Political ideas and what they actually claim · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Comparing political ideas and arguments

Civics & Economics · Government · ages 16-18
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Which claim in the American Declaration of Independence reflects a liberal tradition?

    • Government gets authority from inherited political office
    • Government gets authority from protecting national traditions
    • Government gets authority from consent and protects rights

  2. What is a political ideology?

    • A connected set of ideas about society and government's role
    • A campaign plan for attracting support in an election
    • An assessment of how a candidate performed in a debate

  3. Parts of the US conservative movement in the 1960s and 1970s argued that lower taxes and fewer economic rules would increase freedom.

    Circle one:   True   False

  4. A town debates vehicle pollution. Which pair applies a social liberal's concern for freedom from harm and a market conservative's concern for private choice, respectively?

    • Set limits to protect health; require local control to protect national independence
    • Set limits to protect health; retain existing rules to preserve inherited customs
    • Set limits to protect health; favour flexible incentives to preserve private choice

  5. One speaker seeks social ownership of major productive resources. Another stresses the nation's political self-government. Which pairing matches those concerns?

    • Conservative concern first; liberal concern second
    • Socialist concern first; nationalist concern second
    • Nationalist concern first; socialist concern second

  6. In Elazar's model, which pattern values government serving the common good and broad citizen participation?

    • Moralistic, stressing civic duty
    • Traditionalistic, stressing order
    • Individualistic, serving private needs

  7. A speaker argues for a tax cut and predicts it will double jobs. You can explain the argument fairly but have no evidence for that prediction. What should you do?

    • Present the reasons accurately, then test the prediction against evidence
    • Use the fair account as evidence for the predicted jobs increase
    • Set the argument aside until its predicted jobs increase is confirmed

  8. Parties in two countries both call themselves liberal but propose different economic policies. What should you check before assuming that their labels contradict their policies?

    • Compare the parties' names using one economic definition
    • Check each country's history, period and issues
    • Compare their policies using the present US meaning of liberal
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Comparing political ideas and arguments W1-mt_NhqCoZs875-s1

  1. Government gets authority from consent and protects rights · Rights and government by consent reflect liberal concerns. This describes the document's argument, not equal application of those ideals at the founding.
  2. A connected set of ideas about society and government's role · An ideology connects ideas about society, power and government's role. One campaign tactic or opinion about a candidate is not itself an ideology.
  3. True · That was an argument within the movement. Other strands emphasized traditional values or national defence, so it does not define every conservative position.
  4. Set limits to protect health; favour flexible incentives to preserve private choice · Health-protecting limits apply the stated social-liberal concern. Flexible incentives apply the stated market-conservative concern for private choice. National independence and inherited customs are different concerns.
  5. Socialist concern first; nationalist concern second · Social ownership of productive resources is a socialist concern. National self-government is a nationalist concern. A person can combine ideas from different traditions.
  6. Moralistic, stressing civic duty · Elazar's moralistic pattern values government serving the common good and citizen participation. The category is part of a model, not a moral grade for a state.
  7. Present the reasons accurately, then test the prediction against evidence · Fair representation and factual verification are separate tasks. Accurately explaining an argument does not establish its prediction.
  8. Check each country's history, period and issues · Political labels depend on national and historical context. Identical names do not establish identical positions on economic policy.
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