Deck 9: Public Opinion and the Media

Question 1

In the United States today,people often describe themselves politically by using the labels:

A)moral or pragmatic
B)socialist or libertarian
C)liberal or conservative
D)partisan or independent
E)progressive or populist

Answer 1

C

Question 2

In social and cultural areas,liberals generally support:

A)tax cuts
B)school prayer
C)abortion rights
D)strict enforcement of moral standards
E)government subsidies to help citizens exercise their Second Amendment rights

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The term used to denote the aggregation of many citizens' views and interests is:

A)civic attention
B)public opinion
C)popular culture
D)community spirit
E)crowd wisdom

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which is NOT a major source of Americans' political values?

A)families
B)religion
C)education
D)social groups
E)the New York Stock Exchange

Question 5

In today's terms,someone who generally favors expansion of federal social services is known as a:

A)socialist
B)populist
C)libertarian
D)conservative
E)liberal

Question 6

An employer using her position of power to influence how others in her social group behaves is an example of which of the following?

A)socialization
B)peer pressure
C)collective action
D)harassment
E)authoritarian rule

Question 7

The process through which underlying beliefs and values are formed is collectively called political:

A)maturation
B)persuasion
C)socialization
D)development
E)indoctrination

Question 8

The term public opinion itself refers to:

A)an aggregate opinion of the public,which is properly treated as a single entity
B)an aggregate opinion of the public,which should not be treated as a single entity
C)individual expressions of preferences,which should be treated as rational
D)individual expressions of preferences,which cannot be assumed to be rational
E)individual expressions of preferences,which should be treated as a rational collective

Question 9

An example of a liberal approach to increasing airline safety after 9/11 was to:

A)call for better training of existing employees
B)contract with private organizations to inspect passenger luggage
C)create a new workforce of federal employees to screen passenger luggage
D)have the FBI conduct in-depth background checks on all citizens purchasing airline tickets
E)urge passengers to assault potential terrorists

Question 10

During the nineteenth century,a liberal was an individual who favored:

A)freedom from state control
B)expansion of federal social services
C)extensive government intervention in the economy
D)greater concern for consumers and the environment
E)increased spending for social welfare programs

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a reason why political opinions are often economically based?

A)Taxes take people's income.
B)Public expenditures provide valuable services to many households.
C)Government regulations limit the use of personal property.
D)Government spending tends to give taxpayers an experiential benefit.
E)Governments directly and indirectly hire millions of people.

Question 12

Which term best describes a set of assumptions about the way the world and society work that help us organize our beliefs,information,and new situations?

A)science
B)ideology
C)absolutism
D)party identification
E)preferences

Question 13

The most salient preferences for individuals' opinions are probably ________ interests.

A)economic
B)altruistic
C)environmental
D)military
E)religious

Question 14

On most matters that come before the government,the public:

A)holds a single view and has great expertise
B)does not hold a single view and has great expertise
C)holds a single view and does not generally have great expertise
D)does not hold a single view and does not generally have great expertise
E)holds a single view and has zero expertise

Question 15

Citizens' attitudes about political issues,leaders,institutions,and events,when aggregated together,are known as:

A)civic attention
B)public opinion
C)popular culture
D)community spirit
E)the collective soul

Question 16

On which two levels should one understand public opinion?

A)ideology and age
B)state and local
C)race and gender
D)party and gender
E)aggregate and individual

Question 17

Today in America there is widespread agreement on fundamental political values such as:

A)equality of results,community support,and tradition
B)equality of results,liberty,and democracy
C)equality of opportunity,community support,and tradition
D)equality of opportunity,liberty,and democracy
E)liberty,equality,and fraternity

Question 18

For liberals,the most important core value is:

A)liberty
B)justice
C)equality
D)federalism
E)fraternity

Question 19

The contemporary political ideology that is generally supportive of political and social reform,extensive governmental intervention in the economy,expansion of federal social services,more vigorous efforts on behalf of the poor and the disadvantaged,and greater concern for consumers and the environment is most accurately characterized as:

A)liberal
B)socialist
C)libertarian
D)conservative
E)objectivism

Question 20

Which political group seeks to expand liberty above all other principles and wishes to minimalize government intervention in the economy and the society?

A)liberals
B)libertarians
C)progressives
D)conservatives
E)Jacobins

Question 21

Which demographic groups were more likely to support initiating the Iraq War in 2003 and,as of 2008,maintaining a military presence in Iraq indefinitely?

A)women and Republicans
B)men and Democrats
C)men and Republicans
D)women and Democrats
E)Republicans only;there has been no significant difference based on gender

Question 22

Which of the following identities is associated with residents who strongly identify with the South?

A)Latino identity
B)black identity
C)female identity
D)religious identity
E)geographic identity

Question 23

According to a 2012 Gallup Poll,71 percent of men and 55 percent of women said that they approved the use of U.S troops to attack a terrorist camp.The difference in attitudes between men and women exemplifies which of the following?

A)statistical difference
B)heightened scrutiny
C)gender gap
D)realism
E)protectionist

Question 24

Which of the following is an example of someone who is descriptively represented?

A)a Mexican American who lives in a city with an African-American mayor
B)a white female who is living in a state with an Asian-American House Representative
C)a Korean-American male who is represented by an all-white city council
D)an Asian-American voter who is represented by an Asian-American governor
E)a black male voter who is represented by a Latino school superintendent

Question 25

A constituent who is represented by an elected official who shares the same racial or ethnic characteristics is also known as:

A)socialization
B)social group
C)descriptive representative
D)representation
E)constituent

Question 26

Which of the following concepts refers to both oppressed groups and collective identity?

A)group interest
B)political identity
C)collective action
D)outgroups
E)party identification

Question 27

Which of the following explains why Latino political identities have a different character than political identities of blacks?

A)Different from blacks,Latino political identities are not strongly tied to issues of immigration.
B)Different from blacks,Latino group identities are often rooted in particular immigrant communities,such as Mexican American,Puerto Rican,and Cuban.
C)Different from blacks,Latinos have been treated as an outgroup in the United States.
D)Different from blacks,Latinos have experienced discrimination over long periods of time.
E)Different from blacks,Latinos do not perceive a sense of common identity.

Question 28

In today's terms,someone who generally supports extensive government intervention in the economy is known as a:

A)liberal
B)populist
C)libertarian
D)conservative
E)supply-sider

Question 29

The distinctive pattern of voting behavior reflecting the differences in views between men and women is termed the:

A)gender gap
B)masculine rift
C)sexual revolution
D)feminine mystique
E)Mars/Venus syndrome

Question 30

How many Americans devote sufficient time and attention to politics to understand most of the issues on the contemporary political agenda?

A)none
B)few
C)many
D)all
E)more than necessary

Question 31

Which of the following explains why high-income African Americans are more likely to support policies that are likely to help large numbers of low-income or underemployed African Americans?

A)socioeconomic status
B)collective action
C)fatalism
D)public opinion
E)linked fate

Question 32

Which of the following is the most important explanation of African-American linked fate?

A)In addition to slavery,African Americans have experienced severe discrimination over very long periods of time.
B)African Americans have been influenced by the media and informational cues.
C)African Americans are often mobilized by civil rights organizations,such as the NAACP.
D)African Americans with higher levels of income are less likely to perceive a sense of group cohesion.
E)African Americans are more likely to support government-sponsored social programs.

Question 33

For conservatives,the most important core value is:

A)liberty
B)justice
C)equality
D)federalism
E)fraternity

Question 34

After the election of John F.Kennedy in 1961,there was a growing preference for the Democratic Party among Catholics.Which of the following identities was responsible for shaping this relationship?

A)Latino identity
B)black identity
C)female identity
D)religious identity
E)geographic identity

Question 35

The contemporary political ideology that is generally supportive of maintaining social and cultural traditions,limiting the role of government in economic life,and ensuring a strong military defense is most accurately classified as:

A)liberal
B)socialist
C)libertarian
D)conservative
E)theocratic

Question 36

In the domestic economy,those who generally oppose expansion of governmental activity are known as:

A)liberals
B)populists
C)progressives
D)conservatives
E)communists

Question 37

Family,race,gender,and prevailing region are examples of:

A)elements in devolution
B)determinants of civic regression
C)identities
D)factors in ideological polarization
E)predictors of social affection

Question 38

Today,someone who generally supports the social and economic status quo and is suspicious of efforts to introduce new political formulas and economic arrangements is known as a:

A)liberal
B)populist
C)progressive
D)conservative
E)socialist

Question 39

In modern parlance,someone who generally supports political and social reform is known as a:

A)Jacobin
B)populist
C)libertarian
D)conservative
E)liberal

Question 40

In international affairs,conservatism has come to mean support for:

A)arms control
B)aid to poor nations
C)maximizing international cooperation
D)maintaining American military power
E)Canada

Question 41

Which choice best describes the relationship between the government and the media?

A)Government controls media content.
B)Government owns the broadcast media but does not control content.
C)Government does not own the communications networks but does regulate broadcast media.
D)Government does not own the communication networks and does not regulate broadcast media.
E)Media own the government and control its content.

Question 42

Why do newspapers remain an important source of news?

A)The broadcast media largely cover stories already broken by major newspapers.
B)People generally read newspapers at least once each week.
C)They are usually the first to cover "breaking" news such as the events of September 11,2001.
D)Most individuals prefer to read a paper to watching television.
E)Most readers preserve them as a historical record.

Question 43

Generally speaking,radio news is essentially a:

A)forum for editorializing
B)good source for in-depth news analyses and coverage
C)headline service without pictures
D)mirror reflection of coverage in weekly news magazines
E)commercial for cable news networks

Question 44

After his first election,President Bill Clinton established a political "war room" for the purpose of:

A)ensuring his reelection
B)discussing and coordinating the president's public relations efforts
C)deterring political challengers
D)handling the U.S.role in the Bosnian conflict
E)responding to political scandals

Question 45

How often must radio and TV stations renew their FCC licenses?

A)every six months
B)every year
C)every two years
D)every five years
E)every ten years

Question 46

More than any other single news source,Americans get their news from:

A)radio
B)television
C)the Internet
D)newspapers
E)magazines

Question 47

What portion of governments in the world today attempts to influence or manipulate their citizens' beliefs?

A)none
B)few
C)many
D)all
E)only communist countries

Question 48

In terms of business,today's newspaper industry is:

A)doing better than ever because of the Internet
B)similar to the last twenty years of newspaper sales
C)in serious economic trouble
D)waning because of increasingly burdensome federal regulations
E)more profitable than ever as coupon marketing blooms

Question 49

Why do people take political cues from others rather than study the issues themselves?

A)Most people lack the ability to understand most political issues.
B)Shortcuts help people make good decisions while relieving them of having to gather their own information.
C)They feel compelled to vote like their peers.
D)They want to reward their superiors by supporting their political goals.
E)Most people cannot afford the fees to pay for political news.

Question 50

What is the prime source of news for educated and influential individuals?

A)radio
B)blogs
C)television
D)newspapers
E)infotainment

Question 51

A person who decides not to invest time and energy to study political issues is said to be:

A)fundamentally lazy
B)basically uneducated
C)a duty shirker
D)un-American
E)rationally ignorant

Question 52

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of the Internet for news purposes?

A)The Internet allows frequent updating.
B)The Internet allows for great depth of coverage.
C)The Internet potentially has the timeliness of television and radio.
D)The Internet is not bound by the same journalistic standards as print media.
E)Online news is easily archived and searched.

Question 53

In recent years,much of the content of the news,especially local news,has shifted away from politics and public affairs toward:

A)soft news
B)public policy
C)business news
D)international relations
E)attacks on competing media

Question 54

Which of the following is NOT a reason that print newspapers remain an important source of news in the United States today?

A)The broadcast media primarily cover stories already "broken" by the print media.
B)The print media provide more detailed coverage than the broadcast media.
C)The print media arrive at most homes in the mornings,while most people do not watch the news until the evening.
D)The print media are the prime source of news for educated and influential individuals.
E)Print news is more profitable than broadcast news.

Question 55

American radio and television are regulated by an independent regulatory agency established in 1934 called the:

A)Public Broadcasting Corporation
B)National Broadcasting Commission (NBC)
C)National Public Regulation Authority (NPR)
D)Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
E)Federal Broadcast Regulatory Authority (FBRA)

Question 56

Per broadcast hour,radio stations usually devote how much time to coverage of the news?

A)five minutes
B)eleven minutes
C)seventeen minutes
D)twenty-five minutes
E)fifty-five minutes

Question 57

How do well-financed groups,such as the U.S.Chamber of Commerce,influence public opinion?

A)organizing nonviolent street protests by group members
B)hiring junior high students as surrogates to post pro-business messages on liberal blogs
C)inviting randomly selected citizens to attend "issues education" seminars in the Colorado Rockies
D)paying spokespersons to travel the country giving speeches at college campuses
E)spending millions of dollars on television commercials,contributions to think tanks,and other forms of "issues management"

Question 58

Broadcast and cablecast media have:

A)decreased in market share relative to newspapers
B)become insulated from market incentives
C)less accountability to the government than newspapers
D)greater in-depth coverage of issues than the print media
E)faced greater regulations than the print media

Question 59

Up until about the mid-1990s,what were the two main classes of media?

A)print and broadcast
B)print and journalistic
C)journalistic and wave-based
D)audio and visual
E)Republican and Democratic

Question 60

Which news source reaches the majority of Americans?

A)radio
B)television
C)the Internet
D)newspapers
E)neighborhood gossip

Question 61

Abundant evidence makes it clear that the citizens of the United States are rather polarized in their political views.

Question 62

The concept of identity politics is much broader than oppressed groups that seek to assert their rights.

Question 63

Public opinion is the aggregation of many citizens' views and interests.

Question 64

Often individuals will consciously or unconsciously adapt their views to those of the groups with which they identify.

Question 65

Like liberalism,conservatism is a relatively monolithic and unchanging ideology.

Question 66

Expressions of public opinion are easy to interpret.

Question 67

Self-interest often informs individuals' political preferences.

Question 68

For many years until the regulation was no longer enforced,broadcasters who aired programs on controversial issues were required to provide time for opposing views under a policy known as the:

A)equal time rule
B)right of rebuttal
C)fairness doctrine
D)matching time requirement
E)compensation principle

Question 69

How did media ownership in the United States change after passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996?

A)It became more regulated.
B)It became more specialized.
C)It became more educational.
D)It became more decentralized.
E)It became more concentrated.

Question 70

The two primary pathways through which media coverage shapes what people think are:

A)priming and framing
B)advertising and position taking
C)authoritativeness and opinion leadership
D)yellow journalism and issue leadership
E)subliminal messages and ad hominem coverage

Question 71

Expressions of opinion are generally dichotomous,as opposed to expressing a range of possible options.

Question 72

When the media choose to present a story from a particular angle to invoke a desired reaction,people are influenced through the process known as:

A)sniping
B)priming
C)plastering
D)overcoverage
E)framing

Question 73

Between the hours of 6 A.M.and 10 P.M.,radio and television stations are prohibited from airing:

A)one-sided political discussions
B)issue ads sponsored by noncandidates
C)explicit sexual references
D)programs with swearing
E)noneducational cartoons

Question 74

Aggregate public opinion should be treated as if it were a thinking,rational organism.

Question 75

Citizens in the United States have only a narrow set of means to express their opinions.

Question 76

Since 1990,nearly half of the $5 million in fines levied by the Federal Communications Commission have involved:

A)Chris Rock
B)Dan Rather
C)Jon Stewart
D)Howard Stern
E)Janet Jackson

Question 77

A federal requirement that broadcasters provide candidates who are running for the same political office an equal opportunity to communicate their messages to the public is called the:

A)equal time rule
B)right of rebuttal
C)fairness doctrine
D)matching time requirement
E)balancing mandate

Question 78

Membership in a social group rarely affects an individual's political orientation.

Question 79

When the media focus a great deal on a particular story,people are influenced through the process known as:

A)framing
B)priming
C)plastering
D)overcoverage
E)carpet bombing

Question 80

According to the Pew Research Center,more Americans describe themselves as "liberals" than "conservatives."