Question 1

Define what is meant by a political ideology.Why is ideology important to consider when discussing the political thinking of the American people?

Accepted Answer

Political ideology is a consistent patte...

Question 2

Which of the following is true of the relationship between public opinion and shifts in major government policies?

Accepted Answer

A)  On high-profile issues particularly,public opinion tends to affect policy to a greater degree than policymakers' agendas affect public opinion.
B)  Analysts Page and Shapiro concluded that leaders' opinions ultimately affect most policy issues more than the larger public opinion.
C)  The linguist Noam Chomsky claimed that democracy consistently preserved the will of the people over the will of elite interests.
D)  Analysts Robert Erikson,Michael MacKuen,and James Stimson found a pattern consistent with their claim that "public opinion has little influence over policy".
E)  All these answers are correct.F) A) and B)
G) C) and D)

Question 3

Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann's "spiral of silence" theory contends that

Accepted Answer

A)  most individuals are reluctant to speak out against dominant opinion.
B)  people tend not to express their views until asked.
C)  people holding deviant opinions tend to be more vocal,and hence silence the majority.
D)  most individuals like to challenge dominant opinions.
E)  None of these answers is correct.F) A) and E)
G) A) and D)

Question 4

Libertarians are opposed to governmental intervention

Accepted Answer

A)  in both the economic and social spheres.
B)  in the economic but not the social sphere.
C)  in the social sphere,but not the economic sphere.
D)  in neither the social nor the economic spheres.
E)  only with regard to affirmative action.F) C) and D)
G) A) and D)

Question 5

Journalist Walter Lippmann suggested that

Accepted Answer

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

Question 6

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?

Accepted Answer

A)  letters from constituents
B)  the editorial positions of newspapers in the constituency
C)  public demonstrations by constituents
D)  a poll based on a random sample of constituents
E)  the number of yard signs on major streetsF) B) and D)
G) B) and C)

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a primary socializing agent?

Accepted Answer

A)  peers
B)  school
C)  church
D)  family
E)  None of these are primary socializing agents.F) A) and B)
G) None of the above

Question 8

The only presidential election in which the Gallup poll erred badly was

Accepted Answer

A)  1928 Hoover-Smith.
B)  1936 Roosevelt-Landon.
C)  1948 Truman-Dewey.
D)  1964 Johnson-Goldwater.
E)  2000 Bush-Gore.F) B) and E)
G) B) and D) C

Question 9

Identify and discuss the frames of reference that Americans rely upon when forming their political opinions.

Accepted Answer

The text outlines three of the major fra...

Question 10

Which of the following is true of letter writers and demonstrators?

Accepted Answer

A)  They tend to be individuals who have participated in violent or physical expressions of political opinion.
B)  They tend to espouse a more conservative ideological leaning.
C)  They tend to have a greater effect on policymakers than the public opinion polls of the general population.
D)  Roughly 10 percent of Americans participate in a mass demonstration or write a letter to the editor each year.
E)  Their opinions tend to be atypical of the population as whole.F) A) and E)
G) A) and B)

Question 11

Three-fourths of Ivy League students surveyed could not identify ________ as the author of the phrase,"a government of the people,by the people,and for the people".

Accepted Answer

A)  George Washington
B)  James Madison
C)  George Gallup
D)  Abraham Lincoln
E)  Thomas JeffersonF) A) and B)
G) All of the above

Question 12

Friedrich Engels believed that communism would not take root in the United States because

Accepted Answer

A)  the poorer American classes still had enough material wealth to be happy with their station.
B)  American workers lacked sufficient class consciousness.
C)  the government was already providing substantial financial assistance to the working class.
D)  the Social Security system provided workers with a safety net not available to workers in Europe.
E)  the government of the U.S.was too militantly anti-communist and would not allow propaganda to spread.F) A) and E)
G) C) and D)

Question 13

A conservative is opposed to government intervention

Accepted Answer

A)  in both the economic and social spheres.
B)  in the economic but not the social sphere.
C)  in the social sphere,but not the economic sphere.
D)  in neither the social nor the economic spheres.
E)  only with regard to affirmative action.F) B) and C)
G) A) and C) B

Question 14

The accuracy of polling is diminished when respondents

Accepted Answer

A)  give what they regard as the socially correct response.
B)  are asked about familiar issues.
C)  have an opinion and reveal it.
D)  admit they are not familiar with an issue and offer no opinion.
E)  None of these answers is correct.F) A) and D)
G) A) and E) A

Question 15

According to polls,men and women tend to disagree on certain issues.Of the following issues,about which are men and women closest in agreement?

Accepted Answer

A)  abortion rights
B)  affirmative action
C)  poverty assistance
D)  education assistance
E)  use of military forceF) A) and D)
G) All of the above

Question 16

Party identification refers to

Accepted Answer

A)  the percentage of polled individuals that claim membership in a particular party.
B)  formal membership in a political party.
C)  an emotional attachment to a political party.
D)  a political party's platform-the stances on issues that define its beliefs.
E)  the ability of individual citizens to identify the major issue positions of the major political parties.F) D) and E)
G) A) and B)

Question 17

What term do pollsters use for a purported opinion offered by a respondent who,in truth,has no view on a specific issue?

Accepted Answer

A)  uninformed response
B)  faulty opinion
C)  invalid answer
D)  confused response
E)  non-opinionF) B) and E)
G) A) and D)

Question 18

Discuss the general relationship between public opinion and the policy actions of government.

Accepted Answer

Public opinion has a powerful though ine...

Question 19

A properly drawn sample of one thousand individuals has a sampling error of roughly plus or minus ________ percent.

Accepted Answer

A)  5
B)  3
C)  2
D)  8
E)  10F) B) and E)
G) D) and E)

Question 20

The process of political socialization in the United States is

Accepted Answer

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

Exam 6: Public Opinion and Political Socialization: Shaping the Peoples Voice

Define what is meant by a political ideology.Why is ideology important to consider when discussing the political thinking of the American people?

Correct AnswerverifiedPolitical ideology is a consistent patte...View AnswerShow Answer

Which of the following is true of the relationship between public opinion and shifts in major government policies?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann's "spiral of silence" theory contends that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Libertarians are opposed to governmental intervention

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Journalist Walter Lippmann suggested that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following is NOT a primary socializing agent?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The only presidential election in which the Gallup poll erred badly was

Correct AnswerverifiedC

Identify and discuss the frames of reference that Americans rely upon when forming their political opinions.

Correct AnswerverifiedThe text outlines three of the major fra...View AnswerShow Answer

Which of the following is true of letter writers and demonstrators?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Three-fourths of Ivy League students surveyed could not identify ________ as the author of the phrase,"a government of the people,by the people,and for the people".

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Friedrich Engels believed that communism would not take root in the United States because

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A conservative is opposed to government intervention

Correct AnswerverifiedB

The accuracy of polling is diminished when respondents

Correct AnswerverifiedA

According to polls,men and women tend to disagree on certain issues.Of the following issues,about which are men and women closest in agreement?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Party identification refers to

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What term do pollsters use for a purported opinion offered by a respondent who,in truth,has no view on a specific issue?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Discuss the general relationship between public opinion and the policy actions of government.

Correct AnswerverifiedPublic opinion has a powerful though ine...View AnswerShow Answer

A properly drawn sample of one thousand individuals has a sampling error of roughly plus or minus ________ percent.

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The process of political socialization in the United States is

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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Political ideology is a consistent patte...
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C

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The text outlines three of the major fra...
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B

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A

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Public opinion has a powerful though ine...
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