Compare governments today: Brazil, Cuba and Mexico

Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   How Mexico is governed (cards A to E, from the Constitution of Mexico in the English translation published by the Constitute Project, unless noted; summaries in our words except in quotation marks). Card A, Article 39: "The national sovereignty is vested, originally and essentially, in the people." Card B, Article 83 (cut marked): "The President will begin his tenure on October 1st and will last six years in office. The citizen who had performed as President of the Republic, … in no case and under any circumstances may perform again this position." Card C, history (in our words, from Britannica): Porfirio Díaz held the presidency for most of the years from 1876 to 1911. In October 1910 the opposition leader Francisco Madero issued the Plan of San Luis Potosí, which declared the 1910 election void and called for real voting and no reelection. Card D, Article 59 and a note: "Senators may be elected up to two consecutive periods and the deputies of the House of Representatives may be elected up to four consecutive periods." Senators serve six-year terms and deputies three-year terms. Before a reform published in 2014, legislators could not be reelected to the next term; that ban dated from 1933. Card E, the legislature: the 500-member House has 300 members elected from single-member districts by majority vote and 200 elected from regional party lists in proportion to the votes. The 128-member Senate has two senators from each of 32 units (31 states and Mexico City) elected by majority vote, one more from each unit for the party that came second, and 32 elected from a national list in proportion to the votes. The whole Senate is renewed every six years.

2. 1.

   Which chain linking cards B and C is best supported, Ari asks?

   • Article 83 was written to extend Díaz's long rule, so Madero's call for no reelection was ignored
   • The one-term rule was created in the 2014 reform, which changed the reelection rules for presidents
   • Madero asked for longer terms for presidents, and Article 83 now gives them six years
   • A long presidency led reformers to demand no reelection, and Article 83 now bars a second presidency
3. 2.

   A student writes: "Mexico bars all politicians from serving long." How strong is that claim, given cards B and D, Bo asks?

   • Weak: card B allows the President unlimited terms, so politicians can serve for as long as they like
   • Strong: card B bars every office from reelection, so no politician in Mexico can serve long
   • Strong: card D bars legislators from reelection, so no politician in Mexico can serve long
   • Weak: card D allows senators two and deputies four consecutive terms; card B covers only the presidency
4. 3.

   Card E says 200 of the House's 500 members are elected from party lists in proportion to the votes. What share is that, Esme asks?

   • 60 percent
   • 20 percent
   • The whole House
   • 40 percent
5. 4.

   In card E, 200 House seats are shared out in proportion to votes. How does this help smaller parties compared with district seats alone, Kira asks?

   • It removes the need for elections, because the party lists are filled without any vote
   • It gives smaller parties a way to win seats even if they win few district races
   • It guarantees each party the same number of seats, however few votes the party wins
   • It lets the President pick the party lists' winners after the votes have been counted
6. 5.

   To learn what Madero himself wanted in 1910, which source is best, Milo asks?

   • A history of Mexico written in 2000
   • The Plan of San Luis Potosí, which Madero issued in 1910
   • Article 83 of the current Constitution
   • A speech by a Díaz official defending his government
7. 6.

   A student writes: "Article 39 puts sovereignty in the people, so Mexican officials always follow the people's will." How strong is that claim, Noah asks?

   • Overstated: Article 39 states a principle, but it does not show how officials act
   • Weak: Article 39 is not part of the Constitution, so it cannot be used as evidence about officials
   • Weak: Article 39 says officials must ignore the people, since sovereignty rests elsewhere
   • Strong: a constitution's wording guarantees how officials act, so Article 39 settles the question
8. 7.

   Card D says legislative reelection was banned from 1933 until a reform published in 2014. What changed, Pia asks?

   • The Senate was abolished and the House became the sole chamber of the legislature
   • The legislators' ban was lifted, allowing consecutive terms up to 12 years
   • Presidents became eligible for a second term after sitting out the next election
   • Reelection became illegal across the board, so legislators could no longer run for the next term
9. 8.

   Which evidence would best show whether allowing reelection changed legislators' behavior, Ren asks?

   • A newspaper summary of the reform printed in the weeks after the reform was published
   • A speech praising the reform, given by one of the lawmakers who voted for it
   • The text of Article 59, which sets out how many terms legislators may serve
   • Voting records and election results before and after 2018, compared
10. 9.

    A student writes: "Mexico's Senate is chosen only by state-by-state majorities." How strong is that claim, given card E, Tala asks?

    • Weak: card E says the Senate is appointed, not elected, so no vote is held
    • Weak: card E says 32 of the 128 seats come from a national proportional list
    • Strong: card E says each state elects three senators by majority vote, state by state
    • Strong: card E says the 128 senators are elected by majority vote, state by state
11. 10.

    Card D says senators serve six-year terms and may be elected for up to two consecutive periods. At most how many consecutive years is that, Zee asks?

    • 6 years
    • 18 years
    • 24 years
    • 12 years