Unit 1 Chapter 1 Items

More than one-half of Americans under the age of 30 say that they rarely follow politics.

Young people today score better on political knowledge tests than did young people in the early 1970s.

Younger Americans are more likely to vote than are older Americans.

Young people score higher on political knowledge surveys than do older Americans.

All of these are true.

helping citizens identify policies that will benefit them.

fostering civic virtue.

easing the burden placed on journalists and media organizations charged with educating the public.

helping citizens incorporate policy information into their voting behavior.

promoting active participation in politics.

A channel through which people’s concerns become a political agenda

A location to express a political opinion

Formation of a special interest group

An environment where one learns about the political process

A gathering of people to represent a public opinion

hyperpluralist theory.

balance-of-power theory.

elite-and-class theory.

pluralist theory.

bureaucratic theory.

The youth vote in 2008 erased the age gap in voter turnout between young Americans and older Americans.

The youth surge in the 2008 election was due in large part to increased turnout among minorities; for the first time ever, young African Americans had a higher turnout rate than did young whites.

Turnout rates for the young have generally been going up, while turnout among people over 65 years of age has generally been going down since 1972.

Young adults age 18–29 report higher levels of interest in keeping up with politics when compared to older adults.

All of these are true.

The current generation is the first to grow up in a media environment with few shared experiences.

The proliferation of television channels makes it easier for young Americans to avoid exposure to politics.

Most young Americans have not developed habits of following the news.

Young people today have never known a time when most citizens paid attention to major political events.

All of these are true.

national defense.

a toll road.

food stamps.

a college education.

medical care.

media organizations that cover voters, candidates, groups, and parties.

institutions that respond to voters, candidates, groups, and parties.

substance of politics and government—benefits and burdens.

procedures through which voters, candidates, groups, and parties get what they want.

winners and losers.

“who”

“what”

“when”

“how”

“why”

Political parties

Interest groups

Elections

The media

All of these are examples of linkage institutions.

congressional statute.

presidential action.

court decision.

budgetary choice.

regulation.

Congressional statute

Presidential action

Court decision

Budgetary choice

Regulation

The authors of the U.S. Constitution were wary of democracy and doubted the ability of ordinary Americans to make informed judgments about what government should do.

Most people in most democracies around the world believe that although democracy has its faults, it is the best form of government.

Government “by the people” is literally impossible in the U.S.

Democracy is a system of selecting policymakers and organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences.

All of these are true.

minority rights.

majority rules.

representation.

pluralism.

political participation.

strong government and strong groups.

weak groups and strong government.

weak groups, strong elites, and weak government.

strong groups and weak government.

too few groups result in the creation of many governments.

candidates have become dependent on PACs, which represent specific economic interests rather than the American people as a whole.

candidates may be more likely to pay attention to PACs because they depend on PAC contributions for reelection.

candidates’ reliance on PACs and PAC contributions makes them more likely to get involved in single-issue politics.

the influence of PAC money on the electoral process widens the gap between democratic theory and the reality of democracy in America.

All of these are true.

it leads to lower levels of political participation.

it contributes to policy gridlock.

interests conflict and, thus, each interest uses its influence to thwart others.

it makes it more difficult for government to deliver policies that are responsive to all citizens’ needs and interests.

All of these are true.

The president

Their political culture

Participation in elections

A belief in group politics

Liberal attitudes toward immigration

communism.

egalitarianism.

individualism.

libertarianism.

republicanism.

Liberty

Egalitarianism

Individualism

Populism

Laissez-faire