Quiz

African American men technically gained suffrage with passage of the ________ Amendment. Nineteenth Fifteenth Twenty-First Twenty-Third Twenty-Sixth

15th

Eighteen-, nineteen-, and twenty-year-old Americans were granted the right to vote by the passage of the ________ Amendment.

26th

In the past two decades, the level of turnout in presidential elections has averaged about 75 percent. 60 percent. 45 percent. 35 percent. 65 percent.

60%

What percentage of states hold their gubernatorial elections in nonpresidential years? 75 percent 25 percent 33 percent 66 percent 50 percent

75%

Which of the following is true about public opinion polling? All of these answers are correct. Polls can be erroneous at times .Opinion polls are the most relied-upon method of measuring public opinion. Polling accuracy diminishes when respondents are unfamiliar with the issues in question. Sampling error decreases as the size of the sample increases.

All of the above

A basic reason for the existence of so many interest groups in the United States is America's federal system of government. the extent of diverse interests in American society. the American tradition of free association. the separation of powers in American government. All these answers are correct.

All these answers are correct

Which of the following organizations is NOT an example of a single-issue group? American Conservative Union a right-to-life group National Rifle Association Sierra Club a climate change group

American conservative union

A general belief about the role and purpose of government is called

An ideology

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has regulatory oversight over which of the following? magazines newspapers Internet content broadcast radio All these answers are correct.

Broadcast radio

Some groups pursue collective goods. A collective good is one that cannot be selectively granted or denied to individuals; it belongs to all. None of these answers are correct. is secured by the president. is provided by a public service organization. is secured by Congress.

Cannot be selectively granted or denied to individuals it belongs to all

Women gained the right to vote during the era of Jacksonian democracy. early in the 20th century. shortly after the Civil War. with passage of the Bill of Rights. with passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Early in the 20th century

The most fully organized interests are those that have which of the following as their primary purpose? environmental protection economic activity civil liberties labor reform reform of government

Economic activity

The situation in which individuals are tempted not to contribute to a cause because they will get the benefits even if they do not participate is called the zero-sum game. special-interest paradox. free-rider problem. disincentive factor. size factor.

Free-rider problem

An informal grouping of officials, lobbyists, and policy specialists who come together temporarily around a policy problem is a(n) issue network. iron triangle. caucus. ideological network. policy system.

Issue network

Historically, dramatic change in party identification is uncommon and is almost always a consequence of Supreme Court ruling. popular satisfaction with a government initiative. a change in the policy position of the president. major upheaval.Correct a change in the law.

Major upheaval

Which of the following is true of age differences in news consumption? The average cable news viewer is older than 50. News consumption has declined in all age groups except for those 60 and older. News consumption has been growing in young adults as a result of higher Internet use. Older adults are more likely than younger adults to get their news from the Internet. Adults under 30 are more likely to consume news through the Internet than those over 50.

The average cable news viewer is older than 50.

Women are less likely than men to favor higher levels of education spending. abortion rights. affirmative action. All these answers are correct. the use of force to settle international disputes.

The use of force to settle international disputes

Voter turnout is LOWEST in which age group? Voter turnout is essentially the same for all age groups. young adults older adults senior citizens middle-aged adults

Young adults

The Supreme Court decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) limits PACs by reducing the amount of money they can raise through contributions made by small donors. has forced corporations and labor unions to legally divorce themselves from the PACs they sponsor. has forced candidates for office and elected officials to make public the amounts of campaign contributions they have received from PACs and which PACs make those donations. allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on campaigns as long as there is no coordination with the candidate. has strengthened the argument that PACs constitute a better system of campaign finance than one based on wealthy donors.

allows corporations and labor unions to spend unlimited funds on campaigns as long as there is no coordination with the candidate.

Journalist Walter Lippmann suggested that polling had provided political parties with even more entrenched power, reducing the influence of third party candidates. effective government cannot be run by politicians that base their public opinions on poll results. polling, even when done scientifically, cannot be trusted because it is in people's nature to be dishonest in response to political questions. pollsters have more effect on the outcome of presidential elections in recent decades than have the people who do the voting. the dominance of polling has brought about an ideological shift toward the more radical ends of the political spectrum among elected representatives.

effective government cannot be run by politicians that base their public opinions on poll results.

The media perform the signaling role by All these answers are correct. informing the public of breaking events and new developments. exposing officials who violate accepted performance and moral standards. serving as an open channel for leaders to express their opinions. acting as the public's representative.

informing the public of breaking events and new developments.

The chief obstacle to Americans' participation in community activities is the lack of opportunity, because there are few groups active at this level. low potential for success, since key decisions are made at the national level. lack of personal motivation to get involved. All these answers are correct. low potential for success, since key decisions are made at the state level.

lack of personal motivation to get involved.

In the dynamics of an iron triangle, what benefit do interest groups provide to friendly government agencies? lobbying support for agency programs administration of mutually beneficial policies travel funds campaign contributions services for constituents

lobbying support for agency programs

Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann's "spiral of silence" theory contends that people holding deviant opinions tend to be more vocal, and hence silence the majority. most individuals like to challenge dominant opinions. people tend not to express their views until asked. All these answers are correct. most individuals are reluctant to speak out against the dominant opinion.

most individuals are reluctant to speak out against the dominant opinion.

The process of political socialization in the United States is highly effective; Americans are the best-informed citizens in the world. extremely narrow; most Americans get nearly all their opinions from a single source. usually uniform; there are almost no differences in the opinions of various groups, such as northerners and southerners. highly structured; children are subjected to an intense system of government-mandated political indoctrination. normally cumulative; political beliefs attained earlier in life tend to be retained to a substantial degree.

normally cumulative; political beliefs attained earlier in life tend to be retained to a substantial degree.

The Watergate scandal illustrates the power of the media to serve as watchdog to safeguard against abuses of power. inadequacy of the media as a common-carrier to the public. ability of the press to serve as the public's representative in political disputes. abuse of power by journalists in the United States. futility of media attempts to forecast political events.

power of the media to serve as watchdog to safeguard against abuses of power.

Objective journalism is based on the idea that the reporter's job is to discover what other reporters are saying and provide a uniform interpretation of events. report what political leaders want them to report. All these answers are correct. report the facts and present both sides of a partisan debate. scrutinize the partisan debate, and inform the news audience about which party has the better argument.

report the facts and present both sides of a partisan debate.

The reason the news product is designed to fascinate as well as to inform is that the print media wish to emulate the broadcast media. of the high level of illiteracy. of the need to compete with Hollywood productions. that news organizations are fundamentally businesses and must obtain revenue to survive. None of these answers are correct.

that news organizations are fundamentally businesses and must obtain revenue to survive.

The yellow journalism of the late 19th century was characterized by an unwillingness to take editorial positions because of a fear of losing circulation. prejudice against Asian people and countries. the desire to present the news in an objective manner. the emphasis on sensationalism as a way of selling newspapers. its appearance solely in weekly and monthly magazines.

the emphasis on sensationalism as a way of selling newspapers.

The news media's common-carrier role is based on the idea that the press should not charge for public service announcements. the news will be available to all citizens. the press should provide a channel through which political leaders can communicate their views to the public. the press should be patriotic in the reporting of the news. various news organizations should interpret the news in nearly the same way.

the press should provide a channel through which political leaders can communicate their views to the public.

Citizens' interest groups are distinguished from economic interest groups by the fact that they do not lobby government officials directly, but rely instead on public service announcements to get their views across to society. All these answers are correct. there is no material incentive for members in their pursuit of the group's goals. their leaders are elected by secret ballot among the group's members. they always pursue goals in which there is a high level of agreement among society members.

there is no material incentive for members in their pursuit of the group's goals.

Unlike other democracies, the United States holds elections for its chief executive every six years. penalizes eligible voters for failing to turn up and vote on Election Day. places the burden for voter registration on the government. holds elections for the lower house of the legislature every four years. uses primaries to select political candidates.

uses primaries to select political candidates.

Voter participation in the United States Has declined in all elections over the past two decades. is lower than in nearly every other democracy. tends to be highest during midterm elections. shows that the apathy of young citizens has worsened considerably since the early 1990s. has increased in all elections over the past two decades.

?

The accuracy of a poll is usually expressed in terms of interview error. population error. census parameter. population density. sampling error.

Sampling error

During the early 20th century, which newspaper developed a reputation as the country's best newspaper? Washington Times Miami Herald Los Angeles Times New York Times Chicago Tribune

New York Times

What term do scholars use for a purported opinion offered by a respondent who is unfamiliar with the specific issue? Invalid answer uninformed response nonopinion confused response

Nonopinion

Roughly how many American workers currently belong to unions? one in six one in two one in ten None of these answers are correct one in four

One in six

A sustained action taken by citizens disenchanted with government in order to express their opposition and work to bring about social or political change is a regular election. citizen lobby. voter upsurge. political movement. popular resistance.

Political movement

A member of Congress who wants to act on what the majority of his or her constituency thinks on a particular issue would be advised to respond to which of the following indicators? the number of yard signs on major streets a poll based on a random selection sample of constituents letters from constituents the editorial positions of newspapers in the constituency public demonstrations by constituents

a poll based on a random selection sample of constituents

The term framing is used to describe the media's obligation to convey a uniform and standard interpretation of a situation. nature of media reporting when objectivity has weakened and the system has tilted in favor of yellow journalism. media's ability to influence what is on people's minds. process of selecting certain aspects of reality and then crafting news stories around those aspects. primary right of the media that is protected by the First Amendment.

process of selecting certain aspects of reality and then crafting news stories around those aspects.