Practice quiz 2

Question 1

Interest groups recognize that the greatest concern of legislators is to

Answer 1

be reelected.

Question 2

Determining which public policy questions will be debated or considered is a process known as

Answer 2

agenda setting.

Question 3

A movement that represents the demands of a large segment of the population for political, economic, or social change is called a

Answer 3

social movement.

Question 4

George Washington viewed political parties as a

Answer 4

threat to national unity and the concept of popular government.

Question 5

Successful interest groups and their representatives try to cultivate long-term relationships with

Answer 5

legislators and government officials.

Question 6

More interest groups are formed to represent ______ interests than any other set of interests.

Answer 6

economic

Question 7

People in large cities tend to be

Answer 7

liberal and Democratic.

Question 8

An interest group is

Answer 8

an organized group of individuals sharing common objectives who actively attempt to influence policymakers.

Question 9

______ interest groups have probably been more successful than any other groups in obtaining subsidies from American taxpayers.

Answer 9

Economic

Question 10

A political system in which only two parties have a reasonable chance of winning is called

Answer 10

a two-party system.

Question 11

By far, the greatest number of radio and television hours are dedicated to

Answer 11

entertaining the public.

Question 12

______ are a shorthand way of describing congressional members’ voting records for interested citizens.

Answer 12

Ratings

Question 13

Usually, the Gallup and Roper polls interview

Answer 13

about 1,500 individuals.

Question 14

Which of the following is TRUE regarding political party membership?

Answer 14

Nothing is required to be a member of a political party.

Question 15

The first partisan political division in the United States was between

Answer 15

the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists.

Question 16

Negative political ads can backfire when

Answer 16

there are three or more candidates in the race.

Question 17

A voter or a candidate who does NOT identify with a political party is called

Answer 17

an independent.

Question 18

After 1968, there was a slow-motion realignment that left the nation

Answer 18

almost evenly divided in politics.

Question 19

With indirect techniques, an interest group

Answer 19

uses the general public or individual constituents to influence government officials.

Question 20

Which of the following is NOT true of American political culture?

Answer 20

It is only shared by Americans of similar backgrounds.

Question 21

A political party is a group of political activists who

Answer 21

organize to win elections, operate the government, and determine public policy.

Question 22

organize to win elections, operate the government, and determine public policy.

Answer 22

divided

Question 23

The public agenda is

Answer 23

issues that are perceived by the political community as meriting public attention and governmental action.

Question 24

A large-scale, lasting change in the types of voters who support each of the major political parties is called

Answer 24

realignment.

Question 25

Divided government is best understood as

Answer 25

the situation when the presidency and Congress are controlled by different parties.

Question 26

The American Bar Association and the American Medical Association are examples of

Answer 26

interest groups of professionals.

Question 27

All of the following statements about public-interest groups are true EXCEPT

Answer 27

public-interest groups work for issues that will benefit only the narrow interests of a particular group.

Question 28

The years from 1817 to 1825, when James Monroe was president and there was, in effect, no political opposition, came to be known as the

Answer 28

Era of Good Feelings.

Question 29

The National Right to Life Committee and the National Rifle Association are examples of

Answer 29

single-interest groups.

Question 30

The key to success for interest groups is

Answer 30

access to government officials.

Question 31

For the most part, the media depend on ______ for their revenues.

Answer 31

advertisers

Question 32

Private opinion becomes public opinion when

Answer 32

it is publicly expressed and concerns public issues.

Question 33

When interest groups try to generate public pressure, this activity is intended to

Answer 33

convince policymakers that public opinion supports the group’s position.

Question 34

In 1996, Congress passed the ________ that had far-reaching implications for the communications industry.

Answer 34

Telecommunications Act

Question 35

When an interest group and its lobbyists approach officials personally to present their case, they are engaging in

Answer 35

direct techniques.

Question 36

The public tends to emphasize problems that are

Answer 36

immediate

Question 37

“Umbrella groups” represent

Answer 37

collections of businesses or other entities.

Question 38

Lobbyists are best defined as

Answer 38

organizations or individuals who attempt to influence legislation and the government’s administrative decisions.

Question 39

a “political Machine”

Answer 39

is a powerful party organization that could deliver votes

Question 40

Some have argued that the system of interest group politics leaves out

Answer 40

poor Americans.

Question 41

The modern Republican Party was founded when the issue of ______ divided both existing political parties.

Answer 41

slavery

Question 42

Legislation to reform the regulation of federal lobbying in 1995 resulted in all of the following EXCEPT

Answer 42

the Senate adopted a flat ban on gifts provided by lobbyists.

Question 43

Which types of interest groups are defined as economic interest groups?

Answer 43

business, labor, and professional organizations.

Question 44

A political party differs from an interest group in that

Answer 44

political parties want to operate the government and interest groups do not.

Question 45

Functions of political parties in the United States include all of the following EXCEPT

Answer 45

signing up large numbers of committed, dues-paying members.

Question 46

The principle of randomness in sampling means that

Answer 46

every person should have a known chance, and especially an equal chance, of being sampled.

Question 47

Studies of bias in the media have reached

Answer 47

different conclusions: some found a liberal bias, while others found a conservative bias.

Question 48

All of the following statements about the early Republican Party are true EXCEPT

Answer 48

it supported a strong national government.

Question 49

What is a plurality system?

Answer 49

Whoever gets the most votes wins.

Question 50

All of the following statements about the early Democratic Party are true EXCEPT

Answer 50

it supported a policy of federal spending on “internal improvements” such as roads.

Question 51

Sampling error can generally be controlled by

Answer 51

taking a large enough random sample.

Question 52

The answers given by respondents to poll questions are influenced by all of the following EXCEPT

Question 53

Because of the decline in the ______ sector of the economy, national unions are looking to nontraditional areas for their membership.

Question 54

A political advisor who tries to convince journalists of the truth of a particular interpretation of events is called a