Chapter 10: Who Gets In? The Machinery of Democratic Elections

Multiple Choice   Short Answer

 

MULTIPLE CHOICE

Chapter Ten Multiple Choice (MS Word)

1. What is the threshold of support?

a. The entrance to party headquarters
b. The minimum number of votes necessary to win seats
c. Irrelevant to the party system
d. All of the above

2. Which category tends to have greater numbers?

a. Electoral parties
b. Legislative parties
c. Both
d. Neither

3. Which of the following circumstances is characteristic of a manufactured majority?

a. The electoral system has over-rewarded the winner
b. Winning a majority of seats doesn’t correspond to winning a majority of votes
c. Both
d. Neither

4. Which of the following are principles of electoral justice?

a. That the distribution of votes should match the distribution of legislative seats
b. That the distributional relationship of votes to seats should be consistent
c. That the distribution in seats should reflect changes in support
d. All of the above

5. Which of the following describes ballots not counted towards any candidate?

a. Unmarked
b. Spoiled
c. Indulged
d. None of the above

6. Under what circumstances do the pluralist and majority electoral formula coincide?

a. When there are two candidates
b. When there are three candidates
c. When there are four candidates
d. None of the above

7. Which of the following are components of an electoral system?

a. Political magnitude
b. Electoral condition
c. Ballot type
d. All of the above

8. What does the TRS system stand for?

a. True real system
b. Two round system
c. Twin registered standard
d. None of the above

9. Which of the following is true of “wasted votes”?

a. They are votes that do not contribute to the election of a representative
b. They are atypical for SMP
c. They are characteristic of PR
d. All of the above

10. What is another name for the single member plurality system?

a. Posted voting
b. First past the post
c. First posted result
d. None of the above

11. Which of the following groups tends to be larger?

a. Electors
b. Voters
c. Both
d. Neither

12. Fair elections require which of the following?

a. A partisan administrative body
b. A process of transparency and accountability
c. Set outcomes without the possibility of challenge
d. None of the above

13. In which of the following systems can political accountability be said to be most personal?

a. SMP
b. MMP
c. STV
d. None of the above

14. An electoral system that uses elements of both single member plurality and proportional systems is called which of the following?

a. AV
b. MMP
c. TLDR
d. None of the above

15. Which of the following distinguishes the Single Transferable Vote system from the Alternate Vote system?

a. Multi-member constituencies
b. Proportional distribution of votes
c. Both
d. Neither

16. Which of the following defines “overhang” seats?

a. They are located on the upper level of the legislature
b. They are specific to the upper house
c. They are added to a legislature to ensure a proportionate distribution of seats
d. They allow legislators to recline during debates

17. In electoral terms, what does a “gag law” refer to?

a. The limitation of parliamentary debate
b. Reporting restrictions on poll results close to an election
c. A law preventing some groups from expressing support for political parties
d. None of the above

18. Which of the following is a commonly regulated factor for party financing?

a. Salaries of senior party members
b. The amount of money that can be donated to parties
c. The sources from whom parties can borrow money
d. All of the above

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SHORT ANSWER

Chapter Ten Short Answer (MS Word)

1. Explain the significance of the “filtering effect” of an electoral system.

2. Explain the relationship between accessibility and incorruptibility in the voting process.

3. Explain the electoral trade-off between representation and proportionality.

4. Explain the argument(s) in favour of fixed-term elections.

5. Compare and contrast mixed-member proportional and parallel electoral systems.

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