Beliefs and Ideologies

Which of the following correctly describes conservative and liberal positions on social issues?

• Conservatives believe poverty can best be solved through private charity, while liberals believe government programs are needed to help fight poverty.

• Conservatives believe civil rights protections should be expanded to include homosexuals, while liberals believe civil rights legislation improperly increases the power of the federal government.

• Conservatives believe increased environmental protections are necessary to limit climate change, while liberals believe government regulations are overly burdensome on businesses.

• Conservatives believe abortion right should be protected, while liberals believe access to abortion should be restricted.

A candidate running for President wants to better understand how her target voters obtain their political beliefs. Her campaign polls 500 voters to ask them about this subject. The majority of those surveyed will likely align with those of

• their former schools and teachers

• their friends on social media

• their favorite media outlet

• their parents

Following the Civil Rights Movement, some states resorted to forced busing programs in an effort to counterbalance de facto segregation and ensure equality of opportunity for nonwhite students. While upholding the value of equality of opportunity, this action tends to clash with the value of

• limited government

• individualism

• rule of law

• free enterprise

Conservatives are typically in favor of limited government. However, if a conservative were to compromise on this value, it would probably be in the interest of

• free enterprise, such as requiring disclosures of stock trades

• equality of opportunity, such as promoting affirmative action programs

• individualism, such as ensuring a woman's right to choose

• the rule of law, such as extending surveillance powers over suspected terrorists

A political scientist is studying how groups of people come to obtain their political views. He has divided the group he is studying into younger and older. Which of the following will probably have a larger effect on the younger subjects than the older?

• Media

• Family

• Schools

• Peers

As Americans reach middle and old age, it is generally true that they become more

• individualistic

• influenced by friends and peers

• conservative

• culturally aware

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 policies is most likely to cause tension between the competing values of individualism and equality of opportunity?

• Expanding the national defense system

• Reducing environmental regulations

• Decreasing funding for space exploration

• Implementing affirmative action programs

Which of the following measures would a president adhering to Keynesian economic principles most likely employ during an economic recession?

• An executive order to increase the amount of money in circulation in the economy

• A budget with significant increases in spending for unemployment benefits and public works projects

• Legislation to cut individual and corporate income tax rates and decrease regulation of the economy

• A national budget with dramatic cuts in federal spending on entitlement programs like Social Security

Which of the following ideologies would most support universal access to health care (health care for all)?

• Conservatism

• Liberalism

• Libertarianism

• Socialism