Exercises

1. Fill in the blanks:

1. In the United Kingdom general elections are held every... years.

2. The country is divided into 659 ... .

3. The political party which wins the most seats in the ... forms the Government.

4. By-elections are held when an ... dies or retires.

5. A Member of Parliament is elected ... each area.

6. Local... are set up in schools and halls.

7. Voting takes place throughout... day.

8. In the polling ... the voter marks a cross by one name, then puts the paper into the ... box.

9. Voting takes place on Polling Day, usually a ... .

10. When all of the results are known the Queen will usually invite the leader of the party winning the most seats in the House of Commons to be ... and to form ... .

11. The second largest party becomes the ... .

2. Read the following sentences and decide if they are true or false:

1. The British government is elected for up to five years.

2. The Queen chooses the date of the next general election.

3. The place where people go to vote in an election is called a polling station.

4. The political party which wins the most seats in the House of Lords forms the Government.

5. The United Kingdom is divided into areas which are known as constituencies.

6. Each constituency is divided into a number of polling districts.

7. The Queen appoints MPs to become Cabinet.

8. The Prime Minister opens the new Parliament.

9. The House of Lords is an unelected Chamber.

10. The voters put their votes in a ballot box.

3. Find words and expressions in the text which mean:

1. an election in the whole country to elect a new Parliament;

2. an area of the UK for which a representative is elected to the House of Commons;

3. voting at an election;

4. a group formed from the leaders of the Parliamentary Opposition, i.e. those who might form a new Cabinet if there is a change of government after a general election;

5. a locked box where in ballots are deposited;

6. the place where people go to vote in an election;

7. To end the life of a Parliament by public announcement of the Sovereign, leading to a general election.

4. Ask questions to get the following answers:

1. A Member of Parliament is elected to represent each area.

2. The Leader of the party with most Members forms the Government.

3. Between general elections there may be several by-elections.

4. Voters learn about candidates through the local newspapers and through leaflets.

5. Leaflets are distributed to every home in the constituency.

6. The election leaflets outline party policy on major issues of national importance.

7. Voting is secret.

5. Answer the following questions:

1. What sort of electoral system does Ukraine have?

2. What do you know about different electoral systems in other countries?

3. What do you know about general election in the United Kingdom?

4. What are the main disadvantages of the UK electoral system and the system in Ukraine?

5. What advantages does each system have?

Suggest one change you would make to each system.