Political Socialization
True or False
Political socialization explains how individuals form political beliefs over time.
True
Explanation: Political socialization is defined as the process by which people acquire political beliefs and values.
Fill in the Blank
The two dominant political parties in the U.S. are the Democratic Party and the ____ Party.
Answer: Republican.
Which type of poll is the most reliable way to assess public opinion?
A. Benchmark Polls
B. Tracking Polls
C. Public Opinion
D. Entrance & Exit Polls
Answer C
Which policy best reflects a liberal economic viewpoint?
(A) Lowering corporate taxes to spur investment.
(B) Increasing government spending on infrastructure to create jobs.
(C) Deregulating financial markets.
(D) Reducing social safety net programs.
Liberals favor government intervention (spending, regulation) to manage the economy, while conservatives lean toward supply-side economics.
True or False
Public opinion can influence the policies supported by elected officals.
Answer: True
Which of the following is the primary agent of political socialization?
A. Family
B.Gender
C.Race
D.Religion
Answer A
Family is the biggest influence on one's political socialization, largely due to the fact that they have the earliest and strongest influence on party identification and ideology.
True or False
Liberals don't want government intervention in society.
False.
Liberals embrace the need for government intervention in society to promote social and economic equality and to protect individuals.
Fill in the Blank
A group selected to represent a larger population is called a _____.
Answer: Sample
Explanation: Polling relies on representative samples.
Which best describes a capitalist economic system?
(A) Government
(B) Equal distribution of income
(C) Private ownership and competition
(D) Elimination of regulation
Answer: Private ownership
When policymakers adopt policies to reflect the prefenced of their consituents, they are acting as ____ Representatives.
Answer: Delegate
Which scenario best demonstrates political socialization through education?
A) A student watches campaign ads
B) A teacher explains the importance of voting
C) Parents discuss politics at dinner
D) A voter joins a political party
B)
Explanation: Schools promote civic values and political participation.
Which of the following is a correct explanation for why both Democrats and Republicans are generally reluctant to decrease spending on Social Security?
A. Social Security payments are guaranteed by laws that cannot be changed
B. Most Social Security benefits are paid to older people, and older people are more likely to vote
C. The Social Security trust fund is so large that it is unlikely to run out of money in the next century
D. Democrats and Republicans have worked out their differences by partially privatizing Social Security
Answer B
B is correct, because Congressmen need to win re-election, so cutting benefits to active voters is dangerous.
Which polling problem occurs when individuals choose whether to participate in a poll?
A) Sampling error
B) Selection bias
C) Margin of error
D) Exit polling
Answer: B
Identify ONE example of a social welfare policy.
Answer: SNAP, Medicaid, Social Security, etc.
Explain one way mass media acts as an agent of political socialization.
Answer: Media shapes how political issues are framed and understood.
True or False
An independent voter is required to reject both major parties' candidates.
Answer: False
Explanation: Just because independents are non-affiliated voters, they may vote for candidates from any party.
Fill in the Blank
The ____ of error indicates the expected range of accuracy in polling results.
Answer: Margin
Explanation: A smaller margin suggests more reliable data.
In many places, classrooms are overcrowded and curricula are outdated. Most of our qualified teachers are underpaid, and many of our paid teachers are unqualified. So we must give every child a place to sit and a teacher to learn from. Poverty must not be a bar to learning, and learning must offer an escape from poverty.
But more classrooms and more teachers are not enough. We must seek an educational system which grows in excellence as it grows in size. This means better training for our teachers. It means preparing youth to enjoy their hours of leisure as well as their hours of labor. It means exploring new techniques of teaching, to find new ways to stimulate the love of learning and the capacity for creation. . . .
. . . While our Government has many programs directed at those issues, I do not pretend that we have the full answer to those problems.
But I do promise this: We are going to assemble the best thought and the broadest knowledge from all over the world to find those answers for America. I intend to establish working groups to prepare a series of White House conferences and meetings . . . on the quality of education, and on other emerging challenges. And from these meetings and from this inspiration and from these studies we will begin to set our course toward the Great Society.
The solution to these problems does not rest on a massive program in Washington, nor can it rely solely on the strained resources of local authority. They require us to create new concepts of cooperation, a creative federalism, between the National Capital and the leaders of local communities.
President Lyndon B. Johnson, May 22, 1964
49. A liberal response to the “strained resources” of local government most likely would include
(A) a reduction of federal income taxes so that state and local governments can use those resources
(B) less federal regulation and more authority for local school boards to create curricula and standards
(C) an increase in federal spending on public education and more programs aimed at helping lower-income communities
(D) encouraging state and local governments to offer vouchers so that students can attend private or charter schools.
Answer: (C) an increase in federal spending on public education and more programs aimed at helping lower-income communities