POSC 121 Midterm #2

________ are independent, nonprofit groups that receive and distribute funds to influence the nomination, election, and/or defeat of a candidate.

527 committees

The Supreme Court ruled that the government could not restrict independent expenditures by corporations or unions to political campaigns in

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010).

Which of the following statements about public opinion in America is most accurate?

Citizens with high levels of knowledge are generally better able to evaluate new information to determine its relevancy to their beliefs

The best description of the ideal of pluralism is that

Competition among interests will produce balance, with all interests regulating each other

Which of the following statements about newspapers is accurate?

Daily newspaper print circulation has declined by over 30 percent over the past 20 years.

Which of the following statements is true?

Over 95 percent of Americans have a television.

Which of the following statements about the marketplace of ideas is true?

Private groups and the news media play important roles in shaping opinions in the marketplace of ideas.

________ is one of the most important mechanisms for promoting equality of opportunity.

Public education

Super PACs were made possible by the

Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

Which statement about the FCC is correct?

The FCC does not regulate newspapers.

________ is the most important core value of liberalism.

equality

A wealthy businessperson who is very liberal is an example of the

fact that group memberships never fully explain all of an individual's political views.

The fact that journalists referred to the Obama administration's health care initiative as "reform" instead of as "health care rationing" is an example of

framing

The greatest challenge for journalism organizations today is

generating enough revenue to finance traditional investigative journalism.

Today, advertising revenue at print newspapers is ________what it was in 2005.

half

Netroots groups are less expensive to organize than traditional interest groups because they

have a streamlined staff structure with fewer staff who often work from virtual offices.

A membership association is a group

in which members play an important role in the daily activities and administration.

It is likely that eliminating state-level voter registration laws would ________ voter turnout among ________.

increase; younger people

A full-page, fully paid spread in the New York Times publicizing a major oil company is best described as

institutional advertising.

The Supreme Court's decision in Buckley v. Valeo (1976), was significant because it

introduced the idea that money counts as "speech" under the Constitution.

Who exposed the Watergate scandal?

journalists at the Washington Post

The major organizational factors shared by most interest groups are

leadership, money, an agency or office, and members.

Edward Snowden is most known for

leaking the material that revealed widespread global surveillance programs by the U.S. government and major telecommunication companies.

Which of the following is NOT one of the potential disadvantages of shifting away from traditional media and toward digital media?

less "horse race" coverage during elections

The fact that Americans strongly support minimal governmental interference with individuals' lives and property illustrates their commitment to

liberty

Which of the following best describes the relationship between the government and the media in the United States today?

The government does not own but regulates the content and ownership of broadcast media.

Which of the following statements is true about the news media?

The mass media have an enormous impact on public opinion.

When membership in an organization allows for a reduction in the price of museum tickets, it is called a

material benefit.

A 501(c)(4)

may not spend more than half its revenue for political purposes.

A(n) ________ does NOT coincide with a presidential election.

midterm election

The free-rider phenomenon is

more problematic in very large groups.

Which of the following statements about political opinions is correct?

The poor are generally more supportive of economic and social programs than the wealthy.

Which statement best describes the relationship between public opinion and government policy?

The relationship between government policy and public opinion is dynamic, wherein government policy responds to public opinion but public opinion also shifts based on new government policies.

How do interest groups use litigation as a strategy of influence?

They file amicus curiae briefs, finance lawsuits, and bring a suit on behalf of the group

The New Deal coalition was severely strained and ultimately broken apart by the

Vietnam War and the issue of civil rights.

________is the single-most important political act for most Americans.

Voting

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

Which statement best describes the relationship between public opinion and government policy?

In recent years, ________ has released thousands of secret government documents.

WikiLeaks

Many interest groups are initially organized because

a political entrepreneur with a strong commitment to a particular set of goals believes a group will promote his or her goals and enhance his or her political influence.

Which of the following is the best example of direct democracy in the United States?

a referendum

In public-opinion surveys, a sample of the total population

must be representative in that the views of those in the sample must accurately and proportionately reflect the views of the whole population.

A proposed law or policy change that is placed on the ballot by citizens or interest groups for a popular vote is called a

ballot initiative.

If a person supports a candidate because he or she is the front-runner in a poll, it is an example of the

bandwagon effect.

The difference between a political value and a political attitude is that values are

basic principles, while attitudes are specific preferences.

The majority of political action committees (PACs) represent

business and professional groups.

The collection of grassroots online activist organizations that have redefined membership and fund-raising practices and streamlined staff structure are referred to as the

netroots

The liberal-leaning MoveOn.org and the conservative-leaning Americans for Prosperity are examples of

netroots political associations.

What is "niche journalism"?

news reporting targeted for a demographic of readers based on content or ideological presentation

A ________ is the best example of an informational benefit provided by many interest groups.

newsletter

A website devoted entirely to reporting on climate change and other environmental issues would be an example of ________ journalism.

niche

Which of the following issues is part of the agenda of the New Politics movement?

nuclear disarmament

Which of the following requires a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license in order to legally broadcast in the United States?

over-the-air television stations

Which three types of factors influence the decisions of voters at the polls?

partisan loyalty, issues, and the characteristics of candidates

The fact that Democratic Party leaders have become more liberal and Republican Party leaders more conservative is important because

partisans in the public tend to rely on party leaders for cues on the appropriate positions to take on major political issues.

Interest groups are concerned with the ________ of government, while political parties are concerned with the ________ of government.

policies; personnel

A frequent cause of measurement error in polls is due to

poorly worded questions.

Grandparents, tall people, and undergraduates are all examples of

potential interest groups.

Which of the following did the George W. Bush administration use to maintain support for the war on terror?

presidential speeches and press conferences

Priming refers to the

process of preparing the public to bring specific criteria to mind when evaluating a politician or issue.

The New Politics movement gave rise to ________ groups.

public interest

During the 2000 South Carolina Republican primary, George W. Bush supporters telephoned conservative white voters to ask if they would be more or less likely to vote for John McCain if they knew he had fathered an illegitimate black child. This was an example of a

push poll

Primary elections were introduced by

reformers at the start of the 1900s who hoped to weaken the power of party leaders.

Organized interest groups enhance American democracy by

representing the interests of large numbers of people and encouraging political participation.

In Red Lion Broadcasting Company v. FCC (1969), the Supreme Court upheld the

right of rebuttal.

The small group selected by pollsters to represent the entire population is called a

sample

In a proportional representation electoral system

seats in the legislature are allocated to political parties based on their share of the total vote cast in the election.

One way that AARP has been effective at overcoming the free-rider problem is by providing ________ benefits to its members.

selective

Third parties in the United States typically represent

social and economic interests that are disregarded by the two major parties for certain reasons.

The primary responsibility for conducting public elections rests with

state and local governments.

In international affairs, conservatism has come to mean

support for military intervention and the maintenance of American military power.

Despite its widespread availability, ________ typically provide(s) the least depth of news coverage.

television

Which media source is regulated by the federal government?

television

Which of the following news sources reaches the most Americans?

television

The fact that only 63 percent of high school graduates have broadband Internet access at home while almost 90 percent of college graduates do is an example of

the "digital divide."

Which of the following groups has had the greatest success with a strategy of litigation?

the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

During the early nineteenth century, the Jeffersonian Party's main base of strength was in

the South.

Which of the following is NOT a reason that many Americans appear to prefer online news?

the accuracy and objectivity compared to traditional media outlets

The concept of a marketplace of ideas refers to

the competition between varying opinions and ideas that are aired in public forums.

What is the "social desirability effect"?

the fact that respondents report what they think the interviewer wishes to hear or whatever they think is socially acceptable, rather than what they actually believe

The BBC in Britain is owned by

the government but allowed to report whatever it wants.

In the Pentagon Papers case, the Supreme Court ruled

the government could not block the release of the papers.

The practice of push polling involves

the procedure of asking loaded questions in order to subtly shape the respondent's opinion.

What is the primary function of a PAC?

to raise and distribute money to election campaigns

Throughout its history, American politics has been dominated by ________ major political party/parties.

two

Which of the following groups is most likely to belong to the New Politics movement?

upper-middle-class professionals, for whom the civil rights and antiwar movements of the 1960s were key experiences

The Populist Party appealed to which of the following groups?

western mining interests, small farmers, and urban workers

Historically, realignments occur

when new issues combine with economic or political crises to mobilize new voters and persuade large numbers of voters to reexamine their traditional partisan loyalties.

Low-level officials who hope to publicize what they view as their bosses' or the government's improper activities are usually called

"whistle-blowers."

A political action committee (PAC) can contribute ________ to any candidate for federal office, provided it contributes to at least five different federal candidates each year.

$5,000

Which two periods saw a decline in voter turnout for presidential elections and midterm elections?

1964-1976 and 1976-1988

About ________ percent of Americans use Twitter.

23

AARP has approximately ________ members today.

38,000,000

In 2008, about ________ percent of Latino Americans voted for Barack Obama.

67

Large media conglomerates own approximately ________ percent of daily newspapers.

75

A political party is an organization

A political party is an organization

Which of the following groups was NOT part of the New Deal coalition?

Asian Americans

Which of the following statements about the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans in the public is the most accurate?

Differences between the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans are greater today than during any other period in the last 40 years.

In 1985, the federal government stopped enforcing the ________, arguing that it was no longer necessary due to the increasing number of television and radio stations.

Fairness Doctrine

Which agency regulates broadcast media?

Federal Communications Commission

How the Constitution balances the threat posed by organized interests with the need for liberty is discussed in the

Federalist Papers, no. 10.

The first party system was characterized by conflict between the ________ and the ________.

Federalists; Jeffersonian Republicans

Which statement about the Telecommunications Act of 1996 is true?

Following passage of the act, several mergers between telephone and cable companies produced a greater concentration of media ownership.

Which U.S. president promoted his policy agenda to the American people through "fireside chats"?

Franklin D. Roosevelt

What is a referendum?

It is the practice of referring a proposed law passed by a legislature to the vote of the electorate for approval or rejection.

In the 2012 presidential election, Gallup surveys significantly overestimated

Latino support for Mitt Romney.

________ generally support abortion rights and oppose state involvement with religious institutions.

Liberals

________ is the core political value most highly prioritized by American conservatives.

Liberty

________ is the practice of tailoring campaign messages to individuals in small, homogenous groups.

Micro-targeting

Between the Civil War and the 1960s, the ________ was a Democratic stronghold.

South

Partisan loyalty is likely to be highest in the election of

a state legislator.

The "metered model" used by many newspaper websites

allows a certain number of free visits before requiring users to pay.

Which of the following occurs when one party replaces another party that has dominated national politics for a lengthy period of time?

an electoral realignment

A liberal would most likely support

an expansion in governmental social services.

A grassroots lobbying campaign occurs when

an interest group mobilizes its members and their families throughout the country to write their representatives in support of the group's position.

A loose, informal relationship of public officials, interest groups, and activists who are all concerned with the same policies is called

an issue network.

When Richard Nixon employed his "Southern strategy," he

appealed to disaffected white voters in the South.

527 committees are an important part of the American political system because they

are able to raise and spend unlimited amounts of money as long as they do not coordinate their activities with a political party.

In order to win the presidency, a candidate must win

at least 270 electoral votes.

The most important selection bias in news is the

audience appeal of a story.

Both 527s and 501(c)(4)s

can spend unlimited amounts on political advocacy as long as their efforts are not coordinated with those of any candidate's campaign.

A benefit that is sought by an interest group and that once achieved cannot be denied to nonmembers is called a

collective good.

Opposition to legalized abortion is a position most likely supported by ________, while support for legalized abortion is a position most likely supported by ________.

conservatives; liberals

"Nader's Raiders" were a(n)

consumer advocacy group in the 1960s that fought for laws and regulations to improve product safety.

Daily Internet users who participate in society and politics through online activities are called

digital citizens.

Interest groups are permitted to spend as much money as they want on issue advocacy during a campaign season, as long as they

do not coordinate their efforts with a candidate's own campaign organization.

The campaign funds raised and spent by 501(c)(4) organizations are called "dark money" because

donors and amounts contributed do not have to be made public.

Since the 1930s, the number and scale of interest groups at the national level has

dramatically increased.

What is the most important factor in predicting whether an individual votes?

education level

Members of interest groups in the United States are typically people

with higher levels of income and education.