Question 1

The increased importance that politicians have placed on public opinion polls over the last 50 years is due partly to

Accepted Answer

A)   The fact that public opinion polling is provided to political leaders free of charge.
B)   The fact that the Supreme Court has struck down a number of state and federal laws that made public opinion polling illegal.
C)   The fact that it has become very difficult for political leaders to experience public opinion directly.
D)   The fact that media organizations no longer cover political issues as much as they once did.
E)   The fact that protections for freedom of speech have increased dramatically.

Question 2

Which of the following statements about the ideological preferences of Americans is false?

Accepted Answer

A)   More Americans have identified themselves as conservatives than as liberals over the last twenty years.
B)   The percentage of Americans identifying themselves as liberals has increased since the mid-1990s.
C)   More Americans have identified themselves as moderates than as liberals over the last twenty years.
D)   Prior to 2000,there were almost no Americans who identified themselves as liberal.
E)   More Americans have identified themselves as liberals or conservatives than as moderates over the last twenty years.

Question 3

If a person does not know anything about a proposed piece of legislation but supports it because Barack Obama endorsed it,we would say the person

Accepted Answer

A)   fell prey to the illusion of saliency.
B)   was an example of the bandwagon effect.
C)   committed a sampling error.
D)   was an example of the bellwether effect.
E)   reached his or her decision through the use of an informational shortcut.

Question 4

The fact that survey respondents overreport voting in elections and the frequency of their church attendance is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)   the Hawthorne effect.
B)   the coattail effect.
C)   the social desirability effect.
D)   the bandwagon effect.
E)   the median voter theorem.

Question 5

Describe how public opinion is measured.What is sampling,and what is it meant to accomplish? Describe some of the problems and biases of polling,such as push polling and question wording.How do the social desirability effect and the bandwagon effect each distort the measurement of opinion?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe how public opinion is measured.What is...

Question 6

A survey of 1,000 people can be effective for measuring the opinions of all Americans.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

Political scientists increasingly use experiments within surveys in order to understand how subtle changes in the structure of political information can result in the expression of different political opinions.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 8

In public opinion surveys,a sample of the total population

Accepted Answer

A)   must be at least 50 percent of the targeted population.
B)   need be only 25 percent of the targeted population.
C)   need be only 10 percent of the targeted population.
D)   must be representative in that the views of those in the sample must accurately and proportionately reflect the views of the whole population.
E)   must be based on all the registered voters in the targeted population.

Question 9

What did the framers identify as the greatest source of political conflict for the United States?

Accepted Answer

A)   racial inequalities
B)   geographic differences
C)   differences between the rich and poor
D)   conflicts between central and local governments
E)   conflicts between members of different racial groups

Question 10

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

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

Liberalism and conservatism are good examples of

Accepted Answer

A)   public opinions.
B)   political attitudes.
C)   political ideologies.
D)   political interests.
E)   political preferences. C

Question 12

The transition many white southerners made from the Democratic to the Republican Party is a good example of

Accepted Answer

A)   the changes in political conditions and circumstances in the South,rather than in opinions or values.
B)   the growing conservative ideology in the South.
C)   the growing liberal ideology in the South.
D)   the rise of labor unions and other associations in the South.
E)   the growth in patriotism in the South.

Question 13

The fact that Americans strongly support the idea that governmental interference with individuals' lives and property should be kept to a minimum illustrates their commitment to

Accepted Answer

A)   anarchy.
B)   democracy.
C)   liberty.
D)   equality.
E)   socialism.

Question 14

The controversial nature of affirmative action reveals that

Accepted Answer

A)   many Americans do not value equality.
B)   different policy preferences can be based on different practical interpretations of the same principle.
C)   Americans are forever separated by racial differences.
D)   Americans are very politically active.
E)   the policy is at odds with fundamental American values. B

Question 15

What is one of the main differences between those who have gone to college and those who have not?

Accepted Answer

A)   Those with a college education are less likely to believe that women and men should have equal roles.
B)   Those with a college education are more likely to believe that abortion should never be allowed.
C)   There is a higher level of political participation among those with a college education.
D)   There is a lower level of political participation among those with a college education.
E)   Those with a college education are more likely to believe that the United States should not concern itself with other nations' problems. C

Question 16

Which of the following statements about the forces that shape public opinion is not true?

Accepted Answer

A)   All governments try to influence,manipulate,or manage their citizens' beliefs.
B)   Groups with public or private institutional support are more successful in marketing their ideas than groups who do not have such support.
C)   The news media are not simply neutral messengers for the ideas developed by others.
D)   Presidents rarely attempt to influence public support for the policies they are promoting.
E)   The ways in which the news media frames or interprets events can have a major impact on how the public responds to these events.

Question 17

Which of the following statements about agencies of socialization is incorrect?

Accepted Answer

A)   Family,membership in social groups,and education are all important agencies of socialization.
B)   People's preference for a political party is primarily acquired through their family.
C)   An individual's religion has no impact on their political views.
D)   Attending college makes people more likely to participate in politics.
E)   Both involuntary and voluntary social groups have an impact on their members' political views.

Question 18

In order to draw a simple random sample of Americans,a researcher

Accepted Answer

A)   needs to interview at least 5,000 people.
B)   needs to interview less than 1,000 people.
C)   needs to interview at least 1,000 people.
D)   needs a complete list of all the people in the United States.
E)   needs only a random number generator.

Question 19

The belief that government is a wasteful and dangerous institution and should be limited to as few activities as possible is an example of a political

Accepted Answer

A)   culture.
B)   value.
C)   ideology.
D)   truism.
E)   interest.

Question 20

Research in political science has shown that even small shifts in public opinion are always translated into changes in government policy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Exam 6: Public Opinion

The increased importance that politicians have placed on public opinion polls over the last 50 years is due partly to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about the ideological preferences of Americans is false?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

If a person does not know anything about a proposed piece of legislation but supports it because Barack Obama endorsed it,we would say the person

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The fact that survey respondents overreport voting in elections and the frequency of their church attendance is an example of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Describe how public opinion is measured.What is sampling,and what is it meant to accomplish? Describe some of the problems and biases of polling,such as push polling and question wording.How do the social desirability effect and the bandwagon effect each distort the measurement of opinion?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A survey of 1,000 people can be effective for measuring the opinions of all Americans.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Political scientists increasingly use experiments within surveys in order to understand how subtle changes in the structure of political information can result in the expression of different political opinions.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In public opinion surveys,a sample of the total population

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What did the framers identify as the greatest source of political conflict for the United States?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Liberalism and conservatism are good examples of

Correct AnswerverifiedC

The transition many white southerners made from the Democratic to the Republican Party is a good example of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The fact that Americans strongly support the idea that governmental interference with individuals' lives and property should be kept to a minimum illustrates their commitment to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The controversial nature of affirmative action reveals that

Correct AnswerverifiedB

What is one of the main differences between those who have gone to college and those who have not?

Correct AnswerverifiedC

Which of the following statements about the forces that shape public opinion is not true?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about agencies of socialization is incorrect?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In order to draw a simple random sample of Americans,a researcher

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The belief that government is a wasteful and dangerous institution and should be limited to as few activities as possible is an example of a political

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Research in political science has shown that even small shifts in public opinion are always translated into changes in government policy.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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C

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B

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C

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