Ch11 Public Opinion Full Test Bank

Test Bank

Chapter 11: Public Opinion

Multiple Choice

1. The authors argue that the legitimacy of the U.S. government rests on which of the following?

a. the idea that government exists to serve the interests of its citizens

b. the idea that the primary job of citizens is to serve their government

c. the efficient operation of our system of checks of balances

d. the unchallenged authority of the executive branch as outlined in the Constitution

e. the unchallenged authority of the Congress as outlined in the Constitution

Learning Objective: 11.1: Explain the role of public opinion in a democracy.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

2. Public opinion not only should matter but also does matter in American politics because ______.

a. the public pays close attention to public policymaking

b. the public votes on the basis of well-informed policy views

c. the public is quick to react to all policy decisions that may not serve its interests

d. politicians and the media act as if it matters

e. the media is diligent in keeping the public well informed

Learning Objective: 11.1: Explain the role of public opinion in a democracy.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

3. One advantage of direct contact between elected officials and the public versus the use of public opinion polls is that direct contact ______.

a. allows Congress to talk to more people collectively than pollsters talk to when taking polls

b. makes it less likely that certain public concerns will be overlooked

c. is always more accurate than a poll

d. provides more representative samples of public opinion

e. requires less time than it takes to conduct polls

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

4. If you are conducting a horse race poll, you want your sample to comprise ______.

a. an overrepresentation of those with more education

b. likely voters

c. all those over the age of eighteen

d. only those who identify with a political party

e. all American citizens

Learning Objective: 11.1: Explain the role of public opinion in a democracy.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

5. According to studies, Americans tend to be ______.

a. very knowledgeable about politics

b. not very knowledgeable about politics

c. knowledgeable about issues but not knowledgeable about officeholders

d. knowledgeable about officeholders but not knowledgeable about issues

e. knowledgeable about the political system but not knowledgeable about issues or candidates

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

6. Regarding tolerance, Americans are generally ______.

a. supportive of general issues, such as free speech

b. very intolerant

c. less tolerant the more educated they are

d. unwilling to share their views on tolerance

e. extremely tolerant of all different viewpoints

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

7. Which of the following is NOT an argument put forth by the textbook’s authors?

a. The higher the level of education, the more tolerance people tend to demonstrate on surveys.

b. Education is related to knowing the right answers rather than actually being more tolerant.

c. There are cases in history in which the educated elites were the leaders of intolerant behavior.

d. In many ways, less educated people are more tolerant than educated people.

e. Some observers argue that elites are the protectors of our democratic values.

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

8. Tolerance is a key democratic value because ______.

a. it makes people feel good

b. most people believe in it

c. we should love our neighbors

d. the founders were tolerant

e. it is a prerequisite for compromise

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

9. Compared to other industrialized nations, the United States ranks ______ in voter participation.

a. near the bottom

b. in the top quarter

c. among the very highest

d. in the middle

e. about equal to western Europe

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

10. American voter turnout for national elections is ______.

a. the highest among industrialized nations

b. about average among industrialized nations

c. the lowest, or among the lowest, among industrialized nations

d. consistently in third place among industrialized nations

e. typically within the top third among industrialized nations

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

11. According to the text, the current process of political socialization in the United States ______.

a. teaches us tolerance for the political values of other nations

b. trains us to support and obey the existing political system

c. teaches us to think independently and critically

d. is the primary function of a college education

e. has no legitimate function

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

12. Which of the following is NOT an agent of socialization?

a. the family

b. the Internet

c. schools

d. peers

e. social groups

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

13. The ratification of the Seventeenth Amendment resulted in which of the following?

a. the removal of citizens from the senatorial selection process

b. a greater, more direct role, played by citizens in the political process

c. a lesser, more indirect role, played by citizens in the political process

d. the authorization of state legislatures to appoint senators to the U.S. Congress

e. the outlawing of referendums, initiatives, and recall elections

Learning Objective: 11.1: Explain the role of public opinion in a democracy.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

14. In-house public opinion experts assist which of the following in developing political strategy?

a. senators

b. state representatives

c. governors

d. congressmen

e. presidents

Learning Objective: 11.1: Explain the role of public opinion in a democracy.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

15. Self-interest is a source of ______.

a. agreement in society

b. manipulation by politicians in society

c. the lack of support for good public policies only by the uneducated in society

d. divisions in society

e. socialization in society

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

16. Education promotes all of the following EXCEPT ______.

a. socialization

b. apathy

c. democratic enlightenment

d. democratic engagement

e. tolerance

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

17. Which of the following statements concerning the roles of ideology and partisanship in shaping public opinion is NOT true?

a. Much of the current division in American politics can be expressed in ideological or partisan terms.

b. Party labels provide mental cues that we use in interpreting and responding to personalities and news.

c. Partisan sorting means that the average Democrats and Republicans are farther apart ideologically than was the case in previous decades.

d. An ideology is a set of ideas about the world, whereas partisanship is an enduring allegiance to a party.

e. Most Americans are too moderate or nonpartisan for these concepts to have much influence on them.

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

18. A citizen’s ability to hold democratic beliefs, including the acceptance that politics is about compromise, is called ______.

a. democratic engagement

b. democratic enlightenment

c. democratic pragmatism

d. democratic virtue

e. democratic citizenship

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

19. Which of the following statements concerning the relationship between age and opinions is NOT true?

a. People tend to become more politically engaged as they become middle aged and older.

b. Groups of citizens of the same age can be shaped by the same political events.

c. People tend to become more conservative as they age.

d. Young people are more likely to be influenced by current political trends.

e. As older generations die, overall opinions in the population change.

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

20. The gender gap is especially large on issues of ______.

a. equality

b. government involvement in the lives of citizens

c. social values

d. violence

e. justice

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

21. The authors argue that although many activist citizens are informed and participatory they are also ______.

a. tolerant

b. indulgent

c. intolerant

d. reactionary

e. flippant

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

22. According to the authors, which of the following is one characteristic of the ideal democratic citizen?

a. They understand who the main actors are.

b. They understand the minor principles of the political system.

c. They typically keep track of public affairs.

d. They possess a high degree of tolerance.

e. They possess a college degree.

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

23. Which of the following is NOT true regarding religion?

a. Issues of concern to the religious generally do not involve dividing up the economic pie.

b. Jews are strongly Democratic.

c. Catholics are less conservative than are Protestants.

d. Catholics are strongly Republican.

e. Secularists tend to be more supportive of abortion rights than are fundamentalists.

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

24. All of the following are examples of heuristics EXCEPT ______.

a. on-line processing

b. the desire to hide our real views from pollsters

c. the two-step flow of communication

d. reliance on opinion leaders

e. reasons for our opinions that we cannot articulate

Learning Objective: 11.5: Give examples of ways in which public opinion enhances or diminishes the relationship between citizens and government.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Citizens and Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

25. The portion of the population selected to participate in a poll is known as the ______.

a. population

b. public

c. focus group

d. deliberative group

e. sample

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

26. The relationship between sample size and sampling error is ______.

a. the smaller the sample, the smaller the sampling error will be

b. the larger the sample, the smaller the sampling error will be

c. sampling error and poll size are unrelated

d. the wording of the poll questions will determine sampling error

e. sampling size and sampling error are related only if the poll contains sampling bias

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

27. When politicians try to determine public opinion by listening to their supporters and friendly interest groups, they are likely to face the problem of ______.

a. erroneous data

b. sampling error

c. sample bias

d. push polling

e. straw men polling

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

28. Unscientific polls that are often conducted by newspapers and politicians to determine who is ahead in a political race are called ______ polls.

a. straw

b. interest

c. tracking

d. exit

e. benchmark

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

29. With respect to constructing survey questions, all of the following statements are true EXCEPT:

a. Respondents often give opinions on subjects about which they know little or nothing.

b. Questions should not be ambiguous.

c. Similar questions can yield surprisingly different answers.

d. The order in which questions are asked can change the results.

e. Surveys tend to underestimate the racial tolerance of the American people.

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

30. Sampling error refers to ______.

a. a situation in which a sample is not representative of the larger universe being measured

b. mistakes made in the recording of responses in a poll

c. the number of mistakes made by a pollster

d. a situation in which question wording biases the results

e. a number that indicates within what range the results of a poll are accurate

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

31. Today, the most likely cause of sampling bias in polls is ______.

a. interviewers’ reluctance to go into “bad” neighborhoods

b. the growing number of homeless people who are not sampled

c. the pollsters’ own biases

d. the overrepresentation of the middle class in modern polls

e. differing opinions between those who do and do not participate in a poll

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

32. One concern about the wording of questions in polls is that the person being sampled will be unfamiliar with a subject and thereby ______.

a. never participate in a poll again

b. inflate the “don’t know” category, making the results meaningless

c. refuse to answer the question

d. be unlikely to finish the polling session

e. give responses solely based on contextual cues

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

33. Benchmark polls ______.

a. are good ways to track how a candidate is doing throughout the campaign

b. are instrumental in designing campaign strategy

c. are relied on by the media for information on the campaign

d. have caused the public to question the accuracy of polls

e. allow pundits to analyze voting on Election Day

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

34. Benchmark polls and tracking polls are two types of ______.

a. campaign polls

b. national polls

c. pseudo-polls

d. push polls

e. exit polls

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

35. Rational ignorance refers to ______.

a. the belief that a lack of tolerance may be acceptable under certain circumstances

b. the state of being uninformed about politics due to the cost in time and energy

c. voters realizing that they do not understand most political issues

d. the realization that politics is unimportant and has little impact on our lives

e. a person’s desire to vote but not to become informed

Learning Objective: 11.5: Give examples of ways in which public opinion enhances or diminishes the relationship between citizens and government.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Citizens and Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

36. The process by which citizens take their political cues from more well-informed opinion leaders is known as ______.

a. the two-step flow of information

b. elite democracy

c. political socialization

d. on-line processing

e. rational ignorance

Learning Objective: 11.5: Give examples of ways in which public opinion enhances or diminishes the relationship between citizens and government.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Citizens and Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

37. In order to achieve compromise, a critical component of politics, you must first possess ______.

a. an education

b. a high income level

c. tolerance

d. political knowledge

e. political experience

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

38. The authors of the textbook argue that public opinion matters because ______.

a. it should matter

b. the public has far more power to influence events than politicians realize

c. the public is too knowledgeable for politicians to ignore

d. media coverage gives public opinion more importance than politicians would prefer

e. politicians and the media treat public opinion as if it matters

Learning Objective: 11.1: Explain the role of public opinion in a democracy.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

39. The authors of the textbook argue that Americans behave as ideal citizens as ______, although as ______ they do not.

a. a group; individuals

b. individuals; a group

c. voters; individuals

d. individuals; voters

e. subjects of public opinion polls; voters

Learning Objective: 11.1: Explain the role of public opinion in a democracy.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

40. We can conclude from the history of polling that ______.

a. polls are unreliable

b. polls were developed for the purpose of manipulating the public

c. politicians loved polls when they were introduced but now have learned to distrust polls

d. polls are reliable when they are timely and have been conducted using the proper procedures

e. polls rarely do a good job of predicting the outcome of presidential elections

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

41. The worst cases of intolerance if American history were perpetrated by which of the following?

a. the general public

b. individual states

c. the middle class

d. elites

e. the military

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

42. If you are to be a critical watcher of polls, among the issues of concern are all of the following EXCEPT this:

a. Where’s the data?

b. Does the poll agree with your position?

c. How are the questions worded?

d. Who sponsored the poll

e. What questions were asked?

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

43. Which of the following groups tends to have higher levels of political participation?

a. those employed in white collar industries

b. those with moderate levels of education

c. non-native born Americans

d. those with income levels below the poverty line

e. those with higher income levels

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

44. The tendency of people who attend the same church to share similar political attitudes can be traced, in part, to which of the following?

a. exposure to an ever-increasing number of outside influences as we grow older

b. the lingering impact of positive political values instilled when we are young

c. the ways in which people select themselves into groups

d. the ineffectiveness of political socialization taught in schools

e. the impact of family on peer group selection

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

45. Members of the New Deal generation tended to be more ______ than preceding generations.

a. tolerant

b. Democratic

c. intolerant

d. Republican

e. politically independent

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

46. A survey question such as “How many times in the past few months have you used drugs?” is problematic because ______.

a. the question is confusing

b. it is likely that few people have thought about the issue

c. the question is not balanced

d. the question is worded as a double negative

e. the question is ambiguous and loaded

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

47. Good survey questions meet all of the following criteria EXCEPT this:

a. They are unambiguous.

b. They are always short.

c. They ask about subjects that people are familiar with and that they have thought about.

d. They do not use loaded language.

e. They offer a reasonable number of choices.

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Citizens and Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

48. Tracking polls are significant because they ______.

a. are able to catch daily changes in public opinion

b. help candidates devise their campaign strategies

c. have caused the public to question the accuracy of polls

d. are inexpensive to conduct

e. allow pundits to make predictions on Election Day

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

49. Which of the following statements concerning exit polls is NOT true?

a. They are used by the networks to declare winners in national elections.

b. They are a form of pseudo-poll.

c. They are intended to provide information for analyzing the results of an election.

d. They are taken from people who have just voted.

e. They have a mixed record as a method for declaring who has won a state in a national election.

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

50. Internet polls are ______.

a. unreliable

b. highly reliable

c. reliable if they are conducted by professional pollsters

d. reliable only if the right types of questions are asked

e. more reliable than exit polls or tracking polls

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

51. The authors conclude that, in general, the accuracy of election polls is ______.

a. quite good

b. fair

c. good in some years but very poor in other years

d. generally poor

e. not able to be determined

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

52. Which of the following statements concerning technology and polling is NOT true?

a. Telephone interviewing replaced in-person polling.

b. Robo polling is the replacement of people with computers.

c. Reliance on cell phones by citizens creates a challenge for pollsters.

d. Pollsters now create panels of citizens who regularly answer online questions.

e. Autodialing is one method of overcoming the problems caused by citizen reliance on cell phones.

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

53. The danger of majority tyranny in a democracy most likely would result from ______.

a. majority rule without the tempering influence of debate and discussion

b. the growing influence of the media

c. the tendency of citizens to vote emotionally in elections

d. too many procedural restraints on Congress

e. an uninformed public

Learning Objective: 11.5: Give examples of ways in which public opinion enhances or diminishes the relationship between citizens and government.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Citizens and Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

54. A citizen’s ability to hold democratic beliefs, including the acceptance that politics is about compromise, is called ______.

a. democratic enlightenment

b. fair trade

c. reaching across the aisle

d. politics as usual

e. rational ignorance

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

55. Equitable outcomes and social tolerance brought about by government action represent a ______ point of view.

a. liberal

b. conservative

c. libertarian

d. neo-conservative

e. independent

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

56. Democrats and Republicans are more ideologically divided than ever before due to which of the following?

a. political socialization

b. patriotism

c. spiral of silence

d. partisan sorting

e. rational ignorance

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Easy

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

57. Which of the following is a consequence of partisan sorting?

a. It facilitates compromise between ideological opponents.

b. It increases the likelihood that citizens will swing between candidates.

c. It decreases the incidence of hyperpartisanship.

d. It tends to increase the number of citizens who occupy the ideological middle ground.

e. It makes it easier to demonize one’s political opponents.

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

58. Following the New Deal, non-southern Protestants tended to fall into which category?

a. Republican

b. Democrat

c. activist citizens

d. patriotic

e. non-voting

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

59. Since the 1980s the Republican Party has gained strength in which of the following areas?

a. urban

b. coastal

c. southwest

d. northeast

e. rural

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

60. Since the 1980s the Democratic Party has gained strength in which of the following areas?

a. urban

b. coastal

c. southwest

d. northeast

e. rural

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

True/False

1. Referendums and initiatives have opened the door for a higher level of direct citizen participation in politics.

Learning Objective: 11.1: Explain the role of public opinion in a democracy.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

2. Compared to other industrialized nations, the United States ranks in the top five percent in voter participation.

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

3. Limited voting hours has been offered by some observers as one possible reason for America’s often low voter turnout.

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

4. The process by which we learn our political orientations and allegiances is called political adherence.

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

5. The process by which a majority opinion becomes exaggerated because minorities do not feel comfortable speaking out in opposition is called the spiral of silence.

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

6. In recent years, ideology has become a more important factor in creating political divisions in American society.

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

7. According to the authors, the story of America’s founding is predicated on the rejection of monarchy and popular sovereignty.

Learning Objective: 11.1: Explain the role of public opinion in a democracy.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

8. Understanding how government works is the only concern of the ideal democratic citizen.

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

9. Historically speaking, race has been a more divisive than unifying force in the United States.

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

10. Expectations about the role of women in society and politics first began to change in the 1930s.

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

Short Answer

1. According to the authors why is having knowledge of key political players important?

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

2. What information do exit polls provide?

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

3. What two shortcuts to political knowledge are discussed in the text?

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: The Citizens and Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

4. Why is sample bias problematic?

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

5. What are the three main objectives to keep in mind with respect to asking the right questions on a survey?

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

6. What role does tolerance play in a democracy?

Learning Objective: 11.2: Evaluate how well American citizens measure up to notions of an ideal democratic citizen.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Citizen Values

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

7. What accounts for the differences in political attitudes between blacks and whites?

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

8. In what ways has the role of women in society and politics changed during the last fifty years?

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

9. What effect did the near equalization of levels of electoral participation between men and women during the late twentieth century have on their respective views of political issues?

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

10. Through what means, specifically, do middle-age and older citizens tend to pursue political engagement?

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

Essay

1. Why should public opinion matter in a democracy and in what ways, specifically, has the role of public opinion increased over time?

Learning Objective: 11.1: Explain the role of public opinion in a democracy.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

2. From the time we are born, many things shape our political attitudes and beliefs. Discuss how our opinions are formed. What aspect of political socialization do you believe has the biggest impact on opinions? Why?

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

3. In recent years, the influence of ideology and partisanship on political divisions in American society has changed. Define these two terms, and then discuss how they influence political divisions today.

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

4. Why does public opinion matter in a democracy?

Learning Objective: 11.1: Explain the role of public opinion in a democracy.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

5. What role does race play in how we view and engage in politics?

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

6. Pseudo-polls are becoming increasingly common. Discuss the different types of pseudo-polls that exist. How do these polls differ from what pollsters would consider to be legitimate polling? What problems do pseudo-polls create?

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Medium

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

7. What role does gender play in how we view and engage in politics?

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

8. What role does age play in how we view and engage in politics?

Learning Objective: 11.3: Identify key factors that influence our individual and collective political opinions.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: What Influences Our Opinions about Politics?

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

9. The textbook identifies four characteristics of ideal citizenship and concludes that only some Americans live up to them. The authors argue, however, that Americans as a group behave in a much more rational manner than one would expect from their failure to meet the characteristics. Name the four characteristics and discuss the evidence for the authors’ conclusion that most Americans do not meet the standards. Explain how Americans as a group can behave so rationally if they are not rational as individuals.

Learning Objective: 11.1: Explain the role of public opinion in a democracy.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: The Role of Public Opinion in a Democracy

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.

10. What are the major types of political polls in use today and what are the defining characteristics of each?

Learning Objective: 11.4: Describe different techniques used to gauge public opinion.

REF: Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Measuring and Tracking Public Opinion

Difficulty Level: Hard

TOP: SAGE Learning Outcomes for American Government: Describe the roles and relative importance of major entities and influences in American political life.