3.2.2.5 Pressure groups: UK and US comparison Quiz: AQA Politics, Unit 2

The 20 questions

1. Which is a key similarity between pressure groups in the UK and the US?

   • US pressure groups are banned from lobbying Congress, unlike the groups that operate in the UK Parliament at every level
   • UK pressure groups must register with the Monarch before they may approach ministers, unlike US groups
   • Pressure groups have no influence on policy in the UK, because political parties control every decision
   • Both systems have insider and outsider groups, and both use lobbying and public campaigns to influence policy

2. What type of pressure group is the Confederation of British Industry (CBI)?

   • A trade union that is banned by law from lobbying the government on economic policy
   • A political party that holds seats in the House of Commons and contests general elections
   • A sectional insider group representing business interests and consulted by government
   • A promotional group that operates as a government department responsible for trade policy

3. Which feature of US pressure group funding has no direct UK equivalent?

   • Political action committees that donate to candidates within federal limits
   • Lobbying of ministers and civil servants in the executive branch of government
   • Public campaigns and petitions directed at legislators and the wider media
   • Consultation with government departments on draft policy and regulations

4. Which factor helps explain the growth of super PACs in the US?

   • A decision by the Monarch to fund outsider groups from the public purse at each election
   • A ban on campaign advertising by pressure groups in the period before every general election
   • A federal requirement that all pressure groups fund one candidate in every election cycle
   • Court rulings that allowed independent political spending to be unlimited

5. Which best describes Greenpeace-style campaigning in the UK?

   • An insider group that sits on government advisory committees on environmental policy and is consulted on draft legislation
   • A sectional group representing a single profession in one region of the country
   • A political party that contests elections for seats in the House of Commons
   • An outsider promotional group using protests and public campaigns to influence policy

6. What factor limits the power of pressure groups in both the UK and the US?

   • A rule that all pressure groups must be formally allied with a political party to be heard
   • Competing groups with opposing views, which can offset one another's influence
   • The royal prerogative, which allows the Monarch to veto all group submissions to government
   • Constitutional bans on all lobbying activity in both countries, at every level of government

7. Which concept is often compared with the US iron triangle in the UK?

   • Policy communities are unknown in the UK, because all policy is decided by Parliament alone without any role for groups
   • Policy communities, networks of civil servants, ministers and groups that shape policy in a field
   • The Commons register of interests, which must be published by the Monarch each year
   • Parliamentary committees formed by the Cabinet, House of Lords and Supreme Court together

8. Which change would most increase the influence of a US pressure group in Congress?

   • Recruiting members who live outside the United States to lobby the executive branch officials
   • Publishing research reports that are never shared with members of Congress or their staff
   • Funding candidates who sit on committees with jurisdiction over the group's policy area
   • Donating to candidates who have no committee roles in the relevant policy area under consideration

9. Which method is most typical of UK insider groups?

   • Launching a national referendum on a bill before its introduction in Parliament for debate
   • Funding candidates in every constituency at each general election as a core strategy
   • Organising mass protests outside the Supreme Court building in London on a regular basis
   • Giving evidence to parliamentary select committees and consulting civil servants on draft legislation

10. Which is the best evaluation of the claim that US pressure groups are more powerful than UK groups?

    • The claim is clearly false, because US groups have no access to Congress or the President at all
    • The claim is contestable: US groups have strong funding routes, but UK party structures and select committees also shape group influence
    • The claim is clearly true, because UK groups are barred from all contact with ministers, officials and select committees alike
    • The claim can be settled only by counting the number of groups registered in each country

11. Why are both the UK and US often described as pluralist systems?

    • Only the US is pluralist, because the Constitution guarantees the equality of all pressure groups
    • Neither country is pluralist, because political parties alone decide all policy questions in both
    • Only the UK is pluralist, because its groups are legally equal before the law of the land
    • Power is spread among many competing groups, though critics argue that wealth and access skew outcomes in each

12. Which best describes the relationship between Congress and pressure groups?

    • Congress determines pressure group influence by law, so groups have no independent power in any policy area
    • Pressure groups have no contact with Congress, because the Constitution separates them from the legislature and its committees
    • Congress is entirely controlled by pressure groups, which decide the content of every bill that is passed
    • Pressure groups can influence Congress through funding and expertise, though committees and party leaders filter what reaches the floor

13. Why does pressure group influence vary between the UK and US?

    • Groups vary only by population size, since larger countries always have more groups than smaller ones
    • Groups have no influence in either country, because policies are set entirely by the courts in both systems
    • Different institutions, such as the UK's party-dominated Commons and the US's separated powers, create different points of access
    • Groups are identical in both countries because they are regulated by the same international treaty on lobbying

14. What is a key limitation of insider access for a pressure group?

    • Insider groups are required to represent every citizen equally in every policy area they address
    • The group may be co-opted, or lose its independence, if it becomes closely tied to the government it lobbies
    • Insider groups are always banned from submitting evidence to parliamentary committees and select committees, even when formally invited
    • Insider groups must reduce their membership to qualify for consultation by government departments

15. Why might UK outsider groups rely on public campaigns?

    • They are banned from campaigning, so they must rely on private meetings with the Monarch to succeed
    • They receive public funding that requires them to avoid all protest and public campaigns in every case
    • They are legally prohibited from using the media to reach the public about policy questions in Parliament
    • Limited routine access to ministers and MPs means they seek influence through the media, protest and public pressure

16. Which criticism of pluralism in the UK is most commonly made?

    • Business groups often have greater resources and access than public-interest groups, which skews influence
    • Pluralism means only one group influences policy at a time, which the courts are required to enforce by statute in each case
    • Public-interest groups are banned by law from lobbying Parliament on any matter of policy at all
    • Pressure groups are irrelevant in a country with a codified constitution, such as the United States

17. Which statement best describes UK insider groups?

    • They are regularly consulted by government departments and are often given access to draft policy
    • They are excluded from policy discussions and must rely on public campaigns in every case
    • They are required to publish their members' voting records in the House of Commons each year, along with their donations
    • They are funded directly by the Monarch to represent public opinion in Parliament

18. Why might a UK government reject a pressure group's demand?

    • The group's choice of logo, which the Monarch must approve before any consultation can begin
    • The group's failure to register a membership list with the Supreme Court before its request
    • The group's refusal to fund a candidate in every general election that takes place
    • The government's manifesto commitments and the need to balance competing interests across the country

19. Which best describes the US Congress's relationship with pressure groups?

    • Groups have no information that members of Congress can use in their legislative work and research
    • Members of Congress are forbidden from meeting any group representative under federal law at all times, in every setting
    • Members of Congress are appointed by pressure groups rather than elected by voters in each district
    • Members rely on groups for information and expertise, while groups rely on Congress to pass or block policies

20. Which statement about regulation of US lobbying is accurate?

    • Lobbyists must obtain a licence from the Monarch before approaching any federal official in Washington
    • Lobbyists must register and disclose their activities under federal law, though the adequacy of disclosure is debated
    • Lobbyists are exempt from all federal disclosure rules, a position the Supreme Court confirmed in 2010
    • Lobbyists must donate equally to both parties before meeting any member of Congress or their staff

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