UK A-Levels Politics Practice Exam

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Study for the UK A-Levels Politics Exam with flashcards and multiple choice questions. Each question is accompanied by detailed explanations. Prepare effectively and boost your confidence for the exam!

Each practice test/flash card set has 50 randomly selected questions from a bank of over 500. You'll get a new set of questions each time!

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In which electoral system do parties win seats in direct proportion to the number of votes they receive?

First Past the Post
Single Member Districts
Proportional Representation
Majority Vote

The correct answer is: Proportional Representation

The correct answer is Proportional Representation because this electoral system is specifically designed to ensure that the number of seats a party wins in a legislature closely reflects the percentage of votes they receive in an election. This means that if a party secures 30% of the total votes, they should ideally receive approximately 30% of the seats, promoting a more balanced and representative political environment. The other systems mentioned do not operate on this principle. First Past the Post tends to favor larger parties and often leads to a disproportionate allocation of seats, as it awards victory based solely on individual electoral districts. Single Member Districts also work within similar constraints where only the candidate with the most votes in a district wins, disregarding the overall percentage of votes that other candidates received. Majority Vote systems, which require a candidate to obtain more than 50% of the votes to win outright, similarly do not ensure proportionality in representation and can lead to situations where many votes are effectively 'wasted' on losing candidates.