Deck 6: Public Opinion and the Media

Question 1

Government policy

A) usually follows public opinion.
B) is often at odds with public opinion.
C) usually influences public opinion in a positive way.
D) is merely a reflection of public opinion.
E) almost always tries to carry out the prevalent public opinion.

Answer 1

is often at odds with public opinion.

Question 2

According to the text, which of the following has probably intensified the split between liberals and conservatives?

A) the growth of the Internet and blogs
B) local newspaper reporting
C) national newspapers
D) news magazines
E) television

Answer 2

the growth of the Internet and blogs

Question 3

Public trust in government has declined steadily since the

A) 1940s.
B) 1950s.
C) 1960s.
D) 1970s.
E) 1990s.

Answer 3

1960s.

Question 4

The level of trust in government rose briefly during the administration of

A) Jimmy Carter.
B) Bill Clinton.
C) Ronald Reagan.
D) George H. W. Bush.
E) Richard Nixon.

Question 5

The findings of researchers regarding public opinion and the Monetary Control Bill suggest that

A) most Americans pay more attention to issues than is commonly recognized.
B) we should have qualified confidence in the results of the polling process.
C) most people follow the course of legislation when it involves complex fiscal issues.
D) pollsters generally can measure the opinions of the public with a high degree of accuracy.
E) support for governmental decisions is usually high when it is deemed legitimate.

Question 6

During the 1950s, people had

A) a healthy skepticism toward government.
B) no confidence in government at all.
C) a moderate amount of confidence in government.
D) an abnormally low level of confidence in government.
E) an abnormally high level of confidence in government.

Question 7

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, well over ____% of the public approved of the job President Bush was doing.

A) 60
B) 80
C) 50
D) 30
E) 75

Question 8

Political socialization is the process by which

A) young people acquire political attitudes.
B) politics is embedded in the media.
C) political thought is transferred into governmental policy.
D) political ideology is changed over time.
E) social activists use politics to achieve their ends.

Question 9

Since the 1950s, the number of citizens describing themselves as independents has

A) remained about the same.
B) increased.
C) decreased somewhat.
D) exhibited no general trend.
E) not been studied by pollsters.

Question 10

One reason for the decline in party identification is

A) popular distrust of politicians.
B) the proportionally larger number of young voters.
C) a series of unattractive presidential candidates.
D) negative campaign commercials.
E) extended coverage of political conventions.

Question 11

The reason religion has an impact on political attitudes is that

A) churches frequently endorse candidates.
B) the Democratic and Republican parties donate money to support different churches.
C) the Bible clearly favors the positions of the Democratic Party.
D) religion conveys a way of looking at human nature and human affairs that is relevant to politics.
E) ministers frequently condemn the policies of Republican administrations.

Question 12

Which group, since 1961, has become more attached to Republican presidential candidates?

A) Jews
B) Evangelical Christians
C) Muslims
D) Individuals without a religious orientation
E) Lutherans

Question 13

Attending college has what effect on political attitudes?

A) Students become more liberal.
B) Students become more conservative.
C) College has only a minimal effect on political attitudes.
D) Political attitudes depend on the socioeconomic status of the student.
E) Students become more interested in voting but less interested in other forms of political participation.

Question 14

The text suggests that more liberal professors are likely to be found in

A) engineering.
B) business.
C) the hard sciences.
D) social studies.
E) physical education.

Question 15

The notable thing about the "new class" and the traditional middle class is that they often have roughly the same

A) income.
B) political views.
C) religious orientation.
D) kinds of jobs.
E) voting patterns.

Question 16

The "new class" tends to be

A) conservative.
B) liberal.
C) libertarian.
D) socially conservative.
E) politically diverse.

Question 17

The culture war can very well dominate political campaigns when

A) candidates are charismatic.
B) political participation is high.
C) the parties are strong.
D) independents dominate political dialogue.
E) the economy is sound.

Question 18

The gender gap is the largest over

A) the environment.
B) financial regulation.
C) same-sex marriage.
D) the use of force.
E) abortion.

Question 19

Some writers argue that a single factor, ______, can explain opinion.

A) gender
B) age
C) social class
D) religion
E) occupation

Question 20

Today, occupation is less important in explaining political opinions because

A) of the changing effects of education on all levels of society.
B) the economy has altered the structure of employment opportunities.
C) technology has altered incomes and class structures.
D) unions have dominated the workforce.
E) of upward mobility.

Question 21

African Americans are less likely than whites to support

A) the death penalty.
B) affirmative action.
C) the courts dealing harshly with criminals.
D) national health insurance.
E) busing to achieve racial balance.

Question 22

The most consistently liberal group within the Democratic Party has been

A) women.
B) union members.
C) African Americans.
D) Latinos.
E) the very wealthy.

Question 23

In recent years, many white Southerners have shifted from

A) the Republican party to the Democratic
B) the Democratic party to the Republican party.
C) the Democratic party to the Libertarian party.
D) the Republican party to the Libertarian party.
E) the Democratic party to the Green party.

Question 24

The text defines a ______ as a person who wishes the government to do more to help improve lives.

A) tea partier
B) moderate
C) conservative
D) libertarian
E) liberal

Question 25

According to the text, a ______ can be defined as one who thinks personal action, rather than government programs, improves lives.

A) populist
B) conservative
C) activist
D) liberal
E) ideologue

Question 26

One important aspect of the debate over ideological consistency in the American public is that consistency is

A) not an important concern to pollsters generally.
B) very much in the mind of the observer.
C) rarely found among political elites either.
D) measurable only on issues related to economics.
E) measurable only on issues related to the military.

Question 27

Compared with the average citizen, the political activist is usually more

A) conservative.
B) liberal.
C) ideological.
D) pessimistic.
E) alienated.

Question 28

A liberal today might favor all the following except

A) limited regulation of business.
B) government efforts to create new jobs.
C) higher taxes for the rich.
D) decriminalizing marijuana.
E) strict enforcement of civil rights laws.

Question 29

A conservative today might favor all the following except

A) reduction in welfare payments.
B) getting tough on criminals.
C) limits on abortion.
D) tax reduction.
E) affirmative action.

Question 30

Libertarians would be more likely than pure liberals to support

A) lower taxes.
B) abortion rights.
C) criminal rights.
D) business regulation.
E) governmental efforts to reduce income equality.

Question 31

A populist would be more likely than a pure conservative to vote for

A) tighter business controls.
B) school prayer.
C) tough crime laws.
D) limits on free speech.
E) limits on abortion.

Question 32

In 2008 half of all Americans received their political news from

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

Question 33

The media made no mention of the extramarital affairs of Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy but relentlessly pursued the sexual history of Bill Clinton. One reason for this is that

A) most members of the media had a liberal bias that clashed with Clinton's moderate policies.
B) in recent years members of the media have had more adversarial relationships with government officials.
C) Roosevelt and Kennedy were cautious, and no one knew of their affairs until after they were out of office.
D) extramarital affairs are less tolerated today.
E) freedom of the press was more restrictive during the Roosevelt and Kennedy years.

Question 34

The broadcast industry in the United States can be described as

A) decentralized.
B) centralized.
C) less competitive than newspapers.
D) owned and operated with a national audience in mind.
E) regional in ownership and operation.

Question 35

Compared with local journalists, reporters and editors for the national press are more

A) conservative.
B) liberal.
C) restricted in what they can write.
D) likely to act as "gatekeepers" and less likely to act as "scorekeepers."
E) concerned about objectivity.

Question 36

Weblogs ("blogs") became a prominent feature of the 2004 election when

A) Kerry admitted that he had used drugs while a student in college.
B) Bush made appearances in several cities that suffered riots shortly thereafter.
C) the presidential debates appeared to be rigged in favor of Kerry.
D) the CBS Evening News questioned the service of Bush in the Air National Guard.
E) Bush prayed in a public school.

Question 37

Which of the following is true of newspapers and magazines?

A) They need no license to publish.
B) They need a license to publish.
C) They are subject to prior restraint.
D) They can be more easily punished for libelous material than in other nations.
E) They can be more easily punished for obscene material than in other nations.

Question 38

When The New York Times sought to publish the Pentagon Papers and the federal government sued to prevent publication, the Supreme Court

A) allowed publication to proceed.
B) prohibited publication.
C) allowed publication but assessed fines.
D) found that it had no jurisdiction.
E) refused to consider the case.

Question 39

In 2008, Congress debated legislation regarding the confidentiality of reporters' sources after

A) a story on organized crime appeared in major newspapers.
B) a rumor concerning the NASA program began to circulate.
C) several members of the FBI were arrested.
D) a leak about an individual connected to the CIA.
E) a Republican operative revealed the names on a short list for the Supreme Court.

Question 40

With respect to licensing, radio stations must renew once every _____ years.

A) three
B) four
C) five
D) seven
E) ten

Question 41

To renew its license, a radio or television station must

A) sign a pledge not to criticize the national government "unfairly."
B) submit news broadcasts to government censors to remove all obscene material.
C) provide free commercial time to political candidates.
D) demonstrate how it plans to serve its community's needs.
E) provide equal time to all political viewpoints.

Question 42

In recent years the renewal of broadcast licenses by the FCC has

A) become more difficult.
B) become easier.
C) remained difficult.
D) remained easy.
E) become more complex for smaller businesses.

Question 43

In terms of live television coverage, which of the following is true?

A) Neither house of Congress is covered any longer.
B) Only the House of Representatives is currently televised.
C) Only the Senate is currently televised.
D) The floor debates in both houses are currently televised.
E) Bills to televise congressional activity are currently being considered.

Question 44

According to a careful study of the 1980 presidential campaign, the news media treated opposing candidates

A) not quite the same, favoring conservative candidates.
B) not quite the same, favoring incumbent candidates.
C) about evenly.
D) equally badly because negative stories attract more attention.
E) about the same until a month or so before election day.

Question 45

The type of story least likely to be influenced by the political attitudes of the journalist reporting it is the

A) routine story.
B) feature story.
C) insider story.
D) local story.
E) sensational story.

Question 46

Studies of the ten largest newspapers have shown that when a Democrat is president, economic news

A) gets a positive spin.
B) gets a negative spin.
C) is reported in an unbiased way.
D) gets short shrift.
E) is usually inaccurate.

Question 47

Many times, the reason the media is unable to tell people what to think about a problem is that

A) few people trust televised news.
B) most people already have strong beliefs about an issue.
C) television news conveys too little information to influence people.
D) television has made people insensitive to crime and violence.
E) the Internet contradicts so much of what is reported.

Question 48

News coverage of the war in Iraq probably influenced public opinion because

A) it provided a coherent and sophisticated depiction of the issues.
B) embedded journalists could be unusually accurate in their reporting.
C) the public was not well informed but was very interested in the events.
D) the public was better informed about Iraq than any previous war.
E) it contained biased information.

Question 49

Which of the following is television broadcasting least likely to favor?

A) scandals
B) dramatic backdrops and visuals
C) sound bites
D) attractive people
E) in depth reports.

Question 50

Although polls showed that most Americans supported it, the Equal Rights Amendment was not ratified.

Question 51

According to polls, most Americans supported the impeachment of President Clinton.

Question 52

In the United States, the media is accorded a higher degree of freedom than that found in almost any other nation.

Question 53

Public figures rarely sue for libel and win in England.

Question 54

People distrust government officials but have comparatively high levels of trust in government institutions.

Question 55

Researchers at the University of Cincinnati found that most people are well informed on current issues such as the Monetary Control Bill.

Question 56

Public confidence may have been abnormally high in the 1950s.

Question 57

In the months following the September 11 attacks, there was considerable distrust of the government.

Question 58

The number of self-proclaimed Democrats and Republicans is declining.

Question 59

Children are more independent of their parents in regard to political policies than parties.

Question 60

Catholic families are somewhat more liberal than Protestant families.

Question 61

One factor that might explain the effect of college on students' political attitudes is the political attitudes of their professors.

Question 62

Members of the so-called new class tend to live in big cities and have jobs that involve manipulating symbols.

Question 63

Culture war refers to the confrontation between new and established immigrants to the United States.

Question 64

During the 1950s, women were more likely than men to be Democrat.

Question 65

In the 1930s and 1940s, women were more likely than men to want to keep the country out of war.

Question 66

In a typical poll, men and women exhibit considerable differences of opinion in regard to the idea of banning all abortions.

Question 67

Most Americans think of themselves as "working class."

Question 68

Occupation is becoming less important as an explanation of political opinion in the United States.

Question 69

Education is one reason social class has become less important as a predictor of political attitudes.

Question 70

As their personal economic status improves, African Americans typically become more trusting of the government.

Question 71

The progressive polarization of the parties has led the South to become more strongly Democratic.

Question 72

Most Americans tend to think about politics in an ideological manner.

Question 73

Political activists tend to be much more ideological than the average citizen.

Question 74

Liberals tend to favor the broadest possible freedoms of speech and press.

Question 75

Libertarians tend to be economic as well as social conservatives.

Question 76

In most other democratic nations, the media are owned and operated with a national audience in mind.

Question 77

The national press plays the roles of gatekeeper, scorekeeper and watchdog for the local press.

Question 78

The federal government has recently relaxed the regulations applied to radio and television.

Question 79

Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to cultivate relations with the press in a systematic fashion.

Question 80

Historically, the Senate permitted more thorough coverage of its proceedings than the House of Representatives.