Multiple-Choice.
Below are some multiple choice questions much like those you might see on a national AP Government exam. The answers will appear below the final question once you’ve had time to consider and answer the questions.
1. Which of the following is an accurate description of the universe and the sample in polling?
|
Universe |
Sample |
|
|
A |
The large group of people a polling firm wants to anticipate | Must have an equal number of all voting blocs. |
|
B |
The entire population | Only relevant in push polling. |
|
C |
The more educated part of the public opinion sample | Roughly 1,500 respondents in a national poll |
|
D |
The population of the public the pollster is trying to predict | Should be large enough to guarantee a margin of error of 4 or less |
Public Opinion on the Death Penalty
| Group | Oppose | Favor |
| Men | 38 | 55 |
| Women | 45 | 43 |
| Whites | 35 | 57 |
| Black | 63 | 29 |
| Hispanic | 50 | 36 |
| Republican | 21 | 72 |
| Democrat | 58 | 34 |
| Catholics | 46 | 43 |
Pew Research Center, 2016
2. Which statement accurately reflects the information in the above table?
(A) Women in general oppose the death penalty more strongly than Catholics do.
(B) Whites have the strongest pro-death penalty feelings among all the groups measured.
(C) Whites favor the death penalty more than Catholics.
(D) The death penalty is not a deterrent to violent crime.
3. A voting, news-consuming citizen happens to be male, white, Catholic, and Republican. Based on the information in the table above, what can we likely conclude about this citizen and the Death Penalty?
(A) The citizen is more likely to favor the death penalty than to oppose it.
(B) He will favor the death penalty, but only in the most severe cases.
(C) The citizen will suggest that the death penalty is meant for offenders from some races, not others.
(D) He will support the death penalty, but will vote Democrat.
4. What is an accurate depiction of the voting habits of men and women?
|
Men |
Women |
|
|
A |
Men vote more frequently than women. | Since the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, women have voted in higher numbers than men. |
|
B |
On average, men vote more conservatively than women. | Women tend to have more liberal views on abortion, gun control, and welfare. |
|
C |
Older men vote more conservatively than younger men. | There are more women voting with the Republican party than in the Democrat party. |
|
D |
Men have liberal views on law and order and welfare issues. | Women have been voting in higher numbers than men for several decades. |
5. Which of the following is true of measuring presidential approval?
(A) Pollsters measure approval, not disapproval, ratings.
(B) No president has ever averaged below the 50-percent mark over the course of his term.
(C) Impending wars and international threats to the United States cause approval ratings to drop.
(D) Presidential approval ratings are a snapshot of the public’s view of how well a president does his job.
6. Which of the following is the large group of people whose views a pollster is ultimately trying to predict?
(A) The Bradley Quota
(B) Sample
(C) Universe
(D) Quota Sample
7. Federal laws that prevent an employer from racial discrimination in hiring and firing, and federal laws that prevent landlords from refusing African Americans as tenants is a product of which American governmental concept?
(A) Communism
(B) Equality of Opportunity
(C) Socialism
(D) Affirmative Action
8. A voter following which philosophy below would likely favor both strict regulation of working conditions in factories, as well as prayer in public schools?
(A) Liberal
(B) Conservative
(C) Free Enterpriser
(D) Populist
9. The fact that the United States corporate income tax is the highest among developed nations has led to what economic phenomenon?
(A) Off-shoring
(B) Deportation
(C) Frontloading
(D) Discounting
10. Which of the following is an accurate comparison of contemporary conservative and liberal political views?
|
Conservative |
Liberal |
|
| (A) | Believes government should do less | Believes in expanding government’s role |
| (B) | Desires a strict approach to law enforcement | Strongly favors the death penalty |
| (C) | Believes in an increases in minimum wage | Accepts higher taxes for more government services |
| (D) | Accepts use of quotas in hiring and admissions | Believes in a meritocracy and blind hiring |
11. Henry attended the University of Connecticut, is a member of St. Margaret’s Cathedral, and is a member of the local Brotherhood of Electricians. How will he vote in the next election?
(A) He will vote for the Republican candidates
(B) He will vote in the presidential race, but not in the local races
(C) He will vote for the Democratic candidates
(D) He will vote for the Republicans on fiscal issues and the Democrats on political issues
12. Which is an accurate comparison of African American and Catholic voters?
|
African American Voters |
Catholic Voters |
|
| (A) | Produced a higher voter turnout recently | Are almost exclusively Caucasian |
| (B) | Want fewer checks on law enforcement | Follow Catholic church doctrine on all issues |
| (C) | Typically vote with the Democratic party | Favor the death penalty by strong majorities |
| (D) | Commonly denied the right to vote until the 1960s | A large, diverse voting bloc from different demographics |
Party Identification and Ideology
| Party ID | |
| Democrat | 37% |
| Republican | 33% |
| Independent | 30% |
| Ideology | |
| Conservative | 36% |
| Liberal | 27% |
| Moderate | 37% |
Sample: 18,788, CNN Exit Poll, 2018
13. Based on the information in the above table, what can you safely conclude?
(A) Democrats won most elections in the 2018 elections.
(B) More people consider themselves “conservative” than consider themselves a
“Republican.”
(C) These are redundant measures because each set is essentially measuring the same
thing.
(D) This poll must be inaccurate because there are way more Democrats than there are
liberals.
14. Which statement is most accurately supported by the information in the table?
(A) For the foreseeable future, Republicans and Democrats will moderate their positions during general election campaigns to seek the votes of independents.
(B) Because more citizens identify as Democrats than Republicans, the Democrats can count on winning the next elections.
(C) This exit poll is questionable because of the sample size.
(D) This poll is unreliable, because the respondents may not be actual voters.
And the answers are . . . D, C, A, B, D, C, B, D, A, A, C, D, B, and A
What unique vocabulary terms did you see that you were not familiar with? How might knowing these terms help you answer the question?