Unit One: Political Culture, Public Opinion, Political Participation

All of the following are values basic to the American political system EXCEPT A. rule of law B. individualism C. equality of results D. Liberty Answer: C

Women are more likely than men to A. join interest groups B. affiliate with the Dem. Party C. support defense spending D. consider politics irrelevant Answer: B

Women are more likely than men to A. vote in general elections B. affiliate with the Dem. Party C. support defense spending D. consider politics irrelevant Answer: B

What is the major cause for nonvoting? A. Poll taxes B. Red tape involved in registering to vote C. Religious reasons D. Lack of interest Answer: D

Which of the following is NOT an institutional obstacle to voting? A. Tuesday voting B. Voter apathy C. Complexity of ballots D. More elections Answer: B

Which of the following factors are the best predictors of a high rate of political participation? A. more education, older than 35 years old. B. more education, younger than 35 years old C. immigrant background, higher income D. nonimmigrant background, more education Answer: A

All of the following are true of voter behavior EXCEPT A. the higher the level of education the more likely one is to vote. B. women tend to be more liberal than men. C. parental affiliation is the greatest predictor of a person’s own party identification. D. the younger the voter the more likely he or she is to be conservative. Answer: D

Which of the following statements most accurately depicts the political leanings of Hispanics as a group? A. Most Hispanics are young, and younger voters tend not to vote. B. Groups with little political influence tend to be more liberal because they see government as helping them to better themselves. C. Most Hispanics are Catholic, and Roman Catholics tend to be conservative. D. Fewer Hispanic women vote, so there is less of a gender gap apparent with this group. Answer: B

Of the following voters, which is the least likely to vote? A. A Northerner B. A college graduate C. A regular attendee at religious services D. A person who lives in a rural area Answer: D

To say that the American people tend to be “ideologically conservative but operationally liberal” means that A. Americans favor conservative moral values but also favor the latest in management techniques to supervise government bureaucracy. B. Americans are both conservative and liberal. C. Americans are likely to support limited government in theory but support social programs in practice. D. Americans are likely to talk about the need for social welfare programs but to vote for legislators who will restrain government spending. Answer: c

All of the following are examples of conventional political participation EXCEPT A. making a campaign contribution to a candidate for public office B. voting C. volunteering as a campaign worker to stuff envelopes for a mailing D. participating in a march to protest pending legislation. Answer: D

All of the following help to explain the decline in voter turnout EXCEPT A. the difficult process involved in registering to vote. B. a decline in Americans’ sense of political efficacy. C. lack of interest D. a decline in the belief that government is responsive to citizens’ concerns Answer: A

The bandwagon effect refers to A. how public opinion polls are conducted B. the sampling error in a public opinion poll. C. the way polls may influence people to support a particular candidate because they see others supporting the candidate. D. the way polls may affect people’s views of candidates. Answer: C

Which of the following directly affects the political socialization of the fewest Americans? A. family political history B. level of education achieved C. opinions of peers D. newspapers Answer: D

The views of male and female voters tend to differ on I. abortion II. spending for social services III. spending on national defense A. I and II only B. II only C. I only D. II and III only Answer: D

Watergate, the Vietnam War, Iran-contra, and the economic downturn of the late 1970s have all resulted in A. an increased reliance on the media. B. distrust of the military. C. a decline of trust in the government. D. a higher percentage of registered voters going to the polls. Answer: C

Which of the following elections has the lowest turnout of voters? A. Presidential elections. B. Midterm Congressional elections. C. Presidential primary elections. D. Local and municipal elections. Answer: D

Which of the following groups is least likely to vote for a Democratic presidential candidate? A. Women B. Catholics C. Protestants D. Labor Answer: C

Which of the following statements is NOT true about voting behavior? A. The more education a person has, the more likely the person is to vote. B. The lower the status of a person’s job, the more likely the person is to vote. C. With the exception of the very old and ill, the older a person is, the more likely that person is to vote. D. More women vote than men. Answer: B

Which of the following statements explains the change in voting patterns in the South since the 1960s? A. Since the civil rights movement more African Americans are registered to vote in the South and they typically vote Democratic. B. Southern whites have found that the Republican Party more clearly defines issues of importance to them. C. The Southern economy relies less on agriculture than it once did. D. The South has experienced a large influx of Northerners in the last few decades. Answer: B

Between 1964 and 1996, which of the following would have been most likely to vote for the Republican presidential candidate? A. A male fundamentalist Christian from Indiana B. A male high school dropout from Texas. C. A female welfare recipient from Chicago. D. A male Jewish college professor from Seattle. Answer: A

What most significantly influences a voter when selecting a candidate in an election campaign? A. The candidate’s image B. The stand the candidate takes on issues. C. The state of the economy D. Party identification. Answer: D

Which is the definition of political ideology ? A. The belief that government is best that governs least. B. Beliefs about which candidates to support in the general election. C. Beliefs and attitudes about the functioning of the legislative and the executive branches of government. D. Beliefs about the ideal political system, economic order, social goals, and moral values. Answer: D

Which of the following are characteristic of U.S. political culture since World War II? I. People have become less trusting of government. II. People have become more supportive of school integration. III. More people are more likely to believe their actions affect government. IV. People have become more trusting of government institutions. A. I and II B. II and III C. II and IV D. I and III Answer: A

As compared with college students of the 1970s, today’s underclassmen and women are A. Slightly more liberal B. About the same C. Noticeably more liberal D. Slightly more conservative Answer: D

In the first presidential election in which 18-year-olds were allowed to vote, they A. turned out in far heavier numbers than the population as a whole. B. voted heavily Democratic. C. voted heavily Republican. D. made little difference to the outcome of the election. Answer: D

One of the reasons why the participation gap between minority groups and the national average is no longer as enormous as it once was is because A. the education and income levels of minorities are no longer significantly lower than those of whites. B. minorities have a group consciousness that gives them an extra incentive to vote. C. large numbers of minorities are now running for important political offices. D. education and income are no longer considered good predictors of voting behavior. Answer: B

One of the effects of growing older on political learning and political behavior is that A. political participation increases with age. B. the strength of one’s party attachment declines with age. C. people become more liberal with age. D. interest in politics decreases with age. Answer: A

Push polling A. is done on the day of an election to get out the vote. B. is another name for random sampling. C. is a technique in which respondents are chosen whose characteristics most closely match the general population in certain demographics such as age and sex. D. asks a person a loaded question about a candidate to shape the respondent’s view of the opposing candidate. Answer: D

One of the ways in which the culture war differs from other political disputes is that A. money is not at stake. B. compromise is easily achieved. C. the conflict is basically a simple one. D. people feel less deeply about cultural issues. Answer: A