POLS 101Exam 2

Part I: Multiple Choice (80 points total; 2 points each)

Directions: Choose the best possible answer for each question. Fill in the answer in the appropriate space on the Scantron. Make sure to put your name on the Scantron.

  1. How do researchers measure public opinion?
  2. Analyzing party platforms
  3. Analyzing candidate speeches
  4. Watching the news
  5. Surveys
  1. A researcher conducted a poll in order to assess how many people supported Candidate A versus Candidate B. According to the results of the poll, 48% +/- 5% of respondents supported Candidate A, and 52% +/- 5% of respondents supported Candidate B. What can you conclude about the amount of support Candidate A and Candidate B have?
  2. Candidate A is ahead in the poll by 4%
  3. Candidate B is ahead in the poll 4%
  4. Candidate B is ahead in the poll by 5%
  5. We cannot tell if Candidate A or Candidate B is ahead in the poll
  1. A pollster creates a poll where he asks a question about 9/11 and then asks respondents about immigration reform in the US. What is the pollster trying to accomplish with these two questions?
  2. He is using social pressure to get respondents to state they do not support immigration reform
  3. He is using priming toget respondents to state they support immigration reform
  4. He is using party identification to get respondents to state they support immigration reform
  5. He is trying to get respondents to give honest answers about their opinions on immigration reform
  1. Which of following is most likely to influence the formation of life long opinions?
  2. Current events
  3. Parents’ opinions
  4. The state of the economy
  5. Scandals
  1. A parent tells her child that she should vote for a Republican when she grows up. What is this an example of?
  2. Direct socialization
  3. Indirect socialization
  4. Religious influence
  5. Peer influence
  6. According to Zaller, which of the following people is most likely to ignore information that contradicts their political beliefs?
  7. A well informed voter
  8. Someone who has never voted in their life
  9. A low income voter
  10. A Democrat
  1. Which of the following people is most likely to support increasing spending on social welfare programs?
  2. Conservative
  3. Liberal
  4. Libertarian
  5. Secular humanist
  1. Which of the following people is most likely to support a ban on gay marriage?
  2. Conservative
  3. Liberal
  4. Libertarian
  5. Secular humanist
  1. Which of the following statements best describes the distribution of political preferences among Americans?
  2. Americans are more polarized than they were 40 years ago
  3. The US is just as polarized as it was 40 years ago
  4. Americans are less polarized than they were 40 years ago
  5. Americans have always held extreme political views
  1. Why is a low level of trust in government a problem?
  2. It increases polarization
  3. It leads to gridlock
  4. It leads to centralization
  5. It makes it hard for elected officials to pass laws
  1. In 1898, the USS battleship “Maine” exploded and sunk off the coast of Cuba. Although the explosion was an accident, two American newspapers published a fake story that said Spain attacked the ship. What is this news story an example of?
  2. Framing journalism
  3. Yellow journalism
  4. Penny press
  5. Wire service
  1. If a television station gives one candidate airtime, it must also give the candidate’s opponent airtime if she requests it. What is this regulation known as?
  2. The Equal Time Provision
  3. The Fairness Doctrine
  4. The Broadcast Provision
  5. The Cable Doctrine
  1. New Corporation owns several television stations, film companies, books, magazines, satellite and cable holdings, and newspapers throughout the world. What is this company an example of?
  2. Concentration
  3. Attack journalism
  4. A horse race
  5. A media conglomerate
  1. Where do most Americans learn about political events?
  2. Radio
  3. The Internet
  4. Television
  5. Newspapers
  1. A Democrat and Republican both visit CNN and notice a story about Obama that states he may have lied about how many people had access to health insurance in the US. Later on, the Democrat forgets about the story while the Republican remembers the story for the rest of his life. What is this scenario an example of?
  2. News stations catering to their customers
  3. News sources filtering their stories
  4. Americans getting their news from soft news sources
  5. Most people pay attention to stories that confirm their beliefs and ignore stories that contradict them
  1. All Republicans who hold elected positions are considered members of which branch of the Republican Party?
  2. The party in government
  3. The party organization
  4. The party in the electorate
  5. They are not considered members of the Republican Party
  1. What has to happen for a re-alignment to occur?
  2. The type of issues that divide parties changes
  3. The types of people who identify with either party change
  4. The nature of party organizations changes
  5. Any of the above
  6. When was the party in the electorate first established in the US?
  7. The first party system (1789-1828)
  8. The second party system (1829-1856)
  9. The fifth party system (1933-1968)
  10. The sixth party system (1969-present)
  1. What was one of the causes for the change between then fifth party system (1933-1968) and the sixth party system (1969-present) in the US?
  2. Slavery became a salient issue
  3. The Great Depression
  4. Industrialization
  5. A large number of southern Democrats became Republicans
  1. What can the Republican National Committee and Democratic National Committee do?
  2. Control who runs for Congress under their party labels
  3. Control how Congress members in their party vote
  4. Create and influence their party labels
  5. Control how state legislatures draw district lines
  1. Which of the following statements best describes the distribution of preferences in Congress?
  2. Most Congress members are moderates
  3. Most Congress members are either very liberal or very conservative
  4. Republicans tend to be extreme conservatives but Democrats tend to be moderate
  5. Democrats tend to be extreme liberals but Republicans tend to be moderate
  1. Which of the following people is most likely to identify as a Democrat?
  2. An African American woman who is 25 years old
  3. A white male who is 60 years old
  4. A white female who is evangelical
  5. A southern white male
  1. Which of the following people is most likely to support increasing taxes for the wealthiest Americans?
  2. Republican
  3. Democrat
  4. Libertarian
  5. Independent
  1. Who is in charge of the Democratic Party?
  2. President Obama
  3. The national party chairperson
  4. No one
  5. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
  1. Which of the following statements best describes the voting behavior of independents?
  2. They have weak partisan attachments
  3. They always change their vote from election to election
  4. They have strong partisan attachments
  5. They tend to not vote
  1. A proportional representation election takes place. Party A receives 30% of the vote. How many seats does Party A win?
  2. One
  3. Two
  4. About 30%
  5. About 50%
  1. According to Duverger, single member district, plurality rule elections tend to produce how many parties?
  2. Two
  3. Three
  4. Four
  5. Five
  1. How many House of Representatives members are there in the US?
  2. 75
  3. 100
  4. 250
  5. 435
  1. Which US state has the largest number of House of Representatives members?
  2. New York
  3. California
  4. Ohio
  5. Florida
  1. A Republican wants to run for office in a particular district. In order to get on the ballot, he must run in an election where only Republicans can vote. What is the term for this type of election?
  2. Open primary
  3. Closed primary
  4. Non-partisan primary
  5. Caucus
  1. What percentage of incumbents in the House of Representatives tends to get re-elected?
  2. Less than 10%
  3. Between 10% and 20%
  4. Between 30% and 60%
  5. Between 80% and 100%
  1. Which type of election is the costliest to run?
  2. House of Representatives election
  3. Presidential election
  4. Senate election
  5. Gubernatorial election
  1. How many Senators are elected from each state?
  2. One
  3. Two
  4. Six
  5. It depends on the state’s population
  1. Which of the following states votes first when selecting Presidential candidates?
  2. New Hampshire
  3. New York
  4. Michigan
  5. Iowa
  1. What type of election was the 2012 general election?
  2. Midterm
  3. Popular
  4. Presidential
  5. Open seat
  1. Which of the following interest groups represents business owners?
  2. Chamber of Commerce
  3. American Association of Retired Persons
  4. United Auto Workers
  5. American Civil Liberties Union
  1. A gun owner joins the National Rifle Association so he can meet other gun owners. What kind of benefit does the gun owner get from being a member of the NRA?
  2. Purpose benefits
  3. Solidary benefits
  4. Selective incentives
  5. Coercion
  1. The Sierra Club has over 750,000 members who pay $30 membership fees a year. Based on this information, what kind of interest group is this?
  2. Peak association
  3. Mass association
  4. Free rider association
  5. Trade association
  1. Which of the following is an inside strategy for an interest group?
  2. Direct lobbying
  3. Grassroots lobbying
  4. Media influence
  5. Referendums
  1. Which of the following people or organizations can contribute money directly to candidates?
  2. 501(c)(3) organizations
  3. Individual citizens
  4. 428 organization
  5. The Internal Revenue Service

Part II: Essay (20 points)

Directions: AnswerONE of the following essay questions in your Blue Book. Make sure to answer each part of the question in order to receive full credit. Make sure to put your name on your Blue Book.

Option 1: (A) What is public opinion? (B) Identify three factors that make it difficult to accurately measure public opinion. Make sure to explain how these factors have a negative influence. (C) Should elected officials rely on public opinion to make voting decisions? Why or why not?

Option 2: (A) Why are there only 2 political parties in the US? (B) Are the political parties in the US different from each other? Why or why not? (C) Do you think the US should have more than 2 parties? Why or why not?

Option 3: (A) Identify three methods by which interest groups influence the policymaking process in the US. (B) Which one of these methods is the most effective? Why? (C) Should interest groups be allowed to influence the policymaking process? Why or why not?