Question 1

A proportional representation system helps ensure that the percentage of votes a party receives will be roughly the same as the percentage of seats in parliament it receives.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  True

Question 2

All of the following are key features of democracy EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

A)   private property and free markets.
B)   competitive elections.
C)   freedom of speech.
D)   freedom of assembly.
E)   right to oppose the government. A

Question 3

A problem with two-ballot plurality voting is that it tends to favor extremist parties.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 4

The percentage of female parliamentarians is highest in

Accepted Answer

A)   France.
B)   Italy.
C)   post-communist countries.
D)   Scandinavia.
E)   Great Britain.

Question 5

Plurality voting simply means

Accepted Answer

A)   the candidate with the majority of votes wins.
B)   that there will be more than two parties.
C)   the candidate with the most votes wins.
D)   more than one member will represent a district.
E)   voting is proportional.

Question 6

"Deparliamentization" suggests that

Accepted Answer

A)   courts are taking away powers from parliaments.
B)   national parliaments are losing power to the European Union.
C)   parliaments are becoming more fragmented.
D)   voters are turning out less for parliamentary elections.
E)   people trust parliaments less and less.

Question 7

One feature of Germany's voting system is

Accepted Answer

A)   run-off voting.
B)   voters vote twice.
C)   voters rank candidates.
D)   there is no electoral threshold.
E)   there is no geographic representation at all.

Question 8

European members of parliament often take the lead in drafting legislative proposals.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Electoral thresholds, according to the textbook, are typically

Accepted Answer

A)   1-2 percent
B)   4-5 percent
C)   10-12 percent
D)   15-20 percent
E)   over 20 percent

Question 10

A party list

Accepted Answer

A)   is the list of a party's representatives in parliament.
B)   rank orders the candidates of a party.
C)   is a feature of two-ballot plurality voting.
D)   can be reordered by voters in an alternative vote system.
E)   is used in single-member district plurality voting.

Question 11

Party discipline

Accepted Answer

A)   is not a feature of democracies.
B)   can be used only in a parliamentary system.
C)   weakens the powers of political parties.
D)   weakens the power of individual MPs.
E)   is imposed by voters on parties they do not like.

Question 12

Duverger's Law is about

Accepted Answer

A)   the efficiency of parliamentary systems.
B)   how electoral systems affect the number of parties.
C)   how coalitions will form.
D)   how to calculate results in a single-transferable vote system.
E)   recent changes in the French electoral system.

Question 13

Some criticize coalition governments as unstable compared to majoritarian governments. What might be some advantages of coalition governments?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some criticize coalition governments as unstable compared...

Question 14

In terms of its formal powers, the U.S. Congress is weaker than most European legislatures.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Party lists

Accepted Answer

A)   are a means to enforce party discipline.
B)   define the electoral threshold.
C)   are determined by the European Union.
D)   must be mailed to voters prior to elections.
E)   come into play only in the second round of two-ballot voting.

Question 16

The electoral threshold in a proportional representation system does all of the following EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

A)   defines the percentage of votes a party must receive in order to win seats.
B)   helps limit the number of parties represented in the parliament.
C)   varies from country to country.
D)   affects the overall proportionality of the system.
E)   sets a minimum voter turnout that must be met for the election to be valid.

Question 17

All of the following are critiques of a single-member district system EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

A)   it produces "wasted" votes.
B)   electoral districts can be manipulated.
C)   it discriminates against smaller parties.
D)   it produces highly fragmented parliaments.
E)   there is no geographic representation.

Question 18

Party discipline means that voters tend to be loyal to a party throughout their lives.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 19

Coalition governments

Accepted Answer

A)   rarely last over a year.
B)   have become increasingly common in the 2000s.
C)   are a feature of a consensus system.
D)   simplify the legislative process.
E)   are typically formed between the two largest parties.

Question 20

In most proportional representation systems, voters

Accepted Answer

A)   vote twice.
B)   vote for a candidate.
C)   rank order their choices.
D)   elect one member of parliament from their district.
E)   vote for a party.

Exam 5: Executive Authority in Europe

A proportional representation system helps ensure that the percentage of votes a party receives will be roughly the same as the percentage of seats in parliament it receives.

All of the following are key features of democracy EXCEPT

A problem with two-ballot plurality voting is that it tends to favor extremist parties.

The percentage of female parliamentarians is highest in

Plurality voting simply means

"Deparliamentization" suggests that

One feature of Germany's voting system is

European members of parliament often take the lead in drafting legislative proposals.

Electoral thresholds, according to the textbook, are typically

A party list

Party discipline

Duverger's Law is about

Some criticize coalition governments as unstable compared to majoritarian governments. What might be some advantages of coalition governments?

In terms of its formal powers, the U.S. Congress is weaker than most European legislatures.

Party lists

The electoral threshold in a proportional representation system does all of the following EXCEPT

All of the following are critiques of a single-member district system EXCEPT

Party discipline means that voters tend to be loyal to a party throughout their lives.

Coalition governments

In most proportional representation systems, voters