By: Douglas Heaven
Level of Difficulty:
***
Note to the student: This is a long text but a very good and
topical one so I have prepared a reading task to accompany it. There are some
natural stopping places in the text so feel free to complete the task in two
sittings. Videos have been attached to some of the questions to break the
monotony and help with comprehension.
BEFORE YOU READ
In order to be able
to fully appreciate this text, you will need to prepare. Below you will find
videos of experts whose opinions are discussed in the text. Watch, listen and
take notes.
QUESTIONS
1.
Read the story of Joshua Wong. What is ironical
about the response of the West to his exploits?
2.
We understand from the text that Western
governments are far too apt to point the finger when in fact……….
·
What trend is observed in the USA, France and
the Netherlands?
·
Which countries in Europe score the highest?
·
What areas of the world have the lowest score?
·
Why is the low score Middle Eastern countries
have got surprising?
4.
Which trend which emerged in the Democracy Index
is the writer most concerned about?
5.
Which of the statements below best reflects the
conclusion that can be drawn from the paragraph beginning “The result”?
·
There have been drastic changes in the rankings
·
There have been certain changes in the rankings
·
There have been predictable changes in the
rankings
·
There have been qualitative changes in the
rankings
6.
Why has North Carolina been singled out
according to the text?
7.
Hoey is more pessimistic/ more optimistic than
those who see the global financial crisis as the reason for the drop in US
standing in the democracy index. The reason for his attitude is the fact that…
8.
According to Hoey, the election of Donald Trump
is the cause/result of the flawed democracy in the US
9.
What word or phrase could you replace “this”
with in the phrase “Some may argue that
this is because…”?
10.
We understand from the text that: Mark True or
False
·
The distance between the people and the
politicians has grown
·
The distance between the politicians and the
people is bridged by professionals
·
It is surprising that left wing parties have lost
contact with their base
·
People only pay lip service to Abraham Lincoln’s
definition of democracy
11.
The result of the movement of both more left
wing and more right wing parties towards the middle has created a void which
has been filled by……………………….because they have taken the bull by the horns
and…..
12.
The recent “political shocks” like the election
of Donald Trump and the vote in the UK to leave the EU should not have come as
a great surprise because: Mark True or False
·
People were fed up with being ignored
·
People didn’t want to vote indirectly
·
Politicians have been failing to check the
public pulse
·
The
chickens have come home to roost
13.
What is the writer referring to when he states”
Diamond sees a darker side”? Be specific. Now state precisely what his concern
is.
14.
The brakes in the example of the car refer to
·
Equality and civil liberty
·
Checks and balances
·
The supreme court
·
The constitution
15.
Watch the following video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv7IP2qL0gg
. Now answer the question: Many thinkers
attribute the rise of authoritarianism in the early 20
th century to
the Great Depression. Why did they do so?
18.
Read the opinions of Daniel Bell to the end. Bell
feels
·
Classification is important
·
We are oversimplifying the issue
·
We are too fond of pigeon-holing
·
Performance matters
·
Officials should be elected
·
Would Trump have been able to become president
in China? Why or Why not?
·
What Western attitude does Bell criticize?
·
Corruption can only be controlled in China if…
·
Chinese leaders are better qualified for the job
T/F
·
The vast infrastructure projects and the fight
against poverty in China are attributed to the lack of..
·
To what extent does Bell believe China will
become a democracy? Why?
20.
The only way to promote democracy is, according
to Huey, to…
WRITING TASK
Write an essay discussing why democracy is in crisis and
what the solutions are.
THE UNCERTAIN FUTURE
OF DEMOCRACY KEY AND TEACHERS’ NOTES
This is a very
topical text concerning the current crisis of democracy and the populist
backlash. It is a text that should lead to some robust discussion.
1.
Many countries that applaud activism are letting
democracy slip. (You cannot say “it”; you have to write down what it refers to)
2.
The problem is in the heart of the most mature
democracies
3.
They have become flawed democracies/
Scandinavian countries /The Middle East and some parts of Africa / Certain East
Asian countries / They underwent the Arab spring.
4.
The decline in democracy in the most mature
democracies
5.
The first
6.
Because
it brought in voting restrictions that reportedly disenfranchised black voters
7.
More pessimistic / The US’ relegation to “flawed
democracy” in the EIU’s ratings is not because of the 2016 presidential
elections
8.
The result
9.
Some people may argue that trust in the
government has declined sharply / plummeted/ dropped sharply/ decreased
radically… and the like
10.
All True
11.
Populists / talked about issues that established
parties have been unwilling to address candidly
12.
T, F,T, F
13.
Diamond sees a darker side to the fact that
everybody is talking about democracy / the vulnerability of pure democracy to
the tyranny of the majority.
14.
Checks and balances
15.
When people feel threatened, either physically –
by terrorism say – or economically they tend to be more receptive to
authoritarian appeals and more willing to give up certain freedoms
16.
The other candidates don’t see what is happening
and don’t make significant policy adjustments
17.
No there aren’t. These are countries where there
have been political crises and the people have opted to give up their freedoms
18.
We are oversimplifying the issue
19.
No, because government officials are appointed
and promoted according to their competence and performance / The idea that Western Democracy is at the top
(video)/ there are/ China has more mechanisms to keep politicians accountable/
T/ The lack of an electoral cycle/ To a certain extent (He has reservations)
because he thinks more people might sign up to join the ruling party.
20.
Do it by example
