Which of the following terms describe America's fundamental political values?
liberty, equality of opportunity, and democracy
independent and moderate
internationalist and isolationist
liberal and conservative
Who is an incumbent?
the current officeholder, running for reelection
the candidate who raises the most money during the campaign
whoever is leading in the polls on the day of the election
a candidate who is running against a current officeholder in an election
Large media conglomerates own approximately ______ percent of daily newspapers.
75
40
55
25
The practice of push polling involves
the system of repeatedly calling people in the sampling frame until they respond to the survey.
the procedure of asking loaded questions in order to subtly shape the respondent's opinion.
the effect of polls having to push politicians into adopting policy proposals they would not otherwise adopt.
polling services attempting to sell their polling data to major news media organizations at higher prices during election seasons.
The power of the media to draw public attention to particular issues and problems is called
agenda-setting
framing
the bandwagon effect
canvassing
Pollsters use random digit dialing to gather national samples for surveys because
there is not a complete list of all Americans that can be used to identify the population.
sampling errors are typically too high when other techniques are used.
it is the only method that generates high levels of measurement error.
sampling errors are typically too low when other techniques are used.
What is the ultimate goal of a political party?
winning elections
raising the most money
creating the party platform
nominating candidates
In the Pentagon Papers case, the Supreme Court ruled
President Nixon did not commit an impeachable offense.
the government could block the release of any documents that were illegally leaded to the press.
the government could not block the release of the papers.
President Nixon would be impeached.
_____ generally support abortion rights and oppose state involvement with religious institutions.
Socialists
Conservatives
Liberals
Internationalists
The most important selection bias in news is the
economic interests if the media's owners
approval of government regulators
ideology of the journalists
audience appeal of a story
Throughout its history, American politics has been dominated by _______ major political party/parties.
four
one
two
three
Which of the following requires a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) license in order to legally broadcast in the United States?
Internet websites
over-the-air television
satellite radio channels
cable television stations
The majority of political action committees (PACs) represent
the working class and poor people
business and professional groups
Republicans and Democrats
environmental groups and religious organizations
The Fairness Doctrine required that
all regulated newspapers establish a section of the editorial page for letters from readers.
all broadcasters provide candidates for the same political office with equal opportunities to communicate their messages to the public.
broadcasters who aired controversial issues provide time for opposing viewpoints.
all network news reports be balanced and fair-minded or they would be labeled editorials.
A political party is an organization
that falls under section 501(c)(4) of the United States tax code
that collects fees from its members in order to pay the salaries of government officials
that tries to influence the government by getting its members elected to office.
established by the Constitution to nominate candidates.
Which of the following statements best describes the changing ownership patterns in the American media?
There has been a recent trend toward diversification of national news, as conglomerates have come to own a larger percentage of media outlets.
There has been a recent rend toward homogenization of national news because the Telecommunications Act of 1996 required print media outlets to follow the Fairness Doctrine.
There has been a recent trend toward diversification of national news because the Telecommunications Act of 1996 required print media outlets to follow the Fairness Doctrine.
There has been a recent trend toward homogenization of national news, as conglomerates have come to own a larger percentage of media outlets.
Which president promoted his policy agenda to the American people through "fireside chats"?
Warren Harding
Harry Truman
John F. Kennedy
Franklin D.Roosevelt
What is the "gender gap"?
differences in education and income levels for men and women.
differing levels of political participation between men and women.
differences in political opinions between men and women.
differences in fundamental political values held by men and women.
Today, advertising revenue at print newspapers is _____ what it was in 2005.
more than double
half
roughly equal to
one-tenth
in Red Lion Broadcasting Company v. FCC (1969), the Supreme Court upheld the
equal time rule
Framing Doctrine
right of rebuttal
Fairness Doctrine
Which of the following statements is true about the news media?
The mass media are neutral messengers for ideas.
National journalists tend to avoid investigating political scandals.
Journalists tend to provide negative coverage of a president during a crisis.
The mass media have an enormous impact on public opinion.
Daily internet users who participate in society and politics through online activities are called
online activists
internet junkies
2.0 participators
digital citizens
What is the most important factor in predicting whether an individual votes?
religious affiliation
education level
race
sexual orientation
Which of the following best describes the relationship between the government and the media in the United States today?
The government owns, but does not control, the major sources of media.
The government does not own but regulates the content and ownership of broadcast media
The government controls most media content through regulations and tightly controlled press briefings.
The government heavily regulates print media but imposes no regulations on radio and television broadcast.
Which of the following statements about political opinions is correct?
Whites and blacks generally have the same views on racism.
The poor are generally more supportive of economic and social program that the wealthy.
Race, income, and education are not factors that lead to differences in opinion.
Men are more opposed to military intervention than women.
The process by which political values are formed is known as
ideological socialization
value enhancing
brainwashing
political socailization
Which of the following statements about newspapers is accurate?
Daily newspaper print circulation has declined by over 30 percent over the past 20 years.
Newspapers tend to provide less complete coverage of political events that other media.
Newspapers are the primary source of news for most Americans.
Political, social, and economic elites rely very little on newspapers.
National elections are held in the United States on the first Tuesday of November ______ year(s).
every other
every three
every four
every
_____ is the single-most important political act for most Americans.
Voting
Peaceful protest
Writing a letter to the editor
Contributing to political campaigns
Conservatives are more likely that liberals to support
abortion rights
school prayer
the expansion of government programs, such as Medicaid.
government regulation of business
What is "niche journalism"?
journalism this highly critical of government officials and the status quo.
news reporting targeted for a demographic of readers based on content or ideological presentation.
any political reporting that can only be found online
journalism that is uncritical of government officials and the status quo
Lowe-level officials who hope to publicize what they view as their bosses' or the government's improper activities are usually called
"whistle-blowers"
"bell ringers"
"watchdogs"
"adversarial journalists"
Which statement best describes the relationship between public opinion and government policy?
The relationship between government policy and public opinion is dynamic, where government policy respond to public opinion but public opinion also shifts based on government policies.
Government policy never influences public opinion because most Americans pay very little attention to politics.
Public opinion always influences government policy because lawmakers are legally bound to enact the majority's preferences.
Government policy almost never influences public opinion.
Libertarianism is a political ideology that
argues that governments are inherently repressive and should be abolished entirely.
emphasizes freedom and voluntary association with small government.
Argues for the need to place strict limitations on voting rights and civil liberties.
argues that a single ruler should have total control over every aspect of people's lives.
_____ warned Americans against the danger of political parties in his farewell address.
James Madison
Thomas Jefferson
James Monroe
George Washington
Which of the following statements about age and political participation is true?
Young people are just as likely to participate in politics as older people.
Young people are far less likely to participate in politics that older people/.
Neither young nor older people participates much in politics.
Both old people and young people participate in politics at a very high level.
In order to win the presidency, a candidate must win
at least 300 electoral votes.
at least 270 electoral votes.
a majority of the popular vote.
at least 26 state-level presidential elections.
During the late 1840s and early 1850s, both the Democratic and Whig parties were divided by
conflicts over slavery
fiscal policies imposed during the tariff crisis.
the westward expansion of the United States.
the appropriate amount of government regulation of the economy.
Third parties in the United States typically represent
extremist religious groups
recent immigrants
the political interests of America's allies who attempt to influence the American decision making process because U.S. policies can affect their futures.
social and economic interests that are disregarded by the two major parties for certain reasons.
_____ occurs when one party controls the presidency while another party controls one or both houses of Congress.
Divided government
External mobilization
Internal mobilization
An electoral relaignment
