Government Capstone: A Supported Public-Policy Proposal — Drills · Grade 12 Social Studies

Chapter: Civic Participation & Public Policy

What these drills covers

By the end of Government Capstone: A Supported Public-Policy Proposal you should be able to:

4 questions, written answer, each with a worked explanation.

Vocabulary used: baseline, feasibility, cost per resident, distribution, counterargument.

Problem 1

Why must a proposal name both the problem and the authority to act?
Answer and explanation

The problem identifies what should change, while authority determines which institution can adopt or administer the response. A desired benefit alone does not establish power, procedure, or funding. Both belong in a feasible recommendation.

Problem 2

Why does the lowest cost per resident not decide the proposal automatically?
Answer and explanation

It measures one efficiency ratio, not rights, distribution, reliability, or access needs. Option A has the lowest supplied ratio, while B includes documented residents without alternatives. State the criterion and missing evidence before deciding how to weigh those differences.

Problem 3

How should a memo use missing comparable access data?
Answer and explanation

State that the measures are incomplete and avoid treating missing values as zero. Explain how that uncertainty affects the recommendation and which consistent access data could change it. A provisional judgment can remain reasoned when its limits are explicit.

Problem 4

What makes an evaluation plan more useful than promising to check success?
Answer and explanation

It defines the outcome, baseline, period, data, and limitations. Measures should test the policy’s mechanism and distribution of effects. A vague promise cannot establish what evidence would confirm, qualify, or change the recommendation.

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