Political Science 11

1. Compared to other industrialized nations, the United States ranks _____ in voter participation.

Near the bottom

In the top quarter

2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the textbook as an agent of socialization?

The family

The Internet

Social groups

3. Regarding tolerance, Americans are generally

Supportive of general issues such as free speech but less supportive when asked to extend rights to unpopular groups.

Very intolerant.

Less tolerant the more educated they are.

Extremely tolerant of all different viewpoints.

4. Regarding the impact of the public in American national decision-making, the founders wanted

A system in which the public elected most officeholders

A system legitimated by the public but also protected from the possible dangers of the public's power.

A system responsive to the fluctuations in public opinion.

Senators elected by the public and the president elected by the Senate.

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

Sample.

Deliberative group.

Focus group.

Population.

6. The relationship between sample size and sampling error is

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

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

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

The wording of the poll questions will determine sampling error.

7. Americans voter turnout for national elections is:

The highest among industrialized nations.

About average among industrialized nations.

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

Consistently in third place among industrialized nations.

8. A plebiscite is

Proposed constitutional convention to update the Constitution.

A law that grants ex-felons the right to vote.

A parliamentary system to replace the current system of separation of powers.

A popular vote on national policy issues.

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

Erroneous data.

Sample bias.

Push polling.

Straw men polling.

10. Americans tend to be

Very knowledgeable about politics.

Not very knowledgeable about politics.

Knowledgeable about office holders, but not knowledgeable about issues.

Knowledgeable about the political system, but not knowledgeable about issues or candidates.

11. One concern about question wording in polls is that the person being sampled will be unfamiliar with a subject and thereby

Never participate in a poll again

Refuse to answer the question.

Be unlikely to finish the polling session.

Give responses based on cues picked up from the context of the interview or the question.

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

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

Makes it less likely that certain public concerns will be overlooked.

Is always more accurate than a poll.

13. Benchmark polls and tracking polls are two types of

Campaign polls

National polls

Push polls

Exit polls.

14. The process of socialization

Teaches us tolerance for the political values of other nations.

Trains us to support and obey the existing political system.

Teaches us to think independently and critically

15. The sharp decline in trust in government among the public in the 1960s and 1970s is used by the authors to show the effects on political socialization of

The family.

Groups.

Political and social events

16. Public opinion not only should matter but does matter in American politics because

The public pays close attention to public policy making.

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

Politicians and the media act as if it matters.

The media is diligent in keeping the public well-informed.

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

Straw

Interest

Tracking

Exit

18. Sampling error refers to

The number of mistakes made by a pollster.

A situation in which question wording biases the results.

Mistakes made in the recording of responses in a poll.

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

19. The textbook does NOT argue that self-interest plays which of the following roles in affecting public opinion?

It is a source of division in public opinion.

Self-interest is a source of agreement in public opinion.

Self-interest is one of several factors affecting opinions.

Many people express opinions that seem to run counter to concerns over self-interest.

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

When a person is picked for the sample and he or she cannot be contacted or refuses to participate

The pollsters' own biases

21. Benchmark polls

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

Are instrumental in designing campaign strategy.

Allow pundits to analyze voting on Election Day.

Have caused the public to question the accuracy of polls

22. Which of the following pairs of items concerning socialization is not linked properly?

Preschool years; nationalism

The media; socialization by major political and social events

The media; ideological orientation

Groups; the spiral of silence

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

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

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

Questions should not be ambiguous.

Respondents are often willing to give opinions on subjects about which they know little or nothing.

24. Which of the following is NOT an argument put forth by the textbook's authors concerning the relationship between education and tolerance?

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

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

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

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

Most people filter their perceptions of reality through their ideological and partisan attitudes.

Over the past few decades the relationship between the ideological beliefs of individuals and their partisanship has grown closer.

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

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