Question

3The number of members each state has in the Electoral College depends on its population. A state with a large population has more votes than a state with a small population. For example, California has 55 votes while Alaska has 3. In most states, the candidate who wins the popular vote wins all of that state’s electoral votes. A candidate must receive a majority of the electoral votes to become the next president. How many electoral votes is enough to win? In recent elections, candidates have had to earn at least 270 of the 538 electoral votes to win.
4In theory, this system should work, and it has worked—most of the time. A few times, however, the system has failed. In these cases, the candidate with fewer popular votes gained enough electoral votes to win the election. This occurred during the 2000 presidential election when more people voted for Al Gore, but George W. Bush earned more electoral votes and became the president. What causes such a breakdown in the system to happen? Let's return to the example of California and Alaska. A single vote in California has the power to override thousands of votes in other states. Imagine that only one person in California casts a vote for Candidate A. That candidate wins the popular vote in California 1–0. He or she gets all of California's 55 electoral votes. Across the country, thousands of voters in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and Delaware cast their votes for Candidate B. Not one voter casts a vote for Candidate A. These states have a combined 52 electoral votes, which is not enough to beat California's 55. How can the leaders of our country believe that this system is fair?
Based on the information presented in the passage, in which state would a presidential candidate be LEAST LIKELY to campaign?

A) Texas
B) Alaska
C) California
D) New York

Answer 1

Answer: Alaska

Explanation: Since a presidential candidate wants to get as many electoral votes as possible, they should focus on the states that have the greatest population, and therefore, the greatest number of electoral votes. The states of Texas, California and New York all have large populations, while Alaska does not. So, the presidential candidate would be LEAST LIKELY to campaign in Alaska

Answer 2

A)           MAINE

B)           VERMONT

C)           ALABAMA

D)          CALIFORNIA

ANSWER: D) CALIFORNIA