Second-term scorecard.

PositionGRAPH: NATIONAL - President's rule

New Presidents start their terms with a traditional "honeymoon" period of about 100 days, during which critics usually go easy on them, allowing them an opportunity to get their administrations up and running and to begin pursuing their agendas.

But as time goes on, especially if a President wins a second term, critics' complaints often grow louder and approval, ratings may take a slide if campaign promises go unfitted or the President's actions in office prove unpopular or controversial.

During the last 50 years, second-term problems have befallen every two-term President, with varying effects on their approval ratings, as measured in public-opinion polls.

President Bush's approval rating neared 90 percent just after 9/11, but with his recent troubles that figure has slipped more than 50 percentage points as of November.

ANALYZE THE GRAPH

  1. About how many percentage points separate Bush's approval rating in November from his disapproval rating then?

    (a) 15

    (b) 18

    (c) 22

    (d) 30

  2. About how many points separate Bush's approval rating from Reagan's?

    (a) 20

    (b) 22

    (c) 25

    (d) 30

  3. Just after the 2004 erection, Bush's approval, rating was 15 points higher than it was last month. In 2004, his approval rating was about

    (a) 50%

    (b) 45%

    (c) 55%

    (d) 51%

  4. Go back more than 30 years. Which President's approval rating matches exactly the disapproval rating of an earlier President? --

  5. President Bush's approval rating is not as tow as that of some other Presidents. In February 1952, President Harry S. Truman rated just over 40 percent tower than Bush. What was Truman's rating?

    (a) 15%

    (b) 17%

    (c) 22%

    (d) 30%

  6. Which President had the highest approval rating and lowest disapproval rating?--

  7. ...

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