American Government Released Questions in Standard "6.0 Skills and Processes" - Public Release

A student is researching the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The student's compelling question is this:

Should the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) be considered a successful fiscal policy?

The student has found the following sources. Use the sources to answer the questions that follow.

Background Information

ARRA was a fiscal policy passed by the federal government to revitalize the U.S. economy after the economic collapse of 2008. During 2008, the number of unemployed persons increased by 4.1 million, and the unemployment rate rose from 4.9% to 7.6%. ARRA included measures to modernize the nation's public works systems, increase energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need.

Source A

The graph is titled civilian unemployment rate, 2007 through 2012. The key shows dashed line represents American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), dotted line represents Peak unemployment rate, solid line represents Civilian unemployment rate. The horizontal axis is labeled year and the vertical axis is labeled percent. A dashed line extends from the top to the bottom of the graph at a little after 2009, and a dotted line extends from the top to the bottom of the graph at a little before 2010. A solid line starts at 2007, a little more than 4 percent, goes up to midway between 2009 and 2010, a little less than 10, then falls slowly to 2011, a little more than 9 percent, and ends at 2012, a little less than 8 percent.

Source B

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has published a report on the estimated impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) on employment and economic output.

The CBO estimates that ARRA’s policies had several effects in calendar year 2014 compared with what would have occurred without the passage of ARRA:

an increase in real gross domestic product (GDP)

a decrease in the unemployment rate

an increase of between 0.1 million and 0.3 million in the number of people employed

a small increase in the number of full-time–equivalent jobs

Source: Congressional Budget Office

Source C

In 2012, the New York Post printed an article detailing how $740.6 billion of the 2009 stimulus package was spent and highlighting some of the problems. This graph and table summarize the information in the article.

The circle graph is titled, 2009 Stimulus Package Spending. The key shows, gray region represents tax benefits: $299.8 billion, white region represents entitlements: $218.3 billion, and black region represents contracts, grants, and loans: $222.5 billion. The circle graph show three approximately equal regions shaded gray, black, and white.

Source: New York Post, January 29, 2012
Where the Money Went	Problem
tax benefits	Most people received about $10 extra per paycheck—not enough to really notice.
entitlements	Most funding went to Medicaid, Medicare, and unemployment insurance costs. This definitely helped people, but made it hard for anyone to notice the effects of the money.
contracts, grants, and loans	Money planned for education ended up being mainly used to retain teachers, as opposed to hiring new ones. Planned transportation projects encountered challenges and did not provide jobs in a timely fashion as hoped.
Source: New York Post, January 29, 2012

Source D

"Stories are popping up all over the country of small business start-ups that were made possible by the Recovery Act—stories of companies like The Penny Ice Creamery in Santa Cruz, California.

"Recently, Kendra Backer and Zach Davis, the owners of The Penny Ice Creamery, made [a] YouTube video thanking President Obama, the Administration and Congress for passing the Recovery Act, which helped make their dreams a reality. It tells the story of how their dream of opening an ice cream shop that makes 'really great ice cream from scratch . . . ' was made possible as a result of a $250,000 Recovery Act small business loan."

—Andrea Mead, "How The Recovery Act Is Boosting
Small Biz — and Ice Cream Production — Across America," 2010.
From https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov

Read the information.

Source B was published by the Congressional Budget Office, which is a nonpartisan organization that analyzes proposed legislation. The organization hires its employees solely on the basis of skill, rather than political belief.

The origin of Source B most likely suggests that the provided information

Claim: A growing economy can help small businesses expand.

Which source provides the best evidence for the claim?

A.

Source A
B.

Source B
C.

Source C
D.

Source D

Which perspective about ARRA is most evident in Source C?

Assume that the information provided in the sources is credible. Complete this extended-response question:

Should the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) be considered a successful fiscal policy?

Develop a claim in response to the question.

Cite evidence from the provided sources to support your claim.

Use your knowledge of government in your response.

Write your answer on the lines on your Answer Sheet.

A student is researching how costs and benefits affect government decision making. The student's compelling question is this:

Should the United States increase or decrease defense spending?

The student has found the sources on the provided tabs. Use the sources to answer the questions that follow.

Background Information

Each year, Congress and the President create a budget for federal spending. The budget often reflects the priorities of the United States. There is usually a debate about whether the United States is spending too much or not enough on national defense.

Source A

The graph is titled Federal Spending on Entitlements and Defense, nineteen sixty-two to two thousand ten. The x-axis is labeled Year. It begins at nineteen sixty-two and extends to the right to two thousand ten in intervals of ten years, except for the first interval which is eight. The y-axis is labeled Percent of Total Budget. It begins at zero and extends to up to seventy in intervals of ten. There are two lines on the graph – a solid line and a dashed line. The key reads from top to bottom: dashed line is labeled Entitlements and the solid line is labeled defense. The dashed line is graphed as follows: nineteen sixty-two is about thirty, nineteen-seventy is about thirty-five, nineteen-eighty is about forty-eight, nineteen-ninety is about forty-eight, two thousand is about fifty-five, and two thousand ten is about fifty-nine. The solid line is graphed as follows: nineteen sixty-two is about forty-nine, nineteen-seventy is about forty, nineteen-eighty is about twenty-two, nineteen-ninety is about twenty-five, two thousand is about seventeen, and two thousand ten is about twenty. The Source line reads Office of Management and Budget, two thousand twelve. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) serves the Executive of the United States in overseeing the implementation of his vision across the Executive Branch. Specifically, OMB’s mission is to assist the Executive in meeting his policy, budget, management, and regulatory objectives and to fulfill the agency’s statutory responsibilities.

Source B

“First, some history. The Pentagon’s budget has risen for 13 years, which is unprecedented. Between 2001 and 2009, overall spending on defense rose from $412 billion to $699 billion, a 70 percent increase, which is larger than in any comparable period since the Korean War. Including the supplementary spending on Iraq and Afghanistan, we spent $250 billion more than average U.S. defense expenditures during the Cold War—a time when the Soviet, Chinese and Eastern European militaries were arrayed against the United States and its allies. Over the past decade, when we had no serious national adversaries, U.S. defense spending has gone from about a third of total worldwide defense spending to 50 percent. In other words, we spend more on defense than the planet’s remaining countries put together.”

—Fareed Zakaria. “Why Defense Spending Should Be Cut,” Washington Post, 2011

Source C

This excerpt is from a 2015 article written by two Republican senators.

“Even though we’ve been able to keep the homeland safe for more than a decade, the threats to Americans at home and abroad are growing. . . . Yet, even as the world outside our borders is filled with more doubt and uncertainty, the United States has been steadily reducing our spending on defense. . . .

“The Army is on the path to be reduced to pre-World War II levels. The Navy is at pre-WWI levels. And our Air Force has the smallest and oldest combat force in its history.

“History has shown that every time we have unreasonably cut resources from our military in anticipation of a peace . . . it has only cost us more to make up for the deficit we create in military readiness and capability, and the expected era of perpetual peace fails to materialize.

“We think we are saving money, but in the long run, we end up paying more and creating more risk and uncertainty.

“We can afford the military we need, but we must make it a priority.”

—Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Tom Cotton. “Why Defense Budget Must Grow,” CNN, 2015

Source D

The graph is titled Public Opinions on National Defense Spending, two thousand four to two thousand sixteen. The x-axis is labeled Year. It begins at two thousand four and extends to the right to two thousand sixteen in intervals of two years. The y-axis is labeled Percent. It begins at zero and extends to up to sixty in intervals of ten. The graph has three lines – a dashed line, a solid line, and a dotted line. The key reads from top to bottom: dashed line is labeled Keep same, solid line is labeled increase, dotted line is labeled decrease. The dashed line is graphed as follows: two thousand and four is about fifty-two, two thousand ten is about forty-eight, two thousand twelve is about fifty-two, two thousand sixteen is about forty. The solid line is graphed as follows: two thousand and four is about twenty-five, two thousand ten is about twenty-five, two thousand twelve is about fifteen, two thousand sixteen is about thirty-five. The dotted line is graphed as follows: two thousand and four is about eighteen, two thousand ten is about twenty-two, two thousand twelve is thirty, two thousand sixteen is about twenty-three. The Source line reads PEW Research Center, survey conducted April twelfth to nineteenth, two thousand sixteen.

Which aspect of Source A would be most helpful for a student to use to evaluate its credibility?

Source B was most likely created to

Which argument most clearly supports the authors' claims in Source C?

Assume that the information provided in the sources is credible. Complete this extended-response question.

Should the United States increase or decrease defense spending?

Develop a claim in response to the question.

Cite evidence from the provided sources to support your claim.

Use your knowledge of government in your response.

A student is researching the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and its economic impacts on the United States. The student has located four sources to answer the following question:

Has the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) been beneficial for the United States?

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was implemented in 1994 as a trade alliance between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. This agreement was intended to promote free trade, expand trade markets, and foster friendship and cooperation among the nations.

US Census data showing the trend in imports and exports for the United States from 1985 to 2016

SOURCE: U.S. Census Bureau

Today, Americans consume twice as much fruit, and three times as many vegetables, from both Mexico and Canada as we did two decades ago. . . . A parade of greenhouse tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers now come down, often by truck, from Canada. From Mexico, we've seen huge increases in imports of seasonal fruit.

Mexican berries are an obvious example, but 20% of the imported watermelon we consumed in 2010–2012 also came from Mexico, compared with 5% in 1991–1993. As for imported avocados, 49% now come from Mexico, up from zero in 1991–1993. Lots more tomatoes and papaya are coming from south of the border, too. . . .

While Mexico is now the largest market for American apples and pears, U.S. meat exports to Mexico have doubled in the last two decades. Our exports of feed corn for livestock also now account for nearly one-third of the country's supply — meaning that even when Mexicans eat domestic meat, it's often been fed on American corn.

—McMillan, Tracie. "How NAFTA Changed American (And Mexican) Food Forever." National Public Radio (NPR), February 13, 2015. [accessed 11/05/2018]

Political cartoon by Mike Lane, 2003, showing a man standing in front of a U.S. factory, sad, and a sign that reads, This years picnic will be held in Mexico, where your job went.

SOURCE: Lane, Mike. "Labor Day Blues." Political Cartoon. The Sun Newspaper. From caglecartoons.com. August 27, 2003.

Labor Day is a day set aside to pay tribute to working men and women. It has been celebrated as a national holiday in the United States since 1894.

Selected Pros of NAFTA	Selected Cons of NAFTA
The average American has benefitted from lower prices on products.	The U.S. auto industry lost approximately 350,000 jobs from 1994–2016. Many of those jobs were taken by workers in Mexico. The auto industry in Mexico added over 400,000 jobs during the same period.
NAFTA has resulted in the creation of 200,000 export-related jobs annually in the United States. Those new jobs pay between 15–20% more than the manufacturing jobs lost after NAFTA was implemented.	Wages for American workers, in jobs that do not require a college degree, have decreased. Low wages in Mexico have forced American wages down.

SOURCE: Josephson, Amelia. "The Pros and Cons of NAFTA." SmartAsset, 3 Feb. 2017.

Claim: NAFTA has changed the export patterns of U.S. agricultural products.

Which change described in Source B supports this claim?

Author of Source C, Mike Lane, is a political cartoonist who worked from 1972–2009. Lane's cartoons usually attacked political greed and corruption.

Mike Lane most likely believed that NAFTA was

How does Source B corroborate the information in Source A?

Source B author Tracie McMillan wrote the article after the release of a U.S. Department of Agriculture report on the effect of NAFTA from 1994 to 2014. The article was written for National Public Radio (NPR). NPR is a media source funded partially by the federal government.

How might the context provided for this article have influenced NPR’s decision to publish it?

Which piece of information from Source D supports the point of view in Source C?

Assume that the information provided in Sources A, B, C and D is credible. Complete the following extended response question: Has the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) been beneficial for the United States?

Develop a claim in response to the question.

Cite evidence from the provided sources to support your claim.

Use your knowledge of government in your response.

Students are asked by their teacher to research closed and open primaries. Based on their research, they must decide which system is best. The students’ compelling question is this:

Should Maryland become an open primary state?

The students have found the following sources. Use the sources to answer the questions that follow.

Background Information

During a primary election, registered voters select who they believe should be their political party’s candidate in the general election. The state of Maryland currently allows political parties to choose which type of primary system to use. They almost always choose a closed primary so that voters registered with a party can only vote in that party’s primary. Critics argue this limits participation of those who want to vote for someone in the opposing party or independents who have no political party. Some are calling for Maryland state law to adopt an open primary system.

Key Terms:

closed primary—requires voters to be registered with a given party to vote in that party's primary election

open primary—does not require voters to be registered with a given party to vote in that party's primary election

partisan—a strong supporter of a particular political party, cause, or person

Source A

Gallup, Inc. is an analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. Gallup is best known for conducting opinion polls.

The graph is titled, U S Party Identification, Yearly Averages, nineteen eighty nine through two thousand seventeen. Key, solid line represents Democrats, dashed line represents Republicans, dotted line represents Independents. A solid line begins in year nineteen eighty nine at midway between 30 and 40 percent, goes down to year two thousand three at a little more than 30 percent, and goes down to year two thousand seventeen at a little less than 30 percent. A dashed line that is lower than the solid line begins in year nineteen eighty nine at midway between 30 and 40 percent, goes down to year two thousand three at a little more than 30 percent, and goes down to year two thousand seventeen at a little less than 30 percent. A dotted line begins in year nineteen eighty nine at the same percentage as the dashed line, goes up to year two thousand three at midway between 30 and 40 percent, and goes up to year two thousand seventeen at a little more than 40 percent.

Source B

OpenPrimaries.org is a group that advocates for nonpartisan open primaries in the United States.

"Closed primaries are the most rampant¹ form of voter suppression of the 21st century. Now, more than ever, we need our democracy to be open and fair—representative of all Americans, not just party extremists. Here are five reasons why we need open primaries . . .

"Independents are the largest and fastest-growing voting bloc in the country.

"Due to the effects of partisan gerrymandering, 90 percent of elections are determined in the primary. That means that a huge population of voters have no say in who represents them . . .

"Independent voters are paying for elections with their tax dollars . . .

"Open primaries require elected officials to reach out beyond their party to all the voters in order to get elected and stay in office.

"Open primaries allow legislators to be more effective representatives by creating a healthier environment to work together, form innovative coalitions, engage a range of policy issues on the merits and govern productively."

—Five Reasons We Need Open Primaries, www.openprimaries.org

¹ rampant — spreading quickly

Source C

Seth Masket is an author and political scientist at the University of Denver who specializes in political parties, state legislatures, campaigns and elections, and social networks.

"Many reformers look to open primaries as a tool for reducing the partisanship of elected officials, but such reforms have proven pretty ineffective. Changing who may participate in a state's primary elections seems unrelated to the partisanship of the elected officials it produces.

"Why is this? In part, it's because the activists, major donors, officeholders, and other party [leaders] who tend to influence the outcomes of primary elections don't just disappear when those elections are opened up to moderate voters. They remain influential, and they know how to allocate¹ the endorsements,² funding, expertise, and other resources important to winning elections to make sure that the candidates they like—pretty loyal partisans, usually—prevail in the primaries. But another reason is that people with weak party attachments (selfdescribed moderates, independents, and so forth) who do not follow politics closely tend not to participate in primaries even if they’re allowed to. Opening up a primary does little to change what the electorate actually looks like."

—Seth Masket, "How Can We Fix the Broken Primary Election System?" The Pacific Standard, July 7, 2014

¹ allocate — distribute for a particular purpose

² endorsements — an act of giving one's public approval or support to someone or something

Source D

Third Way is a national think tank that supports American values of opportunity, freedom, and security. Their agenda promotes liberal ideas and new ways of political thinking to solve societal problems.

Source: Thirdway.org
	Democrats	Republicans	Independents
U.S. Voter Registration Changes, 2008–2013
all states	–428,687	–12,714	+2,484,104
Maryland	+108,324	+23,133	+157,099
Source: Thirdway.org

Source E

Adam Brandon is Executive Vice President at FreedomWorks, a conservative advocacy group in Washington, D.C.

"Primaries are an opportunity for a party to nominate the candidate who will best carry forward its set of ideological principles. The general election will then allow voters to decide which party has made a better case. . . .

"Allowing the opposition party a vote undermines the purpose of primaries, effectively resulting in two general elections . . . with no clear distinction between the parties. . . .

"People who vote in the opposing party’s primary do not do so to support the candidate who best represents their views, but merely to be disruptive. . . .

"When there is a perception among the public that elections are not honest . . . the democratic process suffers. This country depends on an engaged, active electorate making informed choices about the candidates.

"Closed primaries protect the integrity of elections and make voters feel that their representation is in their own hands, not the tool of political manipulation."

—Adam Brandon. "Closed Primaries Prevent Mischief." USA Today, 2014

Source B was created most likely to

Which claim is best supported by Source D?

Which statement from Source B or C best corroborates the overall argument in Source E?

What source contains the most recent information?

A.

Source A
B.

Source C
C.

Source D
D.

Source E

Assume that the information provided in the sources is credible. Complete the following extended-response question:

Should Maryland become an open primary state?

Develop a claim in response to the question.

Cite evidence from the provided sources to support your claim.

Use your knowledge of government in your response.

This page shows a list of standards in the American Government public release collection at MSDE. American Government Released Questions in Standard "6.0 Skills and Processes"

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 1. Introduction (ARRA EBAS).

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 2. Background.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 3. Source A.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 4. Source B.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 5. Source C.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 6. Source D.

Icon representing a test question. 7. ARRA EBAS, Question 1 (22).

Icon representing a test question. 8. ARRA EBAS, Question 2 (23).

Icon representing a test question. 9. ARRA EBAS, Question 3 (24).

Icon representing a test question. 10. ARRA EBAS, Question 4 (25).

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 11. Government 2020, Defense Spending EBAS - Introduction.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 12. Government 2020, Defense Spending EBAS - Source A.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 13. Government 2020, Defense Spending EBAS - Source B.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 14. Government 2020, Defense Spending EBAS - Source C.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 15. Government 2020, Defense Spending EBAS - Source D.

Icon representing a test question. 16. Government 2020, EBAS 60.

Icon representing a test question. 17. Government 2020, EBAS 61.

Icon representing a test question. 18. Government 2020, EBAS 62.

Icon representing a test question. 19. Government 2020, EBAS 63.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 20. Introduction (NAFTA EBAS).

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 21. Background.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 22. Source A.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 23. Source B.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 24. Source C.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 25. Source D.

Selected Pros of NAFTA

Selected Cons of NAFTA

Icon representing a test question. 26. Question 1 (Multiple Choice).

Icon representing a test question. 27. Question 2 (Multiple Choice).

Icon representing a test question. 28. Question 3 (Multiple Choice).

Icon representing a test question. 29. Question 4 (Multiple Choice).

Icon representing a test question. 30. Question 5 (Multiple Choice).

Icon representing a test question. 31. Question 6 (Constructed Response).

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 32. Introduction (Open Primary EBAS).

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 33. Source A.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 34. Source B.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 35. Source C.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 36. Source D.

Icon representing a stimulus or reading passage. 37. Source E.

Icon representing a test question. 38. Question 1 (Multiple Choice).

Icon representing a test question. 39. Question 2 (Multiple Choice).

Icon representing a test question. 40. Question 3 (Multiple Choice).

Icon representing a test question. 41. Question 4 (Multiple Choice).

Icon representing a test question. 42. Question 5 (Constructed Response).

This page shows a list of standards in the American Government public release collection at MSDE. American Government
Released Questions in Standard "6.0 Skills and Processes"