School Improvement in Maryland

Public Release Item: Public Release items have appeared on HSA forms and then are released for public viewing and use. Releasing items is one step to ensuring that schools, districts, and other stakeholders understand how the core learning goals are assessed on the HSA.

Goal 1 Political Systems

Expectation 1.1 The student will demonstrate understanding of the structure and functions of government and politics in the United States.

Indicator 1.1.3 The student will evaluate roles and policies the government has assumed regarding public issues.

Assessment Limits:

  • Public issues:
    • Environment (pollution, land use)
    • Entitlements (Social Security, welfare)
    • Health care and public health (costs, substance abuse, diseases)
    • Censorship (media, technology)
    • Crime (prevention, punishments)
    • Equity (race, ethnicity, region, religion, gender, language, Socioeconomic status, age, and individuals with disabilities)

Selected Response Item - Released in 2004

All of the events described in the headlines above address

  1. racial segregation
  2. educational access
  3. unemployment issues
  4. gender discrimination
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2004_113_gov04.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2004

Which of these is a purpose of Social Security?

  1. to provide income for retirees
  2. to regulate the health care industry
  3. to give relocation assistance to immigrants
  4. to encourage taxpayer contributions to charities
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2004_113_gov23.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2005

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) offers home loans at low interest rates to low-income borrowers who live in rural communities.

What is most likely the purpose of this government program?

  1. to increase ownership of property
  2. to regulate the lending industry
  3. to encourage people to move
  4. to raise tax revenues
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2005_113_gov12.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2005

The purpose of the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is to promote health and safety by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability.

Which of these is most likely a responsibility of this government agency?

  1. to help healthcare workers find jobs
  2. to fund and operate medical schools
  3. to establish immunization programs for children
  4. to enforce laws that protect people from discrimination
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2005_113_gov18.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Brief Constructed Response (BCR) Item - Released in 2005

Medicaid is a government program which helps pay medical expenses for persons with low incomes. Medicare, a similar program, provides healthcare benefits to the elderly.

  • Explain the advantages and disadvantages of government sponsored healthcare.
     
  • Should the government decrease or increase its spending on healthcare? Explain why or why not.
     
  • Include details and examples to support your answer.
     
Write your answer on the lines in the answer box below.

/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2005_113_gov35.xml

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Selected Response Item - Released in 2005

The Clean Air Act of 1970 set broad national goals for the reduction of air pollution.

Which of these was a direct result of this act?

  1. Prices of automobiles declined.
  2. Fewer automobiles traveled on highways.
  3. Automobile makers redesigned automobile engines.
  4. Automobile smog problems were eliminated.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2005_113_gov54.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item - Released in 2001

Read the newspaper headline below.

Which of these goals of the United States government is reflected in the President's announcement?

  1. establishing justice
  2. ensuring domestic tranquility
  3. promoting the general welfare
  4. providing for the common defense
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2001_113_gov01.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item - Released in 2001

What do Medicaid, food stamps, and Social Security have in common?

  1. They are funded by private corporations.
  2. They are administered by state governments.
  3. They provide economic assistance around the world.
  4. They provide support for people in the United States.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2001_113_gov13.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2001

Which of these government policies was established specifically to address the problem of air pollution?

  1. mandating reduction of emissions from automobiles
  2. passing laws to protect endangered species
  3. funding a highway beautification project
  4. researching soil conservation to improve farming
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2001_113_gov14.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2001

Which of these government actions demonstrates a "get-tough-on-crime" policy?

  1. accepting plea-bargaining
  2. eliminating lengthy jail sentences
  3. reading suspects their Miranda rights
  4. limiting the number of appeals per defendant
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2001_113_gov32.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Extended Constructed Response (ECR) Item - Released in 2001

The statements below are concerns predicted for the United States in the 21st century.

  1. There may not be enough clean water to meet people's needs.
  2. Some people will not have access to computers and the Internet.
  3. Many jobs will require college degrees.
  • Explain how national or state governments might respond to two of these concerns.
     
  • Include details and examples to support your answer.

Write your answer in the answer box below.

/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2001_113_gov47.xml

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Selected Response Item - Released in 2004

Study the political cartoon and definitions below.

Which of these would the man portrayed in the cartoon most likely oppose?

  1. government grants to the media
  2. government censorship of the media
  3. government licensing of broadcasting stations
  4. government advertising on broadcasting stations
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2004_113_gov39.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item - Released in 2002

The United States government is allowed to restrict publication of information that

  1. criticizes presidential decisions
  2. supports one political party
  3. endangers national security
  4. promotes legal reforms
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2002_113_gov23.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item - Released in 2002

Which of these has contributed most to the discussion of reforming the social security system?

  1. Americans are living longer than ever before.
  2. The number of retired persons has decreased.
  3. Fewer people are paying taxes to support the program.
  4. The taxes to pay for the program have never been increased.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2002_113_gov43.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2002

Because of the Endangered Species Act, a man was forbidden from planting crops on his land because the habitat of an endangered species would be destroyed.

In the situation above, there is a conflict between a government policy and an individual's

  1. freedom of expression
  2. freedom of religion
  3. voting rights
  4. property rights
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2002_113_gov47.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2003

Look at the cartoon below. Then answer the following.

According to the cartoon, what is a criticism of the juvenile justice system?

  1. The system gives judges little choice in punishment.
  2. The juvenile justice system wastes too much money.
  3. The government has too much control over the lives of juveniles.
  4. The courts make the community responsible for juveniles' actions.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2003_113_gov17.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2003

After the 1979 accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear plant, the federal Nuclear Regulatory Commission tightened restrictions on the nuclear power industry in order to

  1. ensure due process
  2. protect public health
  3. develop military strength
  4. guarantee equal rights
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2003_113_gov21.xml

Correct Answer:
B

Selected Response Item - Released in 2003

The federal government's policy is to censor material that

  1. threatens national security
  2. promotes an unpopular opinion
  3. disagrees with presidential decisions
  4. criticizes a government law
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2003_113_gov45.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2006

Read the information below.

In Utah, students from a Native American reservation had to travel 90 miles to the nearest high school. As a result, the United States Department of Justice sued the school district for failing to build a high school near the reservation.

Based on the information above, what is the role of the United States Department of Justice?

  1. to establish school districts within states
  2. to give states control over property rights
  3. to decide the curriculum in schools
  4. to ensure equal treatment under the law
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2006_113_gov09.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Brief Constructed Response (BCR) Item - Released in 2006

Read the headline below and use it to answer the BRIEF CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE that follows.

  • Describe actions Maryland state and local governments could take in response to this headline.
  • Which government action do you think would be most effective in solving this problem? Explain why.
  • Include details and examples to support your answer.

Write your answer on the lines in your Answer Book.

/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2006_113_gov08.xml

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Selected Response Item - Released in 2006

The cartoon below was drawn in 1997. Look at the cartoon.

According to the cartoon, in 1997

  1. fewer people applied for Medicare
  2. the cost of providing Medicare decreased
  3. the government reduced Medicare funding
  4. fewer people needed the assistance of Medicare
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2006_113_gov32.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item - Released in 2006

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) provides help to landowners who want to restore wetlands located on their property.

What is most likely the purpose of this program?

  1. to protect the environment
  2. to purchase private property
  3. to encourage development
  4. to increase tax revenues
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2006_113_gov34.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Brief Constructed Response (BCR) Item - Released in 2006

Use your knowledge about government to answer the BRIEF CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE.

  • Describe ways the government can limit freedom of the press in newspapers and magazines.
  • Do you agree or disagree with these limits? Explain why.
  • Include details and examples to support your answer.

Write your answer on the lines in your Answer Book.

/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2006_113_gov51.xml

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Extended Constructed Response (ECR) Item - Released in 2007

Read the headline and the excerpt below and use them to answer the EXTENDED CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE that follows.

In New York Times v. the United States (1971), Justice Hugo Black ruled, “The Press is to serve the governed and not the governors … the Press is free so it can inform the people.”

  • Identify how a society benefits from freedom of the press.
  • Describe possible situations when government censorship might be justified.
  • Compare the importance of individual rights to the government’s need to control information.
  • Include details and examples to support your answer.

Write your answer on the lines in your Answer Book.

/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2007_113_gov23.xml

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Selected Response Item - Released in 2007

Study the political cartoon below.


EPA: Environmental Protection Agency

To which problem in Maryland does the political cartoon most directly apply?

  1. determining traffic patterns in Annapolis
  2. informing Baltimore residents of crime rates
  3. improving the water quality in the Chesapeake Bay
  4. limiting the growing population around Washington, D.C.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2007_113_gov24.xml

Correct Answer:
C

Selected Response Item - Released in 2007

Read the passage below. Then answer the following.

For over 150 years, the state of Virginia operated an all-male college called the Virginia Military Institute (VMI). In 1990, the United States government sued the state of Virginia at the request of a female high school student seeking admission to VMI. The Supreme Court ruled that VMI had to admit women who could meet the physical and other requirements.

Which of these statements best explains the reason for the decision in this case?

  1. Public colleges cannot discriminate on the basis of gender.
  2. Public colleges must have minimum standards for admission.
  3. A military institution cannot discriminate based on physical ability.
  4. State schools must admit a majority of the people who apply for admission.
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2007_113_gov43.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2008

Which of these is the goal of a state law to reduce air and water pollution?

  1. expanding the economy
  2. promoting economic equity
  3. protecting individual rights
  4. protecting public health
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2008_113_gov16.xml

Correct Answer:
D

Selected Response Item - Released in 2008

Which of these is a purpose of Social Security?

  1. granting retirement benefits
  2. enforcing affirmative action laws
  3. monitoring unfair business practices
  4. developing workplace safety regulations
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2008_113_gov38.xml

Correct Answer:
A

Selected Response Item - Released in 2008

States may offer medical coverage to children whose families cannot afford health insurance, and who do not qualify for similar federal programs.

What is the purpose of this program?

  1. to increase wages for hospital employees
  2. to ensure that children receive health care
  3. to increase competition in the health care industry
  4. to conduct a census of children living in each state
/share/clg/xml/public_release/government/2008_113_gov42.xml

Correct Answer:
B