Unit 3 exam

Name _________________________

Section One: multiple choice questions (31 points)

1) Political socialization is defined as the

a. distribution of the population’s beliefs about politics and policy issues.

b. the process through which an individual acquires his or her particular political orientations.

c. the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue.

d. the various political roles that individuals play in society.

e. the beliefs held by citizens about their government.

2) In general, liberal ideology supports

a. a small, less active government that gives freer reign to the private sector.

b. public and government ownership of the means of production.

c. a strong central government that sets policies to promote equality.

d. strong local and state governments that are closer to the people.

e. individuals responding generously to each other to solve society’s problems without looking to government to do so.

3) The cozy relationship between politicians and the press in the 20th century lasted until

a. the beginning of Franklin Roosevelt’s presidency.

b. World War II.

c. the Vietnam War and Watergate.

d. the Kennedy Assassination.

e. the election of Ronald Reagan.

4) Which of the following is true of most conservatives in American politics?

a. They are in favor of affirmative action programs.

b. They believe we should spend much less on the military budget.

c. They are opposed to prayer in public schools.

d. They favor government regulation in the marketplace to ensure economic equality.

e. They favor the current status quo and do not want to make any major changes in government policy.

5) Which of the following is the definition of public opinion?

a. The expression of attitudes about government and policies.

b. People connecting their public opinion and beliefs with government policies.

c. The process by which a person acquires a set of political attitudes and forms opinions about social issues.

d. People’s belief in how responsive government is to their needs.

e. The linking of an institution to a citizen's ability to participate in government.

6) Which of the following statements BEST shows the effect of religion on voter choice?

a. Catholics always vote Republican.

b. Northern Protestants tend to vote Democratic.

c. Jews tend to vote Democratic.

d. The religious right tends to vote Democratic.

e. There is no clear-cut relationship  to religion and political affiliation.

7) The validity of a poll is best determined by

a. a large gap between the time the poll is taken and the time the results are released.

b. partisan groups taking and recording the results of a poll.

c. complex questions to be answered by the people being polled.

d. a sampling error of those polled fewer than 4%.

e. a reliance on using television as the primary medium to contact citizens.

8) Which of the following factors is probably the most important predictor of political party affiliation?

a. The schools.

b. The family.

c. One’s peer group.

d. Racial and ethnic identity.

e. One's church.

9) Samples of public opinion today are usually selected through

a. voter registration lists.

b. phone books.

c. random digit dialing.

d. selective respondent profiles.

e. cable subscribers.

10) Which of the following statements about equality applies most accurately to Americans?

a. Most Americans believe that everyone should be paid on the basis of their economic needs-equality of results

b. Most Americans believe that everyone has the right to get ahead- equality of opportunity

c. Most Americans believe in the preferential treatment of women and minorities- equality of results  

d. Most Americans believe in heavy taxation on the rich-equality of wealth

e. Most Americans don't have a strongly held opinion about equality of result or opportunity

11) A libertarian is a person who generally  ____ government involvement with the economy and ____ government initiatives concerning social welfare (like banning drugs or giving out welfare).

a. supports, supports

b. opposes, supports

c. supports, opposes

d. opposes, opposes

12) Which of the following reflects the news media’s coverage of political campaigns?

a. The media covers the candidate’s positions in an in-depth manner.

b. The media is obligated to give equal coverage to all candidates running for office.

c. The media aims to cover every political candidate’s run for the presidency equally.

d. Candidate’s sound bites and photo ops tend to characterize the media’s coverage.

e. The media has shied away from looking at the personal lives of the candidates running for office.

13) Which of the following represents what most would consider the benchmark of investigative journalism?

a. tabloid newspapers reporting accusations of drug use by George Bush.

b. magazine articles using anonymous sources accusing President Obama of being a citizen of Indonesia.

c. the media staking out Monica Lewinsky looking for evidence of her marital indiscretions during the Clinton administration.

d. the efforts of Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein in investigating the Watergate case in 1972.

e. the press assigning the “winner” and “loser” to John McCain and Barack Obama  during the 2008 debates.

14) Which of the following is the most consistently liberal group?

a. Evangelical Christians.

b. African Americans.

c. High school dropouts.

d. White men.

e. Latinos.

15) A pollster who gathers data from voluntary interviews is breaking which of the following principles for accurate public opinion polls?

a. Random samples.

b. Interviewing knowledgeable people.

c. Using “loaded, open ended” questions.

d. Objectivity in answer categories.

e. Sampling errors.

Question 16 refers to the following poll:

Q: What is the best thing to do with Social Security benefits for the elderly?

A: Change them: 43%

    Do away with them: 25%

    Leave them as they are: 24%

    Don’t know: 8%

16) What attitude towards Social Security benefits appears to be the most common among those polled?

a. Social Security benefits are admirable goals and are effectively carried out.

b. Most Americans don’t have strong feelings about Social Security benefits.

c. Most Americans believe that Social Security benefits should be done away with.

d. The goals of Social Security benefits are good, but their implementation has been faulty.

e. Most Americans support the goals and implementation of Social Security benefits.

17) A person’s coherent set of values and beliefs about the purpose of government is referred to as

a. political efficacy.

b. political culture.

c. political ideology.

d. political theory.

e. political dogma.

18) All of the following represent a liberal political attitude EXCEPT

a. approval of government efforts to reduce unemployment.

b. approval of high tax rates for affluent citizens.

c. approval of government supported hiring opportunities for minorities.

d. toleration for protest demonstrations.

e. emphasis on punishment rather than the protection of rights of the accused.

19) In Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier, the Supreme Court decided that

a. the federal government could not prevent the New York Times from publishing the Pentagon Papers.

b. public school administrators have the power of prior restraint.

c. the Freedom of Information Act was constitutional.

d. corporate-owned news media has a responsibility to their stockholders to maximize profits.

e. the Telecommunications Act of 1996 was constitutional.

20) American political culture is characterized by strong popular support for all of the following EXCEPT

a. the rule of law.

b. limited government.

c. individual liberty.

d. equality of opportunity.

e. economic equality.

21) The New York Times published the Pentagon Papers to expose government lies about

a. the 1968 presidential election.

b. the Vietnam War.

c. the Watergate scandal.

d. FBI counter-intelligence programs against the Black Panthers.

e. NSA surveillance of American civilians’ communications.

22) The media plays a key role in politics by

a. determining who gets elected to state and federal offices.

b. helping to set the issues that political leaders need to address.

c. presenting elected officials in the best possible light to the public.

d. reinforcing values such as patriotism and family.

e. paying candidates for exclusive stories.

23) Women are more likely than men to favor

a. capital punishment.

b. marriage defined as one man and one woman.

c. no increases in the federal minimum wage.

d. less spending on public housing.

e. increased funding for Planned Parenthood.

Question 24 refers to the following chart:

Liberal/Conservative Self-Identification 1972-1996

24) The chart above reflects all the of the following patterns EXCEPT

a. few Americans identify themselves as ideological extremists.

b. the percentage of self-identified moderates has increased substantially since 1972.

c. between about 1/4 to over 1/3 of those surveyed either don't know or haven't thought about their ideology.

d. over the years, a somewhat larger percentage of people identify themselves as conservative rather than liberal.

e. over the years, approximately one-half of all those surveyed identify themselves as either moderate, slightly liberal, or slightly conservative.

25) Which one of the following is a role that the news media do NOT perform in the American political system?

a. Deciding which candidates will get air time for ads on radio and television and which ones won’t.

b. Informing the public of what the government is doing.

c. Exposing the incompetent, corrupt, or hypocritical officials.

d. Focusing attention to issues and problems.

e. Providing time/space for advertisements that allow candidates to speak or send a message directly to the American public.

26) The media play a major role in establishing the public agenda by

a. deciding how prominently to cover issue-related news stories.

b. refusing to publicize the opinions of any pundit deemed “too political.”

c. reviewing the accuracy of candidates’ campaign advertisements.

d. reporting political news from foreign nations.

e. making available the complete text of presidential addresses and press releases.

27) Which of the following are results of the growth in the number of news outlets on the Internet and cable television?

I. the rise of opinionated journalism

II. more in depth coverage of national issues and problems by the mainstream news media

III. the decline of traditional newspapers and newsmagazines

IV. more competition among news sources for the audience share needed to generate advertising revenue and make a profit

a. I, II, and III only

b. I and III only

c. III and IV only

d. I, III, and IV only

e. III only

28) Which of the following most accurately describes the recent trends in American citizens’ trust of the government?

a. Americans have always trusted their government, except for a brief period in the 1960s.

b. Trust levels were low in the 1940s and 1950s but began to increase in the 1960s and have remained high ever since.

c. Americans have always distrusted their government, a reflection of the basic value of individualism.

d. Trust levels were high in the 1950s and 1960s, but since the mid 1960s have declined significantly.

e. Americans’ trust levels have for the most part remained the same over the past 40 years.

29) When a child’s parents both identify strongly with the same political party, the child will most likely

a. identify with the opposing party.

b. identify with the parents’ party.

c. have a low sense of political efficacy.

d. become an independent rather than  a party identifier.

e. become alienated from the political system.

30) The media has contributed to the rise of candidate-centered campaigns in all of the following ways EXCEPT

a. focusing on the candidate’s background.

b. reporting who is ahead and behind in the polls.

c. providing a forum for the candidates to get their message directly to the voters.

d. covering candidates’ gaffes and mistakes.

e. helping viewers compare the parties’ policy ideas.

31) A spin doctor would be used by a politician in an attempt to

a. find negative stories about an opponent.

b. conduct opinion polling using representative samples of the likely voters in the politician’s district.

c. ensure others interpret an event from a point of view that supports the politician’s position.

d. raise money for the politician’s campaign for re-election.

e. research the effects of a proposed policy.

Part 2: Free Response Question (16 points)

32. One of the most important ways the news media influences politics is through agenda setting.

(a) Define agenda setting.

(b) Explain how the national news media engage in agenda setting.

(c) Consider the table to the left.

• Describe the difference in the viewing patterns of older and younger age-groups.

• Describe the change from 1974 to 2002

in viewing habits that exists for all age categories.