Final Exam

Question 1

What is public opinion?

Answer 1

What you think on a issue regarding government and politics.

Question 2

How is public opinion formed? What is political socialization? What factors contribute to an
individual’s political socialization?

Answer 2

Public opinion is formed based on our values and our beliefs from passed experiences. Political socialization is a study about how our political beliefs are formed. The factors are Place, Time, Events, Family Upbringing, Social Groups, education, General political climate.

Question 3

What is an ideology? What are some key differences between contemporary conservatism and
contemporary liberalism?

Answer 3

Ideology is a view about what a government should and should not do. People who are liberal tend to agree with government intervention whilst people who are more conservative disagree with government intervention.

Question 4

Which American political parties are associated with which ideologies? What are some general
trends in American political party affiliation?

Answer 4

Liberal are associated with Democrats, and conservatives are associated with Republicans.

Question 5

How do political leaders, private groups and the media influence public opinion?

Answer 5

They can influence public opinion because they can bring attention to an issue and make it known

Question 6

What is the relationship between political knowledge and political efficacy?

Answer 6

Poliical efficacy is the idea of if there vote matters or not.

Question 7

How do we measure public opinion? What are some challenges to sampling for political polls?
What are some challenges in designing a political poll?

Answer 7

We measure public opinion by sampling. Small sample size may be inaccurate.

Question 8

What is the difference between a political party and an interest group?

Answer 8

An interest group are a group of individuals who organize to influence the governments programs and Policies.

Question 9

What do political parties do? What role do they play in politics?

Answer 9

They recruit and nominate candidates to run for office, Mobilize party members to vote, provide important information cues to voters, Organize power in Congress, Work to promote the causes and issues of the party.

Question 10

Does the U.S. have a two-party or multi-party system? Why? Which is more common?

Answer 10

The U.S has a two party system. The most common is the multi-party system.

Question 11

What ideologies and interests generally are associated with the contemporary Democratic and
Republican parties? Have the Democratic and Republican parties always existed?

Answer 11

No they have changed overtime.

Question 12

What has caused increased polarization within political parties? What might explain the growth
in people identifying themselves as “independents”?

Answer 12

The two political parties are divided in many issues. The growth on people identifying themselves as independents is because of distrust in government disatisfaction with the 2 parties.

Question 13

What is the role of third parties in American politics? How have they been influential? What are
some barriers to their influence?

Answer 13

There role is to take away votes from the other parties. They have been influential because the other two parties get more involved and create more change for the better. Some barriers to their influent are the fees that come with running for president.

Question 14

What are interest groups? What is their purpose?

Answer 14

They are a group of individuals who organize to influence the government’s programs and policies. There purpose is to influence government policies

Question 15

Interest groups have grown over time. Why?

Answer 15

This is due to the expansion of government, new politics of interest groups, and new technology.

Question 16

What do interest groups do? How do they influence through lobbying, litigation, citizen
mobilization and elections?

Answer 16

They influence through lobbying which is sending information to elected officials, litigation is bringing lawsuits, and citizen mobilization are organize events.

Question 17

What is lobbying?

Answer 17

Lobying is giving information to elected officials.

Question 18

Why do interest groups have particularly strong influence in California?

Answer 18

Expansion in government.

Question 19

How do interest groups influence direct democracy in California? When do economic interest
groups tend to be successful? When do citizen interest groups tend to be successful?

Answer 19

Interest groups influence direct democracy in California by apposing or advance in ballot initiatives. Economic groups tend to be successful for blocking initiatives. Citizen interest groups tend to be successful passage rates.

Question 20

What is the most common form of political participation? Who has the right to vote? What
percent of voters tend to turn out in U.S. elections? Who typically votes?

Answer 20

The most common form of political participation is voting. Anybody. 60% tend to turnout for presidential elections. 40% tend on non-presidential election years.

Question 21

How do the following factors influence whether an individual participates in politics: motivation;
capacity; networks of institutions; political environment; state voting laws?

Answer 21

Motivation influences them bases on interests and concerns, capacity influences with time and money. Networks of Recruitment Institutions play a role in fostering motivation. Political Environment is used in context and can attract voters for example competitive races. State Policies for example like voting laws not everybody from different states will be able to vote.

Question 22

What is the controversy surrounding state voter ID laws?

Answer 22

The controversy surrounding state voter ID laws is that not many people with racial and ethnic minorities has a ID

Question 23

What are the differences in voter registration and turnout by race/ethnicity?

Answer 23

Whites tend to votes more and black and Hispanic as well as asians tend to vote less.

Question 24

What are the differences between 501c3, 501c4 and 527 non-profits?

Answer 24

The difference between 501c3 and 501c4 is that 501c3 cannot engage in political activities but some voter activities are permitted, while 510c4 may engage in political activities as long as it does not become its primary source. 510c3 cannot endorse candidates while 510c4 can. 510c3 is prohibited to spend money on campaigns while 510c4 can.

Question 25

What is the difference between a PAC and a Super PAC?

Answer 25

The difference between a Pac and a Super Pac is that a Super Pac may not make contributions directly to candidate campains or parties while some Pac’s can.

Question 26

What are the differences between primaries (open, closed and blanket), caucuses, general
elections, run-off elections and direct democracy?

Answer 26

The differences is that a Primary Open you do not have to say what party you are in. In a Primary Close you have to state your party. In a Blanket everyone is listed regardless of party. Caucuses go to every meeting and give speeches to influence people from the other party to switch over.

Question 27

What is the dominant party affiliation in California?

Answer 27

The Dominant party affiliation in California is Democratic.

Question 27

What is California’s top-two primary?

Answer 27

California top-two primary is that the top two winners go against each other regardless of political party.

Question 28

What are some of California’s voting rules? (registration, early voting)

Answer 28

Some of California’s voting rules are, must be 18 years old on or before Election Day. Must be citizen of U.S and resident of California. May not be in prison or on parole for a felony conviction.

Question 29

Why might voter registration and turnout be low for particular racial/ethnic groups in California
compared to other states?

Answer 29

Some racial ethnic groups may not have the resources to get to these voting poles and voting centers.

Question 30

How did California’s voting rules change in 2018?

Answer 30

In 2018 the rules have changes so that you can now vote 4 to 11 days in advance.

Question 31

What are ways to participate in politics online?

Answer 31

Ways to participate are reading the news, sharing information via social media, discussing issues, mobilizing supporters, contributing money, visiting candidate and party Web sites, campaigning for a candidate or issue on social networking sites, meeting in “town halls”.

Question 32

What are the different kinds of public policies that the government can use? (authority,
incentive, capacity building, hortatory and learning)

Answer 32

The government can use authority which mandates and regulates. they can also use incentives which can motivate people to do something by either using a inducement(positive) or a sanction(negative) incentive. Capacity building is to give people more information to make them do something. Hortatory are campaigns the appeal to values and perceptions.

Question 33

How do we decide which policy to use? What do these following criteria for evaluating public
policy mean: Effectiveness, Efficiency, Equity, Individual Liberty, Morality, Legality,
Implementation Feasibility, Political Feasibility?

Question 34

Why is it often difficult to choose which public policy to adopt?

Answer 34

Because there is usually a tradeoff not every policy can be used.

Question 35

What are the U.S. government’s spending priorities?

Answer 35

Its spending priorities is Health Care, Social Security, and Defense.

Question 36

What are entitlement, means-tested, contributory, non-contributory and tax expenditure
programs?

Answer 36

Entitlement programs provides services to people who can qualify by meeting certain requirements. A means-tested program are entitlement programs that have income requirements. Contributory programs are payed with taxes for by you and your future. A non-contributory program gives assistance to people based on any contributions they may have made. Tex expenditure

Question 37

What are Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP and the VA Health Care System?

Question 38

What is the Affordable Care Act?

Answer 38

The affordable care act is exactly what is sounds like health care for people who cannot afford it already.

Question 39

What are SNAP, Free and Reduced School Lunch, WIC and TANF?

Question 40

What is Social Security?

Answer 40

Social Security is program for the elderly and retired, as well as disabled workers.

Question 41

Who benefits from U.S. health and social policies?

Answer 41

Seniors benefits from this as well as everybody in their future.

Question 42

How does the U.S. Constitution protect the media? Why is this protection thought to be
essential to democracy and liberty?

Answer 42

The U.S Constitution protects the media with the first amendment which guarantees freedom of the press in this case media. Because it keeps the government from getting corrupted and grounded. Make sure it does gain to much power.

Question 43

How does the media shape public opinion?

Answer 43

Media shapes public opinion by agenda setting which is drawing attention to an issue, also framing which influences how the public perceives event and policy.

Question 44

What are the differences between print, broadcast and social media? How has society changed
in the ways that we obtain the news?

Answer 44

Social media is more accessible. It has changes society because we sometimes do not know what’s fake or not.

Question 45

What are the benefits and concerns about social media?

Answer 45

Being fake or not.

Question 46

How does the media affect public opinion, particularly through agenda setting, framing and
priming?

Question 47

How does the government regulate the media? What is the equal time rule and right of
rebuttal?

Question 48

What have recent studies demonstrated about how information savvy young people are? What
are some common issues in determining the reliability of new media sources
(advertising/sponsored content, authorship bias, opinion vs. news etc.)