Deck 7: Participation and Voting

Question 1

The ability of groups to make government respond to their special problems is best described as part of ________ theory.​

A)​majoritarian
B)​suffragist
C)​pluralist
D)​direct
E)​NIMBY

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Researchers have found that political apathy is _________ in the ​United States compared to almost all other nations.

A)​much lower
B)​slightly lower
C)​about the same
D)​slightly higher
E)​much higher

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The 1955 Montgomery bus boycott is an example of​

A)​unsuccessful unconventional political participation.
B)​indirect action.
C)successful ​conventional political participation.
D)​successful unconventional political participation.
E)​unsuccessful conventional political participation.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Although terrorism is an unconventional political action,it is generally not counted as unconventional political participation because

A)terrorists do not seek to influence government but to destroy it.
B)the acceptability of terrorism varies from culture to culture.
C)terrorism uses fear, not persuasion, as its primary tactic.
D)terrorist acts generally concern international politics, not domestic disputes.
E)terrorism does not use the established institutions of representative government.

Question 5

One criterion that must be met for a country to be democratic is that  it must​

A)​have only two political parties.
B)​be politically divided along traditional liberal/conservative lines.
C)​have more than one political party.
D)​allow initiative and referendum.
E)​prevent interest groups from unduly influencing elections.

Question 6

Americans are less likely to __________ than citizens of other countries.

A)vote
B)sign a petition
C)boycott products
D)be interested in politics.
E)join demonstrations

Question 7

A practical test of whether or not a government is democratic is whether

A)people can operate outside government institutions to influence policymaking.
B)citizens can affect its policies by acting through its institutions.
C)direct action is necessary for government to hear citizens' views.
D)conventional political action consists largely of influencing behaviors and not supportive behaviors.
E)All of these choices are true.

Question 8

According to the text,violent unconventional political participation is​

A)never used in America.
B)common during elections in the United States.
C)not ​punished harshly enough.
D)​sometimes worth the risk.
E)​unjustifiable.

Question 9

__________ is political action that expresses allegiance to country and government.​

A)Direct action​
B)​Unconventional participation
C)​Terrorism
D)​Supportive behavior
E)​Influencing behavior

Question 10

Americans contributing money to a candidate's campaign is best defined as a form of

A)unconventional participation.
B)supportive behavior.
C)influencing behavior.
D)competitive behavior.
E)elite behavior.

Question 11

All of the following are regarded in the text as examples of unconventional participation except

A)the 1965 Selma, Alabama civil rights march.
B)the Boston Tea Party.
C)the Montgomery bus boycott.
D)Timothy McVeigh's 1995 bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City.
E)All of these are examples of unconventional participation.

Question 12

Unconventional political participation involving assembling crowds to confront businesses and local governments is known as​

A)​terrorism.
B)​apathy.
C)​democracy
D)civil rights.
E)​direct action.

Question 13

Timothy McVeigh bombed the Oklahoma City federal building because he​

A)​believed the U.S. government had become a police state.
B)​had a conflict with the IRS.
C)​opposed the war in Iraq.
D)​supported the ideology of al Qaeda.
E)​wanted to ignite a war between the races in America.

Question 14

Which of the following was the first known act of unconventional participation in America?

A)The Revolutionary War
B)The Declaration of Independence
C)The civil rights marches of the 1960s
D)Shays's Rebellion
E)The Boston Tea Party

Question 15

The text defines __________ as the actions of private citizens by which they seek to influence or support government and politics.

A)direct action
B)political participation
C)unconventional participation
D)conventional participation
E)conventional behavior

Question 16

Studies of Americans who engage in "contacting behavior" like complaining to city hall find

A)they are not more likely to vote than other Americans.
B)they tend to be of low socioeconomic status.
C)they demand more of the national government than of local government.
D)they are more focused on elected officials representing their views than on providing city services.
E)they tend to have a lower favorable opinion about government.

Question 17

​Citizen mobilization to stop construction of a nuclear waste facility near their homes would be an example of the _________ phenomenon.

A)​contacting
B)​NIMBY
C)​supportive
D)​class action
E)​unconventional political participation

Question 18

A legal action brought by a person or group on behalf of a number of people in similar circumstances is also known as a(n)

A)class action suit.
B)initiative.
C)supportive behavior.
D)public act.
E)referendum.

Question 19

Political scientists know less about unconventional forms of political participation because

A)conventional forms have greater impact.
B)few people consider unconventional forms legitimate.
C)it is easier to collect data on conventional practices.
D)they are biased toward institutionalized, or conventional, politics.
E)they are biased toward institutionalized, or conventional, politics, and it is easier to collect data on conventional practices.

Question 20

The country with the lowest voter turnout among eligible voters in congressional elections is

A)Belgium.
B)Sweden.
C)Germany.
D)Spain.
E)the United States.

Question 21

The __________ Amendment to the Constitution prohibits states from denying the right to vote "on account
Of race,color,or previous condition of servitude."

A)Tenth
B)Fourteenth
C)Fifteenth
D)Twenty-second
E)Eighteenth

Question 22

Women were granted universal suffrage in​

A)​1787.
B)​1865.
C)​1896.
D)​1920.
E)1972.

Question 23

A 2013 supreme court decision regarding the Voting Rights Act allowed numerous states to

A)approve more generous voting restoration rights for felons who have served their full sentences.
B)​​reinstate the all-white primary election.
C)​enforce new voter identification laws.
D)​legalize voting by mail.
E)​restrict voting only to residents of an elected official's home district.

Question 24

The typical procedure for an initiative requires petitions to feature the signatures of _________ of the number of registered voters in a state.

A)5 to 10 percent
B)25 to 30 percent
C)45 to 50 percent
D)more than 50 percent
E)at least 60 percent

Question 25

Which country was the first to provide for the general election of representatives through mass suffrage?

A)France
B)Australia
C)Canada
D)Great Britain
E)United States

Question 26

The amendment granting women's suffrage is the

A)Eighteenth Amendment.
B)Nineteenth Amendment.
C)Twentieth Amendment.
D)Twenty-first Amendment.
E)Twenty-eighth Amendment.

Question 27

In Smith v.Allwright,the Supreme Court found _________ is(are)unconstitutional.

A)preventing blacks from voting in primary elections
B)state poll taxes
C)literacy tests
D)property requirements for voting
E)Jim Crow laws

Question 28

One recent criticism of referenda and initiatives is that

A)they create an expensive "industry" designed around circulating petitions and spending millions.
B)citizens cannot exercise great power over government policy through these mechanisms.
C)controversial ballot measures tend to lower voter turnout.
D)voters increasingly tend to reject all ballot measures.
E)citizens cannot exercise great power over government policy through these mechanisms, and voters increasingly tend to reject all ballot measures.

Question 29

Which of the following qualifications for voting was virtually eliminated in all states by the 1850s?

A)Property ownership
B)Age
C)Race
D)Gender
E)Literacy requirement

Question 30

The amendment lowering the voting age to eighteen is the

A)Eighteenth Amendment.
B)Nineteenth Amendment.
C)Twentieth Amendment.
D)Twenty-sixth Amendment.
E)Twenty-seventh Amendment.

Question 31

The framers of the Constitution left the issue of voter enfranchisement to

A)Congress.
B)the Supreme Court.
C)the states.
D)the Federalist papers.
E)voting districts.

Question 32

Voting in the United States decreased during the 1970s and 1980s.Other forms of participation

A)increased or remained stable.
B)also decreased.
C)have not been extensively studied.
D)rose and fell in no particular pattern.
E)dramatically increased.

Question 33

​According to the text,if the criterion is ___________,America has the best and most democratic government in the world.

A)​amount of political information available to voters
B)​effectiveness of politicians and the political system
C)​degree of public participation in all types of political activities
D)​number of elections held
E)​history of responsive governance

Question 34

The purpose of the literacy tests that were used in the southern states after 1870 was to

A)keep schoolteachers employed.
B)keep illegal aliens from voting.
C)void illegally-cast ballots.
D)ensure that only well-informed people voted.
E)discourage African Americans from voting.

Question 35

A direct primary is a

A)direct vote on a proposed law.
B)preliminary election to choose party candidates.
C)special election initiated by petition.
D)procedure by which voters can propose a law to be considered by the legislature.
E)recorded position on an issue by an interest group.

Question 36

The text defines suffrage and franchise as the right to

A)participate.
B)speak.
C)protest.
D)vote.
E)rally.

Question 37

Most referenda are placed on the ballot by

A)voters.
B)governors.
C)interest groups.
D)judges.
E)legislatures.

Question 38

In 2012 and 2013,voters approved a number of ballot propositions,including ones in Colorado and Washington that​

A)legalized marijuana.
B)​​banned same-sex marriage.
C)​restricted sales of large soft drinks and other unhealthy products.
D)​prohibited wearing clothing, including religiously-mandated items, that would obscure the wearer's face in drivers license photographs.
E)​All of these choices were referenda approved in Colorado and Washington in 2012 and 2013.

Question 39

____________ championed the direct primary.

A)​African Americans
B)​Democrats
C)​Southern voters
D)​New voters under 21 years old
E)​Progressives

Question 40

Compared with other nations in the world in granting suffrage to women,the United States

A)was among the first.
B)ranked about in the middle.
C)lagged far behind.
D)was unique in extending that right without being pressured to do so.
E)was more selective in which women were extended the right.

Question 41

By law,the U.S.presidential election occurs

A)the last Wednesday in October.
B)the first Thursday in November.
C)the last Monday in November.
D)the second Tuesday in November.
E)the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

Question 42

Of all the social and economic variables affecting political participation,_________ is the strongest single factor.​

A)​race
B)​gender
C)​age
D)​marital status
E)​education

Question 43

Psychological explanations of turnout suggest that voting will rise if

A)more Americans believe that government is responsive.
B)party identification increases among the electorate.
C)educational levels rise.
D)a major war begins.
E)satisfaction with government policies declines.

Question 44

How does education affect voter turnout?

A)Well-educated people are more likely to vote than are their less-educated counterparts.
B)Educated people are less likely to vote than uneducated people because their education makes them more cynical about government.
C)Educated and uneducated people vote at about the same rates.
D)Educated people vote more than uneducated people, who are often unable to pass voter literacy tests.
E)Educated people cast more split ballots on issues.

Question 45

Congress and the states moved quickly to pass the Twenty-sixth Amendment,which lowered the voting age to eighteen,because they

A)recognized the justice of the student antiwar and civil rights movements.
B)knew that student voter turnout would be low.
C)expected the new voters to change the political balance of power drastically.
D)hoped to channel student energy away from demonstrations and toward more conventional forms of participation.
E)realized the unfairness of the discrepancy between the military draft age and the voting age.

Question 46

In general today,women politically participate

A)less than men.
B)more than men.
C)less than men if they are married, but more if they are not.
D)at about the same rate as men.
E)There is no consistent pattern across different forms of participation.

Question 47

According to the text,Americans were __________ ​politically apathetic in 2012 compared to 1952.

A)​much less
B)​a little less
C)​neither more nor less
D)​a little more
E)​much more

Question 48

During the Vietnam War,protesting students on college campuses

A)stopped traffic.
B)destroyed property.
C)occupied buildings.
D)boycotted classes and disrupted lectures.
E)All of the above are true.

Question 49

The American emphasis on freedom over equality in political participation works to the benefit of

A)union members.
B)the poor.
C)those with greater resources.
D)no particular group.
E)nonvoters.

Question 50

The majoritarian model of democracy favors

A)both conventional and unconventional forms of participation.
B)unconventional forms of participation.
C)resourceful individuals seeking particularized benefits.
D)better-educated, wealthier citizens.
E)voting as the primary means of participation.

Question 51

Women compared to men,and blacks compared to whites,tend to have political participation rates today that are​

A)​far lower.
B)​slightly lower.
C)​about the same.
D)​slightly higher.
E)​far higher.

Question 52

In nearly every other democratic country,the burden of registration is placed on

A)the individual voters.
B)political parties.
C)community leaders.
D)the government.
E)private interest groups.

Question 53

In Oregon,everyone votes by

A)telephone.
B)Internet.
C)electronic devices.
D)mail.
E)None of these choices is true.

Question 54

The standard socioeconomic model of participation chiefly refers to

A)age, race, and education.
B)gender, ethnicity, and income.
C)race, income, and religion.
D)age, education, and political interest.
E)education, income, and occupation.

Question 55

To maintain order,the government has a stake in converting ______________ whenever possible.​

A)​education into voting behavior
B)​wealth into contributions
C)​unconventional participation into conventional participation
D)voting into "buy-in"
E)​foreign policy issues into domestic policy issues

Question 56

The effect of the Twenty-sixth Amendment,which enfranchised eighteen-to-twenty-year-olds,was to

A)boost voter turnout in the United States above that of most other democratic nations.
B)reduce the national voter turnout rate.
C)increase the national voter turnout rate.
D)decrease the percentage of the population that distrusts the American political system.
E)counter the increasing social mobility of this group.

Question 57

Someone who asserts that elections "socialize political activity" is contending that elections are mechanisms that maintain

A)freedom.
B)majoritarianism.
C)equality.
D)order.
E)independence.

Question 58

Characteristics frequently associated with nonvoters are

A)low education, high income, and being middle-aged.
B)low education, low income, and being relatively young.
C)high education, low income, and being relatively old.
D)low education, low income, and being middle-aged.
E)low income and general apathy.

Question 59

According to the text,with respect to political participation,"_________ is the great equalizer,…"

A)​protest
B)​voting
C)contacting political elites
D)​education
E)political party activism

Question 60

If voter turnout was computed on the basis of registered voters,about ________ of Americans vote.

A)45 percent
B)50 percent
C)60 percent
D)70 percent
E)80 percent

Question 61

Because it depends on mass participation in politics,majoritarianism tends to

A)​enhance individual freedom.
B)​favor the less wealthy.
C)​minimize the impact of differences in socioeconomic status.
D)​limit individual freedom.
E)​disproportionately advantage politically-motivated individuals.

Question 62

Discuss the two major categories of political behaviors that the text indicates comprise conventional political participation.​

Question 63

What explanations have researchers suggested for decreasing voter turnout in the United States?

Question 64

Discuss initiative and referendum,including how they are related and giving examples of each.​

Question 65

How does political participation relate to freedom,equality,and order? ​

Question 66

What do we know about trends in voter turnout and other forms of political participation from 1952 to 2012?

Question 67

Describe why people with a higher socioeconomic status engage in conventional political participation.

Question 68

In addition to their being vehicles that implement democracy,describe the other important purposes of elections.

Question 69

Define political participation and describe and give examples of the elements​ that comprise it.

Question 70

Summarize the expansion of voting rights by describing federal government actions that granted the franchise to those who had been denied suffrage.

Question 71

Explain why the 1965 march from Selma,Alabama,to Montgomery,Alabama,though an unconventional form of political participation that led to violence,proved beneficial to the Civil Rights movement.

Question 72

Discuss how Americans compare in terms of voter turnout with citizens of other democracies,and one reason your text offers for why this difference may exist.

Question 73

Elections,as an institutional mechanism,

A)have no perceptible effect on policies and actions of governments.
B)diminish the power and authority of the state.
C)encourage the citizenry to engage in other kinds of political participation.
D)bolster the power and authority of the state.
E)equalize segments of the population.