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TEST
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yourself
Which of the following is the most common form of political
participation?
A. Contributing money to candidates
B. Joining an interest group
C. Contacting an elected official
D. Voting
In which of the following elections would you expect the
highest turnout when measured as a proportion of the total
of eligible voters?
A. Local election for mayor
B. Election for governor
C. Election for senator
D. Presidential election
Which of the following is a form of political participation?
A. Writing a letter to a local official about a problem.
B. Giving money to a candidate for a school board election.
C. Putting up a yard sign to support a candidate for the state
legislature.
D. All of the above.
Which of the following is the best explanation for why more
people vote than volunteer to work in a political campaign?
A. Voting requires less time and effort than volunteer work.
B. Voting has a greater impact on the outcome of an election
than volunteer work.
C. Most political campaigns don’t want volunteer help because
they prefer to rely on professional campaign consultants.
D. None of the above.
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10
The process of motivating people to vote is known as which
of the following?
A. Political efficacy
B. Political participation
C. Voter mobilization
D. Straight-ticket voting
Which of the following play(s) a positive role in voter mobilization?
A. Political parties
B. Interest groups
C. Individual contacts
D. All of the above
11
Would you expect the voter turnout rate to be higher for people earning $80,000 a year or those making $30,000 a year?
A. Turnout would be greater for the higher-income group.
B. Turnout would be greater for the lower-income group.
C. Turnout would be the same for both groups.
D. Turnout would be greater for the higher-income group in
all elections but presidential elections, where the turnout
rate would be the same.
What is the relationship between age and political participation?
A. Participation rates fall as people age.
B. Participation rates increase as people age.
C. Participation rates increase as people age until individuals
reach old age and then participation rates turn downward.
D. Participation increases through middle age and then gradually declines throughout the last half of the individual
lifespan.
For which of the following age groups would you expect the
voting participation rate to be the lowest?
A. People in their 20s
B. People in their 30s
C. People in their 40s
D. People in their 50s
Suppose the Constitution were amended to give 17-yearolds the right to vote. What impact would that action likely
have on voter turnout as a proportion of the voting age population?
A. It would increase voter turnout because more people
would be eligible to vote.
B. It would decrease voter turnout because the voting age
population would be enlarged to include individuals relatively unlikely to vote.
C. It would increase voter turnout because the voting age
population would be enlarged to include individuals who
are likely to vote.
D. Voter turnout would be unchanged because 17-year-olds
are just as likely to vote as anyone else.
In 2004, voter turnout was greater for whites and Asian
Americans than it was for Latinos and African Americans.
Which of the following statements accurately explains different participation rates for different racial/ethnic groups?
A. The outcome of elections does not affect the lives of
African Americans and Latinos as much as it does whites
and Asian Americans.
B. African Americans and Latinos as a group do not care
about government and politics.
C. Many whites and Asian Americans are prevented from voting because of prior criminal convictions.
D. None of the above.
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16
Which of the following groups is the least represented in all
areas of political participation compared with the other
groups?
A. Latinos
B. Whites
C. African Americans
D. The groups participate at roughly the same rate.
Which of the following statements accurately explains why
Latino voter participation rates are lower than they are for
other groups?
A. As a group, Latinos are not as well-educated as whites and
Asian Americans.
B. As a group, Latinos earn lower incomes than whites and
Asians.
C. A higher percentage of Latinos are not citizens compared
to other racial/ethnic groups.
D. All of the above.
Which of the following groups is most seriously affected by
state laws that disqualify individuals with serious criminal offenses from voting?
A. White women
B. Latino males
C. African American males
D. White males
Compared with men, women are more likely to do which of
the following?
A. Vote
B. Give money to candidates
C. Join a political group
D. There are no differences in participation rates between
men and women.
Why is the voting age population (VAP) an imperfect database to measure voter participation?
A. The census has a fairly accurate count of the population,
but measures of the population by age group are
imprecise.
B. Voter turnout numbers are often inaccurate.
C. The VAP includes large numbers of people who are not eligible to vote, including non-citizens and people who are
incarcerated.
D. All of the above.
KNOW
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20
Which of the following statements best describes recent
trends in voter turnout?
A. Voter turnout in presidential elections has increased in
each of the last three presidential elections.
B. Voter turnout in presidential elections has been falling
consistently since the early 1960s.
C. Voter turnout in presidential elections has been rising consistently since the early 1960s.
D. Voter turnout in presidential elections has fallen in each of
the last three presidential elections.
How does voter turnout in the United States compare with
turnout in other Western democracies?
A. Turnout in the United States is relatively low.
B. Turnout in the United States is relatively high.
C. Turnout in the United States is average.
D. Turnout in the United States is relatively high for national
elections, but low for state elections.
Which of the following statements about compulsory voting
in Australia is true?
A. People who do not vote in Australia can go to jail for as
long as a year.
B. Voter turnout in Australia is much higher than it is in the
United States.
C. Political scientists believe that compulsory voting in Australia harms working class parties because it weakens the
advantage labor unions enjoy in turning out their vote.
D. None of the above.
Which of the following statements about political participation is true?
A. Democrats always benefit from high voter turnout.
B. Political activists are more liberal than the population as a
whole on economic issues.
C. Interest groups and political parties typically promote the
interests of the working class.
D. None of the above.
the score
18–20 correct: Congratulations! You are well informed!
15–17 correct: Your political knowledge is a bit low—be sure
to review the key terms and visit TheThinkSpot.
<14 correct: Reread the chapter more thoroughly.
1. D; 2. D; 3. D; 4. A; 5. C; 6. D; 7. A; 8. C; 9. A; 10. B; 11. D; 12. A; 13. D; 14. C; 15. A; 16. C; 17. A; 18. A; 19. B; 20. D
114 CHAPTER 5
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political participation
test yourself
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