Question 1

Which of the following statements about the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans in the public is the MOST accurate?

Accepted Answer

A) Differences between the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans are smaller today than during any other period in the last 40 years. 
B) Differences between the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans are greater today than during any other period in the last 40 years. 
C) The differences between the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans have been the same throughout American history and have not become more intense over the last 40 years. 
D) Republicans and Democrats have similar opinions on all political issues with the exception of national security. 
A) Differences between the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans are smaller today than during any other period in the last 40 years. 
B) Differences between the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans are greater today than during any other period in the last 40 years. 
C) The differences between the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans have been the same throughout American history and have not become more intense over the last 40 years. 
D) Republicans and Democrats have similar opinions on all political issues with the exception of national security. B

Question 2

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between public opinion and government policy?

Accepted Answer

A) Public opinion always shifts in opposition to government policy once the policy has been implemented. 
B) Public opinion always shifts in favor of government policy once the policy has been implemented. 
C) Shifts in public opinion always lead to changes in government policy. 
D) Although there is no one-to-one correlation between public opinion and government policy, shifts in public opinion on particular issues frequently lead to changes in government policy. 
A) Public opinion always shifts in opposition to government policy once the policy has been implemented. 
B) Public opinion always shifts in favor of government policy once the policy has been implemented. 
C) Shifts in public opinion always lead to changes in government policy. 
D) Although there is no one-to-one correlation between public opinion and government policy, shifts in public opinion on particular issues frequently lead to changes in government policy. D

Question 3

If a person supports a candidate because he or she is the front-runner in a poll, it is an example of the

Accepted Answer

A) bellwether effect. 
B) illusion of saliency. 
C) bandwagon effect. 
D) "bounce" effect. 
A) bellwether effect. 
B) illusion of saliency. 
C) bandwagon effect. 
D) "bounce" effect. C

Question 4

The three steps of John Zaller's model of opinion formation are

Accepted Answer

A) receive, accept, and sample. 
B) listen, consider, and adapt. 
C) receive, repeat, and react. 
D) listen, respond, and sample. 
A) receive, accept, and sample. 
B) listen, consider, and adapt. 
C) receive, repeat, and react. 
D) listen, respond, and sample.

Question 5

According to the online processing model, members of the public may appear to be politically uninformed because

Accepted Answer

A) by the time they actually voice an opinion on an issue, they are likely to have forgotten much of the information that helped them arrive at their opinion. 
B) they spend a great deal of time each day consuming nonpolitical content on the internet. 
C) they spend a great deal of time each day consuming nonpolitical content on television. 
D) their commitment to privacy makes them deeply unwilling to reveal to public opinion pollsters how much they actually know about politics. 
A) by the time they actually voice an opinion on an issue, they are likely to have forgotten much of the information that helped them arrive at their opinion. 
B) they spend a great deal of time each day consuming nonpolitical content on the internet. 
C) they spend a great deal of time each day consuming nonpolitical content on television. 
D) their commitment to privacy makes them deeply unwilling to reveal to public opinion pollsters how much they actually know about politics.

Question 6

A political ideology is best defined as

Accepted Answer

A) the specific preferences individuals contemplate while discussing an issue. 
B) a cohesive set of beliefs that form a general philosophy about the government. 
C) the concrete interests that people try to defend through public policy. 
D) the various attitudes that citizens possess toward political issues, events, and people. 
A) the specific preferences individuals contemplate while discussing an issue. 
B) a cohesive set of beliefs that form a general philosophy about the government. 
C) the concrete interests that people try to defend through public policy. 
D) the various attitudes that citizens possess toward political issues, events, and people.

Question 7

The South's move from voting for the Democratic Party to voting for the Republican Party in the 1960s was the result of

Accepted Answer

A) 18-year-olds winning the right to vote through the ratification of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment. 
B) Cuban immigrants becoming a larger share of citizens living in southern states. 
C) white southerners' opposition to the Democratic Party's integrationist racial policies. 
D) black southerners' support of the Republican Party's willingness to support tax cuts and increased military spending. 
A) 18-year-olds winning the right to vote through the ratification of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment. 
B) Cuban immigrants becoming a larger share of citizens living in southern states. 
C) white southerners' opposition to the Democratic Party's integrationist racial policies. 
D) black southerners' support of the Republican Party's willingness to support tax cuts and increased military spending.

Question 8

Which of the following sets of terms best describes America's fundamental political values?

Accepted Answer

A) liberal and conservative 
B) internationalist and isolationist 
C) independent and moderate 
D) liberty, equality of opportunity, and democracy 
A) liberal and conservative 
B) internationalist and isolationist 
C) independent and moderate 
D) liberty, equality of opportunity, and democracy

Question 9

The practice of push polling involves

Accepted Answer

A) polling services attempting to sell their polling data to major news media organizations at higher prices during election seasons. 
B) the procedure of asking loaded questions in order to subtly shape the respondent's opinion. 
C) the effect of polls having to push politicians into adopting policy proposals they would not otherwise adopt. 
D) the system of repeatedly calling people in the sampling frame until they respond to the survey. 
A) polling services attempting to sell their polling data to major news media organizations at higher prices during election seasons. 
B) the procedure of asking loaded questions in order to subtly shape the respondent's opinion. 
C) the effect of polls having to push politicians into adopting policy proposals they would not otherwise adopt. 
D) the system of repeatedly calling people in the sampling frame until they respond to the survey.

Question 10

Which U.S.president promoted his policy agenda to the American people through "fireside chats"?

Accepted Answer

A) Warren Harding 
B) Franklin D.Roosevelt 
C) Harry Truman 
D) John F.Kennedy 
A) Warren Harding 
B) Franklin D.Roosevelt 
C) Harry Truman 
D) John F.Kennedy

Question 11

George W.Bush called himself a "compassionate conservative" in order to show that he favored

Accepted Answer

A) regressive tax policies. 
B) programs that assist the poor and needy. 
C) the elimination of the earned income tax credit. 
D) drastically cutting the size of the American military. 
A) regressive tax policies. 
B) programs that assist the poor and needy. 
C) the elimination of the earned income tax credit. 
D) drastically cutting the size of the American military.

Question 12

In order for a survey to accurately generalize the entire population, the survey must

Accepted Answer

A) sample at least 10 percent of the target population. 
B) sample at least 25 percent of the target population. 
C) sample at least 10,000 individuals from the target population. 
D) select respondents randomly, and everyone in the target population must have an equal chance of being selected. 
A) sample at least 10 percent of the target population. 
B) sample at least 25 percent of the target population. 
C) sample at least 10,000 individuals from the target population. 
D) select respondents randomly, and everyone in the target population must have an equal chance of being selected.

Question 13

The ________ model states that individuals keep a running tally of information and use that tally to form their opinions.

Accepted Answer

A) online processing 
B) "receive," "accept," "sample" 
C) memory 
D) motivated reasoning 
A) online processing 
B) "receive," "accept," "sample" 
C) memory 
D) motivated reasoning

Question 14

In recent years, response rates for random digit dial surveys have been

Accepted Answer

A) declining steadily and now average only 67 percent. 
B) declining steadily and now average less than 15 percent. 
C) increasing steadily and now average 75 percent. 
D) increasing steadily and now average 95 percent. 
A) declining steadily and now average only 67 percent. 
B) declining steadily and now average less than 15 percent. 
C) increasing steadily and now average 75 percent. 
D) increasing steadily and now average 95 percent.

Question 15

Political leaders may prefer communicating through social media because

Accepted Answer

A) the traditional media almost never educate or persuade members of the public. 
B) federal law limits what they may say to journalists from the mainstream press but not what they may say on social media sites. 
C) they can directly transmit unedited messages to their followers without having the content altered by the mainstream press. 
D) social media is free, whereas the mainstream press often charges monetary fees for broadcasting messages. 
A) the traditional media almost never educate or persuade members of the public. 
B) federal law limits what they may say to journalists from the mainstream press but not what they may say on social media sites. 
C) they can directly transmit unedited messages to their followers without having the content altered by the mainstream press. 
D) social media is free, whereas the mainstream press often charges monetary fees for broadcasting messages.

Question 16

Pollsters use random digit dialing to gather national samples for surveys because

Accepted Answer

A) sampling errors are typically too low when other techniques are used. 
B) sampling errors are typically too high when other techniques are used. 
C) there is not a complete list of all Americans that can be used to identify the population. 
D) it is the only method that generates high levels of measurement error. 
A) sampling errors are typically too low when other techniques are used. 
B) sampling errors are typically too high when other techniques are used. 
C) there is not a complete list of all Americans that can be used to identify the population. 
D) it is the only method that generates high levels of measurement error.

Question 17

In 2002, Congress passed which of the following laws related to the invasion of Iraq?

Accepted Answer

A) the Congressional Declaration of War on Terrorism 
B) the Joint Resolution in Favor of Operation Enduring Freedom 
C) the Congressional Declaration of War Against Iraq 
D) the Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq 
A) the Congressional Declaration of War on Terrorism 
B) the Joint Resolution in Favor of Operation Enduring Freedom 
C) the Congressional Declaration of War Against Iraq 
D) the Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq

Question 18

The fact that many middle-class and lower-middle-class citizens who did not stand to benefit from President George W.Bush's tax cuts seemed to favor them is an example of the

Accepted Answer

A) importance of political knowledge. 
B) importance of self-interest. 
C) importance of political efficacy. 
D) "spiral of silence." 
A) importance of political knowledge. 
B) importance of self-interest. 
C) importance of political efficacy. 
D) "spiral of silence."

Question 19

A liberal would MOST likely support

Accepted Answer

A) an expansion in governmental social services. 
B) an increase in the federal military budget. 
C) prayer in the public schools. 
D) a reduction in foreign aid for poor countries. 
A) an expansion in governmental social services. 
B) an increase in the federal military budget. 
C) prayer in the public schools. 
D) a reduction in foreign aid for poor countries.

Question 20

________ is the core political value MOST highly prioritized by American conservatives.

Accepted Answer

A) Liberty 
B) Equality 
C) Family 
D) Justice 
A) Liberty 
B) Equality 
C) Family 
D) Justice

Which of the following statements about the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans in the public is the MOST accurate?

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between public opinion and government policy?

If a person supports a candidate because he or she is the front-runner in a poll, it is an example of the

The three steps of John Zaller's model of opinion formation are

According to the online processing model, members of the public may appear to be politically uninformed because

A political ideology is best defined as

The South's move from voting for the Democratic Party to voting for the Republican Party in the 1960s was the result of

Which of the following sets of terms best describes America's fundamental political values?

The practice of push polling involves

Which U.S.president promoted his policy agenda to the American people through "fireside chats"?

George W.Bush called himself a "compassionate conservative" in order to show that he favored

In order for a survey to accurately generalize the entire population, the survey must

The ________ model states that individuals keep a running tally of information and use that tally to form their opinions.

In recent years, response rates for random digit dial surveys have been

Political leaders may prefer communicating through social media because

Pollsters use random digit dialing to gather national samples for surveys because

In 2002, Congress passed which of the following laws related to the invasion of Iraq?

The fact that many middle-class and lower-middle-class citizens who did not stand to benefit from President George W.Bush's tax cuts seemed to favor them is an example of the

A liberal would MOST likely support

________ is the core political value MOST highly prioritized by American conservatives.

American Political Culture

The Founding and the Constitution

Federalism

Civil Liberties

Civil Rights

The Media

Political Participation and Voting

Political Parties

Campaigns and Elections

Groups and Interests

Congress

The Presidency

Bureaucracy in a Democracy

The Federal Courts

Government and the Economy

Social Policy

Foreign Policy and Democracy

Filters

Exam 6: Public Opinion

Which of the following statements about the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans in the public is the MOST accurate?

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between public opinion and government policy?

If a person supports a candidate because he or she is the front-runner in a poll, it is an example of the

The three steps of John Zaller's model of opinion formation are

According to the online processing model, members of the public may appear to be politically uninformed because

A political ideology is best defined as

The South's move from voting for the Democratic Party to voting for the Republican Party in the 1960s was the result of

Which of the following sets of terms best describes America's fundamental political values?

The practice of push polling involves

Which U.S.president promoted his policy agenda to the American people through "fireside chats"?

George W.Bush called himself a "compassionate conservative" in order to show that he favored

In order for a survey to accurately generalize the entire population, the survey must

The ________ model states that individuals keep a running tally of information and use that tally to form their opinions.

In recent years, response rates for random digit dial surveys have been

Political leaders may prefer communicating through social media because

Pollsters use random digit dialing to gather national samples for surveys because

In 2002, Congress passed which of the following laws related to the invasion of Iraq?

The fact that many middle-class and lower-middle-class citizens who did not stand to benefit from President George W.Bush's tax cuts seemed to favor them is an example of the

A liberal would MOST likely support

________ is the core political value MOST highly prioritized by American conservatives.

American Political Culture

The Founding and the Constitution

Federalism

Civil Liberties

Civil Rights

The Media

Political Participation and Voting

Political Parties

Campaigns and Elections

Groups and Interests

Congress

The Presidency

Bureaucracy in a Democracy

The Federal Courts

Government and the Economy

Social Policy

Foreign Policy and Democracy

Filters