POS 100 Exam #2

There have been over _________ executions in the United States since the Supreme Court's critical rulings in the 1970s. a. 1,200 b. 2,000 c. 3,000 d. 5,000 e. 7,000

a. 1,200

The _________ prohibits Congress from abridging freedom of the press. a. First Amendment b. Second Amendment c. Fourth Amendment d. Fifth Amendment e. Ninth Amendment

a. First Amendment

Survey methodology did not become a powerful research tool until the a. 1930s. b. 1950s. c. 1970s. d. 1980s. e. 1990s.

b. 1950s.

Which of the following television networks is currently owned by the Walt Disney Company? a. NBC b. ABC c. CBS d. Fox e. None of the above is true.

b. ABC

Which of the following statements concerning Latinos is incorrect? a. Latinos are defined as people of Latin American origin. b. Latinos are a racial group. c. Latinos are projected to be 23 percent of the nation's population by 2030. d. Latinos have lagged behind African Americans in gaining political office. e. Latinos favor government restrictions on abortion slightly more than other groups.

b. Latinos are a racial group.

According to the text, all of the following events increased support for the death penalty except a. World War I. b. World War II. c. fears of Soviet communism. d. the Vietnam War. e. an increase in the nation's homicide rate.

D. The Vietnam War

In the United States, the death penalty a. is rarely supported by a large number of citizens that are polled. b. occasionally receives moderate support in public opinion polls. c. consistently receives moderate support in public opinion polls. d. consistently receives high levels of support in public opinion polls. e. is not supported or opposed in a manner that allows for intelligent generalization.

D. consistently receives high levels of support in public opinion polls.

Every western European country has banned capital punishment except a. France. b. Germany. c. Italy. d. Spain. e. None of the above is true.

E. None

Which of the following is not characteristic of public opinion in the United States? a. Governments do not tend to respond to public opinion. b. The public's attitudes toward government policies can vary over time. c. Public opinion places boundaries on acceptable public policies. d. Citizens are willing to register opinions on matters outside their expertise. e. None of the above is true.

a. Governments do not tend to respond to public opinion.

The five members of the Federal Communications Commission a. are appointed by the president. b. are chosen by Congress. c. serve life terms. d. are selected by a council chosen by the broadcast industry. e. are elected by media owners.

a. are appointed by the president.

In the current American context, a communitarian would tend to promote a. both order and equality over freedom. b. order over freedom and freedom over equality. c. freedom over both order and equality. d. equality over freedom and freedom over order. e. liberty and equality over fairness.

a. both order and equality over freedom.

The reasonable access rule required a. broadcasters to make facilities available to all responsible parties in a community wishing to express conflicting views on issues. b. the press to refrain from publishing strategic information during wartime. c. broadcast stations to provide fair coverage of all views on public issues. d. broadcast stations to provide free air time to all candidates running for public office. e. all Internet service providers to use similar equipment.

a. broadcasters to make facilities available to all responsible parties in a community

In a 2008 election survey, respondents were asked whether abortion should be outlawed by government or a matter of personal choice, and whether government should guarantee people a job and a good standard of living or people should get ahead on their own. People's responses to the two questions: a. demonstrated that these value choices cannot be explained by a one-dimensional liberal-conservative continuum. b. demonstrated a majority of Americans are liberal c. demonstrated a majority of Americans are conservative. d. demonstrated a majority of Americans are apathetic e. None of the above is true.

a. demonstrated that these value choices cannot be explained by a one-dimensional

In the current American context, a liberal would tend to promote a. economic equality ahead of freedom, and freedom ahead of social order. b. freedom ahead of economic equality, and social order ahead of freedom. c. freedom ahead of both economic equality and social order. d. both economic equality and social order ahead of freedom. e. business and government policy ahead of social order.

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

The now-abolished __________ obligated broadcasters to discuss public issues and to provide equal coverage of all opinions on those issues. a. fairness doctrine b. reasonable access rule c. equal opportunities rule d. free exercise rule e. equal time rule

a. fairness doctrine

The contemporary political "gender gap" refers to the tendency of women to a. identify more with the Democratic Party than men do. b. vote less than men do. c. favor female candidates for office over male candidates. d. pay less attention to politics than men do. e. vote more for Republican candidates than men do.

a. identify more with the Democratic Party than men do.

The set of values and beliefs that a person holds about the purpose and scope of government is called a. political ideology. b. party identification. c. liberalism or conservatism. d. political socialization. e. communalism.

a. political ideology.

The traditional division of mass media into _________ has been made problematic by the Internet. a. print and broadcast b. audio and visual c. linkage and reception d. radio and television e. words and pictures

a. print and broadcast

The basic definition of public opinion is a. the collective attitudes of citizens on a given issue or question. b. the underlying attitude of citizens toward their government. c. journalists' reports about what the public thinks. d. support for or opposition to candidates or proposals. e. polling and survey results of the population

a. the collective attitudes of citizens on a given issue or question.

An individual who agrees that by law, abortion should never be permitted and also that government should see to it that every person has a job and a good standard of living, would be a(n) a. liberal. b. communitarian. c. conservative. d. libertarian. e. anarchist

b. communitarian.

Private ownership of the media in the United States makes the American news industry a. dependent on government subsidies. b. dependent on advertising revenues. c. less free to cover stories that are of interest to the audience. d. less concerned about ratings than media in other countries. e. a product of popular trends.

b. dependent on advertising revenues.

Between 2006 and 2010, newspaper advertising revenues a. dropped fifteen percent. b. dropped forty-eight percent. c. went up five percent. d. went up fifteen percent. e. stayed flat.

b. dropped forty-eight percent.

A respondent who agrees with the statement, "By law, a woman should be able to obtain an abortion as a matter of personal choice" values a. equality over order. b. freedom over order. c. order over equality. d. order over freedom. e. freedom over equality.

b. freedom over order.

When the Supreme Court declared state application of the death penalty unconstitutional in 1972, a. many states abolished that form of punishment. b. most states rewrote their laws to adjust to the Court's specific concerns. c. every state abolished that form of punishment. d. the decision disallowed that form of punishment from that point forward. e. None of the above is true

b. most states rewrote their laws to adjust to the Court's specific concerns.

Suppose the people held clear, consistent opinions on a policy, and the government moved swiftly to enact that policy into law. This would be consistent with a. the pluralist model of democracy. b. the majoritarian model of democracy. c. both the pluralist and majoritarian models. d. neither the pluralist nor majoritarian models. e. the political socialization model.

b. the majoritarian model of democracy

Since 1973, over __________ death row inmates have been exonerated of their crimes by new evidence such as DNA testing. a. 10 b. 60 c. 130 d. 210 e. 350

c. 130

The most notable failure of Gallup Poll in predicting presidential elections came in __________, when it predicted Thomas Dewey would defeat Harry Truman. a. 1936 b. 1940 c. 1948 d. 1956 e. 1960

c. 1948

A media analysis in 2011 found that __________ was (were) particularly devoted to election coverage. a. network TV b. online news c. cable TV d. newspapers e. news magazines

c. cable TV

The major agents of early socialization in the United States are a. religion and social class. b. family, religion, and political party. c. family, school, community, and peers. d. school and social class. e. economics, television, and the Internet.

c. family, school, community, and peers.

In the presidential elections since 1968, the South has tended to vote a. for Democratic candidates. b. for Independent candidates. c. for Republican candidates. d. for Republican and Independent candidates about equally. e. for Democratic and Independent candidates about equally.

c. for Republican candidates.

Although public opinion overwhelmingly favors the death penalty for murder, there were only __________ executions in 2011 despite the fact that over sixteen thousand murders occurred that year. a. three b. sixteen c. forty-three d. twenty-five e. thirty-six

c. forty-three

Overall, __________ of young American voters identify with the political party of their parents. a. ten percent b. one quarter c. more than half d. about three quarters e. about ninety percent

c. more than half

As public approval of the death penalty increased, in 1976 the Supreme Court a. ruled unanimously that the death penalty was unconstitutional. b. ruled 5-4 that the death penalty was unconstitutional. c. overturned its previous decision restricting the states' use of the death penalty. d. banned the use of the death penalty for minors. e. did not take on any new cases about the death penalty

c. overturned its previous decision restricting the states' use of the death penalty.

Which of the following statements reflects the role public opinion should play according to the majoritarian model of democracy? a. Public opinion should play a much smaller role than it would play in the pluralist model. b. Groups with different opinions should be allowed to clash openly over government policy. c. Public opinion is less important than the opinions of experts. d. Government should do what a majority of the public wants. e. A majority of the public is ill-informed on the issues, which means the role of public opinion should be increased.

d. Government should do what a majority of the public wants.

The current debate about "net neutrality" concerns whether a. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) should be allowed to censor web content for indecency. b. Internet content disproportionately favors liberals or conservatives. c. the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should be allowed to regulate web content for indecency. d. ISPs should be allowed to charge people more if they consume a large amount of bandwidth. e. limits should be placed on the number of Internet websites any media corporation can own

d. ISPs should be allowed to charge people more if they consume a large amount of bandwidth.

The only state that still permits the firing squad as a possible form of execution is a. Texas. b. North Dakota. c. Georgia. d. Oklahoma. e. Pennsylvania.

d. Oklahoma.

Which president first provided space in the White House for reporters? a. Abraham Lincoln b. Chester Arthur c. William McKinley d. Theodore Roosevelt e. Woodrow Wilson

d. Theodore Roosevelt

__________ are more likely to be Internet users than __________. a. Whites and African Americans; Latinos b. Suburban residents; urban residents c. Americans over sixty-five; Americans aged forty to sixty-four d. Whites and Latinos; African Americans e. Newspaper readers; cable news viewers

d. Whites and Latinos; African Americans

As a general trend, Americans with less education are more likely to a. choose order over equality. b. choose freedom over order. c. choose equality over order. d. choose equality over freedom. e. choose freedom over equality.

d. choose equality over freedom.

Regarding the Internet, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) a. has issued an increasing number of fines for indecent material posted online. b. has cracked down since 1999 on reposted copyrighted material. c. has focused most of its energy monitoring the activities of hate groups. d. does not have jurisdiction to regulate Internet content. e. has issued contradictory opinions over recent years.

d. does not have jurisdiction to regulate Internet content.

As a general trend, college-educated individuals are more likely to choose a. social order over freedom. b. social order over equality. c. equality over freedom. d. freedom over social order. e. equality over social order.

d. freedom over social order.

A libertarian is most likely to exhibit the characteristics of a. low education and high income. b. low education and low income. c. low income and high education. d. high income and high education. e. moderate education and moderate income.

d. high income and high education.

According to the text, 51 percent of men making more than $100,000 are best classified as a. liberals. b. communitarians. c. conservatives. d. libertarians. e. Options A or B are true.

d. libertarians.

Mental shortcuts that require hardly any information are called a. mind tricks. b. satisficing. c. heuristics. d. paradigms. e. None of the above is true.

d. paradigms

The Telecommunications Act of 1996 a. attempted to tighten national control over media ownership and product content. b. attempted to deregulate all privately owned media. c. encouraged restrictions on web pages. d. relaxed the rules governing media ownership. e. led to an increase in government-owned media outlets.

d. relaxed the rules governing media ownership.

According to a 2010 survey, respondents guessed that __________ percent of the federal budget goes to foreign aid. a. one b. five c. fifteen d. twenty-one e. thirty-three

d. twenty-one

Which of the following statements concerning the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is incorrect? a. It has five members. b. Its members are nominated by the president. c. Its members serve five-year terms. d. No more than three of its members can be from the same political party. e. None of these are incorrect.

e. None of these are incorrect.

As parental and school influences wane in adulthood, __________ emerge as more important socialization agents. a. adult peer groups b. political parties c. the mass media d. the current presidents e. Options A and C are true.

e. Options A and C are true.

Who is likely to oppose the death penalty? a. Democrats b. African Americans c. Liberals d. Republicans e. Options A, B, and C are true.

e. Options A, B, and C are true.

Which of the following statements concerning gender and political beliefs is incorrect? a. Women are more likely to favor government action to promote equality. b. Women are more likely to favor affirmative action. c. Men are less likely to favor increased spending on social programs. d. Men are more likely to favor the death penalty. e. Women are more likely to favor going to war.

e. Women are more likely to favor going to war.

The phrase "on background" means that media are permitted to a. override FCC rules for ownership. b. engage in liberal, biased reporting methods. c. correct an incorrectly-identified source. d. issue a correction and apology for inaccurate reporting. e. anonymously quote material without identifying the source.

e. anonymously quote material without identifying the source.

Children are likely to adopt their parents' party identification when a. parents discuss party politics with children. b. parents refrain from forcing their views on children. c. at least one parent has worked for a party. d. both parents vote regularly. e. both parents strongly identify with the same party.

e. both parents strongly identify with the same party.

The Internet was started a. in 1989, by Bill Gates for Microsoft's Windows products. b. in 1972, by a group of thirty-seven universities. c. in 1983, by IBM for use on its mainframes. d. in 1920, after the Great Depression. e. in 1969, with support from the U.S. Department of Defense.

e. in 1969, with support from the U.S. Department of Defense.

The process whereby one becomes aware of politics, learns political facts, and forms political values is called a. political norming. b. ideological awakening. c. political coming-of-age. d. systems building. e. political socialization.

e. political socialization.