Civics 10.5-10.7

The diagram contains examples of views that qualify to be termed public opinion. chart Which of the following is also an example of public opinion?

a television pundit's stand on increased funding for national defense programs

Which of the following factors are MOST LIKELY to influence a person's long-term political opinions?

class time from kindergarten through graduation spent learning about U.S. history

This chart contrasts political parties and interest groups. chart

Which information best completes the chart?

Political parties: focus on nominating candidates; interest groups: focus on policy questions

Read this excerpt from the text.

"To be successful, propaganda must be presented in simple, interesting, and credible terms. Talented propagandist almost never attack the logic of a policy they oppose. Instead, they often attack it with name-calling. That is, they attach such labels as "communists" or "fascists." Other labels include "ultra-liberal," "ultraconservative," "pie-in-the-sky," or "greedy." Or, they try to discredit a policy or person by card stacking- presenting only one side of the issue."

Based on this excerpt, which of the following is an example of propaganda?

A speech in which a candidate says, "My opponent has the voting record of a fascists."

The type of interest group made up of workers who share the same type of job or work in the same industry is known as \___.

A labor union

Read this quote from a letter Thomas Jefferson wrote in 1823.

"The force of public opinion cannot be resisted, when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure." -Thomas Jefferson, Letter to the Marquis de Lafayette, November 4, 1823

With which statement would Jefferson most likely agree?

The expression of public opinion, whether through protests, editorials, or votes, should be welcomed.

This chart compares two types of public opinion polls. chart

What is one of the benefits of conducting a straw poll?

It can ask the same question of a large group of people.

What is the first step in designing a scientific poll?

Defining the universe that will be surveyed

Read this excerpt from the text about the media and public policy.

"The media play a very large role in shaping the public agenda, the societal problems that the nation's political leaders and the general public agree need government attention. As they report and comment on events, issues, policies, and personalities, the media determine to a very large extent what public matters the people will think and talk about- and, so, those matters about which public-policy makers will be most concerned."

The best example of this is \____.

A news network airing a story on the national debt instead of a story on homelessness.

picture What viewpoint does this political cartoon reflect about the influence of mass media on the public?

The media tries to mold the opinions of citizens rather than simply mirroring them.

An interest group can be described as a group of people who \____.

influence what the government does in a specific area of special interest

A labor union is an organization of workers who \___.

work in the same job or industry

The term grass roots refers to \___.

average voters

All of the following are propaganda techniques EXCEPT \_____.

supporting a government policy change

Interest groups are also called pressure groups mainly because \___.

they seek to put pressure on the government to affect policies

Single interest groups try to affect elections based on \_____.

Each candidate's stand, in regard to the groups' interests

Propaganda is a technique \____.

used to influence people to adopt a particular belief

A public-interest group is different from any other interest group because it \____.

works to benefit many or all people, regardless of their affiliations

All of the following are criticisms of interest groups EXCEPT \___.

They keep a close watch on public officials.

the complex collection of the opinions of many different people; the sum of all their views

public opinion

people with whom one regularly associates

peer groups

Any person who, for any reason, has an unusually strong influence on the views of others

Opinion leaders

instructions or commands a constituency gives to its elected officials

mandate

Poll that seeks to read the public's mind by asking the same question of a large number of people

straw vote

the public issues on which the people's attention is focused

public agenda

Short, sharply focused report that can be aired in 30 or 45 seconds.

sound bites

Person who tries to persuade public officials to do those things that interest groups wants them to do

Lobbyists

A document that consists of written arguments presented to a court in support of one side in a dispute

Amicus curiae brief