civic (adjective) related to citizenship

• Sample Sentence: In countries where voting is mandatory, those who do not vote are punished for not doing their civic duty.

• Turn and Talk: Is trying your best in school a civic responsibility?.

apathy (noun) lack of interest

• Sample Sentence: Low voter turnout might be explained by voter apathy; many voters just don’t care who wins.

• Turn and Talk: Which is more dangerous: apathy or anger? Explain.

enforce (verb) to make sure that a rule is followed

• Sample Sentence: Not all countries with mandatory voting enforce any punishment.

• Turn and Talk: What is one rule that most of your teachers enforce?

decline (noun) a drop, lessening

• Sample Sentence: Venezuela discontinued mandatory voting in 1993 and saw a 30% decline in attendance at the polls.

• Turn and Talk: What kinds of policies might cause a decline in crime?

*decline (verb) to drop or become less

• Sample Sentence: Teen smoking declined from 36% in 1997 to 16% in 2013.

Turn and Talk: What can be done to ensure that teen smoking rates decline even further?

evidently (adverb) apparently; clearly

• Sample Sentence: Some people evidently feel strongly about their preferences for Pepsi versus Coca Cola.

Turn and Talk: Your friend says to you, “Evidently, you must have been up late last night!” Explain how they might know that about you. What evidence might your friend have used?

*alternate part of speech