Font size
WorksheetsPolitical Science Unit 2 (Chapters 5-8) Study Exam
Total questions: 164
Worksheet time: 2hrs 4mins
The basic principles that shape a person’s opinions about political issues and events are known as
values.
norms.
attitudes.
traditions.
In the years following state governments and courts legalizing same-sex marriage, fewer Americans stated their opposition to it. This is an example of government policy that
has no result on public opinion.
formed as a result of popular public opinion.
shapes public opinion.
brought about a partisan realignment.
People who argue that government interferes with freedom of expression, free markets, and society, and thus should be limited to as few spheres of activity as possible, are best classified as
liberals.
libertarians.
conservatives.
communitarians.
Normally, samples of how many people are considered sufficient for accurately measuring public opinion through the use of surveys?
100
1,000
10,000
100,000
Political and social reform, government intervention in the economy, expansion of government social services and health care, and greater concern for the environment are views that are generally identified as belonging to which political ideology?
conservative
liberal
libertarian
socialist
In a public opinion poll, larger samples sizes are meant to lower the
falsification.
margin of error.
predictive analysis.
sample bias.
In keeping with the changes of the digital age, Presidents Obama and Trump have used which platforms for public communications?
television and radio addresses
newspapers and magazines
face to face interaction
Facebook and Twitter
The bandwagon effect occurs when
people respond to a poll in a way that they believe will align them with the majority.
polling results themselves influence people to support the probable victor.
poll results are influenced by how the questions are worded.
politicians begin to take on policy positions that mimic popular poll results.
If you were to mostly get your news by reading headlines on Twitter, it would be described as which form of consuming information?
rake and sow
bob and weave
skim and scan
splish and splash
The processes through which underlying political beliefs and values are formed are collectively called
political socialization.
public opinion.
survey research.
political learning.
The set of underlying orientations, ideas, and beliefs through which individuals come to understand and interpret politics is called
liberalism.
conservatism.
public opinion.
political ideology.
The term used to denote the attitudes that people have about political issues, events, institutions, and personalities is
public opinion.
political socialization.
democracy.
political culture.
Traditionally, it was held that political attitudes were based in rational factors; recently, however, which of the following has demonstrated significant influence in determining one's political attitudes?
peer pressure
emotional responses
psychological dimensions
gender
In 2017, 33 percent of women approved of the job Donald Trump was doing as president, and 46 percent of men approved. This is an example of
selection bias.
the gender gap.
equality of opportunity.
sample error.
The issue with the following poll question, "Do you think it was appropriate for President Bush to lie so that he could start a war with Iraq?" involve which of the following?
The poll question shows selection bias.
The poll has the wrong sample size.
The poll question is an example of push polling.
The poll question lacks saliency.
The phenomenon in which respondents report what they think the interviewer wants to hear or whatever they think is acceptable, rather than what they actually believe, is known as
the bandwagon effect.
the social desirability effect.
selection bias.
push polling.
When using a simple random sample,
individuals are chosen at random from a list of 10-digit telephone numbers.
every individual in a population has an equal probability of being selected as a respondent.
the sample size is kept as small as possible.
individuals with interest in the poll or study are asked to volunteer to be part of a sample.
Which group is the most influential agent of socialization in early childhood?
family
schools
peers
media
A polling error that happens when a sample is not representative of a population being studied is known as
push polling.
selection bias.
errata.
bandwagon effect.
Which of the following is not a core U.S. value?
liberty
democracy
equality of outcome
equality of opportunity
Which of the following would be the most important factor in determining the reliability of a poll?
size of the population
the size of the sample
the issue being polled
the timing of the poll
citizens' attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events
(a)
basic principles that shape a person's opinions about political issues and events
(a)
a specific preference on a particular issue
(a)
freedom from governmental control
(a)
a widely shared American ideal that all people should have the freedom to use whatever talents and wealth they have to reach their fullest potential
(a)
a system of rule that permits citizens to play a significant part in the governmental process, usually through the election of key public officials
(a)
a cohesive set of beliefs that forms a general philosophy about the role of government
(a)
today this term refers to those who generally support social and political reform, governmental intervention in the economy, more economic equality, the expansion of federal social services, and greater concern for consumers and the environment
(a)
today this term refers to those who generally support the social and economic status quo and are suspicious of efforts to introduce new political formulae and economic arrangements; conservatives believe that a large and powerful government poses a threat to citizens' freedom
(a)
someone who emphasizes freedom and believes in voluntary association with small government
(a)
someone who generally believes in social ownership, strong government, free markets, and reducing economic inequality
(a)
the induction of individuals into the political culture; learning the underlying beliefs and values on which the political system is based
(a)
social institutions, including families and schools, that help to shape individuals' basic political beliefs and values
(a)
a distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between women and men
(a)
the public forum in which beliefs and ideas are exchanged and compete
(a)
scientific instruments for measuring public opinion
(a)
a small group selected by researchers to represent the most important characteristics of an entire population
(a)
a method used by pollsters to select a representative sample in which every individual in the population has an equal probability of being selected as a respondent
(a)
a polling method in which respondents are selected at random from a list of 10-digit telephone numbers, with every effort made to avoid bias in the construction of the sample
(a)
polling error that arises based on the small size of the sample
(a)
the effect that results when respondents in a survey report what they expect the interviewer wishes to hear rather than what they believe
(a)
polling error that arises when the sample is not representative of the population being studied, which creates errors in overrepresenting or underrepresenting some opinions
(a)
a polling technique in which the questions are designed to shape the respondent's opinion
(a)
a shift in electoral support to the candidate whom public-opinion polls report as the front-runner
(a)
__________ refers to the power of the media to bring public attention to particular issues and problems.
Selection bias
Partisan politics
Agenda-setting
Media fatigue
__________ is a type of reporting in which the media adopts a skeptical or even antagonistic posture toward the government and public officials.
Adversarial journalism
Ad hoc journalism
Inquisitional journalism
Citizen journalism
__________journalism is the type of journalism that includes news reporting and political commentary by ordinary citizens and even crisis coverage from eyewitnesses on the scene.
Objective
Individual
Personal
Citizen
Which type of technology is web- and mobile-based and is used to turn communication into interactive dialogue between organizations, communities, and individuals.
broadcast media
news media
social media
analog media
A __________ is the disclosure of confidential information by a government official to the news media.
leak
byline
tweet
scoop
Almost 80 percent of people under the age of 50 get their news from which of the following?
academic journals
newspapers
radio
social media
In 2018, approximately __________ percent of Americans were digital citizens.
10
35
73
99
Which of the following best describes a daily high-speed internet user who goes online for daily activities?
digital citizen
active gamer
knowledgeable citizen
passive citizen
In 1997 the Supreme Court ruled that the __________ was an unconstitutional infringement of the right to freedom of speech as guaranteed by the First Amendment.
Communications Decency Act
equal time rule
fairness doctrine
Federal Communications Commission
Which type of media influence involves calling attention to some details of an issue or news story while ignoring others?
agenda-setting
priming
misinformation
partisan bias
The power of the media to influence the context in which people interpret political events and results is called
agenda-setting.
framing
broadcasting
selection bias
One of the most famous news leaks of the twenty-first century was the release of confidential government documents on the Iraq War; it was first revealed by which online source?
WikiLeaks
former Vice President Cheney
CNN
The New York Times
The tendency to focus news coverage on only one aspect of an event or issue, avoiding coverage of other aspects, is known as
selection bias.
fairness doctrine.
political framing.
media partisanship.
What is one of the reasons why many news sources today tend to be more partisan than they used to be?
This is a new facet of the idea of traditional journalism.
All reporters have a conservative bias.
All reporters have a liberal bias.
There are so many news sources that not many can aim for a broad-based national audience.
What media in the United States are essentially free from government interference?
broadcast media
print media
network television
radio stations
Which of the following has risen over the last decade as traditional print media has declined?
local news stations and dailies
academic journals
niche journalism
national magazines such as Time and Newsweek
False stories meant to generate ad revenue or to benefit one candidate over another are better known as
fake news.
twitter beef.
bot-news.
social media news.
Which of the following statements about the use of the internet for obtaining news and political information is accurate?
In 2016, 15 percent of adult internet users said they looked for news or information about politics or the upcoming campaigns online.
Live video streaming is growing less popular on the internet as online print articles gain in importance.
Although the internet transmits a great deal of political information, exposure to online campaign ads is quite low.
Formats for obtaining news on the internet are becoming more diverse and interactive.
The regulation by the Federal Communications Commission that gives individuals the right to respond to personal attacks made on a radio or television broadcast is known as the
fairness doctrine.
equal time rule.
right of rebuttal.
partisan fairness standard.
print and digital forms of communication, including television, newspapers, radio, and the internet, intended to convey information to large audiences
(a)
television, radio, or other media that transmit audio and/or video content to the public
(a)
cheap, tabloid-style newspaper produced in the nineteenth century, when mass production of inexpensive newspapers first became possible due to the steam-powered printing press; cost one cent compared with other papers, which cost more than five cents
(a)
an application or feed that collects web content such as news headlines, blogs, podcasts, online videos, and more in one location for easy viewing
(a)
a daily internet user with high-speed home internet access and the technology and literacy skills to go online for employment, news, politics, entertainment, commerce, and other activities
(a)
the gap in access to the internet among demographic groups based on education, income, age, geographic location, and race/ethnicity
(a)
news reporting devoted to a targeted portion (subset) of a journalism market sector or for a portion of readers or viewers based on content or ideological presentation
(a)
web-based and mobile-based technologies that are used to turn communication into interactive dialogue between organizations, communities, and individuals; social media technologies take on many different forms including blogs, Wikis, podcasts, pictures, video, Facebook, and Twitter
(a)
news reported and distributed by citizens, rather than by professional journalists and for-profit news organizations
(a)
the power of the media to bring public attention to particular issues and problems
(a)
the tendency to focus news coverage on only one aspect of an event or issue, avoiding coverage of other aspects
(a)
the power of the media to influence how events and issues are interpreted
(a)
process of preparing the public to take a particular view of an event or political actor
(a)
the requirement that broadcasters provide candidates for the same political office equal opportunities to communicate their messages to the public
(a)
a Federal Communications Commission regulation giving individuals the right to have the opportunity to respond to personal attacks made on a radio or television broadcast
(a)
organized groups that attempt to influence the government by electing their members to important government offices
(a)
a private group that raises and distributes funds for use in election campaigns
(a)
a candidate running for re-election to a position that he or she already holds
(a)
the process by which political parties select their candidates for election to public office
(a)
when political campaigns tailor messages to individuals in small homogenous groups based on their group interests to support a candidate or policy issue
(a)
the party that holds the majority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate
(a)
the party that holds the minority of legislative seats in either the House or the Senate
(a)
a political system in which only two parties have a realistic opportunity to compete effectively for control of the government
(a)
the point in history when a new party supplants the ruling party, becoming in turn the dominant political force
(a)
the condition in American government wherein the presidency is controlled by one party while the opposing party controls one or both houses of Congress
(a)
parties that organize to compete against the two major American political parties
(a)
a multiple-member district system in which many competing political parties are awarded legislative seats in rough proportion to the percentage of popular votes that each party wins.
(a)
an individual voter's psychological ties to one party or another
(a)
the right to vote; also called franchise
(a)
the percentage of eligible individuals who actually vote
(a)
status in society based on level of education, income, and occupational prestige
(a)
the process by which large numbers of people are organized for a political activity
(a)
elections within a political party to select the party's candidate for the general election
(a)
a primary election in which voters can participate in the nomination of candidates but only of the party in which they are enrolled for a period of time prior to primary day
(a)
a primary election in which the voter can wait until the day of the primary to choose which party to enroll in to select candidates for the general election
(a)
a normally closed political party business meeting of citizens to select candidates, elect officers, plan strategy, or make decisions regarding legislative matters
(a)
a regularly scheduled election involving most districts in the nation or state, in which voters decide who wins office; in the United States
(a)
a proposed law or policy change that is placed on the ballot by citizens or interest groups for a popular vote
(a)
the practice of referring a measure proposed or passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection
(a)
a procedure to allow voters to remove state officials from office before their terms expire by circulating petitions to call a vote
(a)
the electors from each state who meet after the popular election to cast ballots for president and vice president
(a)
nonprofit independent groups that receive and disburse funds to influence the nomination, election, or defeat of candidates
(a)
politically active nonprofits; under federal law, these nonprofits can spend unlimited amounts on political campaigns and not disclose their donors as long as their activities are not coordinated with the candidate campaigns and political activities are not their primary purpose
(a)
individuals who organize to influence the government's programs and policies
(a)
the theory that all interests are and should be free to compete for influence in the government; the outcome of this competition is compromise and moderation
(a)
groups that claim they serve the general good rather than only their own particular interest
(a)
an organized group in which members actually play a substantial role, sitting on committees and engaging in group projects
(a)
type of membership group in which a professional staff conducts most of the group's activities
(a)
benefits, sought by groups, that are broadly available and cannot be denied to nonmembers
(a)
those who enjoy the benefits of collective goods but did not participate in acquiring them
(a)
special newsletters, periodicals, training programs, conferences, and other information provided to members of groups to entice others to join
(a)
special goods, services, or money provided to members of groups to entice others to join
(a)
selective benefits of group membership that emphasize friendship, networking, and consciousness-raising
(a)
selective benefits of group membership that emphasize the purpose and accomplishments of the group
(a)
a political movement that began in the 1960s and '70s, made up of professionals and intellectuals for whom the civil rights and antiwar movements were formative experiences
(a)
a strategy by which organized interests seek to influence the passage of legislation or other public policy by exerting direct pressure on members of the legislature
(a)
the stable, cooperative relationships that often develop among a congressional committee, an administrative agency, and one or more supportive interest groups
(a)
advertising designed to create a positive image of an organization
(a)
a lobbying campaign in which a group mobilizes its membership to contact government officials in support of the group's position
(a)
an independent political action committee that may raise unlimited sums of money from corporations, unions, and individuals but is not permitted to contribute to or coordinate directly with parties or candidates
(a)
__________benefits are selective benefits of group membership that include friendship, networking, and consciousness-raising.
mobilizing voters
limiting campaign contributions from 501 (c) organizations
electing its members to office
running media ads to persuade public opinion
Which of the following best describes what happens during an electoral realignment?
The party that wins Congress also wins the presidency.
Voters temporarily switch allegiance to a party they did not often support.
The party in power loses to the opposition.
The coalitions of voters that support the parties change significantly.
__________ primaries only allow registered members of a political party to vote to select that party's candidates, whereas __________ primaries allow all registered voters to choose which party's primary they will participate in.
Closed; open
Open; closed
Strict; loose
National; local
A type of party formation in which political conflict prompts officials and competing factions within government to mobilize popular support is called __________ mobilization.
internal
external
expressed
inherent
Parties use this process to select a single candidate to run for each elective office.
nomination
incumbency
targeting
framing
Funding from politically active nonprofits whose donors and amounts contributed do not have to be made public is best known as
dark horse funding.
secretive funding.
dark money.
undisclosed contributions.
In 2010 the U.S. Supreme Court, in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission,
ruled that the government must restrict independent expenditures by corporations or unions to political campaigns.
ruled that the government can mostly restrict independent expenditures by corporations or unions to political campaigns.
ruled that the government cannot restrict independent expenditures by corporations or unions to political campaigns.
made no decision and remanded the case back to lower courts for review.
In order to win the presidency, a candidate must receive __________ of electoral college votes.
a plurality
a majority (270)
a super-majority (300)
at least 1 plus a plurality
When one party controls the presidency, and another party controls either one or both houses of Congress, the United States has a __________ government.
bicameral
divided
unified
anarchical
__________ involves tailoring campaign messages to individuals in small, homogenous groups, for instance, NFL fans.
Micro-targeting
Macro-targeting
Micro-framing
Macro-tailoring
Political action committees (PACs) are organizations established
by corporations, labor unions, or interest groups to channel the contributions of their members into political campaigns.
to select nominees for the general election.
to assist political parties in developing their policy platform.
to register voters into political parties.
States hold __________ to select their delegates to the Democratic and Republican national conventions.
primaries
initiatives
referendums
runoff elections
The __________ is a candidate running for re-election to a position that he or she already holds.
incumbent
challenger
party boss
caucus leader
Which of the following is the main reason why third-party or non-aligned candidates almost always fail to win an election?
corruption
internal political economy
the party system
fake news
The president of the United States is selected
through direct election.
by the U.S. Senate.
through the electoral college.
by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Republican Party was originally formed
as a coalition of antislavery forces.
as a coalition of proslavery forces.
in response to Thomas Jefferson's call for states' rights.
after suffering political losses under the Alien and Sedition Acts.
The Speaker of the House is actually selected by
the president.
the party that holds the majority of seats in the House.
the party that holds the minority of seats in the House.
the Supreme Court.
The term __________ refers to the number of parties competing for power, the organization of the parties, the dominant form of campaigning, the main division between the parties, the balance of power between and within party coalitions, social and institutional bases, and the issues and policies around which party competition is organized.
party polarization
hyper partisanship
party system
supra-politics
What are 527 committees?
college savings plans that are not taxed
organizations within the Internal Revenue Service
nonprofit independent groups that receive and disburse funds to influence elections
governmental organizations that donate money to influence campaigns
Which of the following is an example of direct democracy in practice in the United States today?
gerrymandering
open primary
referendum
caucus
An individual voter’s psychological ties to one party or another is known as
voting preference.
primary nomination.
party identification.
voter alignment.
One of the hallmarks of American democracy is based on the Madisonian theory that good government encourages multitudes of interest, known as __________,where all interests are free to compete for political influence.
pluralism
democracy
republicanism
fairness
__________ try to influence government policy, while __________ try to win elections.
Political action committees; social movements
Interest groups; political parties
Social movements; interest groups
Political action committees; interest groups
Unlike interest groups, __________ are private groups that raise and distribute funds for use in election campaigns.
social movements
political action committees
political parties
social networks
__________ are individuals who enjoy the benefits of collective goods but did not participate in acquiring or providing them.
Free riders
Welfare riders
Socialists
Entrepreneurs
Which type of group is most visible in the consumer protection and environmental policy areas?
ideological groups
public interest groups
labor unions
professional associations
Super PACs differ from regular political action committees in that they
can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money.
can only spend money directly on candidates.
are more interested in specific issues rather than actual political campaigns.
have slightly higher spending limits than political action committees.
Which famous philosopher argued that the proliferation of groups promoted democracy by encouraging governmental responsiveness?
John Adams
Alexis de Tocqueville
John Locke
John Rawls
In staff organizations, most of the work is done by
members.
paid professionals.
volunteers.
candidates for office.
Initiatives were originally promoted by Populists for what reason?
to give interest groups a way of circumventing bad legislation
to allow people to govern more directly
to advance conservative causes
to take power away from the judiciary
Iron triangles form among
executive branch programs, legislative committees, and interest groups.
judges, executive branch programs, and legislative committees.
judges, legislative committees, and interest groups.
executive branch programs, interest groups, and party leaders.
Members of interest groups are more likely than other Americans to be
less educated.
wealthy.
female.
Democratic.
Selective benefits help overcome which problem?
contribution limits
free riders
registration deadlines
Astroturfing
In which type of group do members play a substantial role, serving on committees and engaging in group politics?
staff associations
staff organizations
membership associations
free rider organizations
When policy proposals or new laws are put on the ballot directly, bypassing the state's legislature, this is known as
a referendum.
an initiative.
an amicus curiae brief.
a political action committee.
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the United Mine Workers, and the Teamsters are all members of which type of organized interests?
economic groups
professional associations
citizen groups
labor groups
Which of the following could be considered a part of the New Politics agenda?
increasing military spending
reducing government spending
restricting abortion rights
improving environmental protection
Which of the following is a brief filed in court?
amicus curiae
initiative
PAC
iron triangle
Grassroots mobilization involves
interest group members contacting their elected officials.
professional lobbyists contacting members of Congress.
the press contacting the president.
interest group leaders contacting members of Congress.
Benefits that are broadly available and cannot reasonably be denied to others is the definition of __________ goods.
constituent
regulative
collective
universalistic
