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Students Zone  - Self test questions

Use these questions both to test your detailed knowledge of each chapter. Make a note of your answers and then consult the answers page on this website. If you score less than 12 correct answers for any chapter, you probably need to spend more time re-reading and revising its contents. 

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CHAPTER 16: How Political Communications Happens


1. Political communication is:

a) Mostly vertical, from government to people
b) Mostly horizontal, between people
c) A mixture of the vertical and the horizontal

2. Opinion polling has developed:

a) Over the last hundred years
b) Over the last sixty years
c) Over the last thirty years

3. Focus Groups:

a) Generally involve over 1,000 members
b) Generally involve around 100 members
c) Generally involve less than 20 members

4. 'The armalite and the ballot box' was a communication strategy of:

a) The Labour Party
b) The Irish Republican Army
c) The Scottish National Party

5. Three forms of communication from government to people are: commands, advice and:

a) Warnings
b) Recommendations
c) Prohibitions

6. Parties communicate with electors via the Web:

a) On an increasing scale
b) On a decreasing scale
c) On a scale which is not changing over time

7. Newspapers are:

a) Primarily charitable trusts
b) Primarily commercial enterprises
c) A balanced mixture of charity and commerce

8. Newspapers are:

a) Generally political neutral
b) Generally politically partisan
c) A balanced mixture of the two

9. Newspapers are:

a) Governed by no regulation
b) Governed by law based regulation
c) Governed by self regulation

10. The main press regulatory body is called:

a) The Press Council
b) The Press Complaints Commission
c) OFCOM

11. Broadcasting is primarily:

a) A commercial enterprise
b) A public service 
c) A mixed economy of commerce and public service

12. The acronym of the main broadcasting media regulator is:

a) OFCOM
b) OFBROAD
c) OFSTED

13. Exposure to the mass media has:

a) Been shown to have no impact on opinions
b) Been shown to have a fundamental impact on opinions
c) Remains a matter of great dispute as to its effects

14. New communications technology has:

a) Made regulation of the media easier than hitherto
b) Made no measurable difference
c) Undermined existing systems of regulation

15. New media technologies have:

a) Made people to people communication easier
b) Made people to people communication more difficult
c) Made no discernible difference to such communications

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