Deck 6: Agenda Setting, Power, and Interest Groups

Question 1

Beginning from the largest level of the agenda to the smallest, which grouping is in the correct order?

A)agenda universe, institutional agenda, decision agenda, systemic agenda
B)agenda universe, systemic agenda, decision agenda, institutional agenda
C)decision agenda, institutional agenda, systemic agenda, universe agenda
D)agenda universe, systemic agenda, institutional agenda, decision agenda

Answer 1

agenda universe, systemic agenda, institutional agenda, decision agenda

Question 2

An agenda in the policy process refers to

A)the semi-secret plans of interest groups to gain support for unpopular ideas.
B)the implementation of public policy.
C)the matters before public institutions that are available for discussion and decision.
D)the annual budget bill.

Answer 2

the matters before public institutions that are available for discussion and decision.

Question 3

John Kingdon frames his discussion of agenda change by introducing what concept or concepts?

A)divided power
B)focusing events and indicators
C)policy design
D)interest groups and think tanks

Answer 3

focusing events and indicators

Question 4

Causal stories are a part of the policy process by virtue of being:

A)modes of problem definition.
B)policy solutions.
C)policy tools.
D)the glue that holds advocacy coalition networks together.

Question 5

Muckraking is a term applied to

A)activist groups holding demonstrations and rallies to force policy change..
B)descriptive journalism.
C)investigative journalism .
D)objective journalism.

Question 6

According to Stone one purpose of using numbers in problem definition is

A)to demonstrate the rationality of a certain policy solution.
B)the process of counting something makes people notice it more, and record keeping stimulates reporting.
C)numerical strategies prove facts.
D)none of the above.

Question 7

"The list of items explicitly up for the active consideration of authoritative decision makers" best describes the

A)agenda universe.
B)systemic agenda .
C)institutional agenda.
D)decision agenda.

Question 8

"The list of all the possible ideas that could ever be advanced in any society" describes the

A)agenda universe.
B)systemic agenda .
C)institutional agenda.
D)decision agenda.

Question 9

Any issue, problem or idea that could be considered in the policy process that does not fall outside various social and political norms in a particular society is found on the

A)agenda universe.
B)systemic agenda .
C)institutional agenda.
D)decision agenda.

Question 10

Social Construction refers to

A)urban sprawl.
B)the elite.
C)the process of defining problems and the causes of them.
D)changing conditions over time.

Question 11

The scarcity of policy windows is mainly due to

A)the limited capacity of the system to handle issues.
B)peoples' tendency to jump on political bandwagons.
C)the policy implications of policy change.
D)political streams.

Question 12

The theory that states that a few people in government, business, academia, and the media have a disproportionate share of the control over America's political and economic resources is called

A)rational-choice theory.
B)elite theory.
C)institutionalism.
D)group theory.
E)pluralism.

Question 13

What are two ways in which groups and society as a whole learn of problems in the nation or the world?

A)changes in institutional and systemic agenda.
B)changes in indicators and focusing events.
C)changes in regulatory and distributive policies.
D)none of the above.

Question 14

What functions of the media might make the agenda setting process more democratic?

A)Expanding the scope of conflict and participation.
B)Providing entertainment for the public.
C)Generating profit for the stockholders of the media firm.
D)Telling the public what to think.

Question 15

Which of the following is an example of a condition?

A)The federal budget deficit.
B)The frequency of earthquakes in California.
C)Airline hijackings.
D)Low literacy rates in developing nations.

Question 16

Data points that fall outside the range of the bulk of the data points are called

A)far outers.
B)pluto points.
C)outliers.
D)outer limits.
E)rim points.

Question 17

Who came up with the idea of a "window of opportunity?"

A)Paul Sabatier
B)Harold Laswell
C)John Kingdon
D)Morris Fiorina

Question 18

When a window of opportunity opens for a particular policy area, this increases the chances that a window will open in a related policy domain. This is an example of:

A)focusing event.
B)spillover.
C)indicators.
D)agenda setting.

Question 19

Describe agenda setting and give an example.

Question 20

Describe how issues rise on the agenda.

Question 21

Draw the levels of the agenda and briefly explain each level's importance.

Question 22

Explain what role the media might play in overcoming the "second face of power."

Question 23

Explain what role the media might play in overcoming the power of "iron triangles" or other tightly integrated policy subsystems.

Question 24

Explain the difference between a "problem" and a "condition."

Question 25

How can a condition develop over time into a problem?

Question 26

Describe various types of "indicators" of public problems.

Question 27

How can the meaning of symbols change and be interpreted differently? What is an example?

Question 28

What does Kingdon mean by the "national mood"?

Question 29

Explain what Schattschneider means when he states that every political organization is a "mobilization of bias."

Question 30

Draw the levels of the agenda and briefly explain their importance.

Question 31

Explain the difference between a condition and a problem.

Question 32

How can statistical reporting be misrepresented, such as when reporting the median household income of an area?

Question 33

Describe the difference between a substantive policy and a procedural policy.

Question 34

A complex combination of factors is generally responsible for the movement of a given item into agenda prominence.

Question 35

Agendas are first set, and then alternative policy choices are generated.

Question 36

Anecdotal evidence may be as persuasive in causal stories as rigorous scientific analysis.

Question 37

Because policy decisions can be made at a variety of points in the political system, there are also several institutional agendas.

Question 38

Social construction is the process by which issues and problems are defined by society.

Question 39

Focusing events are frequent events.

Question 40

Indicators refer to the ways in which we as a society and the various contending interests within it structure and tell the stories about how problems come to be the way they are.

Question 41

Changes in statistics and data can be used to demonstrate an indicator of a problem.

Question 42

Causal stories are told about how problems come to be the way they are, and how they can be solved.

Question 43

The changes in numbers themselves as problem indicators have influence over which issues gain attention.

Question 44

Changes in indicators and focusing events often do not gain attention by policy makers.

Question 45

One weakness of causal stories is that they fail to assign responsibility for problems.

Question 46

The decision agenda contains all ideas that could possibly be brought up and discussed in a society or political system.

Question 47

Interest groups that cannot gain a hearing in the legislative branch are not able to appeal to other branch officials.

Question 48

The systemic agenda consists of all issues that are commonly perceived by members of the political community as meriting public attention.

Question 49

The decision agenda contains all ideas that could possibly be brought up and discussed in a society or political system.

Question 50

Because the news media have such limited influence on the agenda, interest groups avoid using the news media to further their political agenda.

Question 51

One weakness of causal stories is that they fail to assign responsibility for problems.

Question 52

Focusing events are usually rare events.

Question 53

Because policy decisions can be made at a variety of points in the political system, there are also several institutional agendas.