Kaplan official answers:
1.
The author first discusses problems with the current voting system, then describes two alternative systems, noting positive features of each as well as situations in which they could be problematic. We can't say that the author "advocates" (choice (A)) or "argues for" (choice (E)) either new system; these terms would be too strong. (B) is too narrow, (C) is out of scope (the author discusses a weakness of the current system, but never suggests that it's out of date). We are left with (D), which does address the overall purpose of the passage well. The purpose of the passage is to discuss dissatisfaction with the current election system and two alternative systems
2.
The author says that "some even suggested" that Gore and Bush might not have been the true popular choices in the primary elections of 2000. So, he is relaying someone else's opinion about the two candidates. We can't say that the author is dissatisfied, critical, compassionate, or angry-we don't know his own feelings about Gore and Bush at all. (B), objective, is the only one that works.
3.
The author tells us that some suggested that Gore and Bush might not have been the popular choice. (E) captures this idea precisely. (A) and (D) refer to approval and ranking voting systems, which aren't discussed until later in the passage and not in the context of the 2000 election. (B) is too strong-the Gore-Bush reference doesn't "prove" anything, it merely indicates what some critics believe. (C) is wrong because the statement about Gore and Bush isn't used as evidence supporting some conclusion later in the argument.
4.
As used here, popular means preferred by the majority of voters (by the people, the "populace"). (A) gets it right. None of the other choices relates to the subject of elections, though they're all traps, using possible definitions of "popular."
5.
(A) is too extreme-we have no basis for believing that the author thinks that approval voting is the only way to determine voters' dislikes as well as likes. (B) is also extreme. (C) might be tempting; the author calls both alternative systems "noteworthy" (paragraph 5), but doesn't say they would both be preferable to the current one. In fact, the end of paragraph 3 suggests that approval voting, open to confusion and intrigue, is not simpler or clearer than the current system. (D) is more strongly supported; the author says ranking voting "might generate better results than either approval voting or the current process" in paragraph 4. (E) is unsupported by the text.
6.
The sentence in question tells us that the approval voting system could lead to "confusion and intrigue," and wouldn't make voting simpler or clearer. Which answer choice best captures the function of this sentence?
(A) is too strong—we’re told that approval voting may have flaws, but it is not dismissed as totally impracticable. (B) isn't strong enough—the terms the author uses to describe approval voting are not neutral, but, in fact, somewhat negative. In (C), while the sentence points out flaws in approval voting, it doesn't go so far as to demonstrate that the current system is better than all alternatives. (D) does warn that the proposed system of approval voting carries with it certain risks. This answer is correct.
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Keep it simple. Keep it blank