Question 1

Which of the following statements about Americans and ideology and political thinking is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Liberalism and conservatism have such imprecise meanings that it is not useful to think about politics in these terms. 
B) Americans overwhelmingly identify themselves as liberals. 
C) Americans are highly sophisticated in their political thinking. 
D) Only a minority of Americans can be classified as true ideologues. 
E) Americans are highly consistent in their political thinking.

Question 2

The accuracy of polling is diminished when respondents

Accepted Answer

A) give what they regard as the socially correct response. 
B) are asked about familiar issues. 
C) have an opinion and reveal it. 
D) admit they are not familiar with an issue and offer no opinion. 
E) None of these answers is correct.

Question 3

What are the two distinguishing characteristics of political socialization?

Accepted Answer

A) Schools are the most influential agent of political socialization,and political socialization is strongest during childhood. 
B) Family is the strongest agent of political socialization,and political socialization is strongest during high school and college. 
C) Political socialization is cumulative,and it is most heavily developed during childhood. 
D) Political socialization is transitory,and it is most heavily developed during young adulthood. 
E) Political socialization occurs primarily among educated populations,and it is most heavily developed during adulthood.

Question 4

A member of Congress who wants to act on what the majority of his or her constituency thinks on a particular issue would be advised to respond to which of the following indicators?

Accepted Answer

A) letters from constituents 
B) the editorial positions of newspapers in the constituency 
C) public demonstrations by constituents 
D) a poll based on a random sample of constituents 
E) the number of yard signs on major streets

Question 5

In general,public opinion

Accepted Answer

A) determines specific government actions. 
B) is unrelated to government action. 
C) sets limits on government action. 
D) generally affects government action only on election issues. 
E) is strongest during a presidential election.

Question 6

Which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

A) Franklin Roosevelt had little faith that public opinion would preserve the social security program,and he expected it to be dismantled within a few decades. 
B) Public opinion on the usefulness of the social security system tends to swing back and forth dramatically with the health of the national economy. 
C) George W.Bush attempted to privatize aspects of social security,only to back down in the face of determined resistance. 
D) Franklin Roosevelt attempted to increase the size of the social security system,but backed down in the face of strong public opinion against any expansion. 
E) Ronald Reagan refused,against the wishes of his party,to propose reform of the social security system,because he knew public opinion would oppose it.

Question 7

Which of the following states is solidly Democratic?

Accepted Answer

A) Idaho 
B) Georgia 
C) Utah 
D) Washington 
E) Texas

Question 8

The term public opinion is frequently used in reference to all of American society.This perspective is

Accepted Answer

A) accurate,since Americans are one people and indivisible. 
B) less accurate than a view of public opinion based on the majority,since the political system operates on the principle of majority rule. 
C) less accurate than the idea that Americans form many publics,which differ greatly in such things as the level of attention they pay to politics. 
D) less accurate than a view of public opinion based on what the news media are saying about the public. 
E) accurate,because there is little diversity in American public opinion.

Question 9

Friedrich Engels believed that communism would not take root in the United States because

Accepted Answer

A) the poorer American classes still had enough material wealth to be happy with their station. 
B) American workers lacked sufficient class consciousness. 
C) the government was already providing substantial financial assistance to the working class. 
D) the Social Security system provided workers with a safety net not available to workers in Europe. 
E) the government of the U.S.was too militantly anti-communist and would not allow propaganda to spread.

Question 10

Party identification refers to

Accepted Answer

A) the percentage of polled individuals that claim membership in a particular party. 
B) formal membership in a political party. 
C) an emotional attachment to a political party. 
D) a political party's platform-the stances on issues that define its beliefs. 
E) the ability of individual citizens to identify the major issue positions of the major political parties.

Question 11

Americans who attend religious services at least once a week are most likely to vote for which political party?

Accepted Answer

A) Libertarian 
B) Democratic 
C) Republican 
D) Populist 
E) Green

Question 12

Society in Northern Ireland is presented by the text as a demonstration of what difference with U.S.society?

Accepted Answer

A) the lack of importance in measured public opinion for the political process 
B) the status of the family as a secondary agent of socialization instead of a primary agent 
C) the relatively small influence that government propaganda has on the individual 
D) the lack of religion as a defining frame of reference 
E) the lack of crosscutting between groups

Question 13

Which of the following groups in the U.S.shows a higher level of support for collective bargaining?

Accepted Answer

A) workers in the service sector 
B) factory workers 
C) small farmers 
D) white-collar workers 
E) workers in the skilled crafts

Question 14

According to a recent Pew Research Center poll,young adults are substantially more likely than senior citizens to support

Accepted Answer

A) stronger environmental regulations. 
B) affirmative action. 
C) religious teaching in public schools. 
D) strengthening social security. 
E) the use of military force.

Question 15

Journalist Walter Lippmann suggested that

Accepted Answer

A) polling,even when done scientifically,cannot be trusted because it is in people's nature to be dishonest in response to political questions. 
B) the dominance of polling has brought about an ideological shift toward the more radical ends of the political spectrum among elected representatives. 
C) polling had provided political parties with even more entrenched power,reducing the influence of third party candidates. 
D) effective government cannot be run by politicians that base their public opinions on poll results. 
E) pollsters have had more effect on the outcome of presidential elections in recent decades than have the people who do the voting.

Question 16

Define what is meant by a political ideology.Why is ideology important to consider when discussing the political thinking of the American people?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Define what is meant by a political...

Question 17

Sources of polling error can include

Accepted Answer

A) question order. 
B) unrepresentative samples. 
C) respondents' lack of knowledge or interest in the issue. 
D) question wording. 
E) All these answers are correct.

Question 18

To accurately poll the citizens of the United States as opposed to the citizens of a single state,

Accepted Answer

A) a much larger sample size will be required. 
B) the sample requirements will be nearly the same. 
C) a smaller sample size will be required. 
D) less randomization will be needed because the sample size will be larger. 
E) a larger sampling error can be accepted.

Question 19

Each of the following statements could be considered true of either economic or social liberals,EXCEPT that

Accepted Answer

A) they favor government activism in the area of distribution of economic benefits. 
B) they prefer a smaller role for government in upholding social and cultural traditions. 
C) they favor more government spending for the poor. 
D) they believe lifestyle choices should be left to the individual. 
E) they believe that government should be used to promote traditional values.

Question 20

A general belief about the role and purpose of government is called

Accepted Answer

A) conservatism. 
B) an ideology. 
C) socialization. 
D) politicization. 
E) None of these answers is correct.

Exam 6: Public Opinion and Political Socialization: Shaping the Peoples Voice