Activity 2.2
Description and Explanation

Consider Table 2.2 , which describes characteristics of fourteen states in terms of the number of executions in 1995, the vote received by the Republican candidate for governor in the last election, and the murder rate. Three descriptions of the states are given explicitly in the table. The task of this activity is to organize the descriptive information for purposes of explanation.

1. Print out and fill in Table 2.3 by using the information in Table 2.2 so that it can be used to explain why some states have more executions than others. Does knowing the support Republican candidates receive in a state help explain the number of executions? Write a brief essay of explanation.
2. Divide the states by location (North versus South) to see if region helps explain the execution rate by printing out and filling in Table 2.4. Does knowing the location of a state help explain the execution rate? Write a brief essay of explanation.
3. Construct your own table to determine if a state's murder rate helps explain executions. (Hint: Divide the states into low (seven lowest) and high (seven highest), based on their murder rates.)