question

The French traveler Alex de Tocqueville found __________ to be a strong antidote to European-style tyranny in the political life of Americans in the early 1830s.

answer

the freedom of association

question

Two basic kinds of groups form in a ―do something‖ political culture, one seeks to change __________ and the other seeks to __________.

answer

the status quo, preserve it

question

Grassroots lobbying is best defined as __________.

answer

getting the media to cover an issue

question

In 1989, the Tiananmen Square protests illustrate __________ in regard to collective action.

answer

the difference between totalitarian and democratic societies

question

__________ serve to compel governments to focus on problems that they might otherwise neglect.

answer

Organized interests

question

Interest groups have three important characteristics, they voluntary, share common beliefs, and seek to __________.

answer

influence government

question

A(n) __________ refers to an organization that seeks to influence public policy.

answer

interest group

question

What is lobbying?

answer

appealing to government officials to persuade them to support a particular policy position

question

The __________ problem occurs when people fail to join a group because they can get the benefits the group offers without contributing to the group's efforts.

answer

free rider

question

What is a trade group?

answer

a formal interest group that represents a specific industry or profession

question

What is a public interest group?

answer

a group that works to gain benefits for society as a whole

question

In order to overcome the free rider problem, many interest groups offer material benefits. What are material benefits?

answer

benefits given only to group members

question

Although multi-issue interest groups pursue various agendas, what factor most distinguished them from other groups?

answer

a common theme

question

Which of the following is the main type of organization that lobbies on behalf of workers?

answer

labor union

question

Although interest groups are representative of a democracy, the representatives of interest groups draw often their membership from __________ and so reflect their biases.

answer

elite levels of society

question

Especially in regard to enlisting the aid of professional lobbyists, political scientist see what factor as important for the efficacy of interest groups?

answer

sources of funding

question

Which of the following is a doctrine of equality that ignores differences in social status, wealth, and privilege?

answer

egalitarianism

question

What function are interest groups serving when they run public relations campaigns on little- known issues?

answer

building agendas

question

Which of the following is an example of a public interest group?

answer

a consumer rights group

question

Who engages in grassroots or outside lobbying?

answer

a wide range of interest groups, including public interest groups and business groups

question

What is the central problem of government in, for example, letting investors build a fast- food restaurant and the neighborhood group that fears an increase in traffic and trash?

answer

balancing competing desires

question

Which of the following is an example of an economic group?

answer

the Chamber of Commerce

question

What type of group is the American Bar Association?

answer

a professional association

question

What is the chief, and fundamental, activity of a think tank?

answer

conduct research on a range of public issues

question

Which of the following is an example of grassroots/outside lobbying?

answer

a petition sent to representatives in Congress

question

What problem did economist Mancur Olson identify that passivity on the part of individuals who benefit from the work of activists but who do not join it or support it in any way?

answer

the freeloader problem

question

What kind of interest group is the Service Employees International Union (SEIU)?

answer

trade association

question

What is the primary motivator for David Truman's disturbance theory of interest group formation?

answer

threat perception

question

Which of the following is an example of the free rider (or collective action) problem?

answer

an environmental group struggling to raise funds for a "clean air" campaign

question

What role does the Environmental Protection Agency play when it hires the Sierra Club to provide consulting services on logging practices?

answer

patron

question

What best describes the key ingredient of effective inside lobbying?

answer

personal contact

question

A multi-issue group typically seeks to __________.

answer

address a range of problems and issues that concern a central theme

question

In __________, the right to take collective action is restricted and often outlawed.

answer

totalitarian systems

question

What is the chief function of an interest group and its agenda for those individuals outside its immediate membership?

answer

educate the public

question

Which of the following is an activity that lobbyists regularly engage in?

answer

providing elected officials with information about an interest group's position on a bill or issue

question

Consider the "Myth Exposed" box. Which of the following statements best describes the use of indirect lobbying?

answer

Indirect lobbying can be traced back to the nation's early days.

question

Why do interest groups typically offer material benefits to their members?

answer

to overcome the free rider/collective action problem

question

Which First Amendment freedom is what determines that those who take collective action can be effective in changing the minds of American citizens and leaders?

answer

the right to petition

question

How does grassroots/outside lobbying differ from other efforts by interest groups to influence government?

answer

Grassroots/outside lobbying focuses more than other forms of advocacy on influencing public opinion to support groups' goals.

question

How would an environmentally minded farmer exercise her First Amendment guarantee of free assembly to encourage landowners from exercising their mineral rights?

answer

form a citizen's action committee for her neighbors and other stakeholders

question

What is the risk that interest groups take in mobilizing the public?

answer

alienating people

question

You are the leader of an environmental organization working to address the problem of climate change. Given the free rider problem, what would be the most effective way to get others to join your cause?

answer

Offer an incentive, such as a t-shirt, to those who join the campaign.

question

The professional actor-leader of a troupe of street theater activists who protest the lending practices of banks is not representative of the public at-large because __________.

answer

of his theater training

question

You need to advise a lobbyist for your group that it would not only be inappropriate to pay for your congresswoman to speak, but illegal, too. What do you need to cite?

answer

An honorarium is illegal under the Lobbying Disclosure Act.

question

How would a liberal-minded school teacher typically support the Brookings Institution, one of the think tanks she often cites as an authoritative source of policy information?

answer

writing a check for $50

question

Your church group, which is dedicated to banning assault weapons, has asked the imam of the local Sufi mosque if he or any of his fellow Muslims would like to join you in a candlelight march. What are you trying to bridge?

answer

a religious cleavage

question

If you were from London, why would an American environmental group bringing pressure on a municipal government to recycle more types of plastic containers strike you as odd?

answer

Your country would more likely rely on the central government to address this issue.

question

Why is grassroots/outside lobbying an effective political tactic?

answer

Grassroots lobbying shapes public opinion, and elected officials are known to respond to public opinion.

question

Which of the following, if true, would indicate that grassroots/outside lobbying is an ineffective political tactic?

answer

Policy makers primarily work to satisfy the demands of their wealthiest campaign contributors. As a result, they rarely respond to broader public opinion.

question

According to one theory for the growth of interest groups, what might take place with the implementation of universal health care in the United States?

answer

New groups would form to influence the bureaucracies created or charged to administer this program.

question

Given the sacrifices that pro-democracy students made during the 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising, why is the statement that Americans ―fail to appreciate‖ their right to free assembly both poignant and ironic?

answer

That there are still Americans who do not exercise this right.

question

Your anti-fracking coalition is still a small group. So why is your fax machine a powerful tool in getting media access?

answer

Your letterhead will have a better impact.

question

Which type of organization would find it easiest to overcome the free rider/collective action problem?

answer

a trade association representing a small number of firms

question

Which of the following factors was instrumental in the success of the United Farm Workers?

answer

the charismatic leadership of César Chávez

question

You produce a television spot with a young woman getting ready to dive into a pool that cuts to a Gulf of Mexico dolphin covered with oil and onscreen the words roll by reading, ―Doesn't he have the right to swim in clean water too?‖—what kind of spot is this?

answer

a commercial

question

Why might watching and agreeing with a ―don't buy fur‖ video on YouTube not really be activism on your part?

answer

Such advertising is not permitted on YouTube.

question

Why should politicians care about interest groups?

answer

They can influence elections.

question

Interest groups are important subjects of study in American politics because __________.

answer

they provide a venue for citizens to participate in government

question

Which of the following functions of government would John Locke view as legitimate?

answer

protecting freedom of speech

question

Alexis de Tocqueville considered the right of association to be necessary for preventing the tyranny of the majority.

answer

TRUE

question

Government's purpose is to balance self-interest and the interest of society.

answer

FALSE

question

Think tanks are for-profit organizations.

answer

FALSE

question

According to Table 12.1, Types of Interest Groups, the larger the membership, the more likely an interest group is able to support its own PAC.

answer

TRUE

question

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is a grassroots, governmental interest group that all city dwellers can join.

answer

FALSE

question

Most politically active organizations use lobbying to make their interests known to government officials.

answer

TRUE

question

Members of Congress can accept honoraria for speaking engagements sponsored by nonprofit interest groups.

answer

FALSE

question

The National Rifle Association is an example of a trade association.

answer

FALSE

question

The National Organization for Marriage opposes gay marriage. It is probably a single-issue interest group.

answer

TRUE

question

The legitimacy of collective action that Americans hold is a consequence of the American Revolution.

answer

FALSE

question

One way that interest groups can influence elections is by endorsing candidates.

answer

TRUE

question

Living up to his campaign promise of 2008, Barack Obama has reduced the influence of lobbyists.

answer

FALSE

question

While traveling through the United States in the 1830s, Alexis de Tocqueville observed that Americans had a strong tendency to engage in collective action.

answer

TRUE

question

The ―Kony 2012‖ campaign raised awareness about the scourge of child soldiers in Central Africa, but it did not address the real victims of the violence.

answer

TRUE

question

Public interest groups engage primarily in grassroots activities, while economic groups focus mainly on direct lobbying of government officials.

answer

FALSE

Living Democracy Ch.12 – Flashcards

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