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Worksheets

Candidates & Media

Total questions: 14

Worksheet time: 7mins

Name
Class
Date
1.

Political action committees were formed to do which of the following?

a)

allow interest groups to pay lobbyists

b)

allow interest groups to contribute money to candidates and campaigns

c)

assign volunteers to groups that need them

d)

fund the mass media

2.

The MOST important reason to look at the source of political advertising is to protect them from?

a)

Bias

b)

Fraud

c)

Slander

d)

Media

3.

Which question would a citizen want to ask to determine whether a lobbyist is working on behalf of the public interest?

a)

Has the lobbyist worked as a public official before?

b)

How long has the person been a lobbyist?

c)

How much is the lobbyist being paid?

d)

What organization hired the lobbyist?

4.

What is the best reason that press releases from a politician or a government agency are not always the best source of public information about an issue?

a)

They are not covered by news outlets.

b)

They give too much detail to be useful.

c)

They may be released too late to be useful.

d)

They may present only one point of view about an issue.

5.

Why is it important to analyze political ads carefully before choosing a candidate?

a)

Political ads are designed to convince you to vote for a candidate and may not present all sides of an issue.

b)

Political ads are usually an afterthought for a campaign and probably do not contain up-to-date information.

c)

Political ads contain only propaganda and lies and should not be a factor when selecting a candidate.

d)

Political ads often present a balanced viewpoint of all issues and therefore can be a good source of information.

6.

What is the most important thing that a political debate can teach a voter about a candidate?

a)

how much support the candidate already has

b)

what kind of television personality the candidate has

c)

where the candidate stands on certain issues

d)

whether the candidate is comfortable on camera

7.

According to their posters, what is the reason Maria could be considered more qualified than Todd to be elected mayor?

a)

Her political policies

b)

Her college education

c)

Her campaign promises

d)

Her experience working in government

8.

Which type of communication is shown in this poster?


(The poster below was created in 1917)

a)

propagandized

b)

accurate

c)

biased

d)

informational

9.

What would be the most effective way for a special-interest group to try to influence the outcome of a presidential election?

a)

to conduct a public opinion poll

b)

to hire a lobbyist

c)

to hold a primary election

d)

to run television advertisements

10.

Which of the following would be the best source for accurate information about a candidate’s experience and qualifications?

a)

an interest group’s concealed propaganda

b)

a letter to the editor published in the local newspaper

c)

an unbiased voter guide written by an independent group

d)

a speech made by an opposing candidate

11.

A politician has a picture taken of him mowing the yard. Which propaganda technique is being used?

a)

glittering generalities

b)

name calling

c)

plain-folks appeal

d)

testimonial

12.

Based on the government system in the United States, which individual activity is used to directly influence legislative decisions?

a)

watching political debates on television

b)

discussing political issues at work

c)

collecting opinions for a yearbook

d)

gathering signatures for a petition

13.

What role of the media is depicted in the headline below:

a)

Biased Reporting

b)

Watchdog Role

c)

Political Action Committees

d)

Lobbying

14.

Use the following headline to answer this question:


“Sierra Club sues BP oil spill”


– what type of group is the Sierra Club?

a)

Political Action Committee

b)

Lobbyist

c)

Public Interest Group

d)

Special Interest Group