American Government (101-002)

Exam 3

 

Name______________________                               Social Security #________________

 

1.      Presidents began addressing the public with much higher frequency, in an attempt to raise the power beginning with which president?

a.       Teddy Roosevelt

b.      Woodrow Wilson

c.       Franklin Roosevelt

d.      John F. Kennedy

2.      Many presidents delivered the State of the Union Address in writing, rather than as a speech before Congress.  ________________ was the first president in over 100 years to deliver the speech before Congress.

a.       Teddy Roosevelt

b.      Woodrow Wilson

c.       Franklin Roosevelt

d.      John F. Kennedy

3.      Which of the following was NOT an important technological development for communicating with the public and measuring public opinion?

a.       Radio

b.      Television

c.       Scientific Polling

d.      All of the above were important

4.      Scientific public opinion polling was first used during his presidency.

a.       Franklin Roosevelt

b.      Dwight Eisenhower

c.       John F. Kennedy

d.      Lyndon Johnson

5.      Which of the following best describes the “Rally ‘Round the Flag Effect”?

a.       When presidents receive a positive bump in their approval ratings following a crisis

b.      When presidents receive a positive bump in their approval ratings following a policy success for the president

c.       When Americans become more patriotic following a victory in war

d.      None of the above


 

6.      Which of the following best describes how presidential approval ratings impact the president’s agenda?

a.       Presidents with high approval ratings are more successful at getting their agenda passed in Congress

b.      Presidents with low approval ratings are less successful at getting their agenda passed in Congress

c.       Both A and B

d.      Approval ratings have no effect on presidential success in Congress

7.      Which of the following best describes the trend in level of public trust in government over the past 40 years? 

a.       The public is much more trusting of government today than they were in the past

b.      The public is much less trusting of government today than they were in the past

c.       The public is just as trusting of government today as they were in the past

d.      Levels of public trust were very high in the early 1970s, decreased during the 1980s, and are at an all-time high today

8.      Which of the following best describes the level of political knowledge that Americans possess?

a.       Most Americans display very high levels of political knowledge, as they know very specific political facts and understand complex political concepts

b.      Most Americans display very low levels of political knowledge, as they are unable to answer relatively simple political questions and do not understand political concepts

c.        Most Americans can identify the name of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and Speaker of the House

d.        Most Americans can identify the name of the Speaker of the House, but not the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

9.      A group of people who pay very close attention to a particular issue and care a great deal about it is called a(n):

a.       Political Party

b.      Bureaucratic Agency

c.       Issue Public

d.      None of the above

10.    Recently, values have been put at the forefront of the political landscape.  The first president to address values at the center of his presidential campaign was:

a.       Franklin Roosevelt

b.      John F. Kennedy

c.       Ronald Reagan

d.      George W. Bush

11.    The process by which people acquire political values and beliefs in society is known as:

a.       Political indoctrination

b.      Political socialization

c.       Political speculation

d.      Political participation

12.    Americans get their political beliefs and attitudes from a variety of sources.  Which of the following is NOT one of these sources?

a.       School

b.      Friends

c.       Family

d.      The Media

e.       All are sources of political attitudes


 

13.    The belief that government should play a larger role, except with respect to issues of personal morality issues is most closely associated with:

a.       Liberalism

b.      Conservatism

c.       Authoritarianism

d.      Libertarianism

14.    The belief that government should play a smaller role, except with respect to issues of personal morality issues is most closely associated with:

a.       Liberalism

b.      Conservatism

c.       Authoritarianism

d.      Libertarianism

15.    The belief that government should not play a role in either economic or personal morality issues is more closely associated with:

a.       Liberalism

b.      Conservatism

c.       Authoritarianism

d.      Libertarianism

16.  Which of the following is most correct with respect to political knowledge?

a.       Most Americans can correctly identify the percentage of the federal budget that deals with programs like welfare

b.      Most Americans can identify the percentage of the federal budget that deals with foreign aid

c.       Most Americans can identify the percentage of the federal budget that deals with Medicare and other entitlement programs

d.      Most Americans can identify the percentage of the federal budget that deals with defense

e.       None of the above

17.    Which of the following is an example of unconventional political participation?

a.       Voting

b.      Campaign contributions

c.       Letter writing

d.      Boycotts

e.       None of the above

18.  Which of the following best describes the level of voter turnout in the U.S. compared to other nations?

a.       Turnout in the U.S. is higher than turnout in other nations

b.      Turnout in the U.S. is lower than turnout in other nations

c.       Turnout in the U.S. is roughly the same as turnout in other nations

d.      We do not have information about voter turnout in other nations

 


 

19.    Which of the following is NOT an explanation for low voter registration levels in the U.S.?

a.       Americans are very mobile, as they move around fairly often

b.      Americans must take positive steps to register, as they are not automatically registered to vote

c.       Americans must register to vote well in advance of the actual election, requiring a great deal of foresight

d.      All of the above are explanations for low voter registration

20.  Which of the following is NOT an explanation for low voter turnout in the U.S.?

a.       Election Day is on a normal Tuesday, rather than a weekend or holiday

b.      Many Americans do not believe that their vote matters

c.       Many Americans participate in other ways at high levels, instead of voting

d.      Many Americans do not have a sense of civic duty, as they did in the past

21.  This kind of polling occurs as people leave the polling place after voting.

a.       Opinion polling

b.      Entrance polling

c.       Random polling

d.      Exit polling

22.    Approximately, what percentage of the public voted in the 2000 presidential election?

a.       80 %

b.      60 %

c.       50 %

d.      30 %

23.      Approximately, what percentage of the public voted in the 2000 presidential election?

a.       80 %

b.      60 %

c.       50 %

d.      30 %

24.    Most of our information on who votes and how individuals vote comes from:

a.       Registration information

b.      Demographic data

c.       Actual voting records

d.      Exit polling

25.   Which of the following education groups turn out at lowest rate?

a.       No high school degree

b.      Some college

c.       College degree

d.      Advanced degree


 

26.   Which of the following age groups turn out at lowest rate?

a.       18-25

b.      26-35

c.       35-55

d.      56+

e.       All of the above turn out at roughly the same rates

27.    Which of the following racial groups turn out at lowest rate?

a.       Whites

b.      African-Americans

c.       Hispanics

d.      All of the above turn out to vote at roughly the same rates

28.    For which party do individuals with low levels of education traditionally vote?

a.       Republican Party

b.      Democratic Party

c.       Libertarian Party

d.      Green Party

29.    Which of the following income groups tend to vote “Republican”?

a.       Lower class

b.      Middle class

c.       Upper class

d.      All of the above tend to vote Republican at roughly the same rates

30.    What is the gender gap?

a.       Women tend to vote at much higher rates than men

b.      Women tend to vote at much lower rates than men

c.       Women tend to vote Democratic at much higher rates than men

d.      Women tend to vote Democratic at much lower rates than men

31.    Which of the following best describes the trends in the crime rate, and the media’s coverage of crime?

a.       The crime rate has increased since 1990, and the media has devoted more coverage to crime

b.      The crime rate has decreased since 1990, and the media has devoted more coverage to crime

c.       The crime rate has increased since 1990, and the media has devoted less coverage to crime

d.      The crime rate has decreased since 1990, and the media has devoted less coverage to crime


 

32.    Which of the following best describes the relationship between media viewership and misperceptions about the Iraq War?

a.       Viewers who get their news from the print media are most likely to have misperceptions about the war

b.      Viewers who get their news from CNN are most likely to have misperceptions about the war

c.       Viewers who get their news from FOX news are most likely to have misperceptions about the war

d.      Viewers who get their news from NPR are most likely to have misperceptions about the war

e.       There is no relationship between media viewership and misperceptions

33.    Which of the following best describes the corporate bias in the media?

a.       News content is biased in favor of the interests of the companies that advertise on the networks

b.      News content is biased in favor of the interests of the companies that own the media outlets

c.       News content is biased based on the interests of the journalists

d.      None of the above

34.    According to Patterson (Out of Order), what has been the consequence of an increase in negative coverage of campaigns?

a.       Voters are more informed than they were in the past

b.      Voters are less trusting of government than they were in the past

c.       Voters pay more attention to politics than they did in the past

d.      All of the above

e.       None of the above

35.  Presidential approval generally:

a.       Increases over a president’s term of office

b.      Decreases over a president’s term of office

c.       Stays about the same over a president’s term of office

d.      All of the above

36.  Presidents of the nineteenth century:

a.       Spoke often in public

b.      Spoke seldom in public

c.       Spoke only to Congress at the State of the Union Address

d.      Spoke only when Congress requested them to

37.  This president used the radio to deliver “Fireside Chats” to the nation:

a.       Theodore Roosevelt

b.      Woodrow Wilson

c.       Franklin Roosevelt

d.      John Kennedy

38.  According to Sabato (Feeding Frenzy), how has the media treated the president and other politicians since the mid 1970s?

a.       Lapdog

b.      Watchdog

c.       Guard dog

d.      Junkyard dog

39.    Which of the following is most correct with respect to negative advertisements?

a.       Candidates are less likely today to use negative ads than they were in the past, because voters remember positive ads more

b.      Candidates are less likely today to use negative ads than they were in the past, because voters remember negative ads more

c.       Candidates are more likely today to use negative ads than they were in the past, because voters remember positive ads more

d.      Candidates are more likely today to use negative ads than they were in the past, because voters remember negative ads more

40.    The ‘Daisy Ad’ is one of the most famous examples of the power of negative advertisements.  In this ad, Lyndon Johnson suggested that if his opponent Barry Goldwater were elected:

a.       The environment would be ruined, and there would be no more daisies left to pick.

b.      Education would become worse, and children would suffer.

c.       He would lead to the U.S. into nuclear war

a.       None of the above