Question

Researching Modern-Day Latin America

This activity will help you meet this educational goal:
You will research a modern-day Latin American country to find out more about the country's government and politics.
Directions
Read the instructions for this self-checked activity. Type in your response to each question, and check your answers. At the
end of the activity, write a brief evaluation of your work.
Activity
In this activity, you'll develop questions about a Latin American country and do research to find the answers. Then you'll
report on your findings.
Part A
Choose a Latin American country that you learned about in this lesson and list eight questions you have about the
country's government and politics. Be sure to specify why the question is important.

Answer 1

1. What type of government does Mexico currently have? To understand the government of Mexico.
2. Does Mexico have a president or a king? To know who Mexico’s leader is.
3. Do people in Mexico vote for officials? To know if Mexico has a representative group.
4. Does Mexico have different political parties? To understand if different groups of people contribute to politics in Mexico.
5. Do Mexican citizens pay taxes? Many revolutions started over the issue of taxes.
6. Does Mexico have a bill of rights to protect its citizens’ rights? To see if the rights of people in Mexico are protected.
7. What is Mexico’s capital city? To understand where Mexico’s government is located.
8. Does Mexico have three branches of government? To understand how Mexico’s government is organized.

Answer 2

The country chosen is Colombia. 8 questions that are relevant for the Colombian case are:

1. What type of government does Colombia have? is it a presidential republic, or a parliamentary republic?

2. Who is the current government leader in Colombia?

3. What is the current ruling party in Colombia? what political ideology do they follow?

4. What are Colombia's policies regarding drug dealing?

5. What are Colombia's policies regarding insurgent armed groups?

6. Is violence in Colombia falling or rising?

7. How many people are poor in Colombia? What percentage of the population do the poor represent?

8. What are the government policies to help the poor?

9. How are the relations between Colombia and the United States?

10. How are the relations between Colombia and Venezuela?