Gerrymandering refers to the targeted redrawing of election constituencies so as to benefit a particular party. This is especially important where the electoral system is "first past the post" in each constituency (i.e. one winner is selected in each constituency based on a majority of votes won) and where there is no other provision for proportional representation (as for example in the German system). For a simple illustration of gerrymandering, if a region consists of districts 1, 2, 3, ..., 9 with districts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 favouring party P and 7, 8, 9 favouring party Q, then grouping of districts to constituencies as {1,2,3}, {4,5,6}, {7,8,9} will give two seats to party P and one seat to party Q, whereas the grouping {1,2,7}, {3,4,8}, {5,6,9} will give all three seats to party P, as they will secure a majority in each constituency. Which of these statements can be deduced from the above?
Understanding Gerrymandering and Electoral Impact
The question asks to deduce a statement from the provided text about gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is defined as the intentional manipulation of electoral district boundaries to gain an advantage for a particular political party.
Analyzing the Deduction
Let's evaluate each statement based on the provided text:
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Statement 1: "Gerrymandering implies that constituency boundaries can sometimes be drawn to favour one party over the other."
Reasoning: The text explicitly defines gerrymandering as "the targeted redrawing of election constituencies so as to benefit a particular party." This statement is a direct restatement of the definition and is therefore deducible.
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Statement 2: "Gerrymandering implies that proportional representation is impossible when districts are grouped to form constituencies."
Reasoning: The text mentions gerrymandering is important where the system is "first past the post" and "where there is no other provision for proportional representation." It does not state that proportional representation becomes impossible; rather, it highlights the conditions where gerrymandering is particularly effective due to the absence of PR.
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Statement 3: "To counteract gerrymandering political parties should concentrate on districts where they are favoured."
Reasoning: The provided text explains what gerrymandering is and illustrates its effect. It does not offer any advice or strategies on how political parties can counteract it.
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Statement 4: "The grouping of districts to constituencies has very little impact on proportional representation."
Reasoning: The example clearly demonstrates that the grouping of districts has a significant impact on the seat allocation. In the example, different groupings lead to drastically different outcomes (2 seats for P vs. 3 seats for P), which is the opposite of proportional representation and shows a substantial impact.
Conclusion
Based on the analysis, only the first statement can be directly deduced from the information provided in the text. The definition of gerrymandering directly supports this conclusion.
Important Questions from Analytical Reasoning Drawing Reasonable Inferences from Passages
- Examine the cognates of the word meaning ‘stream’ in the following:
Language 1 - mube
Language 2 - mupe
Language 3 - mup
Based on the majority principle and most natural development principle, identify which of the following statements about the proto-form is/are CORRECT. - “The necessary connection between cause and effect is the foundation of our inference from one to the other. The foundation of our inference is the transition arising from accustomed union.” – David Hume
Which one of the following claims is an accurate expression of Hume’s view on causal necessity? - Rohit is a 25-year old software engineer with a happy family and a stable job.
One day Rohit realises that this may all be an illusion – he could simply be a “brain in a vat” hooked up to electrodes which simulate an external reality. Whether or not he is actually a brain in a vat, his sensory experiences would be the same. Therefore, he does not know that he is a 25-year old software engineer with a happy family and a stable job.
Which one of the following philosophers is most closely associated with an argument of this kind? - Consider the sentence ‘there is no cat on the mat’. Which one of the following schools of classical Indian philosophy would regard this as tantamount to saying ‘this is a bare mat’?
- “When somebody utters the word ‘table’, we understand its meaning through a process of exclusion of everything else in the universe of discourse except ‘table’.”
Who among the following classical Indian philosophers could be credited with such reasoning?
