American Government 100 Part IV
Patterson, pgs. 235-246, A:AG22-11
Conventional Forms of Participation Other Than Voting
True or False Questions
1. Campaign participation is higher in the United States than in Europe. True or False
2. Most of the European governments are federal in form, which means that there are fewer elective offices and thus fewer campaigns. True or False
3. Although American are more likely than Europeans to participate in campaigns, Europeans are more likely to participate for political groups. True or False
4. The 2010 health care reform bill failed to adopt the so-called public option that would have allowed the federal government to directly compete with private insurance companies in providing health care. True or False
5. Social networking is proving to be a powerful grassroots organizing force even in nondemocratic societies. True or False
6. When the Bush administration was preparing for war against Iraq in 2003, there were only a sprinkling of protest demonstrations with just a couple of people. True or False
7. Protest activity is more common today in the United States than in many Western democracies. True or False
8. Americans recognize that protest is part of America’s tradition of free expression, something to be tolerated, if not widely admired. True or False
9. Most Americans under most conditions expect to solve their problems on their own rather than through political action. True or False
10. Political scientist Larry Bartels demonstrated that elected officials are substantially more responsive to the concerns of their more affluent constituents than to those of their poorer constituents. True or False
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Why are Americans more likely than Europeans to work in a campaign? a) Elections take place more often in Europe than the United States, b) Because Americans have more opportunities to do so, c) Europeans place greater restrictions on their voters, limiting their participation to just voting, d) In Europe it is the local boss that decides who votes and who doesn't.
2. Political participation through the Internet has been most evident in the following type of campaign: a) local races, b) governorships, c) congressional races, d) presidential campaigns
3. The following organization has over two million online activists who helped Barack Obama defeat Hillary Clinton for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination: a) Huffington Report, b) Heritage Foundation, c) MoveOn, d) American Enterprise Institute.
4. What is the chief obstacle to political participation? a) lack of opportunities at the local level, b) the lack of motivation to join in, c) a tradition of not participating, d) the exorbitant financial costs charged, limiting involvement to wealthy people.
5. Why do Americans participate more often in local communities, such as rotary clubs, parent-teacher associations, etc., compared with local communities in Europe? a) Americans are less mobile than their European counterparts, b) Americans have a greater sense of community compared to Europeans, c) Americans have a greater impact over public issues at the local level, d) Europeans have a history of community involvement prior to the Industrial Revolution.
6. The sum of the face-to-face civic interactions among citizens in a society: a) solidary interaction, b) group identification, c) nationalism, d) social capital,.
7. Quoting Robert Putnam, he argues that there has been a broad and continuing erosion of civic engagement in the U.S. that is the result of: a) increasing class distinctions, b) decreases in the crime rate, c) television and other factors, d) anathema to social engagement.
8. In the past two decades, partly because of college and internship programs, volunteering in community activities among young people has increased by roughly: a) 10%, b) 20%, c) 32%, d) 36%.
9. Why is voting a double-edged sword according to Patterson? a) Although the vote gives citizens a degree of control over government, the vote also gives government control over citizens, b) Voting strips the citizen of feeling a need to socialize and communicate with elected officials, c) One has to go the polls and watch who wins, d) Elected officials have the incentive to lie to their constituents far too often.
10. The following refers to broad efforts to achieve change by citizens who feel that government is not properly responsive to their interests: a) social interaction, b) public accountability, c) political impact, d) political movements.
11. The passage of the landmark 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act can be attributed primarily to the following catalyst: a) members of Congress motivated by their work, b) President Lyndon Johnson concerns, c) the civil rights movement, d) Television.
12. When unarmed student protesters at Kent State University and Jackson State University were shot to death in May 1970 by members of the National Guard, most Americans polls faulted: a) the national guardsmen, b) the government, c) the students, d) the Vietnam War.
13. Which state has the highest volunteer rate involved in community service work of one type or another? a) California, b) New York, c) Florida, d) Utah.
Fill-in Questions
1. Why is voting a somewhat limited form of political participation?
a) Citizens have the opportunity to vote only at a particular _____ and
b) only on the ______listed on the ______.
2. What are some of the negative consequences of Web-based politics?
a) Evidence suggests that the Internet is contributing to political ______.
b) Because citizens on the Internet tend to visit sites that ______their opinions, it intensifies such opinions and contributes to the belief that other opinions lack ______.
c) The higher participation rates on the Internet can also lead to ______views on political issues.
Answers
True or False Questions
1. True
3. False
5. True
7. False
9. True
Multiple Choice Questions
1. b
3. c
5. c
7. c
9. a
11. c
13. d
Fill-in Questions
1. a) time, b) choices, ballot
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