Civic Participation & Public Policy — Problem set, Grade 12

Turnout is 60 percent of eligible people and 75 percent of registered people. Both calculations are correct under different definitions, so an unlabeled percentage is incomplete rather than enough to establish which measure the report used. The figures do not reveal why people did not register or vote. Comparisons need matched definitions, period, and eligibility rules.

Compute 600/1,000 and 600/800.

Label each denominator.

Avoid inferring motives from nonparticipation.

Response criteria

• Explain the relevant institution or economic concept accurately; show correct calculations where needed.
• Connect supplied evidence and stated assumptions to an explained conclusion.
• Compare feasible options and their effects on different people without stereotypes.
• Identify a limitation, tradeoff, uncertainty, or condition that qualifies the conclusion.

Eligible residents, registered voters, and valid votes are different populations. A percentage is meaningful only with the specified base. State the denominator and definitions before comparing elections or interpreting participation.

The packet establishes $10,000 received by the campaign and $5,000 spent by another organization. It does not establish $15,000 received by A. The coordination question also remains unresolved. Definitions, disclosures, communication records, and applicable rules would be needed for further classification. A combined activity total cannot by itself establish illegality, influence, or voters’ motives.

Identify receipt and spending categories.

Keep recipient and coordination questions separate.

State what additional records are needed.

Response criteria

• Explain the relevant institution or economic concept accurately; show correct calculations where needed.
• Connect supplied evidence and stated assumptions to an explained conclusion.
• Compare feasible options and their effects on different people without stereotypes.
• Identify a limitation, tradeoff, uncertainty, or condition that qualifies the conclusion.

Organizations and individuals can overlap on one proposal while differing on other aims, priorities, or methods. Compare their stated positions and actions issue by issue instead of inferring an entire program from one agreement.

Support is 75 percent among respondents and the response rate is 20 percent of invitees. The supplied data do not reveal the other 80 views or establish a representative population estimate. The result accurately describes the replies under this method, but cannot be reported as 75 percent of all residents without further evidence. No sampling margin is supplied or justified by the packet.

Compute 15/20 and 20/100.

Identify absent views and method limits.

State the supported scope.

Response criteria

• Explain the relevant institution or economic concept accurately; show correct calculations where needed.
• Connect supplied evidence and stated assumptions to an explained conclusion.
• Compare feasible options and their effects on different people without stereotypes.
• Identify a limitation, tradeoff, uncertainty, or condition that qualifies the conclusion.

Selection and nonresponse may affect who answered. The percentage measures the supplied respondents under the question and method. Population inference needs evidence that the method supports that generalization, not just a large-looking share.

The draft invents a Senate conviction. Committee approval recommended articles, while the Court’s decision concerned evidence in criminal proceedings. Nixon resigned before the full House voted and before a Senate removal trial. The sequence shows several sources of pressure without conflating investigation, impeachment, criminal adjudication, and resignation.

Identify the committee action.

Identify the separate judicial decision.

State that resignation preceded a full House impeachment vote and Senate removal trial.

Response criteria

• Explain the relevant institution or economic concept accurately; show correct calculations where needed.
• Connect supplied evidence and stated assumptions to an explained conclusion.
• Compare feasible options and their effects on different people without stereotypes.
• Identify a limitation, tradeoff, uncertainty, or condition that qualifies the conclusion.

An allegation records a claim, while an institutional finding follows a particular investigation or procedure and has a defined scope. Dating each stage prevents later conclusions from being assumed at the beginning. Identify the evidence available and the institution acting at each point.

A costs $200 per resident; B and existing service each cost $250. All fit the supplied budget, but A uses it fully. The ratios favor A on this particular measure, while B’s documented access for 60 people without alternatives raises a separate distributional consideration. A supported recommendation states how it weighs those criteria and identifies missing comparable access and operating information. The packet does not produce one automatic policy verdict.

Calculate comparable cost-per-resident ratios.

Compare feasibility and documented access.

Address a serious alternative and missing information.

Response criteria

• Explain the relevant institution or economic concept accurately; show correct calculations where needed.
• Connect supplied evidence and stated assumptions to an explained conclusion.
• Compare feasible options and their effects on different people without stereotypes.
• Identify a limitation, tradeoff, uncertainty, or condition that qualifies the conclusion.

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.