American Political Beliefs and Ideologies

Which of the following best describes an exit poll?

• A poll that asks voters at randomly selected voting places whom they voted for so that election results can be predicted more quickly

• A poll conducted by having a computer randomly select phone numbers from around the country

• An opinion poll that is used to intentionally sway people’s opinions by using false or misleading information in the conversation

• A poll that randomly samples a population to capture public opinion at a given time

Which of the following sets of policies appears to be most influenced by a libertarian ideology?

• Increase income taxes on the wealthy to raise revenue for social security benefits.

• Legalize the commercial sale of marijuana and reduce government spending on prisons.

• Eliminate the estate tax and promote government-funded prekindergarten education.

• Expand the welfare state and reduce spending on national defense.

Which of the following scenarios best reflects the process of political socialization?

• An individual takes a civics course in school and develops opinions about politics.

• Members of Congress increasingly vote the same way as other members of their party.

• A group is able to attract new members by offering access to a broad network of people.

• As media choices increase, individuals expand their media consumption to new sources.

In a public opinion poll, a polling company used an online survey tool to randomly contact respondents who did not have telephone lines in addition to contacting people over the phone. Which of the following best explains this decision?

• The company saved money because it did not need to hire as many telephone interviewers to conduct the poll.

• The company was establishing a benchmark poll at the beginning of a campaign.

• The company was interested in asking different questions to different individuals.

• The company wanted to ensure that the sample of the population was truly random.

Which of the following policies would an individual who identifies as a Democrat most likely support?

• Reducing regulations on Wall Street to stimulate economic growth

• Decreasing the role of the federal government to ensure access to health care

• Increasing federal enforcement of immigration laws

• Strengthening anti-discrimination policies for married gay couples

A society that puts equality—in the sense of equality of outcome—ahead of freedom will end up with neither equality nor freedom. The use of force to achieve equality will destroy freedom, and the force, introduced for good purposes, will end up in the hands of people who use it to promote their own interests. On the other hand, a society that puts

freedom first will, as a happy by-product, end up with both greater freedom and greater equality. . . . A free society releases the energies and abilities of people to pursue their own objectives. It prevents some people from arbitrarily suppressing others. It does not prevent people from achieving positions of privilege, but so long as freedom is maintained, it prevents those positions of privilege from becoming institutionalized.

—Milton Friedman, Free to Choose (1980)

Which of the following statements is most consistent with the author’s argument in this passage?

• Equality is not an important outcome in society.

• There should be more emphasis on governmental action to achieve equality.

• Undermining freedom will extinguish both freedom and equality.

• Individual freedom and equality are not compatible values.

A society that puts equality—in the sense of equality of outcome—ahead of freedom will end up with neither equality nor freedom. The use of force to achieve equality will destroy freedom, and the force, introduced for good purposes, will end up in the hands of people who use it to promote their own interests. On the other hand, a society that puts

freedom first will, as a happy by-product, end up with both greater freedom and greater equality. . . . A free society releases the energies and abilities of people to pursue their own objectives. It prevents some people from arbitrarily suppressing others. It does not prevent people from achieving positions of privilege, but so long as freedom is maintained, it prevents those positions of privilege from becoming institutionalized.

—Milton Friedman, Free to Choose (1980)

Which of the following ideological perspectives is most consistent with the passage?

• Liberal

• Progressive

• Libertarian

• Socialist

A society that puts equality—in the sense of equality of outcome—ahead of freedom will end up with neither equality nor freedom. The use of force to achieve equality will destroy freedom, and the force, introduced for good purposes, will end up in the hands of people who use it to promote their own interests. On the other hand, a society that puts

freedom first will, as a happy by-product, end up with both greater freedom and greater equality. . . . A free society releases the energies and abilities of people to pursue their own objectives. It prevents some people from arbitrarily suppressing others. It does not prevent people from achieving positions of privilege, but so long as freedom is maintained, it prevents those positions of privilege from becoming institutionalized.

—Milton Friedman, Free to Choose (1980)

Which of the following governmental policies would the author most likely support?

• Restricting individuals from carrying guns in public

• Requiring individuals traveling in cars to wear seat belts

• Establishing minimum age requirements to access adult social media sites

• Allowing individuals to purchase marijuana for recreational use

In a public opinion poll of a representative sample of a population, 1200 people were asked to agree, disagree, or express neutrality toward the following statements.

Statement A: The government should spend more money on welfare.

Result: 35 percent of the respondents agreed.

Statement B: The government should spend more money on helping the poor.

Result: 60 percent of the respondents agreed.

Which of the following most likely accounts for the different results?

• The questions were not open-ended.

• There were no welfare recipients in the sample.

• The sample size was not large enough to be reliable.

• The questions contained a difference in wording.

A recent poll indicates that 60 percent of all people in the United States support a flat tax system. Which of the following supports the credibility of the poll result?

• The poll reported a sampling error.

• The poll was conducted online and open to anyone who wished to participate.

• The poll was administered to several thousand people who were stopped while shopping in malls across the country.

• Before the question was asked, respondents were told that a flat tax system is fairer than a progressive tax and will lead to economic growth.