Chapter 3 - POSI (11/7)
In a properly drawn sample with a 3-percent sample error, 20 percent of 100 respondents indicate they intend to vote for a ballot measure. This means that there is high probability that between ______ percent of all voters actually plan to vote for the ballot measure.
17 and 23
What percentage of party activists work within local political party organizations?
95 percent
Which of the following describes the top 25 bloggers?
About half are on the right and half are on the left.
What relationship does the national Democratic or Republican Party have with the state and local parties?
All three levels are independent but work together.
The effort of the writers of the Constitution to devise a governing system that would guard against tyranny of the majority resulted in which consequence?
America's system of divided power provides abundant opportunities for interest groups to achieve their policy goals.
Why is participation in local organizations twice as high in the United States as it is in Europe?
Americans are more likely to attend church and engage in church-related community work. Americans have an incentive to participate because there is more local control over policy in the United States than in Europe.
Which of the following nations has the highest average voter turnout rate?
Belgium
Which of the following statements describe how U.S. campaigns are both party centered and candidate centered?
Candidates organize their own campaigns. The same parties are represented nationwide.
Where in American politics is the impact of public opinion felt most clearly?
Congress
The audience for HuffPost's website is overwhelmingly ______.
Democratic
Which are the major political parties in the United States?
Democratic Party Republican Party
Which two political parties were competitive during the first party system?
Democratic-Republicans Federalists
Opponents of voter ID laws tend to be ______.
Democrats
Which of the following were effects of the information commons?
Differences between Republicans and Democrats narrowed. Citizens believed they had a lot in common with the other party.
______ refers to whether people have a pro or con position on an issue.
Direction
True or false: Members of minority groups, secular-minded people, and people living in urban areas lean heavily toward the Republican Party.
False
True or false: Americans in the lowest 20 percent of income earners have the highest levels of participation in the United States.
False (Reason: Americans in the highest 20 percent of income earners have the highest level of participation.)
True or false: Local party organizations are stronger today than they were in the days of the political machines.
False (Reason: Local organizations were much stronger in the past.)
Local, state, and national party organizations are hierarchical in structure.
False (Reason: No chain of command connects the three levels.)
true or false: When the United States was founded, all white men were given the right to vote.
False (Reason: Recall that suffrage was limited to property owners.)
True or false: The Occupy Wall Street movement was limited to New York City.
False (Reason: Though it began near Wall Street in New York City's Zuccotti Park, it soon spread to dozens of other cities in the United States.)
To what extent does religious denomination affect views about public policy?
For many individuals, religion plays a significant role in their political opinions.
Which of the following has the lowest voting rates?
Independents
Which of the following represents a shared view of pluralists and their critics?
Interest groups are important to bringing the concerns of groups of individuals to the attention of government.
Which of the following is a benefit to the public that results from the promotion of a special interest?
It can have a positive effect on other interests, such as through job creation.
What are the advantages enjoyed by a large interest group such as the AARP?
It has a large staff that lobbies the federal government. It can generate a large amount of mail to members of Congress. It is well-financed, even though individual members' dues are low.
How have advances in technology affected the free-rider problem?
It has lessened it.
What purpose does party competition serve in American politics?
It narrows down options for voters. It allows groups of voters to act together.
What is the effect of "information overload," as noted by Nobel Laureate Herbert Simon?
It reduces people's ability to concentrate on any particular message.
How did the Supreme Court rule on the Indiana law requiring citizens to obtain a government-issued voter identification card in order to vote?
It upheld the Indiana law.
Why did the communist movement fail in America?
Its goals were too at odds with American values.
Which political leader wrote that the government must dilute the influence of factions and interest groups by filtering their views through properly structured governing institutions?
James Madison
Support for poverty programs is highest among which two religious denominations?
Jews Catholics
______ refers broadly to efforts by groups to influence public policy through contact with public officials.
Lobbying
Which of the following are ways in which members of Congress benefit from ties to lobbyists?
Lobbyists identify bills that need their attention. Lobbyists provide information on specific pieces of legislation.
Which of the following limit government officials' ability to govern solely according to public opinion?
Many people have opinions on issues they know little about. Many people support policies that are inconsistent with each other. Few people are well informed on public affairs.
The movement against gun violence had a relatively low profile until the mass killing at ______.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Which statement best describes the "softening" of American news in the 1980s?
Most news outlets incorporated celebrity gossip, sensational crimes, and human-interest stories to attract a broader audience.
Which of the following resulted from the invention of the power-driven printing press in the late 1800s?
Newspaper advertising generated more revenue. Newspaper readership increased because the papers could be sold at a lower price. Newspapers were less dependent on government financial support.
Which of the following states have closed/partially closed primaries?
North Carolina Nevada Florida
______ lobbying involves bringing public pressure on policymakers, such as organizing a letter writing campaign to members of Congress.
Outside
The original regional divide between the North and South has been decreased by which of the following?
People from less conservative areas have relocated to the South
______ goods refer to benefits that are given directly to particular individuals as a result of belonging to an interest group.
Private
Which statement best describes the prevalent view of the public concerning protest activists in the United States?
Protest activity should be tolerated.
______ incentives for joining an interest group include the satisfaction that you are participating in a worthy effort.
Purposive
Which party benefited from the 1896 realignment, which was triggered by an economic depression following a banking crisis under President Grover Cleveland?
Republican Party
The Civil War triggered a party realignment. What were the two major parties following this realignment period?
Republican Party Democratic Party
Which of the following reduce the accuracy of a poll?
Respondents reached by telephone refuse to participate. Respondents are questioned about unfamiliar issues. Respondents hide their true opinions.
Which of the following is an example of a government organization?
SLIGs
Which of the following arguments drew large support for passing the Twenty-Sixth Amendment, granting eighteen-year-olds the right to vote?
Since eighteen-year-olds were eligible for the military, they should also be able to vote.
Which of the following is an example of a peak business organization?
Texas Association of Manufacturers
One of the first political humor shows was ______.
The Daily Show
Adolph Ochs, the architect of objective journalism, had taken ownership of which newspaper?
The New York Times
Which is a reason that some scholars think we have moved into a new party alignment?
The Republican Party has become stronger in the South and the Democratic Party had become stronger in the Northeast.
Which of the following statements is true regarding a single-member district electoral system?
The candidate with more votes than any opponent wins the election in the district.
When a realignment in the electorate occurs, which of the following happens?
The parties reorganize themselves.
Why do men and women differ in their political opinions?
Their political opinions reflect their gendered positions in society, which tend to differ.
How are issue networks formed?
They are formed by individuals who have expertise regarding a particular policy issue as well as various views on it.
Which of the following statements are true regarding U.S. elections?
They are held more frequently than in other countries. They allow voters to choose party nominees.
Which of the following are true of grassroots parties?
They are open to all voters. They operate at the local level.
Which of the following statements about televised debates in presidential campaigns are true?
They are usually part of presidential campaigns.
Which of the following is a primary reason for low voter-turnout rates among young adults?
They change addresses frequently and need to re-register.
How do interest groups expand the range of issues that come to lawmakers' attention?
They focus on issues that may be controversial. They focus on issues that may not have broad impact.
Which of the following are effects of echo chambers?
They foster misinformation. They drive people apart.
What has happened to the New England states since the 1980s?
They have shifted toward the Democrats.
Which of the following are distinct disadvantages of the rise of candidate-centered campaigns?
They provide opportunities for powerful interest groups to donate money to candidates. They make it easier for officeholders to deny responsibility for government actions.
How did many of the founders of the United States view political parties?
They viewed political parties with suspicion.
What best describes partisan media outlets in the era of the information commons?
They were very rare.
True or false: In the era of the information commons, there was a balanced treatment of Republican and Democratic leaders in the media.
True
True or false: Nonmembership organizations do not have broad-based citizen support.
True
True or false: Saliency refers to how important people think an issue is compared to other issues.
True
True or false: The accuracy of a poll is reduced when respondents express an opinion on an issue even though they have not thought about the issue before.
True
True or false: The instant gratification people receive from cell phones and other message sources conditions them to seek more of messages.
True
True or false: Voter turnout increases about 5 percent in states that allow same-day registration.
True
When the 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act was passed, individual taxpayers clearly benefited, receiving an average annual tax cut of nearly $1,300, increasing their after-tax income by 1.7 percent.
True
True or false: Americans are often inconsistent in their preferences with regard to government policy.
True (Reason: Recall that the public can support a large, overall policy goal but not the specific measures needed to achieve it.)
True or false: According to political scientist Mancur Olson, interest groups with smaller memberships usually prevail because they are able to join together and pool resources.
True (Reason: Smaller groups can pool resources, giving them larger operating budgets than many large groups.)
True or false: The Tea Party movement was opposed to higher taxes to support government programs.
True (Reason: The Tea Party movement took its name and inspiration from the Boston Tea Party, which was a protest against the imposition of taxes on the colonies in the lead-up to the American Revolution.)
Which of the following are examples of the effect economic class has on political opinion?
Welfare assistance has higher support among lower-income Americans than higher-income Americans. Income levels affect Americans' opinions on some public policy issues.
What attitude is described in Arlie Russell Hochschild's Strangers in Their Own Land?
Working-class whites blame working-class minorities and immigrants for their failure to realize the American Dream.
The party realignment in 1896 was in part caused by ______.
a banking crisis that led to a depression
Interest groups tend to rely on the courts to advance their policy goals when they have ______.
a cause that's unpopular with the public a low chance of achieving their goals through legislation
State party organizations are usually small and are directed by ______.
a full-time chairperson
What is the information commons?
a shared version of national politics transmitted to Americans through the news media
What is a social or political movement?
a way for disenchanted citizens to voice their displeasure with government policy
What percentage of voters today cast a split ticket?
about 10 percent
The news media's partisan function means that they ______.
act as advocates for particular viewpoints
The political socialization process takes place through ______ of socialization.
agents
Which of the following types of interest groups is classified as an economic type?
agriculture
Which partly explains why Europeans with less education and income vote at higher rates in their countries than their American counterparts?
americans face more voter regristration requirenments
Which of the following refers to a total lack of interest, such as a total lack of interest in politics?
apathy
Modern lobbyists primarily concentrate on providing lawmakers with ______.
arguments and evidence for their position
During the era of "objective journalism," ______ were prohibited by law from promoting a political viewpoint or party.
broadcasters
All party organizations have a responsibility to ______.
build support among voters
Among economic groups, which type are the most numerous?
business groups
The interest-group system in the United States overrepresents ______.
business interests
Which of the following is a way in which special interest groups can donate money to candidates?
by forming a political action committee (PAC)
How do Americans participate virtually in politics?
by using resources and joining discussions on social media
Although party organizations still manage many tasks related to elections, the lead role in elections now lies with the ______.
candidate
Political parties and their ability to control politics in the United States have been weakened by ______-centered campaigns.
candidate
Research indicates that when public opinion changes on major political issues, public policy tends to ____.
change in the same direction
The socialization process results in schemas, or frames of reference, that ______.
citizens use to evaluate issues and developments help in forming a common cause
Which type of group typically has to deal with the problem of free riders?
citizens' groups
People who believe that citizens ought to participate in political affairs are likely to describe voting as an exercise in ______.
civic duty
A state that prevents members of one political party from voting for another party's nominees has which type of primary?
closed
The groups and interests that support a political party are collectively referred to as a party ______.
coalition
Benefits that belong to everyone, not just the members of a group, are referred to as ______.
collective goods
The incentives that most noneconomic groups offer include ______.
collective goods
A PAC is a specialized kind of interest group that ______.
collects money for campaign contributions and other activities
Which of these groups vote at above average rates?
college-educated individuals upper-income Americans
The media carry out a(n) ____ ____ function when they disseminate information from political leaders to the public.
common carrier
Most successful partisan radio talk show hosts promote a ______ viewpoint.
conservative
Which of the following refers to a situation in which multiple group loyalties diminish a person's identification with a single group?
crosscutting
In general, Americans who believe that the government should use its power to promote traditional values are _____
cultural conservatives
In general, Americans who believe that lifestyle choice is up to the individual are ____.
cultural liberals
One characteristic of political socialization is that its effects are ______.
cumulative
A ______ is a representative who acts in response to what their constituencies say they want, no matter their own personal opinion.
delegate
Even if a third-party candidate fails to win an election, the candidate will sometimes accomplish which of the following?
draw attention to an issue previously ignored by the two major candidates encourage one or both major parties to address issues introduced by the third party
In general, Americans who believe that government should use its power to help people who are economically disadvantaged are
economic liberals
Interest groups that are not directly involved in litigation may file amicus curiae briefs to ______.
encourage a ruling that is beneficial to their cause
Research indicates that peer influence can ______.
encourage those without strong opinions to conform to the group
What is fake news?
entirely fictional stories that originate on the Internet
Which of the following are tactics widely used by conservative and liberal partisan talk shows?
fabricated horrors name calling character assassination
Stories on the Internet that maintained the coronavirus pandemic was a hoax perpetuated by Democrats in order to damage President Trump are an example of ______.
fake news
Our tendency to grow up as Democrats or Republicans is often established by ______.
family
In the era of Jacksonian democracy, the efforts of local party organizations, along with the extension of voting rights to citizens without property, contributed to an almost ______ increase in election turnout.
fourfold
When journalists highlight certain aspects of a situation and downplay other aspects, they are engaged in ______.
framing
Super PACs are legally forbidden from which of the following?
giving money directly to candidates giving money directly to political parties
Whereas Jefferson's party had operated largely at the leadership level, Jackson sought a(n):
grassroots party
A few decades ago, the media system centered on broadcast news networks, but Americans now have a ______ media system, where they can pick from a wide variety of outlets.
high-choice
Citizens who are party identifiers have ______ levels of voter turnout rates than those who identify as independent
higher
Which group of Americans have the highest level of voter participation?
highest 20 percent of income earners
A person's sense of loyalty to a political party is known as party ______.
identification
Which type of third party is organized around a framework concerning the nature and role of government in society?
ideological parties
Massive shifts in party identification are most likely to occur ______.
in response to major events
The Occupy Wall Street movement was aimed predominantly at which issue?
income inequality
Rather than using threats, interest groups tend to influence lawmakers by providing them with ______.
information that supports the group's policy positions
The interest group strategy that includes face-to-face meetings with legislators and providing policy information to policymakers is known as ______.
inside lobbying
Interest groups rely on what two main lobbying strategies?
inside lobbying outside lobbying
For a movement to succeed, it must ______.
institutionalize its goals
Which of the following refers to how strongly people feel about their position on an issue—for example, "very important" or "not important at all"?
intensity
A(n) ____ ____ is an organization of individuals who share common goals and tries to influence governmental decisions
interest group
Which of the following are the components of an iron triangle?
interest groups executive agencies congressional committees
A(n) ____ ____ consists of a small and informal but relatively stable set of bureaucrats, legislators, and lobbyists who seek to develop policies beneficial to a particular interest.
iron triangle
A(n) ____ ____ is comprised of various actors that all have interest and expertise in a particular policy issue, even though they may disagree on what the outcome should be.
issue network
In what ways does a professional association differ from a trade association?
its members typically hold a state-issued professional license the state regulates the scope of its members' practice
Which of the following are private goods?
jobs retirement plans
Generally, secondary agents of socialization are more important ______.
later in life
Which of the following lawmakers were the original targets of the Tea Party movement?
lawmakers who supported federal spending and higher taxes
Americans' opinions about politics are formed in large measure through which of the following frames of reference?
leaning toward particular ideologies identifying with political parties
In general, protest activity is ______ common in the United States than in many Western democracies.
less
The largest expenditure in presidential campaigns is for which of the following?
media
Today's political campaigns rely on which of the following to be successful?
media producers pollsters campaign strategists
Which term refers to false information that is held or spread without regard to intent?
misinformation
Responding to public opinion has recently become more challenging for policymakers because ____.
misinformation means that people's opinions are often not grounded in reality
When people grow up in a neighborhood that is diverse, due to crosscutting, they are more likely to develop ______ political opinions.
moderate
Compared to citizens in Europe, Americans are ______ likely to contribute time and money to political campaigns.
more
As compared to other democracies, how likely are Americans to contribute time and money to political and community organizations?
more likely
Senior citizens in the United States have a ______ rate of voter turnout than voters under the age of 30 do.
much higher
A ______ political system is made up of at least three political parties.
multiparty
Most of the political humor shows, like The Daily Show, are carried on ______.
nontraditional news channels
Democratic states
northeast, west coast
Local party organizations generally play an active role ______.
only during campaign periods
In echo chambers, people hear ______.
only what they like to believe
A state that permits all registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, to vote in a primary election has what type of primary system?
open
A(n) ______ primary is one in which any registered voter, regardless of party affiliation, may vote.
open
Which of the following would policymakers be likely to rely on when they want to act as delegates in formulating and implementing policy?
opinion polls
Political scientist Mancur Olson argues that small interest groups can be more powerful than larger groups as long as they are more ______.
organized
The highlighting of candidates' attributes and policy positions to appeal to voters is called ______.
packaging
Who led the impassioned plea for tougher gun control measures after the Parkland shooting?
parkland students
Which of the following would be considered expressions of public opinion?
participating in a telephone poll concerning candidates for a national election turnout at a political rally approval ratings for a city's mayor
Free societies thrive on the ______ of citizens in the civic and political life of their communities.
participation
The text explores which three major frames of reference through which Americans evaluate political developments?
party identification group attachments ideological leanings
In echo chambers, most people are likely to encounter ______.
people who agree with their political ideology
An interest group may form a(n) ____ ____ ____ whose main goal is to raise and spend money to influence the outcome of elections.
political action commitee
Organizations that nominate and seek to elect candidates to government office are known as ______.
political parties
Early newspapers in the United States relied on ______ support for their survival because they had few readers.
political party
What is the process by which we develop our political values and opinions?
political socialization
A public opinion ____ is designed to estimate the views or sentiments of the public.
poll or survey
The ______ is the public official who benefits the most from the media's common-carrier role.
president
Which of the following accurately ranks the amount of media coverage of candidates from highest to lowest?
presidential candidates, Senate candidates, House candidates
Internet political participation peaks during which of the following?
presidential elections
Which of the following are functions of political consultants?
producing promotional materials advising on how to run a successful campaign gathering voter opinions
One of the positive contributions that interest groups make is ______.
providing a form of representation for organized groups
Outside lobbying is aimed at bringing ______ pressure to bear on policymakers.
public
The politically relevant views that people hold and express openly are known as ______.
public opinion
The #MeToo movement's larger goal was to ______.
raise awareness of sexual misconduct
Which method of sampling gives everyone in a population an equal chance of being interviewed?
random sampling
A permanent shift in party allegiances or electoral support is known as a party ______.
realignment
Which type of third party arises from a belief that partisan politics needs large-scale change?
reform parties
Interest group influence is particularly strong among ______ agencies that are responsible for overseeing the nation's business sectors.
regulatory
Agency capture refers to the situation where ______ side with the industry they are supposed to regulate rather than with the public that they are supposed to protect.
regulatory agencies
What three sources of division in the United States are now most closely linked to partisanship?
religion geography race
The invention of the telegraph resulted in newspapers ______.
replacing opinion commentary with news reports
The Texas Automobile Association seeks to protect and promote the interests of its member businesses that are involved in the sales of goods and services and thus is an example of a ______.
retail trade association
Which of the following are private goods?
retirement plans jobs
Voting for a candidate's past performance rather than future promises is an example of what is called ______ voting.
retrospective
Through various methods of random ______, pollsters attempt to select a subset of the population that is representative of the population's views. Multiple choice question.
sampling
____ error (accuracy of a poll) is expressed as a plus-or-minus percentage.
sampling
What is the degree of accuracy of a public opinion poll called?
sampling error
Which of the following are primary socializing agents for children that can have a formative influence on children's beliefs?
school family religion
An interest group is an organization that ______.
seeks to influence government policy
The media's ability to function as signalers and influence what people are thinking about and discussing is called agenda ____.
setting
The social media hashtag #MeToo was intended to ______.
show the extent to which women are subject to sexual assault and harassment
The media's ____ function serves to alert the public to important events.
signaling
Third parties formed to promote a stance on a particular issue are known as ______.
single-issue parties
Which of the following help interest groups participate more effectively in group politics?
skills contacts money
Harvard's Robert Putnam refers to the sum of face-to-face civic interactions among citizens in a society as ______.
social capital
Stories about celebrities, sensational crimes, and scandals in high places have been labeled ______.
soft news
Republican states
south, great plains
When casting a ______, citizens vote for candidates from different parties.
split ticket
In order to raise enough funds for their campaigns, political candidates raise money from all of the following groups except ______.
state governments
Secondary socializing agents who influenced public opinion during the COVID-19 pandemic include which of the following?
state governors
When Ted Turner started CNN in 1980, he instructed his correspondents to ______.
strive for objectivity
Unlike participation through interest groups or political parties, participation in political movements ______.
takes place largely outside established institutions
Which one of the following forms of media has had the biggest role in making politics more participative?
the Internet
Which one of these groups is an example of a citizens' group?
the National Organization for Women
Which amendment to the Constitution granted women the right to vote in the United States?
the Nineteenth Amendment
Sensational and largely inaccurate newspaper reports on the cruelty of Spanish rule in Cuba may have helped spark ______.
the Spanish-American War
To date, what is the most successful of the recent political movements?
the Tea Party movement
What event elevated the significance of the watchdog function in journalists' minds?
the Watergate scandal
The in-party's chances of staying in power has historically depended primarily on ______.
the condition of the economy
What triggered the incredible increase in partisan talk radio shows in the late 1980s?
the elimination of the Fairness Doctrine
What sparked the Black Lives Matter movement?
the killing of unarmed young Black men by police officers
The killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis in 2020 led to ______.
the largest protests yet of police violence against Black Americans
Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010) involved which issue affecting interest groups?
the limit on corporate and union spending in federal elections
In priming, who or what determines how people will interpret the information they receive?
the media
What is the key to a poll's accuracy?
the size of the sample
Which of the following events had a lasting influence on the political views of younger citizens in particular?
the terrorist attacks in 2001 the Great Depression of the 1930s World War II (1939-1945)
According to recent polls, which of the following are men much more likely to support than women?
the use of military force
The views of younger citizens in particular are affected by major events because ______.
their opinions are not yet deeply rooted
What are the three types of agricultural interest groups in Texas?
those that represent suppliers those that represent commodity groups those that represent general farming interests
What was the goal of yellow journalism?
to lure in readers by any means
The Good Roads Association is an example of a(n) ____ ____ because it represents the specific business interests of highway contractors.
trade association
Americans participate more in politics than do citizens of other western democracies except in which of the following activities?
turning out to vote on Election Day
The U.S. government functions as a(n) ______ system.
two-party
The degree to which education level and income are so closely tied to voter participating in the United States is ______ when compared to European countries.
unusual
Suffrage is the right to
vote
Which of the following results from a high frequency of elections, such as having primary, general, and referenda elections?
voter fatigue
State parties are involved with which of the following activities?
voter registration fundraising
Which of the following voting restrictions increases the burden on citizens who move frequently?
voter registration requirements
The proportion of eligible adult citizens who actually vote in a given election is known as ______.
voter turnout
The media serves a(n) ____ function when it alerts the public to incompetent, hypocritical, or corrupt activities by the government.
watchdog
Which group is the largest voting bloc in the Republican Party?
white evangelical Christians
What is another name for the plurality system?
winner take all system
Of the following age groups, the political views of which one are most likely to be influenced when a major historical event occurs, such as a war or an economic depression?
young people
Which of the following age groups is most likely to be concerned with climate change?
young people
