Higher Education

Canadian Democracy, Eighth Edition: Chapter 12

Instructions: For each question, click on the radio button beside your answer. When you have completed the entire quiz, click the Submit my answers button at the bottom of the page to receive your results.

Question 1:

The term “political faction” refers to ________.
a) the different components of a political party
b) groups of citizens whose goals and behaviours are contrary to those of other groups but similar to the interests of the community as a whole
c) different political parties
d) groups of citizens whose goals and behaviours are contrary to those of other groups or to the interests of the community as a whole
e) groups of citizens whose beliefs conform exactly to specific ideological divisions

Question 2:

The author identifies ________ as democracy’s showpiece.
a) Question Period
b) the House of Commons
c) the Senate
d) elections
e) the Prime Minister

Question 3:

According to Schattschneider, the pressure system is biased towards ________ interests.
a) environmental
b) labour
c) student's
d) the elderly population’s
e) business

Question 4:

The term “mobility of capital” refers to ________.
a) the ability of investors to shift their capital between sectors of the economy and from one national economy to another
b) the ability of politicians to rely on support from one segment of a country’s population or another, depending on the circumstances
c) the ability of an interest group to entice its members to shift support from one political party to another in an effort to ensure the implementation of its preferred policies
d) the ability of businesses to hire and fire workers due to a surplus of qualified candidates
e) the ability of banks to physically shift money between branches and other service providers

Question 5:

The term “policy community” refers to ________.
a) state institutions usually involved in making policy in some field
b) the government departments and agencies involved in implementing policy
c) the politicians of all partisan stripes involved in deliberations and decision-making with respect to a certain policy area
d) a limited set of state and societal actors who participate in policy-making
e) all people who are interested in commenting on policy, including private citizens and scholars in the field, along with politicians

Question 6:

Pluralism, or group theory, ________.
a) is a perspective on policy-making that emphasizes the impact that structures and rules, both formal and informal, have on political outcomes
b) sees organized interests as the central fact of political life and locates the main causes of government action in the activities of voluntary associations outside the state
c) is defined as direct participation of organizations representing business and labour in public policy-making
d) is an explanation of politics where organized groups are viewed as the bearers of more fundamental interests and ideologies, namely those of classes and their factions
e) is an explanation of politics that emphasizes the interests and rights of individuals above all other facts of life

Question 7:

Class analysis is ________.
a) a perspective on policy-making that emphasizes the impact that structures and rules, both formal and informal, have on political outcomes
b) an explanation of politics that sees organized interests as the central fact of life and which explains politics chiefly in terms of the activities of groups
c) direct participation of organizations representing business and labour in public policy-making
d) an explanation of politics where organized groups are viewed as the bearers of more fundamental interests and ideologies, namely those of classes and their factions
e) a particular voting behavior, in which individuals classify candidates mentally before selecting the one that best represents them

Question 8:

Corporatism is defined as ________.
a) a perspective on policy-making that emphasizes the impact that structures and rules, both formal and informal, have on political outcomes
b) an explanation of politics that sees organized interests as the central fact of life and which explains politics chiefly in terms of the activities of groups
c) a political structure characterized by the direct participation of organizations representing business and labour in public policy-making
d) an explanation of politics where organized groups are viewed as the bearers of more fundamental interests and ideologies, namely those of classes and their factions
e) a negative and exclusionary attitude towards corporate interests that seeks to exclude them from all political decision-making and participation

Question 9:

Neo-institutionalism is defined as ________.
a) a perspective on policy-making that emphasizes the impact that structures and rules, both formal and informal, have on political outcomes
b) an explanation of politics that sees organized interests as the central fact of life and which explains politics chiefly in terms of the activities of groups
c) direct participation of organizations representing business and labour in public policy-making
d) an explanation of politics where organized groups are viewed as the bearers of more fundamental interests and ideologies, namely those of classes and their factions
e) a single-issue focus on prison reform that relies heavily on the strictures of neo-liberalism

Question 10:

According to the author, ________ forms the bedrock of modern economics.
a) rational choice theory
b) corporatism
c) statism
d) pluralism
e) classical empiricism

Question 11:

The term “policy network” refers to ________.
a) the constellation of actors in a particular policy field
b) the set of state institutions and interest groups usually involved in making and implementing policy in some field
c) the nature of the relationships between the key actors in a policy community
d) organizations that can credibly claim to represent all significant interests within a specific economic sector
e) the relationship between the broad lay public and the main actors in a policy community

Question 12:

James Q. Wilson identifies four categories of incentives that underlie the interior dynamics of interest groups, except ________.
a) collective solidarity incentives
b) specific solidarity incentives
c) specific individual incentives
d) material incentives
e) purposive incentives

Question 13:

Institutional groups, as identified by Paul Pross, possess all of the following characteristics, except that ________.
a) the overall goals of the organization are more important than any particular objective
b) they have limited or no access to communication with the government
c) they have concrete and immediate objectives
d) they have stable memberships
e) they possess organizational continuity and cohesion

Question 14:

John Kingdon identifies several resources that enable a group to influence what gets on the policy agenda and the alternatives considered by policy-makers, including _______.
a) electoral influence
b) the capacity to affect the economy negatively
c) group cohesion
d) all of the above
e) none of the above

Question 15:

Two factors important for interest group cohesion are _______.
a) a smaller group and exclusive benefits
b) affordable membership and exclusive benefits
c) affordable membership and elite leadership
d) elite leadership and exclusive benefits
e) cooperation and hard work

Question 16:

The term “free-rider problem” refers to ________.
a) the tendency of some interest groups to prefer less expensive methods such as public demonstrations in their attempts to convey a political message
b) the tendency of some media outlets to cover the stories already being covered by other media outlets, effectively shutting out those interest groups not involved in the issue being covered
c) the tendency of some members of large groups to attempt to reap the benefits of the organization’s actions without having to contribute to it
d) the tendency of some politicians to become involved in issues already being addressed by other politicians
e) the tendency of some interest groups to try to win benefits for those they represent but at the expense of other, not represented or underrepresented groups

Question 17:

The term “iron triangle” refers to ________.
a) the relationship between the Prime Minister, cabinet, and the parts of the bureaucracy directly involved in the given policy issue
b) the nature of the relationships between the key policy actors in a policy community
c) a closed system of relations between an interest group and the administrative agencies and congressional committees with which it routinely deals
d) a closed system of relations between the president, congressmen, and senators directly involved in a given policy issue
e) the geographic relationship between the buildings of the East Block, the West Block, and the House of Commons

Question 18:

The impact of federalism on interest groups in Canada is explained by ________.
a) the multiple crack hypothesis
b) the argument that federal constitution reduces the internal cohesion of organized interests
c) the statist interpretation of federalism’s impact
d) all of the above
e) none of the above

Question 19:

The term “advocacy advertising” refers to ________.
a) holding demonstrations that involve displaying signs and passing out leaflets in order to convey a political message
b) conducting presentations to other interest groups in an attempt to influence their lobbying activities and build coalitions
c) a form of direct or indirect communication with a government that is designed to influence public policy
d) the purchase of advertising space or broadcast time to convey a political message
e) advertising that is specifically bought to speak on behalf of underrepresented and minority groups

Question 20:

The term “lobbying” is defined as ________.
a) a form of direct or indirect communication with the government that is designed to influence public policy
b) the purchase of media advertising to convey a political message
c) conducting presentations to other interest groups in an attempt to influence their lobbying activities and build coalitions
d) holding demonstrations that involve the displaying of signs and the passing out leaflets in order to convey a political message
e) a form of protest in which participants crowd the entrances, exits, and waiting areas of politicians’ offices until an audience is granted

Question 21:

Lobbyists perform all of the following tasks, except ________.
a) monitoring the political scene as it affects their client’s interests
b) helping to build strategic coalitions with other interest groups
c) collecting and communicating information on behalf of the interests they represent
d) providing information about how and where to access the policy-making system
e) providing information about election campaign strategy

Question 22:

Consultant lobbyists are ________.
a) senior paid officers and other employees of organizations whose activities would include lobbying federal officials
b) those who work for a single corporation and who lobby federal officials as a significant part of their duties
c) senators who lobby cabinet ministers on behalf of certain corporate interests
d) those who, for a fee, lobby federal officials for various clients
e) those who work for lobbyists and provide outside advice on their lobbying practices

Question 23:

Corporate in-house lobbyists are ________.
a) senior paid officers and other employees of organizations whose activities would include lobbying federal officials
b) those who work for a single corporation and who lobby federal officials as a significant part of their duties
c) senators who lobby cabinet ministers on behalf of certain corporate interests
d) those who, for a fee, lobby federal officials for various clients
e) lobbyists who specifically critique corporate interests as part of their activities

Question 24:

Organization in-house lobbyists are ________.
a) senior paid officers and other employees of organizations whose activities would include lobbying federal officials
b) those who work for a single corporation and who lobby federal officials as a significant part of their duties
c) senators who lobby cabinet ministers on behalf of certain corporate interests
d) those who, for a fee, lobby federal officials for various clients
e) lobbyists whose political interests include more careful organization at all levels of government

Question 25:

Since the implementation of the Lobbyist Registration Act in 1989, lobbyist activity has been focused mostly on all of the following subjects, except
a) health policy
b) international trade
c) social welfare policy
d) taxation and finance
e) the environment

Question 26:

Interest groups seek to influence government without participating in the electoral process and seeking responsibility for the management of government.
a) True
b) False

Question 27:

According to James Madison, the diversity in the interests and values of human beings gives rise to political factions.
a) True
b) False

Question 28:

Pluralists view politics as a competitive process where power is widely distributed.
a) True
b) False

Question 29:

The class analysis approach is generally referred to as “political economy” in Canada.
a) True
b) False

Question 30:

In corporatism, the organizations that can credibly claim to represent all significant interests within the business and labour communities, respectively, and have the ability to negotiate on behalf of the interests they represent are called core associations.
a) True
b) False

Question 31:

Neo-institutionalists view both state and society as monolithic structures when it comes to actual policy-making.
a) True
b) False

Question 32:

Collective solidarity incentives are intangible rewards that derive from the sense of satisfaction of having contributed to a worthwhile cause.
a) True
b) False

Question 33:

A group’s capacity for influence within a policy community will depend on its internal characteristics and its external relationships to the larger political system and the state.
a) True
b) False

Question 34:

Coleman and Skogstad argue that the key determinant of a group’s influence is the structure of the state itself at the sectoral level.
a) True
b) False

Question 35:

Organized interests are usually more influential than unorganized ones and are always better equipped to apply sustained pressure on policy-makers.
a) True
b) False

Question 36:

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce are examples of institutional groups.
a) True
b) False

Question 37:

The Assembly of First Nations represents all Aboriginal groups, including Métis, non-status Indians, and the Inuit.
a) True
b) False

Question 38:

Interest groups use three basic strategies for influence: lobbying, judicial action, and targeting public opinion.
a) True
b) False

Question 39:

Groups well established within a policy community are more likely to rely on confrontation, media campaigns, and other public strategies to get policy-makers to pay attention and respond to the interests they represent.
a) True
b) False

Question 40:

It is usually relatively easy to pinpoint the resources devoted to an advertising campaign that aims to influence public opinion.
a) True
b) False