Midterm 2 Flashcards
Which of the following is not an agent of political socialization?
a U.S. senator
How are most attitudes formed?
in childhood, based on early childhood experiences
________ political content is given by a media source that lets the reader or viewer know upfront there is a political bias or position.
Overt
The Bradley effect occurs when people ________.
say they will vote for a candidate but then vote against him or her
Which of the following is not part of a scientific poll design?
a leading question
What do you think of the poll that states Hillary Clinton will receive 43 percent of the vote with an 8 percent margin of error?
It is a good poll and the margin of error is acceptable.
Why are social policies controversial?
They require government to balance the rights and liberties of different groups.
Which factor affects congressional approval ratings the most?
presidential actions
Which institution has the highest average public approval ratings?
the Supreme Court
How do polls affect presidential elections?
Polls identify the top candidates and the media interview those candidates.
Presidential approval ratings ________ over a president’s term of office.
decline
Which body of government is least susceptible to public opinion polls?
U.S. Supreme Court
Which act makes it easy for a citizen to register to vote?
National Voter Registration Act
What is a reason to make voter registration more difficult?
decrease election fraud
What unusual step did Oregon take to increase voter registration?
The state automatically registers all citizens over eighteen to vote
If you wanted to prove the United States is suffering from low voter turnout, a calculation based on which population would yield the lowest voter turnout rate?
voting-eligible population
What characterizes those most likely to vote in the next election?
over forty-five years old
Why do Belgium, Turkey, and Australia have higher voter turnout rates than the United States?
compulsory voting laws
A state might hold a primary instead of a caucus because a primary is ________.
faster and has higher turnout
Which of the following citizens is most likely to run for office?
Linda Tepsett, a 40-year-old full-time orthopedic surgeon
Where and when do Electoral College electors vote?
in their state capitol, in December
In which type of election are you most likely to see coattail effects?
presidential
Susan is currently working two part-time jobs and is frustrated about the poor economy. On Election Day, she votes for every challenger on the ballot. What type of vote did she cast?
retrospective
Which factor is most likely to lead to the incumbency advantage for a candidate?
gerrymandering of the candidate’s district
Which of the following is not a step in the initiative process?
signature or veto by state governor
A referendum is not purely direct democracy because the ________.
government proposes something and the legislature approves it
A local station that broadcasts national network programming is called a(an) ________ station.
affiliate
Cable programming is often ________.
national
A conglomerate is a corporation that ________.
owns many businesses and media networks
When acting as an agenda setter, the media ________.
decides which issues deserve public attention
Newspapers during the Revolutionary War period tended to ________.
unite the colonists and provide information about the British
Muckraking occurs when newspapers ________.
investigate problems in government and business
Radio quiz shows and comedy shows were most popular in the ________.
1930s
Television news became a regular feature during ________ due to the public’s demand for ________ to explain current events.
WWII; images and maps
In which circumstance would the courts find libel?
A reporter writes that local college students are drug dealers but has no sources
The Supreme Court determined that the right of the press to print classified material ________.
is partial, and the press may print classified material only if it does not compromise troops or covert operatives
The Federal Communications Commission oversees the programming of which entities?
television, radio, satellite, and cable
Which of the following is a reasonable exception to the Freedom of Information Act?
medical records for government employees
Which of the following is an example of episodic framing?
a story on drug abuse that interviews addicts and discusses reasons for addiction and government responses to help addicts
According to research, why might a woman decide not to run for office?
She fears her positions will be covered too closely by the press
Media coverage of a race tends to ________.
overrepresent African Americans as poor
Someone who lobbies on behalf of a company that he or she works for as part of his or her job is ________.
an in-house lobbyist
How are collective goods different from private goods?
Collective goods offer broadly distributed benefits, while private goods offer particularized benefits.
Why might several competing corporations join together in an association?
all the above
Because there is often strength in numbers, they often have common issues that may affect an entire industry, and they can all benefit from governmental policies.
What type of incentives appeal to someone’s concern about a cause?
purposive incentives
Which of the following is the best example of a solidary benefit?
joining a group to be with others like you
What changes have occurred in the lobbying environment over the past three or four decades?
all the above
There is more professional lobbying, many interests lobby both the national government and the states, and a fragmentation of interests has taken place.
Which of the following is an aspect of iron triangles?
a symbiotic relationship among Congressional committees, executive agencies, and interest groups
Which of the following is true of spending in politics?
The Supreme Court has opposed restrictions on spending on politics.
What is a difference between a PAC and a super PAC?
PACs can contribute directly to candidates, but super PACs cannot.
Revolving door laws are designed to do which of the following?
prevent lawmakers from utilizing their legislative relationships by becoming lobbyists immediately after leaving office
In what ways are lobbyists regulated?
all the above
Certain activities are prohibited, contributions must be disclosed, and lobbying is prohibited immediately after leaving office.
Which supporter of federalism warned people about the dangers of political parties?
George Washington
Which of the following was not a third-party challenger?
Whig Party
In which type of electoral system do voters select the party of their choice rather than an individual candidate?
proportional representation
Which of the following does not represent a major contributing factor in party realignment?
third parties
Which level of party organization is most responsible for helping the party’s nominee win the presidency?
national
