Chapter 8 answers final

Question 1

Why is public opinion difficult to define?

Answer 1

Because it includes the views of many people on many issues

Question 2

schools influence a child’s political development by teaching which of the following

Answer 2

American Values

Question 3

which form of mass media is used most widely

Answer 3

television

Question 4

which is the best way to measure public opinion

Answer 4

opinion polls

Question 5

which explains a problem with the sample of a straw poll

Answer 5

It is not random

Question 6

which are difficult for an opinion poll to measure

Answer 6

intensity, stability, and relevance

Question 7

which usually provides political news in greater detail than other forms of media?

Answer 7

newspaper

Question 8

How do the mass media influence politics?

Answer 8

by helping to shape the public agenda

Question 9

Why has radio remained popular despite the invention of television

Answer 9

radio can be used anywhere

Question 10

How does the media help to shape the public agenda

Answer 10

by focusing public attention on particular issues

Question 11

Which of the following most accurately describes the term Public opinion

Answer 11

the attitude of many people regarding government and political matters

Question 12

How do schools influence the political development of children?

Answer 12

They teach about the importance of government and its leaders

Question 13

Which of the following is true of opinion leaders?

Answer 13

They have a strong influence on others

Question 14

Why does a peer group often have a strong influence on a person’s opinion?

Answer 14

because group members trust one another

Question 15

How did the great depression change many people’s views about government?

Answer 15

They expected the national government to become more involved in the economy

Question 16

What is a winning party saying when it claims to have a mandate from voters

Answer 16

that it has approval to carry out its campaign promises

Question 17

which is a type of poll that asks a question of a large number of people who were not identified in a scientific way?

Answer 17

straw poll

Question 18

which best describes a scientific poll?

Answer 18

Its sample accurately reflects the universe

Question 19

which best describes the universe in a scientific poll?

Answer 19

the whole group that the poll wants to measure

Question 20

In the polling process what does the pollster do after constructing a sample?

Answer 20

prepares well-written questions

Question 21

which describes a quota sample used in the polling process?

Answer 21

the sample has the same percentage of males and females as the universe

Question 22

Which of the following is a concern of polls conducted by in-person interviews

Answer 22

The interviewer could influence the answers

Question 23

which form of mass media has suffered a sharp decline in popularity in recent years?

Answer 23

newspapers

Question 24

President FDR was the first president to make good use of which form of mass media?

Answer 24

radio

Question 25

How did the watergate scandal and the resignation of president Nixon in 1974 affect public opinion?

Answer 25

many people distrusted the government

Question 26

why is it difficult to get a good idea of public opinion from interest groups?

Answer 26

It is hard to tell how many people belong to an interest group

Question 27

an example of public opinion would include the views people have about the

Answer 27

political parties

Question 28

children first begin to learn about politics and current events from

Answer 28

their family

Question 29

why are the media not a good way of measuring public opinion?

Answer 29

The media often reflect only the views of a vocal minority

Question 30

the failed literary digest poll of 1936 did not

Answer 30

correctly reflect the universe to be measured

Question 31

any means of communication

Answer 31

medium

Question 32

the instructions of a constituency gives its elected officials

Answer 32

mandate

Question 33

in polling, a representative slice of the whole population

Answer 33

sample

Question 34

short, sharply focused news report

Answer 34

sound bite q

Question 35

people with whom one regularly associates

Answer 35

peer group

Question 36

often a writer, broadcaster, or important business person

Answer 36

opinion leader

Question 37

private organization that shapes public policy

Answer 37

interest group

Question 38

events and issues that concern the public at large

Answer 38

public affairs

Question 39

the societal problems a nation’s leaders and the public agree need attention

Answer 39

public agenda

Question 40

means of communication that reach large audiences at the same time

Answer 40

mass media