Name _____________________________ Class _________________ Date __________
Social Studies 9 • Culture & Politics Assignment
2.8 explain how Atlantic Canadians shape political culture by exercising power and influencing political
decisions
Instructions: Fill in the blanks with the correct words to find out how Atlantic Canadians
shape political culture, exercise political power, and influence political decisions. Refer
to the indicated textbook pages from chapter 9 to find the answers.
1. Atlantic Canadians shape their culture through _________________________ (the
system we have for working out a balance among the interests of different groups in
our society). (p.124)
2. In Canada we value the right of people to participate in the way they are governed.
This government by the people is called a _________________________. (p.124)
3. Politicians work at the various levels of government (federal, provincial, and
municipal) to represent the people who elected them. This form of government is
called a representative democracy. Politicians (or, Representatives, or, MPs, MLAs,
MHAs) exercise political power by making _________________________
(proposals for new laws) and _________________________ (laws passed by
government). (p.128)
4. Canada makes sure that politicians represent their constituents (people who live in a
riding) fairly through _________________________ (the process of voting for
representatives, open in Canada to all citizens 18 years of age or older). (p.127)
5. Politicians usually belong to a _________________________ (an organized group
formed by individuals who have similar views on public issues) to give a stronger,
collective voice to people who hold certain views. (p.128)
6. To make sure that the Government (the political party with the most successful
candidates) fairly decides which laws are proposed, the
_________________________ (members of parliament who do not belong to the
governing party) act as critics of the Government. (p.128)
7. The leader from the winning party chooses a _________________________ (selected
members of parliament from the governing party responsible for major decisions),
called ministers, which make most of the major decisions of government, oversee the
civil service, and prepare new laws. (p.129)
8. Besides voting, there are other methods of exercising political power (making the
government listen to our concerns) _________________________ are individuals
who use direct action to draw attention to and promote a cause. They may hold a
protest march, distribute pamphlets, have rallies, and public speeches. (p.133)
Name _____________________________ Class _________________ Date __________
Social Studies 9 • Culture & Politics Assignment
2.8 explain how Atlantic Canadians shape political culture by exercising power and influencing political
decisions
9. Another way to influence political decisions is through the
_________________________ (the means of communication, including newspapers,
magazines, television, and radio) since they can reach a very wide audience and can
persuade a large number of people. (p.133)
10. Lobbyists try to persuade politicians to support their cause, usually by supplying them
with information. People who support the same cause usually form a lobby group.
_________________________ (trying to persuade politicians to support a cause) is
another method of exercising political power. (p.133)
11. _________________________ and _________________________ (organizations
not controlled by government that work to improve social, environmental, or
economic conditions) use various methods, including lobbying, to represent the
concerns of their members. (p.134)
12. People are given the power to challenge actions that threaten their rights through the
_________________________ (the legal or court system that allows people to
challenge actions that threaten their rights). (p.134)
Instructions: List 7 ways that Atlantic Canadians can shape political culture, exercise
political power, and influence political decisions. What can we do to have a say?
1. __________________________________________________
2. __________________________________________________
3. __________________________________________________
4. __________________________________________________
5. __________________________________________________
6. __________________________________________________
7. __________________________________________________