Question 1

Shelly wants to vote in the upcoming election. Before she will be eligible to vote, Shelly knows that she must fill out forms and provide personal information to her state government. This process is called ________.

Accepted Answer

Voter registration is the process in which an eligible citizen provides personal information to the state government in order to be permitted to vote in an upcoming election. Voter enrollment, suffrage, civic license, and political license are not commonly used terms in this context.

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT an acceptable reason for few people to participate in politics?

Accepted Answer

Low levels of political participation are concentrated in the segments of the population who arguably face individual barriers to participation and who are rarely encouraged to participate.

Question 3

The "paradox of voting" refers to the ________ that emerges in the context of mass electoral participation.

Accepted Answer

The paradox of voting refers to the collective action problem that arises when individuals must decide whether or not to participate in an election. Each individual voter faces a situation in which their decision to vote will only make a difference if many other individuals also vote. As a result, individuals may choose not to vote, assuming that others will do so instead, creating the collective action problem where the group as a whole may not achieve its preferred outcome.

Question 4

Sit-ins, strikes, and even violent revolts against an oppressive government, though extreme and unconventional, are nevertheless forms of ________.

Accepted Answer

Sit-ins, strikes, and violent revolts are all ways in which individuals can engage in political participation, which is the act of making one's voice heard in the political process. Political science is the study of politics and government, polling is a method for gathering public opinion, partisanship science is not a recognized field, and social networking can be a tool for political participation but is not itself a form of political action.

Question 5

Some people like to follow politics, but most rely on friends or coworkers or on simple "cues" from news stories or advertisements to get the information they need to make political choices. Many people pay virtually no attention to politics. For these reasons, the level of ________ varies widely within the population.

Accepted Answer

The passage describes individuals relying on friends, coworkers, news stories, and advertisements to get the information they need to make political choices. This suggests that the level of political knowledge varies within the population.

Question 6

The equation for the "paradox of voting" is expressed as pB- C, and it is assumed that if the value is greater than zero, the individual will vote. In this equation, ________________.

Accepted Answer

p is the probability that an individual's participation will influence the outcome and B is the individual's benefit from the election outcome matching his or her preferences

Question 7

Since voting is a costly activity and since any individual's vote is unlikely to influence the outcome of most elections, citizens' decisions about whether to participate in an election may constitute a/an ________.

Accepted Answer

The collective action problem arises when individuals have an incentive to free-ride and not participate in a collective action that would benefit them all. In the case of voting, each individual may believe that their one vote is unlikely to make a difference in the election outcome, and so they may choose not to participate. However, if everyone in the group decides to free-ride and not vote, the outcome may be less desirable for everyone. This is a classic example of the collective action problem.

Question 8

The so-called Motor Voter Law, enacted in 1994, required states to permit an individual to register to vote ________.

Accepted Answer

The Motor Voter Law required states to offer voter registration opportunities to individuals when they apply for a driver's license.

Question 9

The Help America Vote Act of 2002 caused states to ________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The Help America Vote Act of 2002...

Question 10

Which of the following is true about voting behavior?

Accepted Answer

Northerners historically have shown higher voter turnout rates than southerners. This can be attributed to various factors including political culture, socioeconomic status, and the historical context of voting rights and access in different regions.

Question 11

Which term denotes a person's general understanding of how the political system works and who runs the government?

Accepted Answer

Political knowledge refers to a person's understanding of the political system and who runs the government.

Question 12

Writing letters to a member of Congress, attending a political rally, and donating money to a political campaign are examples of ________.

Accepted Answer

These activities are all ways in which citizens can engage in political participation, which involves taking action to influence the government and the political process. Partisanship refers to alignment with a particular political party, polling is a method of collecting data on public opinion, political science is the academic study of politics, and social networking refers to online platforms for communication and connection.

Question 13

What does the inequality between the costs of voting and citizens' expected rewards from voting create?

Accepted Answer

The inequality between the costs of voting and the citizens' expected rewards from voting creates the paradox of voting, which questions why individuals vote when the costs seem to outweigh the benefits.

Question 14

Which is the principle that the authority to make decisions on behalf of society belongs to the people?

Accepted Answer

Popular sovereignty is the principle that the authority to make decisions on behalf of society belongs to the people. This means that the people have the power to elect leaders and hold them accountable, and that the government should act in the best interests of the people it serves. This principle is a key aspect of democracy and is enshrined in many constitutions around the world.

Question 15

The probability of a grave accident while attempting to get to the polls is higher than the probability of swaying a national election with a single vote. This leads scholars to ask, "Why does anyone even bother to vote in mass elections?" This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

The statement is describing the paradox of voting, which is the apparent contradiction between the individual costs and benefits of voting versus the collective benefits of voting. Despite the low probability of one's vote swaying an election, individuals still feel a sense of duty and responsibility to participate in the democratic process.

Question 16

Which of the following is another term for the right to vote?

Accepted Answer

Suffrage is the term used to describe the right to vote in political elections. It is the only option listed that is directly related to voting. Polling refers to the process of conducting surveys or gathering information from a large group of people, while verdict is a legal term used to describe a decision made by a jury or judge. Conflagration and conjunction are unrelated terms.

Question 17

Why do countries like Iran, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe consider themselves "democracies"?

Accepted Answer

The fact that these countries allow citizens to vote, even if the elections may not be completely free and fair, is a key aspect of democracy. However, it should be noted that democracy involves much more than just allowing citizens to vote, and factors such as government transparency, protection of human rights, and respect for the rule of law also play important roles.

Question 18

Charlie, Dylan, and Joe disagree with American foreign policy decisions and do not like the current direction the United States is headed. They decide to take matters into their own hands and start an insurgency. They have engaged in a/an ________.

Accepted Answer

Starting an insurgency is an unconventional form of political participation as it involves using violence or other extreme methods to achieve political objectives, which is outside of the normal channels of peaceful democratic participation.

Question 19

Mary is concerned about plans to build a waste-to-energy facility in her district. She decides to write a letter to her member of Congress expressing her displeasure with the current proposal. Mary has engaged in a/an ________.

Accepted Answer

Writing a letter to a member of Congress is a conventional form of political participation as it is a common and accepted way for citizens to express their concerns and opinions to their elected officials. Unconventional forms of political participation may include protests, sit-ins, or other non-traditional methods of expressing dissent. Civil disobedience refers to breaking a law or disobeying a government regulation in order to make a political statement, which is not the case here. Illegitimate forms of political participation, such as violence or sabotage, are not being advocated for or used in this scenario. Social networking, while a form of communication, is not a political participation method on its own.

Question 20

The 1960s sit-ins by students at lunch counters in Greensboro, North Carolina, to protest "whites-only" seating at restaurants and other Jim Crow barriers were considered ________ at the time. Today, we may consider these actions ________.

Accepted Answer

At the time, the sit-ins were seen as illegitimate acts of political participation by many, especially those who supported segregation laws. Today, they are widely regarded as legitimate and important acts of political participation that contributed to the civil rights movement.

Quiz 10: Political Participation