AP U.S. Government and Politics · Past multiple choice · Question 14, Effective Fall 2014
Policy attitudes
Read a table of opinions on a policy, split by sex and age, and name the pattern it shows.
Lessons this question tests
1 Read the question
The question is College Board's: sample question 14 in AP Government and Politics: United States Course Description. It starts on page 19 of the PDF.
Open Question 14 (PDF, page 19)
2 Pick your answer
3 Check the explanation
Why the answer is E open once you have picked
Compare men and women in each age group. Women favor affirmative action for women more than men do at every age: 73 percent to 55 among the youngest, and the gap is there in every row. Women also oppose it less in every group.
A consistent difference in political opinion between women and men is the gender gap. The table is from an earlier era, so the specific numbers are historical, but the pattern it shows is what the term means.
Each choice
- A. Political efficacy is a person's belief that they can influence government. The table measures views on a policy, not that belief.
- B. The table shows opinions, not who votes or takes part. Higher support is not the same as greater participation.
- C. Nothing in the table measures participation, and men's lower support says nothing about how active they are.
- D. The table is split by age, but the consistent difference is between men and women. It also measures opinions, not discrimination.
- E (correct). Women support the policy more than men at every age, a steady sex difference in opinion that is called the gender gap.
Question and answer key: College Board. The title and summary are ours, and so is the explanation.