AP U.S. Government and Politics · Past multiple choice · Question 21, Effective Fall 2014
Interest groups in Congress
Decide when an interest group has the most sway in Congress.
The lesson this question tests
1 Read the question
The question is College Board's: sample question 21 in AP Government and Politics: United States Course Description. It starts on page 20 of the PDF.
Open Question 21 (PDF, page 20)
2 Pick your answer
3 Check the explanation
Why the answer is A open once you have picked
Interest groups do best when few people are watching. On a narrow, low-visibility issue, members of Congress get little pressure from voters or the media, so a group's expertise, contacts and contributions carry more weight. When an issue becomes public, party loyalty, presidential pressure, media coverage and voters' views crowd out a single group's influence.
Each choice
- A (correct). A narrow issue that the public is not watching leaves room for a group's lobbying to decide the outcome.
- B. A presidential priority brings White House pressure and public attention, which outweigh any one group.
- C. Media coverage makes an issue visible, and public opinion then counts more than lobbying.
- D. Deeply held convictions are the hardest for a group to change, so lobbying does least here.
- E. When an issue splits members by party, party loyalty usually drives the vote, not interest group pressure.
Question and answer key: College Board. The title and summary are ours, and so is the explanation.