Responsibilities of Citizens and Government

Which of the following is a responsibility of citizens before they vote in an election?

• being informed on the issues

• being a member of a church

• owning property

• graduating from college

Congress is discussing a new bill that would help protect the environment. A group of citizens feels strongly that Congress should pass this bill. Which of the following would be the most effective way for them to influence the members of Congress who represent them?

• They should hold discussions with other people who oppose the bill

• They should threaten to be violent if Congress refuses to vote for the bill

• They should threaten to remove their representatives if Congress refuses to pass the bill

• They should send letters to their representatives telling them to vote for the bill.

Which of these people is participating in government?

• Bob serves as the mayor of his town.

• Jane volunteers at a homeless shelter

• Mary goes to the library every week

• Chris teaches at an elementary school

The 1st Amendment to the Constitution guarantees citizens the right to freedom of speech and of the press, with some limits. Because of these rights, a person in the United States is able to do which of the following?

• offer to pay the president to get him or her to do something

• publish a newspaper article containing lies about the president

• send a letter to the president threatening him or her with violence

• write a newspaper article criticizing an action of the president.

Addison's teacher has assigned a presentation on the different countries of Africa. He needs to show this region in the presentation. Which source would be best for Addison to use for his presentation?

• an atlas

• a pie chart

• a thesaurus

• a graph

Which of the following is the main way in which citizens participate in the government of the United States?

• by buying goods

• by playing sports

• by voting

• by watching television

What should citizens do if they are not happy with one of their senators representing them in Washington, D.C.?

• They should use violence in order to get their way.

• They should stop paying their taxes in protest.

• They should vote for a different person in the next election.

• They should refuse to vote in the next election.

A group of citizens has joined a group that works to help state parks. The state government is considering budget cuts and wants to give less money to the state parks. Which of the following would be the most effective way for the group to try to stop the government from giving less money to the state parks?

• The group can get people to sign a letter of protest asking their state legislators to keep funding the parks.

• The group can shut down the state parks and prevent people from using them until they are properly funded.

• The group can tell the state that its members will refuse to pay taxes if funding for the state parks is cut.

• The group can threaten to remove all of the legislators who refuse to vote in favor of the state parks.

Bryce has to write a paper on climate change which has become a huge public issue. What types of resources would be best to use for this assignment?

• CNN, Fox News, Wikipedia, and other news sources that can be found online

• books, newspapers, magazines, almanacs, and maps that use facts and evidence

• An environmental textbook that has a chapter on climate change and its effects

• YouTube and other videos posted on the internet related to this topic

Which of the following would be the best way for a U.S. citizen to be involved in government along with other people who share the same beliefs?

• go to college

• go to the library

• join a church

• join a political party