Chapter 8: Political Participation

Test Bank

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 1

1) Political participation is

Feedback: factual

a. Hacking to solve education problems

b. Marching to the capital for gun control

c. Cheering on a candidate

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 2

2) When people donate funds simply by pointing a mouse at a computer screen, they are practicing

Feedback: conceptual

a. clicktocracy.

b. clicktivism.

c. clicktograms.

d. clickticity.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 3

3) The estimated number of podcasts in 2004 was

Feedback: factual

a. 20.

b. 32.

c. 24.

d. over 1,000.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 4

4) The estimated number of podcasts in 2021 was

Feedback: factual

a. under 50,000.

b. 50,000–75,000.

c. 75,000–100,000.

d. over 850,000.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 5

5) Writing letters to the editor is an example of

Feedback: applied

a. traditional participation.

b. civic voluntarism.

c. direct action.

d. institutional participation.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 6

6) The first step in the voting process is

Feedback: factual

a. choosing a candidate.

b. registering.

c. choosing a party.

d. casting a vote.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 7

7) How many states allow same-day voting?

Feedback: factual

a. Thirteen

b. Fifteen

c. Twenty-one

d. Nineteen

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 8

8) If you fill out your ballot and mail it in along with most other voters in your state, you likely live in

Feedback: applied

a. New Hampshire.

b. Montana.

c. California.

d. Oregon.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 9

9) Sitting at a table on Election Day and verifying voter addresses is an example of

Feedback: conceptual

a. political participation.

b. direct action.

c. volunteer voting.

d. institutional participation.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 10

10) Standing on a street corner holding a political sign and waving at traffic is an example of

Feedback: applied

a. direct action.

b. electoral activities.

c. institutional participation.

d. political voice.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 11

11) Writing a letter to a state senator after the election is an example of

Feedback: conceptual

a. direct action.

b. electoral activities.

c. political voice.

d. institutional participation.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 12

12) Concerning which of the following topics can citizens use their political voice to contact government officials?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Potholes

b. Immigration policy

c. Nuclear-weapons agreements

d. All of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 13

13) When contacting government officials, it is important to

Feedback: applied

a. contact the right official.

b. word the letter professionally.

c. use enough postage.

d. send the letter via e-mail.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 14

14) The first state to automatically register voters was

Feedback: factual

a. Washington.

b. California.

c. Oregon.

d. South Dakota.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 15

15) Alexis de Tocqueville was impressed with Americans’ propensity to

Feedback: factual

a. vote.

b. write letters to the editor.

c. get involved.

d. ignore party politics.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 16

16) The most active group in U.S. history for volunteering their time are the

Feedback: factual

a. baby boomers.

b. members of Generation X.

c. members of the Silent Generation.

d. millennials.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 17

17) Taking time on Thanksgiving to serve food at a local women’s shelter is an example of

Feedback: applied

a. voluntary engagement.

b. direct action.

c. institutional engagement.

d. clicktocracy.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 18

18) A person who volunteers is more likely to

Feedback: conceptual

a. work.

b. vote.

c. pay taxes.

d. contact officials.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 19

19) A person who volunteers is more likely to

Feedback: conceptual

a. work.

b. pay taxes.

c. engage in public life.

d. contact officials.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 20

20) Working outside normal channels to institute change is

Feedback: factual

a. civic voluntarism.

b. public contribution.

c. illegal activity.

d. direct action.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 21

21) A group of people getting together and marching on the capital is an example of

Feedback: applied

a. direct action.

b. traditional voluntarism.

c. public contribution.

d. civic voluntarism.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 22

22) The goal of direct action is to

Feedback: conceptual

a. create trouble.

b. call attention to a cause.

c. achieve fifteen minutes of fame.

d. overthrow the government.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 23

23) Illegally sitting on a bus and getting arrested is an example of

Feedback: conceptual

a. traditional participation.

b. public contribution.

c. civil disobedience.

d. civil discourse.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 24

24) According to Thoreau “if [the law] requires you to be the agent of injustice to another,” you should

Feedback: factual

a. petition elected officials.

b. protest against the law.

c. rewrite the law.

d. break the law.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 25

25) Although the First Amendment guarantees the right to assemble, local authorities can

Feedback: factual

a. require a permit.

b. stop the assembly.

c. change the assembly date.

d. change the assembly location.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 26

26) Direct action can reflect the

Feedback: factual

a. best of times.

b. worst of times.

c. government overthrow.

d. bright future.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 27

27) Great American rallies mark _______ points in political history.

Feedback: factual

a. low

b. transitional

c. high

d. stagnant

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 28

28) Congress passed clean air legislation after what event?

Feedback: factual

a. Bus boycott

b. Los Angeles earthquake

c. United Nations environmental declaration

d. Earth Day

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 29

29) The line between traditional participation and direct action can be

Feedback: factual

a. clear cut.

b. nonexistent.

c. blurred.

d. too political for many.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 30

30) What percentage of the voting-age population votes in presidential elections?

Feedback: factual

a. 75–80 percent

b. Under 60 percent

c. Over 60 percent

d. 45 percent

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 31

31) Voter turnout rates in the United States are

Feedback: factual

a. about the same as the rates in Belgium.

b. higher than rates in Israel.

c. comparatively low.

d. comparatively high.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 32

32) Voter turnout in congressional midterm elections is

Feedback: factual

a. 75–80 percent.

b. 60–65 percent.

c. 53–62 percent.

d. 35–40 percent.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 33

33) Why would states restrict the vote?

Feedback: conceptual

a. To keep African Americans from voting

b. To keep Democrats from voting

c. To keep Republicans from voting

d. To keep poor people from voting

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 34

34) What led to more African Americans’ availability for the civil rights movement?

Feedback: applied

a. Better working hours

b. Boll weevil infestation

c. New media

d. Better education

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 35

35) The founding of the United States could be considered the result of

Feedback: applied

a. civic participation.

Inorrect

b. traditional participation.

c. direct action.

d. civic voluntarism.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 36

35) Americans tend to volunteer _______ citizens in other countries

Feedback: factual

a. less than

Inorrect

b. at similar levels as

Inorrect

c. differently than

d. more than

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 37

37) Which of the following factors spurs individuals to participate?

Feedback: factual

a. Interacting with family and friends

b. Having a job

c. Being born in America

d. Having parents who were immigrants

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 38

38) Living in a neighborhood that involves all residents in a Neighborhood Watch program is one way to build

Feedback: applied

a. social action.

b. social capital.

c. social gains.

d. social movement.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 39

39) Which of the following is more likely to vote?

Feedback: applied

a. Young high-school dropout

b. Young person living in poverty

c. Older college-educated person

d. Older low-income high-school dropout

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 40

40) Mark Twain referred to a time of vast differences in wealth as a

Feedback: factual

a. wealthy time.

b. wealthy age.

c. gilded time.

d. gilded age.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 41

41) Which of the following is more likely to get involved as a volunteer?

Feedback: applied

a. Young man getting assistance through GI Bill

b. Mother receiving food stamps

c. Middle-aged man on Medicaid

d. Young woman with no health insurance

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 42

42) Which of the following is more likely to have access to political leaders?

Feedback: applied

a. A worker who makes $225,000 a year

b. A worker who makes $375,000 a year

c. A worker who makes $82,000 a year

d. A worker who makes $12,000 a year

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 43

43) Citizens with college degrees are how much more likely to vote than those who do not finish high school?

Feedback: factual

a. Six times

b. Four times

c. Two times

d. No real difference

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 44

44) What percentage of people who do not finish high school vote in presidential elections?

Feedback: factual

a. 75 percent

b. 54 percent

c. 38 percent

d. Less than 30 percent

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 45

45) Which type of voter played a critical role in electing Donald Trump in 2016?

Feedback: factual

a. Voters who were working class

b. Voters with undergraduate degrees

c. Voters with some college

d. Voters with graduate degrees

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 46

46) In what election did Blacks vote at a higher rate than whites for the first time?

Feedback: factual

a. 2016

b. 2012

c. 2008

d. 2004

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 47

47) There were more Black voters in 2012 due to the presence of _______ on the ballot.

Feedback: factual

a. John McCain

b. Sarah Palin

c. Barack Obama

d. Hillary Clinton

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 48

48) An Asian American is _______ percent less likely to vote than a white voter.

Feedback: conceptual

a. 80

b. 70

c. 60

d. 50

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 49

49) A Latino is _______ percent less likely to vote than a white voter.

Feedback: conceptual

a. 50

b. 60

c. 70

d. 80

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 50

50) Which of the following is most likely to vote?

Feedback: applied

a. An isolated person who lives alone

b. A person whose parents vote

c. A person whose parents have never voted

d. A person whose friends refuse to vote

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 51

51) Which of the following actions is most likely to cause someone to vote?

Feedback: applied

a. A political ad urges people to vote.

b. The governor of the state encourages people to vote in a televised speech.

c. Your best friend tells you to vote over dinner.

d. Your boss tells employees to vote during a staff meeting.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 52

52) People who live in _______ neighborhoods are more likely to get involved.

Feedback: factual

a. suburban

b. rural

c. inner city

d. civically active

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 53

53) Compared with previous groups of young Americans, millennials exhibit _______ levels of trust.

Feedback: factual

a. lower

b. higher

c. equal

d. more varied

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 54

54) Which is true of people who watch a lot of television rather than belonging to a book club?

Feedback: applied

a. They are more likely to become politically involved.

b. They are less likely to become politically involved.

c. They are equally likely to become politically involved.

d. None of the answer choices is correct; their likelihood of participating is based on other factors.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 55

55) One key to political participation is living in a

Feedback: factual

a. suburban neighborhood.

b. low-key neighborhood.

c. highly participatory community.

d. heavily liberal community.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 56

56) What city helped transform the city by boosting social capital?

Feedback: factual

a. San Jose, California

b. Tijuana, Mexico

c. Yuma, Arizona

d. San Jose, Costa Rica

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 57

57) Citizens in what city used social media to call out those ruining their neighborhood by dumping trash?

Feedback: factual

a. Detroit

b. Chicago

c. Topeka

d. Waco

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 58

58) After they began taking action, what did the residents of a Detroit neighborhood do to continue improving their neighborhood?

Feedback: factual

a. Hire more police

b. Plant community gardens

c. Restrict cars in the neighborhood

d. Tear down vacant homes

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 59

59) Political mobilization has traditionally been carried out by

Feedback: factual

a. neighborhoods.

b. candidates.

c. party organizations.

d. election authorities.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 60

60) Who asked young people to “ask what they could do for their country”?

Feedback: factual

a. Franklin D. Roosevelt

b. Harry Truman

c. Lyndon Johnson

d. John F. Kennedy

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 61

61) In the 1980s, Ronald Reagan drew _______ into politics.

Feedback: factual

a. Evangelicals

b. Muslims

c. Italians

d. Cubans

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 62

62) Donald Trump is pulling _______ into political involvement.

Feedback: factual

a. corporate executives

b. working-class people

c. lower-class people

d. housewives

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 63

63) In issue advocacy campaigns, who are the chief mobilizers?

Feedback: factual

a. Political organizations

b. Candidates

c. Interest groups

d. Candidates’ support staffs

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 64

64) What movement threatened to take over the Republican Party after 2009?

Feedback: factual

a. Occupy Wall Street

b. Gun Control for America

c. Revolution Now

d. Tea Party Movement

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 65

65) For professional mobilizers, individuals are potential

Feedback: factual

a. resources.

b. activists.

c. candidates.

d. members.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 66

66) A movement from the ground up is known as _______ movement in political language.

Feedback: factual

a. an Astroturf

b. a grassroots

c. a dog whistling

d. an actorvist

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 67

67) An apparent grassroots movement that has actually been mobilized by political professionals is

Feedback: factual

a. an actorvist movement.

b. a dog whistling movement.

c. an Astroturf movement.

d. a grassweed movement.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 68

68) Which of the following uses insider, coded language that rouses constituents?

Feedback: factual

a. The actorvist approach

b. The grassroots approach

c. The Astroturf approach

d. The dog whistling approach

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 69

69) When Chuck Norris speaks to get others to join his cause, he is acting according to which of the following?

Feedback: factual

a. An actorvist approach

b. A grassroots approach

c. An Astroturf approach

d. A dog whistling approach

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 70

70) Which of the following beneficiaries of government benefits is more likely to vote?

Feedback: applied

a. A food stamp recipient

b. A student loan recipient

c. A Medicaid recipient

d. A user of TANF benefits

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 71

71) Which of the following beneficiaries of government benefits is less likely to vote?

Feedback: factual

a. A Social Security recipient

b. A student loan recipient

c. A food stamp recipient

d. A GI Bill recipient

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 72

72) A raptivist is a _______ who gets involved in political causes.

Feedback: factual

a. Republican

b. Russian

c. rapper

d. renegade

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 73

73) Which of the following was more likely to be politically involved?

Feedback: applied

a. A worker in the 1930s

b. A student in the 1930s

c. A worker in the 1970s

d. A student in the 1970s

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 74

74) Which of the following was more likely to be politically involved?

Feedback: factual

a. A worker in the 1960s

b. A student in the 1960s

c. A worker in the 1980s

d. A student in the 1980s

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 75

75) Which of the following discourages political participation?

Feedback: factual

a. Elections on Saturdays

b. Few elections

c. Frequent elections

d. Ease of voter registration

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 76

76) Which of the following discourages political participation?

Feedback: factual

a. Elections on Saturdays

b. Few elections

c. Few candidates

d. Complicated voter registration

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 77

77) Which of the following discourages political participation?

Feedback: factual

a. Elections on Tuesdays

b. Few elections

c. Few candidates

d. Ease of voter registration

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 78

78) Which of the following discourages political participation?

Feedback: factual

a. Elections on Saturdays

b. Elections on workdays

c. Few candidates

d. Ease of voter registration

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 79

79) Which of the following proposes that it makes little sense for individuals to expend the time and resources necessary to vote?

Feedback: factual

a. Voting inconsistency

b. Rational voter rule

c. Paradox of voting

d. Paradox of rationality

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 80

80) Most stable democracies have voter turnout rates in which range?

Feedback: factual

a. 35–50 percent

b. 45–60 percent

c. 55–70 percent

d. 65–80 percent

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 81

81) A person who feels powerless or unable to control his or her fate is likely feeling

Feedback: conceptual

a. alienated.

b. barred from voting.

c. complacent.

d. mobilized.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 82

82) Those who feel alienated often get involved through

Feedback: factual

a. voting.

b. direct action.

c. community involvement.

d. campaign work.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 83

83) Which of the following is more likely to feel alienated?

Feedback: applied

a. Male CEO

b. Female doctor

c. Male high-school dropout

d. Female high-school dropout

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 84

84) Which group is least likely to vote?

Feedback: factual

a. Silent Generation

b. Baby boomers

c. Generation X

d. Millennials

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 85

85) Alienated citizens charge the political establishment with focusing on

Feedback: factual

a. matters that avoid real problems.

b. serious issues with no solutions.

c. problems of the wealthy.

d. state issues.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 86

86) The reason for literacy tests was to prove that voters

Feedback: factual

a. could read.

b. could exercise political judgment.

c. could analyze legalese.

d. understood English.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 87

87) Which voters took the literacy test the same day as Will Walker?

Feedback: factual

a. White voters

b. Poor farmers

c. Neither of the above

d. Both of the above

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 88

88) Which party has tried to simplify voting rules?

Feedback: factual

a. Libertarian

b. Green

c. Republican

d. Democratic

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 89

89) Voter registration began in the

Feedback: factual

a. 1830s

b. 1920s

c. 1940s

d. 1960s

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 90

90) Voter registration was introduced to

Feedback: factual

a. count eligible voters.

b. limit immigrant votes.

c. know how many ballots to print.

d. create a list of who wanted to vote.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 91

91) Which party has worked to tighten restrictions on voting?

Feedback: factual

a. Libertarian

b. Green

c. Republican

d. Democratic

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 92

92) What percentage of the voting-age population turned out in 1940?

Feedback: factual

a. 58 percent

b. 24 percent

c. 97 percent

d. 63 percent

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 93

93) What percentage of the voting population turned out in 1980?

Feedback: factual

a. 58 percent

b. 24 percent

c. 97 percent

d. 63 percent

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 94

94) Which group was drawn into direct action politics in the 1930s?

Feedback: factual

a. Students

b. Workers

c. Teachers

d. Senior citizens

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 95

95) Before the 1960s, Americans’ main source of political mobilization was

Feedback: factual

a. interest groups.

b. candidates.

c. political parties.

d. unions.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 96

96) After the 1960s, Americans’ main source of political mobilization was

Feedback: factual

a. political parties.

b. candidates.

c. unions.

d. advocacy groups.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 97

97) An example of a new participation technology is

Feedback: conceptual

a. commenting online.

b. writing a letter.

c. making a phone call.

d. using voter polls.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 98

98) Which communication method expands the range of the message?

Feedback: conceptual

a. Magazine article

b. Tweet

c. Television interview

d. Radio interview

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 99

99) The president who refined the Internet technique was

Feedback: factual

a. Bill Clinton.

b. George W. Bush.

c. Barack Obama.

d. Donald Trump.

Type: multiple choice question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 100

100) Younger generations display a _______ level of trust in public officials, but a _______ level of trust in their fellow citizens.

Feedback: factual

a. high, high

b. low, low

c. low, high

d. high, low

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 101

101) What are the three categories of participation?

Feedback:

• Traditional.
• Civic voluntarism.
• Direct action.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 102

102) Discuss traditional ways of being involved in the government.

Feedback:

• Voting.
• Electoral activities.
• Political voice.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 103

103) Discuss civic voluntarism.

Feedback:

• Not all participation is through politics.
• Being involved in charity, speaking at a town meeting, paying taxes.
• Working for a better community through private efforts, such as building a local park.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 104

104) What forms of participation fall under the label direct action? Why would someone choose direct action over traditional involvement?

Feedback:

• Demonstrations, marches, armed standoffs, riots.
• Traditional forms of participation not working.
• Call attention to a cause.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 105

105) Discuss the factors that lead individuals to participate.

Feedback:

• Personal background.
• Influence of family members.
• Civic engagement.
• Mutual trust.
• Mobilization efforts.
• Receiving benefits.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 106

106) Discuss the relationship of age to political engagement.

Feedback:

• Older people more likely to vote.
• Younger voters try to influence politics through direct action.
• Younger voters more likely to engage politically online.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 107

107) What is voter turnout, and why is the voter turnout in the United States among the lowest for the world’s developed democratic nations?

Feedback:

• Define voter turnout as a measure of what proportion of eligible voters actually cast a legitimate ballot in a given election.
• Document how, compared with other countries, the United States holds more frequent national elections, which contributes to low turnout.
• Explain how one important reason for low turnout is the difficulty working people may have in finding time to make it to their polling places.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 108

108) Recent studies suggest that people may inherit a tendency toward political participation. Discuss, in forty words or less, how this may be the case, and give an example of how it applies to you personally.

Feedback:

• Explain the research on inheritance toward political participation. This theory suggests that people’s desire to vote or volunteer is determined by their genes—but only partly.
• Explain how political involvement is shaped by several influences simultaneously, so that genetic inheritance is one factor among many.
• Give a personal example that corresponds to the discussion in this chapter.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 109

109) Describe the concept of political mobilization.

Feedback:

• Explain how the work of political mobilization has traditionally been carried out by party organizations. Both major parties remain powerful factors in encouraging millions of people to get involved—especially at election time.
• Highlight how, in the eyes of professional political mobilizers—advocacy groups, campaign strategists, and other members of the enormous “political industry” based in Washington, DC—each individual is a potential resource.
• Provide an example of political mobilization.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 110

110) Receiving benefits from the government is a significant factor encouraging participation in public life. Describe some benefits Americans can receive from the government.

Feedback:

• List examples of public benefits, such as Social Security, federally guaranteed student loans (which keep the interest rate low), and certain parts of Obamacare (which allow children to be covered by parents’ health insurance past age twenty-one).
• Explain how receiving benefits may encourage participation in public life.
• Suggest reasons why so many Americans appear to be unaware of any benefits they receive from government and instead are suspicious of and resistant to government.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 111

111) How did boll weevils affect political participation?

Feedback:

• Crops were destroyed.
• African American farm workers moved to cities.
• Civil Rights movement found recruits in displaced farm workers.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 112

112) What are the different rates at which Americans participate in political life?

Feedback:

• Passionately.
• Moderately.
• Sporadically.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 113

113) Discuss the reasons political participation may be low.

Feedback:

• Elections on Tuesday.
• Frequent elections.
• Primary elections.
• Burdensome registration requirements.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 114

114) A sense of alienation is reported more often in the United States among members of historically excluded groups. Discuss which groups fall into this category. Can the alienation be changed?

Feedback:

• Discuss groups that may be considered politically alienated, such as African Americans, younger people, and recent immigrants.
• Document reasons for political alienation among these groups.
• Express an opinion about whether the alienation can be changed and what the change could be.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 115

115) Institutional barriers have long been a major issue in preventing prospective voters from joining in the political process. Discuss some ways in which obstacles to greater participation have been removed. Suggest additional ways in which barriers might be removed.

Feedback:

• Discuss obstacles to political participation.
• Describe some ways in which the path to political participation has been cleared: ability to register to vote when applying for a driver’s license (National Voter Registration Act of 1993), greater accessibility to political information due to the Internet, and information and ballots available in multiple languages.
• Suggests additional ways in which barriers can be removed.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 116

116) The relatively low participation rates of millennials can seem puzzling, given their high engagement as volunteers. List some reasons why millennials are not more involved politically. Can these factors be changed? If so, how?

Feedback:

• Discuss how volunteering is generally an individual activity, while other types of public engagement tend to be more collective.
• Discuss how young people in late teens and twenties display relatively low levels of trust in their fellow citizens; high levels of trust are a strong marker of inclination to engage in political activities.
• Suggest whether low public engagement can be changed, and how.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 117

117) Analyze the bandwagon effect, and give examples of how this practice has been effectively implemented. Should it be utilized by politicians, or is it unethical?

Feedback:

• Explain the bandwagon effect: if we perceive that many other people are doing something, most of us are likely to do it as well.
• Discuss examples of the bandwagon effect.
• Provide an opinion on the ethics of using the bandwagon effect.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 118

118) Discuss the paradox of voting.

Feedback:

• Cost of voting outweighs the apparent benefits.
• Cost of voting: acquiring information, traveling to polling site, waiting in line.
• Could predict low voter turnout.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 119

119) Discuss the four reasons people do not participate in political life.

Feedback:

• Alienation.
• Barriers to participation.
• Complacency.
• Shifting mobilization patterns.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 120

120) Discuss literacy tests. For whom were they written? What was the purpose?

Feedback:

• Tests certain voters had to pass to vote.
• Written for Black voters.
• Intended to stop them from voting.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 121

121) What are some institutional barriers to voting today?

Feedback:

• Difficulty of registering.
• Difficulty of voting.
• Requirement to show ID.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 122

122) What is the voting process? Discuss each step.

Feedback:

• Register to vote.
• Cast your vote.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 123

123) What are some reasons to make it harder to vote?

Feedback:

• Reduce fraud.
• Voting is a privilege that takes time and energy.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 124

124) Discuss ways people can vote.

Feedback:

• Polling place.
• Early voting.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 125

125) Discuss why Americans are shifting to a cycle of nonparticipation.

Feedback:

• Surge in advocacy group organizing.
• Less political party affiliation.
• Political parties less likely to mobilize disengaged Americans because allegiance is suspect.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 126

126) Discuss technology and the millennial generation.

Feedback:

• Most wired group in history.
• New technologies—new forms of participation.
• Online activities and social media.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 127

127) Is civic participation growing in America? Discuss spurs to civic participation. Provide examples of each.

Feedback:

• Discuss spurs to civic participation.
• Provide examples.
• Offer and defend an opinion about whether civic participation is growing in America.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 128

128) Why might new technology be good for political involvement?

Feedback:

• Internet users are active.
• New technologies link people.
• People can bypass talking heads to make comments.
• Politicians use as a powerful tool to mobilize, connect, and collect.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 129

129) Why might new technology be bad for political involvement?

Feedback:

• Central control.
• Sheer volume and variety of information is mind-boggling.
• Internet incubates lies, malice, and falsehood.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 130

130) Discuss how participation is in flux. Look at the differences in generations.

Feedback:

• Young Americans less likely to participate in traditional politics.
• Young Americans more likely to volunteer, build social capital, and engage through social media.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 131

131) Describe pathways to participation. Discuss how different generations are involved in each pathway, and give examples of each path.

Feedback:

• Traditional participation.
• Civic voluntarism.
• Direct action.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 132

132) Discuss three types of political participation.

Feedback:

• Answers will vary

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 133

133) Imagine you were able to design participation styles for a group of people—a town or even an entire country. Which blend of styles would you want to have in your utopian world, and why?

Feedback:

• Accurately use the terminology of the chapter.
• Use the political science ideas discussed in this chapter.
• Apply the ideas to demonstrate community significance of the three different political participation styles.
• Use types of each participation style in answer.
• Compare ideas to similar ideas currently being implemented in the world

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 134

134) Discuss at length the three categories of participatory practices as referred to by political scientists.

Feedback:

• Discuss electoral activities, of which the most familiar is voting.
• Discuss civic voluntarism, ranging from group membership to raising funds for charity.
• Discuss political voice, which encompasses such acts as sending an e-mail to your local newspaper editor or engaging in protests, like those in the Occupy movement.
• Discuss the importance of voter registration.
• Discuss efforts to ensure that voters actually vote (mobilization to ensure that people go to their assigned polling place or send in their absentee ballot).

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 135

135) Americans volunteer for causes at higher rates than citizens of other democratic countries. Discuss the various reasons why voluntarism is such an essential aspect of American life.

Feedback:

• Point out that the millennial generation is the most active in modern U.S. history when it comes to volunteering.
• Discuss the connection between volunteering and other civic participation, such as voting, paying attention to political affairs, and otherwise engaging in public life.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 136

136) Why do some people get involved politically?

Feedback:

• Discuss academic studies suggesting that the decision to vote makes little rational sense.
• Discuss political education (or “socialization”).
• Analyze the influence of family members and close friends, especially in communities with high levels of civic engagement and mutual trust.
• Discuss mobilization efforts by advocacy groups and political parties.
• Explain how receiving benefits from government is connected to political involvement.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 137

137) Political strategists and mobilizers have a language of their own. Describe some of the terms you’ll hear if you work in advocacy or campaign politics, such as grassroots, Astroturf, dog whistling, actorvist, and government beneficiaries.

Feedback:

• Analyze the term grassroots.
• Analyze the term Astroturf.
• Analyze the term dog whistling.
• Analyze the term actorvist.
• Analyze the term government beneficiaries

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 138

138) Discuss the main reasons individuals participate in civic causes. Discuss each reason in detail.

Feedback:

• Background: age, wealth, education.
• Influence of family members or close friends.
• Civic engagement and mutual trust.
• Mobilization efforts by advocacy groups, political parties.
• Receiving benefits from the government.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 139

139) Analyze what factors discourage political participation. Provide a composite picture of what a nonparticipating person could look like.

Feedback:

• Explain how a substantial proportion of those who tend not to vote or exercise political voices are young people (aged eighteen to twenty-four).
• Discuss how financial holdings are a strong predictor of political participation. Top earners tend to be much more involved in public life than those farther down the ladder in income and wealth.
• Discuss how education is another strong predictor of participation in politics.
• Discuss other demographic characteristics—such as race, ethnicity, or gender—that have some effect in predicting participation.
• Provide a composite picture of what the classic nonparticipating person might look like.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 140

140) Discuss how San Jose, Costa Rica, and Detroit used social capital to improve their areas.

Feedback:

• San Jose: greet each other daily, Law of the Greeting.
• Detroit: use of social media to call out people dumping trash in their neighborhood.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 141

141) Discuss the difference between government rewarding service and helping poor people create different levels of participation.

Feedback:

• When government rewards service, recipients are more likely to get involved.
• Programs that treat beneficiaries with respect generate social capital.
• Programs aimed at poor people depress political participation.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 142

142) Discuss why some groups may not participate in civic life.

Feedback:

• Groups feel alienated.
• Families are not actively engaged because of alienation.
• Groups feel shut out of civic life.
• Weary of elections, particularly associated negative campaigning.
• Partisan differences.
• Perception that political establishment focuses on matters that avoid real problems.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 143

143) Discuss literacy tests for voting. Who took them? What was their purpose? Were they successful?

Feedback:

• Voting tests for voters, mainly Black voters in the South.
• Very difficult to pass (had to get a score of 100 percent to vote), so few Black citizens could vote.
• Kept Black voters from the polls.
• Students should discuss some of the literacy-text questions from the text or from a sample literacy test provided by their instructor. How hard are they? Are they fair? Should everyone have to take the test?

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 144

144) What are the three top predictors for civic engagement? Provide examples of each. What can be done to enhance civic engagement?

Feedback:

• Define civic engagement.
• Discuss the importance of age, wealth, and education in predicting civic engagement.
• Provide examples.
• Discuss possible ways to enhance civic engagement.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 145

145) What does political change look like today? Why are critics skeptical of the power of the Internet to promote political change? Are the critics right? What can be done to make the Internet a more effective organizing tool?

Feedback:

• Define what political change looks like today.
• Identify the digital divide, din, and central control as reasons for skepticism.
• Provide examples of each.
• Offer an opinion on whether the critics are correct.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 146

146) Recall Benjamin Franklin’s description of the new government: “A republic, if you can keep it.” Are the current levels of political participation “keeping the republic”? How could political participation be improved?

Feedback:

• Discuss the methods of political participation, particularly of young people.
• Discuss Internet participation.
• Offer ideas on current political participation.

Type: essay/short answer question

Title: Chapter 08 Question 147

147) Discuss how a simple change increased Spain’s participation in organ donation. Could such a change increase political participation in the United States?

Feedback:

• Citizens had to “opt out” of organ donation rather than “opting in.”
• Citizens could “opt out” of voter registration.
• Students should discuss whether this might lead to more voting and participation, or whether it would not make a difference.