Deck 6: Public Opinion and Political Action

Question 1

What was Henry David Thoreau protesting in the 1840s when he refused to pay his taxes?

A)high tariffs
B)compulsory education
C)economic inequality -Consider This: Protest as a form of participation often involves taking action against specific government policies.
D)the Mexican War

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which group makes up the smallest percentage of the minority population in the United States?

A)white,non-Hispanic
B)Hispanic -Consider This: Hispanics are currently the fastest growing population demographic in the United States.
C)Native American
D)African American

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The role of religion in influencing political ideology is most closely related to __________.

A)religiosity
B)baptism
C)denomination
D)Christianity -Consider This: It is not only the Christian faith that has an influence on political ideology.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Questions 12 and 13 refer to the following cartoon. Credit: Pat Bagley/Salt Lake Tribune/Cagle Cartoons,Inc.
Which of the following describes the message of the cartoon?

A)The Statue of Liberty is no longer the symbol of America.
B)Americans get more information from their phones than from each other.- Consider This: The cartoonist is criticizing Americans' lack of information,regardless of the source.
C)People are not as interested in politics as they used to be.
D)The lack of an informed public endangers America's democracy.

Question 5

Why were the first immigration restrictions adopted by the United States?

A)no poor immigrants
B)no uneducated immigrants
C)no Chinese immigrants -Consider This: The Chinese Exclusion act was adopted in 1882.
D)no criminals or prostitutes

Question 6

Questions 14 and 15 refer to the following images. Credits: Bettmann/Getty Images (left); Patrick T.Fallon/Reuters (right)
How do these photos exemplify unconventional political participation?

A)people are at campaign rallies to support their candidate
B)people are attempting to persuade others to vote -Consider This: Conventional participation includes many widely accepted methods of influencing outcomes in government.
C)people are peacefully assembled to demand change
D)people are engaged in acts of civil disobedience

Question 7

What technique is the key to the accuracy of public opinion polls?

A)indexing
B)font selection
C)random sampling
D)in-person interviews -Consider This: In-person interviews are just one method of conducting public opinion polls.

Question 8

How do Internet polling companies like Knowledge Networks ensure participation in its Web-based surveys?

A)Respondents are paid a small sum every time they participate.
B)Respondents are selected from the cell-phone-only segment of the population.-Consider This: The polling company does originally contact potential participants by phone but they do not restrict this to cell-phones.
C)Respondents are randomly sampled.
D)Respondents are provided a free computer.

Question 9

Approximately what percentage of adult citizens voted in the 2014 midterm elections?

A)less than 50 percent
B)60 percent -Consider This: Voter turnout in midterm elections is significantly lower than it is during a presidential election.
C)70 percent
D)more than 80 percent

Question 10

Questions 1 and 2 refer to the following graph. Source: Authors' analysis of 2014 Census Bureau data.
Based on the graph,which of the following groups had the largest voter turnout in 2014?

A)college students -Consider This: 18-to 24-year olds had the lowest voter turnout of every age group in the 2014 midterm elections.
B)senior citizens
C)women
D)middle aged Americans

Question 11

Questions 1 and 2 refer to the following graph. Source: Authors' analysis of 2014 Census Bureau data.
How might lower voter turnout among young citizens affect the composition of those who show up at the polls?

A)Conservatives are overrepresented at the polls.
B)Young citizens are overrepresented at the polls.
C)Democrats are overrepresented at the polls.-Consider This: Younger voters often embrace the policies of the Democratic Party.
D)Liberals are overrepresented at the polls.

Question 12

What is demography?

A)the science of population changes
B)an "actual enumeration" of the population -Consider This: Studying human populations is more than just counting human populations.
C)the distribution of the population's beliefs about politics and policy issues
D)an accounting of what the American people believe

Question 13

Questions 3 and 4 refer to the following graph.
This graph shows how people have responded over time to the following question: how much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right-just about always,most of the time,or only some of the time? Sources: Authors' analysis of 1958-2012 American National Election Study data.As there were no election
studies for 2006,2010,and 2014,we have used the following sources for those years: December 2006 Pew
Research Center poll; February 5-10,2010 New York Times/CBS News Poll; February 2014 Pew Research
Center poll.
Based on the graph,how has people's trust in the government changed over time?

A)More people had complete trust in the government in 2014 than ever before.
B)Fewer people trusted the government sometimes in 2014 than in 1958.-Consider This: By 2010 more people than ever before responded that they trusted the government sometimes or never.
C)People who trust the government sometimes outnumber those who trust it most of the time.
D)The government remained aligned with the people it represents from 1958-2014.

Question 14

What is a principal provision of the 1986 Simpson-Mazzoli Act?

A)Employers must document the citizenship of their employees.
B)State and local police must perform roadside immigration checks.
C)The president must apprehend and deport legal and illegal immigrants if their home country is at war with the United States.-Consider This: In spite of political rhetoric by both the Bush and Obama administrations there has been no comprehensive action on immigration.
D)A diversity admissions category was created for legal permanent residents.

Question 15

Questions 14 and 15 refer to the following images. Credits: Bettmann/Getty Images (left); Patrick T.Fallon/Reuters (right)
What is the typical aim of protests in the United States?

A)affecting public policy change
B)overthrowing the government
C)influencing voting behavior -Consider This: The message of protests is not generally aimed at voters.
D)informing the public about the candidates

Question 16

Questions 10 and 11 refer to the following image. Credit: U.S.Census Bureau
Which of the following does the census measure?

A)the number of people living in U.S.cities -Consider This: The census counts the entire population,not those living in specific regions or environments.
B)the number and ethnicity of people living in the U.S.
C)the number of immigrants living in the U.S.
D)the amount of money earned by individuals across the U.S.

Question 17

Questions 3 and 4 refer to the following graph.
This graph shows how people have responded over time to the following question: how much of the time do you think you can trust the government in Washington to do what is right-just about always,most of the time,or only some of the time? Sources: Authors' analysis of 1958-2012 American National Election Study data.As there were no election
studies for 2006,2010,and 2014,we have used the following sources for those years: December 2006 Pew
Research Center poll; February 5-10,2010 New York Times/CBS News Poll; February 2014 Pew Research
Center poll.
Which of the following is a possible effect of declining trust in government?

A)a lack of public support for government programs
B)increased support for liberal policies -Consider This: Liberals tend to support the "big government" programs in which people lose faith as trust in the government wanes.
C)more people emigrating from the United States
D)greater voter turnout for midterm elections

Question 18

Why does the United States have a relatively restrained scope of government compared to most European nations?

A)the predominance of conservatives in the United States
B)the predominance of liberals in the United States -Consider This: While there are slightly more liberals among younger voters,liberal ideology does not dominate.
C)the absence of moderates in the United States
D)the absence of pluralist thinking in the United States

Question 19

Questions 10 and 11 refer to the following image. Credit: U.S.Census Bureau
Why is participation in the census important enough to be widely advertised?

A)participation indicates the legitimacy of government and of laws passed by Congress
B)changes in the U.S.population affect membership in political parties -Consider This: The Census does not count or track political affiliation.
C)information the census collects helps to determine how more than $400 billion in federal funding is spent each year
D)information from the census determines tax rates

Question 20

Questions 12 and 13 refer to the following cartoon. Credit: Pat Bagley/Salt Lake Tribune/Cagle Cartoons,Inc.
Which of the following statements about political news consumption is accurate?

A)Working-class people consume more political news than do wealthier people.
B)Older people consume more political news than do younger people.
C)Men consume considerably more political news than do women.-Consider This: The advertisements that support television news program often feature various prescription drugs.
D)West Coast residents consume more political news than do East Coast residents.

Question 21

Why do seats in the House of Representatives need to be reapportioned?

A)The number of seats each state has in the House is based on a state's population,which changes over time.
B)The majority party in the House of Representatives is determined by each state's proportion of party-affiliated voters.
C)The Constitution requires that each state's taxes be proportional to the size of its population.
D)Each congressional district must be redrawn to reflect changes in the state's population.-Consider This: This process is known as redistricting.

Question 22

According to research by Jacobs and Shapiro,why do politicians use public opinion polls?

A)to tell them how to vote on legislation
B)to determine what policies to pursue -Consider This: The common view of politicians pandering to the results of public opinion may be mistaken.
C)to identify centrist approaches to public policy
D)to shape their messages to the public

Question 23

Political protests are often described as __________.

A)conventional and illegal -Consider This: Protests often try to attract the attention of the news media.
B)dramatic and unconventional
C)subtle and effective
D)casual and violent

Question 24

Darrell M.West argues that the United States needs to reorient its immigration policy toward enhancing economic development.Which of the following potential immigrants would he think is most deserving of an immigrant visa?

A)a Turkish national with a promising new manufacturing process
B)the parents of neurobiologist L.S.Chung,a permanent legal resident from South Korea
C)a former Syrian army officer,now a refugee
D)a student-athlete from New Zealand who plays basketball and hopes to coach professionally in the future -Consider This: West maintains that immigration policies should be based on what you know not who you know.

Question 25

From which of the following populations should you select a sample to determine if families with children would use school vouchers to send their children to charter schools?

A)women with children
B)citizens in the school district -Consider This: Accurate representation of the sample is more important than the size of the sample.
C)parents
D)parents of children under age 18

Question 26

Which of the following viewpoints is more likely to be held by a political liberal than by a political conservative?

A)The United States should stop letting criminals hide behind the law.
B)Prayer belongs in school.
C)Taxes and spending should be kept low.-Consider This: Liberals tend to support a broad and activist federal government.
D)Government should regulate the economy in the public interest.

Question 27

How do liberals differ from conservatives?

A)Liberals are more likely than conservatives to envision a wide scope for the central government,often involving policies that aim to promote military intervention.
B)Liberals are more likely than conservatives to envision a wide scope for the central government,often involving policies that aim to promote equality.
C)Among people over the age of 30,slightly more are liberal than conservative.
D)Conservatives are more likely than liberals to want to tax our way out of debt and deficit problems.-Consider This: Liberals have tended to embrace the idea of a broad,expansive,and activist federal government.

Question 28

Which of the following do politicians tend to ignore?

A)those who participate -Consider This: Political participation is specifically designed to grab the attention of voters.
B)the wealthy
C)nonvoters
D)business interests

Question 29

What was the effect of the 1924 immigration law that established official quotas for immigrants based on national origin?

A)The flow of immigrant families with children decreased.
B)The flow of low-income immigrant families from Mexico increased.-Consider This: Quotas were abolished in 1965.
C)Most new immigrants were being reunited with family in the United States.
D)Most new immigrants were from northwestern Europe.

Question 30

Which of the following statements about American attitudes toward the scope of government is true?

A)A majority of Americans favor having unlimited government.
B)A majority of Americans think that the government should do more rather than do less.-Consider This: Americans have a long history of favoring limited government.
C)A majority of Americans think the federal government should be streamlined.
D)A majority of Americans never think about the scope of government.

Question 31

Which sector do conservatives generally favor?

A)service
B)government -Consider This: Liberals tend to believe that government is well-positioned to solve problems in society.
C)private
D)public

Question 32

Which of the following generally increase with age?

A)liberalism and political tolerance -Consider This: Because political behavior is a learned behavior,there is often more learning to do.
B)candidate loyalty and authoritarianism
C)political participation and suspicion of out-groups
D)political participation and strength of party attachment

Question 33

According to Russell Neuman,the "paradox of mass politics" is that the American political system works as well as it does despite __________.

A)the public's lack of knowledge about politics
B)the public's lack of consensus on matters of public policy
C)the growing polarization of public opinion -Consider This: If political knowledge were to increase overall,it would in all likelihood be good for American democracy.
D)politicians' overreliance on public opinion polls

Question 34

Assume that Howard and Javier used proper sampling techniques to draw two samples of Hispanic Floridians.Each sample will be surveyed about proposed immigration policy reform and its impact on Hispanics living in the state.The samples were selected identically,but one includes 1,000 respondents and the other consists of 2,000 respondents.Given the information presented in this scenario,which of the following statements is true?

A)Howard and Javier will likely underestimate the impact of immigration reform on Florida's Hispanic population,given the size of their samples.-Consider This: Polling requires not only an accurate representation of the population but a reliable sample size.
B)Howard and Javier will likely overestimate the impact of immigration reform on Florida's Hispanic population,given the size of their samples.
C)Howard and Javier can correctly assume that the sampling error for both surveyed samples will be the same.
D)Howard and Javier can be more confident of the results of the 2,000-person sample.

Question 35

Women are more likely than men to cast their ballots for which type of candidate?

A)Democratic candidates who support higher levels of spending on the military as opposed to spending on social services
B)Republican candidates who support higher levels of spending on the military as opposed to spending on social services
C)Democratic candidates who support higher levels of spending on social services as opposed to spending on the military
D)Republican candidates who support higher levels of spending on social services as opposed to spending on the military -Consider This: The gender gap in American politics tends to favor the Democratic Party.

Question 36

According to Ronald Reagan,what was the main cause of society's problems?

A)urban decay -Consider This: Reagan was deeply concerned about the scope of government in the lives of American citizens.
B)tax evasion
C)government overreach
D)scofflaws and miscreants

Question 37

Which of the following is a disadvantage of conducting a public opinion survey over the phone?

A)Unlisted numbers cannot be reached by pollsters using telephones.
B)Federal law prohibits the use of automated random-digit-dialing programs to unlisted numbers.
C)People are substantially less willing to participate in polls over the telephone than in person.
D)Independents are less willing to participate in polls over the telephone than are partisans.-Consider This: Citizens often suffer from polling fatigue,which affects their desire to answer polls.

Question 38

Which of the following statements about the 1936 Literary Digest poll that predicted Roosevelt's reelection defeat is true?

A)The poll oversampled those with higher income.
B)The poll oversampled groups heavily Democratic in orientation.
C)The poll excluded owners of automobiles.-Consider This: The Literary Digest poll relied on motor vehicle registration lists to increase the size of the sample.
D)The poll under-sampled middle-class voters who owned telephones.

Question 39

In a random sample of 1,000 high school students,29 percent indicated that they had read the Declaration of Independence at least once,with a sampling error of 4 percent.Which of the following statements is true?

A)It is likely that more than 33 percent of the population have read the Declaration of Independence.-Consider This: A sampling error reflects the level of confidence found in a poll and that is related to sample size.
B)It is likely that fewer than 25 percent of the population have read the Declaration of Independence.
C)It is likely that between 25 and 33 percent of the population have read the Declaration of Independence.
D)It is likely that 29 percent of the population have read the Declaration of Independence between zero and five times.

Question 40

How is political participation defined?

A)all the activities used by citizens to socialize their children to the political process
B)all the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue
C)a measure of the minimum requirements needed to vote
D)the capacity of individuals (or groups)to exert their own political will -Consider This: Participation can be overt or subtle.

Question 41

Which of the following would politicians who believe that America's competitiveness in the globalized economy would be best served by allocating a substantial percentage of immigrant visas to people with special talents be most likely to substantially revise?

A)Hart-Celler Immigration and Nationality Act
B)Civil Rights Act
C)Affordable Care Act -Consider This: The Affordable Care Act provided a mechanism that required all Americans have health insurance or face a fine.
D)Simpson-Mazzoli Act

Question 42

If the poor participated at higher levels in the political process,what might happen?

A)government workers would likely unionize
B)government-run services would likely be privatized -Consider This: Privatization of government-run services often harm the recipients of those services.
C)government programs to help individuals invest their Social Security income would likely be higher on the political agenda
D)government programs to alleviate economic inequality would likely be higher on the political agenda

Question 43

Which of the following statements about immigration in the United States is true?

A)At current rates non-Hispanic whites will represent less than half of the population by the middle of the 21^st century.
B)In recent years,illegal immigrants have outnumbered legal immigrants.
C)The Department of Homeland Security estimates that 5 percent of the nation's illegal immigrants are from Mexico.-Consider This: While these levels have flattened out the percentage of illegal immigrants in the U.S.from Mexico is roughly 59%.
D)The U.S.Census Bureau estimates that immigrants represent 30 percent of the nation's population.

Question 44

Many of the commercials that air during the nightly news broadcasts of ABC,CBS,and NBC seem to be for various prescription drugs.What is the most plausible explanation for this fact?

A)Today's generation of young adults is significantly more likely to read newspapers than their elders.-Consider This: Different sources of news are often favored by specific demographics.
B)Political socialization is more important to governments than to individuals.
C)The age of the demographic that consumes television news is much higher on average than those that consume alternative sources of news.
D)Children who develop positive feelings toward political authorities grow into adults who are not easily disenchanted with politics.

Question 45

Of the following,which is a form of political participation?

A)donating money to a charity for homeless veterans -Consider This: Donating money to a charity has no effect on political outcomes.
B)working as a caseworker in a social services agency
C)compiling a statistical analysis on the demographic factors of students enrolled at a local community college
D)calling your representative to express your opinion about upcoming legislation