Surveys of public opinion, no matter what fascinating questions they ask or how quickly they get the answers, are not equivalent to elections. Because not all Americans are equally interested in politics or equally informed, public opinion polls can suggest only the general distribution of opinion on issues. Many times, only a few citizens have formulated preferences, and these preferences can be
changed by events. Politicians, whether in office or in the midst of a campaign, see public opinion as important to their careers. The president, members of Congress, governors, and other elected officials realize that strong public support as expressed in opinion polls is a source of power in dealing with other politicians. It is far more difficult for a senator to say no to the president if the president is immensely popular and if polls shows approval of the president's policies. Public opinion also helps political candidates identify the public's most important concerns and may help them shape their campaigns successfully. Although opinion polls cannot give exact guidance on what the government should do in a specific instance, the opinions measured in polls do set an informal limit on government action. For example, consider the highly controversial issue of abortion. Most Americans are moderates on this issue; they do not approve of abortion as a means of birth control, but they do feel that it should be available under certain circumstances. Yet sizable groups of people express very intense feelings both for and against abortion. Given this distribution of opinion, most elected officials would rather not try to change policy to favor either of the extreme positions. In this case, as in many others, public opinion does not make public policy; rather, it restrains officials from taking truly unpopular positions. If officials do act in the face of public opposition, they will experience the consequences of their actions at the ballot box. The main idea of the passage is
a. public opinion polls are important to politicians, but cannot give exactguidance on issues.
b. many people do not respond to public opinion surveys.
c. public opinion polls give only a general idea of opinion on issues.
d. most people frequently change their ideas about issues as conditionschange.
A
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Nosotros iremos a la playa si __________________________________.
Ud. se habría divertido más si ___________________________________.
Identify each pronoun in the following sentences
We ourselves are often guilty of that. What will be an ideal response?
Necesitan alguien / saber mantener el portal
What will be an ideal response?
Writers use the process pattern to
a. explain how something is done or how it works. b. describe events in order of importance. c. present events in the order in which they occurred. d. tell a story that makes a point.