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1. Explain that lobbyists seek to gain access to and the
support of members of Congress on key legislation.
2. Explain that members of Congress grant access to
lobbyists because lobbyists provide them with campaign
contributions and can ofer them technical expertise and
information on issues they may be unfamiliar with.
Topic: The Inluence of Lobbyists
Learning Objective: LO 5.4: Describe lobbyists and the
activities through which they seek to inluence policy.
Page Reference: 145 - 148
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Diicult
100. Discuss Madison’s views on factions, as expressed in The
Federalist, No. 10, and how he would respond to the
tremendous growth in the number of interest groups actively
lobbying in Washington, D.C., over the past several decades.
1. Explain that Madison was distrustful of factions, deined
as groups pursuing their own interest at the expense of
the broader public good.
2. Explain that Madison believed that factions must be
allowed, but that government could be designed so that no
single faction becomes too dominant.
3. Provide a logical position that Madison might take in
light of the preceding points. For instance, he would likely
be disheartened by the proliferation of groups, but still
adamant that they should be able to exist.
Topic: Interest Groups Past and President: The “Mischiefs of
Faction”
Learning Objective: LO 5.1: Explain the role of interest groups
and social movements in American politics.
Page Reference: 131
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Diicult
101. What did James Madison mean when he used the phrase
“mischiefs of faction”? How does the Constitution attempt to
limit these “mischiefs”?
1. Explain what “mischiefs of faction” are. Factions are
political parties and interest groups. The “mischiefs of
faction” refers to the idea of a faction dominating
government.
2. Describe the ways the Constitution limits the
“mischiefs.” Include the separation of powers and checks
Topic: Interest Groups Past and President: The “Mischiefs of
Faction”
Learning Objective: LO 5.1: Explain the role of interest groups
and social movements in American politics.
Page Reference: 131
Skill Level: Analyze It
Diiculty Level: Diicult
102. Studies have shown that political action committees (PACs)
contribute disproportionately to incumbent candidates. Why do
PACs pursue this strategy in their campaign contributions? Are
there any potential drawbacks?
1. Explain that PACs are strategic in how they invest their
funds; they want to get the most impact out of their
contributions.
2. Note that incumbent candidates are more likely to win,
so groups that donate to PACs are more likely to gain
access to elected oicials after the election.
3. Explain one or more drawbacks to this strategy,
including the possibility that the challenger will win and
groups will not have the same type of access to the newly
elected oicials.
Topic: Money and Politics
Learning Objective: LO 5.5: Identify ways interest groups use
money in elections and assess eforts to regulate this spending.
Page Reference: 150 – 151
Skill Level: Analyze It
Diiculty Level: Diicult
103. Describe how the Internet has allowed interest groups to exert
greater inluence on government.
166
1. Note that a way to inluence government is to inluence
the public.
2. Describe ways that the Internet can be used efectively
to mobilize and inluence voters. Include a description of
how social media is used.
3. Include examples of strategies used by such
organization as Business and Industrial Political Action
Committee (BIPAC) and MoveOn.org.
4. Describe the two ways that the Internet helps interest
groups. It allows for citizens to organize themselves and
opens online forms of political action.
Topic: Characteristics and Power of Interest Groups
Learning Objective: LO 5.3: Analyze sources of interest group
power.
Page Reference: 142
Skill Level: Analyze It
Diiculty Level: Diicult
104. What trends have been seen with respect to labor union
membership in the United States? How might you explain these
trends?
1. Provide information on the proportion of the U.S.
workforce belonging to unions (13%).
2. Include information on why union membership has
fallen in the United States, including the shift from an
industrial to a service and information economy.
3. Include information on sectors where unions have
expanded, such as health care, the public sector, and the
service sector.
Topic: Types of Interest Groups
Learning Objective: LO 5.2: Categorize American interest
groups into types.
Page Reference: 133 – 135
Skill Level: Understand the Concepts
Diiculty Level: Moderate
105. Why might unions be weaker in states with open shop rules than
in states with closed shop rules?
167
1. Diferentiate between open and closed shop rules.
Under open shop rules, workers cannot be required to join
a union as a condition of employment. Under closed shop
rules, workers can be required to join a union as a
condition of employment.
2. Explain that in open shop states, workers can choose
not to ailiate with a union because they can secure the
same beneits that unionized workers enjoy without
having to pay union dues.
3. Note that as a consequence of open shop rules, unions
in open shop states may be smaller and less powerful.
Topic: Types of Interest Groups
Learning Objective: LO 5.2: Categorize American interest
groups into types.
Page Reference: 134 – 135
Skill Level: Analyze It
Diiculty Level: Diicult
Essay Questions
106. What are some of the main arguments against interest groups
today? Do you think some types of interest groups are cause for
greater concern? Provide examples in your answer.
1. Describe the arguments against interest groups. They
don’t represent all people equally. Some are better
organized with more funding, which provides an
advantage. The variety of interests leads to confusion on
policies, ineiciency, and delays. More interest groups
support incumbents, which provides an unfair advantage.
2. Explain how single-issue interest groups (abortion,
handgun control, tobacco subsidies, animal rights) have
caused concerns.
3. Include the student’s opinion on the validity of the
arguments against interest groups. The opinion should be
supported with content from the chapter.
4. Refer to the question of how we regulate interest
groups without threatening liberty.
168
Topic: How Much Do Interest Groups Inluence Elections and
Legislation?
1. Describe the free rider problem as a situation in which
individuals can beneit from the group efort without
having to contribute to it. As a result, individuals have no
incentive to join the group.
2. Identify what kinds of individuals would be likely to free
ride in this case: college students who receive or are
eligible to receive inancial aid.
3. Explain one or more tactics that could be used to
convince these students to join the organization. To
overcome the free rider problem, the group must ofer
some kind of incentive—material or otherwise—that is
given only to group members.
Topic: Characteristics and Power of Interest Groups
Learning Objective: LO 5.3: Analyze sources of interest group
power.
Page Reference: 140
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Diicult
108. In The Federalist, No. 10, Madison expressed concerns about
what he called “factions.” What are some examples of modern-
day factions, and is it true that these factions pursue their self-
interests at the expense of the broader public interest, as
Madison assumed?
1. Explain Madison’s views about factions, which he
deined as groups pursuing their self-interest at the
expense of the broader public good.
2. Provide multiple of examples of modern-day groups that
would be considered factions, such as speciic interest
groups, political action committees (PACs), or even
political parties.
3. Explain what goals each “faction” pursues and evaluate
whether the group’s activities work against the public
good.
Topic: Interest Groups Past and President: The “Mischiefs of
Faction”
Learning Objective: LO 5.1: Explain the role of interest groups
and social movements in American politics.
Page Reference: 131 – 132
Skill Level: Apply What You Know
Diiculty Level: Diicult
109. In recent years, political action committee (PAC) contributions
have become increasingly important in federal elections. In light
of the inluence of PAC money on elections and policy making, is
this trend a sign of a healthy democracy, or is it a troubling
development?
1. Explain what a PAC is: an organization that collects
contributions from multiple individuals and distributes
them to political candidates.
2. Discuss the rise of PACs since the 1970s and provide
examples of speciic PACs.
3. Explain and evaluate some of the implications of PACs
for elections, including the fact that most congressional
candidates depend on PAC money to get elected and the
fact that PACs contribute disproportionately to
incumbents.
4. Discuss and evaluate the inluence of PACs on policy
making, including the fact that PACs gain access to
elected oicials but are not guaranteed inluence.
5. Articulate a position regarding whether PACs are good
or bad for democratic governance, based on the inluence
of PACs on elections and policy making.
Topic: Money and Politics
170
Learning Objective: LO 5.5: Identify ways interest groups use
money in elections and assess eforts to regulate this spending.
Page Reference: 148 – 151
Skill Level: Analyze It
Diiculty Level: Diicult
110. Discuss Supreme Court rulings since 2010 related to campaign
inance. How have these rulings afected the power of
individuals, corporations, and unions to shape elections? Do you
agree with the Court’s decisions? Explain your reasoning.
1. Summarize the Court’s decisions: in 2010, the Supreme
Court reversed a long-standing ban on the use of
corporate and union general funds for election
communications. In 2014, the Supreme Court struck down
aggregate limits on how much an individual can
2. Evaluate the consequences of these decisions, noting
the development of Super PACs since 2010 and the
increased spending on campaigns.
3. Draw a conclusion regarding the merits of the Court’s
decisions. For instance, one might argue that protecting
free speech is the most important consideration,
regardless of the consequences of the decision.
Alternatively, one might argue that these decisions will
lead to an increase in unregulated electioneering by
corporations and unions and will allow corporations,
unions, and wealthy individuals to have disproportionate
inluence on election outcomes.
Topic: Money and Politics
Learning Objective: LO 5.5: Identify ways interest groups use
money in elections and assess eforts to regulate this spending.
Page Reference: 148 – 150, 152
Skill Level: Analyze It
Diiculty Level: Diicult
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