3.2.1.7 Pressure groups Quiz: AQA Politics, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. What is an iron triangle in US politics?

   • A stable relationship between a congressional committee, a federal agency and an interest group that benefits from it
   • A committee of three senators who negotiate policy between the two major parties
   • A group of three pressure groups that compete for control of a single federal agency
   • A triangular alliance between the President, the Supreme Court and the House of Representatives

2. What is political pluralism?

   • A theory that a single elite group controls government decisions across every policy area
   • A model in which political parties alone decide which groups may influence legislation
   • A theory that power is dispersed among many competing groups, so no single group dominates policy-making
   • A system in which the national government delegates its powers to competing state governments

3. What is a Political Action Committee (PAC)?

   • A federal body that sets spending limits for presidential primaries in every state
   • An organisation that raises money from members and donates to candidates, subject to limits on direct contributions
   • A government agency that approves the campaign spending of pressure groups before elections
   • A group that spends unlimited amounts directly in coordination with a candidate's own campaign

4. What distinguishes a Super PAC from a traditional PAC?

   • It can raise unlimited sums but cannot make direct contributions to, or coordinate with, candidates
   • It is funded by the federal government and can spend without limit on candidate campaigns
   • It is restricted to spending on state elections and is not allowed to influence federal contests
   • It can donate directly to candidates in unlimited amounts, provided it files a report after the election

5. What is the difference between an insider and an outsider pressure group?

   • Insider groups are legally barred from lobbying, whereas outsider groups are permitted to lobby freely
   • Insider groups operate only at local level, whereas outsider groups operate only at federal level
   • Insider groups are funded by the state, whereas outsider groups are funded only by their members
   • Insider groups are regularly consulted by government, while outsider groups lack such access and rely on public campaigns

6. A pressure group is regularly consulted by a Senate committee and has access to policy makers. How is it best classified?

   • As a sectional group, because its members are concentrated in a single city or region
   • As an outsider group, because it relies mainly on public campaigns to influence legislation
   • As an insider group
   • As a promotional group, because its main aim is to publicise a cause rather than shape policy

7. Which method is most typically used by outsider groups to influence policy?

   • Holding private meetings with committee chairs about draft bills before they are published, to shape them quietly in advance
   • Sitting on federal advisory committees that help agencies draft detailed regulations
   • Organising public demonstrations and mobilising grassroots supporters to pressure legislators
   • Providing paid expert testimony at closed congressional hearings on draft legislation

8. What is meant by pressure groups 'reinforcing incumbency' in US politics?

   • Donations to sitting members, who are more likely to win, help groups gain access and influence
   • Groups fund only presidential campaigns and never fund congressional campaigns
   • Federal law since 2002 bans all donations to incumbent members of Congress from pressure groups, so incumbents rely on voters
   • Donations are made mainly to challengers to create more competitive races in each district

9. A group donates heavily to committee members who oversee its industry. Which concept best describes this link?

   • An iron triangle, where a committee, an agency and the group sustain a mutually beneficial relationship
   • Political pluralism, because the donations spread influence evenly among many competing groups
   • A super PAC, because the donations were made without any coordination with the committee members or their staff in Washington
   • Proportional representation, because the donations match each group's share of the total vote

10. Which criticism of pluralism is most commonly made?

    • Pluralism assigns all policy powers to the federal courts, which excludes pressure groups from every decision in the policy process
    • Pluralism is illegal under the Constitution, which forbids the existence of any pressure group
    • Pluralism gives too many groups an equal voice, so no decisions can ever be taken by government
    • Wealthy and well-organised groups, such as business lobbies, may have disproportionate influence over policy

11. Which best describes the relative power of pressure groups compared with political parties in the US?

    • Groups always outweigh parties, because parties have no formal role in selecting candidates or drafting bills
    • Parties always outweigh groups, because groups are forbidden from funding or lobbying members of Congress
    • Groups and parties have exactly equal power, because the law assigns them identical roles in government
    • Groups can gain influence through funding and lobbying, but parties retain agenda control through Congress and nomination

12. What was the main effect of the 2010 Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United?

    • It limited the number of PACs that could operate in a single election cycle across the whole country
    • It allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited sums on independent political expenditures
    • It banned corporations from donating to any federal candidate in any election from that point
    • It required super PACs to disclose their donors only after the election result had been declared

13. Which argument is most commonly made in favour of tighter regulation of PAC and super PAC funding?

    • Large donations are needed to pay for printing ballot papers and staffing polling stations in federal elections across the country
    • Large donations guarantee that every candidate receives the same amount of funding from groups
    • Large donations ensure that pressure groups are no longer able to lobby members of Congress
    • Large donations may create undue influence and reduce public trust in how elections are funded

14. A critic argues that pressure group funding of elections undermines representative government. Which is the strongest response?

    • Groups are irrelevant to representation, because parties alone decide which candidates receive funds
    • Groups may also mobilise citizens and raise issues, so the impact of funding depends on how it is used and disclosed
    • Groups must represent every citizen equally, because federal law requires all donations to be equal in amount and in timing
    • Groups have no effect on representation, because the Constitution prevents them from influencing any vote

15. Which is the best evaluation of the claim that pressure groups are more powerful than political parties in the US?

    • The claim has merit in some policy areas, but parties still control key tools such as nomination and legislative agendas
    • The claim is true in every case, because groups alone draft and vote on all federal legislation
    • The claim cannot be assessed, because there is no reliable evidence about the influence of groups in politics
    • The claim is false in every case, because the Constitution gives parties sole authority over every policy area

16. Which best describes an 'outsider' pressure group in the US?

    • A group that is funded by the federal government and sits on advisory boards for every agency
    • A group that is legally banned from campaigning on any issue except during presidential elections, which only candidates may contest
    • A group that operates only within a single state and never attempts to influence national policy
    • A group that lacks routine access to policy makers and seeks influence mainly through public campaigns

17. Which method is an example of 'lobbying' by a pressure group?

    • Meeting members of Congress and their staff to present evidence and seek support for a particular bill
    • Presenting a petition to the Supreme Court, which is then used to draft new federal statutes
    • Organising a national referendum on a policy, which is a power reserved for the federal government and cannot be delegated to groups
    • Publishing a complete list of members who voted against a bill, without any contact with legislators

18. What is the core idea behind the term 'promotional group'?

    • A group funded by the government to advertise federal policies to citizens in every state
    • A group that is formed only to win elections and disbands once its candidates take office
    • A group that exists solely to represent the members of one trade union in a single workplace, and disbands once a dispute ends
    • A group that seeks to advance a cause or interest, often on behalf of people who are not its members

19. Why might a sectional pressure group have a more concentrated effect on policy than a promotional group?

    • Its members are randomly assigned to advocate for the group, so they lack commitment to its aims
    • Its members are legally prohibited from contacting government officials about its concerns
    • Its members share a direct, material stake in the outcome, which can give it strong incentives to act
    • Its members have no common interest, so it must rely on public campaigns to unify its supporters and to win any access at all

20. A group argues that an agency's regulations should be rewritten, and its experts advise the agency directly. Which concept best fits?

    • Outsider pressure, where the group relies on protests because it has no access to officials
    • Political pluralism, where the group competes with many others but has no direct access to policy
    • Super PAC spending, where the group funds independent advertisements without any contact with officials
    • Insider access, where the group is regularly consulted and helps shape the policy process

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