Question 1

A person who favors government intervention in both social and economic affairs is a(n)

Accepted Answer

A)   libertarian.
B)   liberal.
C)   populist.
D)   social conservative.
E)   economic conservative.F) A) and E)
G) C) and E)

Question 2

Society in Northern Ireland is presented by the text as a demonstration of what difference with U.S.society?

Accepted Answer

A)   the lack of importance in measured public opinion for the political process
B)   the status of the family as a secondary agent of socialization instead of a primary agent
C)   the relatively small influence that government propaganda has on the individual
D)   the lack of religion as a defining frame of reference
E)   the lack of crosscutting between groupsF) C) and D)
G) B) and D)

Question 3

The accuracy of a poll is usually expressed in terms of

Accepted Answer

A)   population density.
B)   census parameter.
C)   population error.
D)   sampling error.
E)   interview error.F) A) and B)
G) C) and D)

Question 4

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 5

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 6

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) C) and E)

Question 7

Which of the following statements about Americans and ideology and political thinking is true?

Accepted Answer

A)   Liberalism and conservatism have such imprecise meanings that it is not useful to think about politics in these terms.
B)   Americans overwhelmingly identify themselves as liberals.
C)   Americans are highly sophisticated in their political thinking.
D)   Only a minority of Americans can be classified as true ideologues.
E)   Americans are highly consistent in their political thinking.F) A) and D)
G) A) and C)

Question 8

Which of the following statements is true?

Accepted Answer

A)   Franklin Roosevelt had little faith that public opinion would preserve the Social Security program, and expected it to be dismantled within a few decades.
B)   Public opinion on the usefulness of the Social Security system tends to swing back and forth dramatically with the health of the national economy.
C)   George W. Bush attempted to privatize aspects of social security, only to back down in the face of determined resistance.
D)   Franklin Roosevelt attempted to increase the size of the Social Security system, but backed down in the face of strong public opinion against any expansion.
E)   Ronald Reagan refused, against the wishes of his party, to propose reform of the Social Security system, because he knew public opinion would oppose it.F) B) and E)
G) B) and C)

Question 9

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 B)
G) B) and E)

Question 10

In a test of "civic literacy" conducted in 2007,the average college senior scored a grade of ________.

Accepted Answer

A)   A
B)   B
C)   C
D)   D
E)   FF) C) and D)
G) A) and D)

Question 11

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) D) and E)
G) C) and D)

Question 12

The most powerful religious force in contemporary American society is the

Accepted Answer

A)   Protestants.
B)   religious right.
C)   Catholics.
D)   Jews.
E)   Muslims.F) None of the above
G) A) and E)

Question 13

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 C)
G) B) and E)

Question 14

Which of the following groups in the U.S.shows a higher level of support for collective bargaining?

Accepted Answer

A)   workers in the service sector
B)   factory workers
C)   small farmers
D)   white-collar workers
E)   workers in the skilled craftsF) D) and E)
G) B) and E)

Question 15

To accurately poll the citizens of the United States as opposed to the citizens of a single state,

Accepted Answer

A)   a much larger sample size will be required.
B)   the sample requirements will be nearly the same.
C)   a smaller sample size will be required.
D)   less randomization will be needed because the sample size will be larger.
E)   a larger sampling error can be accepted.F) B) and E)
G) B) and C)

Question 16

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) None of the above
G) C) and D)

Question 17

Of the 2009-2010 health care reform legislation,a Gallup poll found that nearly a third of the public mistakenly believed that the legislation package included

Accepted Answer

A)   vastly increased funding for Medicaid, the federal health care program for low-income individuals.
B)   government committees that would decide which elderly patients would receive life-saving treatment and which would not.
C)   an elimination of the Medicare program.
D)   government-sponsored health care for illegal immigrants.
E)   a legalization of partial-birth abortions.F) None of the above
G) B) and E)

Question 18

What are the two distinguishing characteristics of political socialization?

Accepted Answer

A)   Schools are the most influential agent of political socialization, and political socialization is strongest during childhood.
B)   Family is the strongest agent of political socialization, and political socialization is strongest during high school and college.
C)   Political socialization is cumulative, and is most heavily developed during childhood.
D)   Political socialization is transitory, and is most heavily developed during young adulthood.
E)   Political socialization occurs primarily among educated populations, and is most heavily developed during adulthood.F) A) and D)
G) A) and B)

Question 19

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 B)
G) D) and E)

Question 20

In his definition of public opinion,the author claims that the opinions of private individuals become public opinion when they

Accepted Answer

A)   first enter people's heads.
B)   are openly expressed.
C)   become part of the conflict between the Republican and Democratic parties.
D)   are measured in opinion polls.
E)   become part of the conflict between populists and libertarians.F) A) and B)
G) A) and C)

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

In his definition of public opinion,the author claims that the opinions of private individuals become public opinion when they

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The accuracy of a poll is usually expressed in terms of

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

A person who favors government intervention in both social and economic affairs is a(n)

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Of the 2009-2010 health care reform legislation,a Gallup poll found that nearly a third of the public mistakenly believed that the legislation package included

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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 statements is true?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Society in Northern Ireland is presented by the text as a demonstration of what difference with U.S.society?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

What are the two distinguishing characteristics of political socialization?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following groups in the U.S.shows a higher level of support for collective bargaining?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The accuracy of polling is diminished when respondents

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

The most powerful religious force in contemporary American society is the

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Journalist Walter Lippmann suggested that

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

To accurately poll the citizens of the United States as opposed to the citizens of a single state,

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

Which of the following statements about Americans and ideology and political thinking is true?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

In a test of "civic literacy" conducted in 2007,the average college senior scored a grade of ________.

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

Which of the following is NOT a primary socializing agent?

Correct AnswerverifiedShow Answer

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The text outlines three of the major fra...
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