POLS 1010 Exam 2
Which of the following best describes the relationship between the government and the media in the United States today?
The government does not own but regulates the content and ownership of broadcast media
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?
The newspaper industry has been more profitable in recent years than ever before.
Which of the following statements about political opinions is FALSE?
The poor are generally less supportive of economic and social programs than the wealthy.
The following are all concerns raised by the growing popularity of online news EXCEPT
a reduction in the diversity of perspectives that can potentially be heard.
A liberal would most likely support
an expansion in governmental social services.
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
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
The most important selection bias in news is the ________.
audience appeal of a story
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.
Which of the following statements is true about public opinion in the contemporary time period?
Digital citizenship offers the promise of a more informed electorate.
Which of the following statements about governmental public relations efforts is FALSE?
Due to its size and power, the government is always successful at influencing public opinion.
When making decisions about politics, what is one of the benefits of partisanship?
It is a useful heuristic for evaluating information
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.
In the 2012 presidential election, ________ support for ________ was overestimated.
Latino; Mitt Romney
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.
Which group has had great popularity on radio talk shows?
conservatives
Roughly what percentage of violent crimes are committed by black men?
30
About ________ percent of Americans use Twitter for politics.
5-7
Large media conglomerates own approximately ________ percent of daily newspapers.
75
It is estimated that over ________ percent of Americans have a television.
95
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
Which of the following is NOT a reason why a free media is necessary to democratic government?
A free media is needed to ensure economic equality.
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 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
Which of the following terms describe America's fundamental political values?
liberty, equality of opportunity, and democracy
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.
In public-opinion surveys, a sample of the total population
must be representative in that the views of those in the sample must accurately and proportionately reflect the views of the whole population.
Niche journalism refers to
news reporting targeted for a demographic of readers based on content or ideological presentation.
A website devoted entirely to reporting on climate change and other environmental issues is an example of ________ journalism.
niche
The fact that Democratic Party leaders have become more liberal and Republican Party leaders more conservative is important because
partisans in the public tend to rely on party leaders for cues on the appropriate positions to take on major political issues.
Liberalism and conservatism are good examples of ________.
political ideologies
The complex set of beliefs and values that, as a whole, form a general philosophy about the government is called ________.
political ideology
The process by which underlying political values are formed is known as ________.
political socialization
The process by which underlying political values are formed is known as ________.
political socialization.
A frequent cause of measurement error in polls is due to ________.
poorly worded questions
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.
The fact that survey respondents overreport voting in elections and the frequency of their church attendance is an example of the ________.
social desirability effect
Brief quotes and short characterizations of the day's events in news coverage are called ________.
sound bites
Despite its widespread availability,________typically provide(s) the least depth of news coverage.
television
Which of the following is regulated by the federal government?
television
Which of the following news sources reaches the most Americans?
television
Much of the national news that is published in local newspapers is provided by ________.
the Associated Press
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
People's political party preferences are primarily acquired through the influence of ________.
their families
The development of media giants with access to a variety of media holdings raises the question of whether
there is enough competition among the media to produce a diverse set of views and opinions.
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.
One of the most important measures of public opinion in a democracy is
trust in government.
The penny press
was created in the nineteenth century and facilitated widespread literacy.
Most local newspapers get their national news from ________.
wire services
Roughly what percentage of the American public identifies as a "true" Independent?
10%
The United States has approximately ________ television stations and ________ daily newspapers.
2,000; 1,400
________ percent of Americans are completely offline.
20
________ percent of radio stations in the United States are devoted to talk, news, or public affairs.
20
You log onto Twitter and see that ABC News has published a new poll regarding President Trump's newest executive order. All of the following should be done EXCEPT:
Accept that the results indeed accurately reflect the opinion of the general population since ABC is a credible news source
You log onto Twitter and see that ABC News has published a new poll regarding President Trump's newest executive order. All of the following should be done EXCEPT:
Accept that the results indeed accurately reflect the opinion of the general population since ABC is a credible news source
Which of the following statements best describes perceptions of racism among African Americans and whites?
African Americans are more likely than whites to believe that racism is very common in the United States today.
Which of the following statements about the relationship between public opinion and government policy is most accurate?
Although there is no one-to-one correlation between public opinion and government policy, shifts in public opinion on particular issues frequently lead to changes in government policy.
Which of the following is true about public opinion regarding the Affordable Care Act versus Obamacare?
Americans are significantly more supportive of the Affordable Care Act than they are of Obamacare
Which of the following statements about agencies of socialization is FALSE?
An individual's religion has no impact on his or her political views.
Which of the following is true regarding Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act?
Both Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act refer to the same policy
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.
_______ is the most important core value of liberalism.
Equality
In 1985, the federal government stopped enforcing the ________, arguing that it was no longer necessary due to the increasing number of television and radio stations.
Fairness Doctrine
True or false: There are more truly independent voters today than there were forty years ago
False
The ________ regulates broadcast media.
Federal Communications Commission
The Communications Decency Act was struck down by the Supreme Court because it violated the
First Amendment's right to freedom of speech.
________ promoted his policy agenda to the American people through "fireside chats."
Franklin Roosevelt
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 is true? Individuals customize the political information they receive through their choices of news outlets Average levels of political knowledge in the United States have increased. People who consume political news tend to avoid voting. The news environment is less polarized today than in the past. Journalists are less diverse today than in the past.
Individuals customize the political information they receive through their choices of news outlets
________ support abortion rights and oppose state involvement with religious institutions.
Liberals
________ is the core political value most highly prioritized by American conservatives.
Liberty
A 2012 Pew Research Center study demonstrated that those who are well-informed about politics are least likely to get their information from which news source?
Local TV News
A 2012 Pew Research Center study demonstrated that those who are well-informed about politics are least likely to get their information from which news source?
Local TV news
Which of following phenomena is NOT an illustration of the gender gap?
Men are more likely to join political parties and other social organizations.
Which of the following statements is true? The top news source for Americans is the radio. The top news source for Americans is the newspaper. Online sources for news are now just behind television. Blogs are more widely consumed than television. More Americans subscribe to newspapers today than 20 years ago.
Online sources for news are now just behind television.
________ is the niche leader inside the Beltway
Politico
Which of the following statements about the forces that shape public opinion is NOT true?
Presidents rarely attempt to influence public support for the policies they promote.
When Joan Callamezzo is attempting to paint the Harvest Festival in a negative light, she tells her cameraman to "start getting shots of chipped paint, crying kids, and spooky traffic lights." This imagery would be an example of what?
Priming
When Joan Callamezzo is attempting to paint the Harvest Festival in a negative light, she tells her cameraman to "start getting shots of chipped paint, crying kids, and spooky traffic lights." This imagery would be an example of what?
Priming (shaping how the public evaluates leaders)
Which of the following statements about the ideological preferences of Americans is FALSE?
Prior to 2000, there were almost no Americans who identified themselves as liberal.
Which of the following statements about the marketplace of ideas is true?
Private groups and the news media play important roles in shaping opinions in the marketplace of ideas.
________ is one of the most important mechanisms for obtaining equality of opportunity.
Public education
________ encompasses citizens' attitudes about political issues, leaders, institutions, and events.
Public opinion
In Parks and Rec, Joan Callamezzo asks regarding the Harvest Festival: "On a scale of 9 to 10, how big of a disaster will this be?" This is an example of which of the following?
Push polling
Let's say you work for a polling firm and you are tasked with coming up with an accurate picture of what Americans think about the Republicans' replacement of the Affordable Care Act. How should you collect your sample?
Random digit dialing of phone numbers in the United States
Let's say you work for a polling firm and you are tasked with coming up with an accurate picture of what Americans think about the Republicans' replacement of the Affordable Care Act. How should you collect your sample?
Random digit dialing of phone numbers in the United States
Imagine that you work for the Trump re-election campaign and that you are tasked with coming up with a poll that makes your candidate look good. Who should you mostly include in your sample?
Republicans
What is the primary source for most of our values?
Socialization
Why do radio stations repeat the news so often throughout the day?
The audience is constantly changing since most people listen to the radio in their cars.
A 2014 study demonstrated that individuals who watched one news source in particular were significantly more informed about campaign finance laws than the general public. Which news source was it?
The Colbert Report
Individuals who are 18-29 years old are most likely to get their news from which source?
The Daily Show
Which statement about the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is FALSE?
The FCC was established in 1949 by President Harry Truman.
According to a 2012 Pew Research study, the most popular news source amongst those who are well-informed about politics is what?
The Rachel Maddow Show
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.
You want to try to guess how someone will vote in the upcoming election. What is the most useful piece of information to know about them?
Their partisan identification
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.
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.
Imagine that you ask someone what their partisan identification is. First, they tell you they are an Independent. Then, you ask if they lean toward either the Democratic or Republican parties. They tell you they identify as a Democrat. Which of the following is most likely to be true about their voting behavior?
They likely vote for all of the Democrats on their ballot
Which of the following is NOT a national newspaper?
Time
Which of the following is true of trust in government?
Very low trust in government is a reality in contemporary politics.
Journalists at the ________ led to the exposure of the Watergate scandal.
Washington Post
_______ has released thousands of secret government documents.
WikiLeaks
A political ideology is best defined as
a cohesive set of beliefs that form a general philosophy about the government.
The Pentagon Papers were released as a result of
a leak by a minor Defense Department staffer.
The power of the media to draw public attention to particular issues and problems is called ________.
agenda setting
The term gender gap refers to
differences in political opinions between men and women.
Daily Internet users who participate in society and politics through online activities are called ________.
digital citizens
Which of the following was NOT part of the George W. Bush administration's effort to maintain support for its war on terror?
donations to academic institutions
The proliferation of news sources in recent years has
encouraged polarization because many media outlets seek to position themselves within a discrete ideological or partisan niche rather than maintain a middle-of-the-road stance.
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 ________ provides candidates for the same political office equal opportunities to communicate their messages.
equal time rule
A wealthy businessperson who is very liberal is an example of the
fact that group membership never fully explains all of an individual's political views.
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.
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
In Parks and Rec, Joan Callamezzo asks regarding the Harvest Festival: "On a scale of 9 to 10, how big of a disaster will this be?" This is an example of which of the following?
push polling
Imagine that you work for the Trump re-campaign and that you are tasked with coming up with a poll that makes your candidate look good. Who should you mostly include in your sample?
republicans
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
Conservatives are more likely than liberals to support ________.
school prayer
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
Which of the following is NOT a reason that Americans prefer online news?
the accuracy and objectivity of the information found online
If a person supports a candidate because he or she is the front-runner in a poll, this is an example of ________.
the bandwagon effect
The concept of a marketplace of ideas refers to
the competition between varying opinions and ideas that are aired in public forums.
What has helped accelerate the trend toward less variety in national news in the past decade?
the corporate consolidation of news media into a small number of conglomerates
The fact that many middle-class and lower-middle-class citizens who did not stand to benefit from President George W. Bush's tax cuts seemed to favor them is an example of
the importance of political knowledge
The fact that many middle-class and lower-middle-class citizens who did not stand to benefit from President George W. Bush's tax cuts seemed to favor them is an example of
the importance of political knowledge.
