Deck 44: (AP) Us Government: Political Culture

Question 1

Which of the following groups make up the highest voter turnout in presidential elections in the United States?

A)Women who are motivated by gender-specific issues
B)Eighteen to twenty-five year olds who are excited to vote the first time
C)College-educated citizens, no matter what their social standing or ethnicity
D)Citizens who are lower on the socioeconomic scale and are dissatisfied with their living and/or working conditions.

Answer 1

College-educated citizens, no matter what their social standing or ethnicity

Question 2

According to current research, what is the single greatest factor that determines what voters base their decisions upon in United States presidential elections?

A)How effective a candidate is during televised debates
B)Television advertising
C)Party platforms created at the conventions
D)Party identification, individual issues, and which party the over believes is most perceptive to these issues

Answer 2

Party identification, individual issues, and which party the over believes is most perceptive to these issues

Question 3

Which of the following has been the greatest change in the political efficacy of citizens?

A)Increasing voter turnouts
B)Lack of civil rights reforms
C)Willingness (or lack of) citizens to participate in the system
D)The support citizens give to their leaders and hope for political reform

Answer 3

The support citizens give to their leaders and hope for political reform

Question 4

What is a major difference between the elections of presidents and elections of members of Congress?

A)Candidates for Congress must be more partisan.
B)Presidents must be more partisan.
C)More voters are able to cast ballots during presidential elections.
D)Presidential races are easier to fund.

Question 5

Which of the following has been a recent trend in presidential campaigns?

A)A rise in successful third-party candidates
B)Television debates have become critical
C)An increase in personal attacks on candidates
D)Party leaders have pushed to return to more state caucuses

Question 6

In recent years, the general opinion of the government has been fairly negative in the minds of many. What is the most likely way the bureaucracy contributes to these feelings?

A)Not providing jobs for the public
B)Existing far from public controls
C)Being comprised by political appointees
D)Not tackling national problems

Question 7

What is the most common form of political activity carried out by citizens of the United States?

A)Voting in local and state elections
B)Voting in presidential elections
C)Placing yard signs for state elections
D)Donating money to candidates

Question 8

Which of the following is the most common determining factor when people vote for a presidential candidate?

A)The candidate's identification with a political party
B)The candidate's stance on certain political and social issues
C)The candidate's position on fiscal policy
D)The effectiveness of the candidate's media campaign

Question 9

"The prevailing moral values, beliefs, and myths people live by and are willing to die for" is commonly called:

A)Republicanism
B)Crazy
C)Institutional norms
D)The categorical imperative
E)Political culture

Question 10

Which of the following is not a commonly accepted tenet of the American Creed?

A)The right to pursue one's own life
B)Liberty
C)Economic opportunity through private property
D)Obedience to authorities
E)Political equality

Question 11

Which of the following US documents is most influential on the content of the American Creed?

A)The Declaration of Independence
B)The Emancipation Proclamation
C)The Monroe Doctrine
D)The Articles of Confederation
E)The Federalist Papers

Question 12

Which economic system is generally viewed as part of the American Creed?

A)Socialism
B)Communism
C)Anarchism
D)Free Enterprise
E)Command Economics

Question 13

In what way does political culture most affect public policy?

A)It dictates what movies can be shown in theaters.
B)It limits the policy options from which policymakers can choose.
C)Since the political culture contains all of the rules for a country, public policy can't really be distinguished from political culture.
D)It encourages citizens to be active in all decision making.
E)It doesn't affect public policy at all.

Question 14

Political socialization is the process by which:

A)People learn the political culture
B)People socialize with each other
C)Government leaders learn what to do in office
D)Politicians learn how to win elections
E)People learn to participate in society

Question 15

In the United States, which of the following are the primary agents of political socialization for children?

A)Religion and social class
B)Family, religion, and party
C)Family, school, community, and peers
D)School and social class
E)Peers and religion

Question 16

According to US political culture, each citizen's having one vote is supposed to indicate:

A)Equality of opportunity.
B)Social equality.
C)A republic.
D)Political equality
E)A theocracy.

Question 17

Which of the following is not a way to become a US citizen?

A)Be born in the United States.
B)Have both parents already be citizens, at least one of whom once lived in the US.
C)Completing the naturalization process as described in US law.
D)Being the child (under 18 years-old) of a parent who completes the naturalization process as described in US law.
E)Living in the US for at least 21 years.

Question 18

An individual's consistent set of values and beliefs about the proper role of government is called:

A)Political ideology
B)Political culture
C)Party affiliation
D)Systematic theology
E)Stabilization metric

Question 19

What is the relationship between political ideology and political culture?

A)One can have an ideology without having a political culture, but one cannot have a political culture without having an ideology.
B)One can have a political culture without having an ideology, but one cannot have an ideology with having a political culture.
C)Most ideologies in a given country will fit within that country's political culture.
D)Ideology is for groups and culture is for individuals.
E)They are opposite concepts.

Question 20

In the context of the United States, the beliefs in smaller government, limited government intervention in the private sector, and traditional moral values best fit within which ideology?

A)Liberal
B)Conservative
C)Libertarian
D)Communitarian
E)Socialist

Question 21

In the context of the United States, the beliefs in active government to alleviate individual needs and support of individual liberties best fit within which ideology?

A)Liberal
B)Conservative
C)Libertarian
D)Communitarian
E)Socialist

Question 22

Which of the following is most clearly a conventional form of political participation?

A)Blocking a highway during a protest march.
B)Staging a sit-in outside the governor's office.
C)Writing to your elected representative.
D)Terrorism
E)Performing "graffiti art" on the Capitol rotunda

Question 23

Which of the following is most clearly an unconventional form of political participation?

A)Voting
B)Signing a petition
C)Boycotting
D)Writing to an elected representative
E)Terrorism

Question 24

Under which of the following scenarios might unconventional participation be the most effective choice to accomplish your political goals?

A)If the government is already working to enact what you want.
B)If the most citizens hate your cause.
C)If the government is not doing what you want, but the citizens might be sympathetic to your cause.
D)If the government is considering doing what you want, but you don't have widespread sympathy for your cause.
E)Unconventional participation is never effective.

Question 25

Which of the following are constitutional requirements to vote in the United States?

A)You must be at least 21 years old and a citizen
B)You must be at least 18 years old and a citizen
C)You must be at least 21 years old and have resided in the US for at least seven years.
D)You must be at least 18 years old and have resided in the US for at least seven years.
E)You must be at least 20 years old and own at least $5000 in personal property.

Question 26

What was the significance of the Fifteenth Amendment (1870)?

A)It granted Latinos the right to vote.
B)It granted women the right to vote.
C)It granted African Americans the right to vote.
D)It granted 18 year-olds the right to vote.
E)It granted non-citizens the right to vote.

Question 27

What was the significance of the Nineteenth Amendment (1920)?

A)It granted Latinos the right to vote.
B)It granted women the right to vote.
C)It granted African Americans the right to vote.
D)It granted 18 year-olds the right to vote.
E)It granted non-citizens the right to vote.

Question 28

What was the significance of the Twenty-Sixth Amendment (1971)?

A)It granted Latinos the right to vote.
B)It granted women the right to vote.
C)It granted African Americans the right to vote.
D)It granted 18 year-olds the right to vote.
E)It granted non-citizens the right to vote.

Question 29

The country with the lowest voting turnout among eligible voters in major national elections is:

A)Australia
B)Norway
C)South Korea
D)The United States
E)El Salvador

Question 30

The three demographic characteristics frequently associated with nonvoters in the United States are:

A)High education, low income and being relatively old
B)High education, high income, and youth
C)Low education, high income and being middle aged
D)Low education, low income, and youth
E)Low education, low income, and being middle aged

Question 31

In which of the following ways can an ordinary citizen (not rich, famous, or powerful) typically make the biggest impact on government?

A)Ordinary citizens cannot have an impact on the government
B)Voting
C)Signing a petition
D)Attending a town meeting
E)Joining an interest group

Question 32

Suppose ordinary citizen Kane wants to get the government to pay attention to the lack of chocolate milk in the schools. What is the best way for her to get that issue on the political agenda?

A)Start a Facebook page.
B)Hold a rally outside a school and invite the media.
C)Write a letter to the newspaper editor.
D)Contact her member of Congress.
E)Start a petition

Question 33

Which of the following is the best strategy to use as a group of ordinary citizens if your policy proposal is being ignored by the legislative and executive branches of government?

A)File a class action suit
B)Write to your representative
C)Write a letter to the editor of the newspaper
D)Start a petition drive
E)Boycott paying taxes until your voice is heard

Question 34

What is the difference between a referendum and an initiative?

A)An initiative can be for constitutional amendments, but a referendum cannot.
B)A referendum can remove an official from state office.
C)A referendum starts with the legislature but an initiative starts with the people.
D)An initiative involves a popular vote whereas a referendum involves a legislative vote.
E)A referendum refers you to initiate political activity.

Question 35

Public opinion has all of the following characteristics except:

A)Placing boundaries on allowable types of public policy
B)Allowing citizens to register opinions on matters outside their expertise
C)Varying over time, often dramatically
D)Providing elected officials with a clear blueprint for action
E)Affecting the voting behaviors of delegate-style representatives

Question 36

Public opinion polls are often criticized because:

A)Politicians don't pay attention to polls
B)The way a pollster words a question can determine the answer
C)There is clear evidence that polling organizations falsify results
D)A survey of a few thousand people cannot provide an accurate picture of what Americans think
E)The media doesn't pay attention to polls

Question 37

An implication of the normal distribution of public opinion along a liberal-conservative continuum is that the American people overall:

A)Are consistently liberal or left-wing
B)Are consistently conservative or right-wing
C)Are consistently moderate or in the middle
D)Are evenly spread throughout the ideological spectrum
E)Do not show any pattern whatsoever

Question 38

Which of the following distributions of public opinion might create great problems for a political system attempting to resolve a political conflict?

A)Normal distribution
B)Skewed distribution
C)Bimodal distribution
D)A distribution indicating a high response rate
E)A "distribution" where everyone is in agreement

Question 39

Which of the following is the most important feature of getting an accurate opinion poll?

A)A large sample
B)A random sample
C)Only asking those with demonstrated political knowledge
D)Only asking those who have graduated from college
E)Only asking those who voted in the last primary election

Question 40

Polls and in-depth interviews of Americans show that most citizens interpret a political issue according to:

A)The impact on themselves or their families
B)Concepts of global justice
C)The good of the nation
D)Equality and fairness
E)The opinions of their friends

Question 41

Studies show that Americans formulate political opinions:

A)Only about topics on which they are knowledgeable
B)Only if they are political activists
C)When those topics appeal most to them
D)About topics on which they have very little knowledge
E)Never. Americans don't formulate political opinions

Question 42

Results of public opinion polls are highly unstable. What accounts for that instability?

A)People eventually develop an interest in the issue
B)The public is sophisticated in its grasp of detail
C)The public learns about issues as time passes
D)Americans are stupid
E)Opinions are often based on little information

Question 43

According to Samuel Popkin:

A)Americans are too stupid, so it's a good thing that they don't vote much.
B)Americans do surprisingly well in voting given what they have to work with.
C)American lack of knowledge about political issues translates into their erratic voting behaviors.
D)Traditional realignment theory is naïve.
E)Political parties are too active in informing the electorate.

Question 44

Where do most Americans learn the most about political issues?

A)Individual conversations with policymakers.
B)Conversations with relatives.
C)Conversations with friends.
D)The news media.
E)Most Americans don't learn anything about political issues.

Question 45

Private ownership of the media in the United States makes the American news industry:

A)Dependent on advertising revenues
B)Dependent on government subsidies
C)Less concerned about ratings compared to the media in most other countries
D)Less concerned about profit margins than publicly owned media
E)Superior in the depth of content about substantive political issues

Question 46

Which of the following stories is most likely to make the local televised evening news?

A)A debate about a government budget deficit
B)Efforts by a developing country to improve health care
C)A war between two foreign countries not allied with the United States
D)A murder in the city from which the broadcast originates
E)A successful community event

Question 47

Most politicians and many scholars believe that the media's greatest influence on politics is in its ability to:

A)Set the political agenda
B)Report the news
C)Socialize children
D)Investigate
E)Tell stories about kittens stuck in trees