Presidential Elections (Reading Exercise)

Presidential Elections

 

This year Americans elect on a new president on November 6th. It's an important event that happens once every four years. Currently, the president is always elected from one of the two main parties in the United States: the Republicans and the Democrats. There are other presidential candidates. However, it is unlikely that any of these "third party" candidates will win. It certainly hasn't happened in the last one hundred years.
In order to become the presidential nominee of a party, the candidate must win the primary election. Primary elections are held throughout each state in the United States in the first half of any election year. Then, the delegates attend their party convention in order to nominate their chosen candidate. Usually, as in this election, it's clear who will be the nominee. However, in the past parties have been divided and choosing a nominee has been a difficult process.
Once the nominees have been selected, they campaign throughout the country. A number of debates are usually held in order to better understand the candidates' points of view. These points of view often reflect their party's platform. A party platform is best described as the general beliefs and policies a party holds. Candidates cross the country by plane, bus, train or by car giving speeches. These speeches are often called 'stump speeches'. In the 19th century candidates would stand on tree stumps to deliver their speeches. These stump speeches repeat the candidates basic views and aspirations for the country. They are repeated many hundred of times by each candidate.
Many people believe that campaigns in the United States have become too negative. Each night you can see many attack ads on the television. These short ads contain sound bites which often distort the truth, or something the other candidate has said or done. Another recent problem has been voter turnout. There is often less than 60% turnout for national elections. Some people don't register to vote, and some registered voters don't show up at the voting booths. This angers many citizens who feel that voting is the most important responsibility of any citizen. Others point out that not voting is expressing an opinion that the system is broken.
the United States maintains an extremely old, and some say inefficient, voting system. This system is called the Electoral College. Each state is assigned electoral votes based on the number of senators and representatives that state has in Congress. Each state has two Senators. The number of representatives is determined by the states population but is never less then 1. The electoral votes are decided by the popular vote in each state. One candidate wins all of the electoral votes in a state. In other words, Oregon has 8 electoral votes. If 1 million people vote for the Republican candidate and one million and ten people vote for the Democratic candidate ALL 8 electoral votes go to the democratic candidate. Many people feel that this system should be abandoned.

Answer the Questions:

1. How often does the United States hold presidential elections?
   • every two years
   • every four years
   • every six years
2. What is the 'third party'?
   • The Republicans
   • The Democrats
   • Neither of the two main parities
3. How many times has a third party won in the last 100 years?
   • Once
   • Twice
   • Never
4. What must a person do to become a presidential nominee?
   • Win the general election
   • Win a primary election
   • Decide to run for president
5. When are primaries held?
   • During the second half of the election year
   • During the previous year to the election
   • During the first half of the election year
6. Where is the nominee chosen?
   • In Washington D.C.
   • At the party convention
   • On the campaign
7. What is the main purpose of the debates?
   • Raising money for the election
   • Helping to understand the candidates' points of view
   • To attract advertising
8. What is the party platform?
   • The belief of a specific presidential nominee
   • The general beliefs and policies of the party
   • The place where the party is held
9. What is a stump speech?
   • A special speech for a particular group
   • The standard speech given by a nominee many times
   • A speech about the forest
10. What do many people believe about the campaigns?
    • They are too positive.
    • They are too negative.
    • They are perfect.
11. What is an attack ad?
    • An advertisement which presents a nominee's point of view on an issue
    • An advertisement which contains a sound bite which distorts the truth
    • A type of party platform
12. What has recent voter turnout been?
    • More than 60%
    • Less than 60%
    • Less than 30%
13. Which statement is false?
    • Many people feel that voting is a responsibility of citizens.
    • Many people feel that not voting is expressing an opinion.
    • Voting is required by law.
14. Which statement is true?
    • American voters elect their president directly.
    • American voters elect their president indirectly.
    • American voters have no say in the choice of a president.
15. Which statement is true?
    • In a state with 12 electoral votes, the majority of the popular vote takes all 12 electoral votes.
    • In a state with 12 electoral votes, the minority of the popular vote takes all 12 electoral votes.
    • In a state with 12 electoral votes, the electoral votes are split evenly based on the popular vote.
     

Source ; http://esl.about.com