American Government Test 3 Review

Front 1

Which statement best describes the relationship between public opinion and policymaking?

Back 1

public opinion can have a strong impact on policymaking

Front 2

In a perfect democracy

Back 2

the government would do what its citizens want

Front 3

Public opinion is defined as

Back 3

the political attitudes and beliefs expressed by ordinary citizens

Front 4

___ plays a crucial role in democratic government because democracy concerns how closely government policy corresponds to the wishes of its citizens

Back 4

public opinion

Front 5

The Gulf of Tonkin incident

Back 5

increased the level of public support for the Vietnam War

Front 6

By January 1969, when the new Nixon administration took office,

Back 6

a substantial majority of the public favored monthly reductions in the number of soldiers in Vietnam

Front 7

The Vietnam case study illustrates

Back 7

how government officials can sometimes lead or manipulate public opinion

Front 8

The Founders of the United States government

Back 8

had little confidence in the ability of ordinary citizens to lead the government

Front 9

___ are also known as the instruments by which beliefs and attitudes are conveyed to individuals in society

Back 9

agents of socialization

Front 10

The ___ is probably the most important agent of political socialization

Back 10

family

Front 11

Generally, as people get older they

Back 11

differ in their expectations of government

Front 12

A generational effect

Back 12

occurs when the impact of major events is most pronounced on young people who are coming to a sense of political awareness

Front 13

Philip Converse claimed that most Americans display ___ in their survey responses

Back 13

nonattitudes

Front 14

The American public tends to

Back 14

be fairly ignorant about political affairs

Front 15

Which of the following factors is extremely important to evaluating public opinion through surveys?

Back 15

people interviewed must be representative of the entire population

Front 16

___ is the process by which individuals acquire their core beliefs about a society's political culture

Back 16

political socialization

Front 17

As expressed in your textbook, the media are criticized for

Back 17

being biased and unreliable

Front 18

For the media to contribute to democracy, it should try to

Back 18

provide accurate political information to citizens

Front 19

Most political information for citizens comes from

Back 19

the mass media

Front 20

For a survey to be accurate, it must

Back 20

be representative of the population and respondents are best chosen randomly

Front 21

For a survey to be accurate, it must

Back 21

be representative of the population and respondents are best chosen randomly

Front 22

___ ensures that each member of the population has an equal chance of being chosen

Back 22

random sampling

Front 23

The most important factor in constructing an accurate poll or surveys is that

Back 23

the sample of people interviewed must be representative of the population being measured

Front 24

Which of the following are potential problems associated with political polling?

Back 24

all of the above

Front 25

Primarily, and according to Chapter 6 in your textbook, how do ordinary citizens control what government does in a democracy?

Back 25

through information obtained through meida

Front 26

Which of the following is a TRUE statement?

Back 26

the mass media serve as critical links among political and governmental institutions. The also act as political institutions in their own right.

Front 27

The media in the United States are generally regarded as

Back 27

enjoying greater freedom than their counterparts in other countries

Front 28

The "watchdog" role of the media is one in which the press should

Back 28

dig up facts and warn the public when officials are doing something wrong

Front 29

One essential role for the media in a democracy is that of

Back 29

watchdog

Front 30

Which of the following is a role of the mass media in a democracy?

Back 30

acting as a watchdog over government

Front 31

According to your text, the media's primary roles involve

Back 31

A, B, and C

Front 32

The First Amendment

Back 32

gives broad protection from government interference to the press

Front 33

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution provides for

Back 33

freedom of the press

Front 34

The freedom of the press is guaranteed in a ___ amendment

Back 34

first

Front 35

The United States

Back 35

is widely considered to have the freest press in the world

Front 36

According to the text, during the 2008 election cycle, about ___ of Americans reported they depended on the internet as their main source of news about the campaigns, candidates, and issues.

Back 36

25 percent

Front 37

One of the drawbacks to media coverage of politics is

Back 37

it focuses extensively on covering the horse race

Front 38

Covering who's ahead and who's behind in the polls is also called

Back 38

covering the horse race

Front 39

According to the text, why are mainstream media still central to American politics?

Back 39

all of the above are true

Front 40

How has the internet become an important part of the news media?

Back 40

it has made it easier for people to bring pressure to bear on public officials

Front 41

Modern newspapers were made possible by

Back 41

technological innovations and democratization

Front 42

Why do the proponents of basic skills testing believe that it will improve educational quality?

Back 42

schools will be better because basic-skills testing imposes higher standards on schools

Front 43

Which of the following is TRUE about county government in Texas?

Back 43

county government have general ordinance-making power

Front 44

Which of the following county officials is NOT elected county-wide?

Back 44

county commissioner

Front 45

The county commissioner's court is composed of which of the following officials?

Back 45

the county judge and the four county commissioners

Front 46

Which of the following statements is NOT true about the selection of county commissioners?

Back 46

county commissioners' elections are non-partisan

Front 47

City governments are subordinate to the constitutions and laws of the United States and the state of Texas

Back 47

TRUE

Front 48

In most counties, the county clerk's office is in charge of voter registration

Back 48

TRUE

Front 49

Property taxes are the main source of tax revenues for county government

Back 49

TRUE

Front 50

Independent school districts are governed by elected boards of trustees of seven to nine members

Back 50

TRUE

Front 51

Home-rule cities are not bound to Dillon's rule

Back 51

TRUE

Front 52

The most important tax source for city governments is the property tax

Back 52

TRUE

Front 53

City managers are elected

Back 53

FALSE

Front 54

Because of the Voting Rights Act, most Texas cities choose their council members through at-large elections

Back 54

FALSE

Front 55

Both cities and counties have the power to enact ordinances

Back 55

FALSE

Front 56

The commissioners' court is made up of all of the elected officials of county government

Back 56

FALSE