepartmentC. An official in the Department of State resigns to take a job at a major universityD. A special assistant to the president resigns to run for CongressE. A staff scientist leaves the EPA to take a job with an environmental lobby

2. When a political action committee makes a contribution to an elected official, the expectation isA. the elected official will vote the way the group wantsB. the interest group will have access to the elected officialC. the elected official will provide jobs for members of the interest groupD. the elected official will make sure the interest group is not audited by the IRSE. the elected official will kick back a portion of the contribution to lobbyist

3. All of the following are examples of economic interest groups EXCEPTA. American Farm Bureau FederationB. Consumer Union of the U.S.C. Service Employees International UnionD. American Bankers AssociationE. American Federation of Teachers

4. In order to contribute to the campaign of a presidential candidate, an interest group A. can make the donation directly to the candidateB. must earmark money for voter educationC. can only give the money to the national partyD. must create a PAC to raise and distribute the moneyE. must approve ads bought with its money

5. The free rider problem refers toA. candidates for office who face no primary oppositionB. a candidate with great personal wealth who does not need PAC moneyC. members of Congress who take gifts from lobbyistsD. non-germane amendments added to a billE. a person who benefits from an interest group but does not join

6. Lobbyists try to influence public policy by doing all of the following EXCEPTA. mobilizing grass roots supportB. testifying before congressional committeesC. meeting with federal district judgesD. speaking with heads of federal agenciesE. providing research data to government officials

7. A lobbyist for the National Rifle Association is most likely to get the support ofA. a Republican who voted for the Brady BillB. an incumbent facing a difficult reelection

C. a liberal DemocratD. a newly elected SenatorE. a conservative Republican

8. Which of the following is the Mexican American Legal Defense Fund LEAST likely t do to achieve its goals?

A. lobby Congress on immigration reformB. endorse only Hispanic candidates for officeC. file a lawsuit involving immigrant employment discrimination D. challenge local English only ordinancesE. submit a redistricting plan to increase Latino voter strength

9. Which of the following statements about lobbyists is NOT true?A. Lobbyists are often former government officialsB. Lobbyists must register with the House and SenateC. Lobbyists cannot represent foreign countriesD. Many interest groups have their own lobbyists on staffE. Strong interpersonal skills are important to a lobbyist’s success

10. A former under secretary in the Department of Energy becomes a consultant for the American Petroleum Institute and testifies before Congress on the regulation of offshore oil drilling. This is an example of

A. an iron triangleB. influence peddlingC. an issue networkD. the revolving doorE. effective lobbying

11. When the AARP produces its Guide to Internet Resources on Aging, it is supporting which function of an interest group?

A. member benefitsB. educationC. representationD. lobbyingE. electioneering

12. Which of the following statements about interest groups is valid?A. Interest groups only try to influence policymaking at the federal levelB. Interest group are only composed of individual membersC. In almost all cases, the potential membership of an interest group is greater than the

actual membershipD. Interest groups get all of their funding from membership duesE. Interest groups are mot effective when they deal with multiple issues

13. Lobbyists must file reports of their activities, including information about their clients, withA. the Federal Election CommissionB. the Justice DepartmentC. the Securities and Exchange CommissionD. the House of Representatives and the Senate

E. Office of Management and Budget

14. Politicians are concerned about the “graying of America” becauseA. older Americans do not contribute as much as they can to political campaignsB. older Americans are politically engaged and vote in high numbersC. older Americans are single-issue voters and care only about foreign policyD. older Americans are apathetic and do not bother to voteE. older Americans are not well-organized politically compared to other groups

15. What is the main difference between a political party and an interest group?A. Interest groups are not concerned with the political processB. Interest groups have more members than political partiesC. Interest groups are concerned with a limited range of issuesD. Only dues-paying members of an interest group benefit from its activitiesE. Political parties do not rely on their members for financial support