Deck 7: Political Participation: Activating the Popular Will

Question 1

The adoption of voter identification cards by several states

A)will likely cause a decline in voter turnout.
B)is a policy intended to further the gains of the motor voter law.
C)was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
D)will increase the voting power of poorer citizens.
E)was a response to well-documented accounts of widespread electoral fraud.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Eighteen-,nineteen-,and twenty-year-old Americans were granted the right to vote by the passage of the __________ Amendment.

A)Fifteenth
B)Nineteenth
C)Twenty-first
D)Twenty-third
E)Twenty-sixth

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Which of the following states has a voter identification card law?

A)Maine
B)New Hampshire
C)Minnesota
D)Indiana
E)Wisconsin

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following states has relatively low turnout in presidential elections?

A)Iowa
B)Massachusetts
C)Minnesota
D)Oregon
E)Texas

Question 5

In the United States,

A)the federal government prevents states from restricting registration based on the amount of time a person has resided in that state.
B)voter registration requirements have usually been set by the states.
C)voter registration periods and locations tend to be highly publicized,but registration requirements prevent many from taking advantage of them.
D)most states automatically register a person to vote when he or she acquires a driver's license.
E)states with easier registration laws have shown no higher turnout rates than states with restrictive registration requirements.

Question 6

Women gained the right to vote

A)with passage of the Bill of Rights.
B)shortly after the Civil War.
C)early in the twentieth century.
D)with passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
E)during the era of Jacksonian democracy.

Question 7

African American men technically gained suffrage with the passage of the ________ Amendment.

A)Fifteenth
B)Nineteenth
C)Twenty-first
D)Twenty-third
E)Twenty-sixth

Question 8

Most candidates for office in the United States aim their appeals at

A)high-income voters.
B)middle-income voters.
C)labor unions and interest groups.
D)corporate lobbying powers.
E)low-income voters.

Question 9

Scholars estimate that turnout would be roughly ________ percentage points higher in the United States if the U.S.had European-style registration.

A)2
B)5
C)7
D)10
E)15

Question 10

When the nation was founded,who was eligible to vote?

A)everyone-there was universal suffrage
B)all males and females who were at least 21 years of age
C)only males who owned property
D)only citizens who had lived in the nation for at least ten years
E)All native-born citizens could vote.

Question 11

Literacy tests were used to

A)disenfranchise African Americans in the South.
B)finance election campaigns.
C)ensure that women voted with their husbands,who legally controlled the money in a marriage.
D)ensure that the people who voted would take the vote seriously.
E)help subsidize public education in the North.

Question 12

The "motor voter" law

A)was passed in 1993.
B)made it easier for citizens to register to vote.
C)linked voter registration to the vehicle registration process.
D)linked voter registration to the public assistance application process.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 13

One of the reasons voter turnout is lower in the United States than in Western European countries is that

A)Americans pay less attention to politics.
B)U.S.registration laws place a greater burden on the individual.
C)the U.S.population is not as well educated.
D)Europeans must pay a huge fine if they fail to vote.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 14

________ elections tend to draw the largest percentage of voters in the U.S.

A)Primary
B)Mayoral
C)Congressional
D)Gubernatorial
E)Presidential

Question 15

In the United States,the primary responsibility for registration of the individual voter rests with the

A)state and local governments.
B)local courts.
C)employer.
D)individual.
E)federal government.

Question 16

In the twenty-first century,voting rates in the United States have

A)shown little difference from those of the late twentieth century.
B)increased in presidential elections,while continuing to remain lowest in local elections.
C)demonstrated that the apathy of young citizens has worsened considerably since the early 1990s.
D)increased in all elections.
E)declined in all elections.

Question 17

Which of the following countries has the HIGHEST estimated voter turnout in major national elections in recent decades?

A)Denmark
B)Germany
C)the United States
D)Belgium
E)France

Question 18

Since the 1960s,the level of turnout in presidential elections has averaged about ___ percent.

A)75
B)65
C)60
D)45
E)35

Question 19

Voter identification cards find the most support among

A)Democrats.
B)Republicans.
C)libertarians.
D)liberals.
E)poorer citizens.

Question 20

Voter registration in the United States

A)was introduced as a means of keeping white males without property from voting.
B)began as a way of preventing voters from casting more than one ballot on election day.
C)is the responsibility of the government,which adds legally qualified individuals automatically to the registration rolls.
D)applies to voting in general elections but not in primary elections.
E)has vastly increased voter turnout.

Question 21

Voting

A)is a limited form of political participation.
B)provides citizens with a regular way to express themselves.
C)is the most widespread form of political participation.
D)is both a means by which government controls the people and a means by which the people control government.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 22

Citizens in which of the following countries are MOST likely to engage in political activities,such as volunteering for political campaigns?

A)Germany
B)France
C)Great Britain
D)the United States
E)There is no difference among the four nations.

Question 23

The chief obstacle to Americans' participation in community activities is the

A)lack of opportunity,because there are few groups active at this level.
B)lack of personal motivation to get involved.
C)low potential for success,since key decisions are made at the national level.
D)low potential for success,since key decisions are made at the state level.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 24

The frequency of elections in the United States reduces voter turnout by

A)discouraging local politicians from playing an active role in presidential elections.
B)creating more complex registration requirements.
C)focusing too much attention on state and local elections.
D)increasing the personal effort needed to participate in all elections.
E)increasing the amount of taxes paid at the polls.

Question 25

Which of the following is true of the Georgia law that required citizens without a government-issued photo ID,such as a driver's license or passport,to obtain a voter identification card,which would cost them twenty dollars and expire after five years?

A)A federal judge invalidated Georgia's twenty-dollar fee requirement,but the photo ID requirement stood.
B)The law currently stands as it was initially created.
C)A federal judge struck down the entire law;a person may vote in Georgia without a government-issued photo ID.
D)A federal court struck down the law,but Georgia appealed it and the Supreme Court upheld the law as created.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 26

If Americans vote less than Europeans,why are they more likely to work in a political campaign than are citizens in Europe?

A)America's federal structure provides more campaign opportunities.
B)European candidates seldom need campaign workers.
C)Americans have more leisure time than Europeans.
D)U.S.candidates pay campaign workers,whereas European candidates do not.
E)Laws in some U.S.communities require citizens to participate in campaigns.

Question 27

Many white,working-class citizens failed to vote in the 1968 and 1972 elections because they felt alienated by the centrality of which political issue?

A)civil rights
B)the Vietnam War
C)the economy
D)immigration
E)youth protest

Question 28

Compared with U.S.citizens of higher income,those of lower income are

A)much less likely to vote in elections.
B)about equally likely to vote in elections.
C)much more likely to vote in elections.
D)much less likely to vote in elections-a pattern that is also true in European democracies.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 29

Which of the following groups of people is MOST adversely affected by our country's voter registration system?

A)senior citizens
B)those with less income and education
C)young adults
D)women
E)people with college degrees

Question 30

Unlike in many other democracies,elections in the United States are traditionally held on

A)Mondays.
B)Tuesdays.
C)Fridays.
D)Saturdays.
E)Sundays.

Question 31

The public as a whole has policy positions that are ________ in comparison to the policy positions of regular voters.

A)substantially more conservative
B)slightly more conservative
C)overall more moderate
D)slightly more liberal
E)substantially more liberal

Question 32

In comparison with citizens in Western European democracies,Americans are LESS likely to

A)vote in national elections.
B)actively work in an election campaign.
C)participate in community activities.
D)join an interest group.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 33

Education and income affects voter turnout

A)more in the United States than in Europe.
B)more in Europe than in the United States.
C)only in national elections in the United States.
D)only in national elections in Europe.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 34

One's sense of civic duty and apathy are attitudes that are usually acquired from one's

A)economic status.
B)community.
C)education.
D)parents.
E)experience with voting.

Question 35

Citizens in which of the following countries are MOST likely to talk to people about politics?

A)Germany
B)France
C)Great Britain
D)the United States
E)There is no difference among the four nations.

Question 36

All of the following tend to decrease voter turnout EXCEPT

A)sharp policy differences between major parties.
B)alienation.
C)frequent elections.
D)an individualistic culture.
E)lack of interest in politics.

Question 37

As distinct from alienation,apathy is

A)associated with a high rate of voter turnout.
B)a feeling of powerlessness.
C)a general lack of interest in politics.
D)a sign that the political system is working properly.
E)widespread among affluent Americans.

Question 38

Regular voters tend to be characterized by a

A)strong sense of alienation,which motivates them to try to change government.
B)strong sense of civic duty.
C)desire to use government as a vehicle to help other Americans rather than themselves.
D)strong sense of independence,which motivates them to try to defeat incumbents.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 39

The citizens of ________ are most likely to participate as campaign volunteers during an election.

A)the Netherlands
B)Great Britain
C)the United States
D)Germany
E)France

Question 40

The percentage who are registered to vote is HIGHEST in the ________ income level.

A)lowest 20%
B)next-to-lowest 20%
C)middle 20%
D)next-to-highest 20%
E)highest 20%

Question 41

The Tea Party

A)is aligned with the moderate wing of the Republican Party.
B)has been backed by wealthy conservative donors.
C)has urged compromise with Democrats on tax and spending issues.
D)has yet to have any of its supporters elected to Congress.
E)All of these answers are correct.

Question 42

The Tea Party's key initial issue was

A)support for American military involvement in Iraq.
B)support for American military involvement in Afghanistan.
C)opposition to President Obama's climate change policies.
D)opposition to high taxes.
E)opposition to the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Question 43

Political protests

A)have recently seen success primarily with liberal or leftist protest groups.
B)are today usually planned events.
C)are more common in the United States today than in most European democracies.
D)have become more spontaneous and unlawful in recent years.
E)are today mostly aimed at local laws and local political targets.

Question 44

Occupy Wall Street's main issue has been

A)the power and wealth of the wealthiest Americans.
B)the undue influence of the Tea Party in national politics.
C)the high taxes paid by America's poor.
D)the need to have better regulation of stock trading.
E)the necessity of overthrowing capitalism and replacing it with socialism.

Question 45

Harvard's Robert Putnam argues in his book Bowling Alone that

A)the increase in frequency of elections in the United States has increased the level of general voter apathy.
B)community participation among young adults has risen in the past two decades because of new media technologies like Internet activism.
C)voter apathy is only going to increase as long as we maintain a two-party system.
D)a proportional representation system in the legislature would increase voter turnout.
E)America has been undergoing a long-term decline in its social capital.

Question 46

Define unconventional activism and its aims,and provide historical examples.Also describe Americans' attitudes toward unconventional activism.

Question 47

Describe three systemic reasons why Americans vote at a lower rate than Western Europeans.

Question 48

When democratic governments came into existence,tax and food riots and other forms of protest greatly diminished.Why?

A)Citizens had less-disruptive ways to express themselves.
B)A government safety net ensured basic needs were met.
C)Social scientists have been studying this phenomenon but do not have a conclusive answer.
D)The wealth of citizens increased dramatically with democratic freedoms and liberty.
E)None of these answers is correct.

Question 49

Give at least three reasons why some Americans vote regularly while others do not.

Question 50

A sustained action taken by citizens disenchanted with government in order to express their opposition and work to bring about the change they seek is a

A)social movement.
B)voter upsurge.
C)citizen lobby.
D)popular resistance.
E)regular election.

Question 51

Why are people of higher income and education levels more likely to be politically active?

Question 52

When it comes to protest activities,a majority of Americans are

A)actively involved in protests at one time or another in their lives.
B)willing to contribute through financial support but not through active participation.
C)not highly supportive of such activities,despite America's tradition of free expression.
D)actively involved only later in their lives,when they feel more secure that a protest is justified.
E)supportive of violent activities if the cause warrants such an approach.

Question 53

What did political scientist Larry Bartels demonstrate in his book Unequal Democracy?

A)Elected officials are substantially more responsive to the concerns of their more affluent constituents than to those of their poorer constituents.
B)Elected officials are substantially more responsive to the efforts of lobbyists than to the concerns of their constituents.
C)Elected officials do not tend to respond to the efforts of social movements or protests when casting votes or forming policy.
D)Elected officials tend to ignore the interests of their constituents when they make policy or cast votes,until just before they are up for reelection.
E)Incumbents hold so much power in the United States and are so difficult to unseat that they have disenfranchised much of the voting population of the U.S.
Essay Questions