AP Gov Unit 4

Multiple Choice

Political culture is best defined as

Shared traditions, customs, beliefs, and values

The outline suggests that Americans generally

Share core values but disagree on policy

The rule of law means that

 No one is above the law

The rule of law applies to

 Presidents, CEOs, and ordinary citizens

The outline describes rule of law as

An ideal that may not always be fully achieved

Limited government means that

 Government power is restricted

 Government power is limited primarily by the

Constitution

 A major debate surrounding limited government concerns

How much power the federal government should have

Individualism emphasizes

Self-reliance and personal responsibility

 One competing interpretation of individualism includes

Shared responsibility to others

Equality of opportunity means

Everyone has an equal chance to succeed

 Equality of opportunity is different from equality of outcome because it

 Focuses on equal starting chances, not equal results

A central debate about equality of opportunity involves

What counts as a fair opportunity

Affirmative action is most closely connected to debates about

 Equality of opportunity

Free enterprise refers to

Freedom to buy, sell, and pursue careers

A key debate about free enterprise concerns

How much regulation markets need

According to the outline, most Americans agree on goals such as

 Freedom and safety

 The outline suggests that political disagreements usually concern

 The means of achieving shared goals

Differences in interpreting political values help explain differences in

Political ideology

 The foundation of political culture in this section includes all of the following EXCEPT

 Direct democracy

Political ideology is best defined as

A consistent set of beliefs about the purpose and scope of government

Which of the following is considered a core American value?

 Rule of law

 The primary agent of political socialization, according to AP Gov standards, is

 Family

Political socialization refers to

The process by which individuals acquire political beliefs

A student adopts the same political party identification as her parents. This is an example of

Political socialization through family

Which of the following best describes U.S. political culture?

Widespread support for democracy and citizen participation

Which factor has recently increased its influence on political socialization?

Social media platforms

Generational effects refer to

 Differences in political beliefs between age groups

Lifecycle effects suggest that

Policy priorities shift as people move through stages of life

 A voter becomes more concerned about Medicare after turning 65. This is best explained by

Lifecycle effect

Which of the following is most closely associated with globalization’s impact on political culture?

Exchange of ideas across national borders

Political events during young adulthood are significant because they

Can strongly shape long-term political attitudes

Experiencing the events of 9/11 and supporting stronger national defense policies would most likely reflect

 A shift toward conservatism

Opposition to government surveillance programs like the Patriot Act following 9/11 would most likely reflect

Libertarian ideology

Which of the following best illustrates equality of opportunity as a core value?

Generational effects

 If Millennials tend to support same-sex marriage at higher rates than Baby Boomers, this is an example of

Generational effects

 Which of the following is NOT typically considered a major agent of political socialization?

The Federal Reserve

The idea that Americans generally support limited government but disagree about how limited it should be reflects

Political culture combined with ideological differences

A middle-aged parent shifts focus from college affordability to tax credits and childcare policy. This change most clearly reflects

Lifecycle effects

 Which statement best captures the role of major political events in shaping ideology?

 Political events influence ideology but do not determine it uniformly.

The primary goal of public opinion polling is to

measure citizens’ political beliefs

A scientific poll requires a random sample in order to

ensure every individual has an equal chance of selection

Allowing individuals to choose whether to participate in a poll creates what type of problem?

 Self-selection bias

Stratified sampling is used to ensure that

demographic groups are represented proportionally

 A poll of a high school ensures that seniors make up 22% of the sample because they are 22% of the population. This is an example of

stratification

The margin of error in a poll refers to

variation expected because only a sample was surveyed

A typical scientifically valid poll includes approximately how many respondents?

 1,000

A ±3% margin of error means that the poll results

could vary by three percentage points in either direction

Which of the following would most likely invalidate a poll question?

Leading phrasing

 When earlier questions influence how respondents answer later questions, this is known as

priming

 A poll asking repeated questions over time to measure shifts in public opinion is called a

tracking poll

 Which type of poll is most commonly used to measure support for a policy at a specific moment?

Opinion poll

Campaigns often conduct benchmark polls in order to

test a candidate’s strengths before announcing a campaign

Exit polls are conducted

by interviewing voters as they leave polling places

Which method provides detailed discussion but is not scientifically valid?

Focus group

Focus groups differ from scientific polls because focus groups

gather in-depth opinions from a small number of participants

Modern polling has shifted away from live phone calls primarily because

most households now rely on cellphones and avoid unknown calls

 Using multiple contact methods such as texting, online panels, and phone surveys helps improve

reliability of data collection

Reliability in polling refers to whether

 results are consistent when repeated

Veracity in polling refers to whether

the results accurately reflect reality

A political ideology is best defined as

a consistent set of beliefs about the purpose and scope of government

Which of the following questions is most central to debates about political ideology?

How large and powerful government should be

A core belief of conservatism is that government should

preserve traditions and maintain social stability

The parable of “Chesterton’s Fence” is used to illustrate the conservative idea that

 existing institutions should be understood before being altered

Which of the following best describes the liberal perspective on government?

Government should play an active role in promoting equality

Liberals are more likely than conservatives to support policies that

 expand social welfare programs

Libertarians generally believe that government’s primary function should be to

 protect individual liberty and prevent harm to others

Which of the following policies would most likely be supported by a libertarian?

Reduction of government involvement in personal decisions

Libertarians tend to be especially supportive of which constitutional principle?

 Protections found in the Bill of Rights

In the United States, liberals are most commonly associated with which political party?

 Democratic Party

Conservatives are most commonly aligned with which political party?

Republican Party

The Libertarian Party is best described as

 the largest third party in the United States

Which of the following statements best explains why libertarians do not fit neatly into the two-party system?

Their views combine positions traditionally associated with both major parties

 Internal disagreements within both major parties demonstrate that

ideological diversity exists within party coalitions

A populist movement that supports stronger government action to achieve economic goals would most directly challenge which traditional conservative principle?

Limited government intervention

Some progressive factions within the Democratic Party advocate policies such as higher taxes and expanded social programs because they

prioritize reducing inequality through government action

Political ideologies influence public policy primarily because they

shape public opinion and voting behavior

When one political ideology becomes dominant during a historical period, it is most likely that

public policies will reflect the priorities of that ideology

Which of the following scenarios best illustrates a liberal approach to policymaking?

 Creating new regulations to address economic inequality

 Which of the following best summarizes the key difference among conservatives, liberals, and libertarians?

Their beliefs about the proper role and size of government

Which of the following best describes a liberal approach to economic policy?

Increased regulation of business and higher taxes on high-income earners

 Conservatives generally support which of the following fiscal policies?

Tax cuts and reduced government spending

Libertarians would most likely agree with which statement?

 The free market produces better outcomes than government intervention.

Fiscal policy refers to which of the following?

Government taxing and spending decisions

Who is primarily responsible for fiscal policy?

Congress and the President

Keynesian economics argues that during a recession the government should:

Increase government spending to stimulate demand

Supply-side economics emphasizes:

 Encouraging production through tax cuts

Keynesian economics is most closely associated with which ideology?

Liberal

Supply-side economics is most closely associated with which ideology?

Conservative

 Libertarians typically oppose government intervention in recessions because they are concerned about:

 Inflation and crowding out

Monetary policy is primarily concerned with:

Interest rates and money supply

 Monetary policy is conducted by:

 The Federal Reserve

If inflation is high, the Federal Reserve is most likely to:

Raise interest rates

If unemployment is high, the Federal Reserve is most likely to:

 Lower interest rates

The Federal Reserve’s dual mandate includes:

Maximum employment and price stability

 Which of the following is an example of fiscal policy?

 Congress passes a stimulus spending bill

Which of the following is an example of monetary policy?

The Federal Reserve lowers interest rates

 conservative policymaker would most likely support:

Cutting taxes to stimulate economic growth

A liberal policymaker would most likely argue that:

Government should intervene to reduce economic inequality

One key difference between fiscal and monetary policy is that:

Fiscal policy is controlled by elected officials; monetary policy is handled by an independent agency