CHAPTER 3 ASSESSMENTS
DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION
I. MULTIPLE CHOICE (CHOOSE THE BEST RESPONSE.)
1. The author identifies three basic practices of democracy that can be nurtured in an elementary
school. What are they?
a. Reading, writing, and listening.
b. Inquiry, reasoning, and debate.
c. Deliberation, voting, and community service.
d. Caring, respect, and independence.
2. The words “under God” were added to the Pledge of Allegiance during:
a. World War II.
b. the Civil War.
c. the American Revolution.
d. the Cold War.
3. According to the text, at what grade level should students begin learning about the power a
citizen exercises in the act of voting?
a. Kindergarten.
b. Second Grade.
c. Fourth Grade.
d. Sixth Grade.
4. Deliberation skills are not necessarily developed on their own but need to be:
a. Taught prior to practicing.
b. Taught, practiced, and learned.
c. Created within a group setting.
d. Taught after practicing.
5. Discussion stimulates students’ reasoning. A discussion is most likely to have this effect
when a student:
a. Dominates the discussion so that all his or her ideas are heard.
b. Listens to others’ points of view without offering his or her own.
c. Attempts to push the discussion to another topic that is more to his or her liking.
d. Encounters and listens to reasoning that is somewhat different from his or her own.
6. Deliberation informs and empowers voting. Voting should be seen as:
a. A preliminary activity that comes before deliberation.
b. Impossible without deliberation.
c. A culminating activity.
d. None of the above.
7. Bridging citizenship learning in school with citizenship experiences in the community is
important. What is one way to create such a bridge?
a. Through listening to a discussion.
b. Through service learning activities.
c. Through classroom meetings.
d. Through voting in mock elections.
8. A pledge of allegiance is a type of:
a. Contract.
b. Constitution.
c. Promise.
d. Prayer.
9. Which of the following is NOT a reason why students should be taught about democracy?
a. A democracy needs to be nurtured; it does not grow by itself.
b. A democracy needs to be maintained by its citizens.
c. A democracy needs citizens who look out mainly for themselves.
d. A democracy needs help to grow toward its ideals.
10. The author urges social studies teachers to make religion:
a. A natural part of topics studied.
b. Disappear from the curriculum.
c. A separate course of study.
d. The major goal of instruction.
II. SHORT ANSWER
What do you believe are the characteristics of especially effective community service activities
for elementary school children? Be sure to think about both social and political aspects. (These
characteristics can then be used as criteria for judging the quality of a proposed community
service activity.)
III. EXTENDED RESPONSE
As part of the interview process for an elementary school teaching position, you have been asked
to prepare a short presentation to the faculty about the role of discussion in the social studies.
You are to address four major questions:
•1. To what extent should discussion be an important part of the social studies curriculum and
why?
IV. DISCUSSION
Discuss the following issue with a group of classmates. Then, use one of the rubrics found in
this chapter to assess your participation.
A parent is upset with you because you encourage her/his child to participate in class
discussions. The child does not like to talk in front of classmates. The parent says, “I think it is
CHAPTER 3 DEMOCRATIC CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION