government test 3

When the media regularly focus public attention on violent crime, political corruption, or economic woes, they are engaged in

agenda setting

Most democratic theorists agree that a modern nation-state cannot practice democracy without

at least two political parties regularly contesting elections

According to the self-interest principle, people tend to

choose what benefits them personally.

A practical test of whether or not a government is democratic is whether

citizens can affect its policies by acting through its institutions

in the current American context, a LIBERAL would tend to promote

economic equality ahead of freedom, and freedom ahead of social order

the major agents of early socialization in the United states are

family, school, community, and peers

Which statement about American political parties is FALSE?

independents outnumber democratic party and republican party identifiers, combined in the U.S. electorate

Americans contributing money to a candidate's campaign is best defined as a form of

influencing behavior

Research indicates that one important reason for the decline of third-party voting starting in the 1930s may be

leftward drift of the democratic party to adopt issues otherwise raised by 3rd parties

In 2012 and 2013, voters approved a number of ballot propositions, including ones in Colorado and Washington that

leglized marijuana

the set of values and beliefs that a person holds about the purpose and scope of government is called

political ideology

The text defines __________ as the actions of private citizens by which they seek to influence or support government and politics

political participation

The process whereby one becomes aware of politics, learns political facts, and forms political values is called

political socialization

The first media technology to make broadcast journalists into household names was

radio

According to the text, violent unconventional political participation is

sometimes worth the risk

The text defines suffrage and franchise as the right to

vote

2. The Framers guessed that the __________ would reflect public opinion, especially on the crucial issues of taxes and government spending.

House of representatives

How do the mass media influence the political socialization process?

They play contradictory roles, sometimes promoting popular support for government and sometimes eroding public confidence in it.

research on the impact of soft news finds it

can improve people's levels of political knowledge. helps citizens identify which politician best matches their own political preferences. can lead people to be more cynical about politicians.

Black Americans shifted significantly to the Democratic Party in the 1960s largely in response to

democratic party support for civil rights legislation

Private ownership of the media in the United States makes the American news industry

dependent on advertising revenues

The purpose of the literacy tests that were used in the southern states after 1870 was to

discourage african americans from voting

Regarding the Internet, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)

does not have jurisdiction to regulate Internet content

The now-abolished __________ obligated broadcasters to discuss public issues and to provide equal coverage of all opinions on those issues.

fairness doctrine

the first newspapers in the United States were

financed by political parties that advocated party causes

Content analysis of the 2012 party convention platforms found that Republicans were more likely to mention the word __________ whereas Democrats were more likely to mention the word __________.

freedom; equality

The media executives, news editors, and prominent reporters who decide which events to report and how to report them are known as

gatekeepers

Congress and the states moved quickly to pass the Twenty-sixth Amendment, which lowered the voting age to eighteen, because they

hoped to channel student energy away from demonstrations and toward more conventional forms of participation.

During a presidential election, the tendency of journalists to limit coverage of campaigns to coverage of which candidate is leading or behind in the polls at the time, rather than chiefly covering the issues, is known as

horse race journalism

What most distinguishes political parties from interest groups like the AFL-CIO and the National Association of Manufacturers is that

interest groups do not nominate candidates to run as their avowed representatives

Characteristics frequently associated with nonvoters are

low education, low income, being relatively young

Where in the Constitution are political parties discussed?

nowhere in the consitution

according to the text, if the criterion is______, american has the best and most democratic government in the world

number of elections held

The accuracy of the population sample used for public opinion polls depends on

randomness of selection, size of sample, and variation in the population

the 12th amendment

required the electoral college to vote separately for president and vice president

If someone formed the "Second Amendment Party," a political party to run on a platform of removing regulations on gun ownership, that would be an example of a _________ party.

single-issue

the republican party was established in response to the issue of

slavery

the basic definition of public opinion is

the collective attitudes of citizens on a given issue or question

Public opinion polls can be criticized on the grounds that

the way a pollster words a question can determine the answer

The goal of the statistical theory of sampling is

to reflect the views of the population with some predictable degree of acuracy