- PowerScore Staff
- Posts: 8917
- Joined: Feb 02, 2011
- Sat Jul 08, 2017 1:09 pm
#36965
Complete Question Explanation
Main Point. The correct answer choice is (B)
In this stimulus, a political scientist presents a democratic dilemma: While people should be free to
spend their money as they wish, there is unfair advantage that comes with the ability to vastly outspend
one’s opponents. Democratic governments are obligated to ensure that all voices have equal chance of
being heard, but should not have to subsidize every candidate. We are asked to supply the resolution,
which would have to strike a balance between allowing for spending freedom and supporting candidates’
equal access to the public.
Answer choice (A): Preventing the poorly funded from campaigning does not offer a resolution, but
instead runs contrary to the principle that democracies are obligated to ensure an equal voice to all.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. Placing an upper limit on campaign spending
helps to minimize the advantage of those with greater resources, without requiring government subsidies
for every candidate.
Answer choice (C): This choice would not help equalize spending. If the government finances each
campaign at a low percentage of total cost, that defrays more cost for the wealthier campaigns, and does
little for the underfunded campaigns.
Answer choice (D): To prevent the wealthy from campaigning with their own money is to violate the
principle that a democracy should allow its citizens to spend their money, “within broad limits,” so this
choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (E): Allowing a candidate to spend as much as any other candidate chooses to spend does
nothing to resolve the democratic dilemma presented in the stimulus. Since this rule is really no rule at
all, this answer choice is incorrect.
Main Point. The correct answer choice is (B)
In this stimulus, a political scientist presents a democratic dilemma: While people should be free to
spend their money as they wish, there is unfair advantage that comes with the ability to vastly outspend
one’s opponents. Democratic governments are obligated to ensure that all voices have equal chance of
being heard, but should not have to subsidize every candidate. We are asked to supply the resolution,
which would have to strike a balance between allowing for spending freedom and supporting candidates’
equal access to the public.
Answer choice (A): Preventing the poorly funded from campaigning does not offer a resolution, but
instead runs contrary to the principle that democracies are obligated to ensure an equal voice to all.
Answer choice (B): This is the correct answer choice. Placing an upper limit on campaign spending
helps to minimize the advantage of those with greater resources, without requiring government subsidies
for every candidate.
Answer choice (C): This choice would not help equalize spending. If the government finances each
campaign at a low percentage of total cost, that defrays more cost for the wealthier campaigns, and does
little for the underfunded campaigns.
Answer choice (D): To prevent the wealthy from campaigning with their own money is to violate the
principle that a democracy should allow its citizens to spend their money, “within broad limits,” so this
choice is incorrect.
Answer choice (E): Allowing a candidate to spend as much as any other candidate chooses to spend does
nothing to resolve the democratic dilemma presented in the stimulus. Since this rule is really no rule at
all, this answer choice is incorrect.