Chapter 10 example #28526

The proliferation of news sources in recent years has a. discouraged polarization because it has eliminated selection bias by journalists. b. encouraged polarization because it has led to the death of adversarial journalism. c. had no effect whatsoever on polarization because most Americans are not influenced by media coverage. d. encouraged polarization because many media outlets seek to position themselves within a discrete ideological or partisan niche rather than maintain a middle-of-the-road stance. e. discouraged polarization because people can now access a wider array of viewpoints than before.

Which of the following statements is true? a. The news environment is less polarized today than in the past. b. People who consume political news tend to avoid voting. c. Individuals customize the political information they receive through their choices of news outlets. d. Average levels of political knowledge in the United States have increased. e. Journalists are less diverse today than in the past.

The Supreme Court case Red Lion Broadcasting Company v. FCC (1969) upheld ________. a. framing b. the Fairness Doctrine c. the equal time rule d. the agenda-setting provision e. the right of rebuttal

Which statement about the Telecommunications Act of 1996 is FALSE? a. The act allowed broadcasters, telephone companies, and cable companies to compete with one another for telecommunications services. b. The act loosened federal restrictions on media ownership. c. The act attempted to regulate the content of material transmitted over the Internet. d. The act required broadcasters who aired programs on controversial issues to provide time for opposing views. e. Following passage of the act, several mergers between telephone and cable companies produced a greater concentration of media ownership.

The Fairness Doctrine required that a. all radio stations present at least five minutes of news an hour. b. all regulated newspapers establish a section of the editorial page for letters from readers. c. broadcasters who aired controversial issues provide time for opposing viewpoints. d. all broadcasters provide candidates for the same political office with equal opportunities to communicate their messages to the public. e. all network news reports be balanced and fair-minded or they would be labeled editorials.

The penny press a. was created in the nineteenth century. b. facilitated widespread literacy. c. both a and b d. was created in the twentieth century. e. led to the demise of newspapers.

The media can set the political agenda in the United States by a. accepting advertising only from businesses that are identified as being ideologically "correct." b. identifying an issue as a problem that must be solved. c. refusing to follow government regulations regarding the content of news broadcasts. d. endorsing a particular political candidate. e. maintaining a strictly nonpartisan approach to news reporting.

The ________ regulates broadcast media. a. Department of Commerce b. Voice of America c. Federal Communications Commission d. Public Broadcast System e. Federal Bureau of Investigation

Which of the following statements best describes the changing ownership patterns in the American media? a. There has been a recent trend toward diversification of national news, as the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has required print media outlets to follow the Fairness Doctrine. b. There has been a recent trend toward diversification of national news as conglomerates have come to own a smaller and smaller percentage of media outlets. c. There has been a recent trend toward homogenization of national news as conglomerates have come to own a larger and larger percentage of media outlets. d. There have been no meaningful changes in media ownership patterns over the last 100 years of American history. e. There has been a recent trend toward homogenization of national news, as the Telecommunications Act of 1996 has required print media outlets to follow the Fairness Doctrine.

The following are all concerns raised by the growing popularity of online news EXCEPT a. a negative impact on political knowledge. b. a reduction in the diversity of perspectives that can potentially be heard. c. uneven quality in news content. d. a decline in investigative journalism. e. a decrease in political tolerance.

Members of the New Politics movement a. used technology to help them pursue their goals. b. secured enactment of environmental legislation. c. secured enactment of consumer rights legislation. d. secured enactment of occupational health and safety legislation. e. all of the above

A benefit that is sought by an interest group and that once achieved cannot be denied to nonmembers is called a ________. a. right b. collective good c. solidary benefit d. free rider e. purposive benefit

Which of the following groups was NOT established through the New Politics movement? a. the National Organization for Women b. the Environmental Defense Fund c. the Common Cause d. the National Association of Manufacturers e. the Sierra Club

AARP has approximately ________ members today. a. 338,000 b. 38,000,000 c. 38,000 d. 3,800 e. 3,800,000

It is difficult for political scientists to categorize unrepresented interests because a. there are no organizations that can present their identities and demands. b. these interests often want to stay hidden from public view. c. there are no legitimate interests that do not already have representation. d. there are no measurements of interests and needs outside of representation. e. there are no constitutional means for unorganized interests to compete for attention.

Why is it important for interest groups to offer selective benefits? a. Selective benefits allow interest groups to make the profits they need to continue operating. b. Selective benefits are the only way to measure the success of an interest group. c. If they do not, people will join political parties instead. d. It is necessary to limit the extent of the free-rider problem. e. If they do not, people will accuse the groups of being antidemocratic.

The fact that interest groups favor the wealthy and well educated can be understood as a reflection of what eternal dilemma in American politics? a. It is difficult to have majority rule and also protect minority rights. b. There are no efficient means of organizing the working class in the United States. c. Organized associations and groups inhibit freedom. d. Liberty is often inconsistent with equality. e. Democracy has not been helpful in reducing the number of factions

Which of the following is NOT a job regularly performed by lobbyists? a. nominating a candidate to run for political office b. helping raise funds for political campaigns c. holding interviews with reporters d. testifying before congressional committees e. placing ads in newspapers

A criticism of interest group pluralism is a. that it gives too much influence to religious organizations and therefore threatens the separation of church and state. b. its inherent propensity for compromise, the character of which tends to be antidemocratic. c. that its ideals are too closely associated with Marxist-Leninist ideology and are therefore unacceptable to the majority of Americans. d. its class bias in favor of those with greater financial resources. e. that it favors the interests of large states over those of small states.

Interest groups are permitted to spend as much money as they want on issue advocacy during a campaign season as long as they a. do not coordinate their efforts with a candidate's own campaign organization. b. do not employ any person who has formerly worked on a political campaign. c. are not also actively lobbying the federal government on behalf of the position taken in the issue ad. d. are willing to publicize their membership lists. e. present both sides of the issue in their issue advocacy ads.

Grandparents, tall people, and undergraduates are all examples of ________. a. political action committees b. potential interest groups c. pluralist interest groups d. political parties e. public interest groups

The solidary benefits of interest groups include ________. a. special services and goods b. friendship and consciousness-raising c. information and money d. identification with the purpose or ideology of the group e. representation before government

Which of the following is NOT an economic group? a. Microsoft b. National Right to Life c. Dow Chemical d. Apple e. Exxon

A full-page, fully paid spread in the New York Times publicizing a major oil company is best described as ________. a. lobbying b. an iron triangle c. going public d. institutional advertising e. an issue network

Which of the following Supreme Court cases illustrates the use of litigation by an interest group? a. Webster v. Reproductive Health Services (1989) b. United States v. Nixon (1974) c. Marbury v. Madison (1803) d. Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) e. Roe v. Wade (1973)

The Teamsters and the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations are examples of ________. a. public interest groups b. business groups c. labor groups d. professional associations e. ideological groups

What distinguishes lobbying from other strategies of influence? a. Lobbying involves advertising in order to create a positive image of an organization. b. Lobbying is the least expensive and most democratic strategy of influencing government. c. Lobbyists attempt to influence government directly by running for elected office. d. Lobbying is the only form of influence that has explicit First Amendment protection from regulation. e. Lobbyists try to exert pressure directly on government officials themselves.

A grassroots lobbying campaign occurs a. when interest groups organize to support a dark-horse presidential candidate. b. before a session of Congress formally begins. c. when an interest group buys advertisements in newspapers around the country in order to publicize an issue. d. when an interest group mobilizes its members and their families throughout the country to write their representatives in support of the group's position. e. when a spontaneous show of political support for a particular position manifests itself.

Interest groups are concerned with the ________ of government, while political parties are concerned with the ________ of government. a. legitimacy; power b. lawfulness; political feasibility c. values; goals d. policies; personnel e. membership; authority

What has helped accelerate the trend toward less variety in national news in the past decade? a. the growing level of government censorship and restrictions on the media b. the rise of the Internet as a major source of news reporting c. the corporate consolidation of news media into a small number of conglomerates d. the growing popularity of newspapers as a source of news e. the increasing popularity of AM radio talk shows

Which of the following statements about newspapers is NOT accurate? a. Newspapers tend to provide more detailed and complete coverage of political events than other media. b. Newspaper reporters break most important news stories. c. Newspapers are no longer the primary source of news for most Americans. d. Political, social, and economic elites rely most heavily on newspapers. e. The newspaper industry has been more profitable in recent years than ever before.

Despite its widespread availability,________typically provide(s) the least depth of news coverage. a. newspapers b. radio c. television d. magazines e. the Internet

Which statement about the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is FALSE? a. The FCC does not regulate newspapers. b. The FCC bans explicit sexual and excretory references on airwaves during certain hours of the day. c. The FCC licenses radio and television stations. d. The FCC was established in 1949 by President Harry Truman. e. The Telecommunications Act of 1996 loosened many FCC restrictions on media ownership.

The most important selection bias in news is the ________. a. ideology of the journalists b. economic interests of the media's owners c. audience appeal of a story d. approval of government regulators e. newsworthiness of a story

Daily Internet users who participate in society and politics through online activities are called ________. a. web entrepreneurs b. digital citizens c. 2.0 participators d. online activists e. Internet junkies

If a radio station aired a personal attack against a candidate but refused to allow the same candidate the opportunity to respond to that attack on its station, the station would be violating the ________. a. Fairness Doctrine b. Telecommunications Act of 1996 c. equal time rule d. right of rebuttal e. Communications Decency Act

In 1985, the federal government stopped enforcing the ________, arguing that it was no longer necessary due to the increasing number of television and radio stations. a. equal time rule b. right of rebuttal c. Children's Programming Act of 1966 d. Communications Decency Act e. Fairness Doctrine