Answer to Question 1
An ideal response will:
1. Identify at least two goals and contributions, such as foreign aid to which citizens can contribute through giving money or volunteering time, national security to which citizens can contribute by serving in the armed forces, and efforts to improve the nation's reputation to which citizens can contribute by addressing problems at home.
2. Note that citizens can influence priorities given to goals by putting pressure on the federal government and holding elected leaders accountable, perhaps through writing letters to congressional representatives, working with groups that advocate for particular issues or populations, and voting.
3. Discuss how citizens can help shape the foreign policy and defense agenda through active engagement in the political process, such as working with a political party and volunteering time during elections to get out the vote.
Answer to Question 2
An ideal response will:
1. Describe the NSC as a group of high-ranking advisers to the president, including by law the vice president, the secretary of defense, and the secretary of state, and also sometimes including military and intelligence advisers at the request of the president.
2. Identify the primary function of the NSC as coordinating and integrating foreign, military, and economic policies that affect national security.
3. Note that the president is most likely to convene a meeting of the NSC when the president wants foreign policy advice on a particular issue or when a crisis is unfolding.
Fallow deer at Avon Valley Country Park, Bristol, England
A feral horse herd in the western United States
Add 5 more to make 9
Occupational Prestige: How The United States Compares With Sixty Countries
Ten Leading Causes of Death in the United States, 2010.
Income Inequality in the United States: 1947–2009