Challenges of the 21st Century Practice Test

A 2023 historian examining social divisions argues that partisan media ecosystems and geographically concentrated voting blocs contributed to “negative partisanship,” in which voters are motivated more by opposition to the other party than by support for a shared program. The author suggests this dynamic increased legislative gridlock in the 2010s and early 2020s. Which outcome best aligns with the historian’s argument?

A 2017 secondary-source analysis of homeland security states that after 9/11 the federal government reorganized agencies to improve coordination, especially around border screening, intelligence sharing, and emergency response. The author argues that the reorganization reflected a belief that decentralized structures had left the country vulnerable. Which development most directly matches this description?