WorksheetsCampaigns/Interest Groups
Total questions: 51
Worksheet time: 44mins
Name
Class
Date
1.
Where political parties are strong, interest groups are likely to be
a)
Equally strong
b)
independent
c)
weak
d)
more numerous
2.
What is an Interest Group?
a)
A group of people who share common goals and organize to influence government policy
b)
The ideas and attitudes that signifcant number of americans hold about government and political issues
c)
Technique which everyone in a group has equal chance of being selected
d)
A measurement of how much the sample results might differ from sample universe
3.
What does it mean to lobby?
a)
A measurement of how much the sample results might differ from sample universe
b)
To persuade government officials to support the polices their interest group favors
c)
The ideas and attitudes that signifcant number of americans hold about government and political issues
d)
A group of people that is to be studied
4.
What is a Public Interest Group?
a)
Authorization to act given to a representative
b)
Method of polling in which wording of questions "push" respondees towards a particular answer
c)
A small group of people who are typical of the larger group being studied
d)
Groups that seek policy goals that it believes will benefit the nation (general public) not just themselves
5.
A group of people who share a point of view about an issue and unite to promote their beliefs?
a)
Actual Group
b)
Interest Group
c)
Amicus curiae briefs
d)
Class action lawsuit
6.
Which of these groups is not an interest group?
a)
AARP
b)
NRA
c)
Democratic Party
d)
NOW
7.
What does an interest group do?
a)
Works at Congress
b)
Imitates Government
c)
Influences Government
d)
The Unspeakable
8.
Why do people join interest groups?
a)
Increase money
b)
Increase their size
c)
Increase influence
d)
Decrease strength
9.
A strategy by which organized interests seek to influence the passage of legislation by exerting direct pressure on members of the legislature.
a)
Hyperpluralist thoery
b)
Lobbying
c)
Olson's Law of Large Groups
d)
Pluralist theory
10.
In contrast to interest groups, political parties
a)
work to change public policies
b)
advocate for the interests of their members
c)
are concerned with the whole range of poltical affairs
d)
collect money from members to advance their interests
11.
A major explanation for the large number of interest groups in the U.S. is
a)
imitation of the practices of other countries
b)
the American tradition of joining organizations
c)
the constitutional requirement that people join groups to defend their rights
d)
the legal requirement that people join interest groups
12.
Which of the of following is an example of a direct method of lobbying?
a)
having dinner with a member of Congress
b)
organizing a large scale protest march
c)
mobilizing a grass-roots effort back home
d)
starting a get out the vote campaign online
13.
How are political parties and interest groups similar?
a)
They both nominate candidates for office
b)
the both represent people who join together for a political purpose
c)
the both are concerned with a broad range of public policy issues
d)
They both are public organizations that are accountable to the people
14.
An example of an indirect approach used by interest groups is
a)
bringing grass-roots pressures to bear on public officials
b)
hiring professional lobbyists to talk to legislators
c)
bringing a lawsuit to influence public policy
d)
developing a network of contacts within the executive branch
15.
the funding mechanism of an interest group
a)
501 (c) (3)
b)
electioneering
c)
PAC
d)
501 (c) (4)
16.
exclusive relationships composed of interest group leaders, government agencies, and congressional committees that are related by a common issue
a)
Iron Triangle
b)
lobbyist circle
c)
undergovernment
d)
Pluralist Group
17.
In elections, PAC funding shapes electoral outcomes by tending to favor which type of candidate?
a)
mostly incumbents, but some challengers
b)
equal support for incumbents and challengers
c)
challengers
d)
incumbents
18.
An organization that has an IRS code designation that raises and spends money to advance political causes.
a)
527 organization
b)
501 (c)(3) organization
c)
501 (c) (4) organization
d)
SuperPacs
19.
Financial donatiosn wtih specific limits made to campaign committees or poltical parties by individuals or PACS.
a)
Hard money
b)
soft money
c)
donations
d)
free money
20.
Court case that ruled that the funding of independent broadcasts advocating for/against a candidate cannot be limited under the first amendment.
a)
Citizens United v FEC
b)
McCutcheon v FEC
c)
Buckely v Valeo
d)
BCRA v FECA
21.
An issue about which the public is united and rival candidates or political parties adopt similar positions in hopes that each will be thought to best represent those widely shared beliefs.
a)
valence
b)
universal
c)
position
d)
prospective
22.
voting for a candidate because you like his/her ideas for handling an issue
a)
prospective
b)
retrospecitve
c)
perspective
d)
position
23.
voting for a candidate because you like his/her past actions in office
a)
retrospective
b)
perspective
c)
prospective
d)
introspective
24.
an increase in the votes congressional candidates usually get when they first run for reelection
a)
sophomore surge
b)
freshman surge
c)
junior surge
d)
senior surge
25.
drawing the boundaries of legislative districts in bizarre or unusual shapes to favor one party
a)
gerrymandering
b)
lizarding
c)
snaking around
d)
sleazymandering
26.
the alleged tendency of candidates to win more votes in an election because of the presence of the top of the ticket of a better-known candidate, such as the president
a)
coattails
b)
positioning
c)
surging
d)
backdooring
27.
a committee set up by a coporation, labor union, or interest group that raises and spends campaign money from voluntary donations
a)
PAC
b)
Super PAC
c)
Incumbent group
d)
527 organization
28.
drawing the boundaries of legislative districts to so that they are unequal in population
a)
malapportionment
b)
gerrymandering
c)
disapportionment
d)
lizardmandering
29.
the person who already holds elected office
a)
incumbent
b)
candidate
c)
sophomore
d)
important
30.
an issue about which the public is divided and rival candidates or political parties adopt different policy positions
a)
position
b)
valence
c)
distinctive
d)
perspective
31.
an organization created for the purpose of electing a specific individual to office.
a)
campaign committee
b)
national committee
c)
party committee
d)
candidate committee
32.
When a voter casts a ballot for a Republican Presidential candidate but a Democratic Senate candidate, he/she has cast a _____________ vote.
a)
straight-ticket
b)
partisan
c)
split-ticket
d)
gridlock
33.
In Virginia's Presidential primary, voters may select either party's primary without being a registered party member. This is best described as a(n) ________________
a)
caucus
b)
convention
c)
closed primary
d)
open primary
34.
Money raised by parties (hard to track) not used for a specific candidate
a)
soft money
b)
hard money
c)
partisan money
d)
closed money
35.
One effect of gerrymandered districts is...
a)
increased election of moderate candidates
b)
higher rate of incumbent reelection
c)
decades of Republican control of the House
d)
the nomination of very liberal federal judges
36.
Voter turnout in primaries tends to...
a)
be lower than turnout in the general election
b)
be higher than elections in other countries
c)
be mandatory in some states
d)
be lower in states with early primaries
37.
Who is up for reelection in a "midterm" election
a)
435 House members only
b)
435 House members and 33 Senators
c)
435 House members, 33 Senators, and the President
d)
435 House members and the President
38.
The winner-take-all system in the Electoral College leads to
a)
Candidates targeting densely populated states for campaigning
b)
An equal number of electors from each state.
c)
Electors from two or more parties in the same state.
d)
Targeting less populated states for campaigning.
39.
Caucuses are
a)
A meeting of political party members to conduct party business.
b)
Representatives to a meeting, they nominate candidates for president and vice-president.
c)
A geographic area that contains a specific number of voters.
d)
A system in which two parties compete for office.
40.
Which of the these is a government agency that regulates spending on campaigns and elections?
a)
PACs
b)
FEC
c)
FCC
d)
SEC
41.
How do interest groups differ from PACs? Interest groups are required to register with the Federal Election Commission, but here are no registration requirements for PACs
a)
Interest groups donate money to candidates, while PACs hire lobbyists to influence policy-making
b)
Interest groups can hired PACs to help them conduct polls, create direct mail solicitations, and produce TV ads
c)
Interest groups are required to register with the Federal Election Commission, but here are no registration requirements for PACs
d)
PACs are committees, often set u p by interest groups, to raise and spend money on campaigns and causes
42.
The revolving door between government and business raises the possibility of
a)
poor communications
b)
revenue sharing
c)
conflicts of interest
43.
Why are lobbyists useful to members of Congress considering legislation?
a)
a. because most lobbyists are lawyers and can draft bills using technical legal language
b)
a. because lobbyists have bigger research staffs than members of congress
c)
a. because members of congress are policy generalists and lobbyists are policy specialists with expert knowledge in their area
44.
A group, of 50 members or more, representing a corporation, labor union, or special interest that raises and spends campaign contributions on behalf of candidates or causes is a
a)
special interest group
b)
grassroots lobbying committee
c)
political action committee
d)
social movement
45.
All of the following statements about presidential and congressional races are true except
a)
Presidential races are more competitive
b)
More people vote in presidential elections
c)
Congressional incumbents usually win
d)
Presidents can rarely take credit for improvements in a district
46.
In order to win the party nomination, candidates need to appear particularly
a)
a. Void of anything that looks like an ideological disposition
b)
a. Liberal if Democrats, conservative if Republicans
c)
a. Conservative if Democrats, liberal if Republicans
47.
In recent presidential elections the independent vote has usually favored
a)
a third party
b)
the Republicans
c)
the Democrats
d)
no one party
48.
Unlike funding for presidential campaigns, the money for congressional campaigns comes from
a)
Both private and public sources
b)
public sources only
c)
private sources only
d)
Federal matching grants only
49.
To a political candidate the drawback of television visuals and debates is
a)
Their expense
b)
the risks of slipups
c)
the low audience response
d)
Their lack of credibility
50.
The 1974 campaign finance reform law prohibits cash contributions from any individual in excess of
a)
$100
b)
$1,000
c)
$10,000
d)
There are no such limits
51.
All of the following are part of the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002 EXCEPT
a)
“soft money” contributions to national political parties from corporation were banned
b)
money given to national parties must be in the form of individual donations and PACs
c)
individuals can no longer spend unlimited amount of their own money on their campaigns
d)
“soft money” contributions to nation political parties from unions were banned
100 %
