Question 1

Which of these statements is true regarding a president's approval ratings?

Accepted Answer

A) Congress is usually more popular than the President. 
B) Rally events tend to lead to a decrease in presidential approval ratings. 
C) A bad economy is generally not blamed on an otherwise popular president. 
D) Presidents experience their highest ratings during their honeymoon phase. 
A) Congress is usually more popular than the President. 
B) Rally events tend to lead to a decrease in presidential approval ratings. 
C) A bad economy is generally not blamed on an otherwise popular president. 
D) Presidents experience their highest ratings during their honeymoon phase. D

Question 2

A pollster can decrease a poll's margin of error by __________.

Accepted Answer

A) increasing the sample size 
B) decreasing the number of questions 
C) polling an equal number of men and women 
D) supplementing the poll with a focus group 
A) increasing the sample size 
B) decreasing the number of questions 
C) polling an equal number of men and women 
D) supplementing the poll with a focus group A

Question 3

According to a 1998 Pew study of the attitude of politicians toward the public,politicians believed that __________.

Accepted Answer

A) re-election is easier than it should be 
B) elites should decide policy questions 
C) public opinion is important in a democracy 
D) the American people are relatively well-informed 
A) re-election is easier than it should be 
B) elites should decide policy questions 
C) public opinion is important in a democracy 
D) the American people are relatively well-informed B

Question 4

After interviewing a citizen about his support for the new health care bill,a newspaper concludes that there is widespread support for the new legislation in town.This is an example of __________.

Accepted Answer

A) saliency 
B) objective reporting 
C) anecdotal evidence 
D) government propaganda 
A) saliency 
B) objective reporting 
C) anecdotal evidence 
D) government propaganda

Question 5

In recent decades,women were several percentage points more likely than men to vote for a __________ presidential candidate.

Accepted Answer

A) Democratic 
B) Green Party 
C) Libertarian 
D) Republican 
A) Democratic 
B) Green Party 
C) Libertarian 
D) Republican

Question 6

Which of the following is most likely to result in a pollster recording a non-attitude response for a participant?

Accepted Answer

A) asking the participant his opinion on a religious issue 
B) asking the participant about an issue that he is passionate about 
C) asking the participant his opinion on crime in his neighborhood 
D) asking the participant his opinion on an especially complex issue 
A) asking the participant his opinion on a religious issue 
B) asking the participant about an issue that he is passionate about 
C) asking the participant his opinion on crime in his neighborhood 
D) asking the participant his opinion on an especially complex issue

Question 7

What does public opinion polling provide that election results cannot?

Accepted Answer

A) the popularity of specific candidates 
B) insight into citizens' views on specific issues 
C) a clear indication which political party is dominant 
D) information about candidates' real views on the issues. 
A) the popularity of specific candidates 
B) insight into citizens' views on specific issues 
C) a clear indication which political party is dominant 
D) information about candidates' real views on the issues.

Question 8

What is the most significant way in which television coverage turned public opinion in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1965?

Accepted Answer

A) Images of police brutality toward African Americans sparked widespread outrage. 
B) Interviews with job applicants showed widespread racial discrimination in the hiring process. 
C) Speeches in Congress broadcast on television convinced voters that the law had bipartisan support. 
D) Coverage of segregated classrooms convinced Americans that separate-but-equal education was not really equal. 
A) Images of police brutality toward African Americans sparked widespread outrage. 
B) Interviews with job applicants showed widespread racial discrimination in the hiring process. 
C) Speeches in Congress broadcast on television convinced voters that the law had bipartisan support. 
D) Coverage of segregated classrooms convinced Americans that separate-but-equal education was not really equal.

Question 9

The fact that most Americans turned against the Iraq War after learning that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction (WMD)illustrates __________.

Accepted Answer

A) that public opinion is often based on misinformation 
B) how strongly public opinion shapes government policy 
C) the fact that public opinion rarely influences government policy 
D) the limitations on government's ability to create the public opinion it desires 
A) that public opinion is often based on misinformation 
B) how strongly public opinion shapes government policy 
C) the fact that public opinion rarely influences government policy 
D) the limitations on government's ability to create the public opinion it desires

Question 10

Published surveys tend to be more carefully watched by the public during __________.

Accepted Answer

A) wartime 
B) election years 
C) times of great social change 
D) upturns in the stock market 
A) wartime 
B) election years 
C) times of great social change 
D) upturns in the stock market

Question 11

The Republican Party could attract more female supporters if it __________.

Accepted Answer

A) changed its position on reproductive rights 
B) supported an increase in the minimum wage 
C) intensified its calls for tax cuts on the wealthy 
D) became more tolerant on the issue of immigration 
A) changed its position on reproductive rights 
B) supported an increase in the minimum wage 
C) intensified its calls for tax cuts on the wealthy 
D) became more tolerant on the issue of immigration

Question 12

Which of the following is a plausible explanation for the polls' prediction that Dewey would defeat Truman in 1948?

Accepted Answer

A) Pollsters assumed that the country was significantly more Republican than the actual poll data indicated. 
B) Pollsters had assumed that all respondents who said they were unlikely to vote would,in fact,stay home. 
C) Pollsters had assumed that non-respondents would wind up voting in the same ratio as those who had responded. 
D) Pollsters had assumed that respondents who said they were undecided would wind up voting in the same ratio as those who had already decided. 
A) Pollsters assumed that the country was significantly more Republican than the actual poll data indicated. 
B) Pollsters had assumed that all respondents who said they were unlikely to vote would,in fact,stay home. 
C) Pollsters had assumed that non-respondents would wind up voting in the same ratio as those who had responded. 
D) Pollsters had assumed that respondents who said they were undecided would wind up voting in the same ratio as those who had already decided.

Question 13

Politicians with an early lead in the polls tend to get _________.

Accepted Answer

A) overconfident and sloppy 
B) ignored by the adversarial press 
C) control over future polling questions 
D) more campaign contributions and more press coverage 
A) overconfident and sloppy 
B) ignored by the adversarial press 
C) control over future polling questions 
D) more campaign contributions and more press coverage

Question 14

Even in the long-term,most presidents who shrug off public opinion remain vilified.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Polls can track public opinion and __________.

Accepted Answer

A) alienate elites 
B) shape public opinion 
C) explain policy choices 
D) substitute for elections 
A) alienate elites 
B) shape public opinion 
C) explain policy choices 
D) substitute for elections

Question 16

Poor poll showings early in the campaign __________.

Accepted Answer

A) are often a self-fulfilling prophecy of defeat 
B) usually have no impact on a candidate's chances of victory 
C) usually indicate that the polling methodology was flawed 
D) often encourage voters to turn out to ensure their candidate pulls out the win 
A) are often a self-fulfilling prophecy of defeat 
B) usually have no impact on a candidate's chances of victory 
C) usually indicate that the polling methodology was flawed 
D) often encourage voters to turn out to ensure their candidate pulls out the win

Question 17

What can be concluded from the fact that such a large proportion of the American public identifies as conservative?

Accepted Answer

A) The American people have repudiated traditional forms of individualism. 
B) Opinion distributions in the United States are becoming increasingly unimodal. 
C) The Republican Party is likely to hold control of Congress for decades to come. 
D) Many people have an ideological identification that goes against their position on the issues. 
A) The American people have repudiated traditional forms of individualism. 
B) Opinion distributions in the United States are becoming increasingly unimodal. 
C) The Republican Party is likely to hold control of Congress for decades to come. 
D) Many people have an ideological identification that goes against their position on the issues.

Question 18

Which statement can explain why a public opinion poll taken in 2006 found that large numbers of Americans still believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and significant links to Al Qaeda?

Accepted Answer

A) The poll was deliberately constructed to make Americans look uninformed. 
B) People often hold onto impressions even after the facts have been shown to them. 
C) Americans knew that the weapons of mass destruction would eventually be found. 
D) The polling sample included a disproportionate number of people who supported the Iraq War in 2002. 
A) The poll was deliberately constructed to make Americans look uninformed. 
B) People often hold onto impressions even after the facts have been shown to them. 
C) Americans knew that the weapons of mass destruction would eventually be found. 
D) The polling sample included a disproportionate number of people who supported the Iraq War in 2002.

Question 19

How is the failure of the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion an example of the impact dramatic foreign policy events can have on public support of the president?

Accepted Answer

A) The event inspired public disdain for President Kennedy because it was a failure. 
B) The event inspired public support for President Kennedy even though it was a failure. 
C) Support for President Kennedy remained steady because few people knew about the invasion. 
D) Support for President Kennedy remained low because of the incoherence of his foreign policy. 
A) The event inspired public disdain for President Kennedy because it was a failure. 
B) The event inspired public support for President Kennedy even though it was a failure. 
C) Support for President Kennedy remained steady because few people knew about the invasion. 
D) Support for President Kennedy remained low because of the incoherence of his foreign policy.

Question 20

Based on opinion polls in other areas,one could conclude that an American with a college education is likely to support __________.

Accepted Answer

A) restrictions on women's reproductive rights 
B) a reduction of welfare benefits 
C) repealing affirmative action 
D) guarantees for same-sex marriage 
A) restrictions on women's reproductive rights 
B) a reduction of welfare benefits 
C) repealing affirmative action 
D) guarantees for same-sex marriage

Which of these statements is true regarding a president's approval ratings?

A pollster can decrease a poll's margin of error by __________.

According to a 1998 Pew study of the attitude of politicians toward the public,politicians believed that __________.

After interviewing a citizen about his support for the new health care bill,a newspaper concludes that there is widespread support for the new legislation in town.This is an example of __________.

In recent decades,women were several percentage points more likely than men to vote for a __________ presidential candidate.

Which of the following is most likely to result in a pollster recording a non-attitude response for a participant?

What does public opinion polling provide that election results cannot?

What is the most significant way in which television coverage turned public opinion in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1965?

The fact that most Americans turned against the Iraq War after learning that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction (WMD)illustrates __________.

Published surveys tend to be more carefully watched by the public during __________.

The Republican Party could attract more female supporters if it __________.

Which of the following is a plausible explanation for the polls' prediction that Dewey would defeat Truman in 1948?

Politicians with an early lead in the polls tend to get _________.

Even in the long-term,most presidents who shrug off public opinion remain vilified.

Polls can track public opinion and __________.

Poor poll showings early in the campaign __________.

What can be concluded from the fact that such a large proportion of the American public identifies as conservative?

Which statement can explain why a public opinion poll taken in 2006 found that large numbers of Americans still believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and significant links to Al Qaeda?

How is the failure of the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion an example of the impact dramatic foreign policy events can have on public support of the president?

Based on opinion polls in other areas,one could conclude that an American with a college education is likely to support __________.

Politics and Political Science

Political Ideologies

States

Constitutions and Rights

Regimes

Political Culture

Political Communication

Interest Groups

Parties

Elections

Legislatures

Executives and Bureaucracies

Judiciaries

Political Economy

Violence and Revolution

International Relations

Filters

Exam 7: Public Opinion

Which of these statements is true regarding a president's approval ratings?

A pollster can decrease a poll's margin of error by __________.

According to a 1998 Pew study of the attitude of politicians toward the public,politicians believed that __________.

After interviewing a citizen about his support for the new health care bill,a newspaper concludes that there is widespread support for the new legislation in town.This is an example of __________.

In recent decades,women were several percentage points more likely than men to vote for a __________ presidential candidate.

Which of the following is most likely to result in a pollster recording a non-attitude response for a participant?

What does public opinion polling provide that election results cannot?

What is the most significant way in which television coverage turned public opinion in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1965?

The fact that most Americans turned against the Iraq War after learning that Saddam Hussein did not have weapons of mass destruction (WMD)illustrates __________.

Published surveys tend to be more carefully watched by the public during __________.

The Republican Party could attract more female supporters if it __________.

Which of the following is a plausible explanation for the polls' prediction that Dewey would defeat Truman in 1948?

Politicians with an early lead in the polls tend to get _________.

Even in the long-term,most presidents who shrug off public opinion remain vilified.

Polls can track public opinion and __________.

Poor poll showings early in the campaign __________.

What can be concluded from the fact that such a large proportion of the American public identifies as conservative?

Which statement can explain why a public opinion poll taken in 2006 found that large numbers of Americans still believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and significant links to Al Qaeda?

How is the failure of the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion an example of the impact dramatic foreign policy events can have on public support of the president?

Based on opinion polls in other areas,one could conclude that an American with a college education is likely to support __________.

Politics and Political Science

Political Ideologies

States

Constitutions and Rights

Regimes

Political Culture

Political Communication

Interest Groups

Parties

Elections

Legislatures

Executives and Bureaucracies

Judiciaries

Political Economy

Violence and Revolution

International Relations

Filters