Ch. 7: Political Participation and Voting: Expressing the Popular Will Guided Review Questions Questions

1) Citizen participation in politics is the essential component of the ideal of
a) liberty.
b) equality.
c) self-government.
d) individualism.
2) 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.
3) The poll tax was 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.
4) One of the reasons why 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.
5) Voter registration in the United States
a) was introduced as a means of keeping white males without property from voting.
b) has been a device by which officials have discouraged some groups from voting.
c) is the responsibility of the government to add individuals automatically to the registration rolls.
d) applies to voting in general elections but not primary elections.
6) The frequency of elections in the United States reduces voter turnout by
a) discouraging local politicians from playing an active role in presidential election.
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.
7) States and localities often choose to hold key office elections in non-presidential election years to
a) maximize voter turnout.
b) insulate their election races from the possible effects of the presidential campaign.
c) keep the public's interest in elections at a high level at all times.
d) allow local and state candidates to get more attention from the press.
8) Compared to parties in Europe, parties in the United States are more likely to
a) divide more sharply over economic policies.
b) target the voters of a particular religion or class.
c) adopt an extreme position.
d) advocate overlapping policies.
9) Regular voters are characterized by
a) a strong sense of alienation which motivates them to try to change government.
b) a strong sense of civic duty.
c) a desire to use government as a vehicle to help other Americans rather than themselves.
d) a strong sense of independence which motivates them to try to defeat incumbents.
10) As distinct from alienation, apathy is
a) associated with a low 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.
11) Which group of Americans has the lowest rate of voter turnout?
a) older people (60 years-of-age or more)
b) younger people (30 years-of-age or less)
c) men
d) women
12) Citizens' income and education level affects the likelihood they will turn out to vote on Election Day
a) more in the United States than in Western Europe.
b) more in Western Europe than in the United States.
c) only in national elections in the United States.
d) only in national elections in Western Europe.
13) In comparison with citizens in 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) All of the answers are correct.
14) The chief obstacle to Americans' participation in community activities is
a) the lack of opportunity because there are few groups active at this level.
b) the lack of personal motivation to get involved.
c) the low potential for success, since key decisions are made at the national level.
d) All of the answers are correct.
15) Which of the following is an inaccurate statement about Americans' exposure to news?
a) The Internet's news content is the main reason why people make use of the Internet.
b) Most people do not follow the news on a daily basis.
c) People who follow the news closely are generally better informed about politics than those who do not.
d) Young people are less likely than older people to follow the news closely.
16) All of the following tend to decrease voter turnout except
a) sharp differences between major parties.
b) alienation.
c) frequent elections.
d) a registration system that places the burden of registration on the individual rather than on government officials.
17) Social movements are a way for
a) those dissatisfied with government to get its attention.
b) the politically weak to force government to be more responsive than usual to their interests.
c) people to present their views through more dramatic means than conventional political activity.
d) All of the answers are correct.
18) A broad effort to achieve change by citizens who feel government is not responsive to their interests is called
a) a social movement.
b) a voter upsurge.
c) a citizen lobby.
d) a popular resistance.
19) When it comes to protest activities, a majority of Americans are
a) actively involved 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.
20) Political participation among Americans can best be described as a ________ activity.
a) futile
b) middle-class dominated
c) female-dominated
d) working-class dominated
21) An original purpose of a system of voter registration was to
a) prevent fraudulent voting.
b) certify party membership.
c) educate people about the importance of voting.
d) help candidates know the size of the electorate.
22) When citizens have a high degree of trust in their government, the level of voting turnout tends to
a) increase.
b) decrease.
c) be largely unaffected.
d) increase among lower-income citizens but decrease among higher-income citizens.
23) Protest activity is an exception to the pattern from most other forms of political participation in that it
a) has broad public support.
b) is supportive of existing policies.
c) is more likely to involve younger citizens rather than older ones.
d) is rooted in prejudice.
24) The prevalence of mass elections helps the political system by
a) providing leaders a means for deceiving the public.
b) lessening the frequency and need to protest violently.
c) assuring the voter turnout will be very high among all citizens.
d) All of the answers are correct.
25) If Americans vote less than Europeans, why are they more likely to work in a political campaign than 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.
26) Over the past few decades, the trend in citizen participation in lobbying groups is participation through 
a) giving money. 
b) voting on the group's leadership.
c) voting on the group's lobbying agenda.
d) attending protest marches on a frequent basis.
27) 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.
28) During _________, the age of eligibility for voting was lowered from twenty-one to eighteen.
a) World War I
b) World War II
c) the Korean War
d) the Vietnam War
29) ________ elections tend to draw the largest percentage of voters.
a) Primary
b) Mayoral
c) Congressional
d) Presidential
30) ________ holds more elections than any other democracy and is the only one to rely extensively on primary elections. 
a) France
b) The United States
c) Germany
d) Great Britain
31) Citizens in ________ are most likely to volunteer time and money to promote community causes.
a) Germany
b) France 
c) Great Britain
d) the United States
32) The six states that allow residents to register to vote at the polls on Election Day 
a) are noted for the high level of corruption in their voting process. 
b) are all located in the Southwest because this procedure is designed to encourage participation by Hispanics. 
c) have such low levels of interest in politics that they almost had to adopt this registration procedure to boost voter turnout. 
d) have an average voter turnout level that is much higher than the average turnout level of other states.
33) 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.
34) 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) All of the answers are correct.
35) According to recent public opinion polls, about ________ percent of adult Americans have participated in an anti-war demonstration.
a) 2
b) 20
c) 40
d) 60
36) 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
37) When the United States 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 white males who owned property
d) only citizens who had lived in the nation for at least ten years
38) The poll tax was outlawed in federal elections by the
a) Voting Rights Act of 1965.
b) Twenty-fourth Amendment.
c) Supreme Court which ruled the tax unconstitutional.
d) Nineteenth Amendment.