View a FREE sample

This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What is one of the two important tools of American democracy?

2. Aristocratic regimes in Europe put the wealth into the hands of whom?

3. What deals with the affairs of the people and is bound to be turbulent and uncertain?

4. Of what does de Tocqueville state that the United States does not produce a valuable body?

5. De Tocqueville observes that judges are not elected, but are what?

Short Essay Questions

1. After the American Revolutionary war, the government defined, very precisely, the powers that belonged to whom?

2. What are some of the suggestions that equality makes to the beliefs of the American people?

3. Before the American Revolution, what were the two great political parties in the United States and what were their aims?

4. Why, according to de Tocqueville, does the American writer write?

5. What does de Tocqueville analyze in his book?

6. Why, in America, would it be hard for a democratic government to exercise tyrannical authority?

7. Americans want to explain everything through human intelligence and leave the rest to be explained by what, according to de Tocqueville?

8. Although religion remains out of the realm of politics according to de Tocqueville's observations, what political effect does religion have?

9. What, according to the author, are some of the downsides of democracy?

10. According to de Tocqueville, why does the United States only produce journalistic literature?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

What are some of the historical influences that have shaped American democracy as de Tocqueville explains it? Use specific examples from the book to support your answer.

Essay Topic 2

Using examples from the book, what is the main role of an independent judiciary in a democracy? What is the main role of the judiciary in America? Are the two similar or different? Use the book to provide support for your answer.

Essay Topic 3

De Tocqueville believes that democracy counters individualism by ensuring that common good is understood as profiting everyone in the community. In what ways do the structures, people, and ideas de Tocqueville presents in the book affirm that idea? In what ways do they not support the idea? Which is a more convincing argument and why? Support your answers with examples from the book.

(see the answer keys)

This section contains 587 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample