1. Organizations that try to achieve at least some of their goals with government assistance are called

a. political parties.
b. interest groups.
c. political action committees.
d. national party committees.

2. Lobbying can involve
a. direct contact between a "consultant" and a government official.
b. the purchase of media outlets to get a message across.
c. lobbyists themselves running against selected officials.
d. currying favor with sympathetic journalists.

3. The Founders
a. embraced interest groups.
b. attempted to make them illegal.
c. feared the effects of interest groups.
d. provided for their regulation in Article IV of the Constitution.

4. Alexis de Tocqueville noted that
a. American society is very similar to French society before the Reign of Terror.
b. the American government is hostile to organized efforts to change its policies.
c. Americans are disinterested in cooperating with others.
d. Americans tend to join groups more than citizens of other nations.

5. The great interest group surge that occurred between 1900 and 1920 was due to
a. technological advances such as the development of radio.
b. the addition of the 17th Amendment to the Constitution .
c. the rise of the Democratic Party.
d. the appearance of new problems such as immigration and industrialization.

6. Examples of interest groups that formed after the Civil War include
a. associations representing the nonprofit sector.
b. labor unions and business associations.
c. organizations for pro-immigrant reformers.
d. associations of elderly persons seeking to protect Social Security.

7. Technological changes have
a. limited the effectiveness of interest groups.
b. worked against the formation of interest groups.
c. accelerated the formation of interest groups.
d. made organized interest groups less important.

8. Many people join interest groups
a. to receive benefits offered by the group, such as discounted insurance.
b. because they are bored.
c. because they enjoy plotting campaign strategies.
d. to become more informed about public policy issues.

9. Which people are most likely to join organized groups?
a. the poor and the unemployed
b. women and racial or ethnic minorities
c. persons with a good income and education
d. persons isolated in rural areas

10. The book Bowling Alone documents
a. the decline of family time due to extended work hours.
b. the fact that people with unusual interests have a hard time finding others with the same interests.
c. the demise of fraternal organizations.
d. dwindling membership in organized groups.

11. The result of the decline in interest group membership means that
a. people are engaging less in recreational activities.
b. it is increasingly difficult to forge relationships that foster discussion about public issues.
c. people are spending their time volunteering rather than attending meetings.
d. groups are no longer effective in conveying their interests to government.

12. An interest group contributor who gives money but has no say in the activities of a group is
a. called a "bystander."
b. called a "solicitor."
c. referred to as a "checkbook member."
d. referred to as a "background fundraiser."

13. The AFL-CIO is
a. the association of congressional staff members.
b. is an example of a large labor union.
c. mostly comprised of highly-skilled workers, like doctors and lawyers.
d. an association only for state and federal government employees.

14. Private interest groups
a. seek economic benefits for their members.
b. attempt to keep government from interfering with a person's life.
c. unintentionally serve the public interest.
d. tend to be ineffective in changing government policy.

15. Although historically contentious, the relations between business and government are
a. only slightly less strained.
b. generally good regardless of which party is in office.
c. still guided by antipathy.
d. clearly worsening.

 POLITICAL PARTIES

1. According to political scientist E.E. Schattschneider, political parties
a. are destroying democracy.
b. work against the public good.
c. created democracy and democracy is impossible without them.
d. are not integral to democracy.

2. Which is not a component of a political party?
a. citizens who see themselves as belonging to the party
b. officeholders who are elected in the name of the party
c. party professionals
d. interest groups

3. A government official that is accused of being partisan probably
a. received a payoff from an interest group.
b. made decisions based on party affiliation rather than what is best for the country.
c. lied under oath.
d. resisted the pressure of a political party and made independent decisions.

4. A minor party that had a strong impact on American politics in the late 1800s and early 1900s was the
a. American Independent Party.
b. Communist Party USA.
c. Prohibition Party.
d. Progressive Party.

5. America's development of a two-party system
a. reflects our emulation of the British system.
b. provides government stability.
c. distinguishes us from most other countries.
d. reaffirms that there are at least two sides to every issue.

6. Multiparty systems are the rule in
a. Asia.
b. the South Pacific Islands.
c. Western Europe.
d. Africa.

7. In the single member district with a winner-take-all system, the
a. candidate who gets the most votes in an election wins.
b. party that gets 51 percent takes all of the available seats.
c. number of seats a party gets is in proportion to its percentage of the vote.
d. candidate with the most votes gets to determine the remaining seats.

8. Proportional representation means that the
a. candidate who gets the most votes in an election wins.
b. party that gets 51 percent takes all of the available seats.
c. number of seats a party gets is in proportion to its percentage of the vote.
d. candidate with the most votes gets to determine the remaining seats.

9. American political parties
a. are committed to ideological purity.
b. tend to take rigid positions on the issues.
c. are more interested in winning elections than ideology.
d. tend to choose leaders unwilling to compromise.

10. Minor parties have problems establishing themselves because
a. people do not want to "waste" their votes.
b. it is usually easy to get on the ballot.
c. major parties ignore minor-party ideas.
d. most voters are unaware of alternatives to the major parties.

11. In the 2000 election, Ralph Nader's run as a third party candidate
a. was supported by big business.
b. perhaps cost Al Gore the presidency.
c. was opposed by most Republicans.
d. won nearly 8 percent of the vote.

12. American parties usually aim their appeals toward the middle-of-the-road voters because
a. most policy problems do not require radical answers.
b. most voters consider themselves moderate.
c. radical solutions to problems usually fail.
d. parties do not want to alienate the voters at the far ends of the political spectrum.

13. The national Democratic and Republican party chairs
a. are elected by rank-and-file party members.
b. have major roles in writing party platforms every four years.
c. raise money and speak out on behalf of the party.
d. have a major role in appointing state party chairs.

14. Generally speaking, a person who wants to become active in a local party organization needs to
a. attend party meetings and be willing to work.
b. pledge to vote only for that party's candidates.
c. contribute a great deal of money to the party organization.
d. have local name recognition.

15. Both parties have House and Senate campaign committees that
a. raise money and recruit candidates.
b. decide who can run for open seats.
c. control party politics at the local level.
d. meet regularly with the President.