Question 1

All public opinion polls pose questions to a group of randomly selected individuals without considering their age,gender,or location.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

The 2008 U.S.financial bailouts were met with public opposition despite the fact that they staved off a depression and were being repaid.This illustrates that __________.

Accepted Answer

A) opinion polls have no impact on government decisions 
B) elected officials often misunderstand what opinion polls show 
C) mass opinion should play a greater role in economic policy making 
D) the public is often swayed by emotional rather than rational considerations 
A) opinion polls have no impact on government decisions 
B) elected officials often misunderstand what opinion polls show 
C) mass opinion should play a greater role in economic policy making 
D) the public is often swayed by emotional rather than rational considerations

Question 3

The opinion of the general public tends to have little impact on government decision making because __________.

Accepted Answer

A) corporate propaganda skews the results 
B) opinion surveys tend to show widely variable results 
C) elected officials know that they will not be held accountable for their actions 
D) indifference and fragmentation make it difficult to discern what the public truly thinks 
A) corporate propaganda skews the results 
B) opinion surveys tend to show widely variable results 
C) elected officials know that they will not be held accountable for their actions 
D) indifference and fragmentation make it difficult to discern what the public truly thinks

Question 4

Which of the following lends support to the political generations theory of public opinion?

Accepted Answer

A) Young voters went strongly to Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections. 
B) Younger people are better educated about political issues than older people. 
C) Older people are better informed about political issues than younger people. 
D) Many people who lived through the Great Depression are life-long supporters of welfare programs. 
A) Young voters went strongly to Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections. 
B) Younger people are better educated about political issues than older people. 
C) Older people are better informed about political issues than younger people. 
D) Many people who lived through the Great Depression are life-long supporters of welfare programs.

Question 5

How do published exit polls affect the outcome of presidential elections in the United States?

Accepted Answer

A) They have not been shown to have any impact. 
B) They have been shown to significantly influence undecided voters. 
C) They had a significant impact,which is why publishing exit polls are now illegal. 
D) They have led to lower voter turnout,since people already know who is likely to win. 
A) They have not been shown to have any impact. 
B) They have been shown to significantly influence undecided voters. 
C) They had a significant impact,which is why publishing exit polls are now illegal. 
D) They have led to lower voter turnout,since people already know who is likely to win.

Question 6

Mahatma Gandhi's movement in India illustrated that __________.

Accepted Answer

A) peaceful movements are more likely to succeed than violent ones 
B) a government always responds to the public opinion of the population 
C) a government responds to public opinion when its image is threatened 
D) public opinion must be shaped into a non-violent protest movement to be successful 
A) peaceful movements are more likely to succeed than violent ones 
B) a government always responds to the public opinion of the population 
C) a government responds to public opinion when its image is threatened 
D) public opinion must be shaped into a non-violent protest movement to be successful

Question 7

Which factor contributed most to the collapse of regimes such as those in the Soviet Union?

Accepted Answer

A) ineffective security forces 
B) a lack of sustained public support 
C) deviation from true Marxist ideology 
D) lack of decisive policy making by government officials 
A) ineffective security forces 
B) a lack of sustained public support 
C) deviation from true Marxist ideology 
D) lack of decisive policy making by government officials

Question 8

Which statement explains why a retired person who refers to herself as conservative expresses strong support for social welfare programs such as Social Security,Medicare,and federal aid for prescription drugs?

Accepted Answer

A) Federal entitlement programs are conservative in nature. 
B) Most people hold consistent opinions about public policy issue. 
C) Conservative ideology sees public health care and pensions as a natural right. 
D) A person's self-identification is not always consistent with his or her views on specific issues. 
A) Federal entitlement programs are conservative in nature. 
B) Most people hold consistent opinions about public policy issue. 
C) Conservative ideology sees public health care and pensions as a natural right. 
D) A person's self-identification is not always consistent with his or her views on specific issues.

Question 9

Which of the following is a reason that the telephone survey is the most common polling method in the United States?

Accepted Answer

A) Americans tend to use their phones more than email. 
B) Most Americans prefer telephone polls over online polls. 
C) Other forms of polling are impractical or prohibitively expensive. 
D) Recent laws on robo-calling make telephone polls less difficult to conduct. 
A) Americans tend to use their phones more than email. 
B) Most Americans prefer telephone polls over online polls. 
C) Other forms of polling are impractical or prohibitively expensive. 
D) Recent laws on robo-calling make telephone polls less difficult to conduct.

Question 10

Which statement explains why the life cycle theory does not always hold true?

Accepted Answer

A) People tend to get more conservative as they get older. 
B) Americans are more likely to move to the suburbs when they graduate college. 
C) Political engagement tends to increase as a person gets older and more successful. 
D) Major events during young adulthood can affect people's political views for a long time. 
A) People tend to get more conservative as they get older. 
B) Americans are more likely to move to the suburbs when they graduate college. 
C) Political engagement tends to increase as a person gets older and more successful. 
D) Major events during young adulthood can affect people's political views for a long time.

Question 11

A well-constructed public opinion poll __________.

Accepted Answer

A) poses the simplest questions possible 
B) separates conservative from liberal opinions 
C) distinguishes between elite and mass opinions 
D) attempts to quantify respondents' subjective responses 
A) poses the simplest questions possible 
B) separates conservative from liberal opinions 
C) distinguishes between elite and mass opinions 
D) attempts to quantify respondents' subjective responses

Question 12

In the United States,a liberal would likely support __________,while a conservative would likely support __________.

Accepted Answer

A) increasing the minimum wage; banning same-sex marriage 
B) increasing the minimum wage; banning prayer in schools 
C) increasing military spending; banning lifetime limits on health insurance coverage 
D) increasing military spending; banning unlimited campaign donations 
A) increasing the minimum wage; banning same-sex marriage 
B) increasing the minimum wage; banning prayer in schools 
C) increasing military spending; banning lifetime limits on health insurance coverage 
D) increasing military spending; banning unlimited campaign donations

Question 13

Which of these is an example of a rally event?

Accepted Answer

A) a major terrorist attack 
B) the State of the Union address 
C) a decrease in the unemployment rate 
D) the passage of a major piece of legislation 
A) a major terrorist attack 
B) the State of the Union address 
C) a decrease in the unemployment rate 
D) the passage of a major piece of legislation

Question 14

Which pair of independent and dependent variables cannot reasonably be reversed?

Accepted Answer

A) race (independent)and annual income (dependent) 
B) annual income (independent)and level of education (dependent) 
C) weekly TV consumption (independent)and party affiliation (dependent) 
D) weekly TV consumption (independent)and level of education (dependent) 
A) race (independent)and annual income (dependent) 
B) annual income (independent)and level of education (dependent) 
C) weekly TV consumption (independent)and party affiliation (dependent) 
D) weekly TV consumption (independent)and level of education (dependent)

Question 15

Which statement explains why public opinion is an important consideration for both democratic and authoritarian governments?

Accepted Answer

A) Public opinion provides leaders with smart policy ideas. 
B) Manipulating public opinion is necessary to maintain social control. 
C) Every society needs to have uniformity of public opinion to remain strong. 
D) Strong public dissent can lead to an electoral defeat or the collapse of the regime. 
A) Public opinion provides leaders with smart policy ideas. 
B) Manipulating public opinion is necessary to maintain social control. 
C) Every society needs to have uniformity of public opinion to remain strong. 
D) Strong public dissent can lead to an electoral defeat or the collapse of the regime.

Question 16

In the United States,some affluent suburbs are quite liberal,while poorer country dwellers are conservative.What does this suggest about Karl Marx's theories on class consciousness?

Accepted Answer

A) His prediction regarding the collapse of capitalism was inaccurate. 
B) His predictions regarding the impact of religion and propaganda were accurate. 
C) His prediction regarding the salience of social class for U.S.citizens was correct. 
D) His prediction regarding the salience of social class does not apply to the United States. 
A) His prediction regarding the collapse of capitalism was inaccurate. 
B) His predictions regarding the impact of religion and propaganda were accurate. 
C) His prediction regarding the salience of social class for U.S.citizens was correct. 
D) His prediction regarding the salience of social class does not apply to the United States.

Question 17

Suppose you are an advisor to a U.S.president whose approval ratings are sagging.What advice could you give to the president to help boost public approval?

Accepted Answer

A) Propose a bill increasing farm subsidies. 
B) Visit a local school to talk about education policy. 
C) Criticize Congress over its handling of the economy. 
D) Schedule a meeting with prominent foreign leaders to discuss a foreign policy crisis. 
A) Propose a bill increasing farm subsidies. 
B) Visit a local school to talk about education policy. 
C) Criticize Congress over its handling of the economy. 
D) Schedule a meeting with prominent foreign leaders to discuss a foreign policy crisis.

Question 18

Gun control opponents tend to be __________ than the rest of the population.

Accepted Answer

A) more affluent 
B) less politically engaged 
C) more intense about the issue 
D) less likely to answer poll questions 
A) more affluent 
B) less politically engaged 
C) more intense about the issue 
D) less likely to answer poll questions

Question 19

The results of a poll can be skewed by __________.

Accepted Answer

A) the way the questions are worded 
B) the importance of the poll to policy makers 
C) the number of people who study the results 
D) the amount of time the media takes to report the results 
A) the way the questions are worded 
B) the importance of the poll to policy makers 
C) the number of people who study the results 
D) the amount of time the media takes to report the results

Question 20

Why might a government go ahead with a policy or action that the majority of citizens oppose?

Accepted Answer

A) Public opinion does not always reflect what is best for the nation. 
B) The public probably will have forgotten all about it by the next election. 
C) The government rarely has an accurate way of knowing what the people think. 
D) The public would rather see decisive action that it opposes than no action at all. 
A) Public opinion does not always reflect what is best for the nation. 
B) The public probably will have forgotten all about it by the next election. 
C) The government rarely has an accurate way of knowing what the people think. 
D) The public would rather see decisive action that it opposes than no action at all.

All public opinion polls pose questions to a group of randomly selected individuals without considering their age,gender,or location.

The 2008 U.S.financial bailouts were met with public opposition despite the fact that they staved off a depression and were being repaid.This illustrates that __________.

The opinion of the general public tends to have little impact on government decision making because __________.

Which of the following lends support to the political generations theory of public opinion?

How do published exit polls affect the outcome of presidential elections in the United States?

Mahatma Gandhi's movement in India illustrated that __________.

Which factor contributed most to the collapse of regimes such as those in the Soviet Union?

Which statement explains why a retired person who refers to herself as conservative expresses strong support for social welfare programs such as Social Security,Medicare,and federal aid for prescription drugs?

Which of the following is a reason that the telephone survey is the most common polling method in the United States?

Which statement explains why the life cycle theory does not always hold true?

A well-constructed public opinion poll __________.

In the United States,a liberal would likely support ,while a conservative would likely support .

Which of these is an example of a rally event?

Which pair of independent and dependent variables cannot reasonably be reversed?

Which statement explains why public opinion is an important consideration for both democratic and authoritarian governments?

In the United States,some affluent suburbs are quite liberal,while poorer country dwellers are conservative.What does this suggest about Karl Marx's theories on class consciousness?

Suppose you are an advisor to a U.S.president whose approval ratings are sagging.What advice could you give to the president to help boost public approval?

Gun control opponents tend to be __________ than the rest of the population.

The results of a poll can be skewed by __________.

Why might a government go ahead with a policy or action that the majority of citizens oppose?

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

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Exam 7: Public Opinion

All public opinion polls pose questions to a group of randomly selected individuals without considering their age,gender,or location.

The 2008 U.S.financial bailouts were met with public opposition despite the fact that they staved off a depression and were being repaid.This illustrates that __________.

The opinion of the general public tends to have little impact on government decision making because __________.

Which of the following lends support to the political generations theory of public opinion?

How do published exit polls affect the outcome of presidential elections in the United States?

Mahatma Gandhi's movement in India illustrated that __________.

Which factor contributed most to the collapse of regimes such as those in the Soviet Union?

Which statement explains why a retired person who refers to herself as conservative expresses strong support for social welfare programs such as Social Security,Medicare,and federal aid for prescription drugs?

Which of the following is a reason that the telephone survey is the most common polling method in the United States?

Which statement explains why the life cycle theory does not always hold true?

A well-constructed public opinion poll __________.

In the United States,a liberal would likely support __________,while a conservative would likely support __________.

Which of these is an example of a rally event?

Which pair of independent and dependent variables cannot reasonably be reversed?

Which statement explains why public opinion is an important consideration for both democratic and authoritarian governments?

In the United States,some affluent suburbs are quite liberal,while poorer country dwellers are conservative.What does this suggest about Karl Marx's theories on class consciousness?

Suppose you are an advisor to a U.S.president whose approval ratings are sagging.What advice could you give to the president to help boost public approval?

Gun control opponents tend to be __________ than the rest of the population.

The results of a poll can be skewed by __________.

Why might a government go ahead with a policy or action that the majority of citizens oppose?

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

In the United States,a liberal would likely support ,while a conservative would likely support .