question

What did the framers identify as the greatest source of political conflict for the United States?

answer

differences between the rich and poor

question

The famous Lincoln-Douglas debates took place

answer

outside, in the cornfields and town squares of Illinois.

question

_______ ushered in the tax revolt and the deregulation of many government policies in the 1980s.

answer

Ronald Reagan

question

Each of the following organizations has a liberal orientation EXCEPT ________.

answer

the Chamber of Commerce

question

A socialist is someone who believes that

answer

government should be very active in many spheres in order to reduce economic and social inequality.

question

Which of following phenomena is not an illustration of the gender gap?

answer

Men are more likely to join political parties and other social organizations.

question

Which of the following terms describe America's fundamental political values?

answer

liberty, equality of opportunity, and democracy

question

________ .led the exposure of the Watergate scandal.

answer

Journalists at the Washington Post

question

In public opinion surveys, a sample of the total population

answer

must be representative in that the views of those in the sample must accurately and proportionately reflect the views of the whole population.

question

The small group selected by pollsters to represent the entire population is called the ________.

answer

sample

question

If a person supports a candidate because she or he is the front-runner in a poll, this is an example of ________.

answer

the bandwagon effect

question

Which of the following statements is true?

answer

The Tea Party movement is more popular in New England than in the South. The Democratic Party is becoming more popular in the South. California is a solid Republican state today. Latino voters may shift the balance of political power in Texas in the next decade. Political elites are not very polarized today.

question

Opposition to legalized abortion is a position most likely supported by ________ while support for legalized abortion is a position most likely supported by ________

answer

conservatives; liberals

question

Which of the following is true of trust in government?

answer

Republicans have more trust in government than Democrats. Very low trust in government is a reality in contemporary politics. Very high trust in government is a reality in contemporary politics. Americans had more trust in government when George W. Bush was president than during John F. Kennedy's tenure.

question

Which of the following statements about agencies of socialization is FALSE?

answer

An individual's religion has no impact on their political views.

question

Which of the following statements about public opinion is FALSE?

answer

Shifts in public opinion on particular issues do not lead to changes in public policy.

question

________ is the most important core value of liberalism.

answer

Equality

question

The typical margin of error in a sample survey of 1,500 respondents is ________

answer

2.5 percent

question

Research into public opinion and public policy has shown that

answer

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

question

Which of the following was NOT part of the George W. Bush administration's effort to maintain support for its war on terror?

answer

donations to academic institutions

question

Which statement concerning the news media is FALSE?

answer

The methods used to report the news help shape the underlying attitudes and opinions of those consuming the news. In a free democracy, the news media provides information without framing or interpreting it in any particular way. The news media presented the Bush administration's military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as its domestic antiterrorist efforts, in a positive light. The news media has relentlessly investigated the personal and official wrongdoings of politicians. The media's continual presentation of corruption in government has fostered cynicism and distrust in the public.

question

The concept of a marketplace of ideas refers to

answer

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

question

A liberal would most likely support

answer

an expansion in governmental social services.

question

Which of the following best characterizes the Clinton administration's attempts to influence public opinion?

answer

Clinton administration officials used techniques similar to those used in election campaigns to bolster popular enthusiasm for White House initiatives.

question

Which of the following statements about political opinions is FALSE?

answer

The poor are generally less supportive of economic and social programs than the wealthy.

question

In 1936, pollsters at the Literary Digest were guilty of ________ when they mistakenly predicted a presidential victory for Alf Landon over Franklin Roosevelt by polling people whose names came from the telephone book and automobile registration records.

answer

selection bias

question

A political ideology is best defined as

answer

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

question

The fact that survey respondents over report voting in elections and the frequency of their church attendance is an example of ________.

answer

the social desirability effect

question

The social desirability effect refers to

answer

the fact that respondents report what they expect the interviewer wishes to hear or whatever they think is socially acceptable rather than what they actually believe or know to be true.

question

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

answer

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 forty years.

question

The increased importance that politicians have placed on public opinion polls over the last 50 years is due partly to

answer

The fact that public opinion polling is provided to political leaders free of charge. The fact that the Supreme Court has struck down a number of state and federal laws that made public opinion polling illegal. The fact that it has become very difficult for political leaders to experience public opinion directly. The fact that media organizations no longer cover political issues as much as they once did. The fact that protections for freedom of speech have increased dramatically.

question

Conservatives are more likely than liberals to support

answer

school prayer

question

Which of the following statements about the marketplace of ideas is true?

answer

The English created the marketplace of ideas in the seventeenth century. Private groups and the news media play important roles in shaping opinions in the marketplace of ideas. Exposure to the marketplace of ideas rarely leads people to change their minds about political issues. Only individuals, not groups or organizations, are allowed to promote ideas in the marketplace of ideas. Government officials are legally prohibited from promoting ideas in the marketplace of ideas.

question

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

answer

poorly worded questions

question

"Retail politics" refers to

answer

campaigns where candidates meet citizens face-to-face to discuss politics.

question

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

answer

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.

question

The complex set of beliefs and values that, as a whole, form a general philosophy about the government is called ________

answer

political ideology

question

The fact that Democratic Party leaders have become more liberal and Republican Party leaders more conservative is important because

answer

partisans in the public tend to rely on party leaders for cues on the appropriate positions to take on major political issues.

question

Which of the following statements about the ideological preferences of Americans is FALSE?

answer

Prior to 2000, there were almost no Americans who identified themselves as liberal.

question

________ support abortion rights and oppose state involvement with religious institutions.

answer

Liberals

question

The fact that Americans strongly support the idea that governmental interference with individuals' lives and property should be kept to a minimum illustrates their commitment to ________.

answer

liberty

question

In recent years, partisan realignment in the South and congressional redistricting have

answer

reduced the number of conservative Democrats and all but eliminated liberal Republicans from the Congress.

question

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

answer

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

question

Why does the marketplace of ideas often have a moderating effect on people's opinions?

answer

Given constant exposure to other people's ideas, it is almost impossible for one not to modify one's own viewpoints.

question

Which of the following statements is true with regard to Latino Americans?

answer

Latino Americans are more likely than African Americans to perceive that America is a racist society. Latino Americans are less likely than African Americans to perceive that America is a racist society. Immigration policy is not very important to Latino Americans. First generation Spanish-speaking immigrants do not share a group affinity. Second and third generation Latino Americans are more likely to consume Spanish-language news than first generation Latino Americans.

question

People's political party preferences are primarily acquired through the influence of

answer

their families.

question

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

answer

Liberty

question

the process by which underlying political values are formed is known as

answer

political socialization.

question

The fact that many middle-class and lower-middle-class citizens who did not stand to benefit from President George W. Bush's tax cuts seemed to favor them is an example of

answer

bandwagon effects.

question

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

answer

The mass media are neutral messengers for ideas. The mass media have an enormous impact on public opinion. National journalists tend to avoid investigating political scandals. Journalists tend to provide negative coverage of a president during times of crises. Journalists tend to avoid investigating political corruption.

question

________ promoted his policy agenda to the American people through "fireside chats."

answer

Franklin Roosevelt

question

Which of the following statements about governmental public relations efforts is FALSE?

answer

Due to its size and power, the government is always successful at influencing public opinion.

question

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

answer

Elected officials are more responsive to the poor than the rich. Technology has eliminated the challenges of "filter bubbles" in the United States. The Internet has reduced the amount of political information available to the public. Digital citizenship offers the promise of a more informed electorate. The problem of "bomb-throwers" on the Internet has been eliminated.

question

One recent survey showed that two-thirds of Americans believe that federal officials are spending "too little" money on "assistance for the poor." Yet, another survey conducted at the same time found that only one-tenth of Americans believe that federal officials are spending "too little" on "welfare." This example shows that

answer

selection bias must always be considered when interpreting the results from a poll.

question

Liberalism and conservatism are good examples of

answer

political ideologies.

question

The difference between a political value and a political attitude is that

answer

values are liberal while attitudes are conservative.

question

Which of the following is true about Latino voters in the United States?

answer

Latino voters helped George W. Bush get reelected in 2004.

question

Pollsters use random digit dialing to gather national samples for surveys because

answer

there is not a complete list of all Americans that can be used to identify the population.

question

When George W. Bush supporters called conservative white voters during the 2000 South Carolina Republican primary to ask if they would be more or less likely to vote for John McCain if they knew that he had fathered an illegitimate black child, it was an example of

answer

a push poll.

question

The belief that government is a wasteful and dangerous institution and should be limited to as few activities as possible is an example of a political ________.

answer

ideology

question

Which of the following statements about political opinions is not true?

answer

The poor are generally less supportive of economic and social programs than the wealthy.

question

Which of the following statements about agencies of socialization is incorrect?

answer

Family, membership in social groups, and education are all important agencies of socialization.

question

What is one of the main differences between those who have gone to college and those who have not?

answer

There is a higher level of political participation among those with a college education.

question

A liberal would most likely support?

answer

An expansion in governmental social services.

question

Political scientist John Zaller (Phil's mentor at UCLA) argues that?

answer

The public relies on elite cues when forming opinions about complex policies.

question

The practice of push polling involves?

answer

The procedure of asking loaded questions in order to subtly shape the respondent's opinion.

question

As it pertains to general elections, the median voter theorem states that?

answer

The most reliable strategy for a politician to take in winning reelection is to adopt policies that are consistent with the preferences of ideologically extreme voters.

question

Which of the following statements about the forces that shape public opinion is not true?

answer

All governments try to influence, manipulate, or manage their citizens' beliefs

question

The increased amount of information online?

answer

Has increased the gap between the haves and the have-nots in terms of political knowledge.

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