MID SEMESTER EXAM

ADVANCED READING

NAME : Vania Lailatul Istianah

NIM : 19018060

WHETHER TO VOTE: A CITIZEN’S FIRST CHOICE

PART I. Read The Following Text Carefully, And Then Answer The Questions

1 Two centuries of American electoral history include greatly expanded suffrage—

the right to vote. In the election of 1800, only property-owning White males over the age of 21
were typically allowed to vote. Now virtually everyone over the age of 18—male or female,
White or non-White, rich or poor—has the right to vote. The two major exceptions concern
noncitizens and convicted criminals. No state currently permits residents who are not citizen to
vote. Some immigrant groups feel that this ought to at least be changed at the local level. State
law varies widely when it comes to crime and voting: 46 states deny prisoners the right to vote,
32 states extend the ban to people on parole, and 10 states impose a lifetime ban on convicted
felons.

2 Interestingly, as the right to vote has been extended, proportionately fewer of

those eligible have chosen to exercise that right. In the past 100 years, the 80 percent turnout in
the 1896 election was the high point of electoral participation. In 2004, only 55 percent of the
adult population voted in the presidential election (see Figure A).

Deciding Whether to Vote

3 Realistically, when over 100 million people vote in a presidential election, as the
did in 2004, the chance of one vote affecting the outcome is very, very slight. Once in a while, of
course, an election is decided by a small number of votes, as occurred in Florida in 2000. It is
more likely, however, that you will be struck by lightning during your lifetime than participate in
an election decided by a single vote.
 4 Not only does your vote probably not make much difference to the outcome, but
voting is somewhat costly. You have to spend some of your valuable time becoming informed,
making up your mind and getting to the polls. If you carefully calculate your time and energy,
you might rationally decide that the costs of voting outweigh the benefits, indeed the most
frequent response given by nonvoters in the 2000 Census Bureau survey on turnout was that they
could not take time off from work or school that day. Some scholars have therefore proposed that
one of the easiest ways to increase American turnout levels would be to move election day to
Saturday or make it a holiday.

5 Economist Anthony Downs, in his model of democracy, tries to explain why a

rational person would ever bother to vote. He argues that rational people vote if they believe that
the policies of one party will bring more benefits than the policies of the other party. Thus people
who see policy differences between the parties are more likely to join the ranks of voters. If you
are an environmentalist and you expect the Democrats to pass more environmental legislation
than the Republicans, then you have an additional incentive to go to the polls. On the other hand,
if you are truly indifferent, that is, if you see no difference whatsoever between the two parties—
you may rationally decide to abstain.

6 Another reason why many people vote is that they have a high sense of political
efficacy—the belief that ordinary people can influence the government. Efficacy is measured by
asking people to agree or disagree with statements such as “I don’t think public officials care
much what people like me think.” Those who lack strong feelings of efficacy are being quite
rational in staying home on Election Day because they don’t think they can make a difference.
Yet even some of these people are impelled to vote by a sense of civic duty. The benefit from
doing one’s duty is the long term contribution made toward preserving democracy.

Why Turnout in the United States is So Low Compared to Other Countries

7 Despite living n a culture that encourages participation, Americans have woefully

low turnout rate compared to other democracies. There are several reasons given for Americans’
abysmally low turnout rate. Probably the reason most often cited is the American requirement of
voter registration. The governments of many, but not all, other democracies take the
responsibility of seeing to it that all eligible citizen on the voting list. If we were to be like the
Scandinavian countries and have the government take care of registering every eligible citizen,
no doubt our turnout rate would be higher.

8 A second difference between the United States and other countries is that the
American government asks citizen to vote far more often. Whereas the typical European voter
may be called upon to cast two or three ballots in a four-year period, many American are faced
with a dozen or more separate elections in the space of four years. Furthermore, Americans are
expected to vote for a much wider range of political offices. With 1 elected official for every 442
citizens and election held somewhere virtually every week, it is no wonder that it is so difficult to
get Americans to the polls. It is probably no coincidence that the one European country that has a
lower turnout rate—Switzerland—has also overwhelmed its citizens with voting opportunities,
typically asking people to vote three times every year.

9 Finally, the stimulus to vote is low in the United States because the choices
offered Americans are not as stark as in the other countries. This is because the United States is
quite unusual in that it has always lacked a major left-wing socialist party. When European
voters go to the polls, they are deciding on whether their country will be run by parties with
socialist foals or by conservative (and in some cases religious) parties. The consequence of their
vote for redistribution of income and the scope of government are far greater than the ordinary
American voter can imagine.

Registering and Voting by E-mails?

10 Future reform designed to increase turnout may well focus on conducting

elections through e-mail. Although modern technology is widely available, Americans have not
harnessed much of it to improve democracy. Though many precincts now use computer touch
screen to record votes, the high-tech age has not yet made much of an impact on the voting
process. There is good reason to expect that this will change in the twenty-first century.

11 The development of the personal computer and the World Wide Web are likely to
facilitate the process of voter registration. Already, one can go to the website of the Federal
Election Commission (http://www.fec.gov/votregis/vr/htm) and download the “National Mail
Voter Registration Form.” Twenty-two states currently accept copies of this application printed
from the computer image, signed by the applicant, and mailed in the old-fashioned way. As e-
mail becomes ever more popular and “snail mail” fades into a method reserved for packages, the
entire voter registration process may someday be conducted mostly thought electronic means. In
an age where personal computers in the home are nearly as common as television sets are today,
this technology would clearly make registering to vote more user-friendly.

12 If people can register by computer, the next step is voting by e-mail. A growing
trend in the Pacific Coast states has been voting by mail. In 1998, Oregon voters approved a
referendum to eliminate traditional polling places and conduct all future elections by mail. In
California, approximately 25 percent of the votes cast currently come in via the post office.
Again, as e-mail takes the place of regular mail, why not have people cast their votes through
cyberspace?

13 Through the Internet would be less costly for the state, as well as easier for the
average citizen—assuming that computer literacy reaches near-universal proportions sometime
in the future. The major concerns, of course, would be ensuring that no one votes more than once
and preserving the confidentiality of the vote. These security concerns are currently being
addressed by some of the world’s top computer programmers, as commercial enterprises look
toward using the Internet to conduct business. If the technology can be perfected to allow
trillions of dollars of business to be conducted via the Internet, that it seems reasonable that
similar problems can be overcome with regard to the voting process.

14 Whether these possible developments will improve democracy in America is

debatable. Making voting more user-friendly should encourage turnout, but people will still have
to be interested enough in the elections of the future to send in their e-mail ballots. If old-style
polling places are relegated to the history books and everyone votes electronically in the
convenience of their own homes, the sense of community on Election Day may be lost. This loss
could lead to even lower turnout. You be the policymaker: Do the benefits of voting by e-mail
outweigh the potential costs?

A. Understanding the Thesis and Other Main Ideas

Select the best answer.
1. The central thesis of this selection is that
a. Computer voting will increase turnout.
b. Voter turnout in the United States is low.
 c. People in other countries are more inclined to vote.
d. Voting is aright that not everyone chooses to exercise.
2. The authors’ primary purpose is to
a. Present information on voting history, statistics, and innovation.
b. Convince readers they should exercise their right to vote.
c. Explain why voter turnout is lower in the United States than in Europe.
d. Argue that today’s citizens do not deserve the right to vote.
3. The first paragraph
a. Grabs the reader’s attention with interesting trivia.
b. Provides important background information on voting rights.
c. Explains how women and African-Americans struggled for the right to vote.
d. Introduces the issues surrounding low voter turnout.
4. The main idea of paragraph 4 is that
a. Election Day should be a national holiday.
b. Not everyone can take time off from work to vote.
c. Election decided by one vote are very rare.
d. Reasons people offer for not voting include lack of time and energy.
5. In paragraph 7, the authors focus on
a. The way in which Scandinavian countries register their citizen to vote.
b. The main reason for poor voter turnout.
c. The voter registration process.
d. Voter turnout statistics.
6. In the last paragraph, the authors
a. Doubt that we will ever raise voter turnout
b. Conclude that people will be more interested in voting if we use e-mail ballots.
c. Lament the possible loss of community if we go to computer based voting.
d. Offer a solution to the lack of voter motivation and interest.

B. Identifying Details
Select the best answer.
1. Which group cannot vote in any state?
 a. Convicted felons
b. Prisoners
c. Noncitizens
d. People on parole
2. As more types of people have been given the right to vote, the voter turnout has
a. Increased.
b. Decreased.
c. Stayed the same.
d. Varied considerably.
3. The Florida 200 election (paragraph 3) was a
a. Presidential election.
b. Gubernatorial election.
c. Senatorial election.
d. Judicial election.
4. According to economist Anthony Downs,
a. The voter registration process is too complicated for the average citizen.
b. Environmentalist vote more than other groups.
c. Voters only consider issues that are important to them.
d. People vote if they perceive a difference between parties.
5. One reason people vote that is not included in the reading is
a. Civic duty.
b. Political efficacy.
c. Peer pressure.
d. Support of democratic process.
6. A difference between United States and European election not mentioned in the
selection is
a. American voters are more apathetic than Europeans.
b. The voter registration process is more difficult in the United States.
c. Voters in the United States are overwhelmed by the number of elections in which
they are expected to participate.
d. Europeans have more distinct choices with more significant consequences.
 7. What technologies do the authors mention are used or could be used in the election
process?
a. Touch-screen recording, Internet registration, and e-mail voting.
b. Touch-screen voting and voting by instant message
c. Internet registration, e-mail voting, and voting by text message
d. Internet registration, touch-screen voting, and RFID tracking of absentee ballots
8. Electronic voting is
a. A sure way to increase voter turnout.
b. Unconstitutional.
c. A potential security concern.
d. Impossible to implement.

C. Recognizing Methods of Organization and Transitions

Select the best answer.
1. What is the organizational pattern used to discuss the reasons why Americans choose to
vote?
a. Listing
b. Time sequence
c. Cause and effect
d. Comparison and contrast.
2. What pattern is used to organize the information in paragraph 7 through 10?
a. Listing
b. Time sequence
c. Definition
d. Comparison and contrast.

D. Reviewing and Organizing Ideas

Complete the time line of significant voting events described in the selection.

Date Event
 1800 Only property-owning white males over the age of 21 were allowed to vote.
1896 The voter turnout was the highest point of electoral, representing the 80
percent of electoral participation.
1998 In the state of Oregon, voters decided to conduct future elections by mail.
2000 Census information indicates that people who cannot take off from work
are can’t to vote.
2004 Over 100 million people voted in the presidential election.

E. Figuring Out Inferred Meanings

Indicate whether each statements is true (T) or false (F).
__T__ 1. American women could not vote before 1800.
__T__ 2. The election results in Florida in 2000 were unusual.
__F__ 3. Republicans do not pass environmental legislation.
__T__ 4. European countries do not elect as many officials as the United States.
__T__ 5. In the future Americans might vote via the Internet.

F. Thinking Critically
Select the best answer.
1. The authors support the central thesis of “Whether to Vote” primarily by
a. Citing authorities.
b. Citing personal experience.
c. Making comparisons.
d. Reporting facts and statistics.
2. The tone of the selection can best be described as
a. Bitter.
b. Excited.
c. Informative.
d. Sympathetic.
3. Of the following statements from the reading, which is an opinion?
a. “State law varies widely when it comes to crime and voting.” (Paragraph 1).
b. “Interestingly, as the right to vote has been extended, proportionally fewer of those
eligible have chosen to exercise that right.” (Paragraph 2)
 c. “Some scholars have therefore proposed that one of the easiest ways to increase
American turnout levels would be to move election day to Saturday or make it a
holiday.” (Paragraph 4)
d. “If we were to be like the Scandinavian countries and have the government take care
of registering every eligible citizen, no doubt out turnout rate would be higher.”
(Paragraph 7)
4. The authors include statistics in the reading in order to
a. Provide supporting evidence.
b. Impress the reader with startling facts.
c. Show how misleading statistics can be.
d. Relate the most important information that someone should know about voting
behavior.
5. The authors compare the United States with other countries
a. To embarrass American voters.
b. To explain why American voter turnout might be so low.
c. To describe places to which civic-minded Americans might want to move.
d. To prove that no country is perfect when it comes to voter turnout.
6. Overall, the authors’ attitude toward voter turnout in the United States seems to be
a. Indifferent.
b. Hopeful.
c. Concerned.
d. Amused.

G. Building Vocabulary
 Context
Using context and a dictionary, if necessary, determine the meaning of each word as it is
used in the selection.
1. Rationally (paragraph 4)
a. Simply c. Mindlessly
b. Practically d. Reasonably
2. Woefully (Paragraph 7)
 a. Distressingly c. Dangerously
b. Carelessly d. Recklessly
3. Abysmally (Paragraph 7)
a. Secretly c. Incomprehensibly
b. Profoundly d. Superficially
4. Harnessed (Paragraph 10)
a. Powered c. Benefited from
b. Tried d. Made use of
5. Facilitate (Paragraph 11)
a. Increase c. Make easier
b. Speed up d. Resolve
6. Relegated (Paragraph 14)
a. Banished c. Elected
b. Chosen for d. Dedicated
H. Selecting a Learning/Study Strategy
Select the best answer.
_____ This reading contains many facts about voting behavior. What would be the best
way to learn these facts?
a. Visualize the scene at a polling place on election day
b. Record the facts on a study sheer
c. Read the facts over and over
d. Summarize the reading

PART II. SOAL BERIKUT INI TIDAK BERHUBUNGAN DENGAN TEKS DI ATAS

Choose the correct meaning toward the underlined word of each sentence
below.

1. Even though she’d read her supervisor’s memo four or five times, she still found
his rambling message ambiguous.
a. profound
b. inspiring
c. ridiculous
d. unclear

2. Excited about winning the award, Marcia walked up to the podium and delivered
an animated acceptance speech.
a. abbreviated
b. courteous
c. reserved
d. lively

3. The intermittentrain soaked the garden many different times during the day.
a. protracted
b. periodic
c. incredulous
d. light

4. I got a vicariousthrill watching you on the diving board.

a. shared
b. unpleasant
c. adventurous
d. evil

5. After several small brushfires at the campground, officials felt the need to
augmentthe rules pertaining to campfires.
a. criticize
b. retract
c. consider
d. expand

6. As soon as the details of the election were released to the media, the newspaper
was inundated with calls—far too many to be handled
effectively.
a. provided
b. bothered
c. rewarded
d. flooded

7. The doctor got to the crux of the issue.

a. outline
b. opposite
c. crucial point
d. unhealthy

8. When people heard that timid Bob had taken up skydiving, they were
incredulous.
a. fearful
b. outraged
c. convinced
d. disbelieving

9. The technical department enthusiastically hired Ms. Long because she was
proficientin the use of computers.
a. sincere
b. adequate
c. competent
d. skilled

10. Even under tremendous public pressure, the planning committee would not
commit itself wholeheartedly to the proposal and gave only tentativeapproval to
the waterfront development plan.
a. provisional
b. ambiguous
c. unnecessary
d. total

PART III. TRANSLATE THE FOLLOWING TEXT INTO INDONESIAN.

Through the Internet would be less costly for the state, as well as easier for the average
citizen—assuming that computer literacy reaches near-universal proportions sometime in the
future. The major concerns, of course, would be ensuring that no one votes more than once and
preserving the confidentiality of the vote. These security concerns are currently being addressed
by some of the world’s top computer programmers, as commercial enterprises look toward using
the Internet to conduct business. If the technology can be perfected to allow trillions of dollars of
business to be conducted via the Internet, that it seems reasonable that similar problems can be
overcome with regard to the voting process.

Answer :
Melalui internet akan menjadi lebih murah bagi negara, maupun bagi rata-rata warga
negara—berasumsi bahwa terkadang literasi komputer mencapai proporsi yang hampir universal
di masa depan. Perhatian utama, tentu, akan memastikan bahwa tidak ada yang memilih lebih
dari satu kali dan menjaga kerahasiaan suara. Mengenai urusan keamanan ini, saat ini sedang
ditangani oleh pemogram komputer teratas dunia, karena perusahaan komersil menggunakan
internet untuk menjalankan bisnis.Jika teknologinya dapat disempurnakan untuk memungkinkan
triliunan dolar bisnis yang dijalankan melalui internet, ini akan terlihat masuk akal bahwa
masalah serupa dapat diatasi dalam proses pemungutan suara.