Question while-
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes:
- Malapportionment is the over- or underrepresentation (relative to population size) of electoral districts in a governing body.
- It is a common feature of representative governments.
- There are 169 seats in Norway’s supreme legislature (the Storting).
- Seats are distributed by a formula that awards 1 point per resident and 1.8 points per unit of land.
- Less populated rural districts with large tracts of land receive a disproportionate number of seats compared to smaller but more populated urban districts.
The student wants to refute a claim that malapportionment in the Storting favors small urban districts. Which choice most effectively uses relevant information from the notes to accomplish this goal?
Less populated rural districts are disproportionally underrepresented in the Storting, creating an unfair advantage for smaller but more populated urban districts.
It’s untrue that malapportionment in the 169-seat Storting favors small urban districts; rather, the formula for distributing seats overrepresents more populated districts.
A common feature of representative governments, malapportionment occurs when electoral districts are over- or underrepresented.
Awarding more points per unit of land than points per resident, the formula for distributing Storting seats overrepresents less populated rural districts with large tracts of land.
While researching a topic, a student has taken the following notes: Malapportionment is the over- or
Hard-difficulty · SAT Reading & Writing · Rhetorical Synthesis — Selecting a claim supported by multiple findings. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.
Answer explanation
Choice D is the best answer. By noting that the formula for distributing Storting seats overrepresents less populated rural districts, the sentence effectively refutes a claim that malapportionment in the Storting favors small urban districts.
Choice A is incorrect because the sentence claims that malapportionment in the Storting favors small urban districts; it doesn’t refute such a claim. Moreover, it misrepresents information in the notes. According to the notes, the formula for distributing seats overrepresents less populated, not more populated, districts. Choice B is incorrect. While the sentence appears to refute a claim that malapportionment in the Storting favors small urban districts, it misrepresents information in the notes. According to the notes, the formula for distributing seats overrepresents less populated, not more populated, districts. Choice C is incorrect. The sentence explains what malapportionment is but doesn’t address malapportionment in the Storting specifically.
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