1.4.2 The influence of the media and opinion polls Quiz: Pearson Edexcel Politics, Unit 1

The 20 questions

1. Why do opinion polls carry an unavoidable margin of error?

   • Media alters data
   • They sample subsets
   • Algorithms fail
   • Voters always lie

2. What is the standard margin of error for a typical opinion poll of 1,000 voters?

   • 8 percentage points
   • 12 percentage points
   • 3 percentage points
   • 1 percentage point

3. What term describes undecided voters changing their minds right before an election?

   • Tactical voting
   • Bandwagon effect
   • Boomerang effect
   • Late swing

4. Which term describes voters who do not reveal their true voting intention to pollsters?

   • Floating voters
   • Safe voters
   • Shy voters
   • Marginal voters

5. What term describes the media's power to decide which political issues gain public attention?

   • Tactical voting
   • Partisan dealignment
   • Agenda setting
   • Valence voting

6. What term describes political reporting that consistently favours one party or viewpoint?

   • Media regulation
   • Media bias
   • Pluralism
   • Broadcast neutrality

7. Which body regulates UK broadcasting standards and enforces impartiality?

   • Ofcom
   • BBC Trust
   • IPSO
   • Electoral Commission

8. Unlike UK television channels, print newspapers during election campaigns are free to do what?

   • Ignore libel laws
   • Suppress opinion polls
   • Endorse political parties
   • Enforce purdah rules

9. Which body handles self-regulation complaints for most UK print newspapers?

   • Ofcom
   • BBC Trust
   • Electoral Commission
   • IPSO

10. Which concept describes the media shaping public debate by focusing on specific political issues?

    • Agenda-setting
    • Rational choice
    • Reinforcement theory
    • Bandwagon effect

11. Which theory suggests media coverage mainly confirms voters' existing political loyalties?

    • Boomerang effect
    • Reinforcement theory
    • Priming effect
    • Agenda-setting

12. What process adjusts raw polling data to match known demographic profiles of the UK?

    • Quota counting
    • Exit polling
    • Random sampling
    • Demographic weighting

13. Which term describes voters switching support to the party leading in published opinion polls?

    • Tactical voting
    • Shy Tory factor
    • Bandwagon effect
    • Boomerang effect

14. Which media concept refers to presenting an election issue from a specific perspective?

    • Framing
    • Purdah
    • Weighting
    • Mandate

15. What name was given to voters hiding their intent to vote Conservative from pollsters?

    • Shy Tories
    • Silent majority
    • Swing voters
    • Floating voters

16. What voter behaviour close to polling day can cause last-minute inaccuracies in poll predictions?

    • Tactical voting
    • Class dealignment
    • Late swing
    • Partisan alignment

17. How does increasing an opinion poll's sample size affect its margin of error?

    • Eliminates it
    • Increases it
    • Has no effect
    • Reduces it

18. What media function involves highlighting specific topics to make them central to public debate?

    • Agenda-setting
    • Gatekeeping
    • Lobbying
    • Spin doctoring

19. What term describes a systematic tendency in media reporting to favour one political party?

    • Purdah
    • Impartiality
    • Pluralism
    • Media bias

20. What margin of error is typical for a standard UK political poll of 1,000 people?

    • Plus or minus 0.5%
    • Plus or minus 15%
    • Plus or minus 10%
    • Plus or minus 3%

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