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The close and hotly contested race for the presidency for the United S
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Updated on: 09 Nov 2025, 02:10
Updated on: 09 Nov 2025, 02:10
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Question 1
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23% (02:14) correct
77% (02:11) wrong based on 13 sessions
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Question 2
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0% (00:00) correct
100% (01:25) wrong based on 7 sessions
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The close and hotly contested race for the presidency for the United States has once again brought to the forefront of our thinking an aspect of the Constitution that is usually never considered - that the citizens of the United States do not directly vote for the President of the United States. The Electoral College actually casts the votes deciding who will be the President. Many would argue that the will of the American people needs to be better represented and that the popular vote should be the deciding factor. One might ask, why not let the popular vote decide our President?
For one thing, the Electoral College has a definite tendency to limit third party candidates. This is a desirable aspect of the College. The apparent greater voter choice among a huge number of candidates is a dangerous illusion; in practice, well-organized minorities have a very good chance to achieve the highest or second- highest share, advancing to a run off round. Consider the tremendous influence nowadays of Political Action Committees and large corporations. Who do you think would be electing the President of the United States? Do you believe that the majority of Americans, for instance, support homosexual adoptions, that everyone should be able to own a machine gun, or support across the board legalization of recreational drugs?
For one thing, the Electoral College has a definite tendency to limit third party candidates. This is a desirable aspect of the College. The apparent greater voter choice among a huge number of candidates is a dangerous illusion; in practice, well-organized minorities have a very good chance to achieve the highest or second- highest share, advancing to a run off round. Consider the tremendous influence nowadays of Political Action Committees and large corporations. Who do you think would be electing the President of the United States? Do you believe that the majority of Americans, for instance, support homosexual adoptions, that everyone should be able to own a machine gun, or support across the board legalization of recreational drugs?
1. What is the primary purpose of the author in writing this passage?
A. To question the legitimacy of the Electoral College system of electing the President
B. To suggest that a better system should be arrived at for electing the President
C. To provide several benefits of the Electoral College system of electing the President
D. To describe one reason for the popularity of the Electoral College system of electing the President
E. To claim that the Electoral College system of electing the President is unpopular
2. What is the function of the last sentence of the passage?
A. To provide examples of measures that would be supported by most Americans
B. To provide a benefit of using the Electoral College system for electing the President
C. To support the claim that the President is not always elected as per the wishes of the American citizens
D. To describe measures that might have found favour in the absence of an Electoral College system of electing the President
E. To provide examples of some of the illusions alluded to earlier in the paragraph
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Re: The close and hotly contested race for the presidency for the United S
[#permalink]
09 Nov 2025, 02:09
09 Nov 2025, 02:09
Expert Reply
Question 1
The passage starts by noting that the Electoral College system is in the spotlight because the President isn't elected by direct popular vote.
It then says many argue the popular vote should decide, but then the author shifts to defending the Electoral College:
- It limits third-party candidates.
- Prevents well-organized minorities from having too much influence.
- Implies popular vote could lead to extreme policies being pushed.
So the author's primary purpose is to support the Electoral College by giving one of its benefits.
(A) "To question the legitimacy" - no, the author supports it.
(B) "To suggest a better system" - no, author defends current system.
(C) "To provide several benefits" - only one main benefit is discussed (limiting third parties/minority rule).
(D) "To describe one reason for the popularity" - yes, the passage explains one reason it's good (limits fringe influence).
(E) "To claim it's unpopular" - not the purpose.
Answer: D
The passage starts by noting that the Electoral College system is in the spotlight because the President isn't elected by direct popular vote.
It then says many argue the popular vote should decide, but then the author shifts to defending the Electoral College:
- It limits third-party candidates.
- Prevents well-organized minorities from having too much influence.
- Implies popular vote could lead to extreme policies being pushed.
So the author's primary purpose is to support the Electoral College by giving one of its benefits.
(A) "To question the legitimacy" - no, the author supports it.
(B) "To suggest a better system" - no, author defends current system.
(C) "To provide several benefits" - only one main benefit is discussed (limiting third parties/minority rule).
(D) "To describe one reason for the popularity" - yes, the passage explains one reason it's good (limits fringe influence).
(E) "To claim it's unpopular" - not the purpose.
Answer: D
Re: The close and hotly contested race for the presidency for the United S
[#permalink]
09 Nov 2025, 02:10
09 Nov 2025, 02:10
Expert Reply
Question 2
The last sentence:
Do you believe that the majority of Americans, for instance, support homosexual adoptions, that everyone should be able to own a machine gun, or support across the board legalization of recreational drugs?
It follows the idea that without the Electoral College, well-organized minorities could push extreme policies into a runoff.
The rhetorical questions imply these are examples of unpopular policies that might get traction if fringe parties had more power.
So the function is to support the claim that in a popular vote/runoff system, extreme minority views could influence outcomes - a benefit of the Electoral College.
(A) "examples of measures supported by most Americans" - no, the opposite.
(B) "To provide a benefit of using the Electoral College" - yes, it illustrates how the Electoral College prevents such minority-backed extreme policies from gaining power.
(C) "To support the claim that the President is not always elected as per the wishes" - not the point here; the point is that the Electoral College avoids this problem.
(D) "To describe measures that might have found favour in the absence of an Electoral College" close, but it's not that they'd find favor overall, but that they could get pushed by minorities in a runoff system.
(E) "To provide examples of some of the illusions alluded to earlier" - the "illusion" was greater voter choice, not these policies.
Best answer: B - the function is to illustrate a benefit of the Electoral College (prevents fringe issues from gaining power via runoffs).
The last sentence:
Do you believe that the majority of Americans, for instance, support homosexual adoptions, that everyone should be able to own a machine gun, or support across the board legalization of recreational drugs?
It follows the idea that without the Electoral College, well-organized minorities could push extreme policies into a runoff.
The rhetorical questions imply these are examples of unpopular policies that might get traction if fringe parties had more power.
So the function is to support the claim that in a popular vote/runoff system, extreme minority views could influence outcomes - a benefit of the Electoral College.
(A) "examples of measures supported by most Americans" - no, the opposite.
(B) "To provide a benefit of using the Electoral College" - yes, it illustrates how the Electoral College prevents such minority-backed extreme policies from gaining power.
(C) "To support the claim that the President is not always elected as per the wishes" - not the point here; the point is that the Electoral College avoids this problem.
(D) "To describe measures that might have found favour in the absence of an Electoral College" close, but it's not that they'd find favor overall, but that they could get pushed by minorities in a runoff system.
(E) "To provide examples of some of the illusions alluded to earlier" - the "illusion" was greater voter choice, not these policies.
Best answer: B - the function is to illustrate a benefit of the Electoral College (prevents fringe issues from gaining power via runoffs).
