AP Government Unit 4

Republican Party

1854 - anti-slavery Whigs and Democrats, Free Soilers and reformers from the Northwest met and formed party in order to keep slavery out of the territories

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 benchmark poll

Opinion polls

A method of systematically questioning a small, selected sample of respondents who are deemed representative of the total population.

Liberal ideology

A political orientation that favors a more assertive role in the redistribution of economic resources, but emphasizes individual freedom on a range of social issues.

Representative sample

A sample that reflects the characteristics of the population from which it is drawn; more than 1,000

Focus group

A small group of individuals who are led in discussion by a professional consultant in order to gather opinions on and responses to candidates and issues.

Which of the following scenarios best reflects the process of political socialization? A An individual takes a civics course in school and develops opinions about politics. B Members of Congress increasingly vote the same way as other members of their party. C A group is able to attract new members by offering access to a broad network of people. D As media choices increase, individuals expand their media consumption to new sources.

A, Important agents of political socialization include school, so an individual taking a civics course is a good example of the process of political socialization.

A 2013 YouGov poll question asked, "President Obama says the 1975 Public Affairs Act should be repealed. Do you agree or disagree?" The results showed that 13 percent of Democrats agreed and 39 percent of Republicans disagreed. However, the 1975 Public Affairs Act is fictitious. Which of the following is illustrated by the scenario? A The type of information given in a poll question can affect how individuals respond. B Public opinion polls can serve as a source of public support for elected officials. C Sampling techniques that use small sample sizes usually produce more reliable results. D When the question wording is accurate, there is no margin of error.

A, Polling questions can be misleading and used to sway respondents to answer in certain directions and affect how they respond. A misleading, nonneutral, and nonfactual question is asked in this scenario.

A polling firm tried to predict the results of an election by sampling 1,000 adults within a state for two days prior to the election, using landline telephones of likely voters. After the election, the firm found that their poll results were not close to the actual election results. Which of the following recommendations would be the best for the firm to follow in the future? A) Sample people who have cell phones, in addition to those with landlines. B) Conduct the survey over a one-day period rather than two days. C) Adjust the results if the sample includes more people from one party than another. D) Use an Internet-based poll that encourages people to vote online for their preferred candidate.

A, The best recommendation for the polling firm to follow to improve their results would be to survey not only those who have landlines, but also those who have cell phones. This would allow the polling company to have access to a wider range of people for more accurate survey data.

Conservative ideology

An ideology that advocates minimal regulation of the economy and decreased emphasis on income redistribution.

Libertarian ideology

An ideology that seeks even more limited government in all facets of society than that promoted by conservatives.

Which of the following illustrates an economic policy most likely supported by an ideologically liberal individual? A The Federal Reserve increasing interest rates B Congress placing regulations on the marketplace by increasing the minimum wage C A bill that would decrease funding for the food stamp program D A state lowering income taxes to attract businesses

B

Which of the following best explains how partisan differences between the president and Congress affect policymaking in the federal government? A It would weaken the power of congressional party leadership in the House of Representatives because the rules require a majority of members to approve bills. B It reduces the chances of bills becoming law because the president and the majority party in Congress are from different parties. C It leads to fewer bills being introduced into Congress because it is less likely that these bills will make it through politically divided committees. D It reduces the incentive to work across party lines because legislation that is vetoed can be overridden with a two-thirds majority vote in both chambers.

B, Partisan differences between the president and Congress may make it more difficult to pass legislation.

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates political socialization? A The government establishes a tax policy benefiting lower-income families. B A young teenager hears her parents discussing politics around the dinner table, which influences her own views. C A citizen serves on a jury and receives training on how to apply the law. D A suspect is informed of his rights by an officer who is about to interrogate him.

B, Political socialization is the process by which an individual's political opinions are shaped by other people and the surrounding culture. The number one factor in a person's political socialization is the person's family.

The primary responsibility for determining monetary policy in the United States rests with the

Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System

Which of the following policies involves more state spending than federal spending? A Military policy B Social security C Education D Medicare E Veterans affairs

C

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 programs to improve transportation systems D Increasing interest rates to stimulate the economy

C, A Keynesian approach to resolving a recession would include the use of government spending to stimulate the economy.

Which of the following best matches a political ideology with that ideology's position on the proper role of government in regulating the economy? A Communitarian—The government should regulate monetary policy but not fiscal policy. B Libertarian—Government regulation should increase when the economy is in decline. C Conservative—The government should strictly limit its regulation of the marketplace. D Liberal—The government should not intervene in economic decision-making.

C, Conservatives believe that the free market should regulate the marketplace, not the government. They believe less governmental regulation of the economy is better.

Which of the following explains why any attempt to reduce Social Security benefits is difficult? A The Supreme Court has ruled that benefits are constitutionally required. B Interest groups concerned with Social Security are ineffective. C The global economy makes government insurance programs necessary. D There are many voters who support Social Security. E Government cannot predict the number of new retirees each year.

D

In 2014, a poll reported that 51 percent of Americans support legislation to reduce carbon emissions, while 47 percent oppose it. The reported margin of sampling error was +/- 4 percent. Which of the following inferences can be made from the poll? A) More people support legislation to reduce carbon emissions than oppose it. B) More states are passing laws to reduce carbon emissions. C) A majority of people under 35 years of age support legislation to reduce carbon emissions. D) It is unclear whether more people support legislation to reduce carbon emissions than oppose it.

D, Because the percentages of 51 percent and 47 percent are within the reported 4 percent margin of error, we cannot say with certainty whether a majority of Americans support legislation to reduce carbon emissions.

Which of the following public policies is best supported by the core value of free enterprise? A The government subsidizing the cost of milk B Congress passing legislation bailing out the automobile industry C Taxpayers funding a national high-speed railway service D After a review, the Federal Trade Commission approving a corporate merger of cable providers

D, The Free Trade Commission approving a corporate merger of cable providers is the best example of the core value of free enterprise as it illustrates the government's willingness to allow private companies operate without government interference.

Which of the following is the best example of the democratic ideal of limited government? Responses A Interest groups lobbying the government to influence legislation on a particular issue B The media covering a confirmation hearing for a potential Supreme Court justice C Citizens voting to elect a new member of the United States Congress D The United States Constitution enumerating specific powers to Congress

D, The United States Constitution's enumerating specific powers to Congress is a good example of the democratic value of limited government since those enumerated powers are viewed as an attempt to limit the powers of Congress.

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, This method would help ensure a random sample, since many people no longer use telephone lines for communication.

Free enterprise

Economic system in which individuals and businesses are allowed to compete for profit with a minimum of government interference

What is generally the most important agent of political socialization?

Family

Fiscal policy

Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling taxing and spending.

A person loses his job and refuses to accept any government assistance to get back on his feet, instead relying on savings and seeking a new job immediately. Which of the following core values would this person most relate to?

Individualism

Democratic Party

One of the two major U.S political party;founded in 1828 by Andrew Jackson to support a decentralized government and state's rights

libertarian

One who believes in as little government as possible while still preventing anarchy

Moderate

Person whose views are between conservative and liberal and may include some of both ideologies

What is Monetary Po

Policies that control the supply of money, the price of money, and the availability of credit.

Exit polls

Polls conducted as voters leave selected polling places on Election Day.

What is the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System?

The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, commonly known as the Federal Reserve Board, is the main governing body of the Federal Reserve System. It is charged with overseeing the Federal Reserve Banks and with helping implement the monetary policy of the United States.

Political polarization

The process by which the public opinion divides and goes to the extremes.

Political socialization

The process by which we develop our political attitudes, values, and beliefs.

Random sample

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion around

Mass survey

a way to measure public opinion by interviewing a large sample of the population

Regulation of the marketplace

an idealized system where the government controls the forces of supply and demand, such as who is allowed to enter the market and/or what prices may be charged

The activities of the Federal Reserve Board have the most direct influence on

bank interest rates

Political culture

commonly shared attitudes, beliefs, and core values about how government should operate

Tracking polls

continuous surveys that enable a campaign or news organization to chart a candidate's daily rise or fall in support

Individualism

giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

Benchmark polls

initial poll on a candidate and issues on which campaign strategy is based and against which later polls are compared

Public opinion polls

interviews or surveys with samples of citizens that are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population

Push polls

polls taken for the purpose of providing information on an opponent that would lead respondents to vote against that candidate

Political spectrum

range of political views

Political ideologies

sets of political values held by individuals regarding the basic goals of government and politics

Demographics

the characteristics of a population with respect to age, race, and gender.

Sampling error

the difference between the results of random samples taken at the same time

Reliability of data

the extent to which an experiment, test, or measuring procedure yields the same results on repeated trials

Economic equality

the idea that each individual should receive the same amount of material goods, regardless of his or her contribution to society

Equality of opportunity

the idea that each person is guaranteed the same chance to succeed in life

Core values

the important principles that will guide decisions and actions in the company

Property rights

the rights individuals or firms have to the exclusive use of their property, including the right to buy or sell it

Entrance polls

voters asked about which candidate they are going to vote for and why before walking into a caucus