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

Short Answer Questions

1. When American writers exaggerate the importance of a subject, de Tocqueville says it gets lost in what?

2. What kind of literature does America produce?

3. Religion and politics do what, in American life?

4. In de Tocqueville's observations, aristocratic societies make countless _____________ available between man and God.

5. What type of person does de Tocqueville say the American writer sees himself as?

Short Essay Questions

1. Where does the American writer find poetry, according to de Tocqueville's observations?

2. What does de Tocqueville believe is the logic that is followed when people adopt the authority of the majority?

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

4. What is one of the drawbacks to de Tocqueville's view of the American approach to literature and poetry?

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

6. What is the definition of a regime?

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

8. According to the author, what is the reason free people obey laws?

9. The communities of New England set the foundation of a democratic society based on what?

10. In de Tocqueville's observations, what do educated individuals in America read, and how does it relate to their lives?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

According to de Tocqueville, power is divided between the federal government and the states. What aspects of American democracy has de Tocqueville shown where this is true? What are some instances that he has shown where this is not true? What effects does this division have on democracy in America? Support your answers with examples from the book.

Essay Topic 2

In de Tocqueville's opinion, what is the problem with letting the majority opinion rule? What are some of its causes, effects, and consequences? Use examples from the book to support your answer.

Essay Topic 3

Using examples from the book, what are the differences between an aristocratic regime and a democratic regime in terms of governance? Which one does de Tocqueville think is more effective at governing and why?

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