American Federal Government Chapter 5

1.

1 point

Which of the following statements about the relationship between public opinion and government policy is most accurate?

Public opinion always shifts in opposition to government policy once the policy has been implemented.

Shifts in public opinion almost never lead to changes in the government policy.

Public opinion always shifts in favor of government policy once the policy has been implemented.

Although there is no one-to-one correlation between public opinion and government policy, shifts in public opinion on particular issues frequently lead to changes in government policy.

Shifts in public opinion always lead to changes in government policy.

2.

1 point

A push poll is a poll in which

the questions are designed to reduce measurement error.

the samples is chosen to include only undecided or independent voters.

the questions are designed to measure the respondent's opinions rather than shape the respondent's opinions

the questions are designed to shape the respondent's opinion rather than measure the respondent's opinion

the sample is not representative of the population it is drawn from.

3.

1 point

A frequent cause of measurement error in polls is due to ___________.

sampling error

the increased use of cell phones

poorly worded questions

push polling

unresponsiveness

4.

1 point

___________ is the core political value most highly prioritized by American conservatives.

Democracy

Justice

Family

Liberty

Equality

5.

1 point

which of the following statements about public opinion in America is true?

Political knowledge is fairly high in America.

Almost 90% of Americans can name their US senators and US reps

Citizens with low levels of knowledge are generally better able to evaluate new information and determine its relevancy to their beliefs.

Poor Americans are vocal proponents of higher levels of social welfare spending

Citizens with high levels of knowledge are generally better able to evaluate new information to determine its relevancy to their beliefs.

6.

1 point

Variables such as income, education, race, gender, and ethnicity

have little impact on political opinions.

matter only for people's opinions on moral issues but not for their opinions on economic issues

help explain why public opinion polls are so unreliable.

help explain differences of political opinion in America.

have consistently been a challenge to America's core political values.

7.

1 point

The term public opinion is used to describe

the analysis of events broadcast by news reporters during the evening news.

any political statement that is made by a citizen outside of his or her private residence or place of employment.

the beliefs and attitudes that people have about issues.

decisions of the Supreme Court.

the collected speeches and writing made by a president during his or her term in office.

8.

1 point

A familiar polling problem is the "bandwagon effect," which occurs when

the same results are used over and over again.

a large number of people refuse to answer a pollster's questions.

polling results influence people to support the candidate marked as the probable victor in a campaign.

polling results influence people to support the candidate who is trailing in a campaign

background noise makes it difficult for a pollster and respondents to communicate to each other.

9.

1 point

The concept of marketplace of ideas refers to

important changes in copyright and patent laws that have restricted Americans' access to free information.

the use of opinion pollster who market a politician's speeches, ideas, and votes

the explosion of information brought on by the Internet and other advances in electronic communication.

the competition between varying opinions and ideas that are aired in public forums.

the elimination of government regulations on broadcast media such as radio and television.

10.

1 point

Which of the following is not an agent of socialization?

political conditions

social groups

the family

education

political attitudes

11.

1 point

Which of the following statements is true about public opinion in the contemporary time period?

The problem of the "bomb throwers" on the Internet has been eliminated.

The Internet has reduced the amount of political information available to the public.

Technology has eliminated the challenges of "filter bubbles" in the US

Elected officials are more responsive to the poor than the rich.

Digital citizenship offers the promise of a more informed electorate.

12.

1 point

Today, the term ______________ refers to an ideology that supports social and political reform, greater economic equality, and expansions of government social services.

moderate

democracy

liberalism

libertarianism

conservatism

13.

1 point

A liberal would most likely support

prayer in public schools

an increase in the federal military budget

an expansion in government social services

a reduction in foreign aid for poor countries

a ban on abortions

14.

1 point

The fact that the public is inattentive to politics and must frequently rely on informational shortcuts has which of the following effects on American democracy?

strengths it by providing politicians with more freedom to act on a wider variety of issues.

weakens it by making it easier for various institutions and political actors to manipulate the political process.

strengthens it by increasing the number of people who participate in politics.

has no effect on it.

weakens it by making every citizen equally empowered to produce outcomes that are consistent with their interests on every issue.

15.

1 point

Liberalism and conservatism are good examples of ________.

public opinions

political attitudes

political preferences

political ideologies

political interests

16.

1 point

Conservatives are more likely than liberals to support _______.

government regulation of business

the expansion of government activity

school prayer

abortion rights

gay rights

17.

1 point

When men and women respond differently to issues of public policy, this difference is an example of

the gender gap

educational differences

liberalism

party policies

feminism

18.

1 point

Which of the following are the most important external influences on how political opinions are formed in the marketplace of ideas?

the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch

random digit dialing surveys, push polls, and the bandwagon effect

the unemployment rate, the Dow Jones industrial average, and the NASDAQ composite

the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, and the Federalist Papers

the government, private groups, and the news media

19.

1 point

Which of the following statements is true about the news media?

National journalists tend to avoid investigating political scandals.

The mass media are neutral messengers for ideas.

The mass media have an enormous impact on public opinion.

Journalists tend to provide negative coverage of a president during times of crisis.

Journalists tend to avoid investigating political corruption.

20.

1 point

Which of the following statements about political opinions of Democrats and Republicans in the public is most accurate?

Republicans and Democrats have similar opinions on all political issues with the exception of national security.

The difference between the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans have always been the same throughout American history and have not become more intense over the last 40 years.

Differences between the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans on a wide variety of policy questions are smaller today than during any other period in the last 40 years.

The political opinions of Democrats and Republicans in the public are unaffected by the opinions of party leaders.

Differences between the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans on a wide variety of policy questions are greater today than during any other period in the last 40 years.

21.

1 point

The process by which underlying political values are formed is known as ________.

political socialization

brainwashing

attitudinal evolution

value enhancing

ideological education

22.

1 point

Which of the following statements best describes perceptions of racism among African Americans and whites?

Large majorities of both African Americans and whites believe there is no racism in the US today.

Whites are more likely than African Americans to believe that racism is very common in the US today.

Large majorities of both African Americans and whites believe racism is very common in the US today.

Large majorities of both African Americans and whites have no opinion on whether racism is common in the US today.

African Americans are more likely than whites to believe that racism is very common in the US today.

23.

1 point

The process by which Americans learn political beliefs and values is called

brainwashing

political development

political socialization

indoctrination

propaganda

24.

1 point

Which of the following is the term used in public opinion polling to denote the small group representing the opinions of the whole population?

control group

median voters

respondents

micropopulation

sample

25.

1 point

A political ideology is best describes as

the basic principles that shape particular attitudes.

the specific preferences individuals contemplate while discussing an issue.

the various attitudes that citizens possess toward political issues, events, and people.

the concrete interests that people try to defend through public policy.

a cohesive set of beliefs that form a general philosophy about the government.

26.

1 point

Research into public opinion and public policy has shown that

less affluent and less educated citizens have a disproportionate influence over politics and public-policy decisions.

every citizen has an equally strong influence over politics and public-policy decisions.

nonvoters have a disproportionate influence over politics and public-policy decisions.

the opinions of members of the public have no influence whatsoever over politics and public-policy decisions.

more affluent and more educated citizens have disproportionate influence over politics and public-policy decisions.