Chapter 6 Gov

The science of population changes is

A) polling.
B) anthropology.
C) popuology.
D) demography.
E) the census.

D

2) The most valuable method for understanding demographic changes in America is the

A) Statistical Abstract of the United States.
B) public opinion poll.
C) census.
D) turnout in presidential elections.
E) Internal Revenue Service statistical tax abstracts.

C

________ is the distribution of the populationʹs beliefs about politics and policy issues.

A) Random sampling
B) Direct mail
C) Political socialization
D) Public opinion
E) Political ideology

D

Which of the following statements about the American people is FALSE?

A) There are about 295 million Americans.
B) Most Americans view cultural diversity as one of the least appealing aspects of their society.
C) America is one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world.
D) America was founded on the principle of tolerating diversity.
E) none of the above

B

5) The science of population changes is called

A) public opinion.
B) demography.
C) political science.
D) census.
E) popuology.

B

Public opinion is defined in the text as

A) opinions which are expressible in public, as opposed to the more truthful private
opinions which most individuals are reluctant to state publicly.
B) beliefs about government held by a majority of people.
C) opinions solicited from a random sample of the public.
D) the distribution of the populationʹs beliefs about politics and policy.
E) widely held beliefs about the publicʹs role in politics and policy.

D

By constitutional requirement, the government conducts the United States Census every

A) two years.
B) year.
C) five years.
D) presidential election year.
E) ten years.

E

The United States Constitution requires that the government conduct an ʺactual enumerationʺ of the population every
A) ten years.
B) 25 years.
C) year.
D) five years.
E) presidential election year.

A

The first census in the United States was conducted in

A) 1900.
B) 1790.
C) 1970.
D) 1850.
E) 1800.

B

An issue that became controversial regarding the 1990 census was

A) inclusion of immigrants.
B) cost of the census.
C) the undercount of minority groups.
D) the overcount of urbanites.
E) none of the above

C

The 2000 census indicated that the largest minority population is comprised of

A) illegals.
B) African Americans.
C) Asian Americans.
D) Hispanics.
E) Native Americans.

D

Approximately what percent of African Americans live below the poverty line?

A) 28
B) 42
C) 25
D) 6
E) 17

C

The largest racial/ethnic minority group in the United States is

A) African Americans.
B) Asian Americans.
C) Native Americans.
D) Hispanics.
E) African Americans and Hispanics are tied in size.

D

Approximately what percent of Asian Americans hold a college degree?

A) 32
B) 49
C) 12
D) 22
E) 60

B

The least healthy, poorest, and least educated racial/ethnic group in the United States is

A) African Americans.
B) Native Americans.
C) Asian Americans.
D) Hispanics.
E) Caucasians.

B

16) The most recent wave of immigration since World War II has consisted primarily of

A) Africans.
B) Hispanics and Asians.
C) northwestern Europeans.
D) southern and eastern Europeans.
E) refugees from communist countries.

B

Demographic changes in the United States population could translate to political consequences through the process of

A) political socialization.
B) political acculturation.
C) reapportionment.
D) political assimilation
E) none of the above

C

The term ʺminority majorityʺ refers to the fact that

A) the majority in America has always been a collection of minority ethnic groups.
B) minority groups have been able to impose their will upon the majority.
C) America will soon cease to have a white majority and together the minority groups will become a majority.
D) African Americans are the largest minority group in the United States.
E) Hispanic Americans will soon become the largest minority group in the United States.

C

African Americans comprise what proportion of the American population?

A) about 30 percent
B) about 25 percent
C) about 12 percent
D) about 20 percent
E) about 5 percent

C

Hispanics comprise approximately what percent of the American population?

A) 13 percent
B) 5 percent
C) 23 percent
D) 18 percent
E) 28 percent

A

The largest component of the minority majority is the

A) Asian population.
B) Caucasian population.
C) Hispanic population.
D) Native-American population.
E) African-American population.

C

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Hispanics are primarily concentrated in the rural areas.
B) In the 2000 Census, the Hispanic population outnumbered the African-American population.
C) African Americans have recently been exercising a good deal of political power.
D) about 24 percent of African Americans currently live under the poverty line.
E) none of the above

A

Unlike Hispanics who have come to America to escape poverty, the recent influx of Asians has been driven by

A) upper-class elites who feared political persecution.
B) civil wars.
C) a new class of professionals looking for greater opportunity.
D) ethnic minorities seeking refuge from human rights violations.
E) B and C only

C

Native Americans tend to be

A) the poorest group in America.
B) the least educated group in America.
C) the least healthy group in America.
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

D

The Simpson-Mazzoli Act

A) represented a crackdown on illegal aliens by requiring that employers document the citizenship or legitimate immigrant status of workers or pay stiff fines.
B) requires that states keep their polls open for at least ten hours on election day in order to
facilitate participation.
C) established federal guidelines and regulations for taking public opinion polls.
D) reformed the jury procedures in felony cases, particularly the unanimous verdict
requirement.
E) required that the homeless be counted in the 1990 census.

A

The ________ Act required that as of 1987, employers document the citizenship or legal immigrant status of their employees, or face substantial criminal penalties for failing to do so.

A) National Origins
B) Simpson-Mazzoli
C) National Labor Relations
D) Hatch
E) Immigrant Employment

B

The least-healthy, the poorest, and the least-educated group in the American mosaic are the

A) Hispanic Americans.
B) Appalachian Caucasians.
C) Native-American Indians.
D) Asian Americans.
E) African Americans.

C

The Simpson-Mazzoli Act

A) required employers to document the citizenship of their employees.
B) granted amnesty to all illegal aliens.
C) established a National Identification Card that all Americans will have to possess by the
year 2000 in order to get employment.
D) placed a limit on the number of Mexican immigrants allowed in the United States per
year.
E) required all immigrants to register with the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

A

The worst off of Americaʹs minority groups are

A) Native Americans.
B) homosexuals.
C) Asian Americans.
D) African Americans.
E) Hispanic Americans.

A

Political culture refers to

A) a set of beliefs about the role of government in society.
B) how truly ʺAmericanʺ someone is.
C) an overall set of values widely shared within a society.
D) a high degree of homogeneity in political opinions.
E) political party affiliation.

C

Over the last fifty years much of Americaʹs population growth has occurred

A) on the East Coast.
B) east of the Mississippi River.
C) north of the Mason-Dixon line.
D) in the West and South.
E) in the Midwest.

D

Between 1990 and 2000,

A) states in the Southwest were losing population.
B) the Sunbelt continued to experience rapid population growth.
C) the Midwest became the fastest-growing region in the country.
D) the Frostbelt had begun to gain population again.
E) the Pacific Coast states were the fastest-growing region of the country.

B

________ occurs after every census to reallocate the 435 seats in the United States House of Representatives, reflecting shifts in the population of the states and, thus, how many seats each state is allotted.

A) Equalization
B) Restructuring
C) Political socialization
D) Reapportionment
E) Demography

D

Reapportionment occurs after every census to reallocate seats in

A) the Senate.
B) the presidentʹs cabinet.
C) the Supreme Court.
D) the House of Representatives.
E) both the House of Representatives and the Senate.

D

Nationwide, the fastest growing age group is composed of

A) those under 13 years old.
B) one-year-olds.
C) those between 13-21 years old.
D) those over 65 years old.
E) those between 21-30 years old.

D

Which of the following states has increased its representation in the House from just seven in 1900 to 53 today?

A) Florida
B) Texas
C) New York
D) California
E) Georgia

D

Reapportionment

A) can dramatically shift political power between the regions.
B) affects how much federal aid population groups can receive.
C) changes the statesʹ number of representatives in the United States Senate.
D) has most recently increased congressional representation for New England.
E) rarely occurs.

A

The process through which an individual acquires his or her particular political orientations, including his or her knowledge, feelings, and evaluations regarding his or her political world, is known as

A) political orientation.
B) demography.
C) political socialization.
D) political ideology.
E) political indoctrination.

C

One can predict how the majority of young people will vote simply by

A) knowing the political leaning of their parents.
B) knowing the political leaning of their friends.
C) knowing their race.
D) knowing the political leaning of their teachers.
E) knowing their age.

A

Political socialization is defined as

A) the distribution of the populationʹs beliefs about politics and policy issues.
B) the various political roles that individuals play in society.
C) a coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy.
D) the process through which an individual acquires his or her particular political orientations.
E) the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue.

D

The familyʹs role in political socialization is central because

A) parents tend to purposively guide their childrenʹs political orientations.
B) of childrenʹs tendencies to rebel against parents and their beliefs.
C) the family puts emphasis on formal political education.
D) of its monopoly on time and emotional commitment.
E) all of the above

D

Both authoritarian and democratic political systems seek to teach citizens, especially youth, the positive aspects of their political systems because

A) youth are most gullible.
B) it enhances ruling eliteʹs political power over the citizenry.
C) both types of political systems rely directly on citizen support.
D) youth will then grow up to be supportive citizens.
E) youth think alike.

D

According to many observers, ʺthe new parentʺ in the socialization process has become

A) schools.
B) interest groups.
C) the mass media.
D) the mother.
E) friends and peers.

C

The most obvious intrusion of the government into Americaʹs socialization is through

A) political parties.
B) the family.
C) schooling.
D) the mass media.
E) criminal laws.

C

Governments throughout the world use the schools to help with the ________ of young people.

A) random sampling
B) political socialization
C) voter registration
D) civil disobedience
E) demography

B

One of the effects of growing older on political learning and political behavior is that

A) political participation increases with age.
B) people become more liberal with age.
C) interest in politics decreases with age.
D) the strength of oneʹs party attachment declines with age.
E) political ignorance increases with age.

A

As one becomes more socialized with age, oneʹs political orientations

A) become less important.
B) change as oneʹs position in the aging order changes their life conditions.
C) grow firmer.
D) lack commitment.
E) fluctuate more.

C

Public opinion polling was first begun in 1932 by

A) George Gallup.
B) the Democratic party.
C) Louis Harris.
D) the Associated Press.
E) Henry Luce.

A

Because it would be prohibitively expensive to ask every citizen his or her opinion on a whole range of issues, polls rely on what is called a(n) ________ of the population.

A) extraction
B) sample
C) census
D) slice
E) demography

B

In public opinion polling, a sample as small as about ________ people can faithfully represent the ʺuniverseʺ of Americans.

A) 10,000
B) 1,500
C) 20,000
D) 5,000
E) 50,000

B

The key to the accuracy of public opinion polls is

A) political ideology.
B) polygraphs.
C) sampling error.
D) the larger the size of the sample, the better.
E) random sampling.

E

Sampling error describes

A) how many samples a survey estimate is based on.
B) what percentage of the sample provided answers to the questions.
C) how close a sample estimate is to the real population value.
D) how often a sample statistic is correct.
E) how many samples are incorrect.

C

Random sampling in public opinion polling operates on the principle that

A) which answers to include in aggregate poll results must be selected by chance in order to
maximize accuracy.
B) everyone should have an equal probability of being selected.
C) the questions to be asked of a given respondent must be selected randomly so that all
respondents are asked the same question the same number of times.
D) the larger the number of people who are polled, the greater accuracy of the poll.
E) both B and C

B

Random sampling is considered

A) desirable, but not necessary, for an accurate poll of public opinion.
B) an unsophisticated way of measuring public opinion, but one that sometimes yields
accurate results.
C) highly unreliable, but the cheapest way to measure public opinion.
D) the key to the accuracy of opinion polls.
E) a dangerous way to measure public opinion.

D

The level of confidence about a public opinion poll is referred to as

A) the confidence index.
B) sampling error.
C) the sample.
D) random sampling.
E) demographic certainty.

B

In 1936, the Literary Digest wrongly predicted the defeat of President Franklin Roosevelt, having polled over two million people. The problem was

A) they polled too few people.
B) it used exit polling rather than entry polling and conducted the poll too far in advance of
the election.
C) they polled too many people who were not an accurate representation of the American electorate.
D) they polled too many people.
E) they failed to take into account that people sometimes lie in polls, and did not take precautions to prevent this.

C

A relatively small proportion of people who are chosen as representative of the whole is called a(n)

A) quota sample.
B) population.
C) census.
D) sample.
E) cohort.

D

Public opinion polls are only estimates because

A) samples of fewer then one million people are too small.
B) all surveys have a sampling error.
C) pollsters sometimes have to make educated guesses about the results.
D) random digit dialing has replaced person-to-person interviewing.
E) samples are not representative.

B

A pollster using a representative sample of 1,500 Americans finds that 52 percent support candidate X and 48 percent support candidate Y. The pollsterʹs conclusion should be that

A) the race is too close to call because of a possible sampling error.
B) the poll should be retaken using random digit dialing.
C) the poll should be retaken with a larger sample.
D) polls are unreliable predictors of political outcomes.
E) X is likely to win.

A

A random sample of 1500-2000 respondents will produce results far off the mark about ________ of the time.
A) 10 percent
B) 25 percent
C) 5 percent
D) 35 percent
E) 1 percent

C

The 1936 Literary Digest poll underestimated the vote for President Franklin Roosevelt by 19 percent because

A) the sample was drawn from telephone books and motor-vehicle records.
B) the literary intelligentsia as a group never did like Roosevelt.
C) the sample was too small.
D) not enough women were interviewed.
E) people did not tell the truth.

A

Most polling today is done

A) by mail.
B) by computer modem and fax.
C) at shopping malls.
D) in person.
E) by phone.

E

Samples of public opinion today are usually selected through

A) voter registration lists.
B) cities and towns throughout the country believed to be ʺbellwethers,ʺ which accurately
represent the entire nation.
C) selective respondent profiles.
D) random digit dialing.
E) phone books.

D

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of modern polling?

A) Careful attention to polls is unwise, as polls only reflect the passive attitudes of voters.
B) Politicians use polls to follow the crowd rather than to assert bold leadership.
C) Polls can distort the election process by creating a bandwagon effect, where people want
to follow the crowd.
D) Polls are subject to very wide margins of error, yet are treated as accurate measurements
of public opinion.
E) all of the above

D

Today, most polling is done through

A) random digit dialing.
B) entry polls.
C) door-to-door interviewing.
D) man-on-the-street interviewing.
E) exit polls.

A

Concerns about reliance of pollsters on telephone surveys have recently been caused by

A) decreased chances of finding people at home.
B) increased use of random digit dialing.
C) increased non-listing of phone numbers.
D) increased use of cell phones.
E) a decrease in no-call lists.

D

Which of the following statements about public opinion polling is FALSE?

A) Public opinion polling started in 1932 with George Gallup.
B) Sample sizes are getting smaller, not larger.
C) The amount of public opinion polling has increased in recent years.
D) Public opinion polling is a uniquely American phenomenon.
E) A sample of 1,500 people is enough to relatively accurately reflect the universe of American people.

D

According to the text, public opinion polls are

A) unimportant since what people say and what people do are two different things.
B) becoming less important as more people recognize their inaccuracies.
C) important because results can sway people to change their political preferences.
D) largely meaningless because they tend to measure peopleʹs responses to an agenda set by
the pollster and assumptions embedded in the questions by the pollster.
E) important because policymakers can keep in touch with changing opinions on the issues.

E

Public opinion polls can weaken democracy by

A) drowning out election issues with a steady flood of poll results.
B) undermining the bandwagon effect and encouraging voters to support candidates
without regard for the opinions of others.
C) predicting the wrong winner in a close election.
D) misleading politicians with delayed and outdated information about changing opinions
of the public.
E) all of the above

A

Critics of polling think

A) it gives politicians the wrong information.
B) it makes politicians more concerned with following than leading.
C) the publicʹs opinion should not be taken into account.
D) it could lead to a tyranny of the majority.
E) B and D only

B

A disadvantage of telephone public opinion surveys is

A) that they cost more than face-to-face surveys.
B) that they have a lower response rate than face-to-face interviews.
C) that some individuals do not own phones.
D) that they have a lower response rate than mail interviews.
E) both B and C

E

An exit poll is taken

A) just prior to the election, in order to get a last reading of the publicʹs views.
B) to measure an officeholderʹs popularity as he or she is leaving office.
C) as people leave supermarkets, shopping malls, sporting events, or movies, and are thus
available for interviews.
D) on election day, by interviewing voters as they leave the polling place.
E) all of the above

D

For ________, voting places are randomly selected around the country, and interviewers ask every tenth person how they voted.

A) absentee balloting
B) a referendum
C) preventing voting fraud
D) reapportionment
E) an exit poll

E

Which of the following is NOT true about exit polls?

A) People are asked how they voted rather than how they plan to vote.
B) Most people are contacted by the random digit dialing method.
C) They are used by the media to project election winners before most votes have been
counted except in close races.
D) They have been criticized in presidential elections for declaring a winner before voting is
completed in the West.
E) They are being used more today than they were in the 1970s.

B

Poll results can vary widely if

A) a question is altered, even slightly.
B) based on exit polls.
C) random sampling is used.
D) the sample is too large.
E) political socialization is not considered.

A

In 2000, exit polls received much of the blame for the mediaʹs inaccurate call of the Florida result, but blame could also be placed on

A) mistakes in early reporting of vote results in some counties.
B) underestimates of the absentee vote.
C) the incompetence of news anchorpersons.
D) both A and B
E) both A and C

D

Public opinion analysts agree that the level of public knowledge about politics is

A) pretty good.
B) dismally low.
C) constantly fluctuating.
D) fair.
E) surprisingly sharp and sophisticated.

B

If public opinion analysts agree about anything it is that

A) the level of public knowledge about politics is dismally low.
B) people have something to say about almost every issue.
C) peopleʹs views on politics are coherent and consistent.

D) people do not have opinions on most current public policy issues.
E) people think about politics in very meaningful and abstract ways.

A

Public opinion polls have shown that

A) most people can name their representatives, but do not know how they generally vote in
Congress.
B) people are more likely to recognize slogans from TV commercials than famous political figures.
C) most people are well-informed about politics, but know little about geography.
D) only during an international crisis are people able to locate specific countries involved in
the crisis.
E) political knowledge is higher now than it was forty years ago.

B

According to Russell Neuman, the paradox of mass politics is that the American political system works as well as it does given

A) the fact that elected officials tend to ignore public opinion.
B) the inaccuracy of public opinion polls giving politicians false information about what
people want.
C) the inability of people to express their opinion on issues and candidates.
D) that most people do not even know what basic values they want upheld.
E) the discomforting lack of public knowledge about politics.

E

Since the 1960s, Americansʹ trust in government has

A) increased.
B) decreased.
C) stayed the same.
D) been erratic.
E) disappeared.

B

A ________ is a coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy.

A) policy agenda
B) political ideology
C) demography
D) public opinion
E) political socialization

B

Following the 1964 election,

A) public interest in government dropped slightly for a brief period.
B) public trust in government dropped significantly.
C) public knowledge about political affairs improved significantly.
D) public interest in campaigns increased.
E) presidential approval increased significantly.

B

In 1980, about what percentage of the American public thought they could trust government most of the time or always?

A) 75 percent
B) 33 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 25 percent
E) 60 percent

D

According to Marc Hetherington, what is the largest impact of declining political trust?

A) decreased respect of American politicians in the foreign pres
B) decreased support for programs that address poverty and racial inequality
C) higher taxes
D) increased political ignorance
E) the inability of the president to address pressing foreign policy concerns

B

A political ideology is

A) the process through which an individual acquires his or her political skills.
B) a relatively small proportion of people who are chosen as representative of the whole.
C) the distribution of the populationʹs beliefs about politics and policy issues.
D) the set of courses that a political science student must complete to attain a degree.
E) a coherent set of values and beliefs about public policy.

E

Which of the following is TRUE about most liberals in American politics?

A) They favor keeping taxes and government spending low.
B) They believe we should guard carefully the rights of defendants in criminal cases.
C) They are supportive of prayer in public schools.
D) They oppose abortion.
E) none of the above

B

Which of the following is TRUE of most conservatives in American politics?

A) They favor free market solutions to problems rather than looking to the government for regulating business.
B) They believe we should spend much less on the military budget.
C) They are in favor of affirmative action programs.
D) They are opposed to prayer in public schools.
E) They oppose high levels of foreign aid.

A

A political figure who is in favor of increased military spending, supported freedom of choice on abortion, opposed affirmative action programs, wanted to tax the rich more, and felt the courts should stop coddling criminals is a

A) socialist.
B) mixture of liberal and conservative.
C) liberal.
D) conservative.
E) populist.

B

In general, liberal ideology supports

A) a strong central government that sets policies to promote equality.
B) individuals responding generously to each other to solve society’s problems without looking to government to do so.
C) a small, less active government that gives freer reign to the private sector.
D) public and government ownership of the means of production.
E) strong local and state governments that are closer to the people.

A

Liberals tend to

A) support lower taxation.
B) favor maintaining peace through strength.
C) support lower government spending.
D) support school prayer.
E) none of the above

E

Conservatives would tend to favor each of the following EXCEPT

A) affirmative action.
B) low taxes.
C) increased military spending.
D) free-market solutions.
E) the right to life.

A

Historically disadvantaged groups tend to

A) vote Republican.
B) vote Democratic.
C) vote for Green candidates.
D) vote Libertarian.
E) vote as Independents.

B

Compared to men, women are more likely to

A) oppose higher levels of military spending.
B) support spending on social services.
C) be indifferent to issues of government spending.
D) support military intervention around the world.
E) both A and B

E

The term gender gap refers to

A) greater success of men than women when running for office.
B) greater poverty of women than of men.
C) stable pattern where women tend to be more likely than men to vote Democratic.
D) higher political contributions made by women than of men.
E) none of the above

C

The most liberal religious group in America are

A) Christian Right.
B) Jews.
C) Catholics.
D) Protestants.
E) Muslims.

B

According to the classic study, The American Voter, done in the 1950s, most Americans fell into the category of

A) group benefits voters.
B) ideologues.
C) no-issue-content voters.
D) anti-ideologues.
E) nature-of-the-times voters.

A

The American Voter study on ideological sophistication among voters in the 1950s showed that only a small percentage of Americans

A) had no coherent political ideology.
B) identified with groups reflecting their own interests.
C) had a coherent political ideology.
D) had ever taken a government or civics course.
E) linked their own economic well-being with the party in power.

C

The American Voter study on ideological sophistication among voters in the 1950s showed that a plurality of Americans were

A) group benefits voters.
B) ideologues.
C) nature-of-the-times voters.
D) authoritarian personalities.
E) no-issue-content voters.

A

According to the categories used in the classic study, The American Voter, those who voted for a party out of routine, or judged candidates strictly by their personalities were classified as

A) group benefits voters.
B) nature-of-the-times voters.
C) ideologues.
D) personalistic voters.
E) no-issue-content voters.

E

If the exact same methods are used to update the analysis of The American Voter study, one finds

A) there are more no-issue-content voters than group benefit voters in 1988.
B) a dramatic increase in the number of authoritarian personalities since 1956.
C) only some increase in the percentage of ideologues in 1988 compared to 1956.
D) half as many nature-of-the-times voters in 1988 than in 1956.
E) ideologues became a plurality in 1988.

C

The authors of The American Voter would agree with each of the following statements EXCEPT

A) It is a misnomer to speak of election results as indicating a movement of the public either
left or right.
B) For most people, the terms liberal and conservative are not as important as they are for
the political elite.
C) People who think in ideological terms are most likely to switch parties from one election to the next.
D) Eisenhowerʹs two election victories represented a shift in the conservative direction
during the 1950s.
E) none of the above

C

When people vote according to the nature of the times,

A) partisan identification becomes an even stronger influence on aggregate voting.
B) they are not voting wisely.
C) they are more interested in results than ideology and judge presidents by results.
D) they are not making rational choices.
E) their opinions are not clearly heard.

C

Recent presidential elections have shown

A) a sharp turn in public thinking to more conservative positions on issues.
B) that voters are less interested in ideology or issue positions than in candidate traits such as competence and integrity.
C) a sharp turn in public thinking to more liberal positions on issues.
D) a dramatic growth of ideological voters.
E) that voters are more interested in issue positions than in candidate ideology.

B

In the presidential election of 2004, ________ of Americans voted.

A) 69 percent
B) 55 percent
C) 39 percent
D) 59 percent
E) 45 percent

B

Which of the following statements about political participation is FALSE?

A) The mass protests throughout Eastern Europe in 1989 were an avalanche of political
participation.
B) Political participation can be organized or individual.
C) Political activity is an important part of the everyday life of most Americans.
D) Generally, the United States has a participatory political culture.
E) Voting is one type of participation.

C

The most common form of political participation in the United States is

A) voting in presidential elections.
B) voting in local elections.
C) belonging to a political party.
D) writing letters to public officials.
E) working on a political campaign.

A

Sidney Verba and his colleagues found that while voter turnout declined between 1967 and 1987,
A) writing letters to the editor and contacting government officials increased.
B) participating in non-political activities increased.
C) protesting and giving money to candidates increased.
D) contacting government officials and giving money to candidates increased.
E) none of the above

D

Protest

A) involves consciously breaking a law thought to be unjust.
B) usually involves the use of violence, even murder, to achieve desired results.
C) is considered a conventional form of political participation.
D) is designed to achieve policy change through dramatic and unconventional tactics.
E) requires civil disobedience to be effective.

D

Which of the following is typical of most adult Americans when it comes to political
participation?

A) A majority of Americans will participate in a protest such as a demonstration, strike, or
sit-in at least once in their lives.
B) Most will participate in all twelve major kinds of political activities at some point in their
lives.
C) Most will vote in an election, but only a minority of people do more than that politically.
D) Most have never voted in an election.
E) Most will vote in an election and do one or two other political activitiesusually
contacting local officials, joining a political club, or donating money to a candidate.

C

Political protest is

A) the use of unconventional and dramatic actions to achieve policy change.
B) a recent phenomenon in American politics.
C) generally ineffective in bringing about changes in public policy.
D) against the law in the United States.
E) all of the above

A

Civil disobedience necessarily involves

A) non-violent protests to achieve desired results.
B) consciously breaking a law thought to be unjust.
C) working within the laws to achieve objectives.
D) rioting and violence to achieve desired results.
E) A and D only

B

The most famous practitioner of civil disobedience in the United States during the twentieth century was this Nobel Peace Prize winner,

A) Robert F. Kennedy.
B) Mother Jones.
C) John F. Kennedy.
D) Jesse Jackson.
E) Martin Luther King, Jr.

E

Which of the following is an example of civil disobedience?
A) accidentally failing to pay income tax on taxable income
B) the Supreme Court throwing out a congressional statute on the grounds of its
unconstitutionality
C) cheating on this test!
D) petitioning the government to legalize the possession of marijuana and other controlled
substances
E) consciously breaking a cityʹs law by purposely blocking entrance to a legally operating abortion clinic

E

________ is consciously breaking a law that is thought to be unjust.

A) Civil disobedience
B) Protest
C) Rebellion
D) Boycotting
E) Illegal politics

A

Civil disobedience

A) usually involves the use of violence.
B) was first used by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., to call attention to the injustice of
segregation laws.
C) is intentionally violating a law believed to be unjust in order to bring about change.
D) occurs whenever a person violates a law and seeks to avoid the consequences.
E) all of the above

C

Which of the following is TRUE in regard to the voting habits of African Americans and Hispanic Americans?

A) They have always voted about as much as whites despite legal barriers.
B) The gap between their voter turnout and that of whites has widened considerably over
the past thirty years.
C) Members of these groups are less likely to vote the higher their income.
D) Members of these groups are more likely to vote than whites of the same income level.
E) none of the above

D

Which of the following groups would be LEAST likely to vote in a typical election?

A) middle-class minority voters
B) poor white voters
C) rich white voters
D) poor minority voters
E) rich minority voters

B

One of the reasons why the participation gap between minority groups and the national average is no longer enormous is because

A) minorities are now the majority, and their average is the national average.
B) the education and income levels of minorities are no longer significantly lower than that
of whites.
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.
E) minorities have a group consciousness that gives them an extra incentive to vote.

E

There is evidence that when incomes and educational levels are equal

A) members of the majority tend to be more politically active than minorities.
B) members of minority groups tend to participate more than members of the majority.
C) Hispanics participate more than whites and African Americans participate less than
whites.
D) Hispanics, African Americans, and women tend to be less politically active than white
males.
E) the political participation of members of minority groups and the majority are also equal.

B

President Ronald Reagan argued that

A) the national government should be abolished, with the states taking over in a very loose
confederation system.
B) government was not the answer to the nationʹs problems, government was the problem.
C) the nationʹs problems required more, not less, government action.
D) the states did not have enough resources to solve their problems, therefore their role
should be sharply reduced and the national government should take over many of the
major functions of state governments.
E) although government had grown too fast, it should remain about the same size.

B

Recent public opinion polls have shown that most Americans

A) favor the idea of big government in principle, but oppose it in practice.
B) oppose the idea of big government in principle, but favor it in practice.
C) oppose big government.
D) have strong opinions on the proper scope of government.
E) favor big government.

B