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Government/ Public Opinion

Total questions: 20

Worksheet time: 11mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Which of the following statements about political news consumption is accurate?

a)

Working-class people consume more political news than do wealthier people.

b)

Older people consume more political news than do younger people

c)

Men consume considerably more political news than do women.

d)

West Coast residents consume more political news than do East Coast residents

2.

Why is participation in the census so important?

a)

participation indicates the legitimacy of government and of laws passed by Congress

b)

changes in the U.S. population affect membership in political parties

c)

information the census collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion in federal funding is spent each year

d)

information from the census determines tax rates

3.

Which of the following generally increase with age?

a)

liberalism and political tolerance

b)

candidate loyalty and authoritarianism

c)

political participation and suspicion of out-groups

d)

political participation and strength of party attachment

4.

Which of the following statements about immigration in the United States is true?

a)

Federal law allows for the legal admission of about 1 million new immigrants every year.

b)

In recent years, illegal immigrants have outnumbered legal immigrants.

c)

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 5 percent of the nation’s immigrants have become American citizens.

d)

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that immigrants represent 30 percent of the nation’s population.

5.

What are the three biggest socializing agents we've discussed?

a)

the family, the media, and political parties

b)

the family, the schools, and the political parties

c)

the media, the schools, and the family

d)

the schools, the family, and politicians

6.

Alice will be 85 years old when the next presidential election arrives. Will she be likely to vote?

a)

Alice will be likely to vote in 2024 because political participation rises steadily with age.

b)

Alice will be unlikely to vote in 2024 because political participation falls steadily with age.

c)

Alice will be likely to vote in 2024, unless the infirmities of old age make it too hard for her to cast a ballot.

d)

Alice will be unlikely to vote in 2024 because interest in politics declines after retirement.

7.

What technique is the key to the accuracy of public opinion polls?

a)

indexing

b)

font selection

c)

random sampling

d)

in-person interviews

8.

According to Russell Neuman, the “paradox of mass politics” is that the American political system works as well as it does despite __________.

a)

the public’s lack of knowledge about politics

b)

the public’s lack of consensus on matters of public policy

c)

the growing polarization of public opinion

d)

politicians’ overreliance on public opinion polls

9.

Why does the United States have a relatively restrained scope of government compared to most European nations?

a)

the predominance of conservatives in the United States

b)

the predominance of liberals in the United States

c)

the absence of moderates in the United States

d)

the absence of pluralist thinking in the United States

10.

The role of religion in influencing political ideology is most closely related to __________.

a)

religiosity

b)

baptism

c)

denomination

d)

creed

11.

How does lower voter turnout among young citizens affect the composition of those who show up at the polls?

a)

Conservatives are overrepresented at the polls.

b)

Young citizens are overrepresented at the polls.

c)

Democrats are overrepresented at the polls.

d)

Liberals are overrepresented at the polls.

12.

According to research by Jacobs and Shapiro, politicians use public opinion polls to __________.

a)

tell them how to vote on legislation

b)

determine what policies to pursue

c)

identify centrist approaches to public policy

d)

shape their messages to the public

13.

Which of the following viewpoints is more likely to be held by a political liberal than by a political conservative?

a)

The United States should stop letting criminals hide behind the law.

b)

Prayer belongs in school.

c)

Taxes and spending should be kept low.

d)

Government should regulate the economy in the public interest.

14.

How do liberals differ from conservatives?

a)

Liberals are more likely than conservatives to envision a wide scope for the central government, often involving policies that aim to promote military intervention.

b)

Liberals are more likely than conservatives to envision a wide scope for the central government, often involving policies that aim to promote equality.

c)

Among people over the age of 30, slightly more are liberal than conservative.

d)

Conservatives are more likely than liberals to want to tax our way out of debt and deficit problems.

15.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of conducting a public opinion survey over the phone?

a)

Unlisted numbers cannot be reached by telephone polls.

b)

Federal law prohibits the use of automated random-digit-dialing programs to unlisted numbers.

c)

People are substantially less willing to participate in polls over the telephone than in person.

d)

Independents are less willing to participate in polls over the telephone than are partisans.

16.

Women are more likely than men to cast their ballots for which type of candidate?

a)

Democratic candidates who support higher levels of spending on the military as opposed to spending on social services

b)

Republican candidates who support higher levels of spending on the military as opposed to spending on social services

c)

Democratic candidates who support higher levels of spending on social services as opposed to spending on the military

d)

Republican candidates who support higher levels of spending on social services as opposed to spending on the military

17.

Approximately what percentage of adult citizens voted in the 2014 midterm elections?

a)

less than 50 percent

b)

60 percent

c)

70 percent

d)

more than 80 percent

18.

Of the following, which form of participation are Americans most likely to engage in?

a)

volunteering with a campaign

b)

protesting

c)

writing letters to the editor

d)

contacting government officials

19.

“Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” penned by Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1963, is a classic defense of __________.

a)

consciously breaking an unjust law

b)

conscientious objection

c)

boycotting

d)

tax resistance

20.

According to Ronald Reagan, what was the cause of society’s problems?

a)

urban decay

b)

tax evasion

c)

government

d)

scofflaws and miscreants