Chapter 12 Lesson 1

Public opinion ________________.

• interests but doesn't concern lawmakers
• is irrelevant to lawmakers
• often shapes what lawmakers do
• is often formed by lawmakers

One factor that may shape a person's opinion is personal background, which includes age, gender, race, and religion.

• True
• False

Interest groups are also called pressure groups because they try to _______.

• use different means of communication
• expand their membership
• determine what issues are important
• influence the actions of political leaders

Blogs do not have an effect on public opinion.

• True
• False

A newspaper that publishes an editorial taking a stand on an issue is trying to ____________.

• gain support for a certain point of view
• entertain and amuse readers
• give readers unbiased information
• gather information about people's opinions

The feature of public opinion that measures whether opinion on a topic is positive or negative is _____________.

• sustainability
• intensity
• direction
• stability

Opinions that are based on a strong belief are usually very stable.

• True
• False

A well-accepted way to measure public opinion is by _______________.

• monitoring elections
• conducting public opinion polls
• watching media
• asking interest groups

The questions in push polls are __________________.

• fair and unbiased
• purposely biased
• irrelevant to most people
• not carefully worded

A good poll sample would include ________________.

• only people who are educated about politics
• only people with college degrees
• all the people living in a small area
• diversity to represent the entire population