Moore Goverment - Exam I (Spring 2023) (1)

POLS 1101 | American Government | Exam I | Spring 2023 Isabella Moore Instructor: Dr. Eric Castater 1. Answer the following questions. (100 points) a) Imagine that you are witnessing an argument between a person who identifies as “pro- choice” and a person who identifies as “pro-life.” The individual who is pro-choice claims that the individual who is pro-life “wants to restrict the freedom of women to have an abortion”, while the individual who is pro-life claims that the individual who is pro- choice “wants to restrict the freedom of unborn babies to grow into their full human potential.” Considering the difficult and often contradictory nature of “freedom”, explain how both these individuals could simultaneously be considered correct. (Critical Thinking) (10 points) Both pro-life and pro-choice individuals may be regarded correct because they both uphold rights while also placing restrictions on one another's freedom. Pro-choice reduces the freedom of unborn children, while pro-life limits the rights of a mother. Both nevertheless place restrictions on some citizens' freedom even while they guarantee them certain rights. b) In 2019, President Trump was impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives for allegedly pressuring a foreign government (that of Ukraine) to investigate a political rival (Joe Biden) and his son (Hunter Biden), as well as the opposition political party (the Democrats) on made up charges. If true and if Ukraine began carrying out these investigations, would this violate the principle of fair elections? If so, why? If not, why not? When answering this question, be sure to explain how the actions of President Trump – if true – would or would not violate “fair elections”? (Critical Thinking) (10 points) If Ukraine were actually conducting these proceedings, they would violate the principle of fair elections, allowing Trump and the Republican Party to manipulate the democratic process to their advantage. Trump gains from this by learning negative information on Biden and his son as well as by damaging the Democratic Party. The phrase the electoral process is not rigged to assist a particular party or candidate is clearly violated by this. This clearly violates the idea of fair elections by assisting and supporting Trump's and the Republican Party's political campaign. c) Is the percentage of the U.S. population that is immigrant today much larger, much smaller, or about the same as the percentage of the U.S. population that was immigrant in the early 20 th century? Note: There are only three possible answers to this question: “much larger”, “much smaller”, or “about the same.” (Fact) (10 points) Although the total number of immigrants in the United States is at an all-time high, the percentage of the immigrant population in the United States is significantly lower than it was at the start of the 20th century, according to Chapter 1 (Ginsberg et al). The percentage of Americans who were immigrants in the early 20th century is practically exactly the same today. 1

d) Broadly speaking, how did the demographic profile (in terms of country of origin and race) of immigrants in the United States change between the early 1960s and 2021? (Fact) (10 points) The majority of refugees in the United States in the 1960s came from Europe. By 2018, the majority of refugees in the United States were of Latin American and Asian ethnicity. There has been a spike in the number of Asian and Mexican refugees coming to our country. e) According to the U.S. Census, the percentage of the United States population that is non- Hispanic white decreased from 83.5 percent in 1970 to 57.8 percent in 2020. Which of the following racial/ethnic minority groups grew the least (as a percentage increase) during that period; those of African descent, Hispanics, or Asians? (Fact) (10 points) African descent experienced the least development between 1970 and 2010. With a population rise of just 2%, the minority of African heritage increased from 11 to 13 percent. f) Building off your answer to the previous question, what might be one reason why this racial/ethnic group grew less than the other two groups during the 1970 to 2020 period? Be sure to explain your answer with reasoning and, if necessary, examples/evidence . (Critical Thinking) (10 points) Demographers rely on the U.S. decennial census and the yearly Current Populace Reviews to count racial and ethnic groups. Demographers use the public crucial measuring records of births, relationships, and deaths to estimate marriage, wealth, and death rates. Perhaps the biggest change in racial and ethnic group classifications occurred in 1970 when registration was sent via mail rather than having enumerators walk door to door. This rendered the enumerator's use of race-specific proof obsolete. Most recently, the problem has been how persons of mixed ancestry who reject committed relationships are perceived. In a "check all that applicable" list of options, the 2000 Statistics allowed respondents to identify with as many ethnic groups as they chose. g) What is one way that Article II of the United States Constitution limits “universal suffrage”? Be sure to explain how the item you selected from Article II limits universal suffrage . (Critical Thinking) (10 points). The Article had a number of elements that contributed to the development of an inclusive democracy. It was claimed that compared to state legislative districts, which are subject to the one person, one vote requirement under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, congressional districts must be more mathematically equal. The Supreme Court ultimately decided that the states and Congress cannot add to the list of requirements in Article I, Section 2. The United States Supreme Court's decision that congressional districts must be as population-equal as possible is based on the clause stating that House members must be chosen by the People of the several States. According to later judgements, congressional districts must adhere to a higher standard of statistical equality than state legislative districts, which are subject to the one person, one vote rule of the Equal Protection Clause. 2

Exam Rubric # # # Type of Question N o Credit (0) Half Credit (5) Full Credit (10) Critical Thinking Questions No answer is provided; the answer provided is unclearly stated; the answer provided is clearly stated but does not obviously address the question; and/ or key facts provided in the answer are incorrect The answer provided is incomplete and/or is unclearly stated in places; there is insufficient support to back up assertions; and/or one or more facts that are not central to the answer are incorrect Answer provided is complete and clearly stated; provides sufficient support to back up assertions; and provides (relevant) information that is factually correct Fact Questions No answer is provided; the answer provided is unclearly stated; the answer provided is clearly stated but does not obviously address the question; and/ or the answer provided is clearly stated but is incorrect The answer is missing some, but not all, elements of the correct answer (either because that information was missing, incorrect information was provided, or because some of the answer is not clearly stated) Answer provided is correct and stated clearly; and any information provided in the answer is correct 4