Question

text 1
studying the history of u.s. suffrage, a political theorist notes that every major expansion of the vote—from the end of property requirements to the voting rights act—followed intense organizing, lawsuits, and sometimes street protests. she argues that reforms such as automatic registration are unlikely to appear simply because leaders recognize their fairness; elected officials must first feel sustained pressure.

text 2
in states where mail - in ballots and extended early voting passed coalitions of community groups kept legislators’ offices flooded with calls, testimony, and turnout data. technical policy arguments mattered, but only after constituents showed that easier voting had become a nonnegotiable demand. otherwise, legislators may succumb to the pressures of other seemingly more urgent matters.

7 mark for review
which statement is most consistent with the views expressed in both texts?
a voting reforms are more likely to succeed when citizens participate since public mobilization has become a more significant driver of change in recent years.
b voting access is most often expanded because officials inherently understand the fairness of the reforms, a process that occurs independently of citizen pressure.
c expansions of voting access usually occur only when citizens apply sustained, organized pressure on officials rather than relying on leaders to act on fairness alone.
d recent successes in expanding voting access show that organizing, lawsuits, and protests are no longer necessary tools for advocates.

Explanation:

• For Option A: Text 1 and 2 don't emphasize "more significant in recent years" for public mobilization. Text 1 talks about historical expansions with mobilization, Text 2 about recent state - level changes with mobilization, but no comparison of its significance over time. Eliminate A.
• For Option B: Text 1 says reforms don't appear just because leaders recognize fairness (elected officials need sustained pressure), and Text 2 says technical arguments matter after citizens show demand. So B, which claims officials act out of inherent understanding of fairness independent of citizen pressure, is wrong.
• For Option C: Text 1 states that every major vote expansion followed intense organizing, lawsuits, protests, and elected officials need sustained pressure (not just fairness recognition). Text 2 says in states with voting reforms, community groups pressured legislators, and otherwise legislators focus on other matters. This option matches both texts' view that citizen pressure (sustained, organized) is needed for voting access expansion, not just relying on leaders' sense of fairness.
• For Option D: Text 1 says vote expansions followed organizing, lawsuits, protests, and Text 2 shows community groups pressured legislators. So D, which says these tools are no longer necessary, is wrong.

Answer:

C. Expansions of voting access usually occur only when citizens apply sustained, organized pressure on officials rather than relying on leaders to act on fairness alone.