POLS QUIZ 2

Which of the following statements best describes the changing ownership patterns in the American media?

. There has been a recent trend toward homogenization of national news as conglomerates have come to own a larger and larger percentage of media outlets.

In 2012, both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney raised about ________ each in their respective campaigns.

1 billion

In which of the following was there NOT an electoral realignment?

1994

________ percent of Americans are completely offline.

20

About ________ percent of eligible voters turn out for midterm congressional elections.

33

About ________ percent of Americans use Twitter for politics.

5-7

In 2012, about ________ percent of Latino Americans voted for Barack Obama.

70

Large media conglomerates own approximately ________ percent of daily newspapers.

75

In 1964, the Republican Party presidential nominee, ________, espoused a number of ideas, such as less taxation and less government regulation of the economy, that became major themes for the modern Republican Party.

Barry Goldwater

Which of the following statements is true?

Individuals customize the political information they receive through their choices of news outlets.

Which of the following statements is true with regard to Latino Americans?

Latino Americans are less likely than African Americans to perceive that America is a racist society.

From the end of the Civil War to the 1890s, the ________ Party was the party of the North, while the ________ Party was the party of the South.

Republican; Democratic

Which of the following best indicated the downfall of the New Deal coalition?

Richard Nixon's election in 1968

Which statement about the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is FALSE?

The FCC was established in 1949 by President Harry Truman.

Which statement about the Telecommunications Act of 1996 is FALSE?

The act required broadcasters who aired programs on controversial issues to provide time for opposing views.

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

Vietnam War and the issue of civil rights

Which of the following statements about voter identification laws is most accurate?

Voter identification laws in the states disproportionately affect minority citizens and the less affluent.

Which of the following statements is true about political participation?

Young people are far less likely to participate in politics than older people.

Compared with western Europe, the United States has ________ turnout in elections.

a lower

Which of the following occurs when one party becomes dominant after replacing 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

Which of the following statements about parties in Congress is FALSE? a. Assignment of individual members of Congress to committees is a party decision. b. Only members of the majority party are allowed to take part in the election of the Speaker of the House. c. Granting permission to transfer to another committee is a party decision. d. Advancement up the committee ladder toward chair is a party decision. e. The committee system in both houses of Congress is a result of the two-party system.

b. Only members of the majority party are allowed to take part in the election of the Speaker of the House.

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

bandwagon effect

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

basic principles while attitudes are specific preferences.

The term public opinion is used to describe

beliefs and attitudes toward different issues, events, and people

The Fairness Doctrine required that

broadcasters who aired controversial issues provide time for opposing viewpoints.

If a television station sold commercial time to a Republican candidate for governor but refused to sell time to the Democratic candidate for governor, this station would be violating the ______.

equal time rule

The social desirability effect refers to the

fact that respondents report what they expect the interviewer wishes to hear or whatever they think is socially acceptable rather than what they actually believe or know to be true.

The fact that Americans strongly support the idea that governmental interference with individuals' lives and properties should be kept to a minimum illustrates their commitment to ________.

liberty

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

liberty

Incumbents in Congress

typically raise three times the money for their political campaigns than challengers.

________ is the single most important political act for most Americans.

voting

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.

What is the ultimate success for political parties?

winning elections

What issue led to the demise of the Whig Party?

slavery

One recent survey showed that two-thirds of Americans believe that federal officials are spending too little money on assistance for the poor. Yet, another survey conducted at the same time found that only one-tenth of Americans believe that federal officials are spending too little on welfare. This example shows that

small differences in the wording of a question can lead to very different response patterns.

Women in the United States are ________ the ________ Party.

somewhat more likely to support; Democratic

Men in the United States are ________ the ________ Party.

somewhat more likely to support; Republican

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

television

The Federalist Party disappeared forever as a result of ________.

the War of 1812

Much of the national news that is published in local newspapers is provided by ________.

the associated press

The concept of a marketplace of ideas refers to

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

Which of the following statements about governmental public relations efforts is FALSE? a. Despite its size and power, the government has trouble influencing public opinion because there are often conflicts within the government about what should be done. b. Due to its size and power, the government is always successful at influencing public opinion. c. Despite its size and power, the government has trouble influencing public opinion because interest groups frequently dispute its claims. d. Modern presidents focus a great deal of attention on shaping public opinion to boost support for their policy agendas. e. Despite its size and power, the government has trouble influencing public opinion because the news media frequently disputes its claims.

Due to its size and power, the government is always successful at influencing public opinion.

The ________ regulates broadcast media.

Federal Communications Commission

________ promoted his policy agenda to the American people through "fireside chats."

Franklin Roosevelt

________ warned Americans against the dangers of political parties in his farewell address.

George Washington

Why does the marketplace of ideas often have a moderating effect on people's opinions?

Given constant exposure to other people's ideas, it is almost impossible for one not to modify one's own viewpoints.

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

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

Which of the following best characterizes the Clinton administration's attempts to influence public opinion?

Clinton administration officials used techniques similar to those used in election campaigns to bolster popular enthusiasm for White House initiatives.

The two major parties in the United States during the 1830s and 1840s were the ________ and the ________.

Democrats; Whigs

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

Differences between the political opinions of Democrats and Republicans on a wide variety of policy questions are greater today than during any other period in the last 40 years.

In the 2012 presidential election, ________ support for ________ was overestimated.

Latino; Mitt Romney

Which of the following statements about voting rights is correct?

Many states have laws restricting the voting rights of persons convicted of felonies.

Which of the following statements is true? a. Online sources for news are now just behind television. b. The top news source for Americans is the newspaper. c. Blogs are more widely consumed than television. d. More Americans subscribe to newspapers today than 20 years ago. e. The top news source for Americans is the radio.

Online sources for news are now just behind television.

Which of the following statements about partisan identification in the United States is most accurate?

Party identification varies significantly by income, race, and gender.

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

The mass media have an enormous impact on public opinion.

Which of the following statements about newspapers is NOT accurate? a. The newspaper industry has been more profitable in recent years than ever before. b. Newspaper reporters break most important news stories. c. Political, social, and economic elites rely most heavily on newspapers. d. Newspapers are no longer the primary source of news for most Americans. e. Newspapers tend to provide more detailed and complete coverage of political events than other media.

The newspaper industry has been more profitable in recent years than ever before.

What is one of the main differences between those who have gone to college and those who have not?

There is a higher level of political participation among those with a college education.

Which of following phenomena is NOT an illustration of the gender gap? a. More women than men tend to favor government measures to protect the environment. b. Men are less supportive of government social and health care programs than women. c. Men are more likely to join political parties and other social organizations. d. Men are more militaristic on issues of war and peace than women. e. More women than men vote for Democrats.

c. Men are more likely to join political parties and other social organizations.

Which group has had great popularity on radio talk shows?

conservatives

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

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

digital citizens

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 the media's power of ________.

framing

Which of the following is NOT a key factor affecting one's level of participation? a. education b. income c. age Correctd. geographic region e. occupation

geographic region

Besides their ideological biases, journalists also exhibit selection biases in favor of news stories they view as

having a great deal of dramatic or entertainment value

The media can set the political agenda in the United States by

identifying an issue as a problem that must be solved.

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

ideology

Research into public opinion and public policy has shown that

more affluent and more educated citizens have a disproportionate influence over politics and public-policy decisions.

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

niche

Liberalism and conservatism are good examples of ________.

political ideologies

________ is the niche leader inside the Beltway.

politico

A frequent cause of measurement error in polls is due to ________.

poorly worded questions

Third-party candidates are better off under ________.

proportional representation

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

public education

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

push poll

State ballot access laws, such as registration fees and petition requirements, have the effect of

reducing the number of people who are willing to vote for third-party candidates.

From 1896 to 1932, the ________ Party was the nation's majority party.

republican

Reconstruction after the Civil War was led by the ________ Party.

republican

If a radio station aired a personal attack against a candidate but refused to allow the same candidate the opportunity to respond to that attack on its station, the station would be violating the ________.

right of rebuttal

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

sample

In 1936, pollsters at the Literary Digest were guilty of ________ when they mistakenly predicted a presidential victory for Alf Landon over Franklin Roosevelt by polling people whose names came from the telephone book and automobile registration records.

selection bias

Dealignment refers to

the decline of partisan attachment within the electorate, the growth in the number of voters identifying themselves as independents, and the rise of split-ticket voting.

The practice of push polling involves

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

The Supreme Court case Red Lion Broadcasting Company v. FCC (1969) upheld ________.

the right of rebuttal

"Me too" Republicanism refers to

the tendency of Republican politicians during the New Deal to support popular programs such as Social Security rather than advocate alternative policies.

The United States began its tradition of ________ during the early nineteenth century.

the two-party system

Pollsters use random digit dialing to gather national samples for surveys because

there is not a complete list of all Americans that can be used to identify the population.