AP Gov Political Socialization/Media Practice Questions

Gave African American males right to vote A. 15th B. 19th C. 24th D. 26th

A. 15th

Which of the following best describes an exit poll? A. A poll that asks voters at randomly selected voting places whom they voted for so that election results can be predicted more quickly B. A poll conducted by having a computer randomly select phone numbers from around the country C. An opinion poll that is used to intentionally sway people's opinions by using false or misleading information in the conversation D. A poll that randomly samples a population to capture public opinion at a given time

A. A poll that asks voters at randomly selected voting places whom they voted for so that election results can be predicted more quickly

Which of the following groups would be most likely to support a constitutional amendment banning all abortions? A. Conservatives B. Independents C. Liberals D. Moderates

A. Conservatives

Which of the following scenarios explains how demographic factors affect voter participation in elections? A. Wealthier individuals are more likely to become involved in campaigns because they believe that their actions may influence the candidates. B. Individuals who belong to marginalized groups are likely to participate in elections because their issues are often highlighted by political party leaders. C. Political action committees (PACs) raise money from their donors, which they use to run television advertisements during campaigns. D. Gerrymandered districts are likely to produce competitive districts, which leads to lower turnout rates in elections

A. Wealthier individuals are more likely to become involved in campaigns because they believe that their actions may influence the candidates.

A media organization is interested in reporting election results in a congressional election prior to the final tally of votes which will not occur until later in the evening. The organization randomly selects several polling places across the district asking voters whom they voted for. The type of poll being used in this scenario is known as... A. an exit poll B. a benchmark poll C. an opinion poll D. a tracking poll

A. an exit poll

Gave women right to vote A. 15th B. 19th C. 24th D. 26th

B. 19th

Which of the following has the most influence on the outcome of a congressional election? A. Local performance of a candidate's party in the presidential race B. A candidate's incumbency status C. The amount of a candidate's campaign spending relative to that of his or her opponent D. The level of voter turnout

B. A candidate's incumbency status

When party members meet to nominate a candidate for office, they participate in which of the following? A. General election B. Caucus C. Open primary D. Closed primary

B. Caucus

Which of the following is a type of primary election that requires registration as a party affiliate to vote? A. Blanket B. Closed C. General D. Open

B. Closed

Which of the following sets of policies would most likely be supported by a libertarian? A. Increase income and capital gains taxes on the wealthy to raise revenue for social security benefits B. Legalization of the commercial sale of marijuana and a reduction in government spending on prisons C. Elimination of the estate tax and promotion of government-funded prekindergarten education D. Expansion of the welfare state and a reduction in spending on national defense

B. Legalization of the commercial sale of marijuana and a reduction in government spending on prisons

Process of developing our political feelings. A. Political ideology B. Political socialization C. Public opinion D. Political culture

B. Political socialization

Which of the following public policies would Democrats be most likely to support? A. Authorizing additional funding for the military B. Securing a universal health care system C. Cutting the budget for foreign aid to other countries D. Withdrawing from international climate change agreements

B. Securing a universal health care system

Typically, presidential candidates implement their campaign strategies by.. A. applying their resources evenly among the states, because they must win popular votes in a majority of the states to be elected B. focusing on larger, competitive states, because they might tip the balance of the electoral college C. focusing on small states, because these states have proportionally more electoral votes than more populous states have D. ignoring the electoral college, because the popular vote determines the outcome of the election

B. focusing on larger, competitive states, because they might tip the balance of the electoral college

Eliminated poll tax A. 15th B. 19th C. 24th D. 26th

C. 24th

When none of the presidential candidates receives a majority of the votes in the electoral college, the winner is chosen by the... A. political party of candidate with most votes B. Senate C. House of Representatives D. Supreme Court

C. House of Representatives

A member of Congress who advocates for a more Keynesian approach to solving a recession will likely support which of the following policies? A. Lowering taxes on the wealthy to increase business investment B. Doing nothing and letting the recession work itself out C. Increasing federal spending on infrastructure programs D. Increasing interest rates and reducing the money supply

C. Increasing federal spending on infrastructure programs Key word- Keynesian: theory that says the government should increase demand to boost growth, consumer demand is the primary driving force in an economy, want to expand fiscal policy

Which of the following statements about incumbent senators running for reelection is correct? A. The senators with the best chances of reelection are those who have served the longest. B. The amount of money spent by a challenger has little bearing on an incumbent's reelection chances. C. Incumbent senators are less likely to be reelected than are incumbent members of the House of Representatives. D. An incumbent senator is equally likely to be reelected or defeated.

C. Incumbent senators are less likely to be reelected than are incumbent members of the House of Representatives.

Which of the following best describes the difference between an open and closed primary? A. Voters must pay a poll tax to vote in a closed primary, but not in an open primary. B. Voters are allowed to split their ticket in a closed primary but not in an open primary. C. Only voters who register as members of a political party may vote in that party's closed primary, while independents and others may be eligible to vote in open primaries. D. Candidates must seek the approval of the party organization to run in a closed primary, but anyone may be a candidate in an open primary.

C. Only voters who register as members of a political party may vote in that party's closed primary, while independents and others may be eligible to vote in open primaries.

Which of the following public policies would Republicans be most likely to support? A. Implementing new standards to reduce pollution B. Instituting paid maternity and paternity leave C. Opening public lands for ranching and oil exploration D. Raising the national minimum wage to $15 an hour

C. Opening public lands for ranching and oil exploration

A state has 11 electoral votes. In a presidential election, the Democratic candidate receives 48 percent of that state's popular vote, the Republican candidate receives 40 percent of the vote, and an independent candidate receives 12 percent of the vote. If the state is similar to most other states, how will the electoral votes most likely be allocated? A. The Democratic candidate will receive 5 electoral votes, the Republican will receive 4, and the independent will receive 2. B. The Democratic candidate will receive 6 electoral votes and the Republican will receive 5. C. The Democratic candidate will receive all 11 electoral votes. D. The House of Representatives will determine the allocation of the electoral votes.

C. The Democratic candidate will receive all 11 electoral votes.

Eliminated literacy tests A. 15th B. 19th C. Voting Rights Act of 1965 D. 26th

C. Voting Rights Act of 1965 Literacy, words not numbers, not any of the numbered amendments

Most important factor in political socialization A. Media B. Peers C. Family D. Historical events

C. family

Gave 18 year olds right to vote A. 15th B. 19th C. 24th D. 26th

D. 26th

On November 2, 2014, a Gallup poll reported that 51 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana, while 47 percent oppose legalization. The reported margin of sampling error was +/- 4 percent. Which of the following inferences can be made from the poll? A. More people support marijuana legalization than oppose it. B. More states are passing laws in support of marijuana legalization. C. A majority of people under 35 years of age support legalizing marijuana. D. It is unclear whether more people support marijuana legalization than oppose it.

D. It is unclear whether more people support marijuana legalization than oppose it.

A number of states, including Georgia and Ohio, have passed laws that revoke voter registration if a person did not vote in recent election cycles. Which of the following is a likely consequence of these laws? A. Voters would have a lower sense of efficacy, which would lead to lower turnout. B. Citizens would have to pay a fine if they tried to vote, which will significantly lower turnout. C. Younger voters will be less likely to register to vote since there is a chance their votes won't be counted. D. Occasional voters will not be able to vote on election day, which could influence election results.

D. Occasional voters will not be able to vote on election day, which could influence election results.

Where do we see highest voter turnout? A. Midterm primary elections B. Presidential primary elections C. Local/state elections D. Presidential general elections

D. Presidential general elections

In a public opinion poll, a polling company used an online survey tool to randomly contact respondents who did not have telephone lines in addition to contacting people over the phone. Which of the following best explains this decision? A. The company saved money because it did not need to hire as many telephone interviewers to conduct the poll. B. The company was establishing a benchmark poll at the beginning of a campaign. C. The company was interested in asking different questions to different individuals. D. The company wanted to ensure that the sample of the population was truly random.

D. The company wanted to ensure that the sample of the population was truly random.

Critics of the winner-take-all aspect of the electoral college are most likely to make which of the following arguments? A. The winner-take-all system of the electoral college undermines the rights of states. B. A state's presidential election results rarely mirror a state's congressional election results. C. The winner-take-all system of the electoral college drives presidential candidates to focus on winning states that are considered to be part of their core supporters. D. The winner-take-all system of the electoral college encourages presidential candidates to focus their time and effort disproportionately on battleground states with larger populations.

D. The winner-take-all system of the electoral college encourages presidential candidates to focus their time and effort disproportionately on battleground states with larger populations.

The franking privilege refers to the.. A. Federal Reserve Board's control over interest rates B. practice of permitting senators to preview lists of judicial nominees C. right of the chair to control the schedule of his or her congressional committee D. right of members of Congress to send mail to their constituents at the government's expense

D. right of members of Congress to send mail to their constituents at the government's expense

All of the following are reasons incumbents in the House of Representatives enjoy an electoral advantage over challengers EXCEPT that incumbents.... A. are better known to voters than are challengers B. get substantial financial support from their party's national committee C. find it much easier to raise campaign funds than do challengers D. often serve on committees that enable them to help the constituency

Incumbents DON'T get substantial financial support from their party's national committee (B.)