Download Chapter 5: Public Opinion and Political Action

Chapter 5: Public Opinion and Political Action
1. American public opinion about the events of September 11, 2001 and the subsequent war in Afghanistan
was unusual because it was
(A) almost unanimous.
(B) bipolar.
(C) understated.
(D) inconsistent.
Answer: A
2. The census, which measures demographic changes in the United States, is conducted every
(A) two years.
(B) five years.
(C) seven years.
(D) ten years.
Answer: D
3. The U.S. Census became controversial in 2000 because
(A) minority groups were over-represented in the official head count.
(B) census workers went to homeless shelters to include homeless in the census.
(C) the Clinton Administration proposed use of sampling to estimate the population that may have been
missed in a head count.
(D) the state of California actually lost seats in the House of Representatives due to the new census.
Answer: C
4. Among the first great wave of immigrants to arrive in the United States were the
(A) northwestern Europeans.
(B) southeastern Europeans.
(C) Hispanics.
(D) Asians.
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Answer: A
5. The term, melting pot, refers to a
(A) society made homogeneous by the mass media.
(B) mixture of cultures, ideas and peoples.
(C) turbulent, conflict-ridden environment which requires force to meld together all the opposing opinions.
(D) society with a minority majority population.
Answer: B
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Study Questions
6. Which of the following statements is true about the Simpson-Mazzoli Act?
(A) It requires employees to document the citizenship of their employers.
(B) It does not effectively stop illegal immigration from Mexico.
(C) Immigrant leaders are largely unconcerned about its effects.
(D) It mostly concerns the Asian community.
Answer: B
7. Based on demographic changes and population shifts, states may gain or lose
(A) representation in the Senate.
(B) judges on the Supreme Court.
(C) political appointees.
(D) representation in the House.
Answer: D
8. The fastest growing age group in the United States is
(A) 10- to 19-year olds.
(B) 20- to 35-year olds.
(C) 40- to 55 year olds.
(D) those over the age of 65.
Answer: D
9. The family’s role in political socialization is critical because
(A) parents make sure their children know the differences between Republicans and Democrats.
(B) family has a monopoly on one’s time and emotional commitment in the early years.
(C) most children stay at home with their mothers and thus aren’t exposed to other agents of socialization.
(D) parents purposely impose their political beliefs on their children.
Answer: B
10. What displaces parents as a chief source of information as children grow older?
(A) television
(B) radio
(C) newspapers
(D) magazines
Answer: A
11. Children reported the highest level or percentage of agreement with their parents’ partisan choice when
(A) both parents were Democrats.
(B) both parents were Republicans.
(C) both parents were Independent.
(D) both parents were Socialists.
Answer: C
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Study Questions
12. When your chance of being asked to participate in a poll is as good as that of anyone else, the poll is
using
(A) a sample.
(B) a level of confidence.
(C) straw polling.
(D) random sampling.
Answer: D
13. Which of the following is not true about public opinion polling?
(A) Accurate representation of the population is the most important feature of a public opinion survey.
(B) Sample sizes have been getting smaller, not larger.
(C) Use of telephone books and motor vehicle records will bias a sample toward higher income groups.
(D) Random samples must be large, polling millions of people, to accurately reflect public opinion.
Answer: D
14. If 95 percent of the time, the poll results are within three percent of what the entire population being
surveyed thinks, this is known as
(A) liberal sampling.
(B) sampling error.
(C) the level of comfort.
(D) anonymous sampling.
Answer: B
15. Today, most polling is conducted by selecting samples with
(A) door-to-door interviews.
(B) questionnaires sent through the mail.
(C) random-digit dialing on the telephone.
(D) Internet mailing lists.
Answer: C
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16. Critics of public opinion polling argue that polling
(A) makes politicians more concerned with following than leading.
(B) forces politicians to engage in policy analysis.
(C) helps politicians avoid disastrous mistakes.
(D) encourages bold leadership and hones political skills.
Answer: A
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Chapter 5 Public Opinion and Political Action
Study Questions
17. Which of the following is not true about exit polling?
(A) Voting places are selected randomly around the country.
(B) Survey data shows that few voters have been actually influenced by exit-poll results.
(C) Exit polls deserve most of the blame for the network’s 2000 presidential election night fiasco.
(D) Networks in 1980, 1988 and 1996 used exit polls to declare a winner in presidential election hours
before West coast dwellers had a chance to vote.
Answer: C
18. The public opinion poll which asked whether the United States should go to war in the Persian Gulf
“at some point after January 15 or not” is an example of
(A) a poll with a liberal bias.
(B) a vague poll.
(C) an unambiguous poll.
(D) a clearly worded poll.
Answer: B
19. An examination of the use of polling by political leaders in the 1990s reveals that polls were used to
(A) set policies.
(B) pander to the public.
(C) identify centrist approaches.
(D) sell policies.
Answer: D
20. Which of the following American political leaders would have most likely paid more attention to public opinion polling results based on his trust in the wisdom of common people?
(A) Alexander Hamilton
(B) Thomas Jefferson
(C) James Madison
(D) George Washington
Answer: B
21. The 2000 National Election study revealed that
(A) most Americans knew that Tony Blair was the prime minister of the United Kingdom.
(B) the majority of those polled knew that Janet Reno was attorney general of the United States.
(C) the majority of those polled knew that William Rehnquist was chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
(D) most Americans could identify positions held by prominent political leaders.
Answer: B
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Study Questions
22. A plurality of Americans from 1996 and 1998 National Election Studies identify themselves as
(A) conservative.
(B) liberal.
(C) moderate.
(D) populist.
Answer: A
23. Liberals are more likely than conservatives to
(A) support prayer in schools.
(B) oppose affirmative action.
(C) want to spend more on the poor.
(D) spend more on the military.
Answer: C
24.Which demographic group is the most liberal in the United States according to the National Election
Studies of 1996 and 1998?
(A) Protestants
(B) African Americans
(C) Hispanics
(D) Jews
Answer: D
25. According to the classic study The American Voter, the largest plurality of Americans are
(A) ideologues.
(B) nature of the times voters.
(C) no issue content voters.
(D) group benefits voters.
Answer: D
26. The type of political participation that a majority of Americans report to engage in is
(A) contacting government officials.
(B) voting.
(C) working in political campaigns.
(D) giving money to candidates.
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Answer: B
27. The Boston Tea Party was an example of
(A) a protest.
(B) a boycott.
(C) a petition drive.
(D) sit-in.
Answer: A
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28. Which of the following is not associated with civil disobedience?
(A) The law is consciously broken.
(B) The law was viewed as unjust.
(C) The law breaker is unwilling to accept punishment.
(D) The law breaker is peaceful and non-violent.
Answer: C
29. Most political scientists conclude that Americans are
(A) ideological conservatives but operational liberals.
(B) ideological libertarians but operational conservatives.
(C) ideological liberals but operational populists.
(D) ideological Marxists but operational liberals.
Answer: A
30. In the 2000 National Election Study, the plurality of Americans viewed government as
(A) too intrusive.
(B) too powerful.
(C) not a concern.
(D) ideal.
Answer: C
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Study Questions