Deck 8: Political Communication

Question 1

In 2009,Iranians used computers and cell phones to mobilize against a rigged election.This is an example of __________.

A)a successful non-violent coup d'état
B)the impact of Edward Snowden's activities
C)the limited political engagement of young people
D)digital media's ability to undermine oppressive regimes

Answer 1

D

Question 2

An oligopoly occurs when __________.

A)a single person owns and controls an entire industry
B)the government owns and controls an entire industry
C)a single corporation owns and controls an entire industry
D)a small number of corporations own and control an entire industry

Answer 2

D

Question 3

What is one way in which television influenced the 1960s civil-rights movement that print and radio did not?

A)Television pundits advocated for non-violent resistance.
B)Television directly communicated commentators' opinions.
C)Television showed police attacking peaceful demonstrators.
D)Television allowed news anchors to editorialize about the events.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Franklin D.Roosevelt won popular support for his policies through __________.

A)weekly radio addresses
B)televised debate victories
C)backroom power brokering
D)numerous personal appearances

Question 5

The elite press exposes public wrongdoing __________.

A)only in extreme cases
B)by exploiting security leaks
C)with investigative reporting
D)through inflammatory opinion pieces

Question 6

How has the content of local newspapers changed over the past few decades?

A)It has become less editorial.
B)It has become less biased and more objective in its reporting.
C)It has moved from politics and world affairs to more human-interest stories.
D)It has moved away from reliance on national news organizations like the Associated Press.

Question 7

Which statement best characterizes the partisan orientation of newspapers?

A)Few newspapers attempt to be neutral and objective.
B)Most newspapers present the news with a conservative slant.
C)Few newspapers present the news in an obviously partisan manner.
D)Most newspapers slant their coverage in the direction of the current president's political party.

Question 8

Which of these sources is the Associated Press most likely to consult for a story?

A)a political blogger
B)a person on the street
C)the Wall Street Journal
D)the White House press secretary

Question 9

Which of these forms of media tend to be the most partisan?

A)blogs
B)online newspapers
C)radio news reports
D)television

Question 10

Face-to-face communication is the most effective means of altering political opinions because __________.

A)politicians are usually very charming people
B)audiences tend to trust words more than images
C)it allows for dialogue to occur between people who disagree
D)most people interact with others more often than they consume media

Question 11

In 2007,Talking Points Memo jolted the conventional media by reporting which of the following stories?

A)a terrorist attack on the U.S.consulate in Benghazi,Libya
B)then-Senator Obama's intention to campaign for the presidency
C)the Bush administration's termination of liberal-leaning attorneys
D)a scandal concerning corruption among private contractors in Iraq

Question 12

What is one advantage of social media that is not shared by television or print media?

A)The Internet reaches a wider demographic spectrum.
B)Blogs can recycle content from the Associated Press.
C)The Internet often catches stories the mass media overlooks.
D)It is easier to get people to read an in-depth story when it is presented online.

Question 13

Imagine that you are the editor-in-chief of a newspaper seeking to attract younger audiences.What type of content should you place an emphasis on providing?

A)more financial news
B)more objective political news
C)more sports and feature articles
D)more conservative political news

Question 14

What is one reason mass media yields a greater voter-opinion return than face-to-face communication?

A)Mass media reaches a larger audience.
B)People who attend live events tend to be highly skeptical.
C)Mass media appeals to a more politically engaged demographic.
D)Face-to-face communication occurs without technological mediation.

Question 15

What is the relationship between education and media consumption?

A)Education is largely uncorrelated with media consumption.
B)The more educated individuals are,the more media they tend to consume.
C)The more educated individuals are,the less likely they are to read newspapers.
D)Education tends to make people skeptical of getting information from the mass media.

Question 16

How does news coverage on television compare to news coverage on the Internet and social media?

A)Television stations are more likely to cover a wide variety of stories.
B)Television stations are more likely to have an explicitly partisan viewpoint.
C)Television coverage is more uniform,whereas reporting on the Internet is widely varied.
D)Television coverage appeals to a more educated audience than online news sources do.

Question 17

The work of Karl W.Deutsch demonstrated that __________.

A)policy makers are more influenced by opinion polls than they admit
B)the political system and the communication system parallel each other
C)free media tends to hurt establishment candidates more than help them
D)elites understand the role of the media better than the general public does

Question 18

Which of these is a difference between newspapers and blogs?

A)Newspapers have less impact than blogs.
B)Blogs offer more verified data than newspapers.
C)Newspapers offer more objective coverage than blogs.
D)Blogs are more likely to include lengthy investigative reporting pieces.

Question 19

Which statement best supports the assertion that "fewer Americans today are interested in news than they were one or two generations ago"?

A)Terrorist attacks generate copious media attention.
B)Today's newspapers are less neutral than they once were.
C)Only about a third of people watch television news or read newspapers.
D)Polls show that viewers prefer news stories about violence over stories about policy.

Question 20

Andrew Jackson's 1828 victory over John Quincy Adams is widely considered to be __________.

A)one of the dirtiest media campaigns in history
B)a model for the positive use of the media in campaigning
C)a product of wealthy backers paying for expense advertisements
D)an example of how establishment candidates fail to use the media effectively

Question 21

Television deepens a long-term tendency toward president-worship by __________.

A)suggesting that the president is exceptionally religious
B)showing a high degree of deference to the president's judgment
C)focusing much more on the president than on other public officials
D)running almost exclusively positive news reports about the president

Question 22

Which of the following events is an example of the "bandwagon effect"?

A)An incumbent candidate loses a political debate,but earns his party's nomination regardless.
B)Unable to decide between two strong candidates,a party compromises to nominate a little-known candidate.
C)Commentators proclaim a political debate a tie,but the lesser-known candidate receives a favorable bump in the polls.
D)Commentators proclaim a candidate the winner of a political debate; the candidate then carries that momentum to gain his party's nomination.

Question 23

Which of these events is most likely to be ignored by the mainstream media because of structural bias?

A)Senate hearings on a proposed education bill
B)a speech by the president to the UN General Assembly
C)video footage of refugees fleeing across an international border
D)reports from a journalist embedded with a military unit in a war zone

Question 24

According to Marshall McLuhan,television is __________.

A)highly informative
B)geared towards elite audiences
C)an inherently emotional medium
D)dying out in the face of online competition

Question 25

Television usually covers events after the fact because __________.

A)viewers tend not to tune in until close to 6:00 pm
B)entertainment programming is more popular with audiences
C)camera crews cannot always know in advance when an event is taking place
D)news reports are delayed to give the government time to validate their accuracy

Question 26

How is television viewership related to group participation?

A)Increased viewing leads to increased political involvement.
B)Decreased viewing is associated with a decline in perceived voter efficacy.
C)Increased viewing is associated with lower social trust and group membership.
D)Decreased viewing has no statistically significant effect on voter participation.

Question 27

The lack of government control over communications in the United States reflects __________.

A)Americans' belief in equality
B)a strong tradition of individualism
C)the widespread commitment to non-paternalism
D)the impact of political deadlock on common-sense regulation

Question 28

The fact that the mainstream media initially emphasized the importance of bailing out U.S.financial firms in 2008 illustrates that __________.

A)journalism today is plagued by inaccuracies
B)elites have the upper hand in framing news stories
C)journalists frame news stories independently of their sources
D)the relationship between government and the press is growing more adversarial

Question 29

Suppose you are an advisor to a presidential candidate.Which of the following media strategies would be most effective in reaching a wider audience?

A)soliciting the endorsements of political blogs
B)soliciting the endorsements of local newspapers
C)investing most of the candidate's resources into Web-based outreach
D)arranging the candidate's schedule to capture as much television exposure as possible

Question 30

The Supreme Court would be likely to receive more news coverage if __________.

A)more cases were decided each term
B)the Court were as divided as Congress
C)the Court issued more unanimous decisions
D)television cameras were allowed in the courtroom

Question 31

Which statement about social media in China is accurate?

A)Most Chinese have no interest in social media despite its widespread availability.
B)The Chinese government announced plans to allow access to social media starting in 2016.
C)Nearly all Chinese are unwilling to use social media because of its origin as a Western form of communication.
D)Millions of Chinese use social media despite the Chinese government's efforts to crack down on those who use it to criticize the government.

Question 32

How has television shaped the roles of political party leaders in nominating presidential candidates?

A)Party leaders' power has increased due to their role in selecting sound bites.
B)Party leaders spend more time raising money because of skyrocketing media costs.
C)Party leaders have come to rely on news commentators to advise them about the strongest candidates.
D)Candidates enter party conventions with established momentum that allows them to bypass party leaders.

Question 33

The fact that few Americans read Japan's top daily newspaper on the Internet illustrates what limitation of the Internet as a news source?

A)Most Americans cannot read foreign languages.
B)A large amount of Internet content is controlled by the government.
C)The Internet is too complicated for most people to navigate effectively.
D)Consumption of the Internet's vast storehouse of information depends on people's will to search for it.

Question 34

Non-paternalism is defined as __________.

A)a decline in family values
B)an increase in federal oversight
C)the absence of supervision or guidance
D)the absence of a father figure in the family unit

Question 35

Which of the following is a consequence of structural bias in the U.S.mass media?

A)News coverage critical of government is decreasing.
B)People are less likely to pay attention to political news.
C)Conventional media are being replaced by Internet sources.
D)Policy problems tend to be ignored until they reach a crisis point.

Question 36

Which statement characterizes the relationship between conventional media and the Internet?

A)Conventional media outlets avoid publishing their content online.
B)The Internet serves as the main information source for conventional media.
C)Conventional media provide content that is often picked up and disseminated online.
D)The Internet has replaced conventional media as the dominant political influence in America.

Question 37

A critic of television is most likely to blame sound bites for __________.

A)trivializing politics
B)corrupting elected officials
C)spreading false information
D)polarizing the political parties

Question 38

Who is most likely to feel threatened by a blog published by a dissident writer?

A)an unelected ruler
B)a wealthy campaign donor
C)an establishment political analyst
D)a minor-party presidential candidate

Question 39

Which statement explains why "framing" can be a source of considerable influence?

A)The most powerful group always gets to frame the issue.
B)Framing generates most of the revenue earned by mainstream media outlets.
C)Framing guides subsequent media coverage and shapes public discourse on the issue.
D)Once an issue has been framed by the president,the public tends to accept that perspective.

Question 40

Suppose you read a shocking news story where dozens of Americans are killed in a training exercise conducted by the U.S.Air Force near a major military base.Which of the following points,if included in the article,would be the clearest example of framing?

A)Nearly a hundred fatalities were reported at the scene.
B)Officials refuse to release details until their investigation is complete.
C)The military base was located in a remote region,making the search for survivors more difficult.
D)Senior military officials describe the incident as a freak accident and claim that there is no further danger to the public.

Question 41

Why do state governments tend to receive less media attention than national or even local governments?

A)States possess little legislative power.
B)Few media outlets focus primarily on state politics.
C)Political action at the state level does little to directly influence people's lives.
D)State officials do not have to abide by the free press requirements of the First Amendment.

Question 42

The Associated Press prides itself on fairness and objectivity.

Question 43

Started by Howard Dean's 2004 bid for president,online campaign funding has since proven to be ineffective.

Question 44

The publication of All the President's Men inspired investigative journalists to dig deeper into government corruption.

Question 45

A person who believes in the importance of __________ would be likely to believe that Edward Snowden is a hero rather than a traitor.

A)the status quo
B)non-paternalism
C)diplomatic immunity
D)accountability journalism

Question 46

During the Vietnam War,U.S.military spokesmen only portrayed the positive aspects of the war.

Question 47

Which of the following is a largely unmined source of important news stories?

A)exit polls
B)blog posts
C)the federal bureaucracy
D)congressional press secretaries

Question 48

The fact that public support for the Korean War declined significantly over a three-year period is evidence __________.

A)of the importance of television coverage in turning Americans against the war
B)that it was obviously a mistake for the United States to be involved in the Korean War
C)that the U.S.government did not do a good enough job selling the war to its citizens
D)that television cannot be entirely to blame for declining public support during times of war

Question 49

Public opinion turned against both the Korean War and the Vietnam War due to __________ and the lengths of time involved.

A)the lack of support from the elite media
B)television coverage of battlefield violence
C)the public's frustration with war propaganda
D)reporting on the high numbers of combat deaths

Question 50

Due to the routine killing of investigative reporters in countries like Russia,Ukraine,and Mexico,many papers in such places practice __________.

A)non-paternalism
B)self-censorship
C)partisan blogging
D)accountability journalism

Question 51

A nation's increased communication positively correlates with increased modernization.

Question 52

Wire services define news as information that comes from an official source.

Question 53

The willingness of journalists to uncover and publish classified material about torture,drone strikes,and government surveillance programs indicates that __________.

A)accountability journalism is increasingly popular
B)structural bias no longer exists in American mass media
C)journalists tend to rely on government sources for information
D)the mainstream media has an increasing interest in political news

Question 54

Though they place the news into a meaningful context,editorials and columns never contain more news than straight news stories.

Question 55

Campaign stump speeches are so-called because voters would try to stump the candidates with tricky policy questions.

Question 56

Super PACs have the ability to spend unlimited amounts disseminating their messages.

Question 57

Most newspaper revenue comes from advertising rather than subscription fees.

Question 58

Which statement explains why the publication of the Pentagon Papers in the New York Times was significant for the relationship between media and the government?

A)It led to an immediate reversal in defense policy.
B)It was the first instance of the media openly challenging government policy.
C)It created a more adversarial relationship between reporters and public officials.
D)It showed the government's disregard for content published in the mainstream media.

Question 59

Because the president gets in and out of helicopters,visits foreign leaders,and is sometimes involved in scandals,the media tend to cover the executive branch more heavily than the legislative or judicial branches.This is an example of __________.

A)structural bias
B)elitism in media
C)non-paternalism
D)the bandwagon effect

Question 60

What resulted from the Supreme Court ruling in New York Times v.Sullivan (1964)?

A)Journalists have the right to protect their anonymous sources.
B)Newspapers can be more easily sued over accusations of libel and slander.
C)The press is largely protected from charges of libel against public officials.
D)Government censorship is allowed during wartime and other national emergencies.