POLS 1113 American Federal Government

1. POLS 1113American Federal Government Chapter 10: Public Opinion & the News Media

2. Political leaders generally try to gauge public opinion, but sometimes attempt to manipulate public perceptions in order to gain support for a desired course of action. For example, only days after the start of WWI, President __ formed the Committee on Public Information to win greater support for U.S. entrance into the war on the side of the British and French. a. Teddy Roosevelt d. Calvin Coolidge b. William Howard Taft e. Franklin Delano c. Woodrow Wilson Roosevelt Answer: C Page Ref: 338Answer: C Page Ref: 338

3. Agents of socialization include� a. family and peers. d. important events. b. school. e. all of the above. c. the media. Answer: E Page Ref: 341Answer: E Page Ref: 341

4. In polling conducted in 1988, __ percent of children from Republican households identified themselves as Republicans. a. 25 d. 88 b. 42 e. 92 c. 58 Answer: C Page Ref: 342Answer: C Page Ref: 342

5. A person�s political opinions may be affected by� a. their race or gender. d. all of the above. b. political events like 9/11. e. none of the above. c. the region of the country in which you live. Answer: D Page Ref: 344Answer: D Page Ref: 344

6. Since the 1920�s, studies have shown that students become more __ each year they are in college. a. drunk d. conservative b. angry e. ignorant c. liberal Answer: C Page Ref: 343Answer: C Page Ref: 343

7. Students entering college in the 1980�s were more likely to identify themselves as __ than in previous years. a. liberal d. homosexual b. conservative e. lovers of disco c. communists Answer: B Page Ref: 343Answer: B Page Ref: 343

8. Group membership tends to affect political beliefs and opinions, particularly such groups as� a. gender. d. race and income. b. age. e. all of the above. c. religious affiliation. Answer: E Page Ref: 344Answer: E Page Ref: 344

9. Historically, there have been gender differences in political attitudes on a number of issues, including� a. foreign aid and the United Nations. b. defense spending and affirmative action. c. economic issues. d. abortion policies. e. advocacy of public prayers. Answer: B Page Ref: 346Answer: B Page Ref: 346

10. The theory that women often embrace dramatically different political attitudes than men is called the� �X Chromosome� d. gender gap. theory e. dingbat theory of voting. b. battle of the sexes. c. political gap. Answer: D Page Ref: 346Answer: D Page Ref: 346

11. __ refers to the fairly coherent set of values and beliefs about government and politics. a. Dogma d. Ignorance b. Ideology e. Metaphysics c. Philosophy Answer: B Page Ref: 351Answer: B Page Ref: 351

12. In 2004, only around __ percent of African-Americans voted for George W. Bush for president. a. 3 d. 26 b. 10 e. 32 c. 21 Answer: B Page Ref: 347Answer: B Page Ref: 347

13. Many events in the twentieth century have increased American citizens� mistrust of government, including� a. Vietnam. d. the Clinton- Lewinsky b. Watergate. affair. c. the Iran-contra e. all of the above. affair. Answer: E Page Ref: 351 & class discussionAnswer: E Page Ref: 351 & class discussion

14. In 2002, __ percent of Americans polled didn�t know that Nixon opened U.S. diplomatic relations with the People�s Republic of China. a. 41 d. 68 b. 48 e. 79 c. 57 Answer: D Page Ref: 352Answer: D Page Ref: 352

15. Most people that are not ideologues are more open-minded, and may change their ideas about politics based on a variety of factors, including� a. increased education of specific political issues. b. calculations of personal benefit. c. cues from political leaders. d. prompting from pundits and experts. e. all of the above. Answer: E Page Ref: 352Answer: E Page Ref: 352

16. In 2002, __ percent of Americans didn�t know that the Soviet Union had been an ally of the United States during World War II. a. 52 d. 81 b. 61 e. 92 c. 73 Answer: A Page Ref: 353Answer: A Page Ref: 353

17. In the United States, __ percent of the population are high school graduates. a. 68 d. 82 b. 74 e. 99 c. 82 Answer: D Page Ref: 353Answer: D Page Ref: 353

18. According to public opinion experts, rapid shifts in American public opinion is best attributed to� a. low levels of knowledge among Americans. b. the effects of deeply-held ideologies. c. willful stupidity. d. generational change. e. all of the above. Answer: A Page Ref: 353Answer: A Page Ref: 353

19. There are several key factors in creating an accurate public opinion survey, including all the following EXCEPT� a. determining the correct content and phrasing of questions. b. selecting an accurate sample. c. using �push poll� techniques to alter people�s responses. d. contacting respondents in a way that insures a representative sample. e. determining the margin of error. Answer: C Page Ref: DAnswer: C Page Ref: D

20. The best method for selecting a polling sample is� a. straw polling. d. stratified, random b. self-selected sampling. sampling. c. non-stratified sampling. e. deliberative polling. Answer: D Page Ref: 355Answer: D Page Ref: 355

21. The most commonly employed method of contacting respondents for a poll is currently� direct mail d. deliberative polling. surveys. e. straw polls. b. �man in the street�contact. c. the telephone. Answer: C Page Ref: 356Answer: C Page Ref: 356

22. All polls contain errors. In order to determine the reliability of a poll, pollsters must calculate the� a. standard deviation. d. margin of error. b. Pearson�s Rho. e. all of the above. c. summary statistics. Answer: D Page Ref: 356Answer: D Page Ref: 356

23. Among the major shortcomings of polls include� a. sampling errors. d. inability to ascertain b. limited respondent the intensity of options. respondent�s beliefs. c. lack of information. e. all of the above. Answer: E Page Ref: 359-360Answer: E Page Ref: 359-360

24. The first newspaper published in America was Publick Occurrences, which was published in� a. 1690. d. 1760. b. 1708. e. 1776. c. 1748. Answer: A Page Ref: 360Answer: A Page Ref: 360

25. A form of newspaper publishing popular in the late 19th century that played to the lowest common denominator among its readers by featuring pictures, comic, color, and sensationalized, oversimplified news coverage was called� a. muckraking. d. partisan journalism. b. the penny press. e. �bread and circus� c. yellow journalism journalism. Answer: C Page Ref: 362Answer: C Page Ref: 362

26. A form of early 20th century journalism that focused on exposing corruption and reforming business and government was called� a. red journalism. d. partisan journalism. b. yellow journalism. e. slime ball journalism. c. muckraking. Answer: C Page Ref: 362Answer: C Page Ref: 362

27. President __ coined the term �muckraker� as a critical observation of the methods of reporters such as Upton Sinclair, who exposed corruption in the meat packing industry. a. McKinley d. Wilson b. Roosevelt e. Harding c. Taft Answer: B Page Ref: 362Answer: B Page Ref: 362

28. The media consist of the� a. the print press. d. public broadcasting b. electronic media. stations. c. Internet. e. all of the above. Answer: E Page Ref: 363Answer: E Page Ref: 363

29. Modern presidents __ news conferences. a. never holds b. hold regularly scheduled c. virtually never hold d. gives a limited number of e. plant administration-sponsored journalists at Answer: D Page Ref: 368Answer: D Page Ref: 368

30. Presidents use press conferences to� a. massage the White House press corps. b. shape public opinion and explain actions and decisions. c. announce repairs to the White House. d. ask the opinion of the reporters on political issues. e. intimidate the media from giving out information that is harmful to the administration. Answer: B Page Ref: 368Answer: B Page Ref: 368

31. The president receives the lion�s share of federal government�s press coverage, which for the most part is� a. favorable. b. unfavorable. c. scrupulously neutral and devoid of political opinion. d. focused on the processes and context of the governing process, in keeping with the media�s First Amendment obligations. e. all of the above. Answer: B Page Ref: 368Answer: B Page Ref: 368

32. The congressional press corps has approximately __ credentialed members. a. 435 d. 5,000 b. 2,000 e. 8,000 c. 3,000 Answer: C Page Ref: 369Answer: C Page Ref: 369

33. Most media coverage of Congress focuses on� a. local coverage of representatives and senators when they hold public events in their states. b. the leadership of both houses. c. key committee chairs when their committees are dealing with particularly newsworthy issues. d. members who are running or positioning themselves for a run for the presidency. e. all of the above. Answer: E Page Ref: 369Answer: E Page Ref: 369

34. The media often extensively cover congressional investigations of scandals. Among the most notorious of these was/where the __ during the 1950�s. a. Teapot Dome scandal d. Pearl Harbor b. Chappaquidick investigations scandal e. all of the above. c. McCarthy hearings. Answer: C Page Ref: 369Answer: C Page Ref: 369

35. Gavel-to-gavel coverage of the House of Representatives and the Senate�s sessions is provided by� a. C-SPAN. d. HBO. b. CNBC. e. the Playboy Channel. c. PBS. Answer: A Page Ref: 369Answer: A Page Ref: 369

36. The branch of government that is typically the most difficult for the media to cover is the� a. legislature. d. bureaucracy. b. executive. e. state and local government. c. judiciary. Answer: C Page Ref: 370Answer: C Page Ref: 370

37. An example of the media�s increasingly critical scrutiny of federal judicial proceedings was/were the� a. O.J. Simpson murder trial. b. Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings. c. Menendez brothers� trial. d. Scott Pederson trial. e. Michael Jackson trial. Answer: B Page Ref: 370Answer: B Page Ref: 370

38. __ had the most profound impact of any modern event on the manner and substance of the press�s perception of and behavior toward government. a. The civil rights era. b. The Cuban Missile Crisis. c. Watergate. d. Lyndon Johnson�s lifting up his hound dog by it�s ears. e. the presidency of John F. Kennedy. Answer: C Page Ref: 370Answer: C Page Ref: 370

39. Recent press attention to the private activities and personalities of candidates for high office is often called � a. yellow journalism. d. the �character� b. investigative journalism. issue. c. tabloid journalism. e. �gotcha� journalism. Answer: D Page Ref: 370Answer: D Page Ref: 370

40. A factor that permits the modern press to undertake intimate investigations of public official�s behavior is a Supreme Court ruling in __ that required officials to prove �actual malice� to win a libel suit, thus making the media nearly �libel proof.� a. Burnett v. The National Inquirer b. Curtis Publishing v. Butts c. Falwell v. Flynt d. New York Times v. Sullivan e. U.S. v. New York Times. Answer: D Page Ref: 371Answer: D Page Ref: 371

41. Media bias may include� a. reporting untruths. d. deliberately slanting b. reporting partial truths. information to favor c. reporting facts out of a partisan agenda. context. e. all of the above. Answer: E Page Ref: 372Answer: E Page Ref: 372

42. Studies have offered considerable evidence of a variety of different kinds of media bias, including� a. a liberal bias among journalists. b. a bias toward stories emphasizing conflict. c. a personal bias against those journalists don�t like and in favor of those that they do like. d. a pro-business bias among publishers and editors. e. all of the above. Answer: E Page Ref: 372Answer: E Page Ref: 372

43. The press can have the most influential effect on� a. agenda setting. b. topics about which the public may know a great deal about. c. topics on which a wide segment of the public is passionately concerned about. d. slanting public perceptions in a partisan direction. e. all of the above. Answer: A Page Ref: 377Answer: A Page Ref: 377

44. Television and radio are regulated by the federal government because� a. each individual television or radio is considered public property. b. the U.S. has followed the British in establishing a strong censorship capacity. c. the airwaves are considered public property. d. there is an unlimited supply of broadcast stations. e. all of the above. Answer: CPage Ref: 380Answer: CPage Ref: 380

45. The requirement that TV and radio sell air time equally to all candidates is called the� a. fairness doctrine. d. equal time rule. b. right of rebuttal rule. e. limited access doctrine. c. reciprocity doctrine. Answer: D Page Ref: 381Answer: D Page Ref: 381

46. The Supreme Court ruled that the government could not prevent the publication of classified documents in the case� a. U.S. v. Ellsburg. d. Nixon v. Washington Post. b. New York Times v. e. Meese v. Turner. United States. c. Washington Post v. Mitchell. Answer: B Page Ref: 381Answer: B Page Ref: 381

47. True/False Universe

48. Children often take political cues from their parents. a. True b. False Answer: True Page Ref: 341Answer: True Page Ref: 341

49. 40 % of Americans claim to have no religious affiliation. a. True b. False Answer: False Page Ref: 345Answer: False Page Ref: 345

50. 67% of Americans belong to a church, synagogue, or mosque. a. True b. False Answer: True Page Ref: 344Answer: True Page Ref: 344

51. Age has a decided impact on a person�s view of the proper role of government. a. True b. False Answer: True Page Ref: 345Answer: True Page Ref: 345

52. Women tend to have more positive attitudes about social welfare issues, education, and government regulation of the environment. a. True b. False Answer: True Page Ref: 346Answer: True Page Ref: 346

53. Political events like 9/11 can often play an important role in shaping public attitudes. a. True b. False Answer: True Page Ref: 351Answer: True Page Ref: 351

54. Only 15% of American consider themselves to be political moderate. a. True b. False Answer: False Page Ref: 352Answer: False Page Ref: 352

55. According to the Department of Education, 63% of Americans were unaware that Richard Nixon opened diplomatic relations with China. a. True b. False Answer: True Page Ref: 353Answer: True Page Ref: 353

56. How a poll question is phrased can influence the accuracy of reported respondent�s sentiments. a. True b. False Answer: True Page Ref: 354Answer: True Page Ref: 354

57. The order in which polling questions are organized has no impact on the reliability of a poll. a. True b. False Answer: False Page Ref: 354Answer: False Page Ref: 354

58. Poll based on probability samples are more accurate than those based on quota sampling. a. True b. False Answer: True Page Ref: 355Answer: True Page Ref: 355

59. The branch of government that receives the most media attention is the Congress. a. True b. False Answer: False Page Ref: 368Answer: False Page Ref: 368

60. The modern president give fewer news conferences these days, and relies on advisors and press secretaries to brief the press and shape news coverage of the administration. a. True b. False Answer: True Page Ref: 368Answer: True Page Ref: 368

61. Congressional news coverage tends to be get little airtime, except when Congress is doing something deemed �newsworthy� by the networks. a. True b. False Answer: True Page Ref: 369Answer: True Page Ref: 369

62. Greater media attention to Congress has been a clear consequence of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at Abu Graib prison in 2004. True b. False Answer: True Page Ref: 370Answer: True Page Ref: 370

63. The Supreme Court�s ruling in New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) made it easier to prove libel, and has had a chilling effect on which the media is willing to publish on air. a. True b. False Answer: False Page Ref: 371Answer: False Page Ref: 371

64. The news media are definitely biased; however, they are biased in a number of ways, not simply along ideological lines (e.g. liberal or conservative). a. True b. False Answer: True Page Ref: 372Answer: True Page Ref: 372

65. Media tend to have little influence over highly partisan and well-informed citizens. a. True b. False Answer: True Page Ref: 376 Answer: True Page Ref: 376

66. The equal time rule was passed by Congress to ensure that minor party candidates have access to television and radio time. True b. False Answer: False Page Ref: 381Answer: False Page Ref: 381

67. In general, the media cannot tell people what to think, but they can influence what they think about. a. True b. False Answer: True Page Ref: 376-77Answer: True Page Ref: 376-77