Question

Increasingly, the boundaries of congressional seats are drawn in order to protect incumbents, as legislators engineer the demographics of each district such that those already in office can coast to (i)____________ victory. Of course, there is always the possibility that the incumbent will face a challenge from within his or her own party. Nevertheless, once the primary is over, the general election is (ii)____________ . Blank (i) a. an ineluctable b. an invidious c. a plangent Blank (ii) a. seldom nugatory b. remarkably contentious c. merely denouement

Short answer

The correct choices for the blanks are: (i) an ineluctable (ii) merely denouement

Step-by-step solution

Understanding the context

In this sentence, the blanks refer to the assured victory of incumbents due to the gerrymandering of district boundaries. This suggests that whatever the option chosen for blank (i) must describe a certain victory and whatever is chosen for blank (ii) needs to show that the general election is more of a formality or concluding event rather than a real contest.

Analysis Of Options For Blank (i)

Looking at the options: 'ineluctable' means inevitable, 'invidious' refers to something that provokes envy, 'plangent' means loud or resonating. Based on the context, the most fitting word to describe a definitive victory would be 'ineluctable'.

Analysis Of Options For Blank (ii)

'Nugatory' means of no value or trivial, 'contentious' means controversial or disputed, 'denouement' is a term used to describe the final resolution of a story. Given the context of the sentence, the general election is presented as a formality or a conclusion to an already assured victory, hence the most fitting word would be 'denouement'.

Key concepts

Gerrymandering

Gerrymandering is the practice of altering the boundaries of electoral districts to favor a particular political party or group. This activity is named after Elbridge Gerry, who, while serving as the governor of Massachusetts, approved a redistricting plan that looked like a salamander.

Here's how it works:

• Politicians choose how to draw the lines of a district.
• They do this to ensure that their target voters are grouped together.
• This manipulation allows for a predetermined outcome favoring one party.

Imagine if you were organizing a sports team, but you tweaked the rules so your favorite players were always on the winning side. That's a bit like gerrymandering. It's often seen as unfair because it can lead to unequal representation in government.

Gerrymandering can profoundly affect congressional elections, allowing certain parties to remain in power regardless of popular vote changes. This creates debates over the fairness and legitimacy of elections. By grasping the basics of gerrymandering, students can better understand its impact on political processes.

Vocabulary

To successfully complete textual tasks like GRE Text Completion, building a strong vocabulary is fundamental. The GRE often tests not just word definitions, but also the context in which they are used. In this context, understanding specific vocabulary is crucial.

• "Ineluctable" means unavoidable or certain. In our exercise, it refers to an assured event, a key understanding for choosing the right answer in Blank (i).


• "Invidious" carries a negative connotation that evokes envy or resentment, not suitable for our context.


• "Plangent" describes a loud or mournful sound, unrelated to political contexts in this exercise.

For Blank (ii), understanding the term "denouement":

• "Denouement" signifies the final part of a narrative where the plot is drawn together and matters are resolved. It fits in the context of an election being a foregone conclusion.


• "Nugatory" means of little importance, not fitting as the sentence suggests closure.


• "Contentious" implies dispute, which contradicts the sense of closure needed here.

By expanding your vocabulary through reading and practice, you not only improve your choices in such questions, but also gain deeper comprehension skills.

Congressional Elections

Congressional elections are processes through which members of the United States Congress are selected. There are two houses in Congress: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Here is how the elections work:

• The House of Representatives consists of members chosen every two years across various districts.
• The Senate, however, sees elections every six years, with only a third of the seats up for grabs during each election cycle.

In these elections, candidates compete in primary campaigns within their political parties before moving to general elections. Due to gerrymandering, congressional elections can sometimes become largely predictable as district boundaries are drawn to favor incumbents or certain parties.

This means that, in some instances, once the primary is decided, the general election becomes, as the exercise suggests, more of a "denouement." Understanding the structure and mechanics of congressional elections provides insight into how officials are elected and the challenges within the U.S. electoral system. Knowing this helps clarify why incumbents may have a significant advantage and lead to the development of strategies to advocate for more fair and competitive elections.