question

A member of Congress who wants to act on what the majority of his or her constituency thinks on a particular issue would be advised to respond to what indicator?

answer

A poll based on a random sample of constituents

question

What are the key factors in determining the accuracy of an opinion poll?

answer

Size of the sample and whether the sample was selected from the population by a random method

question

The accuracy of a poll is usually expressed in terms of what?

answer

Sampling error

question

What is the process by which individuals acquire their political opinions called?

answer

Political socialization

question

As an agent of political socialization, the American family has its greatest effect on individuals' what?

answer

Party identification

question

Party identification refers to what?

answer

An emotional attachment to a political party

question

Historically, dramatic change in party identification is uncommon and is almost always a consequence of what?

answer

Major upheaval

question

In general, public opinion affects government action in what way?

answer

Sets limits on government action

question

Libertarians are opposed to government intervention in which spheres?

answer

in both economic and social spheres

question

A conservative is opposed to government intervention in which spheres?

answer

in the economic but not the social sphere

question

When the nation was founded, who was eligible to vote?

answer

only males who owned property

question

When did women gain the right to vote?

answer

early in the twentieth century

question

In the twenty-first century, voting rates in the United States have changed how?

answer

remained lower than in nearly every other democracy

question

In the United States, the primary responsibility for registration of the individual voter rests with whom?

answer

individual

question

Voter identification cards find the most support among which political party?

answer

Republicans

question

The frequency of elections in the United States reduces voter turnout in what way?

answer

increasing the personal effort needed to participate in all elections

question

Compared with U.S. citizens of higher incomes, those of lower incomes are more or less likely to vote?

answer

much less likely to vote in elections

question

As distinct from alienation, apathy is defined as what?

answer

a general lack of interest in politics

question

Regular voters tend to be characterized by what?

answer

a strong sense of civic duty

question

How are political protests seen by most Americans?

answer

as something to be accepted but not admired

question

Organizationally, the U.S. major parties are structured in what way?

answer

decentralized and fragmented

question

______ warned Americans of the "baneful effects" of factions (political parities) in his 1797 farewell address.

answer

George Washington

question

Democrats and Republicans have endured as the two major U.S. parties primarily due to what reason?

answer

their ability to adapt to changing circumstances

question

What are the major emerging voting blocs?

answer

Hispanics and young people

question

The major reason for the persistence of the American two-party system is what?

answer

the existence of single-member election districts

question

Proportional representation systems encourage the formation of smaller parties by enabling parties to do what?

answer

win legislative seats even though they do not receive a majority of votes in elections

question

Which demographic is key to the future of both parties?

answer

Hispanic voters

question

If a minor party gains a large following, it is almost certain that what will happen?

answer

one or both major parties will absorb its issues, and the minor party will lose support

question

Prospective voting is characterized by what choices?

answer

choices based on what candidates promised to do if elected

question

What is an accurate representation of the public's opinion about leaders and their accountability?

answer

most citizens have a low opinion of Congress as a whole but say they have confidence in their local representative in Congress

question

What is the theory that society's interests are most effectively represented through group?

answer

pluralist theory

question

The most fully organized interests are those that have which of the following as their primary purpose?

answer

economic activity

question

Some groups pursue collective goods. What is a collective good?

answer

cannot e selectively granted or denied to individuals; it must be shared

question

The situation in which individuals are tempted not to contribute to a cause because they will get the benefits even if they do not participate is called what?

answer

free-rider problem

question

Effective inside lobbying is based upon what?

answer

providing useful and persuasive information to key officials

question

What does "agency capture" occur?

answer

regulatory agencies side with the industries they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public

question

Grassroots lobbying is based on the assumption that officials will respond to what?

answer

pressure from constituents

question

PACs tend to contribute the most money to whom?

answer

incumbents

question

The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) allows what?

answer

allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on campaigns

question

James Madison's solution to the problem of factions (special interests) has, in the modern policy process, actually contributed to the problem by doing what?

answer

resulting in a fragmentation of authority among policymakers, thereby providing groups more opportunities to get their way

question

The term "framing" is used to describe what?

answer

process of selecting certain aspects of reality and then crafting news stories around those aspects

question

In comparison with today's newspapers, early American newspapers could not have done what?

answer

could not have survived without political party support

question

The yellow journalism of the late nineteenth century was characterized by what?

answer

the emphasis on sensationalism as a way of selling newspapers

question

Objective jornalismo is based on the idea that the reporter's job is to do what?

answer

report the facts and cover alternative sides of a partisan debate

question

Partisan talk radio got its start when?

answer

after the abolition of the Fairness Doctrine

question

MSNBC responded to Fox's ratings success by doing what?

answer

recasting themselves as the liberal alternative to Fox

question

One special contribution of Internet-based news is that it provides what?

answer

provides the ordinary citizen with an opportunity to be a party of the news system

question

The rise of the Internet as a news source has done what?

answer

substantially increased the partisan divide

question

One consequence of today's high-choice media system is what?

answer

a widening in the partisan divide

question

What development brought about a dramatic reduction in television's capacity to generate an interest in news?

answer

the rapid spread of cable

Exam 3 Review American Federal Government

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