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American Government, 1/e
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04
Public Opinion
0
1
The process whereby individuals acquire political knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs is known as which of the following?
Public opinion
Political socialization
Political efficacy
Political trust
0
2
You overhear a neighborhood child telling her friends that she is a Republican. What is the best explanation for the young child’s statement based on political science research about political socialization?
The child’s parents are Republicans and she has overheard them talking about politics.
The child favors tax cuts and opposes abortion, which are positions taken by the Republican Party.
The child is part of a wealthy white family that regularly attends religious services and that is the typical profile of a Republican voter.
The child watches Fox news and it tends to lean Republican.
0
3
Among the following, which is the most important source of political information?
Radio
Newspapers
Online news
Local television news
0
4
A survey research firm wants to study the attitudes of Hispanic American citizens toward illegal immigration. Which of the following would be the universe for the study?
All Americans
All Hispanics living in the United States
All American citizens who are Hispanic
The individuals selected to participate in the survey
0
5
How often will a perfectly conducted survey with a large sample size produce a result that is outside the margin of error?
Five percent of the time because even a perfectly conducted sample falls within the margin of error only 95 percent of the time.
Never because survey research is scientifically accurate.
Three percent of the time because the margin of error in a large sample is usually 3 percent.
It is impossible to know because survey research is more guesswork than science.
0
6
An opinion poll indicates that Governor White leads her opponent for reelection by 48 percent to 45 percent. The rest are undecided. The poll has a margin of error of three percentage points. What can we conclude from the poll?
Governor White is ahead of her opponent by three percentage points.
Governor White is more popular than her opponent but it is impossible to know by how much.
It is impossible to conclude that either candidate is ahead because the margin in the poll is within the margin of error.
Governor White will likely lose because she does not have the support of at least half the voters.
0
7
A radio station encourages listeners to go to its website to vote on its poll of the day, which asks people whether they favor or oppose gay marriage. What is the best assessment of the accuracy of the poll?
The poll would likely be accurate because everyone has an equal chance to vote in the poll.
The poll would likely be inaccurate because it is surveying people about an emotional issue and they may not respond truthfully.
The poll would likely be accurate because it would have a large sample size.
The poll would likely be inaccurate because the sample is unlikely to be representative of the general population.
0
8
What is the “Bradley Effect”?
The suggestion that some white voters will tell pollsters that they are going to vote in favor of an African American candidate in order not to appear biased even though they intend to vote against that candidate.
The suggestion that some white voters will not vote for an African American under any circumstances.
The suggestion that African American candidates have an advantage politically because of white guilt.
The suggestion that both whites and African Americans typically vote only for those candidates of their own race.
0
9
A poll taken October 1 shows that Senator A leads her opponent by 53 percent to 45 percent with the rest undecided. Will Senator A win reelection in November?
Yes because she has more than 50 percent of the vote.
Yes because her lead is greater than the margin of error.
No because too many voters are undecided.
Although Senator A is ahead on October 1, it is impossible to know whether she will be ahead in November when the election takes place.
1
0
Which of the following statements about political knowledge is true?
African Americans are more politically knowledgeable than whites.
Women are more politically knowledgeable than men.
Democrats are more politically knowledgeable than Republicans.
None of the above
1
1
Based on research concerning public support for democratic principles, which of the following statements would enjoy the lowest level of agreement in an opinion survey?
People with unpopular views should have the right to express their views to other people.
Elections should be decided by majority vote.
Someone who believes in white supremacy should be allowed to run for the school board.
All three statements will enjoy roughly the same level of public agreement.
1
2
The popular acceptance of a government and its officials as rightful authorities in the exercise of power is known as which of the following?
Political legitimacy
Political trust
Political socialization
Political efficacy
1
3
“Do you agree or disagree: ‘Sometimes politics and government seem so complicated that a person like me can’t really understand what's going on’?” The above question is used to measure which of the following?
Political trust
Internal political efficacy
External political efficacy
Liberalism
1
4
“Over the years, how much attention do you feel the government pays to what the people think when it decides what to do?” The above question is used to measure which of the following?
Political trust
Internal political efficacy
External political efficacy
Conservatism
1
5
The political philosophy that favors the use of government power to foster the development of the individual and promote the welfare of society is known as which of the following?
Liberalism
Conservatism
Capitalism
Democracy
1
6
Which of the following statements can best be described as liberal?
I am opposed to big-spending government programs.
The government must take action to address the problem of global warming.
It is disgraceful that the United States government does not take steps to protect the lives of the unborn.
All of the above
1
7
Which of the following statements about liberalism and conservatism is true?
Ronald Reagan is regarded as a great president by most liberals.
The terms “political left” and “leftwing” are associated with political conservatism.
More people self-identify as conservative than identify as liberal.
None of the above
1
8
Which of the following statements about political attitudes is correct?
African Americans are relatively conservative on the issues of abortion and gay marriage.
Catholics typically oppose abortion, gay marriage, and the death penalty.
Younger people are more likely to favor gay marriage than are older adults.
All of the above
1
9
On which of the following issues do men and women as a group hold different views?
Abortion rights
Women’s equality
Environmental protection
All of the above
2
0
The range of policy options acceptable to the public on a particular issue is known as which of the following?
Latent opinion
Zone of acquiescence
Gender gap
Public opinion
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